By Susan Orlando
Guest
Columnist
Paris,
France
[Stay Thirsty Magazine
asked Susan Orlando to briefly comment on the extraordinary artistry of the
cover art for the Vivaldi Edition recordings. Each CD cover is based on a photograph
by Parisian photographer Denis Rouvre. Orlando is the Artistic Director for the
Vivaldi Edition project that is dedicated to recording 450 compositions by
Antonio Vivaldi.]
I can't honestly speak about
what inspires photographer Denis Rouvre, but once provided with our brief
descriptions of each recording project, he takes it from there.
The covers of the great
majority of CDs in the Vivaldi Edition depict females in a variety of creative
guises. The most immediate connection that comes to mind is the orphaned girls
from the La Pietà Institute in Venice who made up Vivaldi's famous orchestra and
for whom much of his music was composed.
The story line of opera
librettos gives Denis Rouvre something more for his imagination to work with
then do the many concertos. The cover of Il
Giustino, for example, depicts a woman in medieval chain mail armor,
perhaps suggestive of the opera's heroine who follows the man she loves onto
the battlefield.
Covers of sacred music,
however, tend to depict more sober attire as on the album In furore or Gloria.
The concerto recordings present
the greatest challenge. With little to go on from titles such as “Concerti per archi II” or "Concerti per violino V ‘Per Pisendel,’” Denis
is left completely to his own wild imaginings, the results of which have never
let us down.
Like Vivaldi, Denis’
creative genius appears to be boundless. A glance through the sixty some covers
on our website tells it all.
Links: