COMPOSERS: Vivaldi
LABELS: Warner
WORKS: Cello Concerto in A minor, RV 422; Cello Concerto in D minor, RV 407; Cello Concerto in G minor, RV 416; Cello Concerto in B flat, RV 423; Cello Concerto in C minor, RV 402; Cello Concerto in A minor, RV 420; Cello Concerto in D minor, RV 405
PERFORMER: Walter Vestidello (cello); Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca
CATALOGUE NO: 0927-42532-2
Given the recent uncertainties regarding the future prospects of Warner’s artists, the quality and integrity of this new disc by Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca is particularly reassuring. It contains some of Vivaldi’s earliest concertos, taken from manuscripts in the collection of Count Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn, who was a talented cellist, theorbo player and fanatical collector of Italian music. Several of these concertos were copied or acquired for him between approximately 1708 and 1713.
Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca certainly lives up to its cheerful name, and claims that it is attempting to restore ‘the original sonic equilibrium’. This means that the ensemble adopts the principle of using only one instrument per part, and the players clearly enjoy the flexibility and expressive breadth that this brings. The final Allegro of the Concerto in G minor (RV 416) best encapsulates the merits of its animated approach, while soloist Walter Vestidello’s sensitive performance in the Adagio of the Concerto in C minor (RV 402) is compelling.
The ensemble’s amiable disposition places it close to its charismatic compatriots Il Giardino Armonico, while also possessing the vibrancy of Fabio Biondi’s Europa Galante, so this disc should safely please all tastes. David Vickers