The "French Connection" mooted by this release is pretty thin. It rests partly on a trio of Vivaldi's "Paris" concertos for strings and continuo, so called because they come from a Parisian manuscript. That wasn't surprising, for there eventually was quite a vogue for Vivaldi's music in France, with publishers issuing genuine and spurious collections of his work. Beyond that, there are pieces that have alleged hints of French style, such as dotted rhythms or dance-like movements resembling those of a French suite. It doesn't add up to much; there's a lot more French influence in Bach's music than there ever was in Vivaldi's, and Vivaldi was popular among the Parisians precisely because his music was exotic. That said, this is an attractive collection of Vivaldi concertos for various instruments, with several lovely examples of the composer's ever-innovative treatment of the bassoon beautifully rendered by bassoonist
Peter Whelan. A lot of the credit goes to the engineers, working in an old hospital that one imagines as sonically consistent with the "orphanage" or home for well-off unwed mothers where Vivaldi spent much of his career. The recording creates a spacious ambience that lays open the playing of the British period-instrument group
La Serenissima, exposing the solos and making the most of the relaxed quality of the group's playing. The slow movements involving the bassoon are especially pleasing, with instrument traces quietly murmuring lines, backed by precise but low-key strings. It's an unusual sound, state of the art in terms of performance practice yet entirely different in effect from slashing Italian interpretations. This is well worth sampling for Vivaldi fans, as long as they're not expecting some kind of revelation of French style in Vivaldi's music.