|
alternatively
CD: MDT
AmazonUK
AmazonUS |
Antonio VIVALDI
(1678-1741)
Concerti con Molti Stromenti
Concerto in F, for violin, 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns and strings,
RV 574 [11:38]
Concerto Funebre in B flat, for oboe, chalumeau, violin, 3 violas
all'inglese and strings, RV 579 [6:42]
Concerto in D, for violin, 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings, RV 562
[15:41]
Concerto in F, for viola d'amore, 2 horns, 2 oboes and bassoon,
RV 97 [12:02]
Concerto in D, for 2 trumpets and strings, RV 781 [6:31]
Concerto in C, for 2 recorders, oboe, chalumeau, violin, 2 violas
all'inglese, 2 violins 'in tromba marina', 2 harpsichords and strings,
RV 555 [8:13]
Concerto in D minor, for 2 recorders, 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 violins
and strings, RV 566 [7:44]
The King's Consort/Robert King
rec. Abbey Road Studios, London, May 1998. DDD
HYPERION HELIOS CDH 55439 [69:13]
|
Hyperion give another disc a minimal makeover but fresh pair
of legs under their budget 'Helios' imprint. This one originally
appeared in 1998 at premium price with the catalogue number
CDA 67073. There can never be too many Vivaldi recordings -
Dallapiccola or Stravinsky's frankly moronic quip that he wrote
the same concerto hundreds of times over is shown up yet again
for what it is by these seven works of ear-catching colour and
diversity.
Vivaldi is always inventive, but these Concertos count alongside
the perennial Four Seasons among his most progressive.
The album title comes from the composer's own description of
a couple of these works, the somewhat unimaginative "concerti
con molti istromenti" (the latter an archaic spelling of the
modern Italian 'strumenti'), or what Bach in his 'Brandenburg'
concertos called 'concerts avec plusieurs instruments' - the
'molti' and 'plusieurs' referring each time to variety rather
than sheer quantity.
To match the scores, there is no end of brilliant music-making
on this disc. So sparklingly vital are individual performances
that it is almost a crime to conceal soloists' identities under
the King's Consort name. Their director Robert King has had
to face ugly personal demons since this recording was made,
but his and the Consort's Hyperion legacy, amounting to perhaps
a hundred CDs, is one of the most valuable bodies of recordings
anywhere, and music-lovers must be grateful to Hyperion for
not adopting the crass revisionism practised by certain institutions
prior to King's rehabilitation, and for preserving this corpus
in the face of what was a major embarrassment for them.
Though not always at their best in orchestral recordings, with
a certain muddy quality finding its way into strings especially,
on chamber and solo discs Hyperion's technology presents no
such problem, and audio quality here is very good. A minor quibble
is the fact that the harpsichord is rather remote and consequently
difficult to pick out in the tutti sections, even in RV.555
where there are two employed obbligato.
Michael Talbot's original notes, detailed and well written,
are sensibly recycled. For those who only know Vivaldi through
the Four Seasons, this is the perfect second album. For
collectors it is just as perfect.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
|
