Vivaldi Concerti Per Violino

This is not just another disc (or, in this case, double disc) of Vivaldi violin concertos, but rather one of very few discs on the market to treat a chronological aspect of Vivaldi's career. In question here are early works by the Red Priest. These concertos date from around 1700 to 1710 and were thus composed prior to the appearance of the L'estro armonico, Op. 3, and La stravaganza, Op. 4, sets that made Vivaldi's name. Most of them appear on other recordings, but many were only recently authenticated. And not very many musicians have tried to draw a portrait of Vivaldi as a young man.

This sixty-second volume of the epic Vivaldi Edition is also the seventh volume of the flamboyant Red Priests violin concertos. Here we see the ageing composer more full of life than ever, adapting to the demands of the galant style in vogue since 1725, while losing nothing of his verve and imagination. These are the sole surviving concertos of the fifteen that, during his fateful last year in Viennese exile, Vivaldi sold for a pitifully small sum to Count Vinciguerra Tommaso Collalto, a Venetian nobleman then residing in his castle at Brtnice, Moravia (the castello of this volumes title). With solo writing of extreme refinement, these works fully exploit the whole range of violinistic expression and phrasing, displaying a wealth of ornamentation and a lavishly inventive sense of lyrical cantabile virtuosity.

Vivaldi wrote hundreds of violin concertos, yet even this tiny sample of six, written during the composer’s visit to Prague between 1730 and 1731, demonstrates in every movement his genius of harmonic and dramatic surprise. Each concerto is startlingly original, from the opening movement of the E Minor RV 278 that pits daring solo passages against a hypnotic, pulsing orchestra, while the same concerto’s Largo even feels modern in its angularity. A more familiar Vivaldi can be heard in the C Major RV 186, with its Italianate innocence and winsome middle Largo. But whatever the composer’s mood, Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante thrill to his ingenuity at every step.

This tenth volume of violin concertos marks the return of Julien Chauvin and his Concert de la Loge to the Vivaldi Edition, with works linked to Pisendel, a major musical figure in the court of Dresden in the 18th century. Julien Chauvin and his Concert de la Loge released a hugely successful volume of Vivaldi concertos with a theatrical theme in 2020. In this new album they perform works focusing on Johann Georg Pisendel (1687-1755), konzertmeister at the Dresden Court chapel, and pupil and friend of Vivaldi, who played a key role in the popularity of the Red Priest's music in Dresden.

This is the first time a French violinist has joined the line of prestigious solo virtuosi recording for the Vivaldi Edition. Violinist Julien Chauvin and his Concert de la Loge founded in 2015, and modeled on one of the most celebrated orchestras of the late 18th century here reveal all the discreet charms of an inventive concertante style rich in detail, featuring Vivaldis favored instrument. This particular set of concerti highlight the consistently close links between Vivaldis instrumental and operatic works. Transcending the difference of genre, the Venetian composers unitary conception of language and style allowed him to pass with the deft skill of a juggler from one domain to the other, making them happily converge on common ground, writes Cesare Fertonani.

Naïve releases the third volume dedicated to Vivaldi’s violin concertos in its ground breaking project, the Vivaldi Edition. Multi award-winning violinist Duilio Galfetti is accompanied by acclaimed early music ensemble I Barocchisti under the direction of Diego Fasolis.