Product Description

Vivaldi augmented his reputation as The Red Priest with L'Estro Armonico , Op. 3, a collection of twelve concertos for one, two and four violins. The title of the collection encapsulates the qualities that so entranced Vivaldi's contemporaries. L Estro Armonico , which might be translated as musical rapture , reflects the vitality and freshness of Vivaldi's invention: its rhythmic energy, melodic and harmonic intensity,textural sensuousness,performative brilliance and dramatic flair.

These pieces are truly exhilarating to play and perform and their fresh impact never fails to hit some target or other, judging by the reaction of a live audience. Not often do you witness four violins trying to outdo each other! During Brecon Baroque's concerts preceding the recording,the rapier-like turns in musical conversations between the four parts always seemed to lead to added expectation and excitement all the more effective because of the contrasted moments of deep melancholy which Vivaldi somehow manages to express irrespective of mode (Rachel Podger)

The dynamic ensemble Brecon Baroque was founded in 2007 by violinist and director Rachel Podger as resident ensemble at her annual Brecon Baroque Festival. The international line-up consists of some of some of the leading lights in the period instrument world. Brecon Baroque specialises in the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries, mostly as a one-to-a-part ensemble based on the Cafe Zimmerman ensemble which Bach himself directed. They also appear as a small baroque orchestra for Vivaldi,Telemann, Purcell and Handel.

Review

Such inspirational originality elicits inspirational playing from Brecon Baroque. More impressive than simply technique never in doubt is their detailed colouring and shaping. Every phrase has direction and purpose; dynamic nuances a momentary emphasis here, a step back there permeate every moment of the playing...this recording of them outclasses any I've experienced.BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month April 2015

Too many operas on disc have dulled my enthusiasm for Vivaldi, but Podger's new accounts of the 12 L estro armonico concertos Harmonic inspiration or musical rapture have rekindled it. Her Brecon-based players adopt a chamber approach to these virtuosic orchestral works, which means intimacy in the rapt slow movements and sizzling dash in the allegros. Such originality explains why L estro was the publication sensation of the first half of the 18th century, and copied, by Bach.Hugh Canning. --The Sunday Times 22.03.15

Minimalist forces but maximum pleasure from the way in they explore every delicious detail in these 12 concertos, reacting to one another's playing with freshness and delight that's constantly engaging. It's been captured in an excellent recording... I'll be dipping into that again just for pure pleasure as soon as I can. BBC Radio 3 CD Review

You can't imagine feathers getting ruffled by Rachel Podger's approach to Vivaldi. Not that it's remotely boring: as her fingers fly through the concerto 12-pack, L Estro Armonico, your feet tap and your pulse quickens without the music being pushed to extremes. Brecon Baroque, her own ensemble, keep pace with their usual gusto... Vivaldi's notes are lively enough on their own. Four solo violins deliciously play cat and mouse.Emotional moods keep sliding around, fizz and crackle here, sombre melancholy there. Harmonies chug along with surprising twists, sowing a seed for Michael Nyman. It's true that Podger doesn't sing [with her voice];but who misses that on this scintillating album? --Geoff Brown - The Times T2 section - 20.03.15.

As her fingers fly through the concerto 12-pack, L Estro Armonico, your feet tap and your pulse quickens without the music being pushed to extremes. Brecon Baroque, her own ensemble, keep pace with their usual gusto... Vivaldi's notes are lively enough on their own. Four solo violins deliciously play cat and mouse. Emotional moods keep sliding around, fizz and crackle here, sombre melancholy there. Harmonies chug along with surprising twists, sowing a seed for Michael Nyman.The Times Geoff Brown.

This disproves the accusation that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto hundreds of times: even though strings are the only sonority (enlivened here by varied continuo), the combinations of one, two, and four violin soloists provide endlessly different colours which Brecon Baroque fully exploit. The pulsating energy of No 10, the organ-like sonority of the middle movement of No 9, the gradual acceleration of the opening of No 11 and above all the electrifying drive of the famous No 8 leave one breathless with admiration. There are added ornaments and flourishes (rather naughtily at the end of No 8), and Rachel Podger's crack team deliver miracles of virtuosity;Nicholas Kenyon. --The Observer 22.03.15