Catalogue

Summary:

Gramophone Awards: Winner – Baroque Instrumental
“…the three solo instruments come and go in various combinations, always pleasing us and never outstaying their welcome. They are played with skill and taste… The orchestral sound, as always with La Serenissima, achieves bright attractiveness and vivacity without feeling the need to pursue the taut energy of some other groups. And that’s just fine” – Gramophone (Editor’s Choice)

“The performances… are typically neatly-pointed and vivacious” ★★★★ – BBC Music Magazine

“Chandler is an impeccably stylish soloist in two violin concertos. Throughout, he also directs La Serenissima in eloquently precise but excitingly spontaneous performances of unfailingly imaginative music” – The Sunday Times

“In the flamboyant double-dots of the C-minor concerto, the melancholy groundbass of the G-minor concerto and the delicious closing Chaconne of the C-major, the playing is consistently zestful. Chandler, flautist Katy Bircher and bassoonist Peter Whelan play a further series of exacting concertos with the effortless musicality of birds” – The Independent on Sunday

Following the three releases in the acclaimed series ‘The Rise of the North Italian Violin Concerto’, Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima explore the Red Priest’s fascination with the goût français.

The voracity with which the French devoured Italian music during the late baroque period is well documented. Vivaldi was involved in both the dissemination of the French style in Italy and that of the Italian style in France. His works achieved fashionable status there in the late 1720s thanks to his concertos Le Quattro Stagioni which became a feature at the popular Concert Spirituel (between 1728 and 1763).

Tracklist:

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678–1741)

‘Paris’ Concerto 5 for strings & continuo in C, RV 114 (6:09)
1. Allegro (2:41)
2. Adagio (0:25)
3. Ciacona (3:03)

Concerto for bassoon, strings and continuo in F, RV 488 (8:24)
4. Allegro non molto (3:12)
5. Largo (2:57)
6. Allegro (2:15)

Concerto for violin, strings, & continuo in C, RV 185, Op. 4, No. 7 (8:00)
7. Largo (1:56)
8. Allegro (2:13)
9. Largo (1:33)
10. Allegro (2:18)

Concerto for flute, strings, bassoon & continuo in G, RV 438 (10:39)
11. Allegro (3:52)
12. Andante (3:26)
13. Allegro (3:21)

‘Paris’ Concerto 1 for strings & continuo in g minor, RV 157 (6:10)
14. Allegro (2:14)
15. Largo (1:38)
16. Allegro (2:18)

Concerto fragment for bassoon, strings & continuo in C, RV 468 (4:12)
17. Allegro (2:35)
18. Andante (1:37)

Concerto fragment for flute, strings & continuo in e, RV 432
19. Allegro (3:05)

Concerto for flute, violin, bassoon & continuo in F, RV 100 (7:40)
20. Allegro (2:41)
21. Largo (2:31)
22. Allegro (2:28)

‘Paris’ Concerto 3 for strings & continuo in c minor, RV 119 (5:43)
23. Allegro (2:47)
24. Largo (1:33)
25. Allegro (1:23)

Concerto for violin, strings & continuo in D, RV 211 (15:34)
26. Allegro non molto (6:03)
27. Larghetto (3:52)
28. Allegro (5:39)

Total timing: 76:54

Katy Bircher, flute • Peter Whelan, bassoon

Adrian Chandler, violin/director
La Serenissima

Recorded 21–24 January, 2009 at The Hospital of St. Cross, Winchester
Recording produced, engineered and edited by Simon Fox-Gál
Engineering assistance: Susana Valente