Dan Laurin, the recorder soloist on this album, has received a 'Grammy' award for several of his recent BIS recordings.
Performer Biography
The Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki to introduce Japanese audiences to baroque works on period instruments, focusing on J.S. Bach and his influences.
Composer Biography
Vivaldi worked at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, where he had one of Europe's finest orchestras, composed of orphaned girls.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vivaldi's concertos, though seemingly following a three-movement pattern, are all unique, as he constantly aimed for asymmetry to avoid predictability and gain the listener's attention.
Compositional Technique
Vivaldi's recorder concertos are unique because they promote the instrument to a solo role, a position previously reserved for more established instruments like the violin.
Instruments
The flautino concertos, despite being performed on a recorder, occasionally exceed the instrument's compass, leading to speculation about Vivaldi's knowledge of its range.
Compositional Technique
Vivaldi's orchestration is highly skillful, using novel techniques to differentiate textures, such as employing accompanying strings in different ways depending on the solo part's character.
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