205 “7 with one stroke!” Concertos by Antonio Vivaldi

Reviews

1. blu-ray definition – February 23, 2015

   –> original review
   (…)

   The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra receives its musical direction in this recording from Ariadne Daskalakis, a well-recognized Baroque violin specialist with an established concert career as both soloist and concertmaster. In piece after piece, the seamless ensemble work and spot-on pacing reflect the long association between many of the players and their familiarity and love for this music.

   Tacet sound engineer Andreas Spreer surrounds the listener with the high strings to the right and left, a theorbo in the center, and the lower strings to the rear right and left channels. When they are needed, keyboards (organ or harpsichord) take the rear center position. There is a natural warmth to these instruments that is quite like that expected in live performance and while the two-channel version is quite beautiful, the “real surround” 5.1 version is much more engaging and highlights the various players perfectly.
   (…)

   This Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra recital provides brilliant examples of how this composer was able to highlight the soloists while never compromising the integrity of the ensemble. Beautifully performed and recorded, another highly recommended Blu-ray audio from the Tacet catalog.
   Lawrence D. Devoe

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2. Classical CD Choice – December 13, 2014

   Forget the gimmicky title of the disc; this is a superlative collection of Vivaldi concerti delivered with affection, in which the listener (as is customary with the Tacet label) is placed via complete surround sound directly in the centre of the musicians, will be rear channels used for individual instruments rather than to provide concert hall ambience. There are those object to this strategy, but there is no denying the immense effectiveness of this immersive experience – and naysayers could consider that this is how the musicians themselves experience a performance. The players have the absolute measure of Vivaldi, as in the sister recording of The Four Seasons from the same company, which equally does justice to the familiar counterpoint, allowing individual stands strands to be heard with maximum clarity (and as a codicil, Tacet’s issue of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos also deserves a hearty welcome).
   Barry Forshaw

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3. Sächsische Zeitung Dresden – March 4, 2014

   In the midst of it, not just present

   How can music be brought even closer to listeners? TACET is the German record company that most persistently experiments with all kinds of sound discs. In addition to stereo media CD and LP, the audiophile label offers SACD, DVD-Audio, and Blu-ray Audio with multichannel surround recordings. The Blu-ray is used on the home theater system and allows a choice between two-channel and six-channel versions. It has space for about two and a half hours of music. The screen shows only the tracklist, so it can remain dark. However, the music fills the room in an unprecedented way. Following Mozart with the wind serenade known as “Gran Partita” and Ravel including Bolero, Pavane, and Tzigane, TACET now presents the multi-award-winning cycle of Haydn’s string quartets. The latest release includes the six masterpieces of Opus 76, including the so-called Emperor Quartet: The listener sits between the instruments, with the violins in front, viola and cello behind. Unless, of course, the listener turns around. Here, the customer is literally an emperor.
   Jens Sommerschuh

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