Vivaldi's Four Seasons keep coming around much more frequently than their meteorological equivalents; one might age perceptibly while counting the number of the available versions on record. Of the above two, Perlman's is his second bite at the cherry—the first was with the LPO, also under his own direction (HMV ASD3293, 2/77). This time he is a little less forward-placed but he remains, true to his status, the star soloist and this remains a basically 'traditional' presentation. The balance is also adjusted in favour of the (unnamed) harpsichordist, decently in evidence at all appropriate times; in the 1977 recording John Toll was more readily readable on the sleeve than audible on the record.
Perlman's approach in his first appearance (in ''Spring'', that is) is less virtuosically aggressive than before and there are spots where his playing is cleaner. His vibrato (the Achilles heel of the 'all-purpose virtuoso' in such music) is kept under tight rein, though it does become a little intense when spurred by higher volume and tempo. These are performances that do not attempt overly to heighten the contrasts, rather do they allow them to arise from what Vivaldi wrote—without overmuch dramatic input; there are no extraordinary tempos. All in all, moderation and cleanness, serving fine musicality (with which the orchestra may equally be credited), make this as compelling a mainstream version of The Four Seasons as any of the many on offer. It would however have been helpful if the individual movements had been clearly banded.
Kremer/Abbado deal in dramatic contrasts, sharpened by the CD sound (versus the pre-digital LP) and achieved in terms of dynamics and attack; their tempos are almost without exception higher than average in both quick and slow movements. You slumber with the goatherd (whose dog's bark has little bite) but when winter comes you reach for your thermal underwear. The strong recommendation of this fine performance as a 'character reading' is tempered only by the (to me) unacceptable gallop through ''Winter''—Largo? ''Passar al fuoco i di quieti e contenti mentre la pioggia fuor''—significantly reduced in the annotation to ''La pioggia''—plenty of pizzicato rain, but where are the quiet and contentment? You have 1'29'' to find out.'