The opening measures of this stately performance announce the ensemble's unusual approach: Instead of leaping with joy at the first sounds of "Spring", as is typical when interpreting Vivaldi, they hang back a bit. But not at the expense of vibrancy; the stately pace allows for a gleaming interplay to emerge between Joshua Bell and the Fields players. Their crisp dynamics bring the work’s pictorial suggestions to mind: There’s a fragile warmth during the “Adagio Molto” of “Autumn”, and a frigid contrast between the strings in the first movement from “Winter”.
- 2014
- James Barbagallo
- Antonio Janigro & Zagreb Radio Symphony Orchestra
- Alexandre Tharaud
- Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia
- Norman Shetler
- L'Estravagante