Deryk Barker wrote:

>>While I've never even tried an exhaustive survey of the available
>>recordings, my current favorite on period instruments is that by Giardino
>>Armonico, on Teldec.  Very colorful, take-no-prisoners playing.  The
>>opening of the Winter concerto sounds more like Ligeti or Penderecki to me!
>
>The trouble with this bunch is that they completely ignore the character
>of the music; the passage where you can hear the rain on the roof sounds
>more like a train.

If in terms of tempo, I see your point, though most of the period bunch
will take this movement at a fairly good clip compared to the way the music
was performed say, 30 years ago.

Of course, in some of the places in the U.S. where I've lived, if you heard
the sound of a train during rainstorm, you'd best be already inside the
tornado shelter:-)

>I'd go for Alice Harnoncourt and whatever Nikolaus's bunch were called
>on Teldec. One of the few versions that can rekindle my enthusiasm.

Concentus Musicus.  Still around and operating, last I heard.  Thanks for
the recommendation.

Bill H.