Il Giardino Armonico

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I bought this dvd because I like Il Giardino armonico, having seen and enjoyed their Vivaldi concert with Cecilia Bartoli. The music itself is highly enjoyable, but there are problems with the visual aspect of this dvd. We see the group going from place to place while hearing the music, which is rather distracting. On a positive note, kudos to the group and producer for including little known Baroque composers. The final selection shows the group apparently on a beach with colored hair which I found offensive and irrelevant. It is probably preferable to just turn the video part off and enjoy the style in which the musicians play. Overall...caveat emptor!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I bought this dvd because I like Il Giardino armonico, having seen and enjoyed their Vivaldi concert with Cecilia Bartoli. The music itself is highly enjoyable, but there are problems with the visual aspect of this dvd. We see the group going from place to place while hearing the music, which is rather distracting. On a positive note, kudos to the group and producer for including little known Baroque composers. The final selection shows the group apparently on a beach with colored hair which I found offensive and irrelevant. It is probably preferable to just turn the video part off and enjoy the style in which the musicians play. Overall...caveat emptor!

Rating:
Summary: Visually dreadful
Review: I have been a fan of Il Giardino Armonico for quite some time and was excited to find this DVD listed, particularly since it contains music not often available elsewhere.

I was TOTALLY turned off by the visual aspects of this DVD; in fact, I found it much more enjoyable to close my eyes and just listen to the music. In at least one selection there is approximately one camera change per beat! It is a DVD that I can take in only small doses.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings: Loved music, hated video.
Review: Well, I should start by saying that my review is definitely biased! (I'm a Baroque fanatic)

I really like the music. I'm glad I bought the dvd just to watch the performers and hear the composers which are pretty good (some are new to me).

Now, the reason I didn't like the dvd is because the way it was directed. I was really hoping to see the performers play in real time, just like going to a concert, but this was heaviy edited and the stylistcally directed. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that I didn't like it. You could tell the performance was recorded in a nice place and all you see is the musicians pretending to play the same thing in front of the camera (very much like a music video). I just wished to see the real performances.

I'm glad I got it, but...!