Collegium Musicum 90, Simon Standage - Vivaldi: String Concertos, Vol. 2 (2001) CD-Rip

With this album, Simon Standage continues his survey of the 40 odd concertos for strings by Vivaldi. As with period practice, winds are added to a few of the works. The continuo consists of harpsichord and guitar, the latter a very appealing sounding period instrument. There is less unity of mood on this album than on Volume 1 of this series. Instead, one is prone to gasp at Vivaldi's prodigious invention. There is never any let up in the profusion of fresh ideas and interesting orchestration. The Collegium Musicum 90 plays with great spirit but never any coarseness. Standage's tempos never dawdle, but nothing ever seems rushed for virtosity's sake. Standage seems to have enormous respect for this music, even if it is one of the more obscure aspects of Vivaldi's genius. The sound engineering, as usual for Chandos, is excellent.