Violinist Giuliano Carmignola and conductor Andrea Marcon have served up another reminder that Vivaldi, in the right hands, is so much more than sonic wallpaper. These late Vivaldi concertos, given their premiere recordings here, are, for sure, more of the same musical illustrations, birdsongs, and harmonic sequences; what stands out is the aural handling they are given by Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Marcon.

Much attention is given to Giuliano Carmignola's violinistic tone, and with good reason. The sound he elicits from his extant 18th Century violin is rich and meaty, dosed with a subtle romantic vibrato, but colored throughout with a wide-ranging command of tone. Carmignola's virtuosity is nothing to be sneezed at either: blazing velocity, eternal line, and immaculate articulation and tuning all glow through an oh-so-italian musical nonchalance. The capper, though, is the zaftig sound of the orchestra. The bowing is self-assured, the tone warm and rounded, lacquered with the slight reverberance of the recording hall. The addition of an archlute, theorbo, and baroque guitar to the continuo (the baroque equivalent of jazz's "rhythm section") give the entire album a tremendous swing. I bet Vivaldi, were he still around, would be clamoring for Carmignola et al. to record his 500 or so other concerti.


David Simmons, WQXR