Rachel Podger, Arte Dei Suonatori – Vivaldi: La Stravaganza Opus 4 (2003) Hi-Res

These performances of Vivaldi's La Stravaganza--a collection of 12 violin concertos--are truly extravagant. They're not designed to be listened to in one sitting and shouldn't be: it's not the sameness of the orchestration which might get in the way, it's the intensity with which Vivaldi composed them and the manner in which the remarkable Rachel Podger plays them. Fans of Andrew Manze will love Podger for similar reasons. Both are virtuosi, both have a spectacular innate rhythm which allows them to riff while never falling out of the structure of the particular moment they're embellishing. And as similar as the formula of these concertos tends to be, there are magnificent surprises: Listen to the weird opening movement of the D minor concerto--its odd opening lines sound nothing like Vivaldi. The players backing her up are a Polish original instrument group called Arte dei Suonatori, and apparently working without a conductor, they're terrific. The sound is amazingly big and rich. Oh yes--the set's a bargain, too. This is very exciting music-making and highly recommended. -- Robert Levine