Repertoire: The BEST Vivaldi Four Seasons (Through Recorded History)

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I damn near jumped from my chair with ecstatic joy when you pulled out the Sparf at the end. It too is my favorite recording of this and I thought surely it would be overlooked. Bravo, sir.

[@anthonydyke2210]

And me! I've also had that Sparf/Drottningholm CD for many years and shouted "Yes!" when it came in at number one. The dynamics and energy of the playing still sounds incredible. I later bought the Carmignola set to hear a different take and it wasn't in the same class. Well done Mr Hurwitz!

[@jgesselberty]

Back in the day, I was shopping in an actual record store. On the other side of the "classical" display, was "rock." Three teens, came around the end of the rock display and saw the Vivaldi Four Seasons. One said something like, "Vivaldi! This guy really rocks. You have to listen to this."

[@jonathanstallickhomeopathy]

I haven’t heard a better recording than the Loveday/Marriner recording. And I’ve listened to lots. It has Italian warmth, fire, the most imaginative continuo. Alan Loveday is just tremendous, the sweetest tone yet totally adapted to the style. The programmatic elements are brought out but not at the expense of the music’s inner structure.

[@GodfreyMann]

Superb recommendation - this combination of fine playing with outstanding audiophile quality recording is a match made in heaven. The soundstage is breathtaking - wide, tall but crucially with depth and layering. Imaging and transparency it has in spades, making it easy to place all the instruments in space. The separation and solidity of the instruments makes them so more vivid. The capturing of the acoustics of the space in which it was recorded brings it all to life (Petrus Church, Stockholm). It’s an amazing you-are-there experience. Thank you so much for bringing it to our attention.

[@jasonquinlan731]

Loved Carmignolas's version. Very happy to see it mentioned here.

[@johnjankiewicz3478]

I remember when the Sparf recording came out. Era of Sam the Record Man. I LOVE that edition and damn near did the same thing as the last commentor. Thank you for the moment.

[@JanPBtest]

13:21 So glad you selected this recording! My favourite since it was released. I wish they recorded the entire _Il cimento_ (the Four Seasons are the first 4 of the 12)! This CD was recorded in the early (1984) digital days by (IIRC) the Swedish couple Robert and Marianne von Bahr using "just" the Sony PCM-F1 little silver converter box which converted any Joe-Bloe VCR into a digital audio recorder. That converter got famous for its sound quality that allowed small outfits like BIS to sonically beat the crap out of Deutsche Grammophon _et al._ The playing and the instruments are a revelation, one hears how totally _icy_ certain moments in "Winter" are, or how well the barking dog is imitated. It's moments like these, totally inaudible on most recordings, that make one appreciate Vivaldi even more, it's just very clever writing but it has to be brought up in performance!

[@SDSsongs]

Sipping whiskey and listening to you emote about Italian patrimony is my favorite part of today=)

[@RequiemAeternam01]

My absolute FAVOURITE recording of The Four Seasons was on Philips from 1988. It was with Federico Agostini playing the violin with the absolutely wonderful Italian ensemble I Musici. It was actually a stereo recording of a live performance, and was the first ever classical-based music video.

[@brucknerian9664]

I believe that's the video I have on VHS tape that I managed to record off television; with scenes of Venice, as mentioned in my comment above. The BEST ever.

[@kjluurs]

I would add Fabio Biondi's Seasons to the mix in the running for one of the best early instrument recordings. During my college days, I would recommend the Mariner recording ZRG-654 with a money back guarantee as I was certain it would be loved. My first exposure to the 4 Seasons was Golshmann which does not hold up as well.

[@Ira5208]

No mentioning of Janine Jansen?

[@jameslee2943]

The Sparf is fantastic. The combination of the solo violin and organ continuo at the start of Winter is beautiful. Sounds like it was recorded yesterday, not 1985!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you like it!

[@scp240]

Just spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon listening to a local chamber group perform The Four Seasons, along with a concerto by Leclair. What a fun piece to hear in live performance, and the audience loved it. My personal favorite is Shaham with Orpheus CO, I've had it forever.

[@gillesderais3848]

Not a baroque lover, but Il Giardino Armonico are great, saw them a few times at the local concert hall.

[@jackdolphy8965]

Having only just found you Dave, about three months ago - I am happy to have found this among your less recent installments. Yes I for one much enjoyed this look-back at this history of the single work. Yes more! And perhaps more single work ‘inside track’ looks, from a music composition viewpoint, of single works. Like some sort of a parallel theme to Dave’s Favs. Wind ever at your back!

[@UlfilasNZ]

I love Il Giardino Armonico, and your top choice is mine too! Cool to see that still getting a mention

[@muzluv33]

Dave, you whetted my appetite for the Sparf - never heard of it, now I may look for it.

[@djjoeykmusic]

Hi Dave, Great video! Thank you for the great content. Awesome job Thank you

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

My pleasure!

[@EyeShotFirst]

I'm usually an HIP snob when it comes to Baroque music. However, my favorite recording for performance, sonics, and just over all excitement is by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers with the English Chamber Orchestra under the baton of David Lockington. The album was released as "The Vivaldi Album". I recommend it to anyone. You will not be bored by this performance, and if you're not a Four Seasons fan, it might change your opinion.

[@denbigh51]

What a world of difference there is in the 9 years between Ormandy (1960) and Neville Marriner (1969). This ASMF recording remains very competitive, I think.

[@juansebastiangelvezrueda53]

I've found that the one that I like the most is by Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima. It's a powerful interpretation with great sound

[@muzluv33]

Yes symphony conductors indeed made their faures or forays into the Baroque and The Four Seasons. Nice selection Dave - one correction if you don't mind - the Karajan recording with Mutter was with the Vienna Phil. The Berlin recording (my favorite of the large scale versions) featured the BPO concertmaster Michel Schwalbe. I own a bunch of 4 Seasons- both Karajans, Bernstein, Ormandy, Marriner, Hogwood, Harnoncourt, Pinnock (my favorite period ins. one), Parrott, Giardinio Armonico, Carmingnola, and maybe others I may have forgotten to mention. Giadino Armonicos performance under Giovanni Antonini is one of his better recordings. The Harnoncourt was notable, besides the playing of includung the complete sonnets for each concerto with translations on the oroiginal LPs - sadly the CD version omitted this but can be found online now just like most everything else. Vivaldi would never have known this work wpuld take off as it did - he would indeed be pleased. Gardiner has not recorded this work - a notable omission on his part.

[@tioluiche]

Dear Dave, I want really thank you with all my heart for your immense work!, I am a total beginner and your channel let me feel like I am Dante guided with your advice like Virgilio in the Inferno. Step by step I am gonna to discover more and more. Thanks again. I have started with the Quattro Stagioni and Prokofiev...next my preferred...Bach. Thanks again.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You're very welcome! Thank you for watching!

[@markmiller3713]

The Ormandy recording with Anshel Brusilow is a just a gem.For a modern instrument chamber ensemble, check out Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi. For period instruments, Amandine Beyer and Gli Incogniti, or Dmitry Sinkovsky and La voce Strumentale. I'll have to check out your recommendation, David.

[@tterrace]

MP3 downloads of the Sparf Four Seasons and several other of the BIS Drottningholm recordings are included in "Vivaldi - 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces: Rise of the Masters" currently $2.19 (USD) on Amazon.

[@brucknerian9664]

Thanks ... that would save me the cost of the actual CD; great information.

[@ProudBerliozian]

As is well known, Vivaldi included his Four Seasons in a set (op. 8) of twelve violin concerti. All of op. 8 was recorded for the first time (yes, this about the premiere recording of the Four Seasons,) by Louis Kaufman. The recording features a chamber organ in lieu of a harpsichord for the continuo, and the orchestra sounds a bit heady (it is said that the recording sessions were late at night/early morning, after concerts, and the orchestra was rather tired and edgy as they ran through the concerti.) Kaufman, himself a thoroughly brilliant violinist, played in a typically Romantic style, not having been influenced by the doctrines or inputs if anybody theretofore. I HIGHLY recommend listening to his rendition, just to get a sense of how a virgin look at this now over-done score can be understood.

[@karenk9685]

Many (many!) years ago, The Philadelphia Orchestra (could have been in the late 1960s or early 1970s) was on strike and a pick-up orchestra of the musicians recorded the Four Seasons (The Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra might have been the name of the group). It was my very favorite recording and I can't find it anywhere. Does this recording ring a bell? The vinyl cover may have had a red and green design.

[@mikep8683]

I listened to the Sparf disc for the first time this morning and I was expecting to be as moved, if not more, than the only other Four Seasons that I have. To my surprise, I was not. The RCA Living Stereo LSC 2424, Societa Corelli from 1960. There's something special about it.

[@brucknerian9664]

Now I'll have to buy the Sparf recording ... but it's great that you begin with I Musici; I by chance managed to record a concert with them playing the Four Seasons with scenes of Venice to accompany the music; this was around 1990; nothing has matched this performance that I can find, maybe your recommendation will I'm sure. There's the New York Philharmonic recording under Mehta, with Zukerman, Perlman, Isaac Stern, etc., and you'd think they'd be able to do the piece justice, but amazingly it seemed like it was just an instrument tuning exercise for them.

[@benrlego]

The Sparf is a wonderful disc. Johan Andersson was able to license this recording in 01 and I was blown away to hear its energy for the first time, after years of finding the work enjoyable but not enough to revisit often. It is by far the best I’ve heard, and BIS did a wonderful job with the digital release. It’s a nice LP too.

[@markzacek237]

My parents had a recording of Cantelli leading, I think, the New York Philharmonic, of all things. I haven't heard that recording since was 9 or 10 but I recall that I didn't listen to the piece again until my late teens - the Simon Standage performance, if memory serves. I was shocked that this was even the same piece, the articulations were so different. Today, it doesn't matter whether I'm listening to Podger or Alessandrini or even Silverstein/Ozawa, I still hear Corigliano/Cantelli in my mind's ear..

[@NN-df7hl]

That Cantelli version really is different. I agree. Sad the guy died so young.

[@kend.6797]

The Venice Baroque Orchestra in Vivaldi is picture perfect. There is so much color and flavor to their playing. It just sounds like how I think Vivaldi should sound. So their Four Seasons with Carmignola is the one version to have.

[@NN-df7hl]

Thanks, David. I'll seek out the Sparf. Though I'm surprised Viktoria Mullova (with Claudio Abbado) got no mention. You gotta admit it's a classic! Also, a shout out to Rachel Podger's recent foray. Were you not wowed by her? I thought hers was the freshest I've heard in a while.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Oh please! It's The Four Seasons for heaven's sake. There are only about ten billion good ones from which to choose!

[@_H_2023]

I had quite a few four season CD's given to me over the years and many I've also passed on to others purely because I didn't like the quality of playing including a very bazaar version from an Italian group not mentioned in your CD's but tempos all over the place. I have to say the one I keep going back to is the Neville Marriner Argo version purely because of the continuo improvisation is not overly done, Winter has a wonderful improvised harpsichord part.

[@eugenebraig413]

The Bernstein includes a wacky recording of RV 558 substituting harps for theorbos (big bass lutes) and featuring then-venerable staples of New York's golden-era mandolin scene (ca.1890-1920), Carlo de Filippis and Giovanni Vicari.

[@capuano3d]

Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante is nice

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes it is.

[@michaweinst3774]

2:30 Small correction, Bernstein actually improvised the harpsichord accompaniment

[@romaingranier8914]

Sparf, all day everyday ❤️

[@giacomofirpo8043]

Thank you David. A fascinating survey. I've got The Four Seasons with Felix Ayo and I Musici...a wonderful recording. Perhaps better than most "HIP" performances, which often play as "Bar-Rock" than "Baroque", especially for Baroque groups grown up or founded in the last 20 years. Often the English HIP Baroque Groups are never excessive or exaggerated for example, and they are really stunning musicians. Moreover, I've got also the first, historical recording (first for the US market) with Louis Kaufman and the Concert Hall Chamber Orchestra conducted by Henry Swoboda, A.D. 1947...a very important document for the development of "HIP" and a really good recording in my opinion for his age. Please, do you have the first recording ever of Four Seasons with the Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia (Rome) and Bernardino Molinari conducting? I think it is of 40's...(1942 perhaps?) and it is almost impossible to find...Kind Regards and keep on reviewing! All the best from Italy

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't have that first recording, alas.

[@markmiller3713]

That is a gorgeous recording. I have that as part of the remastered "Philips 50" Series.

[@martinrichard237]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I have this Molinari recording and it is a good old one. With a poor sound. I found it on a well know auction website.

[@warlock7760]

My first version I ever bought was with Perlman as solist which was nice but then I got exposed o the period practice movement and the one that blew me away more than anyone else was Fabio Biondi and his Europa Galante in their second recording for Virgin (Now Warner). It is even better than his first recording for Opus 111. Regarding Carmignola - He is now signed to DG and has made several wonderful discs there (Among them is a complete set of the Violin Concertos by Mozart with Abbado RIP and his Orchestra Mozart). Check it out I am sure you won't be disappointed :)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

www.classicstoday.com/review/review-14519/?search=1

[@brucknerian9664]

@@DavesClassicalGuide You're always ahead of the game, David; Bravo.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

I’ve rarely heard a truly bad performance of these works. Marriner, Hogwood, Pinnock, Harnoncourt, Tilegant, Douatte, Ristenpart, so many more. Back in the day, the best sources for Baroque music were Nonesuch and Musical Heritage. Once Baroque music proved to be a big seller, all the big labels jumped on the bandwagon. My first record of the Seasons was a Seraphim issue…I think led by Auriacombe. And then the Nonesuch led by Tilegant. To be honest, I’m pretty much set with these works. They aren’t terribly complex and any good recording does the trick.

[@MrVinic33]

Hey, send me link this album!

[@ErlendBLygre]

What about Fabio Biondi And Europa Galante?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

What about them?

[@ThePamphili]

I prefer period instruments recordings for baroque music, but despite having the recordings from Carmignola and the one from Il Gardino Armonico, I still like best the one Gidon Kremer did with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Abbado.

[@markmiller3713]

Kremer is a fascinating and very talented violinist. I have that recording as well.

[@chievo100]

The first version I listened to, and the best one in my opinion, is the one by “I solisti veneti” conducted by Claudio Scimone and Piero Toso as solo violin.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I assume you've heard all of the others? ;)

[@dejanstevanic5408]

I like it, too.

[@Fafner888]

"every single English group in the world" XD

[@dbronx347]

What's the best Vivaldi four seasons one can readily buy today. All these best ever is great and all but if one cannot find them, what's the point.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You should be able to find them.

[@barrysmith7710]

"as if anybody cared about what they sold in France" 😂😂 Tell it like it is!!

[@williamwhittle216]

My choice:Ormandy.

[@alvo61]

I'm sorry, but I find the Sparf rather stiff and cold, no italian feeling anywhere, no sun, no sea, no wine, no pasta.... Also the recording is rather unpleasant to listen to, especially compared to more modern recordings. If you listen at a louder volume, it gets shrill and piercing to the ear. It just sounds dated.

[@leslieackerman4189]

An annoying icon yes. I wonder if cancel culture will destroy this monument!