BaL 7.03.20 - Vivaldi: L'estro armonico

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30
Building a Library: Hannah French compares recordings of Vivaldi's set of 12 concertos, Op.3, known as "L'estro armonico" - and picks a favourite.

Vivaldi's reputation across Europe was at its height in 1711 when the Amsterdam-based publisher Estienne Roger published twelve of his concertos for strings as Opus 3 under the title L'estro armonico. The popularity of L'estro armonico was instant and new editions soon appeared in London and Paris. Quantz was impressed by the novelty of Vivaldi's Op.3 and J.S. Bach arranged a dozen of them for keyboard instruments. The 12 concertos together put on a dazzling display of virtuosity, baroque drama, rhythmic energy and intense harmonic development. L'estro armonico, which translates roughly as 'musical rapture', encapsulates Vivaldi's inventiveness in the collection as a whole.

Available versions:-

Rachel Podger (violin & director), Brecon Baroque (SACD)

David Plantier, Stéphanie Pfister, Eva Borhi, Chiara Banchini, Ensemble 415

Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner

Federico Guglielmo, L'Arte dell'Arco

Isabella Longo, Enrico Casazza, Raffaello Negri, Mauricio Naddeo, L'estro armonico, Fabio Biondi

Simon Standage, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock

Fabrizio Haim Cipriani, Alessandro Stradella Consort, Estevan Velardi

Elizabeth Wilcock , Catherine Mackintosh, Monica Huggett, John Holloway, Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood

I Musici *

Armoniosa

Virtuosi di Roma, Renato Fasano *

I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone

Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone


* download only

[Pulcinella]

9.30
Building a Library: Hannah French compares recordings of Vivaldi's set of 12 concertos, Op.3, known as "L'estro arminico" - and picks a favourite.

Vivaldi's reputation across Europe was at its height in 1711 when the Amsterdam-based publisher Estienne Roger published twelve of his concertos for strings as Opus 3 under the title L'estro armonico. The popularity of L'estro armonico was instant and new editions soon appeared in London and Paris. Quantz was impressed by the novelty of Vivaldi's Op.3 and J.S. Bach arranged a dozen of them for keyboard instruments. The 12 concertos together put on a dazzling display of virtuosity, baroque drama, rhythmic energy and intense harmonic development. L'estro armonico, which translates roughly as 'musical rapture', encapsulates Vivaldi's inventiveness in the collection as a whole.

Very roughly!
Harmonic inspiration somewhat closer.

Interesting extract from the Wiki article:

Following their publication, the concertos from the collection were widely performed in Italy, as church music and chamber music, both indoors and outdoors. In theatres and opera houses they were performed by small groups of 10, as in the Pietà, sometimes with Vivaldi as soloist. Open air concerts in the 1720s and 1730s could have as many as a hundred performers.

So, big band or not?

[edashtav]

Very roughly!
Harmonic inspiration somewhat closer.
[…]

Let's not be too harsh on Alpie; elsewhere on the net, I've seen this (my emphasis):
"
L'Estro Armonico is a title that defies translation; neither The Harmonic Fancy nor The Musical Flush suggests quite the right combination of genius and fantasy that prompted Estienne Roger, the shrewdest of the 18th-century publishers, to issue this set of twelve concertos in 1711. "

The Musical Flush brings to my mind images of a baby's tuneful potty trainer... so I'll settle rapturously for Alpie's cheerful effort.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Let's not be too harsh on Alpie; elsewhere on the net, I've seen this...

Not guilty, Guv... I merely copied and pasted the BBC’s own flowery description.

[edashtav]

Sorry, Alpie.

[Pulcinella]

Let's not be too harsh on Alpie;

....

The Musical Flush brings to my mind images of a baby's tuneful potty trainer... so I'll settle rapturously for Alpie's cheerful effort.

And Alpie knows that I know where he gets his material from.


Just listening to the ASMF/Marriner recording now.

[edashtav]

And Alpie knows that I know where he gets his material from.


Just listening to the ASMF/Marriner recording now.

Mine cheap offer has just arrived...

[Tony Halstead]

It's lovely to hear the strongly differentiated personalities of these four superb violinists:
Elizabeth Wilcock , Catherine Mackintosh, Monica Huggett, John Holloway, Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood;
but if you want a more consistent reading,
Simon Standage, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock, 'ticks all the boxes'!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sorry, Alpie.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Only ASMIF and Podger on the shelves here and I think I know which one of these will be in the frame! Will be 'watching' closely to see if anyone else makes it a photo-finish

[richardfinegold]

Rachel Podger’s is all you need...

[Wolfram]

Rachel Podger’s is all you need...

I totally concur with that sentiment.

[Tony Halstead]

Hmmm.... I still stand by my posting in #8..
It's lovely to hear the strongly differentiated personalities of these four superb violinists:
Elizabeth Wilcock , Catherine Mackintosh, Monica Huggett, John Holloway, Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood;
but if you want a more consistent reading,
Simon Standage, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock, 'ticks all the boxes'!

[MickyD]

Hmmm.... I still stand by my posting in #8..
It's lovely to hear the strongly differentiated personalities of these four superb violinists:
Elizabeth Wilcock , Catherine Mackintosh, Monica Huggett, John Holloway, Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood;
but if you want a more consistent reading,
Simon Standage, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock, 'ticks all the boxes'!

I strongly agree. The AAM set was such a revelation when it first appeared and is still top of my list. Everything seems so right about it - the speeds, recording quality etc.

But I'd like to hear Podger and suspect she will carry off the prize.

[MickyD]

Idling through the Amazon list, I came across this other Hogwood recording with an Italian ensemble. I have no recollection of it whatsoever.