Customer Reviews

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Janine Jansen

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As is quoted in the liner notes, "A wrong note played with the right intention is much to be preferred to the right note played with no soul" pretty much sums up what this album is all about. The intent, obvious from the first note, is Passion and great quantities of it.

If the listener is one who, above all prefers precision and accuracy, look elsewhere. If, however one craves soul and passion in a spirited performance, this recording will bring much pleasure, with many repeated listenings being inevitable.

Jansen's account is easily the most exciting performance I've yet heard of these much loved favorites.

Any moment wasted trying to decide whether to buy this album or not is another moment not basking in it's wonderful wash of sound.

The Janine Jansen recording of that old Vivaldi standard "The Four Seasons" (which itself is bordering on being hackneyed through over-use) just arrived. As one review I read somewhere noted, it is indeed probably not for most folks. Only eight instruments are used: 2 violins (Jansen plays a Strad.), viola, cello, double bass, box organ, theorbo(!!), and harpsichord.
This one DEMANDS that you pay attention to it; it is absolutely chock-full of subtlety and nuance that the casual listener would probably fail to appreciate, if not find downright grating in places. If you seek background music for your garden party, there are dozens of excellent recordings of this work that fit that bill.

I've heard things in the score I've never heard in other recordings, even discounting a bit of improvisational embellishment. The excessive voluptuousness of full string orchestra often mooshes everything out into an easily digestible pablum for public consumption.

She handles both serene and frenetic passages with the ability one would expect from the temporary custodian of a Stradivarius. Her tempi (and transitions) are often surprising, as are the dynamics. There are times when one feels the instruments are being pushed right to their limits, (occasionally sounding like it verges on instrument abuse) thus generating tonal qualities seldom heard in this piece. I am mightily impressed.

Startling, exciting, and quite original, are the very words to describe Janine Jansen's unique, quite insightful, interpretation of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". While there are many fine recordings of this work, with the best of the relatively recent crop include Mutter's and Chang's, Jansen's recording deserves ample praise simply for its bold, daring performance of Vivaldi's concerti cycle. Why? Hers is quite literally a stripped-down interpretation, consisting of herself, five other strings (two violins, viola, cello and double bass), theorbo and box organ/harpsichord. It is a tightly knit ensemble that includes American violinist Julian Rachlin, her brother Maarten (cello) and her father Jan (box organ/harpsichord). This allows for a "wonderfully transparent sound" that allowed "the musicians to be very flexible in colouring, dynamics and timing", as she notes in the CD liner notes. An ensemble that has yielded a very brisk, and very spirited, interpretation of these Vivaldi pieces. Needless to say, Decca's sound engineers have done a superlative job in this recording, which was made back in the Spring of 2004 in a Dutch concert hall. If there is only one false note that might be seized upon by detractors of Ms. Jansen's exceptional talents as a fine young classical musician, then it is the existence of appealing, quite alluring, photographs of her in rather revealing gowns on virtually every page of the CD liner notes; however, do not use these as a guide to determine whether or not you should acquire what is truly an exciting, rather invigorating, interpretation of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons".

I expected more from Ms. Jansen due to her reputation. But I should have known better after seeing the CD cover, with the artist carefully 'lounging' - posing in a way to display herself center stage, whilst dangling her Stradivarius like a bauble. The cover actually is a good summary of the music within: a tribute to the violinist, rather than the music.

I have heard other "passionate" renditions of the Seasons before, but I found this one unthoughtful and out-of-control in comparison. This is purely a romantic performance of a Baroque piece, and that's a shame, bc Janine is talented & smart enough to balance her interpretation with the score. I think that every violinist who records something as widely known as the Seasons has a difficult job standing out. That's why it's pretty amazing when you hear the performer's voice through the familiar structure, and the Seasons are reinvented. But this recording is indulgent. It's unique bc it is played without structure -- nothing newer or deeper than that.

In the first paragraph of this CD's booklet (which shows multiple other pose-y pictures of herself), Janine Jansen writes: "While trying to be faithful to each score, emotion and passion are very important to me in a performance. Technique has to be there, of course, but it should never be the main thing."

Her paragraph is a good summary of the performance. She's so talented, which is why I really missed the absence of balance, elegance, & nuance in her interpretation. It sounds like an earnest, clever artist deliberately trying to be different. I would actually admire that more if the expression went deeper than exaggerated emotions. In the end, I guess it's a matter of taste. Many people will find this a passionate rendition. I thought it was certainly emotional, but not genuine. The phrasing is strange, with emphasis on particular notes rather than the overall melody (esp noted in Spring). The tempos lurch from one extreme to the other. The dynamics are in your face, going from one extreme to the other within a space of phrases. Not everything is technically clean either -- Winter is a amateurish headlong rush & all the notes are meshed together. But my main critique is that Janine takes such artistic freedom with Vivaldi's music that Vivaldi's structure, that unseen but lovely extra performer, is purposefully cast out, deliberately not given a chance to tango.

However, this CD is a fun and entertaining listen! I listen to it occasionally for the pop music quality of the playing which is fun! - like Richard Clayderman does the Bach Goldberg Variations. My husband, who doesn't really listen to classical, actually told me that he felt uneasy when I had the CD running, so in a way, Janine Jansen has pushed the envelope (a positive or negative again depending on point of view).

I have to commend the other players on this CD. My favorite part was the purity of their instrumental voices, which was generally clear due to the small group setting, especially in the Spring runs. The recording quality is excellent.

This performance is like hearing what you thought was a familiar piece for the first time. The clarity provided by having one instrument per part is enlightening. And the performances are outstanding. Highly recommended for any Four Seasons lover.

Be warned: I'm no musicologist or semi-pro violinist or even classical-music junkie who can compare this CD to two dozen other "Four Seasons" recordings. But as a regular music lover with a regular stereo -- more like the average Amazon customer -- I thought I should let people know why I responded warmly to this recording.

Having a small ensemble tackle the piece turned it into a wholly different experience from the few orchestral versions I already owned, making the slower and softer portions more intimate, yet (and here was the big surprise) sacrificing little of the power needed to express the violence of nature in the more aggressive portions. I do think there are a few spots where spare instrumentation left the aural landscape a bit thin, but those instances were relatively uncommon, and more than compensated (especially to someone without an audiophile system) by the crispness and closeness of the recording elsewhere. I'm delighted to have found this CD.

As for critics who carp about the packaging: There's no doubt the marketers were trying to take advantage of Jansen's beauty, and add an element of fantasy to the music, by filling the booklet with gorgeous photos of the violinist wearing a flattering dress in an elegant setting. But if you're worried that she scored a recording contract based primarily on her appearance, please let me reassure you: Whatever faults experts might detect in Jansen's playing, it's not the kind of thing that should cause a regular listener to doubt whether she was up to the task. To these untutored ears, the beauty of the performance more than measured up to the beauty of the performer.

This is a unique, clear and memorable rendition of the well-known "Four Seasons" Concertos as composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The light, clear and harmonious presentation of these famous Concertos make this particular recording stand out. There is a timeless and enduring feel to this recording.

I have listened to many recordings of these Concertos and, in my opinion, this recording stands out distinctly from all others in a positive manner.

I recommend this for everyone who enjoys the "Four Seasons".

Janine Jansen is a young Hollander that's making a name for herself beyond the shores of her native land. This CD of Vivaldi's chestnut, "Four Seasons", is helping build her international reputation.

Jansen is a young woman that plays a 1727 Stradivarius and that fact alone has set a lot of musicologists atwitter. She plays with a senstivity and syle in keeping with the way performers do the "Four Seasons" today. Jansen is abetted here by a band of seven -- two violins, viola, cello, double bass, theorbo and either harpsichord of box organ (played by one Jan Jansen, probably a relative but not identified in the notes or at Ms. Jansen's Web site.) This octet performance eschewing the full string band also set some critics atwitter.

Musically, these performances are warm, virtuosic and mainstream with a few touches that show the players and soloist have something to say about the music. Note Janine's free use of rubato in the opening of "Spring" and her free portamento in its second movement. Right away the listener knows this group has an idea about the music. Janine closes "Spring" with phrasing beginning with sforzando and going from PP to FF in a matter of notes or bars. Her tendency to close movements quietly and peacefully begins here, also.

From the beginning the soloist and group are aided by a recorded sound that is deep, clear and natural with orchestral depth and definition. This is DDD but not SACD although it sounds close to the latter.

While the first two were also well done, I thought the closing pair of concertos were the better ones on the CD. "Autumn" has a notable stream of consciousness approach in its adagio molto with the solo violin and harpsichord obligato sharing the spotlight. The concluding "Winter" concerto begins high exqiusite techinque by the soloist and fury from everyone. Its following largo is a lot like a Mravinsky largo (more like allegro) and the concluding allegro offers an exhibition of counterpoint between the soloist and cellist. Again, each concerto concludes quietly and peacefully.

Musically, I thought this performance was interesting and it is certainly well-recorded. However, since that performance way back when by steel-fingered I Musici, the bar has been set impossibly high on recordings of this music. Anything that's going to come along in 2006 and compete must have a great deal going for it musically, must have some extramusical interest, and, perhaps most important, must have something on the recording to keep us interested beyong the warhourse quartet of concertos.

While the musical values of this recording are good and the recording is exceptional, it fails to meet any of the other criteria. Any full price CD in the new century (this one has a list price of $18 even though BMG is marketing it for $14) must have more than the puny 40 minutes here dedicated to the "Four Seasons." With a capacity for 80 minutes on a CD, London has left half the loaf unbaked but is asking you to pay for the whole thing.

Extramusically, this recording has little else going for it. The notes are not enthralling. They don't tell you how old is Ms. Jansen or whom is Jan Jansen. You get three paragraphs about the music and a half-dozen artful gold-laced photos of the soloist with not a single word about any of the other performers.

I think this CD is probably directed to crossover listeners with money to burn and no interest in any of these things. It is good musicmaking inside but otherwise doesn't hold much interest for serious collectors or those that want to know more about this warhorse set of concertos or the players. A nice notch in the bedpost, then, for Ms. Jansen but nothing special otherwise.

2010 update: the Janine Jansen fan club registered dismay about my review in the comments. Four years down the line and discounted from its original $19 list price, this recording isn't terrilbe value for the $8 or $9 you can now purchase it used through Amazon vendors. But, with short playing time and little more than a nice recording of the Four Seasons -- of which Arkiv Music now lists a staggering 239 recordings available, many of which are linked to more and better music for less than you'd pay for this used -- I still wonder what makes this recording in any way special.

In the interest of full disclosure, I can't say that the chances are good that I would be thrilled by ANY new recording of The Four Seasons. It would seem that the previous 8 billion recordings of this warhouse would have explored just about anything possible in what Vivaldi wrote. Nor, I must confess, am I much of a fan of Vivaldi in the first place.

Still, I found the stripped down ensemble on this recording to be fairly effective, and Janine Jansen certainly does have a lovely tone. This recording is a pleasant enough confection.

However, any similarities to Baroque music are purely coincidental, because Jansen seems to embrace the 19th-century approach towards playing Baroque music. From the occasional slurpy shifts and rubato run amok, after a certain point this begins to sound like chamber music from the late Romantic period. When it does sound Baroque, it reminds me more of the French Baroque of Leclair than it does of Vivaldi.

In any case, this clearly is a "eye of the beholder" situation. It certainly isn't an ugly recording, by any means. However, if you are wanting something that actually sounds Baroque, you might want to take a pass on this.

Okay, I'm totally hooked on this recording. I had never heard of Ms. Jansen before recieving this CD, but this woman's playing is just so exciting!! It inspires me as a musician that not all baroque music has to be stuffy or dull....I highly recommend this recording for anyone who may have that notion, and dare them to be proved wrong...