Customer Reviews

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concerto alla rustica

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

 

 

Let me start by saying that I rate this a very good interpretation. I have several other Four Seasons recordings including those by Ton Koopman and Il Giardino Armonico. I began with lowish expectations of this Naxos disc, which was bought as a "fill-in" recording for the music shelf at my second home, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it. I am not sure exactly what I find so appealing but the overall effect is gently lyrical. Whatever the reason, this Four Seasons is a very enjoyable listen and I would recommend the CD even if it were not priced competitively - which it is.

I would respectfully disagree with the other two reviewers. One seems to have objected on the basis of this performance not being sufficiently shocking or surprising. I take his implied point about the Four Seasons being over-recorded, but even with this work I cannot see anything inherently wrong with producing a solid recording. He concedes that the disc entertains; surely that is the main thing?

The other reviewer feels the tempi are too slow. This is a subjective issue. Personally I am not keen on the fast tempi often used by (say) Il Giardino Armonico in their Vivaldi work. They make an interesting contribution to the pool of recordings but I found out after buying and listening to the CD that it's not my cup of tea. The Naxos disc that is the subject of this review has a more moderate tempo but I would not call it sluggish. To me it feels just right.

This Naxos release is a truly wonderful disc. The parformances by both the orchestra and soloist are spirited, and while I'm not familiar enough with the Seasons concertos to compare them to other performances, I did really like this recording. As usual, Naxos produced a great-sounding recording. Definately recommended, especially at this bargain price!

Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" has captivated listeners for nearly 300 years now. The reasons for this are multifarious: the descriptions of Nature are readily recognizable; the tunes of the fast movements are so catchy that one can hum along with them; the virtuoso violin playing required calls forth admiration and applause and is also good to listen to. Yet somehow I wonder if a recording like this one with Takako Nishizaki and the Capella Istropolitana directed by Stephen Gunzenhauser really does justice to Vivaldi and his position as one of the Baroque's most colorful composer-violinists. The word "baroque" means something like "bizarre", and contemporary reports make it plain that Vivaldi's violin-playing was just that, bizarre. Combine this with Italian temperament and the extremes of Mediterranean weather, and you should end up with a "Four Seasons" that makes you gasp and hold on to your seat. And that is just what does not happen here: Despite some fine violin-playing from Takako Nishizaki and a crisp, clear recording that captures all the details, the overall impression is anything but "baroque": The tempi are too predictable, the music entertains but does not shock; my feeling is that the interpreters are simply too deeply rooted in the 19th century and that they have (deliberately?) failed to learn from developments in historical performance practice.

Recordings of the "Four Seasons" are legion, and it is worth looking around for one that will get you "hooked". My personal favourite is by Monica Huggett and the Raglan Baroque Players directed by Nicholas Kraemer (on EMI/Virgin). But other names also come to mind: Simon Standage and the English Concert directed by Trevor Pinnock (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv); Il Giardino Armonico (Warner Classics); I Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca (Divox); Venice Baroque Orchestra (Sony). Or if you are looking for a budget-price recording, you may even want to try out the Collegium Aureum (BMG) with a fairly middle-of-the-road performance on period instruments or Alice Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, whose 1977 analogue recording for Warner Classics is possibly still the most shocking of all.

The fact that I gave this recording only two stars has nothing to do with the works performed here. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are true masterworks that never age. They are brilliant and priceless musical gems. However, this is not a very good recording of these works. I'm still trying to put my finger on what exactly is wrong. The tempos are a bit sluggish, and it's way too heavy for such lighthearted music. And yet, this doesn't quite describe what's really wrong with it. Maybe a large part of the problem is that there are so many superior recordings. I can't listen to these works without hearing great performances of them run through my head, which makes this recording even more difficult to sit to. For one of the few times that I've ever encountered, this Naxos release is truly not a bargain.