ANTONIO VIVALDI Violin Concertos, Vol. 3

Concertos in A, RV 352, in G, RV 307, in E, RV 268, in G Minor, RV 333, in D, RV 210, in G, RV 312 and in A, RV 350.

Duilio M. Galfetti (violin),
I Barocchisti/Diego Fasolis

Naïve: OP 30474

Naïve is working its way through the 90-odd Vivaldi violin concertos, and the theme of this third volume is Dance (Il ballo).

Well-known and little-known concertos mingle, and there are strong contrasts to disarm people who know the old adage that 'Vivaldi wrote the same concerto five hundred times'...

Here there is a strange one in G minor, with an 'enigmatic sombre character'( Diulio Galfetti) and an unusual, rather different version of RV 210 is recorded from a manuscript in which Vivaldi made several adjustments and revisions.

I've enjoyed hearing several of them through and recommend it for a fresh approach, with fine virtuosic performances, clean recording and good notes plus interviews with conductor and soloist.

Few other than devoted afficionados will buy them all; a good case for following the example of Nimbus, who have organised all Haydn's 100 symphonies compactly on eight mp3 discs, transferred at at 320 kbps which ensures that the sound is indistinguishable from CD quality.

At the right time, some years after completion of their Vivaldi Edition, Naïve might find that doing the same for Vivaldi's 90 violin concertos would receive a comparable welcome.

Peter Grahame Woolf