If listeners had to commit to a single version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons for the rest of their lives, this 1984 BIS recording would be thoroughly satisfying choice. Superbly played, brilliantly recorded period instrument performances of this perennial masterpiece are all but a dime a dozen, and the differences between Hogwood's and Pinnock's and Harnoncourt's readings don't begin to make up for the fatal boredom of their performances. This version with Nils-Erik Sparf and the Drottningholm Court Baroque Ensemble would be an ideal choice because theirs is the freshest performance of the piece. Beyond their excellent technique and impeccable sense of style, Sparf and the Swedish musicians bring joy and enthusiasm to the music, and sound like they are in turn receiving happiness and energy from the music. There's real pleasure here, and real affection, as if the concertos were newly composed and these were their world premieres. Filled out with witty accounts of Vivaldi's F major Concerto for Bassoon and his G minor Concerto for Flute and Bassoon, this disc is a delight.

Joseph Martin Kraus was born on 20 June 1756 in the German town of Miltenberg am Main, and died in Stockholm on 15 December 1792. Attended secondary school in Mannheim from 1768 to 1772, followed by university studies in Mainz, Erfurt and Göttingen from 1773−76. In 1778 he travelled to Stockholm, where he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1780, and a year later the second conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra at the Royal Opera. In 1782 Gustav III dispatched him on a four-year tour of Europe. In 1788 he was made director of the educational institution of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and chief conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra. Kraus is the most prominent figure in Gustavian music and was responsible for seminal works of opera, orchestral music and chamber music.