Vivaldi Concertos

The Italian cellist Giordano Antonelli and his baroque ensemble Musica Antiqua Latina have recorded popular concerts - including the famous Mandolin Concerto RV 425 - as well as lesser-known concerts and symphonies by Antonio Vivaldi. The ensemble takes a different approach to Vivaldi's works: The influences of various cultures in Europe and the Middle East on Vivaldi's music are emphasized. The Sinfonia RV 125, for example, which remained almost unpublished, shows the influences of Slavic musical traditions with its syncopated accents. The cello concerto RV 413 and the concerto for flute, violin and bassoon RV 96 show characteristics of German musical traditions. The RV 517 concerto for two violins reflects clear northern European, but also Spanish styles. The Sinfonia RV 168 is also evidence of Vivaldi's continuous collaboration with musicians from Northern Europe. The third movement of this symphony, however, shows clear influences from the Balkans; this is performed by Giordano Antonelli with a long improvisation on the Greek lyre in the style of the Ottoman Taksim. Venice, where Vivaldi spent most of his life, has always been a metropolis where communities of different peoples met and shared their musical traditions. This album is set against this cultural background: Giordano Antonelli and his ensemble Musica Antiqua Latina allow the sound of cosmopolitan Venice to be heard in Vivaldi's works.