Berliner Barock Solisten
Vivaldi: Concerti
- Type CD
- Label Phil.Harmonie
- UPC 4250317416032
- Catalog number PHIL 06003
- Release date 01 October 2021
About the album
Given how little we know about the biography of Antonio Vivaldi, it seems an almost impossible task to pinpoint the ways in which the great Venetian's compositions are linked to events in his life. Just as with many of his contemporaries, we must regretfully acknowledge that very few details about his life have come down to us. It was almost three centuries before historians were able to verify that he was born on March 4, 1678. We know that he was ordained to the priesthood at an early age; that he served as a violinist in the Cappella di San Marco from about the age of thirty; and that he also played in ensembles with his father. Additionally, we know that he was appointed as director of an “Accademia” – in this case, an orphanage in Venice – that both provided its female charges with an education and employed them as musicians or choral singers who performed for profit.
This provided the impetus for what was to become Vivaldi's immense and varied output of instrumental concertos and concerti grossi, which were written between 1716 and 1725 for performance by the students of the Ospedale della Pietà. These works represent the largest proportion of his magnificent and vivid oeuvre, which, in its more meditative moments and in the almost impressionistic quality of its timeless beauty, allows us a tangible and highly descriptive glimpse of the Baroque world.
This is one of the reasons why the musicians of the Berliner Barock Solisten were unwilling to resist the temptation of recording seven of the instrumental concertos as a testimony to our deep fascination with the music of Antonio Vivaldi. Ever since the founding of our ensemble, every encounter with the legacy of this extraordinary composer and violinist has allowed us to penetrate more deeply into the universal art of expressive playing using the convex Baroque bow. We hope that this recording reflects our successful engagement with these very rewarding techniques.
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11Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B-Flat Major, RV 548 I. Allegro
03:11 -
12Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B-Flat Major, RV 548 II. Largo
02:27 -
13Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B-Flat Major, RV 548 III. Allegro
02:02 -
14Cello Concerto in B Minor, RV 424 I. Allegro non molto
03:41 -
15Cello Concerto in B Minor, RV 424 II. Largo
02:52 -
16Cello Concerto in B Minor, RV 424 III. Allegro
03:10 -
17Viola d'amore Concerto in A Minor, RV 397 I. Vivace
03:23 -
18Viola d'amore Concerto in A Minor, RV 397 II. Largo
03:10 -
19Viola d'amore Concerto in A Minor, RV 397 III. Allegro
03:10 -
110The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 'Spring' I. Allegro
03:13 -
111The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 'Spring' II. Largo e pianissimo sempre
02:10 -
112The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 'Spring' III. Danza pastoraleAllegro
03:53 -
113The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8 No. 2, RV 315 'Summer' I. Allegro non moto
05:10 -
114The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8 No. 2, RV 315 'Summer' II. Adagio - Presto
02:00 -
115The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8 No. 2, RV 315 'Summer' III. Presto
02:45 -
116The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Major, Op. 8 No. 3, RV 293 'Autumn' I. Allegro
04:57 -
117The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Major, Op. 8 No. 3, RV 293 'Autumn' II. Adagio molto
02:04 -
118The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Major, Op. 8 No. 3, RV 293 'Autumn' III. Allegro
03:04 -
119The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Minor, Op. 8 No. 4, RV 297 'Winter' I. Allegro non molto
03:16 -
120The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Minor, Op. 8 No. 4, RV 297 'Winter' II. Largo
01:40 -
121The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Minor, Op. 8 No. 4, RV 297 'Winter' III. Allegro
02:59