Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Giuliano Carmignola

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

1	The Four Seasons (Il quat
2	The Four Seasons (Il quat
3	The Four Seasons (Il quat
4	The Four Seasons (Il quat
5	The Four Seasons (Il quat
6	The Four Seasons (Il quat
7	The Four Seasons (Il quat
8	The Four Seasons (Il quat
9	The Four Seasons (Il quat
10	The Four Seasons (Il quat
11	The Four Seasons (Il quat
12	The Four Seasons (Il quat
13	Violin Concerto in F majo
14	Violin Concerto in F majo
15	Violin Concerto in F majo
16	Violin Concerto in F majo
17	Violin Concerto in F majo
18	Violin Concerto in D majo
19	Violin Concerto in D majo
20	Violin Concerto in D majo
21	Violin Concerto in D majo
22	Violin Concerto in D majo
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
1.	The Four Seasons (Il quattro stagione), concertos (4) for violin, strings & continuo ("Il cimento" Nos. 1-4) , Op. 8/1 - 4- Spring, concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269: 1. Allegro 3:17
	Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
	Conducted by Andrea Marcon
	Performed by Andrea Marcon, Giuliano Carmignola and Venice Baroque Orchestra
2.	-- Spring, concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269: 2. Largo 2:18
3.	-- Spring, concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269: 3. Allegro 3:40
4.	-- Summer, concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315: 1. Allegro non molto 4:57
5.	-- Summer, concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315: 2. Adagio 2:18
6.	-- Summer, concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315: 3. Presto 2:20
7.	-- Autumn, concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, No. 3, RV 293: 1. Allegro 4:34
8.	-- Autumn, concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, No. 3, RV 293: 2. Adagio molto 3:21
9.	-- Autumn, concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, No. 3, RV 293: 3. Allegro 2:53
10.	-- Winter, concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297: 1. Allegro non molto 3:04
11.	-- Winter, concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297: 2. Largo 1:47
12.	-- Winter, concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297: 3. Allegro 2:47
13.	Violin Concerto in F Major, Op. 3/10- 1. Allegro 3:09
	Composed by Pietro Antonio Locatelli
	Conducted by Andrea Marcon
	Performed by Giuliano Carmignola and Venice Baroque Orchestra
14.	-- 1. Capriccio 2:50
15.	-- 2. Largo Andante 4:56
16.	-- 3. Andante 3:29
17.	-- 3. Capriccio 2:58
18.	Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 3/11- 1. Allegro 3:36
	Composed by Pietro Antonio Locatelli
	Conducted by Andrea Marcon
	Performed by Giuliano Carmignola and Venice Baroque Orchestra
19.	-- 1. Capriccio 3:02
20.	-- 2. Largo 3:56
21.	-- 3. Andante 3:57
22.	-- 3. Capriccio 2:49

Barnes & Noble

Giuliano Carmignola is a former concertmaster of the La Fenice opera house in Venice, and he brings his formidable virtuosity to this highly theatrical new recording of Vivaldi's chart-topping Four Seasons, ably assisted by Andrea Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. Marcon's harpsichord is virtually a second solo voice in many passages; indeed, the imaginative and prominent continuo playing is one of the glories of this version. The thwack of the lute, for example, adds an appropriately rustic sound to the "fire of Bacchus's liquor" at the beginning of Fall. Even some of the more outrageous touches (the Hitchcockian birds of Spring, the jazzy rhythms and "blue" notes of Winter's slow movement) are played with such exuberance and subtly shaped dynamics that any excess -- such as the attempt to play the fastest storm on record at the end of Summer -- is forgiven. Moreover, Carmignola's generosity with vibrato ensures that the lyrical elements are not shortchanged. Three additional concertos are included in premiere recordings. These are played with more restraint than the main work, but with no less drama and elegance. They seem to come from Vivaldi's later career (no dates are given on the recording), when the baroque was beginning to give way to a preclassical style; the E-flat concerto, for example, could pass for a work by C. P. E. Bach. The D major concerto, on the other hand, offers a Handelian opening, fearsome staccato passages, and a Paganini-like cadenza, all in the first movement! This is a winning combination of "old" and "new" Vivaldi, captured in a beautifully clear acoustic setting. Howard Goldstein

Gramophone

Carmignola plays with immense brilliance... Great sound, full and forward and with every instrumental strand given its proper due. Rob Cowan