Bajazet was a work of Vivaldi's late maturity, a dramatic tale that recounts the capture of the Turkish sultan Bajazet by the all-conquering Tartar, Tamerlane. It is a pasticcio, a well-established form, in which Vivaldi incorporated arias by some of the greatest young composers of his time - Johann Adolf Hasse, Geminiano Giacomelli and Riccardo Broschi, brother to the famous castrato Farinelli - to form a generous buffet of musical fireworks. Still, Vivaldi's recitatives, choruses and arias form the backbone of the opera, and constitute the majority of the music, producing a work of kaleidoscopic invention.

Sophie Dervaux, the first female bassoonist of the illustrious Vienna Philharmonic, continues her captivating exploration of Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerti. In this latest release, Dervaux masterfully continues her journey through Vivaldi's enchanting works, showcasing her exceptional talent and artistry. Accompanied by the esteemed La Folia Baroque Orchestra, renowned for their commitment to historically informed performances on period instruments, this album offers a fresh and authentic interpretation of Vivaldi's timeless compositions. The orchestra's expertise enhances Dervaux's virtuosic playing, bringing a vibrant energy and richness to each concerto.

This CD was formerly available as RCA 5316.

VIVALDI: 6 CONCERTOS GALWAY,

Shirley Verrett sings strongly, and with great beauty of tone, and one would be hard put to find another band to match the superb playing of the Virtuosi di Roma.

If only for the first item, this is most welcome record. There are three and a half columns of Vivaldi's concertos in the Master Edition of THE GRAMOPHONE Classical Record Catalogue, but only six specimens of his church music: a 50 per cent increase is no mean addition.

The Credo is a little masterpiece. The text of the Creed, with its multiplicity of short clauses, is almost as hard to set in one movement as that of the Te Deum. Vivaldi brings it off superbly. Priest or no, he gets through the rather dry and un-pictorial matter that opens and closes the Creed in double-quick time, using essentially the same music for the beginning and the end— a brisk, concerto-fashion allegro in triple time, driven along at a cracking pace by an insistent ostinato, but cunningly varied by occasional hemiola rhythms that run two bars of 3/4 metre into one bar of 3/2. This leaves him free to expend his most imaginative music on the "Et homo factus est" and on the heart of the mystery, the "Crucifixus". The busy orchestra is silent for the former, and the unaccompanied voices wind their slow way through some very expressive modulations from E major to D major. The "Crucifixus" is marked largo, which tempts Renato Fasano into a tempo rather too slow—at this date largo means broad, not necessarily slow. Vivaldi writes an A minor movement over a stabbing ostinato of quavers separated by rests—very likely a pictorial symbol of the nails being relentlessly driven home: the same effect was unmistakable in a Credo by Domenico Scarlatti that I once heard this same choir perform, for it was underlined by the entire string orchestra playing pizzicato chords. It was in Bach's mind too, in the "Crucifixus" of the B minor Mass: what else are those minim chords doing in the wind and strings? (I've yet to hear the movement started forte as Bach intended: it's an expression of intolerable pain and grief.) The Vivaldi may not quite be in that class, but he certainly shows here that he can write moving, deeply-felt music when the need arises. The chromatic wailings rise to a fine climax, and then we're back in the home tonic, E minor, for a brilliantly developed reprise of the opening material. A fine work, and worth the price of the record on its own.

The second item is a setting of the medieval Stabat Mater. The Council of Trent had banished this sequence from the liturgy, along with hundreds of others; but composers continued to set it to music, and it was re-admitted to the Church ritual in 1727, to take its place beside the other four Marian antiphon. Vivaldi's setting, for contralto solo, may possibly have been composed to celebrate this event.

It's certainly worth hearing, though it won't, I think, steal the palm from Pergolesi's duet version. Shirley Verrett sings it strongly, and with great beauty of tone in her upper register; but she does not yet seem quite at home in music as early as this. Rhythms are a little stiff here and there, and the lower passages evoke one or two rather awkward gear-changes. Still, Vivaldi makes some interesting harmonic experiments in the course of the work: listen for the modulations of the "Cuius animam", and the surprising interrupted cadences of the C minor largo. The dotted rhythms of the latter, by the way, surely suggest the self-scourging of the penitent sinner; the passage needs to be taken faster, or at least the dotted notes should be exaggerated. For the "Fac ut ardeat", Vivaldi had the unusual but delightful idea of writing a sort of sacred dance over a pizzicato bass, a 6/8 siciliana which moves to A flat for a moment (a welcome relief from the rather wearing insistence on F minor). The final "Amen" seems somewhat superfluous (F minor again), after Maestro Fasano's excessive ritardando on the cadence of the previous section, which is in the same key.

[A] setting of Psalm 112, Beatus vir, [is] very much in the manner of the choral works that Handel composed during his youthful visit to Italy. It's presumably an occasional piece, very festive and secular in tone, though we don't know for whom he wrote it. Probably some Venetian Maecenas: "Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth", runs the fifth verse.

Maestro Fasano asks the whole of his choir, the Polyphonic Ensemble of Rome, to sing the whole of the time. I doubt if Vivaldi really intended this, for many verses clearly demand the services of agile solo voices. The choir is the right size, however: only in verse two was I a little reminded of those awful performances of Handel's "The Lord is a man of war" sung by massed basses. Incidentally, the choral tone on this side sounds much better, to my ears at least, in the mono version: stereo here seems to expose the voices too much.

Beatus vir as a whole falls well below Handel's level. The idea of repeating the opening words to the same music as a refrain after nearly every verse sounds good in theory, but becomes predictable and a trifle boring in practice, even though the dynamics are varied. Individual sections, nevertheless, are often extremely fetching. I remember the Purcellian dotted runs at the end of verse 2 (and the rather alarming click that follows in the stereo version); the tripping duet for two sopranos in verse 3; above all the very beautiful trio for alto, tenor and bass, with its unusual but effortless triple invertible counterpoint, at the words "the righteous shall be had in everlasting memory". Later, at "Cor firmatur", Vivaldi writes an entertaining scherzando, pairing the voices in octaves, with a fine Handelian climax where the sopranos hold long notes against the faster rhythms of the lower voices. The pictorialism of the last verse is quite as amusing as that of The Four Seasons: we hear the wicked gnashing their teeth and melting away (the tenor runs are none too clear at this point). Finally, he repeats the orchestral introduction for the doxology, adding voice-parts and finishing off with an exciting coda.

The recording is on the whole excellent... Stereo is used to provide directional echo effects in Beatus vir where Vivaldi must surely have intended no more than a drop in dynamic from the same players: it's not a work for two orchestras, and indeed one would be hard put to find another band to match the superb playing of the Virtuosi di Roma.

-- Gramophone [8/1967]

In August 2023, the Innsbruck Early Music Festival featured a performance of a Baroque jewel, the three-act opera La fida ninfa (The faithful nymph), which Antonio Vivaldi premiered on 6 January 1732 in Verona and presented in Vienna on 5 January 1737. The storyline of the work is "typical". There is an evil pirate and a kidnapper, two brothers who were abducted separately, and two young girls and their father - who all tussle about on the isle of Naxos until a happy end is achieved. A great deal of confusion is a matter of course, but the awe-inspiring musical qualities of this work are far greater. The solos and ensemble pieces are of such variety and beauty that the reservations occasionally expressed about high baroque opera are completely unfounded. Here one literally longs for the repeat of the da capo arias with a silent 'sing it again'

This seventy-fourth volume of the Vivaldi Edition of the na�ve label is dedicated to the opera Arsilda, a work of great dramatic variety that greatly stimulates the insatiable imagination of the Venetian. This major work is defended here with ardor and fluidity by Andrea Marcon, his musicians of La Cetra, and seven singers in perfect artistic communion, including the mezzo-sopranos Benedetta Mazzucato and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya in the two main roles (Arsilda, and Lisea).

The master of Italian Baroque music is indisputably Antonio Vivaldi. Throughout his life, he composed hundreds of works, and is remembered perhaps second only to J.S. Bach, ranking as one of the most popular composers of all time. His oeuvre crosses an extraordinarily wide range, from instrumental compositions of all types to sacred cantatas and operatic works, a vast number of which are presented in this comprehensive box set. Vivaldi composed a large part of his works while working at the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice, where he was employed as a composer, teacher and violinist. The aim of the foundation was to provide an education and home for orphaned children. Vivaldi remained in the post on and off for over 30 years, and was under obligation to compose a new cantata for every feast day. His reputation, however, grew thanks to his instrumental skills rather than his compositions at first; as a violinist, he was known for his extraordinary cadenzas and virtuosic playing style. He became better known as a composer when Dutch publisher Etienne Roger brought out L'estro armonico in 1711, a hugely popular collection of 12 violin concertos, included on this release in full. J.S. Bach was particularly enthused by the manuscript, and his transcriptions for organ have gained popularity on their own merit - his version is also to be found in this edition, a fascinating point of comparison, and a testament to Vivaldi's reputation in his lifetime. During the 1720s and '30s, Vivaldi began to travel widely, while still sending compositions to the Pieta in Venice when required: despite being unable to teach, he was clearly still a major asset, as he was asked to send two concertos a month by post, adding up to over 140 in his absence. His operatic works grew vastly in number, and he began working closely with soprano Anna Giro, who was rumoured to be his mistress. Vivaldi died in Vienna, and, incredibly for such a famous and wealthy man, was given a pauper's burial. His last few months in Vienna had been frustratingly lacking in work, as concert houses were closed to mourn the death of Charles VI; however, his last opera was eventually staged posthumously there in 1742. Vivaldi was a divisive figure during his lifetime, well known for being vain and conceited. His vanity, though, is certainly deserved; we are left with the overwhelming evidence. More than 50 operas (21 of which survive), 500 concertos and 90 sonatas are no mean feat for a man who by all accounts was also a superb teacher and virtuosic violinist. This release draws attention to the diversity of his oeuvre, starting with his instrumental music and moving on to feature his sacred cantatas and operas. It is the most comprehensive edition of Vivaldi's music yet, bringing together 66 CDs showcasing hundreds of different performers and ensembles, many of them performing on period instruments as they strive to recreate the sound of the composer's timbre through their research-led contemporaneous playing styles. Brilliant Classics is proud to offer a new release to add to it's growing collection of authoritative composer editions. This box set is excellent value for money, at only �65 for an astonishing 66 CDs' worth of music, interpreted by some of Baroque music's most celebrated artists today. An excellent gift idea for any lover of Baroque, it spans the length of Vivaldi's illustrious career, and celebrates the best of his innovative and beautiful music. Other information: A new, extended, improved and upgraded Vivaldi Edition on Brilliant Classics! A feast of Historically Informed Performances by leading soloists and ensembles, this new Edition offers the best of today's Vivaldi playing! 66 CDs brimming with vitality, passion, instrumental brilliance and Italian sunshine, as played by mostly Italian forces (yes, they do know the secret of their "red priest" Antonio Vivaldi..). The complete Opus number 1-12 are newly recorded by L'Arte del'Arco, led by the eminent Federico Guglielmo (with numerous record awards to his name), a new recording of the complete Oboe Concertos, Juditha triumphans by Modo Antiquo/Sardelli, the famous Gloria by the Virtuosi Saxoniae, and new recordings by Early Music specialists Stefano Bagliano, Paolo Pollastri, Lorenzo Cavasanti. Contains extensive notes on Vivaldi

Juditha Triumphans is the only survivor of the four oratorios that Vivaldi is known to have composed. The work was commissioned to celebrate the victory of the Republic of Venice over the Turks during the siege of Corfu. The oratorio marks the climax of Vivaldi's vocal production. The great beauty of it's arias and choral parts, the compact dramatic quality of it's recitatives and the richness of instrumentation all single it out as one of the most intense and fascinating examples of the genre. As you have come to expect from Jordi Savall, the booklet is lavishly illustrated and contains the full libretto translated in six languages.

Violin Concertos - BACH, J.S. / VIVALDI, A. / MOZART, W.A. /

SCARLATTI, VIVALDI: STABAT MAT

VIVALDI: VIOLIN CONCERTOS FROM

BAROQUE IN ITALY MALGOIRE, SC

At one level it is a virtuoso display that has one breathless, but there are genuine revelations from having the timbre of the flute in this music.

The distinctiveness of the flute version with James Galway as soloist needs no underlining. Both at the Royal Festival Hall and on television with these same players he has amply demonstrated the genuinely artistic results he can achieve. He has been quoted as saying that he plays "much more like a string player than a woodwind player", and certainly he copes amazingly well with the most unlikely demisemiquaver passage work that requires feats of tonguing that would have been out of the question in the seventeenth century. In any case he makes no claims on authenticity; at one level it is a virtuoso display that has one breathless, but there are genuine revelations from having the timbre of the flute in this music. Arguably the bird imitations are the more naturalistic, and certainly I relish the clear forecast of Gluck's Elysian Fields that you get in the slow movement of the last concerto, when as here Vivaldi's lovely melody over pizzicato accompaniment is played on the flute.

-- Gramophone [2/1977, reviewing the original LP release]

All is now clear: we are to have from Ofra Harnoy all of Vivaldi's concertos for the cello, both alone and in combination with other soloists; moreover, the practice of having one "world premiere recording" on each disc is to be maintained. It is a prospect that pleases. Harnoy's 'lightweight' performances have not always been enthusiastically received in these pages, but with Vivaldi's music she has the happiest empathy—not, as her playing of the slow movements proves, that this is 'lightweight' territory, for she eloquently reveals their tenderness and dignified pathos with no trace of sentimentality; the Adagio of RV420 and Largo of RV407 in particular are alone worth the price of the whole disc. In the outer movements her bow skips and dances, digging as deep as is appropriate,but never more, while those of the Toronto CO do likewise, transparent but not thin in sound. The 'world premiere' work is the Concerto in D, with solo-episodic figurations similar to those in Vivaldi's concertos for that other `dual-register' instrument, the bassoon, and a brief but lovely Adagio affetuoso. Igor Oistrakh might not be the first to spring to mind as a partner for Harnoy the curiously titled double concerto, RV544, b he proves a splendid match for her in style, weigh:. and breadth of sound, and welcomely so in a work in which the soloists respond to one another, rather than play together. A clean and well-balanced recording completes the picture---another compelling disc to add to its precursors (8/88 and 4/90).

-- Gramophone [1/1994]