VIVALDI: Concertos for Two Violins – Viktoria Mullova & Giuliano Carmignola/ Venice Baroque Orchestra/ Andrea Marcon – Archiv 477 7466, 61:02 ***** [Distr. by Universal]:
With the advancement of recording technology, the classical music repertoire has reached further into the remote past to fill the need for novelty. Merely repeating the same music will no longer suffice as competition from popular music genres continues to intensify. No composer has benefitted from these changes more than Vivaldi. He has gone from obscurity to best-seller status in a single generation. It was as recently as 1950 that the famous Cetra recording of The Four Seasons was first featured over the speakers in New York’s Liberty Music Shop. Listeners stopped in their tracks, seduced by the entrancing music which had lain utterly forgotten on dusty library shelves for more than two centuries. Amongst those listeners was the young music scholar H. C. Robbins-Landon. Vivaldi’s rebirth had begun.
Hundreds of Vivaldi’s voluminous works remain unpublished. Several recording labels have been mining these unknown compositions. This new Archiv release features concertos for two violins that are comparative rarities: they have only been recorded a few times. Both violinists carry equal weight as Vivaldi’s usual ritornello form is slightly modified to feature passages for the soloists of greater strength and intensity. The interplay between the two violins is the source of most of the musical interest in these relatively homogeneous pieces. They require virtuosity and taste as well as the gritty expressiveness that is now the hallmark of the authentic music movement in Italy. Italian music of the Baroque era is definitely experiencing a golden age. Several newer ensembles have arrived on the scene, and they are exhibiting a stunning capacity for conjuring vibrant and soulful music from dry ancient manuscripts.
The Venice Baroque Orchestra conducted by Andrea Marcon is one of those ensembles who utilize historically informed methods and a large measure of creativity and insight to bring Vivaldi’s music to glorious life. The two soloists engage in a joyful conversation while playfully searching for the heart of this effervescent music. Viktoria Mullova on her 1750 Guadagnini and Giuliano Carmignola on the 1732 “Baillot” Stradivarius – lent to him for this recording – delicately weave a musical fabric that is entertaining rather than profound. Even the music’s darker moments are never too threatening, merely clouds on the horizon that serve to highlight its essential sunlit illumination. There are occasional moments of drama where the orchestra’s ritornello passages seem to overwhelm the two soloists. These interludes act as a necessary counterweight to Vivaldi’s primary mission which is to entertain. This spirited recording succeeds handily at that laudable task. If your expectations do not include musical profundity but sonic pleasure, you will not be disappointed by this superb release.
Sound is rich and deeply resonant with a lovely naturalness to the cellos. They provide a sonic floor that lends solidity to the musical proceedings. The soloists easily soar above the orchestra, engaging each other with stunning clarity. Although this is a standard CD the music has the presence of a Direct Stream Digital recording. The instruments are nicely arrayed across a wide and well-defined soundstage. [Perhaps that’s why they put it in a SACD rounded-corner case, which I find very confusing…Ed.]
— Mike Birman
