Album insights
When Antonio Vivaldi likely joined the faculty of Ospedale della Pietà in late 1703, he did so as a music teacher primarily for string instruments but was also overseeing wind instrumentalists. The Pietà, one of four charitable orphanages for girls in Venice, was state-funded with a strong musical emphasis in its curriculum. Music held a prominent place in the daily schedule at Pietà, especially for the "figlie di coro," the music-playing residents of the orphanage, who were described as being trained exclusively in music and excelling in singing and playing various instruments.
Between 1711 and 1729, Vivaldi published nine collections of concertos, with many more remaining in manuscript form during his lifetime. While most of Vivaldi's concertos are orchestral works featuring one or more soloists contrasting with a larger group, his twenty-two chamber concertos were written for various instrument combinations with each voice, except for the Continuo, having an obligate role. Vivaldi achieved a rich variety of timbres and transparent structures within the confines of a chamber ensemble due in part to his profound knowledge of the instruments for which he composed.
The exact dates and intended recipients for Vivaldi's chamber concertos, like the ones thought to have been created for his students at Pietà, remain uncertain, but it is speculated that they were composed in the late 1720s and 1730s. Vivaldi's chamber concertos stand out from those by other composers, blending melodic invention and craftsmanship to give each piece a distinctive character. Through a blend of diverse and imaginative techniques, he created a captivating array of sounds and structures within his chamber music, showcasing his mastery of composition.
The Concerto in G minor, RV105, for alto recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, and Continuo, features lively bassoon passages in the ritornello sections of the first movement, with solo episodes shared among the instruments. The middle movement is a gentle dialogue between the recorder and bassoon without Continuo, while the closing Allegro, similarly structured, includes solo episodes distributed among the four protagonists as in the opening movement.
In the Concerto in D major, RV95 ("La Pastorella"), Vivaldi specifies instrumentation as alto recorder or violin, violin or oboe, violin, bassoon, and Continuo in the autograph score. An alternate manuscript from Manchester replaces the bassoon with an obligatory cello. The outer movements exude a lively pastoral quality with solo episodes featuring the recorder. The intricate interplay of melodies in the Siciliano-flavored Largo and the contrapuntal Gigue evoke pastoral imagery.
The obligate voices in the Concerto in G minor, RV107, for flute, oboe, violin, bassoon, and Continuo are evenly distributed, with the violin figures standing out in the first movement. The Siciliano rhythm of the Largo is also used in Vivaldi's Concerto in B major for oboe and violin (RV548), where the flute and oboe share a lyrical melody against a backdrop of violin and bassoon accompaniment, creating an enchanting atmosphere. The work concludes with a Chaconne based on an eight-bar bass ostinato, showcasing Vivaldi's inventive variations and evoking a slightly nostalgic tone.
The introductory bars of the Concerto in C major, RV87, for alto recorder, oboe, two violins, and Continuo cleverly introduce the main theme of the ensuing Allegro. Vivaldi distributes his melodic ideas among the four soloist voices, which function both independently and collectively in different combinations. The slow middle movement features the recorder with Continuo accompaniment, while the robust finale is built on ascending scale passages. Solo episodes in the various movements highlight the individual instruments with the alto recorder taking precedence over the others, particularly in contrast to the block flute parts.
In the Trio Sonata in A minor, RV86, for alto recorder, bassoon, and Continuo, Vivaldi employs an unconventional instrumentation pairing two distinct melodic instruments with a wide register difference. While similar instrumentations have been used in some of his chamber concertos, it is in this sonata that Vivaldi thoroughly explores the tonal range and quality of the two instruments. The four-movement "Sonata da chiesa" incorporates elements of the concerto style, especially in the two Allegro movements, with the recorder featured as a soloist in the slow second movement alongside the figural bassoon accompaniment, demanding virtuosity from the soloists throughout.
The Concerto in D major, RV94, for alto recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, and Continuo places emphasis on the violin in the outer movements while also highlighting the soloistic roles of other instruments, particularly the recorder. Each solo episode contrasts rhythmically and melodically, with the first solely for the violin, the second dominated by the recorder, the third shared by the violin and recorder, and the fourth featuring a lyrical melody on the recorder accompanied by violin arpeggios. The final episode brings the violin back to the forefront, alternating with Tutti interruptions, showcasing the violin's virtuosic role as the music progresses.