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| Vivaldi - Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione / Europa Galante, Biondi | 
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| Artist: Fabio Biondi
Creators: Antonio Vivaldi, Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante
Label: Virgin Veritas
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $9.96
You Save: $7.02 (41%)
Buy New/Used from $7.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  (23 reviews)
Sales Rank: 6941
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 45465
UPC: 724354546525
EAN: 0724354546525
ASIN: B00005IA1S
Release Date: July 31, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | The Four Seasons: Con No.1 in E 'La Primavera', RV 269: I. Allegro | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.1 in E 'La Primavera', RV 269: II. Largo | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.1 in E 'La Primavera', RV 269: III. Allegro | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.2 in g 'L'estate', RV 315: I. Allegro Non Molto | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.2 in g 'L'estate', RV 315: II. Adagio - Presto | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.2 in g 'L'estate', RV 315: III. Presto | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.3 in F 'L'autunno', RV 293: I. Allegro | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.3 in F 'L'autunno', RV 293: II. Adagio - Presto | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.3 in F 'L'autunno', RV 293: III. Allegro | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.4 in f 'L'inverno', RV 297: I. Allegro Non Molto | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.4 in f 'L'inverno', RV 297: II. Largo | | • | The Four Seasons: Con No.4 in f 'L'inverno', RV 297: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.5 in E flat 'La Tempesta Di Mare', RV 253: I. Presto | | • | Con No.5 in E flat 'La Tempesta Di Mare', RV 253: II. Largo | | • | Con No.5 in E flat 'La Tempesta Di Mare', RV 253: III. Presto | | • | Con No.7 in d, RV 242: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.7 in d, RV 242: II. Largo | | • | Con No.7 in d, RV 242: III. Allegro |
Disc 2
| • | Con No.11 in D, RV 210: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.11 in D, RV 210: II. Largo | | • | Con No.11 in D, RV 210: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.10 in B flat 'La Caccia', RV 362: I. Allegro Assai | | • | Con No.10 in B flat 'La Caccia', RV 362: II. Adagio | | • | Con No.10 in B flat 'La Caccia', RV 362: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.9 in d, RV 236: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.9 in d, RV 236: II. Adagio | | • | Con No.9 in d, RV 236: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.8 in g, RV 332: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.8 in g, RV 332: II. Largo | | • | Con No.8 in g, RV 332: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.6 in C, 'Il Piacere', RV 180: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.6 in C, 'Il Piacere', RV 180: II. Largo | | • | Con No.6 in C, 'Il Piacere', RV 180: III. Allegro | | • | Con No.12 in C, RV 178: I. Allegro | | • | Con No.12 in C, RV 178: II. Largo | | • | Con No.12 in C, RV 178: III. Allegro |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Another Four Seasons, but this one shoots to the top of the list. Fabio Biondi's imaginative playing is full of spunk and vigor, delineating Vivaldi's scene-painting without overdoing it. His band matches him with rhythmic vitality; this is one Vivaldi set that holds your interest from start to finish. In his program notes, Biondi explains the use of the "Manchester" manuscript of the Four Seasons, which was closer to the composer's intentions than editions published later, and he discusses the manuscript sources for the other works. The Four Seasons are the first four concertos of Vivaldi's Opus 8 set of a dozen, titled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Trial of Harmony and Invention). The others may not share the Seasons' popularity, but they're of comparable excellence, especially in performances as exciting as these. First-rate sound, close-up and immediate, underscores the vibrancy of the performances. Biondi's 1991 Four Seasons on Opus 111 is still in the catalog, but this one scores because Virgin includes the complete Opus 8 on two discs for the price of one. --Dan Davis
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
Update June 9, 2008
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
There are already twenty-two reviews of this CD set, 19 of them 5-star and many of them ample in their analyses. This is by far the most exciting performance of Il Cimento dell'Armonia available for a reasonable price. The only serious competition is Reinhard Goebel's legendary recording with Musica Antiqua Koeln, which is costly.
What's the essence of a Baroque violin concerto? It's utter flamboyance. It's the concert-master violinist, standing forth from the ensemble and fiddling like the very red-haired devil. Fabio Biondi has gained a bit of weight since the days of this recording, and he's played The Four Seasons far too often to have the same enthusiasm as in his youth, but he still presents "la bella figura", standing with his back to the audience while conducting the tutti sections, and then stepping to the edge of the stage to scatter Vivaldi's abbundanza of figurations to the adoring house. One feels the improvisational virtuosity Vivaldi himself must have displayed.
For listeners who are ready to progress beyond the Four Seasons into Vivaldi's huge repertoire of vocal music, I recommend the oratorio Juditha Triumphans, a triumph indeed, and a showcase of bravura singing and brilliant instrumentation.
Yes :) This is the one to hear May 3, 2008
Well this is the top of the top of the Four Seasons right here. The playing is crisp, authoritative, positive, and captures the spirit of the Four Seasons. While the tempi are fast there is never a feeling of bveing rushed. The playing is clear, flawless and without blemish. There is a feeling that this is the definitive recording. There is a powerful push and an endless spirit that makes the listener comfortable -- nothing is going to go wrong -- we know what we are doing. The listener will not be able to stop in the middle -- there is no way to stop. This is the ultimate recording of the Four Seasons. It just doesn't get any better than this. The interpretation is imaginative, modern, while keeping to the score. All of Vivaldi's magic comes out here. He clearly was way ahead of his time and this recording shows this masterfully.
The rest of the 2 discs are equally masterful and brilliant. This is the way to play Vivaldi.
I would give this set 10 stars if only I could. The technique is incredable and the interpretation is just perfect.
This set is a breath of fresh air. It far exceeds any other recordings of the selections played, even by the same team.
Yes yes yes this is the one :) If you have never heard Fabio Biondi and the Europa Galante, then it is about time you did and this album is a great way to start. After you hear this you will definately call home and report about the experience you had while listening.
It is truely an honor to listen to such a performance. Rarely are disc sets as exciting and exhilerating as this set is. This set is fun to hear and will make you want to hear the Four Seasons and the other concerti over and over. I am sure that if Vivaldi were alive to hear this he would give this a standing ovation and jump for joy.
Boottom line: Get this set :)
Exceptional Playing July 12, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Over the years my preference in Vivaldi records has run to Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music but this recording of Il cimento dell'armonica e dell'inventionae (the combat between harmony and invention) is certainly the most energetic and inventive performance that I have heard. What makes this recording different is that Europa Galanta has gone back to the original manuscripts preserved in the libraries of Manchester, Turin and Dresden. The manuscripts reveal a freedom with the manuscript versions on the concerto that does not exist with the published versions. Fabio Biondi examined the manuscripts and where there was multiple versions would sometimes combine ideas from both for tempi but reject notions made by hands other than Vivaldi's. The performance practice that comes out of the manuscripts brings different dynamics and tempi to the performance.
Antonio Vivaldi's opus 8 collection of concerti was meant to astonish with their brilliance of invention, experimenting with instrumental combinations and pushing the orchestral colors to their limits. Arguably, the prominent first four concertos - The Four Seasons - took the idea of invention and colorful description to new heights. However, the popularity of the first four concertos (The Four Seasons) of Vivaldi's opus 8 has come at the expense of relegating the remaining concerti of the collection to obscurity. There is no evidence that Vivaldi arranged the concertos in order of most superior to least and they are recorded here, except for the Four Seasons, out of their numbered order. The fifth concerto, la tempesta de mare, is an exuberant and tuneful concerto with alternate dramatic and calm that seems to depict the fury of a storm. The sixth concerto, Il piacere, explores the idea of pleasure using a laughter-like theme in the first movement, followed by a movement suggesting sleep and a dance-like finale.
The second disc in this set begins with concerto No. 11, which begins with an exuberant first movement followed by a beautifully reflective middle movement with an extensive solo violin part; the Finale is interplay of harmonies with the soloist pitting himself against the other players with a very demanding part. Another of the named concertos, la caccia (or the hunt) - the 10th concerto, follows and is a real tour-de-force with its bold rhythms. The 8th, 9th and 12th concerti explore a richness of melody and invention that is astonishing: the 12th is a joyful concerto with the players leaping to high and low register and the 9th with its more reflective character with the soloist playing a more intimate part.
The music is beautifully recorded and balanced and it is accompanied with a very informative booklet that includes remarks by Fabio Biondi as to how he selected the versions of the concerti played here. A very rewarding set that will be of interest despite how many copies of the Four Seasons you might already have.
Barock'n'roll January 19, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Truly swinging and joyfull playing by Europa Galante and Biondi. Perhaps not truthfull to original partitur but very exciting and dramatic. Excelent sound!
The Gold Standard for Vivaldi August 17, 2006
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I will not say much about the performance of the SEASONS as others have already done so. Suffice to say that this is one of the essential versions in that it brilliantly realizes the "mannerist" pictorial spirit of the work. For vitality, imagination, and excitement, this is a rendition that, for many listeners, will beat all others hands down.
I would like to comment more extensively on the remaining eight concertos in the set. Generally speaking, the works in Vivaldi's published opuses represent the best of his achievements. Especially noteworthy in Opus 8 are three non-titled concertos: no. 7 in D minor, suffused with aristocratic reserve and melancholy; no. 8 in G minor, with a soulful largo inspired by the polyphonic chorale style; and the theatrically brilliant no. 11 in D major. Then there are two concertos, in D minor and C major, which Vivaldi specified could be played either on oboe or violin; here they are performed on the latter instrument, and I can't blame Biondi for wanting it that way. Of the three pictorial or programmatic works, "La tempesta di mare" and "La caccia" are musically rather insubstantial noise-pieces, while "Il piacere" is a nice evocation of the idea of pleasure which approaches the airy GALANT style.
The violin Fabio Biondi uses here has a fuller sound than the one he used on his version of L'ESTRO ARMONICO (also on Virgin Veritas), and he also avoids many of the fussy eccentricities that marred that recording. I would argue with the speedy tempo taken for the first movement of no. 11 (this seems out of keeping with the imitative texture), but as always with Europa Galante the interpretations are passionate and authoritative, and the recorded sound is crystal-clear. I have a feeling, after listening to this CD, that the Europa Galante way of approaching Italian baroque music will eventually become the standard.
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