Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Joseph Silverstein (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Joseph Silverstein
• Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
• Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000003CSU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,705 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #14 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( V ) > Vivaldi, Antonio
  #29 in	Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Violin
  #45 in	Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Concertos

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Four Seasons performance, September 21, 2002

By	FargoUT "Boyd P." (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews

Sitting here, listening to the Four Seasons performance played by Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern and the Israel Philharmonic, I've realized how important a musician is in the performance of a piece of music. While the Perlman/Stern/Zukerman/Mintz performance is wonderful to listen to, it lacks a certain something (and not to mention the horribly loud applause that interrupts the mood of the piece).

All is better in Joseph Silverstein's rendition of the piece. I remember purchasing this version on tape a few years back, and was still amazed at the beauty. Now on CD, it sounds even better. Silverstein is a master, and he rightfully plays the piece straight out. It's rather difficult to listen to any other performance of the Four Seasons after Silverstein and the Boston Symphony have played it. All in all, I'd say it is not just one of the best Four Seasons performances ever recorded... it is one of the best recorded performances of any classical piece in history. You will not be disappointed.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, beautiful recording, September 21, 2000

By	gmeyer (Beavercreek, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This is one of the first CD's I ever bought in the early 80's (my CD jacket says it was released in 1982) and I still play it constantly. Back then, I had learned to always look for the classical recordings by the Telarc label because their recording techniques were far above any other labels. I still believe that. This disk still has to be one of the best recordings of this piece ever. The accoustics are perfect and while I don't pretend to be an expert on evaluating classical music, I find the playing by the Boston Symphony ensemble breathtaking. It's just too bad this CD is buried in a huge pile of other Vivaldi recordings of the Four Seasons. It should be at the top of the stack for more visibility.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Technical Masterpiece, January 28, 2002

By	Richard Seastrand (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I'm certainly not a music critic, so I'll simply say that this performance is the most disciplined yet passionate I've ever heard. What particularly impresses me is the engineering. The clarity and balance is incredibile. In other recordings I've heard, the harpsicord sounds like it's buried under a quilt. Here it is perfectly articulated. The bass is full yet never boomy and the strings are crisp but never raspy. It doesn't get any better than this.