Oh my gosh,this is really incredible...a couple of days ago I wrote a little comment to your previous Vivaldi video, telling you how much I loved Vivaldi performed by Harnoncourt,and how much I kept dreaming (for years!) about an eventual Lp-box release with 'L'Estro Armonico' performed by the great Austrian Maestro and his Concentus Musicus...and today I find a new beautiful video of yours dedicated to Vivaldi,where you review Biondi's Emi-Virgin recordings (now on Erato), in which the harpsichord player on most of the Cds...it's me!!! Time for introducing myself: I am Sergio Ciomei,an italian pianist and harpsichordist. Besides the modern piano,which I never stopped playing,I spent several years learning the baroque and classical performance practice on period instruments. I joined Europa Galante in 1992,when Biondi and his group were still recording for the label Opus 111. In their very first recordings for the french label the harpsichord player was Rinaldo Alessandrini,but after a while he became very busy with his own ensemble "Concerto Italiano",therefore I started to take part in many live performances of Biondi's baroque orchestra as a substitute of Alessandrini,and eventually I became their "officiaI" harpsichord and organ player! Playing with those guys was really a great fun,not only live but also in the recording studio(which is not often the case!). I still remember the sessions for the Cd "Con Molti Strumenti" as a real highlight of my time spent with this amazing ensemble! The hall was packed with those fantastic and quite unusual instruments such as Salmoé,Mandolins,Theorbos,Violini in Tromba Marina...the last ones are a little misterious,nobody knows exactly what this peculiar name stands for,but the most accepted thesis is that a normal violin should imitate the sound of Tromba Marina,which was a very big string,a kind of gigantic monochord used on boats and ships in order to sound the "allarme" in case of danger or accidents. Every violin player of today has to work with fantasy and imagination in order to recreate that specific timbre. There is a very beautiful video on RUclips about the recording sessions for that Concerto,in which you can see the very original solution Biondi found for "Violino in Tromba Marina"!! Many many greetings,dear Dave, and congratulations for you superb videos,I am a real fan of yours!! Sergio
As addicted as I am to Dave’s guidance through the labyrinth of classical music reviewing, when he gives us his insight into the business side of the classical recording industry I’m his most enthralled pupil. I’ve learned so much from Professor Hurwitz that I owe him tuition (which is why I’m a CT member. No Student Loan Forgiveness desired here).
Thank you. Music / an interpretation to kneel down. Without your video I didn't know that. 🍀 I heard it on my new amplifier from BC Acoustique. It sounds so wonderfull.
Fantastic, thanks so much. RV 558 is also my favorite Vivaldi concerto. That first movement is just completely arresting and charming right out of the gate, and the whole piece just keeps up the high level of joy. I think I prefer Scimone’s of all, but these performances are great if you like highly caffeinated Vivaldi 😉
Europa Galante with Fabio Biondi was my introduction to "The Four Seasons" (the Virgin Classics version) and I still rate it highly. The also toured the country decades ago and I still have fond memories of the concert I attended.
Thanks, Dave, very interesting. What you say about his "touch of excessive haste" is very true. Most of the time, it is not a problem, but sometimes it is. I found it problematic in particular for his concerti per viola d'amore which are unpleasant to listen to. In that case, I Musici with Massimo Paris are a well better choice to discover these wonderful (and not well known) 6 concerti per viola d'amore.
I agree. Usually not a problem, but in his Four Seasons, which are normally played in a lively but genial way, the hopped up speed and energy requires adjustment on the part of the listener (at least this listener).
OMG!!! I can't believe you mentioned Opus 111. Back in the early 90's while Classical manager at CD Superstore in North Carolina, I use to get lots of request for Opus 111 recordings so difficult to get them. When an order was filled it would be much less quantity ordered or wrong titles. It's a shame cause they were fine recordings.
Still working my way through my Brilliant Classics Vivaldi Edition (66 CDs) and enjoying it immensely! I already had the very fine Biondi L'Estro Armonico 2-CD set but haven't compared it yet to the Brilliant Classics performances by Federico Guglielmo and L'Arte Dell'Arco.
One day years ago I stopped by to visit Harmonia Mundi when they were located in an old industrial part of Burbank off of Victory Blvd, and they really could not have been nicer. I wanted to get a copy of the new printed Hyperion catalog that all the Towers used to have back when they were still in business, and you would have thought that I was some long lost relative by the way they acted. It was quite a casual, almost non-profit-y type of operation, and I got the definite impression that they didn't get too many visitors over there in Burbank. I also asked them if they were ever going to have parking lot sales like what Qualiton or whatever their distributor was called used to do in West LA, where they'd rent out an entire airport hanger, and they told me that it just didn't work for them. I guess they'd tried doing this once or twice and it was too much aggravation. Now that Qualiton distributor, talk about carrying some obscure European labels! I always wondered if those huge lists they had were even real. Anyway, yeah, there was lots of money around back then. Not sure how many buyers though!
Wow great to see Vivaldi get his due. Dave, I wish there was a message board or something where one could post one's musings. For example, I've been thinking about Handel (who along with Haydn and Dvorak and even Mendelssohn I will be forever grateful to you for championing). I am wondering whether had Handel devoted himself more to instrumental music where he tackled though not exhaustively (but in any case more than Vivaldi) the various forms and in some cases (organ concerto and pageantry music) he was quite inventive (and arguably proto-classical), might he today rank alongside or even exceed the likes of Bach, Haydn and Mozart?
Personally, knowing rather well that musical period, I rank Handel and Vivaldi well above everybody else. But there is always a part of subjectivity in such appreciation.
Hi David, since you mentioned this wonderful box (I actually already own its op. 3 and 8 seperately), I wonder if you could shed some insights on the Claudio Scimone/ I Soloisti Veneti Vivaldi concertos box, also on Erato/ Warner.
For my musical taste regarding Vivaldi concerti, my go-to performances are Biondi and Europa Galante on the Virgin Veritas/Classics label. I have acquired some of the Vivaldi concerti on the Naive and in particular those featuring female facial portraits on the cover. Of these the mastering shows some problems IMO, in the largo sequences in which I can hear Bondi's breathing. It is quite noticeable. I have emailed Naive about this but have not received any reply. But thanks for the background history regarding Biondi and his ensemble.
Any Chance you can review the box from Warner "Josquin and the Franco-Flemish School" and do a Ripe for Re-issue "I'Musici Complete Vivaldi Recordings" on Decca?
I used to be obsessed with Fabio Biondi but I realized some of his ornamenations and improvisations are tasteless and blur the original compositions. Its simply far too invasive. To the point that I don't even know what Vivaldi actually wrote in some cases.
Видеоклипы
Oh my gosh,this is really incredible...a couple of days ago I wrote a little comment to your previous Vivaldi video, telling you how much I loved Vivaldi performed by Harnoncourt,and how much I kept dreaming (for years!) about an eventual Lp-box release with 'L'Estro Armonico' performed by the great Austrian Maestro and his Concentus Musicus...and today I find a new beautiful video of yours dedicated to Vivaldi,where you review Biondi's Emi-Virgin recordings (now on Erato), in which the harpsichord player on most of the Cds...it's me!!!
Time for introducing myself: I am Sergio Ciomei,an italian pianist and harpsichordist. Besides the modern piano,which I never stopped playing,I spent several years learning the baroque and classical performance practice on period instruments. I joined Europa Galante in 1992,when Biondi and his group were still recording for the label Opus 111. In their very first recordings for the french label the harpsichord player was Rinaldo Alessandrini,but after a while he became very busy with his own ensemble "Concerto Italiano",therefore I started to take part in many live performances of Biondi's baroque orchestra as a substitute of Alessandrini,and eventually I became their "officiaI" harpsichord and organ player!
Playing with those guys was really a great fun,not only live but also in the recording studio(which is not often the case!). I still remember the sessions for the Cd "Con Molti Strumenti" as a real highlight of my time spent with this amazing ensemble! The hall was packed with those fantastic and quite unusual instruments such as Salmoé,Mandolins,Theorbos,Violini in Tromba Marina...the last ones are a little misterious,nobody knows exactly what this peculiar name stands for,but the most accepted thesis is that a normal violin should imitate the sound of Tromba Marina,which was a very big string,a kind of gigantic monochord used on boats and ships in order to sound the "allarme" in case of danger or accidents.
Every violin player of today has to work with fantasy and imagination in order to recreate that specific timbre. There is a very beautiful video on RUclips about the recording sessions for that Concerto,in which you can see the very original solution Biondi found for "Violino in Tromba Marina"!!
Many many greetings,dear Dave, and congratulations for you superb videos,I am a real fan of yours!!
Sergio
Thank you so much for revealing yourself to all of us, and for your participation in such a splendid series of recordings!
Thank you,dear Dave,for your kind words! It's a great pleasure for me to have a little chat with you and your audience!
Sergio. I just ordered this set. I have 4 of the 9 discs but want them all. This is so cool that you shared your story with us.
Wow! Was heartwarming to read your comment.
As addicted as I am to Dave’s guidance through the labyrinth of classical music reviewing, when he gives us his insight into the business side of the classical recording industry I’m his most enthralled pupil. I’ve learned so much from Professor Hurwitz that I owe him tuition (which is why I’m a CT member. No Student Loan Forgiveness desired here).
Dave, thanks very much for answering my question. Running to buy this set!!!
These Erato boxes are marvelouss
I will get it today. I've ordered it before watching this video, now I am excited 😊 Thank you Dave..
Thank you. Music / an interpretation to kneel down. Without your video I didn't know that. 🍀
I heard it on my new amplifier from BC Acoustique. It sounds so wonderfull.
Fantastic, thanks so much. RV 558 is also my favorite Vivaldi concerto. That first movement is just completely arresting and charming right out of the gate, and the whole piece just keeps up the high level of joy. I think I prefer Scimone’s of all, but these performances are great if you like highly caffeinated Vivaldi 😉
Europa Galante with Fabio Biondi was my introduction to "The Four Seasons" (the Virgin Classics version) and I still rate it highly. The also toured the country decades ago and I still have fond memories of the concert I attended.
I’ve always loved Fabio ‘Fabulous’ Biondi and Europa Galante
Thanks, Dave, very interesting. What you say about his "touch of excessive haste" is very true. Most of the time, it is not a problem, but sometimes it is. I found it problematic in particular for his concerti per viola d'amore which are unpleasant to listen to. In that case, I Musici with Massimo Paris are a well better choice to discover these wonderful (and not well known) 6 concerti per viola d'amore.
I agree. Usually not a problem, but in his Four Seasons, which are normally played in a lively but genial way, the hopped up speed and energy requires adjustment on the part of the listener (at least this listener).
Dave is a force of nature!
OMG!!! I can't believe you mentioned Opus 111.
Back in the early 90's while Classical manager at CD Superstore in North Carolina, I use to get lots of request for Opus 111 recordings so difficult to get them.
When an order was filled it would be much less quantity ordered or wrong titles. It's a shame cause they were fine recordings.
Still working my way through my Brilliant Classics Vivaldi Edition (66 CDs) and enjoying it immensely! I already had the very fine Biondi L'Estro Armonico 2-CD set but haven't compared it yet to the Brilliant Classics performances by Federico Guglielmo and L'Arte Dell'Arco.
A truly wonderful CDs Box Set, Fabio Biondi/Europa Galante is my favorite Vivaldi recording
One day years ago I stopped by to visit Harmonia Mundi when they were located in an old industrial part of Burbank off of Victory Blvd, and they really could not have been nicer. I wanted to get a copy of the new printed Hyperion catalog that all the Towers used to have back when they were still in business, and you would have thought that I was some long lost relative by the way they acted. It was quite a casual, almost non-profit-y type of operation, and I got the definite impression that they didn't get too many visitors over there in Burbank.
I also asked them if they were ever going to have parking lot sales like what Qualiton or whatever their distributor was called used to do in West LA, where they'd rent out an entire airport hanger, and they told me that it just didn't work for them. I guess they'd tried doing this once or twice and it was too much aggravation.
Now that Qualiton distributor, talk about carrying some obscure European labels! I always wondered if those huge lists they had were even real. Anyway, yeah, there was lots of money around back then. Not sure how many buyers though!
Wow great to see Vivaldi get his due. Dave, I wish there was a message board or something where one could post one's musings. For example, I've been thinking about Handel (who along with Haydn and Dvorak and even Mendelssohn I will be forever grateful to you for championing). I am wondering whether had Handel devoted himself more to instrumental music where he tackled though not exhaustively (but in any case more than Vivaldi) the various forms and in some cases (organ concerto and pageantry music) he was quite inventive (and arguably proto-classical), might he today rank alongside or even exceed the likes of Bach, Haydn and Mozart?
Personally, knowing rather well that musical period, I rank Handel and Vivaldi well above everybody else. But there is always a part of subjectivity in such appreciation.
Hi David, since you mentioned this wonderful box (I actually already own its op. 3 and 8 seperately), I wonder if you could shed some insights on the Claudio Scimone/ I Soloisti Veneti Vivaldi concertos box, also on Erato/ Warner.
Already discussed.
For my musical taste regarding Vivaldi concerti, my go-to performances are Biondi and Europa Galante on the Virgin Veritas/Classics label.
I have acquired some of the Vivaldi concerti on the Naive and in particular those featuring female facial portraits on the cover. Of these the mastering shows some problems IMO, in the largo sequences in which I can hear Bondi's breathing. It is quite noticeable.
I have emailed Naive about this but have not received any reply.
But thanks for the background history regarding Biondi and his ensemble.
They don't care, and probably neither should you. It only bothers me if it becomes a predicable rhythmic mannerism.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Oh, it does bother me because it intrudes into the music.
Any Chance you can review the box from Warner "Josquin and the Franco-Flemish School" and do a Ripe for Re-issue "I'Musici Complete Vivaldi Recordings" on Decca?
Already done both.
Veritas is whatcha call it was, of course.
Of course.
I used to be obsessed with Fabio Biondi but I realized some of his ornamenations and improvisations are tasteless and blur the original compositions.
Its simply far too invasive. To the point that I don't even know what Vivaldi actually wrote in some cases.