Vivaldi: La tempesta di mare & Concerti con titoli

You say your favorite Vivaldi passage is the Four Seasons summer storm? Well, here's a disc for you. Fabio Biondi and the Europa Galante (known to many for their bestselling Seasons disc) focus on concerti con titoli, the titled concertos the Red Priest wrote that are full of inventive drama and expression. Writing for his student orchestra, the composer employed plenty of creativity in his instrumentation, and, as evidenced on a few tracks here, he wasn't beyond recycling motifs from his older works. But just give this exciting disc a listen. The Concerto funebre (RV 579) is sweet, yet somber; the six-movement La notte (RV 439) is weird and ominous; and the stormy seas of La tempesta di mare really come alive in Europa Galante's hands. Biondi and his ensemble never try to steal the show from these works; they let the music speak for itself. Some period-instrument groups sound a little ragged, but this one gets it just right and delivers a knockout, taut performance. A great disc for Baroque lovers.