In the eighteenth century, in both Italy and France, instrumental music was regarded as devoid of all signification and unable to affect the intellect unless it was accompanied by a literary argument (like ‘The Four Seasons’) or a choreographic action (like ‘Les lments’). Long before Franz Liszt’s symphonic poems, Vivaldi and Rebel – both of whom owe their claim on posterity to the works recorded here – showed they could create lively and descriptive instrumental music, admirably meeting the ontological, aesthetic and moral requirements of Enlightenment philosophy.

Disc 1
1. I. Le Chaos (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
2. II. Loure I (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
3. III. Chaconne (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
4. IV. Ramage (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
5. V. Rossignols (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
6. VI. Loure II – La Chasse (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
7. VII. Tambourins I & II (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
8. VIII. Sicilienne (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
9. IX. Rondeau (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
10. X. Caprice (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
11. Chaconne (Reprise) (Jean-Fery Rebel) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
12. I. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
13. II. Largo (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
14. III. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
15. I. Allegro Non Molto – Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
16. II. Adagio – Presto – Adagio (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
17. III. Presto (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
18. I. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
19. II. Adagio Molto (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
20. III. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
21. I. Allegro Non Molto (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
22. II. Largo (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin
23. III. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin