Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV578. 1. Adagio e s
2. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV578. 2. Allegro
3. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV578. 3. Larghetto
4. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV578. 4. Allegro
5. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 1 in D major, R549 1. Allegro
6. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 1 in D major, R549 2. Largo e spic
7. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 1 in D major, R549 3. Allegro
8. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 6 in A minor, RV356 1. Allegro
9. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 6 in A minor, RV356 2. Largo
10. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 6 in A minor, RV356 3. Presto
11. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 5 in A major, RV519 1. Allegro
12. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 5 in A major, RV519 2. Largo
13. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 5 in A major, RV519 3. Allegro
14. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 4 in E minor, RV550 1. Andante
15. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 4 in E minor, RV550 2. Allegro ass
16. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 4 in E minor, RV550 3. Adagio
17. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 4 in E minor, RV550 4. Allegro
18. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 3 in G major, RV310 1. Allegro
19. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 3 in G major, RV310 2. Largo
20. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 3 in G major, RV310 3. Allegro

Disc 2:

1. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 8 in A minor, RV522 1. Allegro
2. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 8 in A minor, RV522 2. Larghetto e
3. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 8 in A minor, RV522 3. Allegro
4. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 7 in F major, RV567 1. Andante
5. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 7 in F major, RV567 2. Adagio
6. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 7 in F major, RV567 3. Allegro
7. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 7 in F major, RV567 4. Adagio
8. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 7 in F major, RV567 5. Allegro
9. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 11 in D minor, RV565 1. Allegro
10. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 11 in D minor, RV565 2. Adagio e s
11. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 11 in D minor, RV565 3. Allegro
12. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 11 in D minor, RV565 4. Largo e sp
13. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 11 in D minor, RV565 5. Allegro
14. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 9 in D major, RV230 1. Allegro
15. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 9 in D major, RV230 2. Larghetto
16. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 9 in D major, RV230 3. Allegro
17. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 10 in B minor, RV580 1. Allegro
18. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 10 in B minor, RV580 2. Largo e sp
19. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 12 in E major, RV265 1. Allegro
20. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 12 in E major, RV265 2. Largo e sp
21. L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3: Concerto No. 12 in E major, RV265 3. Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71972 in Music
• Released on: 1998-07-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.com
This was the great collection of 12 varied and exciting violin concertos that turned Bach on to concerto writing. In fact, he transcribed several of these works for solo harpsichord, organ--even for harpsichords and orchestra. What fascinated him most was the balanced, three-movement form, the brilliance of the solo passages, the tunefulness of the music generally, and Vivaldi's seemingly inexhaustible storehouse of invention. When a composer ventured to publish a collection such as this, he was making a major statement. This is one of the really big ones in Baroque music, and it's performed with splendid authority and an unrivaled sense of sheer joy. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Vibrant Vivaldi (Despite Biondi)
Formed in 1990 as one of Italy's pioneering period instrument ensembles, Europa Galante (with its leader Fabio Biondi) is decidedly in the "subjective" camp of period instrument performers - those who believe that creating an exciting experience for modern-day listeners is more important than pure "authenticity". They have succeeded in cultivating a distinctively Italian period-instrument sound - more vibrato and legato than most baroque players - that seems a natural outgrowth of the sounds of the Italian language. At their best, they produce an incredibly warm, sweet, vocal string sound, such as can be heard at the beginning of the D major violin concerto on this set (track 14 of disc 2). In addition to following standard baroque orthodoxies, they often take great liberties with their music, using extreme changes of tempo and dynamics and the percussive effects of a prominent continuo section to create a dramatic experience. Since these players are Italian, Vivaldi is their birthright, and their passionate interpretations could not be more different from the anemic sound that sometimes comes from northern European period players.

Although he brings a welcome Italianate flair to the music, to my taste Fabio Biondi's style on this recording is simply too eccentric: he feels the need to play every phrase with different articulations and amounts of vibrato, and to cram in superfluous ornaments at incredibly fast tempos (to say nothing of his un-beautiful execution of trills). I almost feel that he concentrates on surface thrills and sensual aspects of the music at the expense of structural clarity and coherence, and that he plays with the music rather than plays it. He is obviously trying to bring the music alive, but at its worst his approach comes off as fussy and flaky. To be fair, my unfavorable impression may be due partly to the rather dry, thin, constricted timbre of his violin on this disc; I own other Biondi/Europa Galante CD's that show him to much better advantage.

As might be expected, the strongest tracks on this set are the concerti grossi and the concertos for multiple violins, where Biondi's eccentricities are tempered by his colleagues, and the efforts of the band as a whole cohere to produce vibrant, exciting, meaningful performances. That not many complete recordings of Vivaldi's Opus 3 on period instruments are available may mean that this mid-priced set will be a viable choice for many listeners. For my part, I have decided that I can live with Biondi's shortcomings and love Europa Galante and Vivaldi.

Unbelievable
If you think you know L'Estro Armonico, and haven't listened to this absolutely marvelous interpretation, think again! Every second is a blessing, and those all-time favorites, no.6, no.8, no.10 and no.11 have never sounded better! Very refreshing. The best Estro Armonico out there since Trevor Pinnock (still the brilliant but standard interpretation it was). Quick, acquire this immediately, even if you're a nineteenth century romantic snob!

This is the best version of Vivaldi Opus 3
The sound quality of this CD is great! I have heard Vivaldi's L'estro armonico performed by others, but this is the best version I have heard. When I first listened to this CD I had never heard of Fabio Biondi or Europa Galante, but after hearing the music on this CD I have tried to obtain all of the baroque CD's that they have made. Most importantly, the sound quality of this CD is just spectacular. If you listen to any music performed by Europa Galante you will notice that the sound quality is very good. It is as if the music somehow sounds clearer than when it is performed by other musicians. This CD is no exception.