Clarinetist Martin Fröst has a bold, flashy streak that attracts listeners who may not, even on reflection, agree with what he is doing. This is nowhere more true than on this album of Vivaldi, who never wrote for the clarinet and probably barely knew the instrument. Vivaldi's concertos were, of course, often arranged for new instruments, by the composer and others, but it is not these that Fröst plays here. Instead, arranger Andreas N. Tarkmann creates three new clarinet concertos, arranged and spliced together from various opera and oratorio arias. The reason for this is to exploit the resemblance between the clarinet and the human voice, and the clarinet's ability to sound a multi-register range. Whatever one thinks of this idea, it's clear that Tarkmann has done his job well, with limpid slow movements like the Adagio opener of the Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in F major, and brilliant instrumental arias like the finale of the Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in D minor, which give Fröst the chance to display his considerable chops. As interludes between the clarinet concertos, Fröst leads the Concerto Köln historical-performance ensemble in instrumental sinfonias, also taken from operas; these are done in a tumultuous style, and the album as a whole maintains a very high energy level. For many, the sound of Fröst's instrument will be the main attraction. Some of the publicity surrounding the album states that Fröst plays a chalumeau, a reed instrument that was the clarinet's direct ancestor. That's not quite right: he plays a specially made boxwood instrument with characteristics of both the clarinet and chalumeau, and it's gorgeous. There's also a newly composed chalumeau-and-cello piece at the end, more or less in a Vivaldi style. The whole thing is more Martin Fröst than Vivaldi, but it will absolutely catch and hold your attention.