Concerto in a for two violins

The solo concertos of The Four Seasons may be the most widely known of Antonio Vivaldi’s works. But Vivaldi (1678-1741) also wrote many concertos for multiple soloists. Last season we performed the Concerto in B Minor for Four Violins, which appears in Vivaldi’s acclaimed L’Estro Harmonico collection (Opus 3) published in Amsterdam in 1711. Tonight we will hear the Concerto in A Minor for Two Violins from the same set, which has been described as arguably “the most influential collection of instrumental music to appear during the entire 18th century.” Bach made his keyboard transcriptions of Italian concertos based on study of L’Estro Harmonico; the pieces in the collection defined the concerto form, and circulated from London and Paris all the way to central Europe. Vivaldi’s reputation soared.
The A-minor concerto contains most of what listeners love in Vivaldi with other subtle features that are less common in his style. The opening Allegro makes interesting use of stasis and Neapolitan harmony to divert us from the relentless forward drive. Similarly, in the finale, there are moments of recitative-like punctuation borrowed from the realm of opera. The central movement is built primarily as a chaconne (more about that on Wednesday evening!), and the finale starts with suggestion of canon. Toward the close, one hears true counterpoint—the simultaneous presentation of two distinct themes—in a manner rare for Vivaldi. Against the oscillating arpeggios of violin solo 1, he offers a tender, lyric theme in the second solo part. All these details counter the image of Vivaldi as mechanical producer of carbon-copy concertos. He actually lavished care at every turn.

(c) Jason Stell