MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: MDT AmazonUK AmazonUS(download)
Sound Samples & Downloads

Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Flute Concertos: Concerto in F major Op.10 No. 1 La Tempesta di Mare RV 433 [6:30], Concerto in G minor Op.10 No. 2 La Notte RV439 [8:38], Concerto in D major Op. 10 No. 3 Il Gardellino RV 428 [10:00], Concerto in G major Op.10 No. 4 RV 435 [6:53], Concerto in F major Op. 10 No. 5 RV 434 [8:35], Concerto in G major Op. 10 No. 6 RV 437 [8:19], Concerto in D major RV 783 [9:44], Concerto in C major for 2 flutes RV 533 [6:49]
Barthold Kuijken (flute)
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken (conductor and violoncello de spalla)
rec. 13-15 October 2010, Academiezaal Sint-Truiden, Belgium. SACD DDD
ACCENT ACC 24241 [66:12]

Experience Classicsonline


 
This disc of eight Vivaldi flute concertos was recorded using period instruments and has a warm, nicely balanced sound. La tempesta di mare starts the disc, with well-judged tempi which allow for details to be clearly heard and space for the music to breathe. Barthold Kuijken’s playing has sparkle and musicianship in abundance, and the accompaniment from La Petite Bande is excellent throughout.
 
The clarity of detail continues in La Notte, with an impressively dark atmosphere created in the opening section. The fast-moving notes in the Fantasmi Presto are played with excellent technical control from the whole ensemble, and Kuijken’s fascinating ornamentation in the Largo is well worth hearing. The charming Il Gardellino features a sense of lightness in conjunction with beautifully crafted phrasing. The slow movement is completely captivating throughout, with more examples of Kuijken’s imaginative ornamentation of the solo line. The final movement returns to a light and cheerful mood, with nicely defined dotted rhythms and an unhurried, effective choice of tempo.
 
The G major concerto, Op. 10 No. 4, features more elements of the stile galante than the other concertos, and the sleeve-notes explain that this concerto appears to be the only one originally composed for the Op. 10 set. The solo flute line floats effortlessly over the ensemble here, and there is a wonderful sense of elegance about the playing. Concerto Number 5 in F major has a more delicate mood and the opening movement provides a beautiful contrast. The slow movement is dark and mysterious in atmosphere, while the contrasts of dynamic in the final movement create an enjoyable echo effect.
 
The final concerto in the Op. 10 collection is a reworking of an earlier concerto for recorder, with structural alterations and a change of key in the version for flute. The liner-notes include an interesting discussion of the two versions, and demonstrate Barthold Kuijken’s obvious passion for the music he is playing. This recording displays some impressive rhythmic accuracy, especially within the context of the many trills and technical passages in the final movement.
 
The D major concerto RV 783 was discovered in the early 1990s and has a bright, dazzling sound. This is yet another faultless performance, with poise, energy and clarity throughout. The final work on the disc is the C major concerto for two flutes, with Barthold Kuijken ably joined by Frank Theuns. The two flute parts are well matched, and the fast-paced opening movement has an imposing and infectious energy. The lyrical central movement allows space for the music’s simplicity to shine, with gentle phrasing which does not impose on the melodic lines. The energy returns in the closing movement, with sprightly semiquavers and clear articulation in the flutes heard against a strong and rhythmically punchy bass-line.
 
Overall, this recording has a fresh voice amongst the many discs containing these works. The approach is intelligent, well researched and musically intuitive, and rather than feeling dry and academic, as some period-instrument recordings can be, the high levels of artistry here make the concertos seem as alive and fresh as they undoubtedly were in Vivaldi’s day. Unmissable.

Carla Rees
 
Unmissable.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.