Vivaldi: Complete Cello Sonatas [2 CD's+DVD]

Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Ensemble Pulcinella (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ensemble Pulcinella
• Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
• Audio CD (October 31, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Naive
• ASIN: B000I2IUY8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,997 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 3 in A minor (Six Sonatas No. 3), Op. 14/3, RV 43: Largo

2. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 3 in A minor (Six Sonatas No. 3), Op. 14/3, RV 43: Allegro

3. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 3 in A minor (Six Sonatas No. 3), Op. 14/3, RV 43: Largo

4. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 3 in A minor (Six Sonatas No. 3), Op. 14/3, RV 43: Allegro

5. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 5 in E minor (Six Sonatas No. 5), Op. 14/5, RV 40: Largo

6. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 5 in E minor (Six Sonatas No. 5), Op. 14/5, RV 40: Allegro

7. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 5 in E minor (Six Sonatas No. 5), Op. 14/5, RV 40: Largo

8. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 5 in E minor (Six Sonatas No. 5), Op. 14/5, RV 40: Allegro

9. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 9 in G minor, RV 42: Preludio largo

10. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 9 in G minor, RV 42: Allemanda andante

11. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 9 in G minor, RV 42: Sarabanda largo

12. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 9 in G minor, RV 42: Gigue allegro

13. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 2 in F major (Six Sonatas No. 2), Op. 14/2, RV 41: Largo

14. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 2 in F major (Six Sonatas No. 2), Op. 14/2, RV 41: Allegro

15. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 2 in F major (Six Sonatas No. 2), Op. 14/2, RV 41: Largo

16. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 2 in F major (Six Sonatas No. 2), Op. 14/2, RV 41: Allegro

17. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 7 in A minor, RV 44: Largo

18. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 7 in A minor, RV 44: Allegro poco

19. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 7 in A minor, RV 44: Largo

20. Sonata for cello & continuo No. 7 in A minor, RV 44: Allegro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Protest!, September 1, 2009

By 

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vivaldi: Complete Cello Sonatas [2 CD's+DVD] (Audio CD)

A friend just e-mailed me a music review from the New York Times of a few days ago, in which the dingbat reviewer declared that Beethoven all but invented the cello as a serious instrument in his sonatas for cello and piano. Previous composers, the reviewer insisted, had used only the upper strings and upper register of the instrument and failed to recognize the potential of the lower sonorities. Hello? Bach? Vivaldi? Telemann? Not to mention the possible collateral achievements of English and French composers for the bass viol da gamba.

Ophelie Gaillard - her name is NOT Pulcinella - plays these cello and keyboard sonatas with gruff intensity and ferocious dexterity, and at A415, a pitch that emphasizes their lowest sonorities. For once, Gaillard's performance is probably not my favorite, but I call your attention to it because it has MP3 samples. If you're a Times subscriber, write the doofuses and denounce their ignorance for me!

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pulcinella is a great player, but the slow movements and variety are lacking, July 25, 2009

By 

Cory J. Roberts (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antonio Vivaldi: Complete Cello Sonatas (MP3 Download)

This is my first exposure to Pulcinella as a cellist. She certainly is a very adequate player technically and the fast movements are very fun to listen to. Pulcinella is not only a great player, but the harpsichord and the other instruments really help set the mood. The fast movements are very exciting but sometimes I wish she'd slow down a bit. The way she plays them it makes them all sound very similar. The slow movements especially suffer from this. At first I thought it was because the pieces were subpar, but then I heard Wispelwey's recording and the slow movements sounded great.

Pulcinella is a great cellist, but she needs to slow down and think about the musicality of the pieces. These recordings certainly aren't bad (I especially like the E minor), but if you haven't heard these I really recommend Peter Wispelwey's recordings.