Vivaldi The Four Seasons 180g LP (Vinyl)

180g Audiophile Vinyl LP!

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one of the world’s most popular and widely recorded collections of music, a set that instantly became an international hit after it was first published at part of the composer’s Op.8 in 1725. No doubt it was its imitative directness – extra musical occurrences/phenomena evoked in an extremely suggestive manner and even written into the score, such as ‘the barking dog’ or ‘the drunkards’ sleep’ etc. – that caused such a sensation in its time, effortlessly bridging the gap between the salons of the highborn and the alehouses of the lowly. Today nothing has changed: the concertos are performed both by great violin virtuosos and famous hard rockers; they are works that are constantly being presented in new guises through the re-imagining and re-working of the musical score.

Such is the standpoint adopted on this recording by Erik Bosgraaf, who has chosen here to adapt the violin part for recorder, explaining how ‘the violin part can be played on the recorder with surprising ease, without many changes. In some ways it works even better than concertos Vivaldi wrote specifically for the recorder!’ Years ago Bosgraaf performed The Four Seasons with a symphony orchestra; for the present album, however, he wanted to approach his ideal as closely as possible using Cordevento, a small baroque ensemble he founded himself, knowing all the musicians through and through. Bosgraaf’s aim is to make the four legendary concertos sound as if they had been written for the recorder in the first place – and the results are laudable, with the contrasts between the wind instrument and the accompanying strings revealing previously unheard stratifications and details. As the soloist himself puts it, ‘Listen to Vivaldi with fresh ears and enjoy!’

Features:
• 180g Audiophile Vinyl
• Made in the EU

Musicians:
Erik Bosgraaf, recorder, director
Ensemble Cordevento:
Zefira Valova, violin
Ivan Ilive, violin
Zdenka Prochazkova, viola
Linda Mantcheva, cello
Tomoki Sumiya, double bass
Alessandro Pianu, harpsichord, organ
Yavor Genov, chitarrone, baroque guitar

Selections:
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Le Quattro Stagioni Op. 8 Nos. 1-4
The Four Seasons / Die vier Jahreszeiten
Side A:
Concerto No. 1 in E Major "La primavera" (Spring)
1. I. Allegro
2. II. Largo
3. III. Allegro: Danza pastorale
Concerto No. 2 in G minor "L'estate" (Summer)
4. I. Allegro non molto
5. II. Adagio
6. III. Presto: Tempo impetuoso d'estate
Side B:
Concerto No. 3 in F Major "L'autunno" (Autumn)
1. I. Allegro
2. II. Adagio
3. III. Allegro: La caccia
Concerto No. 4 in F minor "L'inverno" (Winter)
4. I. Allegro non molto
5. II. Largo
6. III. Allegro

Recorded June 25-28, 2013 at Kruiskerk Burgum, The Netherlands