Antonio VIVALDI (1678 - 1741)
Concerti per molti istromenti
Concerto grosso à 10 stromenti in D (RV 562a) [12:35]
Concerto per Sua Altezza Reale di Sassonia in g minor (RV 576) [10:38]
Concerto in d minor (RV 566) [7:16]
Concerto for two horns, strings and bc in F (RV 538) [10:42]
Concerto in F (RV 569) [12:15]
Modo Antiquo/Federico Maria Sardelli
rec. July 1995, Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli, Florence, Italy
TACTUS TB672257 [55:31]
Violin concertos constitute the largest category in the catalogue
of Antonio Vivaldi's oeuvre. Many of them are notable for their technical
brilliance and the genre as such was very common. The concertos which are
the subject of the present disc are a little different in that regard. Not
many composers wrote a large number of concertos for three or more solo instruments.
More than thirty Vivaldi concertos of this kind are extant. They are called
concerti per molti istromenti and include parts, often for very different
instruments. Among the best known are those for violins, sometimes with an
additional cello, from his op. 3, printed in Amsterdam in 1711 under the title
of L'Estro armonico.
The first concerto of this disc is also connected to Amsterdam. The Concerto
in D (RV 562a) is one of two versions of the same concerto. This version
is part of a manuscript of ten concertos which were performed in Amsterdam
on 7 January 1738 on the occasion of the first centenary of the town's
theatre. It has been suggested that Vivaldi himself was present at this occasion,
but that has been questioned. It is scored for violin, two corni da caccia,
timpani, two oboes, bassoon, strings and bc. The specific reference to the
timpani is interesting. This is the only concerto in Vivaldi's oeuvre
in which they are explicitly mentioned. It was quite common at the time to
add them in music with trumpets, even when that was not specifically required.
Here they play with the two horns in passages marked as trio. This
concerto is suitable for the occasion as the opening movement starts with
a kind of fanfare. The second movement is for violin and strings alone.
Vivaldi had close contacts with the court in Dresden where his music was quite
popular, partly due to the promotional activities of Johann Georg Pisendel
who had met Vivaldi in Venice. This resulted in Vivaldi composing concertos
specifically for the court, such as the Concerto in g minor (RV 576),
with the addition per Sua Altezza Reale di Sassonia (for His Royal
Highness of Saxonia). Said Highness was Friedrich August who loved eccentricities,
and that comes to the fore in Vivaldi making extensive use of unisono
passages, especially in the first movement. Many of these concertos are quite
demanding, but the court orchestra in Dresden had many virtuosos in its ranks,
and the performance of such pieces will not have given them any trouble.
For the most part we do not know for which performers Vivaldi composed these
concertos. Some may have been the result of commissions, but in the Ospedale
della Pietà he had many players of different instruments at his disposal,
and many of them were true virtuosos. It is remarkable that a number of these
concertos include parts for two horns which were among the most difficult
of the time. They participate in the Concerto in F (RV 569) which
closes the programme. As with the first concerto on this disc the violin is
the dominant solo instrument; it is on its own, supported by the tutti strings,
in the slow movement once again. This difference in scoring is not uncommon:
in concertos with solo parts for brass (trumpet, horn) the latter mostly keep
silent in the slow movements. That is also the case in the Concerto in
F (RV 538) for two horns, strings and bc. It is not catalogued among
the concerti con molti stromenti but it could take its rightful place
there as there is in fact a third solo instrument. The slow movement (largo)
is scored for cello and basso continuo. Something comparable happens in the
Concerto in d minor (RV 566). It is scored for two violins, two recorders,
two oboes, bassoon, strings and bc, but the largo is a trio for two recorders
and bassoon. The first movement opens with a single chord of the tutti which
is followed by passages for the various pairs of solo instruments.
This disc is reissued by Tactus which also released the first edition; it
was later included by Brilliant Classics in its Vivaldi Edition. If you own
that disc you may still consider purchasing this reissue because - unlike
the Brilliant Classic disc - it comes with interesting liner-notes by Federico
Maria Sardelli. This is helpful in putting this part of Vivaldi's oeuvre
in its historical perspective. The performances are vibrant and engaging;
the virtuosity of the soloists - especially the horn players - is impressive.
This disc is well suited to repeated listening.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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