Some interviews are hard work, some are plain good fun. When I sat down to talk to La Serenissima director and violinist Adrian Chandler for a magazine a number of years ago I quickly realised it would be the latter. But I was left with the firm impression that despite his sense of fun and adventure, here was a man with a serious purpose - one who would not be swayed from what he believed to be the right path.

It's a path that has proved to be very well chosen. As previous releases on Avie have shown, Chandler has managed to blow out of the water the curious mindset shared by some European groups and audiences that to get really in touch with a composer one must hail from the same town (or at least the same country) - an argument so ludicrous it is amazing it ever found any adherents at all. His study and performance of Italian music and that of its close allies has been intriguing to follow and refreshing to listen to.

This recording continues that study. Having explored the history of the north Italian violin concerto in a series of three previous discs, it is perhaps unsurprising that Chandler has turned back to his first love, Vivaldi. This is the second in a series focusing on a number of occasionally dubious connections between the composer and La belle France. We hear three of the Paris Concertos - probably written for a French nobleman - which display the odd characteristic of the French style (not surprisingly, the French overture is the most overt of the influences). A number of concertos contain dance forms as movements (a bourée in one, a minuet in two others) with one described, rather hopefully, as being "written on French paper".

Whatever the connections (or lack of them) it's another cracking collection of concertos, and the variety is gripping. The solo part of RV543 is, surprisingly, scored for unison oboe and violin - on period instruments there's a larger-than-otherwise contrast between the two timbres, but Gail Hennessy and Chandler play together as one - the trills are a particular delight. RV440 offers Katy Bircher's flute a chance to shine over subtle strings, while the second movement is a beautiful exercise in ebb-and-flow and simplicity. A galumphing Bassoon Concerto (RV473) follows, with an eyebrow-raising final minuet (essentially a set of variations) that keeps soloist Peter Whelan particularly busy.

There are two world-premiere recordings on the disc. The concerto
Il Gran Mogol, for flute, strings and continuo, RV431a, displays little that calls to mind the East, but is nevertheless charming. The manuscript was discovered in Scotland in 1991 and was apparently part of a set containing three other concertos: La Francia, La Spagna and L'Inghilterro. The Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo RV365 is more substantial and appears in manuscripts in two versions - La Serenissima has chosen the first.

It's hard to complain about La Serenissima's sound, so joyful is it, so full of life, and yet never veering off into the merely silly or inconsequential. If I had to make one complaint, it might be that over the course of the disc, that joie de vivre and bounce from the more boisterous movements sometimes becomes a bit much - perhaps some of the more delicate concertos such as RV440 could have benefitted from a little more restraint. But it's a small point and, like La Serenissima's other recent releases, this recording is a delight and continues to showcase this compelling composer in a dazzling manner.