Despite a dazzling career as a soloist, Viotti ended his life almost completely forgotten, with most of his works, except for a few, no longer in the popular repertoire.
Composition History
Viotti's solo compositions, especially his violin concertos, laid the foundations of the French violin school and were admired by composers like Pierre Rode, Rodolphe Kreutzer, and Pierre-Marie Baillot.
Composition History
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart showed interest in Viotti's works, adapting his Concerto No.16 in E minor by adding trumpets and kettledrums to the orchestra.
Performer Biography
Franco Mezzena, the violinist and conductor on this album, studied with Salvatore Accardo and has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe.
Composer Biography
Viotti, after achieving great success at the Concert Spirituel in Paris in 1782, decided to settle permanently in the French capital.
Compositional Technique
Viotti's Concerto No.13 in A Major, though composed shortly after Concerto No.7, shows a development towards a more personal and free style with pre-romantic features.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Battista Viotti, born in 1755, was the most famous representative of the Piedmontese violin school and a pupil of Gaetano Pugnani.
