Diamine Vivaldi

[yazeh]

Diamine Vivaldi

 

Thanks for @Lithium466 for the sample.  This review is in three parts: Feel free to jump to your preferred part. 

In a nutshell: a gorgeous dark purple, which is almost black with EF nibs. It doesn’t appreciate cheap paper. It’s wet, well lubricated. It’s Diamine. 

 

Chroma:

 

What’s in a name?

I’m confused by the Diamine Music set. 

It’s composed of 3 baroque composers: Bach, Vivaldi and Handel. 

2 Classical era composers: Mozart and Beethoven. (Cancelling Poor Haydn) 

And 5 romantics. Schubert and Chopin, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Strauss. Though technically you can argue that Schubert is early romantic, and Tchaikovsky late romantic. And then there is Strauss which I’m assuming it's Richard and not one of the Johann's  . 

I don’t understand the logic behind the names. Diamine could have chosen some fabulous English composers, granted they would be mostly renaissance, baroque, and then jump to early 20^th century, Byrd, Tallis, Dowland, Hume, Purcell, Sullivan, Elgar, Delius, William, Britten etc.. Or they could have chosen one composer per  European country. This is just a mishmash of composers, with no rhyme or reason. 

 

Vivaldi’s micro bio and music (1678 - 1741)

Now a bit about Antonio Vivaldi. 

 

Vivaldi is one of the pillars of the Baroque era and codified the concerto form. He was the musical director of Ospedale della Pietà an orphanage.  He was admired by Bach who transposed some of his concertos for Harpsichord, died in poverty and his work was promptly forgotten until the early 20^th century, until  his work was re-discovered. He composed some 500 concertos  about 50 odds opera, religious music etc. 

 

His nicknamed was il Prete Rosso, the Red Priest. (He was ordained a priest)

 

The Four Seasons his most famous fiery tempo, dynamics contrasts with the colour of the ink: 

 

 

 

 Or his lovely Lovely lute or Mandolin concertos. Here is the slow movement of his Lute Concerto RV 93.

 

 

Or If you’re an opera fan, and have 3 hours or such to spend you can try his opera Orlando furioso, don't ask me the story, it's a medieval fantasy story  

 

 

Ink review:

Now for the ink, again I don’t understand why would any one would choose this dark purple for Vivaldi, who's nicknamed the Red Priest, thanks to his reddish hair, and his passionate music. This one is not an ink for a Vivaldi  over.

 

 

Writing Samples:

I used a Pilot F3A for the Japanese Ef and is it semi-flexible, I flexed it at the end to give you an idea of "flex". 

 

 

 

Photo:

Comparison:

Water test:

Decent water resistance.

 

 

 and finally An art work. I had a bit of difficulty. While I appreciate his music, he's not one of my favourites composers. 😛

Anyway here's is one of Vivaldi's cats playing one of his concertos on an imaginary gondola

 

I used a bit of of Octopus Grey Merkat and the brownish ink was created by mixing the purple with De Atramentis Artist Orange:

 

·      Pens used: Pilot F3A (JEf /Semiflex)Lamy (EF/F/M/B, BB) 

·      What I liked: Colour, Doing washes. 

·      What I did not like: Name didn’t correspond to the fieriness of composer nor his music

·       What some might not like: It doesn’t like copy paper. 

·      Shading: Only with wide nib. 

·      Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. 

·      Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper.

·      Flow Rate: Wet

·      Lubrication: Well lubricated. 

·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

·      Start-up:  Ok 

·      Saturation:  Dark

·      Shading Potential: Not so much. 

·      Sheen: No. 

·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. 

·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

·      Staining (pen): Did not notice.

·      Clogging: Did not notice.

·      Cleaning: Easy. Though as a purple ink it might stain

·      Water resistance: Not bad. 

·      Availability: 30 ml bottles. 

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier  

[LizEF]

It seems ink-makers have a penchant for picking the wrong color to go with a famous name...  The color is so muted.  It's hard to see the purple!  Poor Vivald-kitty doesn't like water. I suspect Conductor-Mousey may have played a prank there...

 

Love gondola-kitty. And really, cats have no trouble sounding like a screeching violin when they want to, so it seems appropriate....

 

Thanks, Yazeh, for another fun and educational review.

[yazeh]

54 minutes ago, LizEF said:

It seems ink-makers have a penchant for picking the wrong color to go with a famous name...

Yep, this one was a complete miss  especially with his nick name. 

 

54 minutes ago, LizEF said:

  The color is so muted.  It's hard to see the purple! 

Yep especially with Ef/F nibs

 

54 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Poor Vivald-kitty doesn't like water. I suspect Conductor-Mousey may have played a prank there...

Or maybe he's holding his on to his ears not wanting to hear the violin

 

54 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Love gondola-kitty. And really, cats have no trouble sounding like a screeching violin when they want to, so it seems appropriate....

 

 

So true. Mostly like a novice violinist

 

54 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

 

Thanks, Yazeh, for another fun and educational review.

A pleasure 🙏 🙏 🙏

[LizEF]

12 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Or maybe he's holding his on to his ears not wanting to hear the violin

 

12 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Mostly like a novice violinist

Yes, that's true.

[yazeh]

4 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

 

Yes, that's true.

If my cat could sing like Heifetz or MIlstein, she would be playing at the Carnegie hall or be Youtube sensation in these modern times 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I had a sample of Vivaldi!  (And one of North African Violet, which stained everything it looked at).

 

Vivaldi was so gray it was barely purple.  And I love Vivaldi's music, so yes, this ink should have been some form of red.

 

Water Test Vivaldi Kitteh is melting.  It is sad.  😢

 

@yazeh, thanks for this review!  It's rare that I have one of your review inks.

[yazeh]

22 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I had a sample of Vivaldi!  (And one of North African Violet, which stained everything it looked at).

22 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Vivaldi was so gray it was barely purple.  And I love Vivaldi's music, so yes, this ink should have been some form of red.

This colour would have been more suitable for a late romantic composer

 

22 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Water Test Vivaldi Kitteh is melting.  It is sad.  😢

He's a phoenix this one

 

22 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

@yazeh, thanks for this review!  It's rare that I have one of your review inks.

You never know

 

[PithyProlix]

Thanks for such a great job at showing one of my favorite inks! Honestly, I didn't take Diamine that seriously until I got this one, mainly because all their inks I had tried up to that point - some of their most popular ones - were oversaturated and unsubtle for my tastes.

 

Not sure if it is a violet or a grey. It doesn't really matter - it's something in between - many of the best inks live in the margins. My writing with it tends to be noticeably more violet than yours, even with the Japanese Fs I tend to use, but perhaps it is because those pens tend to be dryish. Or maybe it could the paper and/or atmospheric differences. Or 'mojo'?

 

20 hours ago, yazeh said:

2 Classical era composers: Mozart and Beethoven. (Cancelling Poor Haydn) 

 

Right and, moreover, Haydn had much stronger ties to London and, moreover², neither Mozart nor Beethoven are in the same league as Haydn - not even close! (Yep, you read correctly.  😲) I suppose it's much better he be left out than some inappropriate color be associated with him.

 

BTW, I would pick an earthy brown since he was the salt of the earth as both a person and composer. Actually, I think the color on the wall in this portrait of him would be a perfect fit.

 

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

Thanks for such a great job at showing one of my favorite inks! Honestly, I didn't take Diamine that seriously until I got this one, mainly because all their inks I had tried up to that point - some of their most popular ones - were oversaturated and unsubtle for my tastes.

Diamine is dependable. Though, I believe it has been overshadowed by new brands with flashy bottles. 

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

Not sure if it is a violet or a grey. It doesn't really matter - it's something in between - many of the best inks live in the margins. My writing with it tends to be noticeably more violet than yours, even with the Japanese Fs I tend to use, but perhaps it is because those pens tend to be dryish. Or maybe it could the paper and/or atmospheric differences. Or 'mojo'?

 

This is on the same page with a grey ink I reviewed. In the photo they look distinct but to the naked eye, especially in low light they can be interchangeable

 

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Right and, moreover, Haydn had much stronger ties to London and, moreover², neither Mozart nor Beethoven are in the same league as Haydn - not even close! (Yep, you read correctly.  😲) I suppose it's much better he be left out than some inappropriate color be associated with him.

 

BTW, I would pick an earthy brown since he was the salt of the earth as both a person and composer. Actually, I think the color on the wall in this portrait of him would be a perfect fit.

 

You don't need to preach to the converted 

I've been listening to the series of   Haydn Symphony Crusade videos , and have finally managed to slug through his early symphonies. Truly amazing music. I especially enjoyed the Ádám Fischer recordings (for the early ones). When I had to listen again to Vivaldi for this review, while I found his music enjoyable, in the end it was quite formulaic and repetitive, compared to Haydn's. But I guess the "wig" doesn't help. That was a major turn off for me as young music lover  

[PithyProlix]

14 hours ago, yazeh said:

Diamine is dependable. Though, I believe it has been overshadowed by new brands with flashy bottles. 

 

Yeah, and they have such a large variety of styles and colors that, even if you don't like most of it, they have a few things you are likely to love. And you can explore the range without sacrificing much $. They are the Trader Joe's of ink brands. 

 

14 hours ago, yazeh said:

You don't need to preach to the converted 

I've been listening to the series of   Haydn Symphony Crusade videos , and have finally managed to slug through his early symphonies. Truly amazing music.

 

As amazing as those are, it only gets better! And then there are the string quartets... ♥️❤️😘

 

14 hours ago, yazeh said:

But I guess the "wig" doesn't help. That was a major turn off for me as young music lover  

 

Wait, who's wig are you referring to? 😅

 

BTW, if you like to have you own digital copies, the Fischer Haydn symphonies used to be available at Amazon for something like a $1 - they might still be there. 

[yazeh]

15 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

They are the Trader Joe's of ink brands. 

15 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

As amazing as those are, it only gets better! And then there are the string quartets... ♥️❤️😘

One step at a time. I just finished a Mendelssohn extravaganza

15 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Wait, who's wig are you referring to? 😅

Bach's wig looks even worse 😛

 

15 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

BTW, if you like to have you own digital copies, the Fischer Haydn symphonies used to be available at Amazon for something like a $1 - they might still be there. 

Thanks! I just stream through YouTube with DUckDuckgo. NO adds  I'm not switching between Dorati and Fischer 😛

 

[Mercian]

6 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Bach's wig looks even worse 😛

Why'd ya think he looks so dischuffed on that painting? 😉

[yazeh]

14 hours ago, Mercian said:

Why'd ya think he looks so dischuffed on that painting? 😉

Haydn looks fine. Here is Bach. It seems that the wig hide the face. An the curls look like he has a bunch of drooping sausages powdered in icing sugar on his head.

 

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Here is Bach. It seems that the wig hide the face. An the curls look like he has a bunch of drooping sausages powdered in icing sugar on his head.

Indeed.
I maintain that this is the reason why his facial expression seems (to me at least) to be saying to the portraitist for whom he is sitting  ‘are you taking the mickey?’ 😉

[PithyProlix]

Diamine had a good model for an appropriate color for Vivaldi in this portrait, which I think is the most famous one of him. The red of his cloak (or whatever that is), of course. The color they used for Strauss is similar.^* 😅 (That said, I'm very happy with the color they came up with for Vivaldi, even if it seems to be pretty much the opposite of his and his music's temperament.)

 

 

They came up with a somewhat boring brown (to my eyes, at least) for Bach. I think identifying a single color for Bach is elusive, though.

 

^*I recently got Strauss and it's probably my favorite red at the moment.

[Lithium466]

Thank you @yazeh for yet another great review!

 

I got that ink on the Diamine website as a "mystery" sample. With a name like Vivaldi, one would hope for something bright and in your face! A fiery red (not a big fan of Diamine reds though)... Well that is true for most of the music set inks.

Name aside, it's a darker and more lubricated Earl grey...less complex perhaps

[yazeh]

28 minutes ago, Mercian said:

Indeed.
I maintain that this is the reason why his facial expression seems (to me at least) to be saying to the portraitist for whom he is sitting  ‘are you taking the mickey?’ 😉

You never know, some people take really ridiculous poses. I'm guessing in 100 years, people would look back at selfies as curious oddities

 

[yazeh]

26 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

Diamine had a good model for an appropriate color for Vivaldi in this portrait, which I think is the most famous one of him. The red of his cloak (or whatever that is), of course. The color they used for Strauss is similar.^* 😅 (That said, I'm very happy with the color they came up with for Vivaldi, even if it seems to be pretty much the opposite of his and his music's temperament.)

 

Yes, I  know. Everything seems haphazard

 

26 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

 

They came up with a somewhat boring brown (to my eyes, at least) for Bach. I think identifying a single color for Bach is elusive, though.

With Bach almost anything drab can go While I can appreciate his music and love his violin partitas. I cannot stand his god like status in music studies. Sometimes I wish Mendelssohn hadn't re-discovered him 😛

 

26 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

 

^*I recently got Strauss and it's probably my favorite red at the moment.

The question is which Strauss is it? The colour seems quite nice. 

[yazeh]

18 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you @yazeh for yet another great review!

A pleasure 🙏

18 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

I got that ink on the Diamine website as a "mystery" sample. With a name like Vivaldi, one would hope for something bright and in your face! A fiery red (not a big fan of Diamine reds though)... Well that is true for most of the music set inks.

It's a tricky thing when one creates ink after a known character/ oeuvre etc. I've noticed the reviews about Writers/ Composers generate the most response/ reaction. So maybe in a way it's a good marketing strategy

 

18 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Name aside, it's a darker and more lubricated Earl grey...less complex perhaps

 

[Mercian]

1 minute ago, yazeh said:

With Bach almost anything drab can go While I can appreciate his music and love his violin partitas. I cannot stand his god like status in music studies. Sometimes I wish Mendelssohn hadn't re-discovered him 😛

😱
I say; steady-on monsieur…

 

…them’s fighting words! 😉