Concerti

On this CD:

1. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, H. 7e/1
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Reinhold Friedrich
Conducted by Martin Haselbock

2. Violin Concerto in A major ("Melker Konzert"), H. 7a/3
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Stuttgart Radio Symhony Orchestra with Hans Kalafusz
Conducted by Neville Marriner

3. Oboe Concerto in C major, H. 7g/C1 (doubtful)
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Stuttgart Radio Symhony Orchestra with Lajos Lencses
Conducted by Neville Marriner

4. Keyboard Concerto in D major, H. 18/11
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra

5. Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, H. 7b/1
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra with Miklos Perenyi
Conducted by Janos Rolla

6. Sinfonia Concertante for violin, cello, oboe, bassoon & orchestra, H. 1/105
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Stuttgart Radio Symhony Orchestra with Rudolf Gleissner, Hermann Herder, Hans Kalafusz, Lajos Lencses
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Tracks:

No.1 In B-flat For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.1 In B-flat For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.1 In B-flat For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.2 In D Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro e non presto
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.2 In D Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.2 In D Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.3 In F For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.3 In F For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.3 In F For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.4 In A For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.4 In A For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.4 In A For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 5 in C For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 5 in C For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 2, Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 5 in C For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.6 In G For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.6 In G For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.6 In G For 2 Oboes, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro

Tracks:

Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.7 In D For Violin, Stings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.7 In D For Violin, Stings, And Continuo - 2. Andante e sempre piano
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.7 In D For Violin, Stings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 8 In G Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 8 In G Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 8 In G Minor For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.9 In C For Violin, 2 Oboes, String And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.9 In C For Violin, 2 Oboes, String And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.9 In C For Violin, 2 Oboes, String And Continuo - 3, Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.10 In F For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.10 In F For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.10 In F For Violin, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.11 In B-flat For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.11 In B-flat For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No.11 In B-flat For Oboe, Strings, And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 12 In D For Violin, 2 Oboes, Strings And Continuo - 1. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 12 In D For Violin, 2 Oboes, Strings And Continuo - 2. Adagio
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: No. 12 In D For Violin, 2 Oboes, Strings And Continuo - 3. Allegro
Concerti a cinque, Op.9: Adagio In G Minor For Strings And Organ

Customer Reviews:

pristine.......2007-03-04

I Musici is rivaled perhaps only by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields when it comes to predictably crystalline performances of the Baroque masters. When I Musici, Felix Ayo, Heinz Holliger, and Maurice Bourge turn to Albinoni's concerto repertoire, the outcome is never in doubt.

Let me clarify that these comments do not in any way suggest that this Philips two-disk set is 'standard' in any pedantic way. Emphatically, it is not.

Rather, the artists team with Philips' Duo Series to render access to a masterful rendering of one of Early Baroque's unsung great ones affordable to the masses, of which this reviewer is a card-carrying member.

One can only say 'Bravo!'.

outstanding oboe concerti.......2007-01-25

This is a re-issue of recordings made in the mid 1960s, so they are 40 years old; however the sound, while not as good as one can expect from a current CD, is quite good. Albiboni's Opus 9 is a set of 12 concertos, 4 for violin, four for oboe and four for two oboes with orchestra. They are in 5 parts, and rather simple when compared with Bach, for example. They are not written for virtuoso soloists, rather for oboe with orchestra. In my opinion the violin concertos, while pleasant enough, do not compare with those of his contempories, such as vivaldi and Bach. However the oboe concertos are outstanding, and while I could nominate the odd baroque 0boe concerto that is as good or better, the set of six stand alone.
The 12 concertos are played by I Musici, a long established modern instrument group that specialises in music of this period, the violin solo is by Felix Ayo, their first violin, and the oboes are played my the great Heinz Hollinger and Maurice Bourgue. So I can find little to criticise with the performance, I Musici and Hollinger were/are world class. Deciding on a rating was not easy, but taking the recording of Opus 9 as a whole I gave it 4 and feel a little mean, the 6 oboe concertos alone would get 5.

best Albinoni ever.......2007-01-10

Tomaso Albinoni is best known for his Adagio, that is actually an arrangement by Giazzoto. His real masterpieces are the Concertos Opus 9(recorded here by I Musici). The sound of this recording is very good considering its age (mid 1950s and 1960s). The Concerto Op. 9/2 is the most beautiful oboe concerto ever composed. Heinz Holliger is explendid as soloist. If you like baroque music played in a old-fashioned way (rather romantic), it's for you. If you like baroque music played accordind "authentic baroque techniques it's not for you.

I Musici di Roma, Stradivarius, and Italian Baroque Is Divine Perfection.......2005-10-09

I wish to start my review by warning Amazon shoppers about two previous and seemingly 'knowledgeable' reviews commenting on I Musici's qualifications for playing Baroque and not playing on traditional instruments as a discouragement in buying their performances as they are somewhat slanderous. Their comments actually make me laugh and question their range of listening experience in traditional Baroque techniques and instruments or knowledge of anything dealing with classical music at all since I Musici has not only been the most acclaimed Baroque ensemble in Italy and the entire world for over 50 years praised by legends such as Toscanini for being 'The best chamber orchestra in the world', the main reason its musicians and strings outmatch every other traditional Baroque group in the world is precisely because they masterfully perform on the most prized of all period string instruments in existence! String instruments that most professional violinists, cellists, etc., can only dream of ever playing in their lifetimes! A string instrument that only the most competent of players can master to bring out its fluid range and sound! I Musici performs all of their pieces almost exclusively on Stradivarius string instruments! Although other traditional ensembles do use traditional period instruments, few if any of them play on Stradivari, and if they do it will probably be just the lead violin as Stradivari are simply too rare to be played in unison by most professional groups. A Stradivarius is an instrument in and of itself and other traditional string instruments don't even come close to sounding like one. A Stradivarius is nothing less than divine in its sound as one can hear with I Musici as they play plenty of them. And so although I can understand the aesthetics of such listeners/reviewers for other performers, please, don't tell others that I Musici isn't playing authentic instruments when you can't even recognize a Stradivarius playing in your ear! You are simply embarassing yourselves. Or, for that matter, don't say that they can't competently play 'traditional' Italian Baroque when they're the best group from Italy, comprised of experts in the Italian Baroque and Romantic traditions, virtuously playing on many Stradivari, and have been acclaimed as one of the best Italian Baroque groups in the world by reknown classical experts and laypersons alike for over five decades! As for this recording and others in general, some reviewers have also complained that I Musici's somewhat more romantic interpretations of Baroque don't work with Albinoni's music such as his Adagio and so are not 'traditional' enough in comparison to other performances. Traditional interpretation of Albinoni's 'Adagio' would be absurd since Albinoni's original 'Adagio' is a horribly deficient piece of which there are no real performances that I can think of as a result. What is ironic then is that this model of Albinoni's 'traditionalism' such reviewers are referring to can only be Remo Giazotto's popular 19th Century Romantic revision of the 'Adagio' being presently used as the standard of every single Baroque or Romantic period performance available on the market today.

I have heard various renditions of Albinoni's Concertos, Op. 9 and, besides a few other performances by Baroque groups, I have not heard many that even compare to I Musici in performing Albinoni or Italian Baroque generally. Don't be deceived into buying other performances even if they are by great conductors and symphonies such as Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic or Solti and the Chicago/London Symphonies. And Karajan's orchestral rendition is indeed a very moving one but orchestral ensembles are generally too large for chamber pieces and most of the instruments used are modern which changes many important aspects of the piece. They are also recorded in too large of spaces so the performances sound like Beethoven's 9th instead of a chamber piece. There are other groups and recordings that are more faithful to Baroque techniques and traditional interpretations such as those directed by Hogwood but they have various problems as well. Individual violinists such as Manze mentioned by the previous reviewer tend to be overly rigid and lifeless in their interpretations as they are more founded in musicological disciplines on ancient instruments and techniques as opposed to professional performance. This can be problematic especially with interpreting Italian Baroque which is always more freely expressive in mood than German Baroque. This results in clumsy and lifeless performances where each musician painfully over-accentuates the proper techniques throughout the entire piece so that it comes out sounding as a tedious cacophony instead of a symphony. Like Jack says in the 'Witches of Eastwick' to Susan Sarandon playing her cello, "You kill the passion!" by such emphasis. Hogwood's musical background is also founded more in the German Baroque tradition of Bach and Handel and not Italian Baroque and so turns the piece into more of a mechanical movementby Bach from his direction on the harpsichord which is always the meter in all Italian concerti. I Musici is comprised of some of the finest classical musicians alive today who emphasize more on a passionate Italian Romantic interpretation in their performances instead of a rigid Baroque one and the results are most delightful to the ears. That perhaps is the only flaw in its interpretation of the often over-methodical Italian Baroque style for the concerti grossi. Although I Musici usually tends to again use a more fluid Italian Romantic style rather than a strict Baroque one, their shortcomings in that field are hardly a defect in their performances or this recording: on the contrary, they enhance them! These slight shortcomings are more than compensated for by I Musici performing with some of the best classical musicians exclusively on original Stradivarius string instruments. Such groups also tend to use traditional stringing and playing techniques that limit the range of the instrument which is not always what the composer desired such as Mozart and Beethoven who were forced to accept the limited range and tonality of the piano forte in performing their compositions but who actually composed them with a yet non-existant Steinway in mind. I Musici in a sense compliments such limitations with some Romantic techniques in the style of Paganini but following the Baroque concerti grossi tradition with period instruments and in remaining within the size of a small Baroque chamber orchestra. Also, the musical cohesion and caliber of the performers in I Musici is such that they do not use an overt conductor even at the harpsichord: they therefore have no need of one such as Hogwood to lead them and the performances have less hesitations as a result. Lastly, I Musici di Roma is also known for having some of the best sound engineering and mixing for its recordings than any other chamber group and this also applies to the earliest recordings. The recording quality for their performances is so rich and clear for each instrument being played that you actually feel as if you are at a live performance each time you hear them.

I Musici di Roma is unequivocally one of the best, if not the best, performing groups for Baroque music and you won't go wrong buying any of their performances no matter whether the composers are from the Italian or German Baroque period. I certainly haven't heard any single group or orchestra even come close to matching their 1982 performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Pina Carmirelli. This particular recording with Garatti and Ayo is probably not with one of the best violinists to have performed Italian Baroque with them such as Carmirelli or Acardo but it is accompanied with some of the best musicians in their class such Hollinger. It is a great buy!

Not very "Baroque" and not my taste.......2001-06-28

This may be good for some people but I really didn't like it:

I thought it was not played in the Baroque style. I personally hate vibrato and this had a lot of it. It made it the slow movements very annoying for me to listen to. I admit I might be a little obsessed but vibrato really ruins a performance for me.

It was played with "heavy fingers" especially on the violins. This was a very "romantic" interpertaion for me.

Tracks:

Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 1. Largo
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 3. Largo - Allegro
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 4. Allegro
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 5. Largo
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 6. Allegro
Concerto No. 1 In D Major: 7. Allegro
Concerto No. 2 In F Major: 1. Vivace - Allegro - Adagio - Vivace - Allegro - Largo Andante
Concerto No. 2 In F Major: 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 2 In F Major: 3. Grave - Andante Largo
Concerto No. 2 In F Major: 4. Allegro
Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: 1. Largo
Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: 3. Grave
Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: 4. Vivace
Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: 5. Allegro
Concerto No. 4 In D Major: 1. Adagio - Allegro
Concerto No. 4 In D Major: 2. Adagio
Concerto No. 4 In D Major: 3. Vivace
Concerto No. 4 In D Major: 4. Allegro
Concerto No. 5 In B Flat Major: 1. Adagio - Allegro - Adagio
Concerto No. 5 In B Flat Major: 2. Adagio
Concerto No. 5 In B Flat Major: 3. Allegro - Adagio
Concerto No. 5 In B Flat Major: 4. Largo - Allegro
Concerto No. 6 In F Major: 1. Adagio
Concerto No. 6 In F Major: 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 6 In F Major: 3. Largo
Concerto No. 6 In F Major: 4. Vivace
Concerto No. 6 In F Major: 5. Allegro

Tracks:

Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 1. Vivace - Allegro
Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 2. Adagio
Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 3. Allegro
Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 4. Andante Largo
Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 5. Allegro
Concerto No. 7 In D Major: 6. Vivace
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 1. Vivace - Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come sta
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 3. Adagio - Allegro - Adagio
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 4. Vivace
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 5. Allegro
Concerto No. 8 In G Minor ('Christmas Concerto'): 6. Largo. Pastorale ad libitum
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 1. Preludio: Largo
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 2. Allemanda: Allegro
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 3. Corrente: Vivace
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 4. Gavotta: Allegro
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 5. Adagio
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 6. Minuetto: Vivace
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 1. Preludio: Andante Largo
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 2. Allemanda: Allegro
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 3. Adagio
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 4. Corrente: Vivace
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 5. Allegro
Concerto No. 9 In F major: 6. Minuetto: Vivace
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 1. Preludio: Andante Largo
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 2. Allemanda: Allegro
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 3. Adagio
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 4. Andante Largo
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 5. Sarabanda: Largo
Concerto No. 11 In B Flat Major: 6. Giga: Vivace
Concerto No. 12 In F Major: 1. Preludio: Adagio
Concerto No. 12 In F Major: 2. Allegro
Concerto No. 12 In F Major: 3. Adagio
Concerto No. 12 In F Major: 4. Sarabanda: Vivace
Concerto No. 12 In F Major: 5. Giga: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Correlli's Concerti grossi, op. 6.......2007-03-24

As a person with a passion for music, especially classical, this CD is one the prettiest and the best.

Corelli's famous Concerti by my favorite period instrument orchestra and conductor.......2005-11-12

Trevor Pinnock's recording of Corelli's Op. 6 Concerti grossi will not be to all tastes. Those raised on traditional instrument recordings by such as Max Goberman/Vienna Sinfonietta (Odyssey LPs, circulated in the 1970s) or Paul Angerer/Southwest German Chamber Orchestra (Vox) may not like the clipped articulation and fast tempos Pinnock uses. But the English Concert is a joy to hear: and can THEY PLAY! The allegros sizzle with joy and tension (in the minor key movements) and I find myself unable to resist conducting myself to the rhythmic patterns they generate. I think Corelli would be pleased, and I doubt he ever heard this good a performance of his Opus 6 Concertos.

Concerto 8, subtitled "Christmas" may be the most famous Op. 6 Concerto. Pinnock's way with it may seem superficial, and tempos are faster than what I'm used to in this work. But I'm used to recordings of I Musici (Philips), Angerer (Vox), and Shepherd/Cantilena (Chandos). The closing "Pastorale" doesn't seem to have enough time to breathe, but Pinnock is more sensitive to the Baroque performance practice principles where Siciliana and Pastorale movements are played more quickly than 20th century conductors led them, adhering to more Romanticized performance practice.

As a set, I give this high marks, and there is alot of energy and joy without slighting Corelli's music. The recorded sound is also very good, and the strings have a full, rich sound, even with no vibrato and period instruments.

Christmas Concerto.......2005-11-05

The _Christmas Concerto_ (Opus 6 Number 8) is the best on the CD! If you like Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" or the Bach "Double" but have never heard Corelli's Christmas Concerto, I think you will like it very much.

Corelli: Master and Commander of Enchanting Melodies.......2005-03-25

In a world dominated by Gabrelli and Vivaldi, Corelli's 12 Concerti Grossi (Op. 6) are gems. The performance of Pinnock and the English Concert is superb and the Archive recording crystal clear and in high fidelity. To the inexperienced ear the components of each piece flow together, yet the distinguishable melodies create a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere -- either for a listener intent on each note, or as atmosphere while going about the day's business or leisure. Guided to this recording by the soundtrack for the movie "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," you will be not long into the first of this two CD set before being rewarded for your purchase. Wonderful.

Beautiful music performed to perfection.......2005-02-27

Corelli's opus 6 concerto grossi are what I consider to be ideal reading music. Some of the most beautiful music from the baroque period, Corelli sometimes doesn't get his due. However, without his remarkable accomplishments, we probably wouldn't be blessed with the fine concerto grossi from men such as Vivaldi and J.S.Bach and others

This particular performance is about as good as you will find. I've always found Trevor Pinnock's English Concert to be precise and clear. Comberti's performance is especially good on these CDs.

If you are looking to curl up with a good book and a bottle of excellent wine, this CD is an ideal companion to a wonderful evening.

Average customer rating:

Finally, Fast Enough!!!!
Study in Color
Vivaldi and Europa Galante Make a Joyful Noise
Who says baroque stuff can't be electrifying?
- Biondi is still surprising- Grâce à Pisendel

Vivaldi: Concerti per mandolini
Antonio Vivaldi , Fabio Biondi , and Europa Galante
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

$9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vivaldi: Concerti con molti strumenti, Vol. 2
Vivaldi: Violin Concertos (La Tempesta di Mare)
Vivaldi - Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione / Europa Galante, Biondi
Concert for the Prince of Poland
Boccherini: String Quintets; Minuet in A /Europa Galante * Biondi

ASIN: B00005UV9F
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Molto
II. Andante Molto
III. Allegro
I. [Allegro]
II. Larghetto
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. [Lento]
III. Allegro
I. [Allegro]
II. Largo
III. [Allegro]
I. Allegro
II. Largo A Piacimento
III. Allegro

Amazon.com

The seven Concerti per Mandolini are diverse enough to disprove the frequently heard accusation that all Vivaldi concertos sound alike. Though they are cast in the same three-movement structure, each has its own character, from playful, ingratiating charm to ardor, high drama, and lamentatious intensity. The fast movements are stately and brilliant with scintillating running passages; the slow ones are songful, pleading, and melancholy. Though at times Vivaldi succumbs to his predilection for sequences, these pieces have an incredible variety of tonality, mood, and color, employing a large number of instruments in many arresting combinations; the final one requires 17 instruments. In addition to the solo mandolins, there are standard and unusual strings and winds, including such rarities as chalumeaux, theorbo, viole all'inglese, and violini in tromba marina. The performances, at lowered pitch, are splendid throughout: brilliant in the fast, virtuosic movements, perfect in intonation and balance, pure in sound, invariably expressive, often passionate. The players use vibrato sparingly and add elegant ornamentation and cadenzas. Biondi, director and concertmaster, has a wonderfully sweet tone and leads without dominating the group. One cavil: the musicians get louder on all ascending passages and softer on all descending ones, and they make a long pause before every final note. This approach may be stylistically "authentic," but it becomes an annoying mannerism through overuse and exaggeration. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Finally, Fast Enough!!!!.......2007-02-17

The Concerto for Diverse Instruments (called Two Mandolins on this CD) a piece that I had an old LP of with Bernstein & the NY Philharmonic, but until now, no one has really played it with the speed and spirit that old LP recording had. I really do recommend this CD and also will be buying more of Fabio Biondi's materials as time goes on. While he's no Bernstein, his work on this particular piece surpasses that of the great master!

Study in Color.......2006-03-25

Admittedly I bought this CD because it was the only recording of RV 558 that I could find in Hong kong. This is one of the most bizarre concerti grosso that has ever been composed; it is scored for 2 violini in trombe marina, 2 recorders, 2 mandolins, 2 chalemeaux, 2 theorbos and cello, in addition to strings and continuo (performed here on harpsichord). Clearly Vivaldi wanted to make a splash with this piece and he threw in everything in the back closet; the alternation of tone colors is really amazing.

A word about these instruments, working backwards. The theorbo is an obsolete but astonishingly lovely member of the lute family; it's something like a cross between a harp (with 8 unfretted bass strings that can sound only a single note) and a twelve string guitar (with 6 pairs of fretted strings) but pitched low--the upper two strings are not considerably higher than the two strings below them, which makes for ease of fingering but limits the upper range. The chalemeaux are precursors of the clarinet and are aurally difficult to distinguish from their progeny. Mandolins are plucked/strummed stringed instruments with 4 pairs of strings tuned like a violin, and these instruments were most likely played by violinists. The violins in trombe marina are somewhat controversial; Europa Galante come down firmly on the side of the score that these are essentially regular violins fixed with an asymmetric bridge which causes a sort of buzzing or rattling sound rather similar to the buzziness of the harpsichord, oddly enough, and which was thought to imitate the sound of the obsolete and incredibly bizarre tromba marina. But other scholars have argued that the parts were meant for performance on actual trombe marina. The "Sea Trumpet" was in fact a stringed instrument thought to sound like a trumpet but be more agile (trumpets in those times did not have valves and so had a very limited pitch choice--they were essentially bugles.). It has only a single melodic string, rather long, but up to 50 strings that resonate with sympathetic vibration with the melodic string. To make things even more curious, only harmonics were played on the instrument, throwing the intonation of certain pitches completely out of the norm. The tromba marina gets its name in part because it was said to be heard best at a distance, as over a body of water. I can testify that this is true--it's really a hideous sound that you wouldn't want to hear close up, something like a viola being scratched against a chalkboard. It's hard for me to believe that Vivaldi really composed this piece not just for one tromba marina, but for two; beyond the horror of the noise lies the fact that the parts probably aren't even close to possible on the tromba marina, but lie perfectly well on the violin.

At any rate, the piece is about color in a way that probably no one other than Bach conceived of for a very long time. And herein lies my complaint (a minor one); the performance is lovely, but I sometimes find the harpsichord overwhelming. It's especially difficult to hear the theorbos--they're so low; and to distinguish the violins in trombe marina sometimes--they match the harpsichord sound too much. Granted, in the Concerto RV 555, the two harpsichords are solo instruments and should be treated as such. But how RV 558 would flourish with less harpsichord--it would be such a treat.

At any rate, these are all delightful pieces, really some of Vivaldi at his best if you're tired of the Four Seasons, and certainly worthwhile performances.

Vivaldi and Europa Galante Make a Joyful Noise.......2004-04-27

As all reviewers on this page seem to agree, the first order of business is to jettison the old saw that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 500 times. Certainly he can be faulted, as he always will, for falling back on too-obvious formulae (those oft-cited repeated sequences of his), but as for sounding alike: Just try the jovial, gallant first movement of RV 425 for solo mandolin and follow it with the somber, near-tragic opening of RV 319 for violin, oboes, and bassoon. Next, give RV 558 a spin; how different the grand, heroic sweep of this first movement!

Now that we've disposed of the chestnut about the sameness of the concerti, we can talk about the performances of Biondi and Europa Galante. I find them enthrallingly virtuosic in the Bach-like noodlings required of the two violins and two cellos in RV 564, a truly captivating work reminiscent, for me, of the Third Brandenburg. On the other hand, Biondi captures perfectly the sober mood of RV 319, where sentiment overrules virtuosity.

The two concertos for mandolins (RV 532 and RV 425) are some of Vivaldi's most genial, and they emerge with the right sense of dash and wit, while the two concerti RV 558 and RV 555 for "molti strumenti" make a grand noise, especially those raspy, rattling violini in tromba marina! On the other hand, the recorders, chalumeaux, theorbos, and cellos add a tenderness and grace in their solos that balance out the acerbity of these strange instruments. RV 555 increases the stereophonic effects with two harpsichords and with three violins against two viole all'inglese and the aforementioned cellos. In all, it's a remarkable sound world Vivaldi created in these two works, like nothing else in the concerto literature, and the virtuosi of Europa Galante make the music sound every bit as important as it should.

The recording, made in a church, is both close-up and highly reverberant, which takes a little getting used to, but once the ear adjusts, it reveals the dividends paid by the close miking. The solos all emerge with crystal clarity and timbral purity, while the ensemble playing is detailed and analytical without being clinical, thanks to that reverb. Though the recording tends to highlight the high end of things, it is probably true to the big, bright sound picture Vivaldi "saw" when he conducted his all-girl orchestra at the Ospedale della Pieta.

An exciting CD indeed.

Who says baroque stuff can't be electrifying?.......2004-01-13

This is one of the most encouraging and exciting discs in 2002! After a few hours of Vivaldi listening, one often gets the impression that he spinned out new concerti by applying the same formula - they all sound vaguely the same, after all. Vivaldi fatigue I call it. That's all the more why we need a disc like this: Biondi and his superb Europa Galante show that Vivaldi concerti can be full of surprises and excitement, and extremely colourful writings. These are readings of high drama and strong emotions, it's hard to imagine anybody not moved by the sheer energy level and dedication. Concerto RV 576 gets a superb airing especially.

- Biondi is still surprising- Grâce à Pisendel.......2003-02-14

At first, I had to be convinced. I have to admit it was long. Now it's done. Well done.
Fabio Biondi is at his best in the "Concerto en sol mineur" (dédié à Pisendel(RV 319)". In "Concerto en ut majeur" (RV 558), Jean-Christophe Spinosi (do you know him and his ensemble "Matheus" (Naive)) was able to gave more surrealistic moments. But the Europa Galante version is very interesting.

Tracks:

I: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Maestoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Maestoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
Appendix: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andantino Grazioso - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Con Brio - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Molto Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Moderato - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Allegro Con Spirito - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andantino Con Moto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Spiritoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Spiritoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Spiritoso - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Con Spirito - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Finale: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Adagio - Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Finale: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante Di Molto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Finale: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
Appendix: Menuetto & Trio K409 (383f) - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante Moderato - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Adagio - Allegro Spiritoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Poco Adagio - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Adagio - Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante Cantabile - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio - English Chamber Orchestra
IV: Molto Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Cadenza - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andantino - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Rondeau: Presto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro Maestoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra
Concerto Rondo For Piano & Orchestra No.1 In D K382 - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Larghetto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Tempo Di Menuetto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro - Adagio - Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andantino - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Di Molto - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Larghetto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante Un Poco Sostenuto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Vivace - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Allegretto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Romanze - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Rondeau: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Larghetto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegretto Assai - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro Maestoso - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Vivace Assai - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Larghetto - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Andante - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Rondo: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
I: Allegro - English Chamber Orchestra
II: Adagio - English Chamber Orchestra
III: Allegro Assai - English Chamber Orchestra

Tracks:

I: (Allegro Moderato) - David Oistrakh
II: Adagio - David Oistrakh
III: Presto - David Oistrakh
I: (Allegro Moderato) - David Oistrakh
II: (Andante) - David Oistrakh
III: Rondeau: Allegro - David Oistrakh
I: Allegro - David Oistrakh
II: Adagio - David Oistrakh
III: Rondeau: Allegro - Andante - Allegretto - David Oistrakh
Rondo For Violin And Orchestra In C K373 - David Oistrakh

Tracks:

I: Allegro - David Oistrakh
II: Andante Cantabile - David Oistrakh
III: Rondeau: Andante Grazioso - Allegro Ma Non Troppo - David Oistrakh
I: Allegro Aperto - David Oistrakh
II: Adagio - David Oistrakh
III: Rondeau: Tempo Di Menuetto - Allegro - David Oistrakh

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Jeffrey Tate
II: Rondo: Allegro - Jeffrey Tate
I: Allegro Maestoso - Jeffrey Tate
II: Andante - Jeffrey Tate
III: Rondo: Allegro - Jeffrey Tate
I: Allegro - Jeffrey Tate
II: Romance: Larghetto - Jeffrey Tate
III: Allegro - Jeffrey Tate
I: Allegro Moderato - Jeffrey Tate
II: Romance: Andante Cantabile - Jeffrey Tate
III: Rondo: Allegro Vivace - Jeffrey Tate
Rondo In E Flat K371 - Jeffrey Tate

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Gordon Hunt
II: Adagio - Gordon Hunt
III: Rondeau: Allegro - Gordon Hunt
I: Allegro - Gordon Hunt
II: Larghetto - Gordon Hunt
III: Menuetto - Gordon Hunt
IV: Allegretto Con Variazioni - Gordon Hunt
I: Allegro - Jane Glover
II: Adagio - Jane Glover
III: Rondo: Allegro - Jane Glover

Tracks:

I: Allegro Maestoso - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II: Adagio Non Troppo - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III: Rondo: Tempo Di Menuetto - London Philharmonic Orchestra
I: Allegro Aperto - Andrew Litton
II: Adagio Non Troppo - Andrew Litton
III: Rondo: Allegretto - Andrew Litton
I: Allegro - Andrew Litton
II: Andantino - Andrew Litton
III: Rondeau: Allegro - Andrew Litton

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Jane Glover
II: Romanze: Andante - Jane Glover
III: Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio - Jane Glover
IV: Rondo: Allegro - Jane Glover
I: Allegro - Jane Glover
II: Andante Ma Adagio - Jane Glover
III: Rondo: Tempo Di Menuetto - Jane Glover
I: Allegro - Jane Glover
II: Andante - Jane Glover
III: Presto - Jane Glover
I: Andante - Jane Glover
II: Allegro Di Molto - Jane Glover
III: Allegro Assai - Jane Glover
I: Allegro - Jane Glover
II: Andante - Jane Glover
III: Presto - Jane Glover

Tracks:

I: Allegro Maestoso - Allegro Molto - Yehudi Menuhin
II: Andante - Yehudi Menuhin
III: Menuetto & Trio - Yehudi Menuhin
IV: Rondo: Allegro - Yehudi Menuhin
V: Menuetto Galante & Trio - Yehudi Menuhin
VI: Andante - Yehudi Menuhin
VII: Menuetto & Trios I & II - Yehudi Menuhin
VIII: Adagio - Allegro Assai - Yehudi Menuhin
I: Marcia: Maestoso - Yehudi Menuhin
II: Menuetto & Trio - Yehudi Menuhin
III: Rondeau: Allegretto - Yehudi Menuhin

Tracks:

I: Largo - Allegro Molto - Consortium Classicum
II: Menuetto & Trios I & II - Consortium Classicum
III: Adagio - Consortium Classicum
IV: Menuetto & Trios I & II - Consortium Classicum
V: Romance: Adagio - Allegretto - Consortium Classicum
VI: Thema: Andante With Variations - Consortium Classicum
VII: Rondo: Allegro Molto - Consortium Classicum
I: Allegro - Consortium Classicum
II: Menuetto I - Consortium Classicum
III: Adagio - Consortium Classicum
IV: Menuetto II & Trios I & II - Consortium Classicum
V: Allegro - Consortium Classicum

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Consortium Classicum
II: Andante - Consortium Classicum
III: Menuetto In Canone - Consortium Classicum
IV: Allegro - Consortium Classicum
I: Allegro Spiritoso - Consortium Classicum
II: Andante - Consortium Classicum
III: Menuetto - Consortium Classicum
IV: Contredanse En Rondeau: Molto Allegro - Consortium Classicum
I: Allegro - Consortium Classicum
II: Andante Grazioso - Consortium Classicum
III: Menuetto - Consortium Classicum
IV: Allegro - Consortium Classicum
I: Andante - Consortium Classicum
II: Menuetto - Consortium Classicum
III: Polonaise: Andante - Consortium Classicum
IV: Presto Assai - Consortium Classicum
I: Allegro Molto - Consortium Classicum
II: Andantino - Consortium Classicum
III: Menuetto: Moderato - Consortium Classicum
IV: Presto - Consortium Classicum

Tracks:

I: Allegro Moderato - Heutling Quartet
II: Andante - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegretto Ma Non Troppo - Heutling Quartet
I: Allegro Non Troppo - Heutling Quartet
II: Andante Con Moto - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Allegretto - Allegro - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro Vivace - Heutling Quartet
I: Allegro Vivace Assai - Heutling Quartet
II: Menuetto Moderato - Heutling Quartet
III: Adagio - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro Assai - Heutling Quartet

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Menuetto - Heutling Quartet
III: Andante - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro Non Troppo - Heutling Quartet
I: Adagio - Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Andante Cantabile - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro Molto - Heutling Quartet
I: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Larghetto - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Moderato - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro Assai - Heutling Quartet

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Andante - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
I: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Menuetto: Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
III: Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Heutling Quartet
IV: Adagio - Allegro - Heutling Quartet

Tracks:

I: Allegro Moderato - Heutling Quartet
II: Adagio - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto Ma Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
I: Larghetto - Allegro - Heutling Quartet
II: Adagio - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto Ma Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro - Heutling Quartet
I: Allegro Di Molto - Heutling Quartet
II: Andante - Heutling Quartet
III: Menuetto: Allegretto - Heutling Quartet
IV: Allegro - Heutling Quartet

Tracks:

Allegro Con Spirito - Sviatoslav Richter
II: Andantino Catabile - Sviatoslav Richter
III: Allegretto - Sviatoslav Richter
I: Allegro Moderato - Sviatoslav Richter
II: Andantino Sostenuto E Cantabile - Sviatoslav Richter
III: Rondo: Allegro - Sviatoslav Richter
I: Andante - Sviatoslav Richter
II: Allegro - Sviatoslav Richter
I: Allegro - Sviatoslav Richter

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Spirito - Daniel Barenboim
II: Andantino Con Espressione - Daniel Barenboim
III: Rondeau: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
I: Allegro Moderato - Daniel Barenboim
II: Andante Cantabile - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
I: Tema (Andante Grazioso) Con Variazioni (I-VI) - Daniel Barenboim
II: Menuetto - Trio - Daniel Barenboim
III: Alla Turca: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegro Assai - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Andante Cantabile - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegretto Grazioso - Daniel Barenboim
Adagio - Allegro - Andantino - Piu Allegro - Tempo I - Daniel Barenboim
I: Molto Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegro Assai - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Andante Cantabile - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Andante - Daniel Barenboim
III: Rondo - Daniel Barenboim
I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
I: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
II: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
III: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Tema ('Laat Ons Juichen') (Allegretto) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim
Tema (Air): Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Tema (Menuetto): Andante - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Tema (Menuet) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 11: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
Tema (Air): Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 (Tempo Di Menuetto) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 11 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12 (Molto Adagio -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12 (Allegretto) - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 11: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 11: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12: Presto - Daniel Barenboim
Tema: Andante - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 (Allegro -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 (Tempo Di Tema) - Daniel Barenboim
Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8: Allegro - Daniel Barenboim
Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Tema: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 (Allegro -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim
Tema: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 10 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 11: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12 (Allegro -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 12 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim
Tema: Allegretto - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 (Allegro -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 9 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim
Tema - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 1 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 2 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 3 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 4 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 5 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 6 - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 7: Adagio - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 (Allegro -) - Daniel Barenboim
Variation 8 (Tempo I) - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Lieder: Sehnsucht Nach Dem Fruhlinge K596 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: An Die Hoffnung K390 (340c) - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Der Zauberer K472 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Die Kleine Spinnerin K531 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Die Verschweigung K518 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Das Lied Der Trennung K519 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Die Zufriedenheit K473 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Als Luise Die Briefe K520 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: An Die Einsamkeit K391 (340b) - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Das Veilchen K476 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Abendempfindung K523 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: An Chloe K524 - Barbara Hendricks
Cantata: Die Ihr Des Unermesslichen Weltalls K619 - Barbara Hendricks
Canzonetta: Ridente La Calma K152 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Dans Un Bois Solitaire K308 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Oiseaux, Si Tous Les Ans K307 (284d) - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Un Moto Di Gioia K579 - Barbara Hendricks
Lieder: Komm, Liebe Zither K351 (367b) - Barbara Hendricks

Average customer rating:

Sheer Beauty for the Ears
Authenticity can sound great as well!
a little world of baroque sound
Wonderful relaxing music.
-

Casanova

Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Casanova
Memoirs of a Geisha
Pride & Prejudice
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Match Point

ASIN: B000BYR9YK
Release Date: 2005-12-20

Tracks:

An Untold Story: Assaggio No.1 In G Minor - Johann Helmich Roman
The Legend Of Casanova: Tambourins I/II From Daro - Jean-Philippe Rameau
I Yield To Love: Cello Concerto No.3 In D Minor - Leonardo Leo
Eternal Damnation: Overture From Les Fetes De Polymnie/Overture From Platee/Overture From Zoroastre - Jean-Philippe Rameau
The Doge's Decree: Concerto In C Major - Antonio Vivaldi
A Venetian Virgin - Alexandre Desplat
San Cremori At Dawn: Concerto In C Major For Harpsicord And Strings - Giovanni Paisiello
A Lover's Duel: Overture From La Madrilena - Vicente Martin Y Soler
A Terrible Mistake: Concerto A 5, Op.9, No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
A Secret Lover?: Sinfonia From The Opera Farnace - Antonio Vivaldi
Marriage Is A Safe Haven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
Trailing Guardi: Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.11 In E Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
The Noble Pig: Concerto Per Quartetto No.8 - Francesco Durante
Paprizzio's Arrival: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.2 In D Minor - Tomaso Albinoni
Inquisitor Pucci - Alexandre Desplat
: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
A Big Idea: Harpsicord Concerto In B Flat Major - Francesco Durante
A Nom De Plume/Carnivale!: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.6 In G Major/Bouree From Les Plaisirs Champetres - Tomaso Albinoni
The Plume's Nom Is Casanova! - Sonny Kompanek
Dancing At The Doge's Ball: Riguadon From Water Music Suite, No.3 In G Major/Bouree From Music For Royal Fireworks/Loure From Tafelmusik1 - George Frideric Handel
One Step Closer To Heaven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni
Casanova's Confession: Sonata Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
The Hanging: Violin Concerto 'Il Cimento Dell'Armonia E Dell'INvenzione' Op.8 No.11 In D Major - Antonio Vivaldi
A Great Escape: Overture From Zais/Overture From Nais/Overture From Achante Et Cephise Ou La Sympathie - Jean-Philippe Rameau
My Place Is With Casanova: Overture From Le Temple De La Gloire/Overture From Zais/Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
All's Well...:Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni

Amazon.com

The action in this tale about the 18th century adventurer and (at least in popular lore) seducer is set in Cassanova's native Venice in the mid-1700s, so it makes sense that the soundtrack would be loaded with Baroque pieces. The Venice-based Tomaso Albinoni is featured prominentaly, along with heavyweights such as Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Baptiste Rameau, and George Frideric Handel, and lesser-known composers such as Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Durante, and Alexandre Desplat. Er, actually Desplat is a contemporary French film composer who also released his score for the couldn't-be-more-different Syriana shortly after Casanova came out. Of the two pieces he penned here, "A Venetian Virgin" is in pure Baroque style, while "Inquisitor Pucci" betrays a more modern film-music vibe. Meanwhile, orchestrator Sonny Kompanek rearranged a couple of the tracks and authored the tense "The Plume's Nom Is Casanova," which doesn't sound embarrassing sandwiched between pieces by Albinoni and Handel. Overall, it would have been nice to get longer excerpts from the pieces--many feel chopped into too-small fragments--but the music's innate grace and elegance can't be beat for a period film. Or for any film, really: Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major ("The Doge's Decree") will be familiar to buffs, who will remember it featuring prominently in the Dustin Hoffman-¬Meryl Streep showdown Kramer vs. Kramer back in 1979. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Sheer Beauty for the Ears.......2006-07-25

For those that purchased this CD, I need not get into how masterfully infectious the movie was. After the first viewing, I found it charming, but after the second, I was hooked by the witty, clever story holding fun twists all along the way. So while I could go on and on about the movie and all of its wonderful aspects, the score was simply priceless. Apt in every scene, and all done with incredible baroque music that I had never had the opportunity of hearing before the film.

The disc walks you through the movie with no changes that I could tell from the original score. The only omission I found was that the song dubbed "Casanova's Theme" is played in much greater length in the closing credits, and that didn't seem to make it to the CD. Not a terrible loss.

Authenticity can sound great as well!.......2006-07-11

As an avid baroque music listener and performer, I can attest to the delightfully pleasing performances on the soundtrack as well as the painstakingly accurate performance practices utilized in the recording of this soundtrack.

The producers of this film fortunately went to the trouble of hiring some of the top period performance musician-specialists in the country (perhaps in the entire world) to record the soundtrack to Casanova. I know, because several of them were faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute who went AWOL to Hollywood in June 2005 for the recording sessions. We all forgave them, and were actually quite excited that period music performance was having its day on the silver screen.

Do not miss this exquisite potpourri of wonderful baroque composers' works performed as closely as humanly possible to the way that they heard their works during their lifetimes! The film may not have been intended to be historically accurate (part of the fun), but the music certainly ended up that way. Not only that, but it sounds heavenly (unlike Casanova's antics) and up-to-date, not musty and old as if it were sealed in a museum case.

a little world of baroque sound.......2006-02-26

Lots of interesting baroque music unknown to me and
put together in dramatic sequences that add zest and
class to the listening experience. Also wonderful to
play in auto while driving thru boring country or in
slow moving traffic!
This CD will get a lot of play from me.
5 Stars!

Wonderful relaxing music........2006-02-25

Saw the movie and had to have the soundtrack. Great music to relax by. When you need to get away from the cares of the day the classics can't be beat. The producers of this movie certainly chose wonderful music to accompany it.

-.......2006-02-18

Good music but each is too short.
The original version of each may be better.

Average customer rating:

Sheer enjoyment and all in good taste
If you like Vivaldi, get this!

Albinoni: Oboe Concerti, Op. 9

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Albinoni: Oboe Concerti, Vol. 2
Albinoni: Oboe Concerti, Vol. 3
Albinoni's Adagios
Geminiani: Concerti Grossi Vol. 1
Adagio Albinoni

ASIN: B0000013XG
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 5: Allegro
Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 5: Adagio (non troppo)
Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 5: Allegro
Concerto In F Major, Op. 9 No. 3: Allegro
Concerto In F Major, Op. 9 No. 3: Adagio (non troppo)
Concerto In F Major, Op. 9 No. 3: Allegro
Concerto In D Minor, Op. 9 No. 2: Allegro e non presto
Concerto In D Minor, Op. 9 No. 2: Adagio
Concerto In D Minor, Op. 9 No. 2: 3. Allegro
Concerto In B Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 11: 1: Allegro
Concerto In B Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 11: Adagio
Concerto In B Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 11: Allegro
Concerto In G Minor, Op. 9 No. 8: Allegro
Concerto In G Minor, Op.9, No.8: Adagio
Concerto In G Minor, Op. 9 No. 8: Allegro
Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 9: Allegro
Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 9: Adagio (non troppo)
Concerto In C Major, Op. 9 No. 9: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Sheer enjoyment and all in good taste.......2004-08-08

Tomaso Albinoni was a contemporary of Vivaldi in Venice, and his Concerti a cinque opus 9, published in 1722, provide ample evidence of his felicity in composition. His wife was a well-known opera singer, and his oboe concertos sound like wonderfully cantabile instrumental da capo arias: first there is an energetic fast movement, then a lyrical slow movement, followed by another fast movement that once again takes up themes from the first movement. The music is contrapuntal, harmonious, balanced and, to put it blankly, full of sheer enjoyment.

Deliberating on this review, I had to decide whether to give this CD four or five stars. In the end, I opted for four. Before I explain why, I should like to say why five was an option. Although Anthony Camden, Julia Girdwood and the London Virtuosi under the leadership of John Georgiadis play on modern instruments, they have obviously learned a good deal from developments in the area of historical performance practice. Their disposition for these concertos is just about what Albinoni would have had in mind: four each of first and second violins, three violas, two cellos, a double bass and a harpsichord, this last played with tremendous gusto by Paul Nicholson. In fact, the performance of the London Virtuosi is one of the best features of this CD, and the Naxos engineers have made sure that one can really hear the good stuff that is going on behind the soloists. (I found that listening via good headphones was even more convincing than in front of loudspeakers.) The soloists themselves, Anthony Camden alone in four concerts and together with Julia Girdwood in two others, give a marvellous performance, combining high technical skills with sheer good taste. In all except one concerto, the tempi are relatively fast, which does these energetic concertos good. This is most enjoyable music, exquisitely performed.

So why only four stars? I think three reasons can be adduced. One is in the nature of a personal preference: After all the commotion of the Early Music movement, I just do not see why early 18th century music should be performed on modern instruments. The slightly metallic sound of the Howarth oboes used here, lovely as it is, does not for my mind quite match up to the woody warmth of period instruments. One could make similar strictures on the other instruments employed here. In particular, the use of a double bass instead of a violone tends to overdo the bass line a little.

A second reason is that four of the concertos on this CD have been recorded by Han de Vries and the ensemble Alma Musica Amsterdam under the leadership of Bob van Asperen on EMI, re-released on Virgin Veritas Albinoni · Telemann - Concertos and Sonatas for oboe / Han de Vries · Alma Musica Amsterdam · Bob van Asperen. The Dutch team uses historical instruments, replacing the double bass with a violone, and the result is, for my ears, slightly more convincing, despite the fact that the analogue recorded sound is not quite so good as that of the Naxos CD. In particular, I happen to love the sound of Han de Vries' historic oboe, mechanical noises and all, and I wanted to award the Virgin CD one star more for that reason.

The third reason for giving only four stars is John Georgiadis' choice of tempo for Opus 9, No. 2, the most famous concerto on this disc. Perhaps led astray by Albinoni's "Allegro e non presto", Georgiadis puts the brake on a little and takes over a minute and a half longer for the concerto than van Asperen (and the whole piece is only about 11 minutes long). Particularly the gorgeous second movement suffers from this: Camden/Georgiadis turn adagio almost into largo; in comparison, de Vries/van Asperen sound much more convincing.

Despite these criticisms, this CD is excellent value for money and offers sheer delights of entertainment. You could do worse than follow my footsteps and purchase both Camden on Naxos and de Vries on Virgin.

If you like Vivaldi, get this!.......2003-03-27

Listen to these works without looking at the name of the composer, and you may think "Vivaldi." But if you were to look at the name, it's "Albinoni." Many of us who heard of that name would think of his famous "Adagio" (arr. Giazotto). These Oboe Concertos by Albinoni are well performed. Besides the performance, the sound is very good. It's worth more than the cheap price. I don't know what else to say but "Go get it!"

Locatelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 1, Nos. 1-6

Average customer rating:

Naxos Lost Riches...and this is a gem...
Locatelli is an excellent composer

Locatelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 1, Nos. 1-6

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Locatelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 1, Nos. 7-12
Manfredini: CONCERTI GROSSI OP. 3 Nos. 1-12
Geminiani: Concerti Grossi Vol. 1
Muffat: Concerti Grossi, Nos. 1-6
Muffat: Concerti Grossi, Nos. 7-12

ASIN: B00000148S
Release Date: 1996-06-18

Tracks:

Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Largo
Vivace
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Largo
Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Naxos Lost Riches...and this is a gem..........2006-08-10

This first six concerti of Locatelli's Concerti Grossi, Opus 1 is remarkable (concerti 7-12 are just as excellent). The playing is quite equal to any marquee orchestra (London PHO, Boston SO, Berlin PHO, et al). The production values are also first rate.

Since Naxos first appeared circa 1990, it's dedication to quality has never wavered. Even before the "official" fall of the Iron Curtain, Naxos was releasing recordings by Eastern European soloists (witness Irina Zartiskaya's remarkable rendition of Chopin's "Preludes") who were essentially anonymous in the West.

Naxos continues this tradition, providing the art music lover with an almost bewildering variety of choices from the standards of the repertoire to works long consigned to the musicologist and 78s gathering dust.

I've never bought a Naxos disc that didn't have top notch production values (even if I didn't particularly care for the music itself).

The discs always include well written, informative liner notes.

Whether you are a long-time fan of art music (of nearly all periods, from Renaissance to twelve-tone) or just beginning to explore it, Naxos is a perfect place to start. Their own website includes links to Amazon for hundreds of disks in their catalog.

And their prices still can't be beat. When they first started, the cost was $3.98 a disc, now it's risen to $8.98, still a bargain compared to the releases by the Big Three record companies with superstar soloists/ensembles.

Locatelli is an excellent composer.......2004-04-27

Locatelli may not be as well known as J. S. Bach or Antonio Vivaldi, but his music is spectacular. His Opus 1 is some of his best work. My personal favorite is concerto number 5, however, the entire CD is great. I have to say that often the Naxos label puts out excellent baroque music very cheaply, and it is often music that is difficult to find elsewhere. Quite seriously, if you are a fan of great baroque music then this is a CD that you should not be without.

Handel: Water Music, The Music for the Royal Fireworks, The Alchymist, Three concerti a due cori, Two arias for wind band

Average customer rating:

Water Music is so soothing...
A Noble Performance
Towards the higher end of the pack
Recommendable.
Bravo Mr. Handel

Handel: Water Music, The Music for the Royal Fireworks, The Alchymist, Three concerti a due cori, Two arias for wind band

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque
Messiah (George Frederick Handel) London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (Complete)
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 1

ASIN: B0000042HN
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: I. Overture: Largo - Allegro
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: II. Adagio E Staccato
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: III. Allegro - Andante - Allegro
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: IV. Presto
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: V. Air
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: VI. Minuet For The French Horn
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: VII. Bourree
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: VIII. Hornpipe
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: IX. (Allegro)
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: X(F). (Allegro)
Water Music - Horn Suite In F Major: XI(F). Alla Hornpipe
Water Music - Flute Suite In G Major: XV. (Menuet)
Water Music - Flute Suite In G Major: XVI. Presto
Water Music - Flute Suite In G Major: XVII. Menuet
Water Music - Flute Suite In G Major: XVIII. (Menuet)
Water Music - Flute Suite In G Major: XIX. Country Dance
Water Music - Trumpet Suite In D Major: X(D). Allegro
Water Music - Trumpet Suite In D Major: XI(D). (Alla Hornpipe)
Water Music - Trumpet Suite In D Major: XII. Trumpet Minuet
Water Music - Trumpet Suite In D Major: XIII. Lentement
Water Music - Trumpet Suite In D Major: XIV. Air
Water Music - The Alchymist: Overture
Water Music - The Alchymist: Prelude - Minuet
Water Music - The Alchymist: Saraband - Borree - Aire - Borree
Water Music - The Alchymist: Minuet - Aire - Jigg

Tracks:

Water Music - The Musick for the Royal Fireworks: I. Overture
Water Music - The Musick for the Royal Fireworks: II. Borree
Water Music - The Musick for the Royal Fireworks: III. La Paix
Water Music - The Musick for the Royal Fireworks: IV. La Rejouissance
Water Music - The Musick for the Royal Fireworks: V. Menuets I & II
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: I. Ouverture
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: II. Allegro ma non troppo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: III. Allegro
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: IV. Largo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: V. A Tempo Ordinario
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: VI. Alla Breve Moderato
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.1 In B Flat Major: VII. Minuet
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: I. Pomposo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: II. Allegro
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: III. A Tempo Giusto
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: IV. Largo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: V. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.2 In F Major: VI. A Tempo Ordinario
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: I. Ouverture
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: II. Allegro
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: IV. Adagio
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: V. Andante larghetto
Water Music - Concerto A Due Cori No.3 In F Major: VI. Allegro
Water Music: Aria 1 For Wind Band
Water Music: Aria 2 For Wind Band

Amazon.com

This is a fine Handel compilation that provides a nice overview of his orchestral music with brass instruments, as well as his only incidental score (music written to accompany the action of a play). Christopher Hogwood uses the arrangement that Handel made of the Fireworks Music for normal-sized forces, including strings, which were absent from the original. All the music is played with a fine sense of style, and a goodly bit of the "pomp and circumstance" that Handel above all others knew how to capture in music. At two discs for the price of one, this is an extremely good deal. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Water Music is so soothing..........2007-01-11

I love this album. Too often when I've tried classical albums the music has not been soothing, but this is very relaxing. If you are looking for great music to relax by or listen to in the car, this is it.

A Noble Performance.......2006-03-11

I have listened to numerous renditions by different performing artists, for several years, of both Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. The first time I listened to this CD played by the Academy of Ancient Music I felt I was listening to a high class performance. There is something about the clear sound of the instruments and the tempo and dedication to detail that this group of artists put into its performance that it really inspires me into the wonderful world of the baroque classical music and somehow it transports me to the time when Handel himself was composing and directing these beautiful masterpieces. And the bonus is also the beautifully played Duo A Cori concertos. I recommend it!

Towards the higher end of the pack.......2004-03-11

Reading the liner notes, I am reminded that the occasion for which the water music originally was composed was royal river outing that started in the evening and lasted until 4:00 AM (Take THAT you modern clubhoppers!). The music was played three times through the course of this trip. I doubt there were many teetotallers. Soo...royal oarsmen, wine goblets overflowing with the best claret, tipsy nobleman and...hey! don't hit that river barge! Watch where you're goin' mate!

As such, I'd expect a little roughness in performances (especially for the 3:30 AM gig). Ill-tuned horns and all, I think Hogwood delivers about as faithful a rendition as is currently available. There are certainly more "refined" versions of the water music. I think these better resemble the follow-on peformances for the genteel, perfumed ladies seeking money for the foundling hospital. That's the beauty of Orpheus and Pinnock versions.

Hogwood gets 4 stars for getting close to the river ride. I will admit that my view has been biased by the fabulous 1976 rendition by Jean-Claude Malgoire which hasn't been bettered in this respect. No English band can shake a stick next to drunken French horn players. But Hogwood is a good near-term substitute until Sony wakes up and dips further into their vaults.
Additionally, the Fireworks music is fabulous; the due cori very nice, with similar touches of earthiness. All in all a good outing, and for decent prices.

Recommendable........2004-02-19

I have recently returned to these two CDs (which I bought and listened to for a while some three years ago) and found that they were not quite as bad as I remembered. The tempi are very well sprung, the spirits are high and the "Water Music" in particular is played with some delicacy and finesse (which I hardly take for granted from Hogwood's early recordings). The roughness of the result is mainly due the scratchy tone of the strings and inaccurate tuning of the horns.
If you are a period-instrument enthusiast this Double-Decca, because of its low "duo" price, could have some edge against such strong competitors (which I haven't listened to) as Pinnock, Gardiner and Savall. And at the same "duo" price you can get also Hogwood's wonderful performances (with the Handel&Haydn Society) of Handel's Concerti Grossi Op.6. However, if you care more for variety of dynamics and lightness of touch than for period-instrument sound, I recommend you instead to get all the twelve op.6 Concerti AND the "Water Music" AND the "Musick for the Royal Fireworks" (but not the "Alchymist" suite, the "Concerti a due cori" and the two "Arias for Wind Band") at "trio" price in superlative, "historically-correct" and mellower sounding performances by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Bravo Mr. Handel.......2003-02-20

A Great Master's Mastery, Masterly Mastered by a Master!!
Translation?? In any speak, this is classic Handel, played at it's best, by the one who should know!!!

Hogwood's genious as a foremost expert on my personal favourite composer, can never be overestimated, and here, presented in a medium of works we all know and can relate to, are a showcase of his awesome skills and brand of 'Mastery'!!

One feels obliged to pay homage to composer and conductor alike, for without either, we could not see the creation of this CD, in what is a pinnacle of art and high standard in performance.

Tracks:

Con in F, Op.3, No.1: Allegro Assai-Adagio
Con in F, Op.3, No.1: Presto
Con in F, Op.3, No.1: Allegro
Con in a, Op.3, No.2: Presto-Adagio
Con in a, Op.3, No.2: Allegro
Con in a, Op.3, No.2: Allegro
Con in e, Op.3, No.3: Allegro
Con in e, Op.3, No.3: Largo
Con in e, Op.3, No.3: Presto
Con in e, Op.3, No.3: Presto
Con in B flat, Op.3, No.4: Allegro
Con in B flat, Op.3, No.4: Adagio
Con in B flat, Op.3, No.4: Presto
Con in B flat, Op.3, No.4: Allegro
Con in d, Op.3, No.5: Adagio
Con in d, Op.3, No.5: Allegro
Con in d, Op.3, No.5: Andante E Piano Sempre-Adagio
Con in d, Op.3, No.5: Allegro
Con in D, Op.3, No.6: Allegro
Con in D, Op.3, No.6: Adagio-Presto-Adagio
Con in D, Op.3, No.6: Allegro
Con in G, Op.3, No.7: Allegro
Con in G, Op.3, No.7: Adagio
Con in G, Op.3, No.7: Presto
Con in F, Op.8, No.8: Grave-Allegro
Con in F, Op.8, No.8: Adagio
Con in F, Op.8, No.8: Presto-Adagio
Con in F, Op.8, No.8: Presto
Con in D, Op.3, No.9: Adagio
Con in D, Op.3, No.9: Presto
Con in D, Op.3, No.9: Largo
Con in D, Op.3, No.9: Allegro
Con in g, Op.3, No.10: Adagio
Con in g, Op.3, No.10: Allegro
Con in g, Op.3, No.10: Largo
Con in g, Op.3, No.10: Presto
Con in c, Op.3, No.11: Allegro
Con in c, Op.3, No.11: Adagio
Con in c, Op.3, No.11: Allegro
Con in C, Op.3, No.12 (Con Grosso Per Il Santissimo Natale): Pastorale: Largo
Con in C, Op.3, No.12 (Con Grosso Per Il Santissimo Natale): Largo
Con in C, Op.3, No.12 (Con Grosso Per Il Santissimo Natale): Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A little known treasure.......2007-06-08

I really enjoy the Capella Istropolitana. They have such a wonderful and bright sound. I find the works on this CD to be well played and the tempo selection for each movement very good. I listen to Baroque on my daily commute to and from work. I have a particular affinity for Italian Baroque and Manfredini does not disappoint me. He has nice melodic Concerti Grossi. This is a very pleasant and uplifting CD.

Sparkling Music.......2007-03-15

In the 1990s the Capella Istropolitana recorded for Naxos all, or nearly all,the concerti grossi of Corelli, Geminiani, Locatelli and Manfredini. The Corelli was pretty good, you used to hear it on classic music radio, the Geminiana and Locatelli recordings were less so, but all were good enough to interest me so that in later years I bought better recordings of all of them. This CD, the Manfredini, was the most successful of them. The recording is of the twelve concerti grossi of his opus 3, just about all of his surviving work. Each of the twelve is a little gem, tuneful, joyful music that sparkles like the morning sun on dew. The performance is unprentious, but precise and articulate, and the first and only ( ? )recording of this music. If my memory is correct the CD won a Rosette from Penguin. It is well worth 5 stars, and at Naxos's bargain price is a steal, please buy it, it may spur interest your interest in the wonderful world of Baroque music.

Manfredini is 'da MAN! So Underrated his works are!!!.......2004-11-18

WOW WOW WOW!

I love rhythmic baroque music. Such as Vivaldi's presto's and Telemann's Sinfonia Spritiuosa. But we've all heard of Viv and Tele, and Bach etc... Then I hapt across (thank to the internet) this dude named Francesco Onofrio MANFREDINI! This guy is awesome. The strings bounce and move with rhythmic strength and joy from end to end of this steller 18th century master.

I hope I'm not missing out on any other Baroque composer's at this level. After all I just hapt across the one, the only, the MAN! Manfredini and this groovin' Concerti Grossi, Op.3!!! Hmm now to search for opus 1,2,4,....

And did I mention it was $7 bucks! Absolutely hilarious they want $17.00 for the latest brittney spears CD and only $7 for this timeless masterwork of sonic beauty by Manfredini.

Vivaldi with a touch of Mozart.......2003-06-25

How Manfredini could remain unknown after composing music this beautiful is both a mystery and a shame. The concerti are very reminiscent of Vivaldi, but with a melodic refinement and sensitivity that belong to a later era. The performance is outstanding, and the recording is crystal clear. Highly recommended for any music lover, and note that [Amazon.com's]sample tracks are just a foretaste - the best numbers are later in the CD.

Unsung Baroque Master.......1999-10-21

Manfredini is one of the unsung masters of the Italian Baroque. This recording is the first commitment of his complete and enchanting Opus 3 to CD. The concertos are energetic and polished and showcase the considerable melodic gifts of this fine composer. The 12th concerto will be familiar to many as the "Christmas" concerto which is a fine and beautifully crafted finale to the opus. Let us hope more of Manfredini's music will soon make its way into recordings.

Handel - Concerti Grossi, op. 6 (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 11) / AAM · Manze

Average customer rating:

A dream
great, but buy the 2 disc set!

Handel - Concerti Grossi, op. 6 (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 11) / AAM · Manze
George Frideric Handel , Andrew Manze , and The Academy of Ancient Music
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items: