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Avie Records

Vivaldi - The French Connection

$19.99

Details

Composer
VIVALDI, ANTONIO
Artist
Bircher, Whelan, Chandler, La Serenissima
Format
CD
Label
Avie Records
Released
Jun 01, 2008
Catalog #
AV2178
UPC
822252217827

About

REVIEW:

This CD has been given the title “The French Connection,” but it has nothing to do with the 1971 film in which Gene Hackman plays a New York City police detective trying to figure out where all the heroin is coming from. Instead, the title is an allusion to the increasing interest that French and Italian composers (and music lovers in general) had in each other’s music during the 1720s and 1730s. Vivaldi was an important player in this virtual exchange program, and supplied music—either new or recycled—for French patrons and printers. Even music intended for domestic use sometimes spoke with a French accent, as it were, during this period. Try the opening of RV 211 (probably composed as an operatic entr’acte) and you’ll immediately hear, in the dotted rhythms and swooping flourishes, an example of Vivaldi “speaking French.” This CD, then, is a varied compilation of works that fit into one of the above categories. As usual, one is impressed with Vivaldi’s fecundity and flexibility.

Adrian Chandler’s booklet notes are in two parts. The first is a discussion of Vivaldi’s impact on French music, and vice-versa. The second is “A note on the performance—a musician’s perspective.” This is a really terrific bit of musicology that even a layman should be able to get into. For example, in two of the so-called “Paris” concertos, a theorbo is used in the continuo, but in the fifth concerto, it is replaced with a guitar. Why, you might ask? Chandler argues that this concerto appears to have been specifically composed for a French audience and is the most typically French in style; therefore, it makes sense to use a guitar, which apparently was uncommon in Italian orchestral music at that time. Chandler also explains the two fragments included on this CD—concertos lacking one or more movements. Schubert’s “Unfinished” is, after all, a fragment, too, argues Chandler. I don’t think either of these fragments rises to Schubert’s level (or Bruckner’s Ninth!), but I agree with Chandler that works shouldn’t be ignored just because they are incomplete.

At first I thought that these performances were going to be too aggressive, but fortunately that is not the case, at least for the most part. The playing is lively (but not rushed) and very well articulated, and the fast movements have an appealing bounce. The musicians seem to be having fun. The slow movements sing nicely, without too much sweetness. La Serenissima was founded in 1994 and has recorded several discs for Avie. I am sorry to have missed them until now, but I hope to make up for that. Flutist Bircher and bassoonist Whelan are members of the ensemble. Whelan is particularly delightful to hear as he burbles through Vivaldi’s busier passages. His bassoon, a modern copy of an old Venetian instrument, even sounds a little like a saxophone at times, and to my ears, that only adds to the fun.

The recording is rich and brilliant, but not everyone will like how it brings the soloists so well into the foreground.

FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle

Tracklist 28 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro 02:41
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  2. 2 II. Adagio 00:25
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    00:25
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  3. 3 III. Ciaccona (Allegro ma non troppo) 03:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Ciaccona (Allegro ma non troppo)
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  4. 4 I. Allegro non molto 02:59
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Allegro non molto
    Duration
    02:59
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  5. 5 II. Largo 02:57
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  6. 6 III. Allegro 02:15
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  7. 7 I. Largo 01:56
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Largo
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  8. 8 I. Allegro 02:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  9. 9 II. Largo 01:33
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  10. 10 III. Allegro 02:18
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  11. 11 I. Allegro 03:52
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  12. 12 II. Andante 03:26
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    03:26
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  13. 13 III. Allegro 03:21
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  14. 14 I. Allegro 02:14
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  15. 15 II. Largo 01:38
    Track
    15
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  16. 16 III. Allegro 02:18
    Track
    16
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  17. 17 I. Allegro 02:35
    Track
    17
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:35
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  18. 18 II. Andante 01:37
    Track
    18
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  19. 19 Flute Concerto in E Minor, RV 432: I. Allegro 03:05
    Track
    19
    Title
    Flute Concerto in E Minor, RV 432: I. Allegro
    Duration
    03:05
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  20. 20 I. Allegro 02:41
    Track
    20
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher, Adrian Chandler, Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  21. 21 II. Largo 02:31
    Track
    21
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher, Adrian Chandler, Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  22. 22 III. Allegro 02:28
    Track
    22
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Katy Bircher, Adrian Chandler, Peter Whelan
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  23. 23 I. Allegro 02:47
    Track
    23
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:47
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  24. 24 II. Largo 01:33
    Track
    24
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  25. 25 III. Allegro 01:23
    Track
    25
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    01:23
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
    Conductor
    Adrian Chandler
  26. 26 I. Allegro non molto 06:03
    Track
    26
    Title
    I. Allegro non molto
    Duration
    06:03
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  27. 27 II. Larghetto 03:52
    Track
    27
    Title
    II. Larghetto
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima
  28. 28 III. Allegro (cadenza by A. Chandler) 05:39
    Track
    28
    Title
    III. Allegro (cadenza by A. Chandler)
    Duration
    05:39
    Composer
    Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer
    Adrian Chandler
    Ensemble
    La Serenissima