A follow up to their album Vivaldi X2, this new offering from baroque specialists La Serenissima combines further double concerti by Antonio Vivaldi with works for violin, cello, oboe, recorder and continuo. The previous album received rave reviews including Recording of the Month from BBC Music Magazine. These are some of Vivaldi’s most colourful and joyful works, and with director Adrian Chandler at the helm listeners can look forward to further baroque excellence from this dynamic ensemble.
★★★★★ “After being obsessed by the composer and his music world for more than 30 years, Chandler by now is Vivaldi incarnate” – The Times
“You can feel the joy of playing in every bar and the historical instruments are skillfully put at the service of the cause. The soloists on the recording are all excellent and you can tell how precisely and naturally all the musicians pull together. This is a successful album that is convincing throughout.” – Pizzicato
“Another fascinating, splendidly animated album, it has the listener eagerly wanting more: let’s hope ‘Vivaldi x2³’ is on the horizon!” – Europadisc
“La Serenissima always bring a thrilling vitality and musicality to everyone they record, and this second installment of Vivaldi double concertos is right up there with their very finest releases” – Gramophone
“The playing of the solos is outstanding, the rhythmic pulse in the fast movements irresistible. This disc will make any music lover happy and I am sure anyone who has it in his or her collection will regularly return to it.” – MusicWeb International
★★★★ “This interesting compilation of the rarely performed double concertos by Antonio Vivaldi is a real enrichment for the repertoire, especially as the interpretations by the musicians of La Serenissima guarantee authentic music-making. Moreover, you can feel the joy of playing in every bar and the historical instruments are skillfully put at the service of the cause. The soloists on the recording are all excellent and you can tell how precisely and naturally all the musicians pull together. So, this is a successful album that is convincing throughout” – Pizzicato
THE 20 BEST CLASSICAL ALBUMS OF 2024, NO. 8: “The playing is forthright without being strident, and the notes are dispatched without show-off additions. A concerto for seven soloists is particularly fetching, while one with two cellos burrowing away in the depths conjures a sound world like no other” – The Times
★★★★★ Performance, ★★★★★ Recording “The pleasure associated with this playfulness is excellently demonstrated in La Serenissima’s performance: the British play here/with bite and temperament, producing a powerful robust sound, but never overshooting the mark, always paying attention to the inner stability of the rhythm…the enthusiasm that noticeably drives Adrian Chandler in his interpretations of Italian baroque music is once again, infectious” – FONO FORUM