Customer Reviews

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons / The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood

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

 

 

Christopher Hogwood's interpretation and The Academy of Ancient Music's performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons still holds it's own as the best interpretation available, even thou there are many new interpretations by new original instrument groups. Those new original instrument groups lack the luster and beautifully accurate playing of Christopher Hogwood's group. Groups such as Fabio Biondi and his Europa Galante (ASIN: B00005IA1S) or Giovanni Antonini's Il Giardino Armonico with Enrico Onofri as soloist (ASIN: B000000SPU). These two new groups have fanciful, extroverted and super fast performances which are similar to Harnoncourt's ground breaking literal interpretation with his Concentus Musicus from 1977 (ASIN: B000000SL0). Harnoncourt's was the first one to take the actual poems Vivaldi included with the manuscript and interperate the music to fit them. It's interesting how tame Harnoncourt's performance seems now compared to Biondi's and Antonini's interpretation. But the truth is, both new group's soloists sometimes sound sqeeky and the tempos are just too fast in some instances. Harnoncourt's was a little sloppy. The only recording I've heard that comes close to Hogwood is Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Soloists on Sony (ASIN: B0000CD5H1). Carmignola truly does have a beautiful tone and an amazing command of the instrument through out the entire recording. However, Carmignola's Summer Presto sounds like a tornado instead of what it should be, a summer storm. Don't take me wrong, I really love Harnoncourt's and the newer group's recordings. Each one has it's own unique qualities, but Christopher Hogwood's recording is the one I keep coming back to. Hogwood strikes a balance between the rough sometimes unpleasant sound of the Biondi, Antonini, and Harnoncourt and the boring modern instrument interpretations (although they are starting to imitate these groups interpretations). Hogwood has just the right amount of passion without it disintegrating the performance. In fact, his performance and recording come together so well and sounds so beautiful that it creates tingles up and down my spine in many moments. Listen to the starkness of Winter in the slow movement achieved by using restrained use of the harpsichord and vibrato. One is warmed by the gentle crackling of the fireplace as you hear the rain drops falling outside (both representated by the plucked strings) and you (the violin) resting by the fire sounds so peaceful (reference the poem included with the manuscript for this movement). I will not tell you the other moments, so you can discover them for yourself.

UPDATE (6-29-2009) - I discovered a recording of the Four Seasons that I like even better than Hogwoods!! It is Ottavio Dantone directing the Byzantine Academy on original instruments with Stefano Montanari play the baroque violin on a Hybrid Super Audio CD Four Seasons - This performance has incredible energy yet never gets ugly. It has incredible playing by Stefano Montanari and he never gets ugly. The recording is incredably detailed with gorgous reverberation of the church where is was recorded in 24 bit 96 kHz. The multi-channel DSD layer is incredibly detailed with the "I'm there" feeling that is a hallmark of SACD format!!

I've literally heard probably 20 versions of these concertos, we probably all have, but I think this is by far the best recordings out. I especially bought this cd for it's Spring: Largo, too often violinists, and many other instrumentalists abuse the vibrato. This artist uses is sparingly and I think it only adds to it's beauty. I also very much like how prominent the guitar is. Please buy this cd, it will renew your interest in such an overplayed album.

Like biting the perfect apple, it leaves you stunned. Dialing in the taste before you eat this common fruit, you are amazed when expectations are exceeded. Whether it is the original instruments, multiple violin soloists, or trying to envision how Vivaldi intended the Seasons to sound, the sound of this Seasons is exceptionally bright and the dramatic intensity was more than I had remembered.

Difficult to say if this is the best one I ever listened to... but it sure is a top performance. Great sounding music.

This CD is great to listen to while working on computer or just unwinding at the end of the day. Hogwood does a terrific job again with these selections. Very enjoyable, refreshing and uplifting!

When I was in college at Columbia I went to the music library to listen to a dozen recordings of this most adored Baroque masterpiece. They were all full of virtuosity. Most of them were recorded in an acoustically pure environment.

This one blew me away because Catherine Mackintosh, the violin soloist for Winter, interpreted the score with all of the regret, loss, and powerlessness of mortality, all of the pain and betrayal of death. I found myself crying, uncharacteristically, and for the first time I understood why Vivaldi's ubiquitous ditty was so much more than a lovely set of catchy melodies; it was a deeply personal reflection on the human life cycle.

In the last couple of decades of listening to it, I have come to hold hear all of the interpretations of the different seasons, and to hold The Academy of Ancient Music in the highest possible esteem. True to intention, the instruments choose tone over volume, a decision which benefits from the way music is often heard today, on a sound system in one's home. You can set the volume as you like!

I am certain that anyone looking to discern all of the instruments, to relish all of the harmonies, and to project himself or herself into the period's sumptuous and intellectual music will do no better than this recording. Whenever I give Vivaldi as a gift, I always go with this recording and have often heard from the recipients that they didn't know that the Four Seasons was such a rich and profound piece of art.

A lively Vivaldi interpretation. Not as bold and flamboyant a style as Il Guardino Armonico, but not dreadfully stifled like other british interpretations. The only downside to this CD is the hash from it's early digital recording.

A very good but not outstanding performance, medium tempo, but with a very unusual Baroque guitar as the most prominent part of the continuo in Spring and Autumn. This gives the performance an ususually rounded sound and alleviates the sharp sound of the violins. Listen to the first movement of Spring until about the half-way point when the guitar enters for a sample.

Finding classical music is not difficult, however finding a great interpretation is always the most challenging and rewarding labor. Christopher Hogwood's rendering of this Vivaldi jewel is truly a wonder to behold. The masterful direction leads you through a year of seasons as Antonio Vivaldi lived it. Bright and delicate in spring, thoughtful and relaxed in Summer, focused and fruitful in Fall, and accepting and longing again for the coming year in Winter. Journey through a year of Four Seasons with Vivaldi in this refreshing delight you will enjoy again and again.