# Vivaldi Music



## Periculo (Jan 7, 2011)

If this is posted in the wrong section, please move it =)


I recently became a vivaldi fan when i heard a couple of street musicians play the first concerto from his op.4. I quickly bought the entire op.4, and i must say, it is some of the best baroque music i have ever heard. I asked a friend of mine what other Vivaldi music i should get besdies the four seasons. He said i should buy "L'estro Armonico" Wich according to him, is not only his best opus. But also the greatest opus ever released in the baroque era. I went online and found out that there are many recordings of it, so i would like someone to recommend a recording for me, please.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

I don't have a complete recording of L'estro Armonico, only the first concerto, which is rather lovely. The recording is with The English Concert and Trevor Pinnock. It contains some other Vivaldi concerti which I find rather wonderful. I am especially fond of the bassoon concerto RV 484 and the concerto for two mandolins RV 532.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Vivaldi was a fine Baroque composer. Although some of us today think he wrote "the same concerto several hundred times over" ignore the fact that these concerti were very original formats of the Italian three movement concerto form, which many great composers adopted later, and the fact that Vivaldi's original audiences must have really enjoyed them to encourage him to write a few hundred.

As for his opus 3 set of 12 concerti, _L'estro Armonico_, these were first published in 1711. Coming from the musical centre of the world back then, which was Italy, these concerti were strikingly original and innovative. One of my favourites from this set is no.10, which is the concerto for four violins, and which J. S. Bach himself arranged it later as a concerto for four harpsichords. These Vivaldi concerti served as models for Bach himself to learn from (as he evidently perfected with his three surviving violin concerti in original form that are popular today).

I would recommend you the opus 3 set played by The English Concert packaged with many other concerti recorded by them, all released in a budget priced box set of 5 CDs. I just had a look in Amazon. This set sells for a very cheap price of around USD20 to USD25 for 5 CDs. A very fine set performed by this period instrument band. I have it too.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Personally, I don't think there's a more "alive" version than Fabio Biondi's. He and his group are clearly having fun. It's spoiled me for other recordings of it.


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## zoziejemaar (Dec 15, 2010)

Manxfeeder said:


> Personally, I don't think there's a more "alive" version than Fabio Biondi's. He and his group are clearly having fun. It's spoiled me for other recordings of it.


I definitely agree. This performance really ... rocks. It bristles with life and energy.


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## Listener (Sep 20, 2010)

The Biondi/Europa Galante recording is very good.
I haven't heard the Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music Op. 3, but I've heard just about all of their other Vivaldi, and would highly recommend it from that.
I Musici is a more old school style of playing, all of their Vivaldi, including Op. 3 is excellent.


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