Vivaldi: Concerti con Titoli - La Tempesta di Mare
You say your favorite Vivaldi passage is theFour Seasonssummer storm? Well, here's a disc for you. Fabio Biondi and the Europa Galante (known to many for their bestsellingSeasonsdisc) focus onconcerti con titoli, the titled concertos the Red Priest wrote that are full of inventive drama and expression. Writing for his student orchestra, the composer employed plenty of creativity in his instrumentation, and, as evidenced on a few tracks here, he wasn't beyond recycling motifs from his older works. But just give this exciting disc a listen. TheConcerto funebre(RV 579) is sweet, yet somber; the six-movementLa notte(RV 439) is weird and ominous; and the stormy seas ofLa tempesta di marereally come alive in Europa Galante's hands. Biondi and his ensemble never try to steal the show from these works; they let the music speak for itself. Some period-instrument groups sound a little ragged, but this one gets it just right and delivers a knockout, taut performance. A great disc for Baroque lovers.--Jason Verlinde