During the period of his apprenticeship in Nicola Amati's workshop, Stradivari began to modify the form of the instruments he was constructing, first by reducing the dimensions of the arching and then - during a period of intense experimentation - by changing the position of the sound-holes, the dimensions of the entire resonance chamber, the working of the scroll, the thickness of the wood...

• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl
• Double LP 45rpm
• Gatefold Cover
• Gold Foil Accent & OBI Strip
• Made in Japan

Omaggio A Stradivari = A tribute to Stradivari = Hommage à Stradivari

Recorded live at the 5th Cremona Festival, during the International Week of Chamber Music in Naples.

This 45rpm 180g audiophile vinyl 2LP features the 1987 performance of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons by violinist Salvatore Accardo.

A Tribute to Stradivari:

"During the period of his apprenticeship in Nicola Amati's workshop, Stradivari began to modify the form of the instruments he was constructing, first by reducing the dimensions of the arching and then - during a period of intense experimentation - by changing the position of the sound-holes, the dimensions of the entire resonance chamber, the working of the scroll, the thickness of the wood, and, most important, the chemical composition of the varnish coating.

"But it is at the beginning of the new century that his violins attain their greatest elegance of design and best sound quality: this 'golden age' saw not only the perfection of formal design and choice of dimensions, but also extreme care in the choice and treatment of materials, so that a quality and ease of sound production was achieved that, even today, remains a paragon for violin-makers and is highly regarded by the most famous violinists.

"Some of the most splendid of these instruments have been chosen by Salvatore Accardo for this concert of music by Vivaldi recorded live at the fifth Cremona Festival. In particular, Accardo has decided to highlight the qualities peculiar to some of them by allowing them to be heard as solo instruments one after the other in the famous series of four concertos by Vivaldi, 'Le quattro stagioni.' Taken from the collection 'Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'invenzione,' Op. 8, these concertos may be regarded as Vivaldi's most serious attempt to obtain new sonorities and variety of effects within the traditional form of the concerto gross; thus they represent the perfect showcase for the sound qualities of the solo instruments." - from liner notes by Luca Tutino: English translation by Michael Ferris

This recording features performances on instruments made by the famous Antonio Stradivari:

"La Primavera" (Spring) features the 1715 Stradivari violin known as "Il Cremonese", once owned by Joseph Jochim and now in the possession of the City of Cremona.

"L'estate" (Summer) features the 1727 Stradivari violin known as the "Ex-Raynier".

"L'autunno" (Autumn) features the 1718 Stradivari violin known as "Firebird".

"L'inverno" (Winter) features the ex Francescatti 1727 Stradivari violin known as the "Hart".

All three of these instruments are (or were at the time) owned by Accardo, who brings the particular qualities of each of the four instruments to full effect in these works.

Musicians:

Salvatore Accardo - violin 1

I Solisti Delle Settimane Internazionali di Napoli:

Margaret Batjer (RV 551, solo III) - violini
Sylvie Gazeau (RV 580, solo III) - violini
Ida Levin (RV 551, solo II) - violini
Victor Martin (RV 580, solo IV) - violini
Mariana Sirbu (RV 580, solo II) - violini
Alfonso Ghedin - viole
Toby Hoffman - viole
Rocco Filippini - violoncelli
Peter Wiley - violoncelli
Francho Petracchi - contrabbasso
Bruno Canino - clavicembalo

Track Listing:

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Le Quattro Stagioni

SIDE A:
CONCERTO N. 1 IN MI MAGGIORE, RV 269 IN E. E-DUR. EN MI "LA PRIMAVERA"
Allegro
Largo
Allegro (Danza pastorale)
CONCERTO N. 2 IN SOL MINORE, RV315 IN G MINOR, G-MOLL. EN SOL "L'ESTATE"
Allegro non molto
Allegro

SIDE B:
Adagio - Presto - Adagio
Presto (Tempo impetuoso d'estate)
CONCERTO N. 3 IN FA MAGGIORE, RV 293 IN F. F-DUR. EN FA "L'AUTUNNO"
Allegro (Ballo, e canto de'villanelli)
Adagio molto (Ubriachi dormienti)
Allegro (La caccia)

SIDE C:
CONCERTO N. 4 IN FA MINORE, RV 297 IN F MINOR. F-MOLL. EN FA "L'INVERNO"
Allegro non molto
Largo
Allegro
CONCERTO IN SI MINORE, RV 580 IN B MINOR. H-MOLL. EN SI - PER 4 VIOLINI, ARCHI E CONTINUO
Allegro
Largo

SIDE D:
Larghetto - Adagio - Largo - Allegro
CONCERTO IN FA MAGGIORE, RV 551 IN F. F-DUR. EN FA - PER 3 VIOLINI, ARCHI E CONTINUO
Allegro
Andante
(Allegro)

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫