[jonathanjong]

The Four Seasons
Sonata "Al Santo Sepolcro"
Concerto alla rustica
Concerto gross in A minor

I've never even heard of the last three, to be honest. But a friend says these are her favourite Vivaldi pieces, and I was wondering if there was a single set (or single CD, even) containing all these pieces. Thanks!

 

[zumaro]

Ok this became a personal challenge to find this particular combination among the thousands and thousands of compilation Vivaldi disks out there. As far as I can see only this disk by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra from 1993 meets the criteria, with the Sonata being a comparative rarity on disk.

Here is the content of that disk rehashed and combined into another compilation - maybe there are other ways to get the combination!

 

[jonathanjong]

Eh, you sure you got that CD right? Looks like Louis Spohr... The quest for this CD continues?

 

[zumaro]

Thats odd - both pages have the same URL! I assure you that I do know the difference between pages on Spohr and Vivaldi!

Try http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:60405 - hmm if you leave the ~T0 off the end of the last URL it seems to work? How do you quote AMG pages? This is working for me now - Firefox seems to add on an extra couple of letters onto the URL that aren't present in IE.

I have a feeling this is going to be a obscure budget disk, although the artists are good ones. The Amazon link is a safer bet - in fact it may be the only easily found bet.

 

[jonathanjong]

Hmm, that doesn't seem to work either... How did you find it? I've tried for a week.

 

[zumaro]

That one was working for me in both IE and Firefox!
Try going to amg and do a search on the classical work
Sonata à 4 al Santo Sepolcro, for 2 violins, viola & continuo in E flat major, RV 130
(that link may take you directly to the page for the work, but my confidence is now low). Click on performances, and look down the bottom of the list for the disk EXL4243 made in 1993

 

[jonathanjong]

Is this the grosso?: Double Violin Concerto, for 2 violins, strings & continuo in A minor ("L'estro armonico" No. 8), Op. 3/8, RV 522

OK, so I see the page with EXL4243...now how do I buy it?

There doesn't seem to be any performance info either. How'd you know it was Stuttgart?

Edit: Also, for some reason, the link above works now. Go figure.

 

[zumaro]

I am assuming it is - though concerto grosso would normally refer to a small group of instruments set against the main orchestra, where as this is really a double violin concerto. There is probably not enough information to say this one is a totally positive identification, but this particular concerto is referred to as a concerto grosso in many sources - eg http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variatio...txt0001.html#2 gives a description of it. The Opus 3 concertos are for one, two, three and four violins, and are rightly admired as being among the best of Vivaldi.

The other ones I am pretty sure about. The sonata, as far as I know is a one off (there is a sinfonia as well with a similar name, but they are distinct works), and the Alla Rustica concerto RV151 is famous, so this will be the one. And no need to mention The Four Seasons!

I would go for the Amazon compilation - I am betting its exactly the same recordings reassembled with a few others thrown in, and its only $4.98. What label is putting out recordings with EXL in their numberings I really don't know - I think it would be very hit or miss to find it. You could just buy separate disks containing the works - there are many more recommendable versions probably than this one.

If you click on credits for the album on the amg site it does actually list the performers:
Martin Sieghart Conductor, Harpsichord
Rainer Kussmaul Violin
Wolfgang Kussmaul Violin
Reinhard Werner Cello
Herwig Zack Violin
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra Orchestra

 

[jonathanjong]

True. Good point. Thanks!