The four concerti in The Four Seasons of Antonio Vivaldi have probably earned the distinction of being the most frequently recorded classical works in the digital era. Originally published as part of a set of 12 concerti as Vivaldi's Opus 8, the other eight concerti also get some attention, particularly La tempesta di mare, but the set as a whole is comparatively seldom recorded. In Europa Galante's Virgin Classics release, Vivaldi: Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione, violinist Fabio Biondi, who has recorded The Four Seasons at least once before for Opus 111, leads his expert ensemble in the whole of the Opus 8 set. The 12 concerti fit comfortably onto two CDs, with some reshuffling of the pieces into a different order than that assembled by Vivaldi, though not through splitting up the "big four." The very first thing that comes to mind in listening to Biondi on this Virgin recording is how restrained and natural this interpretation sounds versus some other, and perhaps more highly publicized, recordings by others. Biondi is not auditioning for the Kronos Quartet here; his tone is sweet, finger work fleet, and he makes sparing, but expressive use of vibrato. Europa Galante is in a relatively small configuration in this outing, but Virgin's excellent recording conveys the impression of a bigger band. Some tempos are zippy indeed; the fast-moving parts of L'inverno threaten to catch fire, whereas certain movements, such as the final Allegro in La primavera, are given plenty of room to breathe and thus, are a little longer than most performances. Elasticity is the key to Biondi's interpretation, but it is never employed in a manner that causes the music to sag, as in some older, modern instrument recordings. The band does a great job of coordinating some of the special effects used in these works -- the driving accents in La caccia are marvelously tasty and point up Vivaldi's revolutionary approach to rhythm in instrumental music. Europa Galante's Virgin recording of Vivaldi: Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione should please all but those who have zero tolerance for period instrument performers, and is so charismatic that even some among the latter might make an exception for it. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis, AMG

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