Mercury baroque's style is quite invigorating and this new CD featuring eight concertos from Vivaldi's "L'Estro Armonico" is ample evidence of their substantial capabilities in the baroque music department. This Houston based orchestra plays with devilish abandon in the 8th concerto for example whilst the famous #10 for four violins is full of panache and verve.
The CD comes without notes however and that is something of a drawback when listening to such music which does require some scholarly essay to get one into the picture. Otherwise the recording is excellent with just the right spotlight on the solo instruments and a clear sense of chamber ambience. Available from http://www.mercurybaroque.org/
Copyright © 2011, Gerald Fenech