Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni - Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano

Vivaldi : Le Quattro Stagioni
Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano

Concerto in E major RV269 La Primavera Concerto in G minor RV315 L'estate Concerto in F major RV293 L'autunno Concerto in F minor RV297 L'inverno

(Are you a "Four Seasons" lover? Then this version should not be missed! --Ice.)


Classics Today :

Gramophone Magazine : Recording of the Month August 2003

John Duarte

In a huge, crowded field, this Seasons recording goes to the head of the list

I've reviewed at least 50 recordings of the Four Seasons but none has sounded such a clear 'wake up' call as this one. Such recommendations are usually reserved for the end of a review but, no matter how many you may already have, I waste no time in urging you to add this one to their number. If you have none, go straight for this one.

These are appropriately 'Italian' performances but the flanking movements are not hurried – indeed 'Summer' begins at an unusually leisurely pace and no season is noticeably hurried to its conclusion. The central movements are taken somewhat more slowly than in other recordings, but so beguilingly that one barely notices it – and never in a pejorative way. What is striking is the sharply defined characterisation of the frisson-making chill of 'Autumn' and the furious 'Summer' storm that sends the mind running for imaginary cover.

In a unique display of their strength in depth, Concerto Italiano assign a different soloist to each concerto. Their approaches to embellishment are both personal and refreshingly free from clichés. The most 'up-front' is Francesca Vicari, who enthusiastically applies it also to the final movement of 'Winter' (where others have not ventured to tread) with a controlled ferocity that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The knife-edge unanimity of attack, tone and dynamics of the 14 members of Concerto Italiano is remarkable, and the recording per se is crystal clear, luculent and perfectly balanced. They do not merely play the score, they live it. Some may regard the performances as 'theatrical' and so they are, but they are acted with total commitment and in good style and taste – and why not? The script exists!

The Four Seasons alone do not add up to a well-filled disc but there is a bonus CD, a showcase sampler with tracks from existing recordings and others not previously issued – Alessandro Scarlatti, Bach and Vivaldi, his Op 3 No 11 Concerto grosso. Concerto Italiano's high reputation has rested on their recordings of Baroque music (instrumental and vocal) but the final tracks of Rossini signal their rewarding venture into pastures new. If these two discs are not among this critic's choice for 2003 you are entitled to ask why.

Classics Today : John Greene

As Concerto Italiano and its harpsichordist/director Rinaldo Alessandrini are gradually becoming the most recruited ensemble in Opus 111's ambitious ongoing Vivaldi cycle, it apparently was only a matter of time before they got their chance at Le Quattro Stagioni (regardless of Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante's excellent and still-available first recording for the same label). And as we would expect from their superb previous Vivaldi recordings, it's a great one, characterized by remarkably crisp articulation, expert ensemble, and meticulous attention to detail. In fact, Alessandrini not only acknowledges the importance of Vivaldi's accompanying sonnets and their relationship to the programmatic allusions in the score, but in the accompanying notes (modestly titled "The whole truth about the four seasons!") he offers a hilarious complete blow by blow reenactment of their significance. The proof however is in Concerto Italiano's performance, which--especially given the vastly competitive field--ranks among the best.

La Primavera's early bird-call ritornellos are exquisitely rendered with subtle freshness and lift, rivaling Il Giardino Armonico's and both of Europa Galante's equally splendid performances (including their more recent Virgin recording--type Q6463 in Search Reviews). L'autumno's second-movement Adagio molto march is inordinately broad, dramatically heightened by Alessandrini's clockwork keyboard precision set in a fabric of remarkably seamless strings. L'inverno's outer Allegro non molto and Allegro lento movements are executed with spine-tingling agility and bracing virtuosity that powerfully evoke winter's mood of resignation as well as frigid temperatures. Numerous other captivating moments enliven the rest of the performance, leading to the conclusion that for sheer attention to and imaginative conception of programmatic detail, Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano are peerless.

Opus 111's sonics are equally spectacular, with superb instrumental detail presented in the context of a consistently well-balanced ensemble. Alessandrini's previously mentioned notes not only entertain, but are also creatively informative--a refreshing alternative to the usual (and often boring) historical overview. Also included is a bonus "portrait" CD highlighting Concerto Italiano's varied achievements, spanning repertoire from Marenzio to Rossini--a collection guaranteed to whet your appetite for more.

Posted by Ice