Giovanni Antonini and his ensemble Il Giardino Armonico celebrate the composer who made them famous: Antonio Vivaldi. Their recordings of the Four Seasons and Cecilia Bartoli’s famous first Vivaldi recital left an indelible mark on the discography of the Red-haired Priest! Their musical fireworks display continues with a programme of concertos that is bound to provoke strong reactions, since it is the result of a meeting with a musician who is equally adept at shifting boundaries, the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Together they have devised a programme which interweaves ultra-virtuosic concertos by Vivaldi ("Il Grosso Mogul" RV 208, "La Tempesta di Mare" RV 253, and RV 157, 191, 550 among others) with, between each concerto, short pieces written by much more recent composers, Luca Francesconi, Simone Movio, Giacinto Scelsi, Aureliano Cattaneo and Giovanni Sollima, and mostly commissioned by Patricia Kopatchinskaja especially for this programme. © Alpha Classics

Download not available

Download not available

Download not available

Franco Battiato has stated that Fleurs 2 will be the last installment of his non-sequential cover album trilogy, after 1999's Fleurs and 2001's Fleurs 3. It might as well be so, since what started as an intimate tribute is beginning to lose its charm. Many in Italy were extremely critical of Fleurs 2, deeming it a trifle unworthy of an artist of Battiato's stature -- not to mention an opportunistic commercial venture, released just in time for the holiday season. True, the Fleurs series is worlds apart from Battiato's typically demanding (if not downright hermetic) music. Once again, Battiato chooses a list of his personal favorite Italian, French, and English pop songs -- some well known, some obscure -- and sets them to delicate chamber music arrangements. The results are eminently tasteful, and hardly innovative. Still, what seems to hurt this record more for Battiato fans is the law of diminishing returns: he has been there before, and done it better. On the other hand, those unfamiliar with his previous work may find Fleurs 2 a rather exquisitely assembled collection -- with a few flagrant duds, granted, but also with several deeply moving moments. For one thing, Fleurs 2 features five stellar duets with an A-list of international vocalists: Carmen Consoli, Antony, Anne Ducros, Sepideh Raissadat, and Juri Camisasca. English-speaking audiences may be naturally curious about hearing Antony harmonize with Battiato in an Italian version of the rare B-side "Frankenstein," here renamed "Del Suo Veloce Volo" with completely changed lyrics -- and still as haunting as every Antony and the Johnsons song inevitably is. Fleurs 2's true masterpiece, however, is the opening track, "Tutto l'Universo Obbedisce All'amore," sung with Carmen Consoli. Not coincidentally, this humbly majestic love song is the only new Battiato original. There is no question that Battiato is a better composer than performer. It is precisely because of this that some of his choices seem rather inappropriate, such as the challenging standards "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Battiato's insistence on singing in English and French is particularly puzzling, when his diction can be almost embarrassing at times. When he sings in Italian, it is a completely different matter: he can be a genuinely affecting vocalist, as this album eloquently illustrates. In sum, an uneven collection that is as pleasant a listen as it is oddly unrepresentative of one of Italy's most cerebral songwriters.© Mariano Prunes /TiVo

François has spent time in Africa and in Bristol, and has taken in the music from both places. But it's impossible to deny his Gallic background. It's there on "Piscine," with its overtones of chanson, and on the duet of "Cherchant des Ponts," which calls to mind Gainsbourg-Birkin in its sweet sensuality, framed by glowing strings. "Edge of Town" bristles with African energy, all sharp corners and bustling rhythms with a simple guitar line. It's a far cry from Vampire Weekend, however, drawing from bands like Tinariwen and mixing them with a French pop sensibility that meshes perfectly. Running all though the disc, though, is an indie sensibility that relishes not fitting easily into any single pigeonhole -- "Muddy Heart," for instance, is nothing more than smart, modern pop/rock with a pleasing, catchy melody. On the other hand, parts of "Buried Treasures" bring Radiohead's "Creep" springing to mind, although it does contain some tasty guitar. It's not a deep, demanding album, but it is a pleasant, often charming listen.© Chris Nickson /TiVo

Marking 26 years since the initial 1990 Rome concert that introduced the world to the Three Tenors, Notte Magica: A Tribute to the Three Tenors showcases classical crossover trio Il Volo in concert at Piazza Santa Croce in Florence with legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo. An homage to Domingo and his fellow Three Tenors Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti, Notte Magica features Il Volo's Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble, backed by the orchestra of the Teatro Massimo. Special guest Domingo sings and even shares conducting duties with Maestro Marcello Rota. Along with classic Italian opera numbers like "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot and "Libiamo ne’ i Calici" from La Traviata, we also get renditions of beloved songs from the Neapolitan tradition including "O Surdato' Nnammurato," "'O Sole Mio," and "Come Back to Sorrento."© Matt Collar /TiVo

Italian classical pop tenor trio Il Volo's third studio album is a holiday one, produced by Humberto Garcia and Tony Renis, and featuring the three singers taking on classic American Christmas songs, many of which are relatively unknown in Italy. The album is the unofficial soundtrack to a PBS holiday television special, Il Volo Buon Natale.© TiVo