Les Violons du Roy, Jean-Marie Zeitouni - Piazzólla: Las Cuatro Estaciones porteñas, Milonga Del Ángel, La Muerta Del Ángel (2006)

The juxtaposition of Astor Piazzolla and Antonio Vivaldi may at first seem like an unusual artistic decision. But after listening to this arrangement of Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, which includes direct quotes from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the synthesis seems very natural. Also changed from the original, the use of solo violin and string orchestra is very successful and provides exciting byplay between the soloist and accompaniment.
Both violin soloist Pascale Giguère and string ensemble Les Violons du Roy do an admirable job of bringing passion, fire, and perspicacity to works of both Piazzolla and Bragato. Fast sections, such as the fugal "Muerte del Angel," are extremely precise and at times even pleasantly aggressive. The "Spring" movement of the Four Seasons is quite sensual, even slinky. The high-quality SACD recording surrounds the listener with plenty of nuance and detail, from gritty sul ponticello playing to percussively knocking on the instruments. This album is a welcome addition to both fans of Piazzolla and high-quality string orchestra playing.