Antonio Vivaldi

“Young French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky… negotiates even the most taxing display pieces with effortless agility. Yet he is more than a mere showman: he shapes the music with subtle nuances and expressive gestures and demonstrates a mature musical sensitivity throughout. There's some bucolic playing, too, from Ensemble Artaserse, captured with resonant detail on this recording.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2005 ****

“The countertenor Philippe Jaroussky soars as effortlessly as a bird, with no sense of strain: perhaps – for we can never know for certain – this is how the great castrati of the 18th century sounded. He was certainly convincing in the soprano role of Nero in the Euroarts DVD of Handel's Agrippina.
Little is known about the background to these cantatas. Each is in the familiar form of two dacapo arias, separated and sometimes preceded by a recitative. The themes are equally familiar, generally concerned with the inconstancy or inaccessibility of the beloved, with reference to the storms, bright dawns and shipwrecks of opera seria. Alla caccia dell'alme describes 'barbarous Cloris' hunting souls and hearts, with predictable consequences for the victim. And there is a delightful surprise: no horn depicting the chase, of course: instead, here and elsewhere, we have the jolly bassoon of Jérémie Papasergio on the bass line.
In fact the composition of the continuo group varies within each cantata and even during a movement: the 'A' section of the first aria in Pianti, sospiri e dimandar mercede features bassoon and lute, the 'B' section cello and harpsichord.
This is justified by the quality of the playing but to switch from harpsichord to organ in the same piece seems to me fussy.
Philippe Jaroussky is sweet-toned and, as well as singing the divisions with wonderful control, he shows care for the meaning of the words. The aria from Tito Manlio, which really was written for contralto, finds him duetting with the cello obbligato of Emilia Gliozzi – superb!” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Mullova teams up with one of the most sparkling of the baroque bands around.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2007

“Viktoria Mullova isn't quite a Baroque violinist – her Strad is fitted with gut strings, she's using a Baroque bow and she plays very stylishly – but there's something about her sound that betrays the modern virtuoso. Her vibrato is modest but it's used in a way that harks back to her conventional Russian training. Much more important than rating her on a scale of authenticity, however, is to note that it's top-class violin playing: the rhythms are lively and poised, all the passagework is beautifully clear and exact.
The programme is excellent, too, in the way it shows the wide range of Vivaldi's imagination.
The rarely encountered RV187 is a lovely piece, full of delightful original touches, in contrast to the better known Grosso Mogul which, despite its brilliance and its satisfying formal design, is oppressively short of significant ideas.
Il Giardino Armonico provide an immensely spirited accompaniment, four members taking the extra solo roles in Op 3 No 10 with great style. Vivaldi's music needs strong contrasts in performance; it should create a sense of amazement, which these accounts supply in a striking and convincing way. The prevalence of ferocious accents, ultra-short off-the-string bowing, and exaggerated dynamic shading is a little troubling: the strongest, swiftest bow stroke should retain the character of a gesture, rather than a hammer blow. But whether or not you agree, you're likely to enjoy the vigour, colourful variety and sheer expertise of these performances.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“This is a magnificent achievement, and one of the pinnacles of Opus 111’s monumental Vivaldi Edition. If Vivaldi needed a champion to more firmly establish his credentials as a fully-fledged opera composer, then this recording is it.” Gramophone Magazine

“Jean-Christophe Spinosi's imaginative interpretation of Vivaldi's Orlando, excellently cast and performed.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2008

“Spinosi and his excellent team of musicians have revised history's judgement of Orlando furioso by their compelling presentation.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006

“Vivaldi's opera combines magic, heroism and comedy to tell of a seductive sorceress, a noble knight driven insane by love, a feisty fiancée who disguises herself as a man to rescue her bewitched lover, and a magic ring that helps ensure everything ends happily ever after. This recording bears the fruit of Vivaldi scholar Frédéric Delaméa's painstaking reconstruction of the original 1727 version. Marie-Nicole Lemieux's delivery of Orlando's anguished and often unhinged recitative is astonishingly good, full of conviction, passionate, and vocally brilliant.
When his sanity is restored, she achieves a tangible lucidity that makes the drama wholly satisfying.
Jennifer Larmore's sorceress Alcina is devious, vivacious, and venomous. Philippe Jaroussky's Ruggerio is adept at both delicacy and heroism and Ann Hallenberg is excellent as his fiancée Bradamante.
Ensemble Matheus provide bright ritornelli and intelligent accompaniments. The playing is often abrasive and intentionally percussive in fast music, but the performers also excel at the softer moments. Spinosi's direction is vividly theatrical, and recitatives are declaimed with aplomb, although sometimes it sounds as if characters cannot wait to interrupt with their next line.
Vivaldi's score has a dramatic stature greater than most of his other operas. He rarely devoted much attention to accompanied recitatives, but here he composed several that are unusually extensive and adventurous. This is a magnificent achievement: if Vivaldi needed a champion to establish his credentials as an opera composer, then this recording is it.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Ma is the star of the album, if a modest one, always well-integrated with his musical colleagues, alert to their phrasing, and making real chamber music - the final 'Dite ohimè' for two cellos and lute is a little gem.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ****