The insert booklet's statement that the viola d'amore ''appeared as a solo instrument in six of his [Vivaldi's] concertos'' is misleading; there are six in which it is the only solo instrument, but also two (RV97 and 540) in which it has soloist companions. Of the six solo concertos only five are on this recording though the CD format would have accommodated the missing RV397 with no strain. There are two LP sets of all eight concertos, of which the better is that by Bruno Giannura with the Staatskapelle, Dresden (Philips), albeit with a less clean sound than the present CD.
The viola d'amore is an extraordinary beautiful instrument, with six bowed and six resonating strings, capable of a remarkable variety of sounds—rather more evident from Giannura than from Barsony, not least in the magical cadenza he adds to the last movement of RV394. Barsony is nevertheless an excellent soloist, accurate in pitch (the instrument is unfretted) and sensitive to the music's moods; Vivaldi did not shortchange the unusual instruments he wrote for (cf. the bassoon concertos)—and who was the 'AM' (Anna Maria?) written into the titles of two of these concertos? Were they written con amore? The Ferenc Liszt CO play with good precision and discreet weight, but have less spring in their heels than the Staatskapelle, Dresden, which also sound the less 'separated' from the soloist in terms of balance. You may not choose to listen to all these concertos at one sitting but, though this is the only collection of them on CD, it would have been nice to have been able to select from the integral six, with which reservation this disc is very recommendable.'