Rachel Podger - Vivaldi: 12 Concertos, Op. 3 "L'Estro Armonico" (2015) [SACD]

L'estro armonico, the title of Vivaldi's first published collection of concertos, is commonly translated into English as "harmonic fancy." However, the word oestrus actually means "heat, stimulus, vehement impulse or frenzy" - a better allusion to the startling passion and energy of these twelve concertos, which are widely considered to be among the most influential Baroque orchestral music ever written. Following on their successful and widely acclaimed releases of Vivaldi's La Cetra and La Stravaganza, this release by Rachel Podger and her ensemble Brecon Baroque captures all of the vitality and freshness of Vivaldi's invention: its rhythmic energy, melodic and harmonic intensity, textural sensuousness, technical brilliance and dramatic flair.