Vivaldi: Four Seasons - Bach: Concerto for Two Violins and Strings

The first four parts of Antonio Vivaldi's twelve violin concertos, Op. 8, from 1725, "The Four Seasons", are today one of the most frequently performed concerto pieces worldwide. They have been performed by perhaps every famous violinist of the present day. This fresh new recording by Pavel Šporcl with the Prague Philharmonia shows that despite the "saturated market"it is still possible to come up with a singular, unique conception. Šporcl plays his new, provocatively blue-varnished violin, custom built for him by the finest Czech violin-maker, Jan Špidlen.According to some critics, currently the best recording in Šporcl's discography is not authentic in terms of the instruments used, yet both the soloist and the orchestra, besides brilliant technique, possess a great sense for Baroque phrasing and "chiaroscuro". Bach's concerto for two violins in D minor starkly contrasts with Vivaldi's figurativeness and expressivity. Here you will hear Šporcl's new instrument twice since the soloist recorded both of the solo parts. As a bonus, the CD contains a video recording of the Spring and Winter parts directly from the studio.