La Petite Bande . Sigiswald Kuijken

The unknown is here to be found alongside the hugely popular. Antonio Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' are baroque evergreens, but it is only too rare that one reflects on the tremendous musical quality of these four violin concertos. What is much more important than the unprecedented virtuoso writing for the soloist and the highly descriptive nature of each concerto is Vivaldi's inexhaustible imagination and the original way he gives shape to each section, without once lapsing into repetition. The intermezzo 'La Furba e lo Sciocco' (The Artful Woman and the Lunatic) by the Neapolitan composer Domenico Sarro (1679-1744) is utterly unknown but extraordinarily lively. This is not a concert but a scenic performance, directed by Béatrice Cramoix and including authentic baroque dances by Sigrid T'Hooft and Barnhard Gertsch. Sarro's vivacious comical music clearly marks the first steps towards undermining the baroque ideal: it is not counterpoint that dominates, but the emotional and singable melody. Sarro thus shows himself to be a contemporary of Pergolesi and a kindred spirit.