Acclaim
Apollo's Fire, Vivaldi & Friends: La Folia & Other Concertos
<p>Vivaldi &amp; Friends</p>
<p>Apollo's Fire</p>
<p>Vivaldi &amp; Friends</p> <p>Apollo's Fire</p>
Avie Records

Under the inspired direction of Jeanette Sorrell, Apollo's Fire has become one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles, causing one to hear familiar baroque material anew - as in the arrangement here of "Summer" from "The Four Seasons" for solo harpsichord with string ensemble.

It's a noble tradition, as illustrated by the inclusion of both Bach's "Concerto in A minor for Four Harpsichords", and Vivaldi's "Concerto in B minor for Four Violins" on which it was based. But the showstopper is the vivid "La Folia": I love the strings' halting introductory bars and the way the ensemble picks up speed, building to dizzying whirls evocative of the Moorish dance it's named after.

— Andy Gill, The Independent
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