Vivaldi Edition Philips

Vivaldi Edition by Philips, featuring I Musici and Vittoria Negri ★★★★★
I’m a Vivaldi fan, but he is not in my top 5 composers of all time. Our friend J.S. Bach was far better endowed by our creator with the gift of music, and Bach remains the greatest musician that ever tread on terra firma. Ever. Yet, the fact that Bach listened to the music of Vivaldi, and often wrote modifications of Vivaldi, suggests that even Bach held Vivaldi’s music in the highest regard. This 29 CD set is no longer available, and that is a great shame since this is the best performance one will ever get of Vivaldi. Between such performers as I Musici and the artistic direction of Vittoria Negri, you will never hear Vivaldi in a better light. It is a pity that the only piece that is usually performed by Vivaldi is his Four Seasons, as so much of his instrumental pieces have deep charm and compositional brilliance. It is even a more serious pity that virtually none of his choral music is widely known, as Vivaldi’s choral (sacred) music excels in his instrumental pieces. How could one not be deeply moved by the brilliance of his Dixit Dominus, Nisi Dominus, his Glorias, etc? Vivaldi via Vittoria Negri is an absolute must for the discriminating listener. Make every effort possible to get copies of these performances and you will be greatly blessed through listening to them.