Pure Rock'n'Roll a la Vivaldi
Dennis Figueroa | Orange County, CA | 04/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is Romina Basso's debut as a soloist, and her spotlight is not just bright but truly burning hot. Her and Sardelli's interpretation of this music is pure rock'n'roll, and reminiscent of an era that parallels in comparison the heyday of the Beatles, Elvis, and Queen. Here Basso breaks away from the nameless pack of baroque singers, and cements her reputation with a credible rendition of Se Lento Ancora Il Fulmine. Basso devours this aria with gusto!She turns up the heat in all the right notes with coloratura-ladden singing capable to incendiate any stage. These discoveries renew the mystique behind the music, and fuel the fascination with the singers for whom these scores were written. For now, at least, Basso delivers the classic hits to beat."
Sardelli Illuminates New Discoveries
M. Figg | USA | 11/28/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Modo Antiquo under the direction of Federico Maria Sardelli and mezzo Romina Basso turn in a stunning performance of "new to modern ears" Vivaldi compositions. The works on this disc are the result of both research and chance, and some of them are being given their premier performance. While this is incredibly valuable from a historical perspective, some of the pieces do come off a little formulaic, not Vivaldi's best work. It is a credit to these great performers that they still attack and savor these pieces.
For his recording of Vivaldi's "Folio Arias", conductor Federico Maria Sardelli makes the point that alongside the power and energy many modern bands bring to Vivaldi's music, one must always follow the structure, clarity, symetry and overall sense of "line" which he sees as the hallmark of this music. With this recording, I continue to be impressed with Sardelli's approach, the way he balances energy with form. The concerto for 2 violins, cello, strings and continuo (first instrumental on the disc) perhaps illustrates this sense of form and energy best: basically a rearrangement of a concerto from "L'Estro Armonico", the soloists and orchestra play energetically, emotionally and elegantly all at once, neither flying off the handle nor making this music seem overly reserved. The sonata for flute and continuo could've stopped at being charming, but soloist Sardelli displays an exotic blend with the basson continuo, churning out some fun Baroque jazz. The concerto for oboe and cello offers some driven dialogue in the first movement, a lyrical oboe in the middle and closes with some lighthearted (if somewhat repetitive) dance pattern imitations between soloists and orchestra. The two violin sonatas are perhaps the weakest pieces, probably written for a novice player and extremely plain, but still pleasant enough.
The vocal numbers stand out on this disc, in their orchestration, variety of invention and Romina Bassos' singing. Gifted with a powerful, beautiful mezzo voice and technical creativity in improvising some impressive ornamentation, Basso locks in with the band to turn these pieces into true "events" in themselves. The voice is neither bright nor dark, but perfectly focused to convey characterization and technique. The vengeance aria that opens the disc is tour de force, passionate yet balanced. In an interview in the liner notes, Basso talks about her process in improvising her ornaments, and I thought this merited special credit for an artist who has the training and confidence to improvise. The motet sounded like it might've otherwise been a perfunctory experience if not for the care and assurance that the performers bring to it. Not that this material is inferior so as to be overcome by good performance, but time and time again the orchestra's crisp textures and firm rhythm simply elevate the music into something truly dynamic.
This was an incredibly rewarding disc, not just for the opportunity to hear new Vivaldi but simply for the chance to hear excellent musicians who just happen to be reviving long lost works by Vivaldi. Modo Antiquo, Sardelli and Basso take what might have become an academic endeavor and turn it into an organic, sincere musical experience."
New work from Vivaldi!
Jon Chambers | Birmingham, England | 02/23/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In his definitive study of the composer's life and work, Michael Talbot spoke of the prospect of 'perpetual discovery' in respect of Vivaldi, resulting from a neglect spanning centuries. 'Scarcely a year passes,' he wrote in 1978, 'without the announcement of some fresh discovery'. This CD gives an excellent example of what we might expect even now, 30 years after Talbot's study, with a collection of new finds from just the last year and a half!
Talbot himself is something of a sleuth when it comes to discovering Vivaldi. He unearthed some very distinguished sonatas in the 1970s, and one of this CD's many strengths is his authorship of the liner notes with an endorsement of the music's authenticity - a major reason why the CD scores over the MP3 version, despite its higher price. If you are interested in the nature of the 'finds', it's the CD option you will probably want.
Although Talbot might (just) be right in suggesting that none of the works in the current collection is from the very top drawer, they are all nonetheless engaging and deeply satisfying. A special feature is the quality of the cantabile slow movements - that of the Concerto for oboe and bassoon in g especially. This concerto, currently the very last numbered in the Ryom catalogue (RV812), is captivating from start to finish. Whether or not 'top drawer' is a matter of opinion (and a question of how big the drawer is!). Equally important, the performances are uniformly excellent. Paolo Pollastri's recorder playing, to take just one example, is highly bravura.
Despite Talbot's validation, and despite the very Vivaldian feel of these works, there can be no absolute guarantee of their authenticity. Several pieces have been (?erroneously) attributed to other composers in the past. But regardless of authorship, this assortment of sonatas, arias and concerto inspire and entertain. And, at the very least, they are supremely suggestive: firstly, of Vivaldi's prodigious output and, secondly, of the fact that he was a master of all genres, not just the concerto.
Federico Sardelli, flautist and director of Modo Antico, suggests that another such collection might well be on the way. While recording the CD, apparently, further discoveries were still being made. Long may they continue."
