Bach & Vivaldi: Sonar in ottava. Double Concertos for Violin and Violoncello Piccolo

Featuring

Riccardo Doni
Giuliano Carmignola
Mario Brunello
Accademia dell'Annunciata
Antonio Vivaldi
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Gottlieb Goldberg

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Performer Biography

Giuliano Carmignola, described by Gramophone magazine as 'A prince among baroque violinists,' plays a Pietro Guarneri violin from Venice, 1733, on this recording.

Instruments

The violoncello piccolo used in this project is a four-string instrument tuned to E, A, D, and G, the same as a violin but an octave lower.

Performer Biography

Mario Brunello, the first and only Italian to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986, has pioneered the revival of the violoncello piccolo.

Interpretation

The album's project, 'Playing an Octave Apart,' explores the two-violin repertoire using a violin and a violoncello piccolo, with the latter playing an octave lower than originally written.

Compositional Technique

Playing instruments an octave apart broadens the tonal landscape, allowing previously unheard contrapuntal lines and orchestral voices to emerge, enriching the orchestral texture.

Instruments

The violoncello piccolo, used by Johann Sebastian Bach in some cantatas, became possible after 1660 when silver-clad strings allowed for smaller instruments with better sound projection.

Historical Context

In the 18th century, combining two different concertante instruments was not common, with concertos for identical instruments being much more frequent.