Search - Antonio Vivaldi, George Friderick Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach :: The Grand Tour - The Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze, director

This is a compilation of superb concerti--six in all--taken from four of remarkable violinist Andrew Manze's previously released CDs. The "Tempesta di mare" of Vivaldi is chock-full of picturesque sounds of nature familiar from the composer's Four Seasons; his Sinfonia for strings, though without a violin soloist, is a veritable festival of strings textures. The two Handel Concerti Grossi remain perfect examples of the genre, with a full string section offering fun-filled, energetic, and beautiful accounts of this music, and the Bach concerto for two violins (one of the few he wrote for violins and not harpsichords) brings out the virtuoso in each player. The Geminiani, based on a sonata by the composer's teacher, Corelli, is a study in darkness and light, mellowness and drama. All the performances are glorious. Those who have not become familiar with the playing of Manze, the finest Baroque violinist in the world, should buy this CD immediately; a desire for his others will certainly follow. --Robert Levine