Customer Reviews

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

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

 

 

One of the reviews I read mentioned that the conductor here used too much of a dynamic range, had too much vigor, etc. etc.

I ask - how much does this person know about this piece (the Four Seasons)?

This CD is the best Vivaldi CD I've heard yet, and I've heard a good many. Most of them rush through the more peaceful parts without showing a hint of feeling, or drag through more vigorous parts like the musicians and conductor are bored. But this CD lets you enjoy each movement of each concerto and actually feel what's being portrayed in the music.

I believe some of the parts that were referred to as bombast, etc., were from Summer. Summer, as all the concertos in the Four Seasons, has passages that depict storms. The storms in Concerto 3, Movement 3 specifically, however, are extremely violent. It's even written in the sheet music, which I own, that the parts are supposed to be violent! And if you're following along with what the music is portraying, then it'll give you chills.

I recommend fans of Vivaldi's Four Seasons look up the poems that were recited before each concerto. The poems explain what is being portrayed in the music. Ie, in Spring, the section after the main theme, with many seemingly random trills and 16th note runs, represents birds singing and chirping. The fast section after it represents the arrival of a spring thunderstorm, and thunder and lightning. Later in the movement, the birds return and then the music drifts away to flowing fountains of fresh water.

The Four Seasons really is a beautiful and brilliant piece of work. I think it goes without saying that it's highly recommended.

This is definitely the best version of the four seasons I've ever experienced. Bernstein takes full advantage of power of the orchestra and brings each season alive. I couldn't stop listening to "Summer" over and over again. There were also a few other titles that I wasn't really familiar with that made me a true fan of Vivaldi.

Bernstein was ahead of his time - he anticipated and preceded the HIP revolution by several years.

Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, this is not the full NY Philharmonic. It IS a reduced ensemble. The extraordinary concertmaster at that time, John Corigliano, later told the story of how he had to completely change his technique in order to play this music the way Bernstein indicated it should be. Corigliano was trained in the romantic style of bowing and using "short" bow technique, and coming off the string constantly, was simply not done at that time.

This is not a sterile performance - it is full of life. To this day, there is not a more vibrant recording of if the "diverse" instrument concerto. Its a knockout. This recording was a revolution at the time, and it still holds up today. Not "pure" - and that is in no way a negative - but a fully viable, engaged performance. Highly recommended.

This is one of the classic recordings of The Four Seasons. The violinist's son, the composer John Corigliano, has contributed a charming program note about how his father, "an arch romantic in all things musical," had to be convinced by Bernstein of the style and phrasing in this performance. Eventually, he loved the recording, and with good reason. Bernstein leads about 1/2 the Philharmonic's strings from the harpsichord. He always seeks to characterize the music fully, either through tempo shifts or extremely vigorous rhythms. His realization of the harpsichord continuo part would be reason alone to acquire this disc, a wonderful exchange of ideas from one composer to another. Corigliano plays beautifully, and really enters into the spirit of the thing. As for the remaining three concertos, I have the original LP, and as good as that sounds the CD is better. The Concerto for Diverse Instruments always has been one of my favorite Bernstein recordings, a truly elegant and vivid evocation of Vivaldi's period. Harold Gomberg is a superb soloist in the oboe concerto. The only let down on the CD is John Wummer's performance in the flute concerto. He plays stylishly enough, but has real problems in the faster passages. Nevertheless, it is amazing that a Romantic conductor like Bernstein so fully inhabited Vivaldi's world. Sound engineering throughout the CD is excellent.

This is a recording that was iconic to my young adulthood in the late '60's and early '70's. Say what others may, this music wore a track in my heart and for it to be again available in this crisp digital recording takes me all the way back to my youth. Bernstein gave life and popularity to the classics without ever descend into popularization. He was magnetic, a sort of JFK of music. I came across a PR B&W glossy of him at Tanglewoods with some young musicians...all of them in long hair and crackling with confident vitality with the world in their hands.
The signal cuts for me are not the Four Seasons, tho they are gloriously clear and alive,...that honor goes to cuts 13-15. A friend of mine then called it "zoom music". Listen to it just as music: thrilling, limpid, utterly self-possessed and articulated.

I hate having to give this CD a fairly low rating. However, the fact is, Bernstein is a master at 19th Century music (and 20th as well), but falls down in Mozart and in Baroque. This CD is no exception.

His conducting of The Four Seasons, is what you may expect from Bernstein. He conducts with vigor, bombast, intensity, and other elements (such as a large dynamic range) that one doesn't typically associate with Baroque music. He doesn't have a stately grace or even a slightly cold touch - both of which I feel are vital to correctly perform Baroque.

So, if Bernstein's approach is your cup of tea, then you should, by all means, buy this album. You will love it. However, if you are more of a purist or traditionalist, then you should turn your attentions elsewhere.