Customer Reviews

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Given that this is one of the most popular works of classical music of all time, I'd heard Vivaldi's 4 Seasons so often that I had no interest in hearing them again. Ever. But when I got this disc as a gift and popped it in, I was pleasantly surprised. This recording, despite being played on period instruments, is not for baroque purists. The dynamic contrasts are incredible, but tend to be on the hacking side in the louder sections. The group freely moves back and forth between ponticello and tasto, and many of the tempi are absurdly fast or slow compared to your average performance. Many of the movements have little gimmicks, most of which are interesting, but unsuccessful, such as the "barking dog" in the slow movement of Spring, an accurate description from a reviewer below. Onofri's violin solos are technically excellent, though occasionally gritty and often rhythmically quirky... the end result is that I love this music again, a change for the better. For an introduction to Vivaldi or period instrument performances, stay away. For a 4 Seasons that will revitalize you and forever alter the way you conceive of the piece, this is an essential recording.

This is, above all, my favorite recording of "The Four Seasons." If you've heard that Il Giardino Armonico is a ground-breaking ensemble, the proof is in this CD. Enrico Onofri's violin solos are stunningly articulate and nuanced, and the small ensemble makes an unexpectedly big noise. The continuo is varied (bassoon, cello, theorbo, organ, harpsichord) which lends this rendition a deep texture not found in most recordings. My only complaint is that the viola "barking dog" in the slow movement of "Spring" is far too harsh. On the other hand, the opening of "Winter" is played in such an odd and spooky way that, once you hear it, you'll never be satisfied with the status quo again. This disc has been out-of-print for awhile. Ignore the cheesy cover, pick it up now ..., and have yourself a foot-stomping good time.

Historically, we need to understand where this recording came from... I'm not talking about the history of Vivaldi, per se, but of modern recordings of his 4 seasons.

Nigel Kennedy started it... with his 1989 recording on modern instruments. This interpretation is a reaction to that. It was the first on period instruments to match Kennedy's creativity and intensity. It's darker, however, and here the whole ensemble is involved ,not just the soloist.

Onofri is my favorite violinist.

The 2nd recording by Biondi with Europa galante is my favorite 4 seasons. But this is nonetheless a good recording and interpretation. I own quite a few... everything this ensemble touches glitters... and this is no exception.

I've loved this recording since it first came out. Il Giradino Armonico is one of the few groups that actually "gets" how Vivaldi was meant to sound. There are people who like their dried up, 19th and 20th century reinterpretations of Vivaldi. But for the full-bodied Venetian kick Vivadi intended, this is the recording you want. I own several versions of the 4 seasons, including one played entirely on Japanese Kotos. It's great music. But played by Il Giradino Armonico? It's fabulous, passionate, rollicking, moving music! I've given this album to numerous friends, most of whom think Classical music, or Vivaldi, is just a waste of time. Everyone always comes back to tell me "I just didn't know music could be as powerful and beautiful as this!" The performances on this album fully lives up to dramatic CD cover art. And the fact there's a couple extra Vivaldi concertos on the CD, bringing the playing time to just over an hour, means you get plenty of bang for your buck as well!

I couldn't believe that a professional pianist who specializes in contemporary music was recommending to me a version of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." "What? I've heard over 50 different recordings of this piece, multiple times these last 4 decades! Yet another? What else can be done to this overplayed composition?" Because I trust her musical knowledge and taste, I ordered it. It is breathtaking and edgy, notes and phrases cut with a jagged edge of the bow that releases a new dynamic. THIS is what Vivaldi must have had in mind! You can hear and feel the birds and brooks as never before--not simpering suggestions of them. Il Giardino Armonico boldly leads us to a new Vivaldi.

Anyone buying this CD for the great Il Giardino Armonico interperation of the Four Seasons will have their expectations exceeded. At track 13 be prepared for a surprise. Vivaldi wrote many pieces that are even more beautiful than the Four Seasons and this is one of the most compelling. This version of Op 8/No 9, RV 454 is a truly special composition. In this CD we hear the oboe version. In the Op 8, volume 2 CD we hear the same composition (and listed as RV 236) played with the violin. I would buy both CD's just for this piece alone! The oboe version is calm and assured while the violin version contrasts by being delicate and refined. I'm absolutely blown away by the sublime key and abrubt tempo changes in the first allegro movement. These sounds are one more example of the truly world class and mesmerizing musical effect of Vivaldi and Il Giardino Armonico.

I am currently listening to this cd for the first time; it is AMAZING. There is so much feeling in the performance of Vivaldi's music. These artists play for the period during which it was written. This is a Four Seasons you will want to share with the most scrutinous musical colleagues. I'm sending one to my sister and our uncle, a composer widely published and university professor.

Giardino really charge through this work in an energetic way. No matter, you have heard this work a thousand times. There is something fresh, new, and exciting here. And not just different for the sake of being different.

I'm always interested to see what people can add to the extensive catalog of recordings of well known pieces, and thus was keen to hear this recording, given the ensemble and their approach. While I think the recording is well done and the interpretation is unlike any previous live or recorded performances I've previously heard, it strikes me as an extremely modern interpretation much in the same way that modern interpretations of Shakespeare do...an A for effort and for the courage to re-frame such classics, but if I was only going to have one recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, I would not chose this one. To my ear, this recording is to Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the same way that Romeo + Juliet (the 1996 film starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes) is to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In other words, if you think you'd like staccatos where it's usually legato, accents in places you've never heard them before, odd ritenutos and rallentandos, fiddle-like slides (eg, in the opening movement of "autumn"), etc. then this might be for you. It's definitely worth listening to, especially if you want to revitalize these pieces for your ears, but this recording is not for everybody.

This is, by far and away, the liveliest, aggressive, creative, energetic interpretation of the Four Seasons that has been recorded. It demands your listening attention and rewards it with breathtaking energy and understanding. Thank the musical heavens for re-issuing it.