What a great coupling: Vivaldi's two best-known sonatas for two violins with basso continuo, plus his four less-well-known sonatas for two violins without basso continuo. Superbly played by
Ensemble 415 -- violinists
Chiara Banchini and Véronique Méjean, cellist Käthi Gohl, and harpsichordist Jesper Christensen -- both sets of works prove immediately and equally attractive. The 11-minute, single-movement "La Follia" Sonata that opens the disc is as gutsy and virtuosic a performance as one could ask for, while the four-movement D minor Sonata that follows is as richly hued and deeply felt as the finest of the competition. But even better are the four sonatas for just two violins. Each three-movement work is itself a delight. Vivaldi's writing is always inventive, always versatile, and always supremely lyrical. And each performance is a charmer. The contrast between
Banchini lean lone and smooth legato and Méjean's big tone and brusque attack is striking, especially without basso continuo; but the unity of the ensemble and the wit of the interpretations is enchanting. Anyone who enjoys Vivaldi's violin concertos will surely enjoy this disc. Recorded in 1991, Harmonia Mundi's digital sound here is close, clear, and very vivid.