Antonio Vivaldi

As an exclusive Sony Classical artist, Joshua Bell has released a series of albums to critical and popular acclaim. Known both for his riveting artistry and his daring choice of repertoire and collaborators, Bell is no less innovative in the way he reinvigorates Vivaldi’s perennial favourite. Bell explains his take on Vivaldi’s classic: “You will never hear two versions of The Four Seasons that are alike, which is why I think there is always room for another view of the piece. My version is very personal.”Widely considered one of the premiere violinists of his generation, Bell is joined on this studio release by the celebrated musicians of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, who toured the work with him prior to the recording sessions. This recording of The Four Seasons is coupled with another masterpiece of Baroque virtuosity, Giuseppe Tartini’s The Devil’s Trill Sonata.

Classical composers clearly loved their animals: here is a programme presenting a variety of creatures - great and small - from the elephant and kangaroo to the cat, mouse and frog! The musical styles range from frivolous to funny, and the booklet notes explain the music and how to listen out for the details of tunes and rhythms.

‘It was the work’s nature as a visionary masterpiece that prompted us to contemplate “yet another” recording, since music of such magnificence still permits entirely new interpretations. . . . . Moreover, we consulted an often neglected manuscript source, the “Manchester manuscript”, which offers extremely intriguing variants, especially as regards articulation, shedding new light on certain passages.’ - Amandine Beyer

Amandine Beyer has joined forces with Olivier Fourés, a specialist in Vivaldi’s violin concertos and adviser to Giuliano Carmignola. Their encounter made it possible to dig deeper into the manuscripts and record a previously unknown concerto which Olivier Fourés has specially edited for the occasion, RV578a.

Konrad Hünteler’s interpretations of the brilliant Six Concertos for Flute, Strings, and Basso Continuo on the historic Denner flute, brings out all the radiance and variety of this Italian baroque music with an unprecedented wealth of colour. The members of the Camerata of the 18th Century are drawn from Frans Brüggen’s Orchestra of the 18th Century.

Vivaldi’s sacred music occupies a place of honour in his vast output, dovetailing passages of great tenderness and sombre beauty, rich in cantabile expressiveness, with highly operatic movements of colourful and exciting virtuosity.

Volume 3 of the complete sacred music features the final and expanded version of Vivaldi’s G minor setting of the Magnificat, his setting of the Vespers Psalm 126, Nisi Dominus, with its strongly characterized instrumental accompaniment, and the dramatic yet poignant Roman motet, In furore iustissimae irae (In the fury of most righteous anger Thou showest thy divine power).

The recorder only features in a handful of Vivaldi’s concertos. Well known for being an exceptional violinist, Vivaldi’s innovative style is apparent in his compositions for other instruments too. He used the same technique as when he composed for the violin, using a musical language marked by gigantic tonal ranges whether or not they were models for this in their respective repertoire. The result is a concert repertoire that is madly virtuosic and music of the greatest variety. Some could even say his recorder concertos represent the greatest challenge in the baroque repertoire.

Michael Schneider, regarded as one of today’s best German recorder players, presents his own interpretation of this fascinating group of works.