"It is often hard to find a complete set for classical performances and it is often a problem in deciding between price and quality. This set is such an example as it has certain positive attributes including price but has a lot of defects as well that may outweigh the price consideration for some buyers.
Although this performance is by a very respectable chamber group from Italy and perhaps the most talented flute player of the 20th century, some interpretations have flaws and this is in no way the best from any of the musicians or Scimone. A perfect example is with the performance of 'La Notte' which is one of the more difficult pieces to perform and where Scimone seems hesitant with the meter. The flute and the strings just didn't really match in pace and the movement sounded rather uneven in its performance. I haven't really found any performers who do this piece well other than Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic but that is really a separate category of performance that can't be judged on the same standards as this one. For the most part though, I found the performance to be rather above average and worthy of a 4. The problem with this recording is its simply atrocious sound quality and that brings down my rating to just an average 3 and that would be on the lowest end. The sound quality for this album is simply atrocious and muted by static. It is just terrible.
Due to some of the uneven performance as well as its simply pathetic sound quality, I rate this album a three and I would first look elsewhere before buying this album. A good complete set of Vivaldi's flute concertos is available from Phillips by I Musici di Roma. Although there are some performance problems similar to the ones here, the orchestra was much more competent than I Solisti Veneti and the quality of sound is simply impeccable. I would buy that one instead of this performance."
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1
