Customer Reviews

Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / 3 Violin Concertos - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon

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Lucky you, for you do not have to wait ten years (as I did) to once again hear Carmignola's Four Seasons. Some ten or more years ago I played in the ensemble that accompanied Carmignola's performances of the Four Seasons at Venice's Teatro La Fenice. The memory of those performances has haunted me and remained in my mind's ear ever since. I have avidly listened to many versions of the Four Seasons, some of which are very beautiful (but too precious), others seem to be wacking their way through a boring etude, others are pretentious, contrived, obdurate, uncomfortable. Carmignola is a world class violinist with impeccable chops and a gorgeous, elegant sound; as far as I am concerned, he owns this concerto.

Carmignola is presently one of the most significant personalities of the Italian violinism and considered to be one of the best violinists world-wide; he is for sure a foremost specialist in the Baroque era. Carmignola's performances :

* are based on a rigorous philological approach,

* are stunning for his technical mastery,

* capture the urgency and the passion that denote the real Italian (Venetian indeed) style.

Most of all, this recording enlighten Vivaldi's personality. For example J.F.A. von Uffenbach, a German noble violinist, was in the audience at the Theatre S. Angelo in Venice, on February 4, 1715. About a Vivaldi solo he wrote :

<towards the end, Vivaldi played a splendid solo, which he followed a cadenza that really astonished me, such a way of playing has ever been heard before and could be again: his fingers rose up to the point that they were not a hair's breadth from the bridge, leaving next to no room at all for the bow; this on all four cords with incredible movements and velocity> (M.Talbot, "Antonio Vivaldi", 1978).

Probably (AA.VV. "Antonio Vivaldi: da Venezia all'Europa", 1978) this cadenza is the same of the 3rd movement of RV212 premiered by Vivaldi and his father in Padua in 1712: the level of extraordinary virtuosity, almost unsurpassed, created a tremendous stir in the public. Carmignola recorded this concerto (in his true, original, full version) in 1996. Listening to the solo, in the audience of the 1998 concert in Turin, I asked myself if a was in Venice or Padua in 17th century !!

If you are looking for a rigorous, true and passionate approach to Vivaldi's music, this is the CD you have to buy. ... for more information, tour schedule and multimedia on "the four seasons"

Some titles of interest:

A.Vivaldi G. Carmignola - Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca - DIVOX antiqua

*"Le Humane Passioni", 1995

*"Concerti per le Solennità", 1996

*"Concerti della Natura", 2000

W.A. Mozart

G. Carmignola - U.B. Michelangeli - THYMALLUS

Divertimento k251, violin concerto k207, symphony k183

An honest rendition of the most-recorded violin Concertos worldwide. The composer can finally rest in peace as one of his most theatrical compositions has been preserved in the manner in which it was written. A Baroque piece, played with Baroque instruments and conducted in the Baroque fashion. Simply stunning! Veritable newcomers (formed in 1997), the Venice Baroque Orchestra hits the right notes and more importantly allows the moments of silence to stand on their own. Giuliano Carmignola, a virtuoso's virtuoso, performs every passage as though he were speaking with Vivaldi as he plays. The result is a sublime example of what recorded music is all about. There are several great recordings of The Four Seasons on the market (Gil Shaham's performance is truly remakable), but they pale in comparison. As a bonus, you get three premiere recordings of Vivaldi violin Concertos (unrecorded previously due to the fact that they are extremely difficult from a technical standpoint). You won't be disappointed, go get this one today.

This is from beginning to end great music.

Some might find Carmignolas playing a bit fast in some places and that his violin is sounding a bit different but that is what I like with this version of Vivaldis Four Seasons.

It has colour, Carmignola gives opportunity to use his personality, has excellent sound and a Venice Baroque Orchestra at top level and it is in my opinion one of the great, mayby the greatest recordings of Vivaldis masterpiece.

There is some good new excellent records out there. Mutters last one (DG), Shahams (DG) and Biondis (Opus 111) are all VERY GOOD but this Carmignola version stands out.

It has, because Carmignola and Venice Baroque Orchestra use period instruments, Carmignola is a fantastic violin player and togheter with a new critical editing by Andrea Marcon it give in sum a special sound, feeling and because of that I rank this version at highest level.

If you like your Four Seasons by old standards (well Mutters is a bit special too but not in this way) you cant go wrong with no one mentioned above but if you like that little extra grab this one if you want something more than a "thick", "heavy" more like a kind of symphony start of "The Spring" beacuse this is played like the baroque piece it is.

Sound is excellent, top level... well actually everything is at top level and the "fillers" (3 Violin Concertos by Vivaldi) are very well performed too.

I've heard my share of 4S performances, and while all of the other recordings i own are surely up to par when you look purely at the quality of playing, this one really stands above the rest with head and shoulders..
Here's why: All of the other performances i've heard "feel" like essentially Romantic works..
And while you could argue that Vivaldi is in his own way pioneering that genre, at least when it comes to expressive content, this 'romantic' way of conducting quite frankly gets boring after repeated listens.
And that's where this one's different; the performance - because of the different scoring - feels so very different.
Much more alive, much more baroque.. and i'm loving it.

If you need a further reason, the "extras" are quite astonishing in their own right, even if you're not interested in more 4S recordings at the onset.

Easily the most moving and the most brilliantly played 4 seasons ever. Recommendation - put this CD in your walkman - lie back in darkness, turn up the volume and prepare for the music to encircle your head and for the emotions to fly, this is the most passionate and powerful music, played by someone who truly has the spirit of the Red Priest inside him. ENJOY!

These performances are not just passionate and exciting - they are informed by a deep understanding of stylistic performance practices. The performances are beyond flawless - they are thrilling in their enlightenment. There are moment to moment subtleties, and even a hail to the previous Renaissance era (the bird songs are magnificently rendered within Baroque style). If you think you know these works, you are in for an aural surprise!

The Four Seasons is not one of my favorite pieces. However, this recording with the Venice Baroque Orchestra is excellent. So much so that I am beginning to change my mind about the piece. It is a vibrant period instrument performance recorded in crystal clarity. The period instruments balance perfectly, the soloist never parts company with the rest of the ensemble. As such the recording never degenerates into a showcase for violin alone. On this recording, Vivaldi's music is the showcase. With jack-hammer precision Guiliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra perform an adrenaline filled relay over Vivaldi's hairpin turns and spin sinewy serenades during the slow movements. Of particular note, for the intensity of their performance as well as an sheer aural experience, are the Presto from Summer and the Allegro Non Molto from Winter. The Largo from Winter is also quite touchingly beautiful. The other three included concertos are absolutely delightful too - and seem to flow right out of the last season seamlessly. Altogether, this performance is a utterly stunning experience.

Who would have imagined that a piece as established and familiar as the Four Seasons could be the subject of a fresh take like this that does service to the music as opposed to the performer?

Stunning.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is an incredibly well-known work. Is it possible that there's any relatively new recording of it out there that is worth listening to?

Yes. This performance certainly is.

First of all, what do I consider a classic performance of the Four Seasons? Maybe by the Virtuosi di Roma, with Luigi Ferro on lead violin. But their performances were in the 1950s, more than four decades before the release of this disc.

Well, this isn't the Virtuosi di Roma. It's the Venice Baroque Orchestra, which may be even more fitting, given that Vivaldi was from Venice, and had a position at the Ospedale della Pieta there. And their lead violinist is Giuliano Carmignola, who studied with Luigi Ferro. Carmignola is a superb violinist, a fine interpreter of Vivaldi and a pleasure to listen to.

The tempos are a little faster in this recording than many of us are used to. And I think that helps bring the music to life. In addition, it saves room on the disc for more Vivaldi concertos! Yes, we get to hear RV 211, RV 257, and RV 376 in addition to the Four Seasons. These latter concertos are not just fillers, but beautiful works that may surprise some listeners.

I had heard Carmignola perform other Vivaldi works, so I had a good idea what to expect. Those of you who haven't heard him before are in for a treat.