Customer Reviews

Four Seasons

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the earlier of Biondi's recordings of the Four Seasons--set down for Opus 111 in 1991, but it in no way pales in comparison to Biondi's later traversal on Virgin. It was considered path breaking at the time of its release, and it still makes Vivaldi's warhorse sound remarkably fresh. Two less familiar concertos offer a wonderful bonus: RV171 for violin and RV163 for strings (called "Conca," or conch, after a kind of Bohemian trumpet).

Although this disc is no longer available by itself, it can be obtained as part of two four-CD sets on Naive at the price of a single CD. One package combines it with three discs of string concerti Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; String Concertos (Box Set). The other includes discs of concerti for winds, strings, and bassoon and oboe Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni; Concerti [Box Set]. All the additional discs are taken from Naive's Vivaldi edition. Either way, this recording of the Four Seasons is a thoroughly delightful bargain.

Addendum (Jan. 2012): The box of string concerti has been repackaged as Vivaldi / Biondi, Europa Galante.

I have a large music collection (over 10,000 recordings) and have heard most of the "name" versions of this work. While I must admit, I have outgrown some of my enthusiasm for the 4-seasons due to the number of times it is played, this performance demands hearing. It is breathtaking. Indeed, when it was first released, I ranked it as my favorite album of the year. At the price, it can't be beat.

The Fabio Biond's way of playing show us how the so called ancient-music-performed-by-ancient-intruments should be executed. His "Four Seasons", the world best one, it's a model of power and kind. He plays his instrument sometimes like a sweet bird in the trees, sometimes like a noisy distorced guitar. We can feel the wetness of the rain. Fabio Biondi, and the powerfull Europa Galante, made "The Four Seasons" an unique experience. Listen up with the eyes closed....

H.C.Robbins Landon has written that the Four Seasons is now the most often heard piece of music in the world. And why not? It's pleasant enough stuff, but not exactly heavyweight.

Fabio Biondi shoots that theory to pieces. He and his band have given us a Seasons so passionate and so powerful, that it will be impossible ever again to think of Vivaldi as a lightweight. This is, as they say, the real deal.

if youre favorite movement is the excellent summer 3 (presto) then you may be disappointed. for the most part biondi goes for all out speed at the price of depth, and some of the more interesting parts of the movement are drowned out by the wailing harpsicord. its still a very interesting interpretation (i just like others better eg mutter or accardo). the movement is only really only disappointing in comparison to the rest of the disc, though.

the 3 summers are in general mostly highly inventive and expressive, often technically astounding. spring 2 is played *unbelievably* well. very emotive and as creamy as it can possibly be. it is one of the best played movements in all the classical i know. the autumn movements have always struck me as a bit haughty. but biondi makes them more than tolerable, and now i must reconsider my whole take on them. the first movement of winter is genius. the set of winter movements together makes more brilliant interpretive twists and turns than i can count.

if it wasnt for the not-that-great presto movement, id put my money on this disc as the best 4 seasons nomologically possible. it's probably the best disc out now, though i havent heard annie-sophie mutter's seasons (outside the presto, that is).

this recording is good....but i only find the spring concerto on top form in this album...I actually like the summer finale....and the winter finale.... but I found the album sounded very mucky at times...the first movement of winter...my favourite piece in the world was very very dissappointing...not enough life and passion in it. And on another note the four seasons sound best in modern pitch...as in vivaldi's time, northern italy had a pitch closer to today's than the lower pitch of ther rest of europe....the key is very importatnt in depicting moods and this recording was made when most people thought all of europe had a lower pitch. Out of the authentic instrument recordings that i have my favourite is the nils-erik sparf (which is however in the lower pitch) the others being this one and the one by il giardino armonico. However in his other vivaldi recordings especially of L'estro armonico biondi is stunning....

The music is so exquisite. It's the best. I wonder why it's so cheap