Vivaldi was completely forgotten for 200 years after his death, only making a comeback after World War II with the first complete edition of his music.
Composer Biography
Vivaldi once scathingly added 'Per i coglioni' ('for the dimwits') next to figured bass numbers he was asked to provide for an accompanist not used to playing without them.
Instruments
The recorder player, Dan Laurin, uses a copy of a soprano recorder by Venetian maker Domenico Perosa for RV443, specially made for this recording.
Performer Biography
Dan Laurin, the recorder soloist, has received the Swedish Grammy award as best classical performer and the 'Litteris et Artibus' medal from the King of Sweden.
Interpretation
For this recording, the concertos RV443 and RV445, traditionally played on a sopranino recorder, are transposed down a fourth and performed on a soprano recorder based on modern research.
Composition History
The discovery of almost all of Vivaldi's preserved music in the mid-1920s involved intrepid musicologists and librarians battling avaricious collectors and fanatic bureaucrats.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vivaldi often developed the concerto form as a duel between soloist and orchestra, with the soloist opposing the stable tutti sections to create dialectical tension.
