Search - Antonio Vivaldi, Christopher Hogwood, L'Arte dell'Arco :: Vivaldi - Suonate da Camera a tre, op. 1/VII-XII / L'Arte dell'Arco · Hogwood

Great Music Beautifully Played

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 11/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vivaldi did not write many sonatas as the concerto form allowed for more virtuoso writing rather than for the more intimate sonata form. The opus 1 sonatas come from Vivaldi's youth and the reason why the second half of the 12 is recorded here is that the first half are generally below the standard one hold s for a Vivaldi work, so these are the stronger and more characteristic works from the set. Indeed, in these sonatas Vivaldi often transcends the style of the times. Of the six recorded here, the most famous is number 12, subtitled La Folia, based on the traditional theme.



I have found them charming and nicely recorded so that hey have become a favorite disc of Vivaldi recordings. Another interesting point about the recording is that the older instruments used come from the collection of the Ospedale della Pieta. The playing is superb throughout and I particularly enjoyed the participation of Christopher Hogwood. I highly recommend this disc to lovers of Vivaldi and if one wants to introduce someone to his music, this is an excellent disc.

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