# Favourite Four Seasons?



## chrisco97

After being blown away by Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra's performance of The Four Seasons (now my favourite), I was curious to see what everyone else liked.


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## realdealblues

I haven't been able to settle on a favorite, but I will agree that the Carmignola/Marcon/Venice Baroque Orchestra one is definitely one everyone should hear.

In my general listening of the Four Seasons though, I tend to be more of a traditionalist. The I Musici with Felix Ayo or the later one with Pina Carmirelli are probably the ones I come back too most.


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## jimsumner

I'm tempted to say Glazuonov's.


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## Manxfeeder

I have Carmignola, but personally, I prefer Biondi. The gunshots actually sound like gunshots.


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## Valkhafar

realdealblues said:


> I haven't been able to settle on a favorite, but I will agree that the Carmignola/Marcon/Venice Baroque Orchestra one is definitely one everyone should hear.
> 
> In my general listening of the Four Seasons though, I tend to be more of a traditionalist. The I Musici with Felix Ayo or the later one with Pina Carmirelli are probably the ones I come back too most.


I also prefer I Musici with Felix Ayo, but with Pina Carmirelli, I didn't hear yet.


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## Vaneyes

Europa Galante/Biondi(rec.1991) for me, but I do like Vivaldi Double Concerti w. Mullova/VBO/Carmignola (rec.2007).


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## DavidA

Just listening to Mutter with VPO / Karajan. Wonderfully HIP incorrect! The sound is gorgeous.


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## Winterreisender

In my opinion, this recording with Simon Standage and Trevor Pinnock is perfection.


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## Guest

IMHO, the Carmignola/Marcon recording is the best out there. Biondi is quite good as well, but I find the violin just a little too scraping and sacrificing a little too much in terms of musicality for the sake of speed. Carmignola plays at a breakneck speed, but still manages to make it sound beautiful. Standage/Pinnock was the first HIP recording I ever heard, and I still own it, but Carmignola superceded it.


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## Llyranor

I like the Carmignola and Biondi too. But, I'm also very fond of the Il Giardino Armonico one, and especially the one with Amandine Beyer & Gli Incogniti.


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## vincentfernandes

I loved Pinnock's recording until I heeard Beyer's version. What I like about that recording is the extensive use of instruments like harpsichord and the way Beyer plays is just fantastic.


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## realdealblues

I've listened to quite a few recordings I hadn't heard before of "The Four Seasons" over the last couple months trying to decide which ones I prefer.

One that I've discovered that is kind of hard to find (at least in the US) is one featuring Jean-Francois Paillard (whom I had never heard of). The recording I have is on RCA. I really like this recording. It's not over the top like a Biondi or Carmignola, it's more like the Ayo/I Musici recording but with swifter tempos. Very melodic with a good flow throughout the entire work. Paillard gets a very nice tone. I highly recommend it if you can find it.


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## kv466

For me it is, hands down, the recording by Seiji Ozawa conducting The Boston Symphony Orchestra with Joseph Silverstein at the bow.


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## AClockworkOrange

My favourite Four Seasons are one of either:
View attachment 28459


View attachment 28458


View attachment 28457


Although not a full cycle, I absolutely love Sol Gabetta's recording of "Winter" on Cello.
View attachment 28460


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## senza sordino

This morning I listened to The Four Seasons, performed by Jeanne Lamon and Tafelmusik.
View attachment 45910


It's a nice HIP recording of this old warhorse. I wanted to revive this old thread, and see if anyone has any other recommendations. I'd like to hear another recording, but which?


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## Aramis

> Favourite Four Seasons?


Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are my favourites


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## amfortas

> Favorite Four Seasons?


"Rag Doll"

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## StlukesguildOhio




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## StlukesguildOhio

I'd like to look into Wallfisch:










... and I forgot I have this one as well:


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## quack

jimsumner said:


> I'm tempted to say Glazuonov's.


Pyotr Tchaikovsky (although he had 12 seasons because he was greedy) Philip Glass, John Cage, Lei Liang (he has 5?), Joseph Joachim Raff, Wendy Carlos, Valery Gavrilin, Joseph Haydn, Akira Ifukube, Thierry Rougier and Leonid Desyatnikov could all be in the running too.

As most of the best Vivaldis have been mentioned i'll mention instead a couple of the most atrocious i've heard: Yolanda Kondonassis' harp rendition of Vivaldi's four seasons which turns one of the most exciting baroque works into something deathly dull and the Koto New Ensemble performing a Japanese instrumental version which was just cringe-worthy.


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## bigshot

I've got almost a dozen versions. I like them all. This is a piece that isn't hard to get right.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

For period instruments, I love Trevor Pinnock's. For modern I love this:








Very beautifully played and beautifully recorded. My favorite album of 2014 so far.


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## Xaltotun

I didn't even care about this piece or this composer until I heard the Carmignola/Venice Baroque Orchestra recording. It's rather phenomenal.


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## Guest

Carmignola's recording is a great one. I initially had the Pinnock recording, and was very happy with it, until I heard Carmignola/Marcon.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

He plays it a tad to fast for my taste. I might just be used to slower performances, but he goes much faster than I'm used to hearing. I'm not saying they are bad performances. They are beautiful.


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## senza sordino

From my local library I got a CD of Perlman playing the Four Seasons. 
View attachment 46665


Well played but not a keeper. I listened once and returned it. There were times during the Gm summer concerto I'd thought the orchestra and Perlman would start playing the Bruch concerto.


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## Il_Penseroso

Itzak Perlman with London Philharmonic Orchestra (Rodney Friend, Konzertmeister), 1976.


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## Guest

SalieriIsInnocent said:


> He plays it a tad to fast for my taste. I might just be used to slower performances, but he goes much faster than I'm used to hearing. I'm not saying they are bad performances. They are beautiful.


He does play it fast, but I think that he preserves the beauty in the speed. In contrast, Biondi and Europa Galante, to me, had the speed, but lost some of the beauty.

Julia Fischer also has a very good modern recording with the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields. I have seen it on YouTube. I noticed it is available on DVD, but don't know if there is a CD version.


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## Oldhoosierdude

Anne Akiko Meyers did 4 Seasons with the Indianapolis symphony last year. I was hooked on her since then.


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## Blancrocher

quack said:


> As most of the best Vivaldis have been mentioned i'll mention instead a couple of the most atrocious i've heard: Yolanda Kondonassis' harp rendition of Vivaldi's four seasons which turns one of the most exciting baroque works into something deathly dull and the Koto New Ensemble performing a Japanese instrumental version which was just cringe-worthy.


LOL--know what I'm playing next time I'm ready for my guests to leave. Amazing.


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## JSBach85

Vivaldi Four Seasons are the Concertos I own more versions. I have the following 7 recordings I will show you by my personal favourite order:

1) Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon - Sony








2) Accademia Bizantina / Ottavio Dantone - ARTS








3) Gli Incogniti / Amandine Beyer - Zig Zag








4) Il Giardino Armonico / Giovanni Antonini - Teldec








5) Europa Galante / Fabio Biondi - Virgin








6) Concerto Italiano / Rinaldo Alessandrini - Alliance

7) The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock - Archiv


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## Pugg

I Musici made some very good recordings, so did Kremer with Abbado and that's just for starters.


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## AfterHours

chrisco97 said:


> After being blown away by Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra's performance of The Four Seasons (now my favourite), I was curious to see what everyone else liked.


Not sure if that one has been topped, but this amazing rendition would be my next choice, and is certainly worth hearing: http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0003/912/MI0003912609.jpg?partner=allrovi.com


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## AfterHours

AfterHours said:


> Not sure if that one has been topped, but this amazing rendition would be my next choice, and is certainly worth hearing: http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0003/912/MI0003912609.jpg?partner=allrovi.com


Well I'll be damned, in revisiting them both yesterday, one after the other, I might (might!!!) slightly prefer the Chandler recording I linked to. Still undecided, but regardless, it is exceptional and I strongly recommend it as another amazing recording to go along with Carmignola's exceptional account.


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## Pugg

Give my fresh violin playing above all, the H.I.P performances any day of the week.


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## ldiat

ok i have to be a smart A**...... but i like winter also


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## Oldhoosierdude

Oldhoosierdude said:


> Anne Akiko Meyers did 4 Seasons with the Indianapolis symphony last year. I was hooked on her since then.


 This might disqualify me from the cool kids club but
I also like Perlman's remastered cd of this work. I've heard a ton of recordings and think I'll stick with these two.


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## ww129

IMHO, it is Felix Ayo with I Musici, released by Philips.


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## Pugg

ww129 said:


> IMHO, it is Felix Ayo with I Musici, released by Philips.


Spot one, even better then the Pina Carmirelli one, just by a nose length .


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## Brahmsian Colors

I Musici on Philips


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## Pugg

Haydn67 said:


> I Musici on Philips


Any particular recording?


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## Brahmsian Colors

Pugg said:


> Any particular recording?


From the 18 lp Complete Vivaldi set with Miccelucci/I Musici playing The Four Seasons.


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## Holden4th

The Carmignola is great. I heard it on radio and went out and bought it immediately. It was my first concession to HIP. 

Non HIP, the best version I've heard is by Christopher-Warren Green and the London Chamber Orchestra. They have a twofer which included (at that stage) some newly discovered Vivaldi works


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## Oldhoosierdude

I picked up another recording of this when I purchased The Big Italian Box for $.99 from Amazon.

Vivaldi 4 Seasons by I Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro & Jan Tomosow. A forgotten 1958 stereo recording that is one of the best I have heard. Rich sound, played with beauty and precision. Worth the price of the box set on its own. I had never heard of this recording and did a little research. It was highly thought of back then and received glowing reviews. It's a more conservative take than my Anne Akiko Meyers , less virtuosic than my Perlman, but somehow stands on it's own as excellent . I highly recommend it if you have $.99 laying around and aren't opposed to mp3's.


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## Brahmsianhorn

Can't believe no one has mentioned Marriner. My favorite. Gorgeous, sumptuous playing and sound.










And let's not forget the old classic:


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## LezLee

I presume we're concentrating on Vivaldi? 

My favourite version is by Red Priest






I've seen them live and they put on a marvellous show. Piers Adams surrounds himself with a selection of recorders which he interchanges seamlessly.


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## Tero

Decca ruined a perfectly good 6 disc set with a mediocre set in this. Why didn't they use Marriner? The same set has other dated I Musici recordings:
https://www.amazon.com/101-Vivaldi-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9N89W2PY66WF80734P4X


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## Ras

My favorite recordings of the Four Seasons:
*- Fabio Biondi on Opus 111.
- Anne-Sophie Mutter on DGG with the Trondheim Soloists (her second rec. - the first one sucked)- 
- Nigel Kennedy with members of the BPO on Emi (his second rec. - the first one sucked). *


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## Judith

Love this one


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## Ras

The Queen of Baroque Violin Rachel Podger is celebrating her birthday with a new recording of the Four Seasons:

VIVALDI Le Quattro Stagioni. Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque. Channel Classics SACD








The label's product description: >>>What better music than Vivaldi's 'Le Quattro Stagioni' to start the celebration of Rachel's 50th birthday year! Together with the star players of Brecon Baroque, Rachel guides you through the seasons of nature and life.

Producer Jonathan Freeman-Attwood: 'The irresistible characterpieces that pit solo violin against string ensemble in Vivaldi's 'Le Quattro Stagioni' have reached the ears of millions over the last few generations. Most recordings adopt a strikingly similar approach to the scores, and familiarity has blunted the music's edge: we have passed the point of rediscovery and have stopped listening intently to the freshness of Vivaldi's invention.

Working with Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque has been an object lesson in starting anew and identifying the ingredients which make 'Le Quattro Stagioni' great works. Virtuosity is non-negotiable here and Rachel has it in abundance. But it's the colour, poetry, vibrancy and evocative characterisation of weather, human warmth and fragility, captured by the dynamic flux of Rachel interlocking with her colleagues in Brecon Baroque, that deliver near-unimaginable qualities in this
music.

With two other deeply evocative works and that great 'bull' of a concerto, 'Il Grosso Mogul', the experience is kaleidoscopic in the capacity of a single-part string band to press the boundaries of intimacy and, at the same time, to produce visceral fortes as dramatic as you'll here in any larger group. The musical range is sensational and matched all the way by Jared Sacks's luminous and emotionally engaged recorded sound.' <<<


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## Josquin13

For years my favorite 4 Seasons played on modern instruments was Iona Brown's, with the Academy of St. Martins in the Fields, on Philips. However, I listened to it recently, and was surprised at how romantic sounding it is. It seems the period movement has changed the way I hear this music. (Though I'll have to listen to Brown's later remake of the 4 Seasons for the Hanssler label, and see how her two versions compare, as she may have shed some of that romanticism on her 2nd recording.)

https://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-Seas...mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=brown+vivaldi

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Vier-Jahreszeiten-Four-Seasons/dp/B000026EET
https://www.discogs.com/Vivaldi-Ion...he-Fields-Le-Quattro-Stagioni/release/9827676

Interesting that there appears to be some consensus around here for Guiliano Carmignola's 4 Seasons. However, it's for the wrong version by him, if you ask me. The earlier Carmignola recording of the 4 Seasons on Divox is even better than the Sony version, IMO, and it comes in state of the art audiophile sound. If pressed to choose, I'd pick Carmignola's Divox recording as my current favorite; although the scale of the performances may not be extrovert (or over the top) enough for everyone:

[video]https://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-Quattro-Stagioni-Antonio/dp/B002RWOS1Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1526318569&sr=1-2&keywords=carmignola+divox+vivaldi[/video]

In which case, the unique performances by Nils-Erik Sparf and the Drottingholm Ensemble, and Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima compliment well:

[video]https://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-4-Seasons-Nils-Erik-Sparf/dp/B0040Q8Q0Q/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1526318685&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=sparf+vivaldi[/video]

https://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-Four...id=1526320431&sr=1-1&keywords=adrian+chandler

Other 4 Seasons that I've liked include those by Standage/Pinnock (which tends to get underrated, IMO), and Biondi/L'Europe Galante (for me, Biondi's Virgin remake is preferable to his early Opus 111 recording).

I haven't heard Amadine Beyer & Gli Incogniti, but would like to. For some reason, I preferred Stefano Montanari's wonderful L'Estro Armonico to his 4 Seasons (with Accademia Bizantina, led by Ottavio Dantone). In addition, I'd like to hear Chiara Banchini play this music. Violinists Enrico Onofri and Enrico Casazza are worth hearing too.

Do I really need Podger's recording? I'll have to sample it first.

(Other performances that I've liked on modern instruments include those by violinists Salvatore Accardo, Joseph Silverstein, Uto Ughi, and Alan Loveday.)


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## Tero

Of the modern instruments ones, my favorite is John Holloway 1978 with Malgoire conducting, on Sony. Holloway went on to play period violon so not a surprise there. OK, I was wrong, that was already a period instruments outfit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Écurie_et_la_Chambre_du_Roy

Then I'll just stick with Marriner for the old ones.


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## stejo

I have 9 recordings, on cd, downloads and vinyl and me and my wife always arguing which one is best. She loves her youth buy on vinyl with Fasano/I Virtuosi di Roma. An well organised recording but for me its quite ordinary and boring, just as it was playing at MCdonalds.
The best one for me is the Drottningholm chamber ensemble with Nils-Eric Sparv on BIS. Its now an old recording but hell what a playing from Sparfv. Its rough and not always correct but its lot of happiness and tempo. And beside of that it has an marvellous sound , recorded in Petrus church outside Stockholm. Its my Favourite all days in the week.


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## LezLee

Academy of Ancient Music - Christopher Hogwood
I was in the same violin class as Christopher Hirons when I was 9. He was rather better than me!


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## Josquin13

Doesn't Hogwood use 4 different violin soloists? if I remember right, Hirons only plays on one of the seasons. I like his playing too, Lez.


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## Machiavel

Piero toso I solisti Veneti, Claudia scimone Erato 1972.

I'm surprise nobody has mention it...


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## gardibolt

Think I'd go with Janine Jensen. Really feels fresh.


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## Over the Rainbow

My two favored versions are 
- Sonatori De La Gioiosa Marca with Giliano Carmignola Divox
- Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque


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