Vivaldi's unique curiosity for different timbres stemmed from his experience playing multiple instruments since his youth and his collaboration with the Ospedale della Pietà, a hospice with an all-girl orchestra known for its large instrument collection.
Instruments
The salterio, a baroque instrument, is featured as a solo instrument on this recording, highlighting a little-known aspect of its repertoire.
Instruments
The baroque salterio could be played with various techniques, including striking the strings with small hammers (battuto) for fast movements or plucking them with fingers (pizzicato) for slower, more resonant passages.
Historical Context
The Ospedale della Pietà, where Vivaldi worked, purchased two salteri in 1706 and 1709, suggesting the instrument was used in Venetian churches, possibly for double choir performances.
Interpretation
The performer, Franziska Fleischanderl, chose Vivaldi concertos that would sound even better and lighter on the salterio than on the violin, describing some movements as 'written in the salterio style'.
Composition History
Vivaldi often changed the instrumentation of his compositions, arranging them for different instruments like oboe to bassoon, cello to flute, or organ to violin, indicating a flexible approach to scoring.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Antonio Vivaldi, the composer, was deeply interested in all kinds of sound phenomena, from meteors to musket shots, and experimented with a wide range of musical instruments.
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