Vivaldi Edition Operas, Vol. 1

This set of the first group of Vivaldi's operas from the Naive label is a wonderful deluxe package: A massive hardbook book (LP-size) with copious illustrations and essays in French and English; a second paperbound book (also LP-size) with all of the librettos and recording information, and a third book containing the CDs. While other reviewers have bitterly complained about the CD book, there's a secret to getting the discs back onto the foam cores: slightly spin the CD while pushing it onto the foam. It goes back on and stays securely---though I question whether this process will be repeatable very many times, so the warnings are still not without some substance.The performances are absolutely wonderful; while the HIP movement had its issues 40 or 50 years ago, these recordings demonstrate musicians comfortable with the idiom and their instruments. The sound recording on these hybrid SACDs (with a CD layer if you don't have an SACD player) is first-rate, with quiet immediacy to the voices and the instruments and continuo. I wasn't familiar with Vivaldi's operas at all, and there's much wonderful material here. My favorite is the oratorio Juditha Triumphans, which makes Bach sound sad and dismal by comparison.Regrettably, there most likely will never be a vol. 2 compiling another grouping of Vivaldi's operas, but this one is a real treasure from beginning to end. I recommend it highly to anyone who likes vocal works and or baroque music.

Completely agree with other reviews about the faulty packaging, the foam circles wear easily and once a CD is removed for the first time and replaced, it never fits snugly back in. The result is that CD's can easily fall out. This is too bad because other than that, this box set is an absolute dream!I would still highly recommend it, as someone who adores listening to Vivaldi (especially his operas). All of the performances are virtuosic, the conducting is brilliant, the sound is superb - everything is first class. You won't regret your purchase, even if you pay a mint for it, like I did.Looking forward to another edition. My only advice to Naive would be to please improve the functionality of the packaging, the rest of the design itself and everything else was breathtaking. Bonus points for whomever thought of the hot, Schiaparelli pink font on the front cover.

The previous reviewer is accurate that the singing on these sets is wonderful, but the discs come in a large slip case that is meant to be opulent. However, the discs are held in place with foam circles. Once you take a disc out of the set, the foam circles do not hold the discs firmly in. They move in the packaging. They can easily be damaged by accident. It was a seemingly good idea and the packaging looks nice, but a customer is better getting them individually or in a different kind of packaging.

Write in the center of my music shelf, right at the heart of my collection. I return to it almost nightly as a tonic and refresher of my spirits and soul. Not a weak note or vapid passage or limp piece in this connection

I'm not ready to review these performances, except to say that they are uniformly brilliant, not all by the same ensembles, and quite a lot more expensive if purchased separately.The nine operas included on the 27 CDs are: L'Orlando finto pazzo, RV 727 Juditha triumphans, RV 645Tito Manlio, RV 738 (currently my favorite)La verità in cimento, RV 739Orlando furioso, RV 728L'Atenaide, RV 702Il Farnace, RV 711L'Olimpiade, RV 725Griselda, RV 718The 28th disk in the box is a DVD documenting the whole production concept. If you want a preview of the singing quality, I suggest you go to youtube and search for some of the singers - Jaroussky, Piau, Lemieux for starters - and conductor Jean-Cristophe Spinosi.

Obviously this was a one-off bargain at around £30 for the set, but even at full price there are few who would dispute that the Naive Vivaldi recording project has not provided us with some of the best performances of the operas. Given the academic seriousness with which Naive has gone about putting their project together, some may be slightly irritated by the rather coffee table approach of this 'deluxe' set which provides a lovely hard-back book of enthusiastic but not particularly analytical essays, and beautiful photos of Venice. It was a bit of surprise (nice though) to find that this box set, ostensibly of CDs, was of LP big box set dimensions.

Die im Rahmen der englischen Rezension angegebene Inhaltsangabe stimmt. Wobei die "Farnace" eine von Jordi Savall eingespielte Version bei Alia Vox von 2001 ist (was deren Wert keineswegs schmälert!). Ich will hier nicht all zu viel Worte über die musikalische Qualität verlieren, sondern verweise hier auf die Rezensionen zu den einzelnen bei dem Label Naive herausgegebenen Opern, die jede für sich ein Erlebnis und allein schon daher den Kauf dieser Box rechtfertigen würde.Dazu kommt diese Box jedoch noch in einer absoluten Luxusausgabe daher, sowohl äußerlich als auch vom Inhalt. Sie ist riesig und entsprechend schwer. Beigefügt ist ein mehr als ausführliches Beibuch mit Fotos von Venedig sowie Originalmanuskripten von Vivaldi plus ganzseitigen Abbildungen der Originalcover. Es gibt jede Menge Zusatzinformationen zu den einzelnen Werken, Einführungstexte etc. Darüberhinaus ein separates Beiheft mit den gesamten Libretti. Also wer da als Vivaldi-Liebhaber nicht zugreift, ist selber schuld. Der einzige Wermutstropfen mag für manche sein, dass die Texte nur in französisch und englisch sind. Nichts desto trotz eine absolute Kaufempfehlung (und zwar schnell, solange der Preis bei amazon noch so sagenhaft günstig ist - das bleibt sicher nicht so!)

Un'edizione di lusso da regalare o da regalarsi, perché all'interno c'è tutto il Vivaldi operista interpretato da specialisti del settore con Ensemble di strumenti antichi e voci perfettamente intonate al progetto. La casa discografica che propone questo cofanetto è la Naive, conosciuta come etichetta dalle incisione perfette, nulla sfuggirà all'ascoltatore con questa pulizia di registrazione, nemmeno i sospiri.

Probablemente lo peor sea lo aparatoso del formato (tipo vinilo), muy difícil de manejar y de leer con aprovechamiento. Por lo demás, la selección es excelente, las óperas muy buenos y la calidad de los intérpretes roza altos niveles en todo momento de las grabaciones.

Prezzo decisamente basso per una raccolta di 9 magnifiche opere di Vivaldi!Peccato solo che il supporto che regga il cd all'interno del libro sia particolarmente fragile e instabile (basta poco affinché si stacchi). Questo pezzo è davvero un must per chi ama Vivaldi e la musica barocca.Aspetto che esca il secondo cofanetto con altre opere!