Search - Vivaldi, Loussier :: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

An Incredible Performance by a Virtuoso

Frank Wortner | 02/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jacques Loussier takes so little, a piano trio, and through his arrangements and inspired playing makes it seem like so much more. The jazz adds "flavoring" to the Vivaldi without losing its essence. The result sounds right: not forced, but carefully crafted, almost as if "The Four Seasons" had originally been meant as a jazz trio piece. Loussier's playing is stunning from the first movement of "Spring" to the last of "Winter." The recording itself sounds great."

The Perfect Marriage

Oliver Towne | Riverside, CA United States | 10/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know how you could better fuse the aesthetics of baroque and jazz. Loussier isn't trying to reproduce Vivaldi's original score in a jazz style (even if that's possible, I don't know why you'd want to--the original chamber orchestra version is just fine), but instead uses the music as a foundation for building something new. The result is smooth and sophisticated, improvisational in character as jazz should be, yet faithful to the melodies, moods and dynamics of each of the "Four Season's" twelve movements. Right from the opening phrases of "Spring"--a melody that nearly everyone in the Western World over the age thirty must have heard at least once in their life, if only on a TV commercial--we know that something is up. Loussier eases into the highly recognizable tune in a way that fools us--wait, a second, this isn't the "Four Season's"--until we see how he has cleverly taken the essence of the melody and showed it to us in a different way. As a result we are rewarded both with a skilled musician's insight on the music theory underlying Vivaldi's creation, as well as a listening experience that can be enjoyed for itself. If you want to, you can make a game of following the original themes as they surface throughout the movements. But if you are unfamiliar with the complete "Four Seasons," you can just pretend it's a whole new piece of music.I find the length and pacing of the movements to be ideally suited for a jazz album, and the work of all three musicians consistently tasteful and inventive--something I cannot say unequivocally about the 40th Anniversary "Bach Book" album. I hate to speak in terms of absolutes, but at the moment I am inclined to proclaim this my favorite Jacques Loussier CD. But who knows? It could change with the next."

Another gorgeous Loussier reinvention

Charlotte Vale-Allen | CT USA | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Decades ago, starting with "Play Bach," I have loved Loussier's interpretations of Bach classics in a respectfully inventive re-rendering of the music in jazz. It was "fusion" in its earliest form--honoring the old form by retaining parts of the classical style and offering other parts in jazz improvisation.Now, to my delight, I've just found his interpretation of "The Four Seasons" and it's pure pleasure. Loussier is the consummate musician/composer and he gives the Vivaldi that is so familiar a different spin that makes the Seasons entirely new.Whether you love classic or jazz, or both, don't miss this CD. You'll hear something new and inspired each time you play it.
Most highly recommended."