Building Your Library: Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Yes, I'm really doing this. "Do we really need a recommendation for this hackneyed, oft-recorded equivalent of classical pop music?" you may ask. To which I reply laconically, yes. The music for this set of concerti can be extremely stimulating if one finds the right recording, completely different from the performances we often hear in commercials for real estate, hotels, and Chinese buffets. To help me weed out the 200+ recordings that are currently commercially available, let me set down some exclusion parameters in my considerations.

The first is I am only looking into recordings made after the year 2000. While there have been good historical albums made by violinist such as Arthur Grumiaux, Salvatore Accardo, and Isaac Stern, their performances tend to be to rather straight-laced, as if their playing against a metronome. The sound quality is also usually pretty dry, suffering from the dated acoustic engineering from the time. This also means I am not considering recordings made during 1985-2000. This 15 year span seems to be a renaissance/transition period of sorts for historically-informed performances (HIP), which redefined the tempi of Baroque pieces to be quicker overall and made the use of ornamentations more prevalent. As such, there sounds to be a lot of experimenting with what works and what does not and, unfortunately, none of the recordings made around these years stand out in my listening sessions. Lastly, I am not giving any consideration to recordings that transcribed the solo part for other instruments (e.g. recording, guitar, etc.) because the majority are tacky and none of the transcriptions are particularly successful.

To decide which recordings I like, I listen specifically for three thins, besides from how well the soloists plays. The first is the soloist's choice in tempo. The pace of the outer movements in older recordings are oftentimes border on moderato rather than a true allegro. The detraction in tempo leads to a loss of the music's kinetic feel, which is what makes these pieces so appealing. The second is the use of ornamentations. Especially in the slow movements, the changes in harmony are separated by long melodic lines, which makes the transitions less awkward. However, the soloist must be sure not to be overzealous in the improvisations; it should be classy (for the lack of a better word) and refrain from egregious and excessive flights of fancy. The last thing is the energy of the orchestra. Nothing is better in Baroque music than an orchestra playing with a ton of spunk and sounding like they're having fun.

The past 3 years have produced a number of new recordings of the Four Seasons. Of the ones that are not as successful include recordings by Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, and Lara St. John. While they are all well-recorded acoustically, something is lacking in their playing and fails to maintain my interest. It sounds as if they wish to play in a "Modern Baroque" style (Baroque tempi/improvisations/mannerism, but on modern instruments) but do not embrace the style fully enough to make a convincing or compelling recording.

On the other hand, relatively unknown  Amandine Beyer's 2008 recording is great. A HIP recording, her performance is focused more on clarity and sharp articulation. While the slow movement to Winter is a bit hard on the ear, this minor complaint is absolved by the finales, where the textures and details vividly pop off the music.

There have been outlandish recordings as well. Nigel Kennedy's 2004 recording comes to mind. His first recording that he made in 1989 was somewhat revolutionary (both in the positive and negative sense), where his brash style of playing focused more on creating the effects rather than making the music mellifluous. The newer recording is more of the same, where Kennedy takes liberty in adding unwritten crescendos, encourages the orchestra to dig in frequently, and plays with eccentric phrasing. Not totally my cup of tea, but if worth a hear if you can borrow a copy.

By far the oddest version I've heard is the recording by Terje Tønnesen. If Kennedy's readings were only mildly offensive, the unconventionality of Tønnesen's recording might insult listeners enough to drive them to murder. For example, in the last movement of Summer when the thunderstorm arrives, he starts the music with a timpani roll followed by the tamtam.

Now take a listen to what he does in the last movement of Autumn. In the music, hunters and hounds are chasing a wild animal during the annual hunt. Below is the portion where the animal is attempting to escape the hounds and dodge the bullets from the hunters.

While the results are novel, the authenticity of the music is no where near Vivaldi's intent. But again, another curious recording if you can get a hold of a copy.

JEFF RECOMMENDS

For a recording of the Four Seasons on modern instruments, there can be none better than Janine Jansen's 2004 reading with her friends and family accompanying. You can hear that there is a meaning behind everything she does. Her phrasing is thoughtful, illuminating the programmatic nature of the music through her bow rather than kitschy outside effects. Her tempi are perfect for the Modern Baroque approach, and her improvisations are organic without sounding indulgent. While some people dislike Jansen because her playing can be over-the-top at times, her style is perfectly suited for these pieces and will be one of the best available for some time to come.

For a HIP recording, Giuliano Carmignola's newer recording made in 2000 remains king. In true HIP fashion, his tempi are fast even compared to other Baroque recordings. But never does the music sound frantic or on the verge of spinning out of control. The production in tone and assurance in intonation is absolutely firm in Carmignola's hands. Not needing to worry about the performance crashing and burning, listeners can allow the kinetic fury to overtake them, making their eyes dilate in excitement. At a budget price, this recording is a must-have for any collector.