Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for 3 & 4 Violins.(Sound Recording Review)

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for 3 & 4 Violins. Christopher Warren-Green, London Chamber Orchestra. Virgin Virgo 7243 82005-2.

Another issue of the Sensible Sound, another Vivaldi Four Seasons. The recordings of this perennial favorite appear as regularly as changes in the weather.

But because the Four Seasons come in a variety of flavors and dozens upon dozens of recordings, before I get into this current release, let me recap some of my own personal favorites in various configurations. For modern chamber orchestra, I like the unique, almost surreal account by Neville Marriner and the Academy (Decca); the sane and sensible reading by I Solisti Italiani (Denon); and the refined and elegant rendition from Michelucci and I Musici (Philips Eloquence), which also benefits from a budget price. For a period-instruments version, there's the highly original recording of Sparf and Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble (BIS); the stimulating Tafelmusik (Sony); the more conservative Pinnock-English Concert (DG Archiv); and to get the adrenaline flowing, Biondi and Europa Galante (Virgin Veritas). Finally, for a big, modern group and a thoroughly polished presentation, there's Perlman and the LPO (EMI).

So, ...