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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: $9.90
You Save: $7.08 (42%)
Buy New/Used from $7.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  (23 reviews)
Sales Rank: 22833
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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| Customer Reviews:
Not your momma's Four Seasons April 12, 2006
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
Like most younger generation music enthusiasts, I'm sure, Vivaldi's Four Seasons played a very prominent role, in many cases serving as a portal through which many neophytes passed on their journey into the wonderful world of classical music. Even if attempted, how could one avoid it? These eternally ubiquitous concertos have seem to have been arranged for every instrument from harmonica and banjo to celesta and bass trombone and have served as the themes for countless films, including the Alan Alda picture of the same title. It's this same over exposure that would eventually turn my genuine fondness for these works into one of intense dislike. My disdain was so great that if I ever heard the concertos again it would be too soon. Enter the BBC and their weekly program "Building a Library" which featured Vivaldi's complete Op. 8, "Il Cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione" of which The Four Seasons are the first concerto. Normally I would just skip over a segment I didn't particularly care for, but I was interested in what the reviewer had to say about the other works, none of which, though popular, have ever quite achieved the status of the "Seasons." It was these works that held my attention throughout and I found the playing unbelievably intense and alive, with just the right amount of urgency to make the works sound fresh and exciting but never forced and rushed. That same afternoon, I purchased the CD and I couldn't believe what I heard. Even the "seasons" a work that I thought I could hum in my sleep, jumped off the CD and the room with amazing colors and a vivacity and relevance that was awe inspiring. Yes, it's incredibly fast where it needs to be, yet it's never done at the expense of the music. The music is not at the mercy of virtuoso ensemble, Europa Galante, but rather the other way around, seemingly swept away by their excitement at reshaping these war-horses into something new without distorting Vivaldi's ideas or beautiful melodies. Using a different manuscript than what is normally used, Biondi and company relish every opportunity to demonstrate just how significant these works can be. There are percussive elements and striking use of pizzicato, oboes replacing violins (as was Vivaldi's original intent) and greater prominence to the continuo. In short, this ain't your momma's Four Seasons. Even if you, like me, can't stand the thought of hearing Concerto No. 1 "Spring" ever again, give this incredible recital a chance; I guarantee you'll be blown away. By the way, the sound quality is through the roof, with striking clarity, presence and warmth.
WOW December 9, 2005
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This recording left me stunned and speechless. Every bar makes for fascinating listening, and the frequent surges of adrenalin must be heard to be believed. What's most remarkable is that we've all heard these works 80 million times. I would name highlights, but there are too many. Bravo, Biondi! Have these guys recorded the Brandenburgs? If not, I hope they do soon.
 Yet another (but good) recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons November 17, 2005
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
With the catalog listing dozens of recordings of Vivaldi's ever-popular "Four Seasons," an obvious question is "why do we need yet another recording of this overplayed masterpiece?" While one part of me says we probably don't, another part of me is glad that Fabio Biondi and the Europa Galante produced this interesting period recording. Fabio Biondi shows in this imaginative recording why he is considered one of the top period violinists. Biondi rightfully takes some 'license' inherent in such Baroque music to put his stamp of Italian panache on it. His creative tweaks, imaginative rubato, and aria-like lyricism keep the music lively with slight, unexpected nuances of expression. Sucn an individualistic style as Biondi's can really be considered within the spirit of the Baroque virtuoistic tradition where the soloist was expected to add his/her special touches. Indeed embellishments such as the highly percussive textures the Galante strings brings in certain movements add a fresh drama and creativity to this music.
Vivaldi's Op. 8 was one of his "program music" experiments that brought him great success, and such music is designed to be pictoral, suggestive and above all expressive - all of which Fabio Biondi and the Europa Galante rise to do with vivacious style yet retaining sensible musical taste (no hyper-speed version here). Biondi's dynamic, expressive approach is perfect for Vivaldi and such theatrical music as this and comes off quite remarkable and enjoyable. With his period violin he achieves a highly-expressive, even anguished vocal quality as seen in Autumn finale, the Summer slow movement or the Winter allegro. But no movement is more mesmerizing and alluring than his aria-like solo in the Winter Largo - depicting the contented feeling of "one musing by the warm fire as the rain and snow fall outside." Biondi at his lyrical best. Some movements feature a more forward harpsichord accompanyment - almost as if it is striving to be recognized as co-soloist. Personally, I liked this aspect of the conducting and especially the rich sound of the instrument which added a nice contrast to the string solos - although it will not be to the taste of some.
Yet, Biondi's style is not quite technically flawless and - at times - can lack a smooth progression and unity with the ensemble. In certain parts of the music, Biondi can often favor an over-emphasised style or speed over substance - sacraficing clarity and precision in some of the 32nd-note passages. In some of these passages (such as 20 seconds into the dramatic rising scales of the closing presto of Summer), whole measures of notes were not articulated but seemingly glossed over. I am not sure of the reason for this approach to that exciting part of the movement. It is one of a few places where his technique sounds a bit "on the edge." But, in Biondi's favor, perhaps it is better to risk a little and live on the edge than to remain safe and mundane in such spirited music as this. Regardless, Biondi's playing is always alive and imaginative.
This CD features all of Vivaldi's Op. 8 concertos (which The Four Seasons being only part) and thus makes a great, non-duplicating collection of Vivaldi's concertos from Biondi/Europa Galante along with their separate and equally-exciting CD's of "L'estro Armonica" and "le Tempesta di Mara." There is another CD from Virgin featuring the Four Seasons by Biondi and the Galante along with a sampling of these other CD's mentioned above of you want to expand your horizons beyond Op. 8 on one CD. Penguin, Gramophone and Third Ear Guides all like and recommend Biondi's/Galante's several CD's of Vivaldi's concertos including this one for their spontaneous and imaginative take. But there are many fine recordings of this marvelous work (including those by Simon Standage/English Concert, I Musici, Kennedy or S. Accardo). But, Biondi's spirited performance here might just allow your imagination to run a little more vividly as Vivaldi seemed to expect in such thematic, imagery-rich music as this.
 Mixed Results Just Like Biondi's Playing October 9, 2005
9 out of 20 found this review helpful
Fabio Biondi performs here as solo violinist with Europa Galante in their more traditional interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi's 'Il Cimento Dell'Armonia...' of which the famous lyrical piece 'The Four Seasons' is part. Although this is certainly not the worst interpretation of this piece on the market, it is certainly not one of the best ones either. This album is somewhat of a mixed result in part due to Biondi's uneven performance.
Biondi's fluid skills in early French Baroque and the Baroque violin seem to give the interpretation far too much in the lyrical department. As a result, Biondi sounds as if he is struggling with the piece to slow it down and speed it up instead of actually playing it: he should actually have stayed more with the sheet music instead of putting the limit of his skills to the test here. He has an overt tendency of drastically changing pace and ferocity when the piece doesn't require it and seems timid where the piece actually does require a feverish interpretation. Most importantly, Biondi sacrifices clarity for speed in parts where it requires the opposite. The whole group therefore sounds like they're out of synch throughout the entire work. In addition, there is much too much emphasis on the harpsichord which is traditionally supposed to have a minimal role throughout this piece. I was somewhat surprised as Biondi is definitely a virtuoso in the expressive French style and with the Baroque violin but his performance here appeared wreckless and inconsistent. Despite this defect, the remaining performance for this concerto was extremely good and Biondi's rendition was certainly comparable to the best performers of Vivaldi. This is probably one of the best performances for this concerto I have heard exlcluding 'The Four Seasons.' In many ways I find it superior to I Musici's renditions because he is a little more faithful to the traditional methods of interpretation that really sound good but I think the 'Seasons' was just beyond Biondi's technical skill as a solo violinist: he just couldn't do it like about 95% of Baroque soloists such as himself and 99.9% of orchestral soloists for the symphonic adaptations. This half/half performance therefore makes me give this one an average rating as an album. I would rate it superior to Pinnock's mechanical Bach-like interpretations but Pinnock's advantage is his superior precision, slower pace, and clarity he has from his Bach expertise. I still rate both of them half/half and Biondi's interpretation for the remaining concerto is superior to Pinnock's other works with Vivaldi in every respect as Biondi is simply more proficient with the Italian Baroque style. Biondi is an accomplished performer with the Baroque violin particularly in French Baroque and many of his best works are with Jordi Savall and Le Concert Des Nations for those who may be interested in his other performances and that particular style.
The best interpretation I have encountered for 'The Four Seasons' is I Musici di Roma's 1982 performance with Pina Carmirelli. Although I Musici sacrifices some of the more archaic Baroque techniques for Italian Romantic ones, they pretty much stay with traditional Baroque forms and play almost exclusively on Stradivarius instruments that are incomparable in their quality and range of sound. They are unquestionably some of the best Baroque musicians in the world especially for Italian Baroque to the point that legendary conductors such as Toscanini thought them to be singularly, 'The best Baroque chamber group in the world!' Another comparable performance also with Stradivari is Salvatore Accardo's with I Solisti delle Settimane Musicali di Napoli who had actually performed this piece with I Musici before. Accardo is a master of Italian Baroque and Paganini and so really shines in that recording as well. Depsite Accardo's epic performance, I have found really no better performance for this piece other than Pina Carmirelli's 1982 performance with I Musici. Both Acardo and Carmirelli simply leave Fabio Biondi's exhausting performance sounding as amateurish and just shamefully in the dust along with almost all others that are out there on the market on an exponential level. Carmirelli's performance has been discontinued and will probably be re-released at an unknown date: it's becoming rare and expensive. Accardo's performance on the other hand is abundantly available on Amazon. I rate symphonic adaptations of this piece and those with symphony virtuosos in an entirely different category as much as they are both two completely different forms of interpretation and performance that require separate standards.
Four seasons as a new experience August 20, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's a real miracle: Biondi turned the same old story in a real new musical experience. Bravo!
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