Not A Season In Site

This disk is a breath of fresh air after the old fashioned best of Vivaldi compilation I bought in the early days of my classical collecting. Viktoria Mullova and Il Giardino Armonico under Giovanni Antonini play Five Violin Concertos by Vivaldi. And not a Season in site, although some passages come perilously close since Vivaldi, like most baroque era composers, was a serial recycler of themes. This is a period instrument performance and has the drive and committment associated with that movement. Mullova has become a fine practioner on gut strings, despite her traditional Russian conservatory upbringing. As she states, she does not generally consult historical sources as as a means of justifying her interpretations as authentic but is as faithful as possible to the score in matters of ornamentation and phrasing. Il Giardino Armonico are also an experienced and forceful band who provide the most apposite accompaniment. Not much more to add, most of you will be aware of the sound world of a Vivaldi concerto. If you want to sample it and don't need those Seasons, then this is a fine place to start.