Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni - Giuliano Carmignola (2LP, 45RPM, Half-speed Mastering)
Regular price
€95,00
VAT included in price for European Union countries, may be adjusted based on delivery country at check out.
Average shipping time : 2 to 4 working days. Shipping is free within European Union (except for specific territories) above 99€ purchase up to 50kg. Shipping costs on quote above 50kg – quote request to be send to : contact@audiosoundmusic.com. No return policy for countries outside of European Union
WE CANNOT COMMIT ON A DELIVERY DATE FOR PRE-ORDER VINYL & CD/SACD
It may take a few months for Labels to issue pre-order vinyl & CD/SACD
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Antonio Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni
Violin – Giuliano Carmignola
Ensemble Sonatori De La Gioiosa Marca
Violin – Giorgio Fava, Luigi Mangiocavallo
Archlute – Giancarlo Rado
Cello – Walter Vestidello
Double Bass – Alberto Rasi
Harpsichord – Andrea Marcon
Viola – Enrico Parizzi
2 LP, Gatefold jacket
Limited to 500 copies
Original analog Master tape : NO (Digital Recording)
Half-speed mastering
Heavy Press : 180g HQ premium vinyl
Record color : Black
Speed : 45RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas in Germany
Label : Audionautes Recordings
Original Label : Divox
Recorded March and October 1992 at S. Vigilio Church, Col. S. Martino, Treviso
Engineered and mixed by Michael Seberich
Produced by Fabio Camorani
Mastered by Stan Ricker at Stan Ricker Mastering
Originally released in 1994
Reissued in 2023
Tracks :
Side A: Le Printemps/La Primavera, op. 8 No. 1 RV 269
- I. Allegro
- II. Largo e pianissimo sempre
- III. Danza pastorale, Allegro
Side B: L'Ete/L'Estate, op. 8 No. 2 RV 315
- I. Allegro non molto
- II. Adagio
- III. Presto
Side C: L'Automne/L'Autunno, op. 8 No. 3 RV 293
- I. Allegro
- II. Adagio
- III. Allegro
Side D: L'Hiver/L'Inverno, op. 8 No. 4 RV 297
- I. Allegro non molto
- II. Largo
- III. Allegro
Reviews :
“Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" composed in 1723 is an enduring set of four violin concertos so popular and oft-played that even folks who are not fans of classical music will recognize it—especially the opener “La Primavera” (“Spring”).
As with Pachelbel's Canon in D played at every wedding known to mankind and probably at some divorces too, “The Four Seasons" has probably been in more movies than John Wayne but probably in fewer than Pachelbel's Canon.
Each of the four pieces relates to one season and each contains musical allusions to the particular season’s events and meteorological phenomena. You can hear rain, snow, thunder, dogs “barking”, breezes blowing etc.
"The Four Seasons" is a musical staple that can almost always be found among a classical music lover's collection and while the more into classical music one is, the less likely he or she is to regularly play it, “The Four Seasons” makes a fine and easy portal into becoming a classical music enthusiast.
This particular version issued by the Italian label (and who better?) AudioNautes, was recorded back in 1992 in the picturesque Col San Martino, Church of San Vigilio performed by Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca a group formed in 1982 in the Northern Italian city of Treviso, part of which is within the Venetian walls. The ensemble performs on authentic period instruments. The violin soloist Giuliano Carmignola plays a Pietro Guarnari violin.
The reissue producer Fabio Camorani, who also is a high performance audio manufacturer, licensed the title from the Swiss Divox label and set about getting the most from the master tape, which was a DAT tape. The engineer, Michael Seberich used four Schoeps microphones and a custom mic preamp and an Apogee AD1000 A/D, D/A converter.
Now, the reason Mr. Camorani chose to reissue this particular recording is because of both the fluidity and depth of the performances and its superb sonics aided by the church’s wonderful acoustics. (…) As for the sonics here, Cameroon transferred the DAT tape to analog reel-to-reel analogue tape using a proprietary DAC and Telefunken and Studer recorders but ultimately chose to use the DAT master tape and let veteran mastering engineer Stan Ricker use his DAC with which he’s most familiar.
Now before you go all hysterical on me about a digital recording transferred to vinyl, remember: when digital recording started what was the first piece of gear many studios began buying? Right! Tube compressors and equalizers. The sound was too sterile, even if it was “accurate” to the microphone. Microphones generally are not all that great. Stuffing a large symphony orchestra or a smaller baroque chamber group for that matter down the “throats” of a few microphones is conceptually and practically ridiculous, doubly so if you consider the results somehow sacrosanct. It’s all about signal processing!
So if transferring a DAT tape to lacquer can produce a record that sounds more life-like than the original DAT tape, there’s nothing wrong with doing so and plenty right just as digital recordings can often be “improved” by running them through some tube gear.
Anyway, Stan cut the lacquers at 45rpm on his Neumann VMS-66 lathe and SX-74 cutter head using custom Keith O. Johnson electronics and was damn happy with the results.
Ricker warns of mis-tracking if everything’s not set-up just so. I like to think I have that accomplished but I had one tiny “whoops” on side four that nothing could correct but otherwise the sound was flawless as were the four sides pressed at Pallas.
As for the recording, it’s spacious and not at all overtly “digital” in the negative sense. You will hear richer studio recordings but that’s mostly because of the controlled environment. Here you have natural, reflective acoustics. Close your eyes and it is church-like, though utmost clarity and inner detail is well-maintained. A bit more tonal richness would be welcomed.
Still, the balance between the instruments and the reverberant venue is nearly ideal. Just don’t turn the volume up to unnaturally high SPLs. You’re not sitting in the front row.
I don’t claim to be a classical music expert but it’s clear this group is filled with great talent. The playing is lusciously fluid and emotionally evocative, as you’d expect from Italians playing homey music. And as the excellent bassist Ricker says, “They are really playing their parts, not just faking it on the really tough writing.” I suppose a professional classical music critic might have come up with some other words, but those will suffice!" Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet
Half-speed mastering
In half-speed mastering, the whole mastering process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Rating:
Discogs : 4.57 / 5 ; Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet : Music 9 / 11 , Sound 8 / 11