Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Concertos for Strings, Vol. II
Concerto RV 150 in G [4:01]
Concerto RV 134 in E minor [5:23]
Concerto RV 151 in G, “Alla rustica” [3:26]
Concerto RV 119 in C minor [5:18]
Concerto RV 110 in C [3:48]
Concerto RV 160 in A [4:44]
Concerto RV 128 in D minor [5:13]
Concerto RV 164 in B flat [4:14]
Concerto RV 127 in D minor [3:57]
Concerto RV 166 in B flat [5:46]
Concerto RV 157 in G minor [5:21]
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
rec. June 2013, Oratoria del Gonfalone, Rome
NAÏVE OP 30554 [51:16]
Concertos for Strings, Vol. II
Concerto RV 150 in G [4:01]
Concerto RV 134 in E minor [5:23]
Concerto RV 151 in G, “Alla rustica” [3:26]
Concerto RV 119 in C minor [5:18]
Concerto RV 110 in C [3:48]
Concerto RV 160 in A [4:44]
Concerto RV 128 in D minor [5:13]
Concerto RV 164 in B flat [4:14]
Concerto RV 127 in D minor [3:57]
Concerto RV 166 in B flat [5:46]
Concerto RV 157 in G minor [5:21]
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
rec. June 2013, Oratoria del Gonfalone, Rome
NAÏVE OP 30554 [51:16]
This disc caught me off guard. It’s Vivaldi concertos,
all right, but they’re short little pieces with no big solos. There
are 11 of them on this CD, 33 total tracks, so the concertos average something
like five minutes a pop, and the tracks average a little over 90 seconds
each. They’re like opera overtures from roughly the same time period:
tiny fast-slow-fast scenes that don’t test your attention span but
always keep you engaged and delighted.
There are solos for violins at times, but then again it might just be that the orchestral forces used are so small that everyone’s a soloist. Some of the pieces seem to be scored for just six or seven players. The second concerto, in E minor, begins with a fugal entry for the first violin, second violin, viola, and finally the continuo players. The slow movement to this one is also unusually catchy, and seems to quote an opera aria whose name escapes me.
Despite a good mix of major and minor keys, after a few of these concertos you’ll know what to expect from all the rest. This is only occasionally first-rate Vivaldi, but as with every issue of the Naïve series, it’s treated to first-rate performances by crack period instrument players. On one hand, some concertos start with an audible “time-to-start-playing” signal of some kind; on the other hand, this problem is mitigated by the excellent continuo, which includes cello, harpsichord, and lute for timbral complexity.
In other words, this is totally enjoyable but not mandatory Vivaldi, like a CD of sweet little bite-size snacks.
Brian Reinhart
Previous review: Michael Cookson
There are solos for violins at times, but then again it might just be that the orchestral forces used are so small that everyone’s a soloist. Some of the pieces seem to be scored for just six or seven players. The second concerto, in E minor, begins with a fugal entry for the first violin, second violin, viola, and finally the continuo players. The slow movement to this one is also unusually catchy, and seems to quote an opera aria whose name escapes me.
Despite a good mix of major and minor keys, after a few of these concertos you’ll know what to expect from all the rest. This is only occasionally first-rate Vivaldi, but as with every issue of the Naïve series, it’s treated to first-rate performances by crack period instrument players. On one hand, some concertos start with an audible “time-to-start-playing” signal of some kind; on the other hand, this problem is mitigated by the excellent continuo, which includes cello, harpsichord, and lute for timbral complexity.
In other words, this is totally enjoyable but not mandatory Vivaldi, like a CD of sweet little bite-size snacks.
Brian Reinhart
Previous review: Michael Cookson
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