Andrea Marcon

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
This premiere recording of six Vivaldi concertos is full of surprises. The works are entirely unknown because, unlike his other compositions, they were written not for publication but for substantial private commissions from wealthy patrons. Dating from his most mature years, they exhibit a style very different from his earlier concertos, which often sound almost mass-produced. Though they are still cast in the customary three movements and are full of the usual sequences, they are more unpredictable, dramatic, and daring; adventurous in form, harmony, and texture; with sudden contrasts of mood, character, and expression. The slow movements are meltingly beautiful, but no two concertos are alike, either in detail or overall effect. Some movements hardly seem to hang together; they appear to consist of collages of motives, punctuated by bursts of virtuosity.

The performance is equally unconventional. Giuliano Carmignola, as he demonstrated on his previous Vivaldi recording, is a formidable virtuoso who projects spontaneity, vitality, and expressiveness. In solo parts bristling with runs, often into the highest register, trills, double stops, and arpeggios, he displays breathtaking speed and facility, total command of every style of bowing and articulation, and a ravishing, powerful, infinitely variable tone. Except for the harpsichord, the orchestral instruments, tuned to normal pitch, hardly sound Baroque--their tone is full-blooded and varied. By using two harpsichords and a lute, conductor Andrea Marcon achieves percussive effects sometimes resembling gunshots, and the playing is by turns brilliant, lyrical, and exciting. --Edith Eisler

Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon, Music, Antonio Vivaldi, Andrea Marcon, Giuliano Carmignola, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral & Symphonic, Violin Concerto

Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon
Average customer rating:

A Must Have

It should be a 10 star

Badass

A MUST for all Vivaldi fans

Some of Vivaldi's best works

Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon
Antonio Vivaldi , Andrea Marcon , Giuliano Carmignola , and Venice Baroque Orchestra
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Late Vivaldi Concertos: RV386 / RV235 / RV296 / RV258 / RV389 / RV251 - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon

Vivaldi

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Concerto Veneziano

Vivaldi: Concertos & Sinfonias for strings

ASIN: B00005NF01
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

Concerto In C Major For Violin: Allegro ma poco
Concerto In C Major For Violin: Largo
Concerto In C Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In D Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In D Major For Violin: Andante
Concerto In D Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In E Minor For Violin: Allegro non molto
Concerto In E Minor For Violin: Largo
Concerto In E Minor For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In F Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In F Major For Violin: Larghetto
Concerto In F Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In B-Flat Major For Violin: Allegro non molto
Concerto In B-Flat Major For Violin: Largo
Concerto In B-Flat Major For Violin: Allegro
Concerto In C Major For Violin: Allegro ma poco
Concerto In C Major For Violin: Largo
Concerto In C Major For Violin: Allegro ma poco

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

This premiere recording of six Vivaldi concertos is full of surprises. The works are entirely unknown because, unlike his other compositions, they were written not for publication but for substantial private commissions from wealthy patrons. Dating from his most mature years, they exhibit a style very different from his earlier concertos, which often sound almost mass-produced. Though they are still cast in the customary three movements and are full of the usual sequences, they are more unpredictable, dramatic, and daring; adventurous in form, harmony, and texture; with sudden contrasts of mood, character, and expression. The slow movements are meltingly beautiful, but no two concertos are alike, either in detail or overall effect. Some movements hardly seem to hang together; they appear to consist of collages of motives, punctuated by bursts of virtuosity.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Have.......2004-10-25

This cd, as well as Carmignola and the VBO's version of the four seasons (and 3 other perviously unrecorded late violin concertos) and their 2002 cd (mint green cd) of Vivaldi Late violin concertos are a must have for any fan of classical music or the violin.
The material here is first rate--these are concertos written late in Vivaldi's career for purposes that did not require the satisfaction of a mass audiance. Vivaldi was not after popularity in this style. The solo violin part is very difficult even by current standards, requiring not only pure virtuosity, but also a massive expressive palette. Carmignola and the Venice Baroque orchestra are the perfect preformers to bring this deep and inovative music to life. Carmignola has a huge expressive palette to draw on, and will impress you with the variety of coloring he can achive. He loves to juxtapose the smooth with the jagged, the husky with the sparkling. His expressive interpretations so match Vivaldi's intent in the music that it is almost as if Vivaldi has sprung to life, picked up his violin and started playing his favorite works. His upper range sparkles and sings, his lower range groans and growls. This is great violin playing by any standard; baroque, modern, academic, recreational, artistic, intellectual... Listen to the artiuclation and what Carmignola does with his bow. The Venice Baroque Orchestra is not far behind this standard. Their emoting covers the range Vivaldi requires--which is huge, and the violins shine. This is a very tight group with a transparent sound-- all the parts blend into a whole but are at any moment audible as their own entities. The continuo is entertaining and effective without being distracting. I espesially like the archlute playing with adds great touches. The orchestra is not without fault, though. The violas and espesially the cellos and violone (double bass viol) need to play out more. In the first mvt. of the Bflat concerto the cellos play a strange and hypnotic ritornello melody, but we often miss it because the cellos don't play out and the high strings cover too well with their long tones. This moment stands out as a disappointment, but tutti sections are plagued by a weak bass throughout the cd. The continuo (during solos) cello, however, is a good compliment to the violin.
And just listen to these concertos, which stand with any violin composer in the literature! There is the opening mvt of the cd, in which the orchestra churns and drives wild rythms and the bass explodes, but the soloist brings us to the silken shimmer of a utopian lake, calm yet unlimitedly complex in it's motion and mood. The D major concerto is a celebration of life and it's andante is soothing yet awing in it's lyrical invention. The 1st mvt. of the e minor concerto chills the bones and remindes me of a bleak winter day. It was probibly one of Vivaldi's last works and you can sence a bitterness and a cold frailty still punctuated by firey fits (this is the red priest after all). Yet it's an optimistic work in it's cleverness with innovative and disconcerting waves of melodic cells. The F major concerto is a rustc veiw, bold and rough, yet sublime, too. The Bflat concerto is shrouded in mystery from the opening measures, although the soloist brings us out of the fogs and into a clearer yet still perplexing landscape. The jovial 3rd mvt. is a more confidant place dappled by sun. The 1st mvt. of the C rv.191 concerto is shocking in its audacious contrasts. Vivaldi versus smooth melody with angular leaps in the solos and adds a tradmark molto perpetuo that gurgles like a brook. The slow mvt is meditative and content. The 3rd mvt. brings us to a jittry conclusion full of humor and optimism-- it shivers and tumbles along like a playful act of nature.
If you don't own this cd, you should add it to your collection. Along with it's two companions it will enrich you musical life.

It should be a 10 star.......2003-10-30

Every time I listern to it, I feel like I am in heaven.

Badass.......2002-11-18

I got to see Carmignola and the VBO perform in Chicago a couple of months ago. Immediately afterwards I got this CD. These guys are great - a really exciting Baroque group. Carmignola was also quite entertaining during the concert, foot-stomping and all.

A MUST for all Vivaldi fans.......2002-09-03

Late Vivaldi concerti are comparative rarities because the composer strictly limited manuscript publication, hence it's only now people are finally getting around to recording them. They are of very high quality and demonstrate Vivaldi developing a new style of composing, just as late Beethoven differs from his middle and early periods. The performances and recording are superb. I have over 80 Vivaldi CDs, and this is one of my very favorites.

Some of Vivaldi's best works.......2002-08-30

These are a few of the best pieces out of all the Vivaldi I have listened to. They are hardly ever boring and there is always something going on in them. I hope you buy this album becaue i know you will like it.

Late Vivaldi Concertos: RV386 / RV235 / RV296 / RV258 / RV389 / RV251 - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon

Average customer rating:

Challenging what we know about Vivaldi's concertos
Wonderful
highly reccommended
Carmignola and Marcon continue to excel
A Grave Disappointment

Late Vivaldi Concertos: RV386 / RV235 / RV296 / RV258 / RV389 / RV251 - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon
Antonio Vivaldi , Andrea Marcon , Giuliano Carmignola , and Venice Baroque Orchestra
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon
Vivaldi
Concerto Veneziano
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Vivaldi - Il Proteo / Coin, Il Giardino Armonico

ASIN: B00006L3PG
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Poco
II. Larghetto
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Ma Poco
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Ma Poco
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Largo - Andante Molto
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Poco
II. largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Ma Poco
II. Largo
III. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Challenging what we know about Vivaldi's concertos.......2006-08-26

First, I should mention that I typically purchase a CD for the music on that CD, and not for the artist playing the music. I am usually a little put off by artist-centered productions, and that is what we have here. There are no fewer than three full-sized photographs of Giuliano Carmignola included within the program notes, and you can double that number if you include the advertisements for previously released discs included on the last page of the booklet. However, I won't let that bias me in writing this review.

The Music:
It is important to note that these concertos were composed by Vivaldi (1678-1741) late in his career. Do not try to associate any type of chronology to the RV numbering of Vivaldi's works, as this numbering represents a simple cataloguing. You might be wondering, what makes a "late" Vivaldi concerto different from any other Vivaldi concerto. Well, the later concertos strike me as bolder and less formulaic, and are filled with rhythmic and harmonic surprises not found in the earlier concertos. For instance, the solo part is more than just busy sixteenth note writing (of course there is some of that, though), but rather it is a combination of arching lyrical lines and virtuosic passages of invigorating, swift figurations, with plenty of accents and the occasional double stop to add flavor. The unusual harmonic progressions present in these concertos are also rather striking. Some of these harmonic intricacies are subtle (Track 13), while others boldly proclaim themselves (ex: Track 1). Additionally, the "late" Vivaldi concertos appear to be longer than his published concertos (the ones with the opus numbers). Surprisingly, a couple of the movements exceed five minutes.

The concertos performed here were well chosen to offer contrast. Compare the contemplative conclusion to RV 389 (Track 15) against the exuberant conclusion to RV 251 (Track 18), as an example. Three of the six concertos are in a minor key.

As these concertos are a bit more complex than the average baroque concerto, my initial reaction was that the ritornellos were not as memorable as would be expected for Vivaldi. But after a couple of listenings, I was following along without difficulty. To the best of my knowledge, the six concertos presented here are not available elsewhere, so there is little risk of acquiring duplicate repertoire.

The Performance:
Of course the violin playing by Carmignola is excellent and quite personal (one should hope so, as his name is about three times as large as Vivaldi's on the CD cover!). As the program notes explain, a "rediscovery" has taken place over the past several years, where highly trained baroque instrumentalists (i.e. Carmignola) have perfected the techniques used by instrumentalists of Vivaldi's time that produced sharp attacks and varied vibration. Accordingly, in contrast to earlier performances of Vivaldi's concertos, the soloist and ensemble vary their attacks to provide contrast between the different portions of the movements. As an example, listen to the bold bow strokes and crescendos of the lower strings in Track 3. Additionally, the ensemble and soloist generously sprinkle in rallentandos and subito dynamic changes throughout the concertos. Of course this boldly interpretative style may not be to everyone's taste; however I think it works well here and makes for an interesting listening experience.

Also notable is the inclusion of several basso continuo instruments, including an additional harpsichord, an organ and a lute. I find the use of the lute, in place of the harpsichord, in the softer sections provides a compelling contrast in texture. In addition to providing contrast, the additional instruments are often used together in the ritornellos to add more meat to the ensemble (ex: Track 4).

The Conclusion:
This is not a conventional performance of run-of-the-mill Vivaldi concertos. These highly enjoyable and creative concertos are filled with twists and turns that make it hard to believe this is the same Vivaldi we all know and love. The playing by the Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra is fantastic.

Highly recommended.

71:41

Wonderful.......2004-12-13

I've always thought that there should be ratings for the music selection on the album, the interpretation and the music itself, but in this case I don't care because I would rate all of these as 5 stars!!

Besides the excellent interpretation of Carmignola and the Venice Baroque the selection they made was excellent.

I'm a Vivaldi fan, and I've been listening and collecting Vivaldi concertos for more than 20 years and own more than 200 of them (I have an excellent catalog cross-reference in a spreadsheet if anyone is interested in cataloging unknown Vivaldi work).

A good word to describe the Vivaldi music in this album is MATURENESS. Believe me, it is not the usual Vivaldi we are used to. These are rare concertos because at it's latest years, Vivaldi didn't sold his concertos to the general public through the usual music publishers, instead, he prefered to sell it privately and exclusively to several high society members. So these concertos are not as well known as those we are used to listen. The quality of Vivaldi composition is superb, you will notice this specially in the slow movements which are beatiful and very well worked (RV235 Adagio is exquisite).

I bought both Carmignola's "Late Vivaldi Concertos" and I'm simply enlighted. I recommend the two of them.

highly reccommended.......2003-12-12

Orchestra: strong, vivid performance, comparable to the 2003 Gramophone Award winner 'Arte dei suonatori', (with Rachel Podger - La stravaganza). The continuo is brilliant.

Solo violin: virtuoso, sounds quite differently from other vivaldi (and "early" Carmignola) recordings I've heard. The slow movements are indeed somewhat romantic, while the Allegros sometimes have a hint of a "silky", "gipsy" performance (I could not find a better description).

The recording is a 24 bit recording, from a technical point of view it sounds much better - "deeper" - than the average.

Overall, excellent music with exellent performance. Among my most interesting Vivaldis.

Carmignola and Marcon continue to excel.......2002-12-25

...Let me tell you that I was at a live performance by Carmignola at the Kennedy Center in DC, where one of the works that they performed was concerto RV 177 (this one is on the first disc of late violin concertos with Carmignola/Marcon). It sounded very close to what you hear on the CD. This being said, there is no reason to think that the concertos on the present recording are ruined by Sony's sound techniques. Yes, indeed sometimes the ends of phrases cannot be heard very distinctively, but this is likely because Carmignola plays it that way on purpose. Maybe Sony does make the violin sound more "silky" than it would be live, but in my view this is a very minor objection to raise against the recording.
As for the romantic-sounding slow movements, I wouldn't claim right away that they're romantic. They certainly are emotional, as they should be. Nobody knows exactly how it was performed in Vivaldi's day, but I think that Carmignola/Marcon have presented viable and excellent interpretations so far. Don't forget that musicians should on one hand try to come as close as possible to the composer's intentions, but on the other hand musicians should live with the music they play and put their own personality into it. The artistic choices made in this recording are fully convincing.
Carmignola and Marcon continue their already significant enrichment to Vivaldi interpretations and recordings by another awesome CD. And yes - you do have to listen to this CD more times, because some of the themes in these concertos might not seem immediately captivating, but you should fall in love with them after listening a couple of times. After having listened many times you will realize why, within Vivaldi's concert output, the term "late violin concertos" makes sense. The solo lines are very intricate compared to some earlier Vivaldi's concertos. The solo, in the music itself, but also the way Carmignola presents, it, is truly a solo here - the ideas are very strong, and Vivaldi uses some very interesting rhythmic alterations, as well as contrasting contours, moods and timbre. Each one of these pieces truly has a certain atmosphere, which is in fact very well defined, so these concertos are very far from the claim about Vivaldi writing the same thing 400 times. Carmignola and Marcon are great at working with time, they are not afraid to slow down and take pauses. Precisely this is one of the features that define these concertos and this recording. When you compare this recording to the 2001 late violin concertos, I think you will find that the concertos here are subtler, but also more original and daring in many respects.
Carmignola and Marcon have so far done work of exceptional quality and of great benefit to Vivaldi and his music in a short period of time. Ultimately this recording will have to be considered sooner or later as ground breaking in defining a new standard in performance of baroque music and the interpretation of Vivaldi's works, as well as revealing to us much more about Vivaldi than we thought we knew.

A Grave Disappointment.......2002-12-16

Because of all the hype, and a chance to hear some before unknown Vivaldi concertos, I picked up this release with moderate expectations. While the recording and soloist offer dramatic exhiliration, the recording is absolutely ruined through Sony's use of a very artificial reverb. Details in phrasing are washed out, and the soloist's sound is too silky smooth for my taste. Perhaps live he may come across more authentically, but here it's just a wash. The slow movements for me are "romantically milked" and are no where close to a historically-authentic reading. Some of the double-stopping by Carmignola is out of tune, yet the orchestra seems to be on good form, but suffer too from the recording quality.

Musically, these are unique concertos among Vivaldi's output. They echo Tartini and later Italian composers. Several concertos offer the soloist notes higher on the staff than we usually hear from Vivaldi. Nuances of tempi and silence are sometimes also suspect.

Hearing this concertos was a treat, yet I had only wished someone else (Biondi, Manze, Onofri) had recorded them.

Music Review: