KEY POINTS:
Naive Records is the French label behind the dazzling Vivaldi operas that are being brought out of their musicological closets and served up with chic cover art and sparkling performances.
Continuing its commitment to releasing the complete Vivaldi on disc, Naive has turned to the Cello Concertos, the first collection featuring the estimable Christophe Coin in the happiest of harmony with the music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico.
Listening to seven works in sequence, one marvels at the ingenuity of the Italian composer, too often written off as an exponent of Baroque free-flow.
The finale of the first A minor work is poised on a four-bar mantra, fading away with an exquisite decrescendo. It is not hard to detect a "Spanish shuffle" in the allegro that launches the F major work and, of the seven slow movements, the minor lament of the D major has Coin lingering poetically over the delicate plucking of Luca Pianca's theorbo.
While guitar recitals are a safe haven on the perilous seas of the classical CD market, lute recitals are somewhat rarer.
Hopkinson Smith is one of the world's leading lutenists and features five different instruments on his latest Naive outing, along with a Spanish vihuela and Baroque guitar.
These recordings range over 24 years and are an excellent tempter for the American's considerable back catalogue.
We can savour his acclaimed Bach transcriptions, including a memorable adagio from the G minor Sonata for solo violin.
Renaissance samplings range from a folksy Bransle by Pierre Attaingnant to a more stately Romanesca from the Spaniard Alonso Mudarra, played on the bright-toned vihuela. A Tarantella by Gaspar Sanz is an enjoyable strum on the Baroque guitar.
Smith does not have the disc all to himself. A sighing largo by the 18th-century German Bernhard Joachim Hagen features him in chamber music mode with string quartet.
This engrossing collection is more than a stylish stroll through past successes; dedicated to the late Michael Bernstein, founder of the acclaimed Astree label, it reminds us how the faith and commitment of a few individuals allow us the privilege of having such fine recordings.
