These performances of Vivaldi's La Stravaganza--a collection of 12 violin concertos--are truly extravagant. They're not designed to be listened to in one sitting and shouldn't be: it's not the sameness of the orchestration... more » which might get in the way, it's the intensity with which Vivaldi composed them and the manner in which the remarkable Rachel Podger plays them. Fans of Andrew Manze will love Podger for similar reasons. Both are virtuosi, both have a spectacular innate rhythm which allows them to riff while never falling out of the structure of the particular moment they're embellishing. And as similar as the formula of these concertos tends to be, there are magnificent surprises: Listen to the weird opening movement of the D minor concerto--its odd opening lines sound nothing like Vivaldi. The players backing her up are a Polish original instrument group called Arte dei Suonatori, and apparently working without a conductor, they're terrific. The sound is amazingly big and rich. Oh yes--the set's a bargain, too. This is very exciting music-making and highly recommended. --Robert Levine« less
These performances of Vivaldi's La Stravaganza--a collection of 12 violin concertos--are truly extravagant. They're not designed to be listened to in one sitting and shouldn't be: it's not the sameness of the orchestration which might get in the way, it's the intensity with which Vivaldi composed them and the manner in which the remarkable Rachel Podger plays them. Fans of Andrew Manze will love Podger for similar reasons. Both are virtuosi, both have a spectacular innate rhythm which allows them to riff while never falling out of the structure of the particular moment they're embellishing. And as similar as the formula of these concertos tends to be, there are magnificent surprises: Listen to the weird opening movement of the D minor concerto--its odd opening lines sound nothing like Vivaldi. The players backing her up are a Polish original instrument group called Arte dei Suonatori, and apparently working without a conductor, they're terrific. The sound is amazingly big and rich. Oh yes--the set's a bargain, too. This is very exciting music-making and highly recommended. --Robert Levine
CD Reviews
Podger outdoes herself!
Andres Sender | N. CA, USA | 08/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rachel Podger is a unique talent, an exceedingly expressive player with an emotionally immediate presence who is at the same time not self-indulgent or wild. Ms. Podger digs deeply and thoughtfully into the music to bring out the maximum of expression through her own especially flexible and articulated approach to the vocabulary of the baroque violin. Her expression occurs within a discipline of respecting the structure and boundaries of the music itself. She remains a highly objective communicator even while seeking to pull as much feeling from the music as she can.
I'm a huge Rachel Podger fan, but I bought this new CD with some hesitation. I'd been rather floored by Fabio Biondi's interpretations of Vivaldi and I wasn't sure Ms. Podger's strengths would come through with as much impact. I was concerned since in the past Ms. Podger's unique playing style has sometimes seemed to fade when she plays with an orchestra-her Bach recording with A. Manze was disappointing this way, somehow she seemed a bit held back. (Unlike the reviewer above I don't find any similarity between Manze and Podger, indeed despite Manze's seemingly universal appeal, I can't like his playing, for me there is something insincere and mannered in all his pyrotechnics, whereas Ms. Podger always seems deeply and sincerely in the heart of the music.)
I should not have worried. Rachel Podger has outdone herself. She has taken these Vivaldi pieces and infused them with her own brand of detailed sumptuous playing, reveling in the music in a sensual, joyous way that at times outdistances even some of her solo Bach performances for sheer musical fluidity and agility. The fact that she has been able so fully to express her unique playing in the context of working with an orchestra is quite an achievement and step forward, and the result is especially exciting. So exciting, in fact, that even in the slow movements I found myself energized and exhilarated by the superlatively managed tension between highly expressive playing and a rigorous overall sense of meter and truth to the music.
The orchestra itself is surprisingly good ('surprising' only in that I hadn't heard of them before), supporting and opposing Ms. Podger very well. The only thing one might quibble about is the overall texture, which is a bit round and smooth and unified, not quite as transparent as I would have preferred--more along the lines of Carmignola/Venice Baroque (whose interpretations have yet to grab me) than of Biondi/Europa Galante. This is of course an exceedingly minor quibble, as the overall impression is of an orchestra perfectly able and willing to match Ms. Podger's approach to the music and intertwine itself with her playing. With Ms. Podger's playing at its best, magnified and underlined by a willing orchestra, this CD is a `must have' for Podger-lovers, Vivaldi-lovers, and period-performance-lovers, and it would be a great introduction for the merely curious.
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What can I say - I'm a big fan!
Deke | 06/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rachel Podger is a joy to listen to. Somehow, in everything she does, she captures the essence of authentic "period" music, yet adds something of herself and her own personality at the same time. Contradiction? I'm not sure it is at all. Perhaps that's what this whole period music thing is all about. You know, that whole ancient idea of improvising and interpreting... Is it me, or does she often throw in some little ornamentation, trill...of her own, but always at the neatest times?Any way, this recording is wonderful and in my collection it is an interesting contrast to Monica Huggett's recording with Christopher Hogwood. I enjoy both, but I have to say Podger would be my "desert island pick" - she has many more surprises and this keeps on my toes and always interested.The liner notes give a wonderful argument and explanation to all the elitist/poseur Vivaldi bashing. Don't be an uninformed snob! Buy this recording and support a truly unique and innovative artist!One note, all of Podger's recordings seem to have a low frequency "rumble" prior to and a little during each track. I think this is probably due to her recording in large "Baroque spaces." In addition, the recording style seems to be meant to place the listener right there in the room and the result seems a fair trade to me, but another result is you can hear almost everything - breathing and finger movements on and off strings, bow sounds, harpsicord?... that often sound like clicks or skips on the disc! Perhaps my system is too revealing (ah, the joys and pains of spending all you earn on audio...), but it is my one issue (listen to disc 1, track 2, Largo E Cantabile, to hear what I mean). I saw Podger with Trevor Pinnock when they performed all the Brandenburg Concertos in Ann Arbor, MI (Wonderful!!!). From the front row, I didn't mind the instrument sounds in person, but somehow on a recording it is a little distracting. Still, not enough for me to give this recording anything less than a full 5 stars."
Performance & recording quality is outstanding
Erik Neumann | Seattle, WA | 05/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm just your average classical music fan, I'm no expert, but I am always blown away when I listen to this CD. Without hesitation I rank it as the best classical CD I own. It seems that both the performance and the recording quality are way above average. Very lively and exciting. The violins are present and sweet without ever screeching or sounding harsh. The bass tones of cellos and organ are super-rich. When the whole ensemble hits chords that harmonize, it fills the room with a lush rich sound. Words fail, but its almost like I'm inside each of the instruments. Sorry to gush so much about this recording, but it really stands out among the 100 or more classical CDs in my collection."
What the heck is going on with Baroque music reviewers these
Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 04/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On first try, this set knocked me on my hinder. This is Vivaldi played with the kind of swing and gusto that one now easily imagines might be close to the true performance norm in the 17th and 18th Centuries [there's a long argument in there that would take up too much space--but merely recall the daring and exuberance of design and the arts of those times). I think the age of somewhat bland or academically correct Baroque playing is finally over. This is music I'm almost too familiar with; and each piece here sounded new and fresh, but in an unconscious, spontaneous way that didn't cause me to wince at all at the possible oddities and (what otherwise might be called)"mannerisms." If Podger is following her instincts--and in an informed manner--then she's on a good path.
The recording is very much in-your-face but I've played the CDs both on a decent system and on a cheap boom-box and they sounded great on either. The engineering and miking are such that they may strain at less benevolent sound reproduction systems, but again, they sounded swell on the boom box.
I am getting perplexed though by these bizarre one and two star reviews I've been encountering of these newer recordings and performances. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but THESE opinions (which also turn up repeatedly on nearly anything Manze does) are so resolutely wayward that I almost wonder if they're jokes. Someone might legitimately call Manze's or Podger's playing kooky or over-the-top but to describe,as one reviewer here does, this recording as a reversion to older style performance practices, or saying the fiddling is boring or unemotional (a common complaint of a Manze "stalker-reviewer") is, to be blunt, just plain crazy itself.
Further (and I've commented on this in other reviews) if all major professional reviewers, and the bulk of the Amazon reviewers, aren't having problems with the engineering, and YOU are, maybe instead of delivering a pouty two-star review complaining about bad sound, you might have your stereo, your ears, and maybe even your @!%$! head examined. Last time I caught someone doing this I checked through his reviews and in one he admitted to owning an "inexpensive portable system" that played his pop LP's (!) "just fine." His one-star review succeeded in significantly lowering the average rating for an excellent but review-light recording. That's irresponsible.
I'm also getting sick and tired of the lone "What's the big deal?" one-or-two star reviewer. The big deal, dear reviewer, is that thousands of people are loving this recording and you aren't. I wouldn't advertise that embarrassing fact, unless you can back up your bad attitude with one very comprehensive, informed, and, hope-upon-hope, entertaining argument. These pointless reviews are invariably only one or two sentences long and contain no argument whatsoever. These are the kinds of opinions that should be restricted to restroom walls."
Earth to Giacomo C.--what recording did you listen to?
anonymous | Los Angeles | 09/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just a note to correct the impression Giacomo C. might have left with someone. He doesn't know what he's talking about. I haven't a clue what recording he listened to, but it's not the same one I listened to..that I'm listening to now.
This is period playing that's right up-to-date. Not as nuanced as Concerto Italian at their best, nor as witty as Europa Galante and Fabio Biondi...but to call this stuffy playing is completely wrong. Completely. Wrong. I dunno what Giacomo listened to, but it wasn't this.
Podger has some real flair, the ensemble has fine, stylish conception of the music. This is music that was distinctly experimental for its time (1717, for crying out loud! Telemann's Tafelmusik was 20 years away), and while I might wish for a little more sly wit here and there, there are some wonderful effects here, some brilliant ensemble playing--love the plucked instruments in the continuo! Perfect!--the total impression is 5-stars PLUS!
The Huggett recording was all we had for a long time, thanfully it eclipsed the old ASMF recording completely, which was dated even in its time, and is almost unlistenable now. This new recording from Podger makes Huggett and Hogwood sound boring, alas. Hard to be boring in this music too, but, time marches on. At the time Huggett did her recording period style was still experiencing growing pains. I'm sure she'd have a different approach now.
It'd be great if Europa Galante or Concerto Italiano, or Hesperion XXI would record this music, but until they do--and even when they do--this recording by Podger and her spectacular-sounding Polish period ensemble is right up there with the best Vivaldi-playing available on CD.
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1