Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108781 in Digital Music Album
• Released on: 2006-12-05
• Running time: 0 seconds

Customer Reviews

Podger outdoes herself!
Rachel Podger is a unique talent, an exceedingly expressive player with an emotionally immediate presence who is at the same time not self-indulgent or wild. Ms. Podger digs deeply and thoughtfully into the music to bring out the maximum of expression through her own especially flexible and articulated approach to the vocabulary of the baroque violin. Her expression occurs within a discipline of respecting the structure and boundaries of the music itself. She remains a highly objective communicator even while seeking to pull as much feeling from the music as she can.

I'm a huge Rachel Podger fan, but I bought this new CD with some hesitation. I'd been rather floored by Fabio Biondi's interpretations of Vivaldi and I wasn't sure Ms. Podger's strengths would come through with as much impact. I was concerned since in the past Ms. Podger's unique playing style has sometimes seemed to fade when she plays with an orchestra-her Bach recording with A. Manze was disappointing this way, somehow she seemed a bit held back. (Unlike the reviewer above I don't find any similarity between Manze and Podger, indeed despite Manze's seemingly universal appeal, I can't like his playing, for me there is something insincere and mannered in all his pyrotechnics, whereas Ms. Podger always seems deeply and sincerely in the heart of the music.)

I should not have worried. Rachel Podger has outdone herself. She has taken these Vivaldi pieces and infused them with her own brand of detailed sumptuous playing, reveling in the music in a sensual, joyous way that at times outdistances even some of her solo Bach performances for sheer musical fluidity and agility. The fact that she has been able so fully to express her unique playing in the context of working with an orchestra is quite an achievement and step forward, and the result is especially exciting. So exciting, in fact, that even in the slow movements I found myself energized and exhilarated by the superlatively managed tension between highly expressive playing and a rigorous overall sense of meter and truth to the music.

The orchestra itself is surprisingly good ('surprising' only in that I hadn't heard of them before), supporting and opposing Ms. Podger very well. The only thing one might quibble about is the overall texture, which is a bit round and smooth and unified, not quite as transparent as I would have preferred--more along the lines of Carmignola/Venice Baroque (whose interpretations have yet to grab me) than of Biondi/Europa Galante. This is of course an exceedingly minor quibble, as the overall impression is of an orchestra perfectly able and willing to match Ms. Podger's approach to the music and intertwine itself with her playing. With Ms. Podger's playing at its best, magnified and underlined by a willing orchestra, this CD is a `must have' for Podger-lovers, Vivaldi-lovers, and period-performance-lovers, and it would be a great introduction for the merely curious.

What can I say - I'm a big fan!
Rachel Podger is a joy to listen to. Somehow, in everything she does, she captures the essence of authentic "period" music, yet adds something of herself and her own personality at the same time. Contradiction? I'm not sure it is at all. Perhaps that's what this whole period music thing is all about. You know, that whole ancient idea of improvising and interpreting... Is it me, or does she often throw in some little ornamentation, trill...of her own, but always at the neatest times?

Any way, this recording is wonderful and in my collection it is an interesting contrast to Monica Huggett's recording with Christopher Hogwood. I enjoy both, but I have to say Podger would be my "desert island pick" - she has many more surprises and this keeps on my toes and always interested.

The liner notes give a wonderful argument and explanation to all the elitist/poseur Vivaldi bashing. Don't be an uninformed snob! Buy this recording and support a truly unique and innovative artist!

One note, all of Podger's recordings seem to have a low frequency "rumble" prior to and a little during each track. I think this is probably due to her recording in large "Baroque spaces." In addition, the recording style seems to be meant to place the listener right there in the room and the result seems a fair trade to me, but another result is you can hear almost everything - breathing and finger movements on and off strings, bow sounds, harpsicord?... that often sound like clicks or skips on the disc! Perhaps my system is too revealing (ah, the joys and pains of spending all you earn on audio...), but it is my one issue (listen to disc 1, track 2, Largo E Cantabile, to hear what I mean). I saw Podger with Trevor Pinnock when they performed all the Brandenburg Concertos in Ann Arbor, MI (Wonderful!!!). From the front row, I didn't mind the instrument sounds in person, but somehow on a recording it is a little distracting. Still, not enough for me to give this recording anything less than a full 5 stars.

performance & recording quality is outstanding
I'm just your average classical music fan, I'm no expert, but I am always blown away when I listen to this CD. Without hesitation I rank it as the best classical CD I own. It seems that both the performance and the recording quality are way above average. Very lively and exciting. The violins are present and sweet without ever screeching or sounding harsh. The bass tones of cellos and organ are super-rich. When the whole ensemble hits chords that harmonize, it fills the room with a lush rich sound. Words fail, but its almost like I'm inside each of the instruments. Sorry to gush so much about this recording, but it really stands out among the 100 or more classical CDs in my collection.