Vivaldi: Concertos

Gathered here are Rachel Podger’s award-winning recordings from 2003-18 of Vivaldi’s Concerti for Violin: La Cetra, La Stravaganza, Le Quattro Stagioni, and L’Estro Armonico. La Stravaganza (with Arte dei Suonatori) won Gramophone’s 2003 Baroque Album of the Year. “the performances by Rachel Podger are crackling with vitality and executed with consistent brilliance, a performance to leave you breathless”. La Cetra (with Holland Baroque) was awarded a Diapason d’Or: “Superb orchestral image, rich, large and profound”. The Times on 2015’s L’Estro Armonico (with Brecon Baroque): “as her fingers fly through the concerto 12-pack, your feet tap and your pulse quickens without the music being pushed to extremes. A scintillating album.” Producer Jonathan Freeman-Attwood on 2018’s Le Quattro Stagioni (with Brecon Baroque): “Virtuosity is non-negotiable here and Rachel has it in abundance. But it’s the colour, poetry, vibrancy and evocative characterisation of weather, human warmth and fragility, captured by the dynamic flux of Rachel interlocking with her colleagues in Brecon Baroque, that deliver near-unimaginable qualities in this music.” Reviews: Vivaldi Le Quattro Stagioni (CCSSA40318) Podger’s Midas touch makes even a warhorse such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons sound fresh-minted. She and her Brecon players see these concertos not as orchestral but as chamber music. Yet there is no lack of power in the big tuttis...This Vivaldi has an improvisatory quality, making you listen with cleansed ears. The Sunday Times Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - 12 concerti, Op. 3 (CCSSA36515) You can’t imagine feathers getting ruffled by Rachel Podger’s approach to Vivaldi. Not that it’s remotely boring; as her fingers fly though the concerto 12-paci, L’Estro Armonico, your feet tap and your pulse quickens without the music being pushed to extremes. The Observer Vivaldi: La cetra - 12 concerti, Op. 9 (CCSSA33412) The Variety of Op 9 astounds the ear, especially in these feisty readings, which emphasise the folksy roots of the dance movements and lend them an almost funky modernity. The highlight here is the B flat major double concerts – with Judith Steenbrink as second soloist. The Sunday Times