Vivaldi: La Notte Concerti per strumenti diversi
Purchase the Vivaldi CD

Judith Linsenberg, Recorder Elizabeth Blumenstock, Violin Gonzalo X. Ruiz, Oboe Marilyn Boenau, Bassoon David Morris, Cello Michael Eagan, Archlute Charles Sherman, harpsichord

Program

Concerto in G Minor, La Notte, RV 104 
Largo                                                                                              
Fantasmi: Presto-Largo-Andante-Presto                                                               
Il Sonno: Largo                                                                                     
Allegro                                                                                            
(recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, ‘cello, lute, harpsichord)

Concerto in F Major, RV 100
Allegro                                                                                             
Largo                                                                                               
Allegro                                                                                            
(recorder, violin, bassoon,'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Concerto in D Major, RV 94
Allegro                                                                                             
Largo                                                                                              
Allegro                                                                                           
(recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon,'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Sonata in G Minor, after Sonata in E Minor for violin and bc, RV 16 (op. 2/9)
    (Arr. Judith Linsenberg)
Preludio: Andante                                                                               
Capriccio: Allegro                                                                                
Giga: Allegro                                                                                       
Gavotta: Presto                                                                                 
(recorder, 'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Concerto in G Major, RV 101
Allegro                                                                                           
Largo                                                                                             
Allegro                                                                                           
(recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, 'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Sonata in C Major, RV 3
Preludio: Largo                                                                                  
Corrente: Allegro                                                                              
Largo                                                                                           
[Allegro]                                                                                       
(violin,'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Concerto in G Minor, RV 107
Allegro                                                                                          
Largo                                                                                           
Presto                                                                                          
(recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, 'cello, lute, harpsichord)

Reviews
CD of the Month
For those who don't know them, Musica Pacifica are the best of the West Coast early music scene in the US.  Already before, they have created a splash with their previoius CDs, and here they do it again. The best compliment I can give to these transparent, driving, and always gripping performances is that they sound so authentic, as though they were being played by a Venetian ensemble.  In fact, a Venetian ensemble of Vivaldi's time.
-- Toccata-Alte Musik Aktuell September 2003

This disc abounds with interest and vitality.  A polished group of solo performers, Musica Pacifica produces a rich cohesive ensemble sound.  I particularly enjoyed Judith Linsenberg's tone, and Elizabeth Blumenstock further demonstrates why she is among the finest Baroque violinists of our time.  The harpsichord is pleasingly unobtrusive, offering just the right amount of textural and harmonic support.  Musica Pacifica's version of the Concerto in G minor, RV 104, is engaging and dynamic. Certainly, this is a recording you will find yourself returning to again and again.
--Early Music America Magazine, Fall 2003

5 points (Highest rating)
Musica Pacifica draws its members from the world-class Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. The two directors are established virtuosi: Blumenstock is among the most sought after baroque violinists in the country, with a tone consistently round and sweet, while Linsenberg plays recorder with extraordinary speed and wealth of nuance. Add in [the other performers] and you have seven musicians who could conceivably sustain solo careers if personal inclination and 21st-century marketplace economics were sufficiently realigned. . . This disc will undoubtedly enhance Musica Pacifica’s reputation. Each instrumentalist shines in exposed passages, exhibiting a rhythmic vitality and variety of shading that deepens appreciation for Vivaldi’s extraordinary melodic freshness. Marvelous playing, highly recommended.
-- Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity; Music Reviews, No. 40 June 2003; www.hometheaterhifi.com

The San Francisco-based period instrument ensemble's music-making has its own interpretive style; they do not skimp on detail, and their playing is consistently characterful and imaginative.  There are delights throughout. The opening movement of RV100 has a graceful kind of swagger, the finale of RV94 is played as of "on point," with light bouncy articulation, and the chattering texture in the last movement of RV107 is so vividly realised, it almost seems a tactile pleasure.  Recorder-player Judith Linsenberg gives a virtuosic performance of the early E minor sonata, RV16; the giga movment is impressive for its long-breathed, elegantly shaped phrases. And violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock makes the most of the expressive dissonances in the Largo of RV3.  The ensemble's sound is exceptionally rich, and Dorian's vibrant recording puts them in the most flattering light imaginable.  A thoroughly enjoyable programme. 
--Gramophone, September 2003

[This is] an attractive program of chamber works by Antonio Vivaldi.  Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin, and Judith Linsenberg, recorder, lead a smart ensemble on oboe, cello, lute, and harpsichord, in performances of elegance and flair.  . . These musicians are keenly attuned to Vivaldi's extraordinary rhythmic drive and the firm shape of his ritornellos. Tempi are taken to the limit at both extremes.  In RV104, "La Notte," the Presto sections in the second movement, Fantasmi (Ghosts) fairly crackle with excitement. These are all engaging performances, capturing the wit, unexpected turns, warmth, and mystery that have made Vivaldi so well loved.
--- CLASSIK REVIEWS, July 2003 Atlanta Audio Society

This program holds considerable interest for Vivaldi lovers. . . Musica Pacifica has a well-established reputation that they live up to here.  The playing is fine, the sound is excellent, and the program has a good deal of intellectual appeal. . . .and there are some really stellar recorder passages.
 -- American Record Guide, September/October 2003.