Search - Antonio Vivaldi, Sol Gabetta :: Il Progetto Vivaldi

BRILLIANCE AND BEAUTY: SOL GABETTA'S AMBITIOUS "VIVALDI PRO

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 12/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five ENJOYABLE Stars!! Grammy-nominated, Argentina-born cello virtuoso Sol Gabetta has produced an ambitious project in which she plays Antonio Vivaldi's concertos for cello and two transcribed pieces for violin. To achieve greater authenticity for one who has a Russian/French heritage and lives in Switzerland, (although her familiarity with Vivaldi goes back to the age of 3), she immersed herself in the music and the era. Not only did she use expert Italian baroque musicians and saw to it that "Il Progetto Vivaldi" (The Vivaldi Project) would be recorded in Italy, the 26 year old Ms Gabetta had her 1759 Guadagnini cello strung with gut strings and had to master the use of a baroque bow. Such attention to detail is laudable but then came the hard part came: actually playing the sometimes fiendishly difficult, repetitive but beautiful music of "the Red Priest". In this she and the baroque septet from the renowned Sonatori De La Gioiosa Marca ensemble succeed magnificently.



The best of the best begin with the "Cello Concerto in F Major, RV 410" with it's gypsy-like cadences, where Ms Gabetta displays a beautiful incandescent tone and awesome technique with her baroque bow and gut strings. What she and her fellow musicians do from that point on is nothing short of wonderful for the five cello concertos and the two violin pieces transcribed for cello, one of which is an overwhelming performance of "Winter" from "The Four Seasons" that is a 'Tour De Force' that may stun violin aficionados of this piece. Sol Gabetta, playing like a driven virtuosic dervish, succeeds with her cohorts in providing performances that are BRILLIANT and BEAUTIFUL. Congratulations to Ms Gabetta for a concept CD that is well thought out and wonderfully executed. Hopefully she'll return to this unique equipment setup and give us some more 'period' atmospherics. Sol Gabetta is one awesome cello virtuoso!! Kudos to Walter Vestidello for his cello transcriptions. The RCA Red Seal aural recording is clear, clean, and immediate. One of the Best Recordings of 2007! My Highest Recommendation. Five BAROQUE Stars! (Import. Audio CD with jewel box and booklet in English and other 2 other languages.)"

It's nearly sensual

Benjamin Bollaert | Belgie | 05/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this girl had the right feeling off Vivaldi's mind off writing. after the first allegro your feeling like in Italy... I had the YO YO Ma version but I think Vivaldi wrote it for a woman Cello player. She sweeps around your ear with love and strenght. Great CD !!!"

Vivaldi Cello Concertos with Sol Gabetta

Pick Me Squeeze Me Make Me Wine | Sonoma, CA | 11/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the program notes Hans George Hofmann writes "Melancholy or solitude was not seen as something negative in 18th century music, but rather as phenomena that were good for the soul and could heal emotional wounds." We have a small winery where we play this CD and people ask what it is - they know it's Vivaldi but have not heard the cello concertos. The incredibly rich, melodic music and the brilliant virtuosity of Sol Gabetta's playing make this CD our favorite. It is very accessible yet authentic, the Sonatori de la Giogioosa Marca play period instruments and are experts in rendering the music of the Veneto. Our audience is not necessarily classically oriented but we have an enthusiastic response to this CD Il Progetto Vivaldi. We pair it with our Pinot Noir! Enjoy!"