Vivaldi, played badly, is the worst classical music on earth

@erik_squires,

It was pretty much the exact same story for up-and-coming conductors when it came to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring. Plenty of winners and losers in that group, too!

Both titles are among the most frequently recorded ever.

I find it remarkable how much my enjoyment of "classical" music depends on the performance. Many times, I’ve listened to a new performance of a work I was indifferent to, and the work suddenly clicked. Whether it’s Vivaldi or Shostakovich, the performance makes a huge difference.

Remember listening to WFMT in Chicago one afternoon, to music I'd never heard, and thinking "Damn! That's a GREAT conductor!" Turned out to be Sir George Solti. 

Like most classical guys, I'm thoroughly sick of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  But I gotta say that one of my favorite slabs of vinyl is the DG Archiv release Concerti da Camera, Vivaldi chamber music performed by Musica Antiqua Koln.  Great tunes.  An unmistakable sense of fun.  18th Century upper class Italian party music.  Solid if not surpassing fidelity.  It actually prompted me to see Musica Antiqua Koln when they came to L.A. in the 1980's.  It was one of those concerts where you can meet & greet the band at a reception after the performance. Shook the hand of violinist bandleader Reinhard Goebel.