Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos

The performance is equally unconventional. Giuliano Carmignola, as he demonstrated on his previous Vivaldi recording, is a formidable virtuoso who projects spontaneity, vitality, and expressiveness. In solo parts bristling with runs, often into the highest register, trills, double stops, and arpeggios, he displays breathtaking speed and facility, total command of every style of bowing and articulation, and a ravishing, powerful, infinitely variable tone. Except for the harpsichord, the orchestral instruments, tuned to normal pitch, hardly sound Baroque--their tone is full-blooded and varied. By using two harpsichords and a lute, conductor Andrea Marcon achieves percussive effects sometimes resembling gunshots, and the playing is by turns brilliant, lyrical, and exciting. --Edith Eisler