Vivaldi: Opera IV 'La Stravaganza'

Advantages: Beautifully produced, top quality singing
Disadvantages: None

...biographies online afterwards! There is also a shop where you can buy opera CDs, DVDs and books but again, you will probably find these cheaper elsewhere! The theatre itself is horseshoe shaped , fully air conditioned and has 2156 seats - but don't worry, there are lots of very helpful staff around to help you find yours! There are 4 levels - Stalls, Grand Tier, Balcony and Amphitheatre. Seats are pretty comfy with a generous amount of leg room - having been to some theatres where you're knees can be crammed into the seat in front! There are surtitles for operas not in English so that you can follow what's going on and if you're seating in a position where you're not able to see the surtitles then you will have a little screen in front of your seat displaying them there - a lovely touch. The sound itself is wonderful - I believe a lot... Read review

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Advantages: Classic Concertos for Everybody
Disadvantages: Strings only!!!no woodwind...boo!

...The Four Seasons by Vivaldi Made famous by countless car adverts and Nigel Kennedy at the Albert Hall amongst other places. This has got to the piece that all fiddle player long to play and solo in! My first exposure to this came when I was seven, we had a hat making competition at school, the Hat Parade, and dad suggested making a musical hat and came up with the Four Seasons which was a favourite of mine as a youngster. Mum and me made the hat, which turned out to be a master piece in the end (for a 7 year old anyway!) and I won first place! I was fixed with Vivaldi for a long time after! Even a novice in classical music would recognise some of the notation! Vivaldi composed in Vienna, and was born 1678 and died in 1741. In these times, most music was composed and performed by telling a story and acting and dance were very... Read review

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Advantages: Compact, no plumbing required, good looking, powerful steaming, great coffee.
Disadvantages: None to speak of

...I bought a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi from Best Coffee Beans in September 2008 after much deliberation. I was rather confused as to the difference between it and the Mini Vivaldi II but the latter is only available in the USA and I can't see any differences that would matter to most people. The machine is great, very easy to use and produces quite effortlessly great coffee and powerful steaming when paired with my Mini Mazzer grinder. The service from Best Coffee Beans was, and still is excellent, with the machine arriving the day after ordering. I had some concerns prior to ordering regarding the noise made by the pump, but it is not too noisy at all. Both machine and supplier are highly recommended.... Read review

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