The last nine of Viotti's concertos, composed in England, feature a larger orchestra, more pathos in slow movements, and less virtuosic violin writing, reflecting a new stylistic direction.
Performer Biography
Franco Mezzena, the violinist and conductor on this album, plays a superb Stradivarius from 1721 and violins by luthier Giovanni Osvaldo Fiori.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Viotti's violin concertos, particularly the later ones, show a stylistic evolution from late galant to the threshold of Romanticism, with a notable preference for minor keys.
Composer Biography
Viotti, the composer, served Queen Marie Antoinette and later became a theatrical impresario, founding the Théâtre de Monsieur with the patronage of the Count of Provence.
Cultural Impact
Viotti's violin concertos were foundational for the French violin school and served as stylistic models for composers like Pierre Rode, Rodolphe Kreutzer, and Pierre Baillot.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Battista Viotti, the composer, gained recognition for his instrumental music primarily outside his native Italy, where opera was the dominant musical form.
Composer Biography
Due to the French Revolution and his ties to the aristocracy, Viotti, the composer, moved to England, later being wrongly suspected of Jacobin activity and forced to live in Germany for three years.
