You have to love it, I think, Janine Jansen with Amsterdam Sinfonietta on 11 September in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. Very much hustle, exaggerated fast tempi and portamenti, as a result of the will to impress above all through pure virtuosity, with the music itself taking a back seat. The enthusiasm on stage met that of the audience in the hall and the reviews in the daily press. No wonder, for spectacle unfortunately often comes before content.
With Amandine Beyer the course runs quite the other way around, happily, with her and her ensemble content comes first, apparently from the thought: virtuosity will then come of itself, as this re-release shows crystal clear. It is nothing but tone painting in optima forma, without nature having to run wild for it.
This – admittedly, almost over-played – piece of course requires great virtuosity from all players, it is even a basic requirement, bearing in mind that in Vivaldi's (Venetian) time such playing had never been shown before. He must have been a great virtuoso on his own instrument – contemporaries have reported on it.
Le quattro stagioni is one of the earliest known examples of typical programme music, with the form of the sonnet as its musical foundation (it cannot be ruled out that Vivaldi wrote the text himself).
Beyer and her Gli Incogniti play these so vividly imagined pieces with the necessary bravura, but cleverly measured, detailed and balanced. Not a trace of exaggerated gesticulation detracts from this so delightful music, in which insects buzz, birds circle around, dogs bark, donkeys bray, leaves rustle, rain and icy snow play their natural role. The many magical effects come to life in this interpretation in sublime fashion; so much so that it may be counted among the very best in the catalogue. Beyer chose the well-known printed edition from 1725 (the Le Cène edition), in conjunction with the manuscript from Manchester, whose articulation differs considerably.
Vivaldi did not compose the work in Venice, but in Mantua, for a small ensemble that must have consisted of exceptionally good musicians. The latter is evident, among other things, from the way he distributed the technically demanding passages among virtually all the musicians.
Although the cover suggests otherwise, happily it does not stop at 'merely' the four violin concertos that together form Le quattro stagioni: three more concerti have been added (RV 372 was still a 'world premiere recording' at the time of the recording), bringing the total playing time to 71 minutes. In performances that cannot possibly be improved. The excellent recording also makes this re-release a true sonic feast. Top!