The panorama of Italian music in the first half of the 18th century: Vivaldi is in fact the only musician of this period to adopt the concert style and language in a chamber form.

Details :

Year : 2018

Label : Calliope

Composer : Antonio Vivaldi

Interpreter : Vincent Bernhardt Il delirio fantastico

Duration : 1h03

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The term “Concerto da camera”, used to distinguish these works from those using a group of strings to form the ripieno, is not used by Vivaldi himself, who simply calls them “concertos”. although they only use solo instruments (except the continuo) and thus differ from other concertos of the time by the originality of their instrumentation. The works titled “Concerti da camera” are however not rare in Baroque Italy, but are either chamber music pieces not adopting concertante writing, or concertos on the Corellian model using an orchestral tutti. – the term “da camera” referring to the style and not to the instrumentation. They therefore belong to a different genre from the one at hand, and are opposed, by their form resulting from the series of dances, to the “Concerto da chiesa” which is based on the alternation of slow and fast movements.

Among the 21 Concerti da camera in the Vivaldian catalog – two of which are of questionable authenticity – wind instruments (flute, oboe and bassoon) largely dominate. The violin is no exception, and appears as a soloist or as an accompanist in almost all of these works. The variety of textures, the virtuosity of the different parts and the interchangeability of the roles of the instruments (melody, accompaniment, counterpart …) make them both authentic pieces of chamber music and real concertos, closely related to the form of this genre and perfectly adopting the concertante language.


« un parfait hommage à l’écriture subtile de ces concertos »

Cécile Glaenzer, Resmusica, 31/07/2018

«this delightful recording should win many friends»

Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill, 29/08/2018

« Winningly energetic and flexible readings of an attractive Vivaldi collection. »

Remy Franck, Pizzicato, 18/06/2018

« …Il delirio fantastico confirme sa grande affinité vivaldienne [et] comprend cette musique comme peu. Bravo ! »

Olivier Fourés, Diapason magazine, 09/2018

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