Vivaldi Juditha Triumphans

These 25 tracks transport you to the heart of Baroque Venice. Vivaldi was a hugely prolific composer – enjoy a selection of his 500 concertos from the incomparable Four Seasons to La Stravaganza and La tempesta di mare as well as vocal and choral works from performers such as Daniel Hope, Magdalena Kozená, Avi Avital and Trevor Pinnock.

Compilations take their fair share of justified criticism, but sometimes you just feel like listening to one type of music – maybe slow music – maybe slow Baroque music – maybe slow Vivaldi. If that happens to be the case, then this Virgin Classics album of Vivaldi certainly fits the bill and, as compilations go, is nicely put together. Of course, it wouldn't be Vivaldi if it didn't have some Four Seasons, but only four of 18 tracks are devoted to this popular work, letting listeners branch out into the breadth of Vivaldi's other compositions. Virgin Classics also does listeners a favor by using strong performances by ensembles like the London Chamber Orchestra and the Taverner Choir, and exceptional soloists like countertenor David Daniels. Even the progression of keys from one track to another seems well thought out, never jarring listeners with radical, sudden changes. While the surrounding movements of these Adagios are equally gratifying and fulfilling, anyone looking specifically for some calming, laidback Baroque music would certainly do well with this album. ~ Mike D. Brownell, Rovi

Cecilia Bartoli, Il Giardino Armonico: Viva Vivaldi (DVD) [2009]
NTSC Widescreen 1.85 | LPCM Stereo | Dolby Digital 5.1 | DTS 5.1 | 106 minutes | 6.1 Gb | DVD9
Classical | Live Concert | Language: Italian | Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian | VIDEO_TS | 5% Recovery

This is Vivaldi and the Super, Super Bartoli at their best. Flawless in performance, execution and musicianship! This album is astounding and is super because it allows me to hear and SEE!"

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest") because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instrumental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over 40 operas. His best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons.