Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos

Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Fabio Biondi (Conductor), Europa Galante (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Europa Galante
• Conductor: Fabio Biondi
• Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
• Audio CD (July 14, 1998)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Virgin Veritas
• ASIN: B000007TKK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,419 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant Vivaldi (Despite Biondi), August 14, 2006

By 

J. De Sapio "N. De Sapio" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos (Audio CD)

Formed in 1990 as one of Italy's pioneering period instrument ensembles, Europa Galante (with its leader Fabio Biondi) is decidedly in the "subjective" camp of period instrument performers - those who believe that creating an exciting experience for modern-day listeners is more important than pure "authenticity". They have succeeded in cultivating a distinctively Italian period-instrument sound - more vibrato and legato than most baroque players - that seems a natural outgrowth of the sounds of the Italian language. At their best, they produce an incredibly warm, sweet, vocal string sound, such as can be heard at the beginning of the D major violin concerto on this set (track 14 of disc 2). In addition to following standard baroque orthodoxies, they often take great liberties with their music, using extreme changes of tempo and dynamics and the percussive effects of a prominent continuo section to create a dramatic experience. Since these players are Italian, Vivaldi is their birthright, and their passionate interpretations could not be more different from the anemic sound that sometimes comes from northern European period players.

Although he brings a welcome Italianate flair to the music, to my taste Fabio Biondi's style on this recording is simply too eccentric: he feels the need to play every phrase with different articulations and amounts of vibrato, and to cram in superfluous ornaments at incredibly fast tempos (to say nothing of his un-beautiful execution of trills). I almost feel that he concentrates on surface thrills and sensual aspects of the music at the expense of structural clarity and coherence, and that he plays with the music rather than plays it. He is obviously trying to bring the music alive, but at its worst his approach comes off as fussy and flaky. To be fair, my unfavorable impression may be due partly to the rather dry, thin, constricted timbre of his violin on this disc; I own other Biondi/Europa Galante CD's that show him to much better advantage.

As might be expected, the strongest tracks on this set are the concerti grossi and the concertos for multiple violins, where Biondi's eccentricities are tempered by his colleagues, and the efforts of the band as a whole cohere to produce vibrant, exciting, meaningful performances. That not many complete recordings of Vivaldi's Opus 3 on period instruments are available may mean that this mid-priced set will be a viable choice for many listeners. For my part, I have decided that I can live with Biondi's shortcomings and love Europa Galante and Vivaldi.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Spoiled brat Baroque, April 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos (Audio CD)

I'm a Baroque musician by training and L'estro armonico are some of my favorite Vivaldi concerti. But I was very, very disappointed in this recording. The good points: the ensemble is polished and precise. They go anywhere Biondi leads them, and do it with verve. There are some magical moments of real virtuosity.

But most of the time, I just want to slap some sense into their lead violinist and tell him to get a life. Biondi does anything he can to break the rules and show the world that he's original and innovative. But instead, the performances just come off as affected -- like a spoiled brat acting out of spite. He has no good intentions, no respect for the music itself. This is most apparent during the album's slow movements. These are some of Vivaldi's finest melodies: lyrical, bittersweet, gorgeous. I'd have given my eye teeth to be a violinist and get a chance to play them. But Biondi saws through them with all the passion of a dessicated earthworm. You can tell he's bored and just wants to get back to the fast movements so he can show off his fast fingering again. Pleh. Bleh.

It's too bad because, once again, the ensemble supporting him is first rate and they could do amazing things under other direction.

There are other, better recordings of L'estro armonico.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best version of Vivaldi Opus 3, April 26, 2004

By 

Angela Ralano (Johnson City, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos (Audio CD)

The sound quality of this CD is great! I have heard Vivaldi's L'estro armonico performed by others, but this is the best version I have heard. When I first listened to this CD I had never heard of Fabio Biondi or Europa Galante, but after hearing the music on this CD I have tried to obtain all of the baroque CD's that they have made. Most importantly, the sound quality of this CD is just spectacular. If you listen to any music performed by Europa Galante you will notice that the sound quality is very good. It is as if the music somehow sounds clearer than when it is performed by other musicians. This CD is no exception.