The orchestra plays on modern instruments but, apart from the odd bulging suspension, keeps things tight and neat. These outer movements boast many passages of cross-string work played impressively fast and with occasional fire. I like the variety of continuo instruments, with the organ particularly effective in the swelling line of RV418’s Largo, and, while Chang uses plenty of vibrato in the Largos, she does allow the odd open A string in the Allegros. There are some concessions to period style. Her playing of the sighing lines of the Adagio of RV420 is most affecting, and the Largo of RV408 in E flat major, altogether the most pleasing concerto on the disc, is beautifully phrased and eloquent, though for my taste her occasional portamentos go a bit too far. Expressive playing high on the D string is a recurring feature, brought down to whisper so hushed as to barely be audible in the Adagio of the tragic C minor Concerto RV401. It is Chang’s slow movements that stand out. While tempering her playing, she in no way attempts a period performance, and employs the poetic phrasing and depth of interpretation that are her hallmarks. Vivaldi seems a surprising choice for a cellist so renowned for her Romantic and 20th-century interpretations, and it would have been interesting to hear from Han-Na Chang in the booklet what prompted this incursion into the Baroque. Musicians: Han-Na Chang (cello) London Chamber Orchestra, Christopher Warren-Green (conductor)
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