Vivaldi 'The Trial Between Harmony and Invention' Fabio Biondi<br></br>'Barroco Espanol' Al Ayre Espanol<br></br>'Summertime' Dame Felicity Lott

The compact collection

They've survived just about every treatment imaginable, from sweet-centred Louis Kaufman in the early 1950s to knuckle-dusting Kennedy in the late 1980s. And yet Vivaldi's Four Seasons refuse to lie down. The latest Quattro stagioni to hit the stores takes heed of rare printed sources and spices the drama with some striking musical characterisations. Fabio Biondi is that rare phenomenon, a baroque fiddler who's not afraid to wear his heart somewhere near his sleeve. Take the first movement of "Summer", an eventful allegro con moto that on this recording starts lightly and quietly but that, once it reaches the languid, slower section, draws from Biondi some of the most expressive baroque violin playing I've heard in years. And there's the finale of "Autumn", which dances into earshot on an unexpected but effective crescendo. The faster movements generate real excitement, with the members of Europa Galante fully matching their leader's dexterity.

If you spot the set in store, don't be misled into thinking there's only on one disc with four concertos. There are actually 12 on two CDs, the whole of The Trial between Harmony and Invention, in fact – including the striking "La tempesta di mare" and "La caccica". All are treated to highly individualised interpretation, pungent and imaginative with the occasional knocking of bows on wood and the skiffle-like presence of lute and baroque guitar.

While you're in the mood, you might care to try RCA's two-CD Barroco Espanol, a highlight from a newly imported French budget-priced line called Artistes Répertoires. Other releases in this series feature such vintage greats as Monteux, Munch, Reiner, Horowitz and Landowska, but Al Ayre Espanol set down their 17th- and 18th-century villancicos, cantatas and zarzuelas as recently as 1994 and 1998. Quite apart from superb playing and singing – the vibrant soprano Marta Almajano takes many a lead – there's the repertory, which is so consistently catchy you're bound to keep returning to it. Composers represented include Galan, Literes, Torres, Valls, Iribarren and Duron.

Dame Felicity Lott's Summertime album for the Black Box label offers a programme that serves as a showcase for one of our most fêted sopranos, whether singing Schubert in English ("Who is Sylvia?"), Schumann in German ("Der Nussbaum", mistakenly attributed to Schubert on the CD box), Fauré in French ("Soir", "Notre Amour"), or Barber, Bernstein, Berlioz, Quilter and a host of others – including Gershwin's cover title and Cole Porter's hilarious "The Tale of the Oyster". The beauty of this programme is in the way Dame Felicity negotiates and contrasts disparate styles, with pianist Graham Johnson on providing subtle accompaniments. The musical planning is exemplary, with never a jarring juxtaposition – quite a feat, given there are 29 beautifully recorded tracks.