Vivaldi / Galligioni / L'Arte Dell'Arco / Guglie Complete Cello Concertos CD

Vivaldi wrote an astonishing 500 concertos during his lifetime, of which 27 were composed for solo cello. At the time, the instrument was in it's infancy, and it was unusual for great composers to write works specifically for solo cello. Indeed, none of the concertos were published during Vivaldi's lifetime: they had been written specially for his young female students at the Ospedale della Piet?, where the composer was employed in Venice, and were therefore not widely known. However, Vivaldi clearly saw the potential in the new instrument, otherwise he would not have gone on to write so much material for it; after the violin and bassoon, it is his third most popular solo concerto instrument. The sheer number of concertos allows the full emotional range of the cello to be explored, though Vivaldi stays relatively low in it's register, fully exploiting the instrument's rich and sonorous bass. Contrary to popular beliefs that Vivaldi is repetitive, the concertos are packed with Baroque innovations; virtuosic passages feature lively arpeggios, rapid semiquavers and much rhythmic diversity. This period also saw a heightened use of syncopation, and a real emphasis on melody rather than the monodic music that had preceded it: we see this through Vivaldi's employment of arpeggio, progression, augmentation and ornamental variation. Vivaldi wrote cello concertos from the beginning right to the end of his long career, allowing the listener to form a good understanding of the full evolution of the composer's style. Although rarely performed nowadays, these works deserve to be part of any cellist's repertoire. First released as part of Brilliant Classics' authoritative Vivaldi Edition (BC94840), this 4 CD set features renowned concertmaster Federico Guglielmo together with his specialist early music ensemble L'Arte dell'Arco, playing on period instruments.

1. I 2. Adagio 3. Allegro 4. Allegro 5. Andante 6. Allegro 7. Allegro 8. II 9. Allegro 10. Allegro 11. Adagio, Solo a Piacimento 12. III 13. Andante 14. Adagio 15. Allegro 16. Allegro Molto 17. Andante 18. Presto 19. Allegro 20. Adagio (Largo) 21. Allegro 22. Allegro 23. II 24. Allegro 25. Allegro Non Molto 26. Adagio 27. Allegro Ma Non Molto 28. Allegro 29. Largo 30. Allegro 31. Allegro 32. Siciliana 33. Alla Breve 34. Allegro 35. Andante 36. Allegro 37. Allegro Non Molto 38. Largo 39. Allegro 40. Allegro Non Molto 41. Andante 42. Minuet 43. Allegro Non Troppo 44. II 45. Allegro 46. Allegro 47. Largo 48. III 49. Allegro 50. Largo 51. Allegro Molto 52. I 53. Affettuoso 54. Allegro 55. Allegro 56. Largo 57. III 58. Allegro 59. Adagio 60. Allegro 61. I 62. Larghetto 63. Allegro 64. Allegro 65. Largo 66. Allegro 67. Allegro 68. Largo 69. Allegro Non Molto 70. Adagio - Allegro Molto 71. Allegro - Adagio 72. Allegro 73. Allegro 74. Largo 75. Allegro 76. Allegro Non Molto 77. Largo 78. Allegro 79. Allegro 80. Largo Cantabile 81. Allegro