Though The Sebastians might at first blush sound like the name of a ‘60s folk outfit, it's anything but. Instead, the group is a ten-member ensemble that specializes in music of the baroque and classical eras, something gloriously upheld by the stellar renderings of four concerti by Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) on its debut album Night Scenes from the Ospedale. What makes this an especially fascinating recording, however, isn't so much the group's exuberant performances but the striking contrast between Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico (Amsterdam, 1711) and the five 2011 settings composed by Robert Honstein (b. 1980). The latter, who's a co-producer of Fast Forward Austin, an annual, Texas-based marathon concert of new music, and a founding member of the NY-based composer collective Sleeping Giant, isn't new to these pages, incidentally, as his New Focus Recordings collection, RE:you, was reviewed by textura upon its late-2014 release.
1. Night Scenes from the Ospedale (2011): Barcarolle 04:04
2. Concerto in A minor, RV 522 for 2 vlns, str, and bc: 1. Allegro 03:17
3. Concerto in A minor, RV 522 for 2 vlns, str, and bc: 2. Larghetto e spiritoso 03:14
4. Concerto in A minor, RV 522 for 2 vlns, str, and bc: 3. Allegro 02:57
5. Night Scenes from the Ospedale (2011): Lamento 03:31
6. Concerto in G major, RV 310 for vln, str, and bc: 1. Allegro 02:18
7. Concerto in G major, RV 310 for vln, str, and bc: 2. Largo 01:47
8. Concerto in G major, RV 310 for vln, str, and bc: 3. Allegro 02:20
9. Night Scenes from the Ospedale (2011): Notturno 04:00
10. Concerto in B minor, RV 580 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 1. Allegro 03:32
11. Concerto in B minor, RV 580 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 2. Largo - Larghetto 02:05
12. Concerto in B minor, RV 580 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 3. Allegro 03:12
13. Night Scenes from the Ospedale (2011): Bisbigli 04:53
14. Concerto in D major, RV 549 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 1. Allegro 02:51
15. Concerto in D major, RV 549 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 2. Largo e spiccato 02:30
16. Concerto in D major, RV 549 for 4 vlns, vc, str, and bc: 3. Allegro 02:34
17. Night Scenes from the Ospedale (2011): Prima l'alba 03:44
