Vivaldi: Concertos for Two Violins

Vivaldi Concertos for two violins
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Artist: Dmitry Sinkovsky, Riccardo Minasi, Il Pomo d'Oro, Antonio Vivaldi
Genre: Classical
Label: Naïve

If you know and like the Four Seasons, chances are you won't be disappointed with the 56th volume of the Naïve label's ongoing Vivaldi series. The selection of six concertos for two violins (RV523, 510, 509, 517, 515, 508) has patterns of imitation, which at high speed sound like chasing games. The moments of twittering and warbling will remind you of familiar bird imitations. And there are exciting journeys into heights where the soloists' tone thins out, as if weakened by the high-wire dangers involved, with every musical step sounding precarious. It's that sense not just of the composer pressing on boundaries, but also of performers who want to drive themselves to the edge that makes this disc so enjoyable and exciting. naive.fr

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor