VIVALDI: 12 Violin Concertos – Florian Deuter, violin and director/ Monica Waisman, director/ Harmonie Universelle – Eloquentia EL 0815, (2 CDs), 109:06 ***** [Distr. by Harmonia mundi]:
This engaging collection of Vivaldi’s early, unpublished concertos for violin makes use of work from what is now considered the “appendix” to his collected pieces, along with other examples that have been in dispute previously, but are now thought to be authenticated. Some composers of his time even regarded these works, products of his early maturity, to be among the finest things he ever did.
Listening to this new sparkling collection from Harmonie Universelle, one can hardly disagree with that assessment; these pieces are among the most agreeable I have ever heard (and I am a bit of a Vivaldi-nut), and are played in a manner guaranteed to bring out the best of everything the composer has to offer. Period instruments, yes, but played with such panache and stylistic frenzy, meaning rugged double-stops, extreme dynamics, and a sense of furiously rapid virtuosity, the members of Harmonie Universelle know how to put this stuff across in order to convince even the most waywardly-doubtful among Vivaldi’s critics (and believe it or not, they are out there).
The sound on this two-disc set is terrific, subtly state-of-the-art (well, almost—no surround), and I can’t really think of a better two-disc collection of concertos on the market, and there have been many. Wholeheartedly recommended for anyone who loves this composer.
— Steven Ritter
