Vivaldi Sonata

Vivaldi’s lively and engaging earlier works need virtuoso playing – and here receive it… Like most composers of his time, Vivaldi began his publishing career with sonatas. His sonatas, although just as strongly marked by his distinctive musical personality, are played much less today than his admittedly more numerous concertos. The six here, not in fact from the published sets, are utterly unlike the familiar Corelli sonata model: no serene, rationally worked-out counterpoint, but brilliant violinistic gestures and capricious changes of texture, pace and mood…What they need is two violinists who are lively virtuosos, able to imitate each other closely, match exactly in articulation (or inexactly, if they choose) and frolic happily in thirds or sixths high on the E string (as required a good deal in the finales of RV68 and 70). Certainly that’s what they get here.

Amid the sea of compositions Antonio Vivaldi left for the violin, the Red Priest was also gracious enough to enhance the cellist's repertoire with a nice assortment of concertos and even a handful of sonatas with basso continuo. These works, while satisfying and pleasing, are far from virtuoso works and as such have often been relegated to serve as teaching pieces for high school and college students. In the right hands, however, these nine sonatas can still engage and excite listeners. Cellist Jaap ter Linden would seem to be ideally suited for this task. His distinguished career includes cello performances with many of the world's top Baroque orchestras, as well taking on conducting duties with the same.

10 CDs performed by outstanding artists such as Sigiswald Kuijken, Andreas Staier, Michael Schneider, Skip Sempé, Thomas Hengelbrock, Freiburger Barockorchester, Collegium Aureum, Camerata Köln, La Petite Bande, Capriccio Stravagante and more.

Fire Beneath My Fingers tells a fascinating story of great performers and performances! This program showcases Antonio Vivaldi, Guiseppe Sammartini, and Guiseppe Tartini; three of the most legendary composers of this era who were also virtuoso performers in their own rights.