THE famed American violinist offers a highly personal, Romantic, picturesque view of Vivaldi's over-exposed work, a novelty in these authentic Baroque performance-driven days.
Nothing is tired or hackneyed and there is much intoxicating, perfectly-tuned solo playing from Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields strings, which sound weighty and warm.
Everything has rhythmic textural clarity, is crisp and extremely i
nfectious – witness a bucolic account of Autumn's third movement, while slow sections lean towards Romantic introspection, Bell unashamedly caressing Winter's largo.
As a bonus, he offers Tartini's 'Devil's Trill Sonata' with harpsichordist John Constable and the whole comes luxuriously packaged.
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