Vivaldi: Complete Concertos and Sinfonias for Strings and Basso Continuo

Featuring

L'Archicembalo
Antonio Vivaldi

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Performer Biography

L'Archicembalo, an Italian ensemble founded in 2000, specializes in Baroque and early Classical music using original period instruments, with members who have worked with great interpreters of baroque music.

Historical Context

In 1739, Charles de Brosses, a visitor to Venice, noted that the 'grand Concerti in which there is no principal violin' were a form of music unknown in France.

Compositional Technique

Vivaldi's distinction between a 'concerto a quattro' (or 'concerto ripieno') and a 'sinfonia' is not always clear, with some scores bearing double titles.

Composer Biography

Vivaldi's instrumental catalog includes over forty concertos for orchestra and about ten sinfonias, mostly composed between 1720 and 1741.

Composition History

Forty of Vivaldi's compositions on this album are preserved in handwritten scores by the composer or reliable copies in the National Library in Turin.

Compositional Technique

Vivaldi's 'concerti ripieni' feature a lofty style, thematic development, and compositional complexity through counterpoint, often with a violin part juxtaposed with others.

Composition History

A collection of twelve concertos was compiled in Paris under Vivaldi's supervision, likely for a French client such as Ambassador Jacques-Vincent Languet de Gergy.