Luogo e data di registrazione		La Chaux-de-Fonds (Svizzera) - settembre 1962 (op. 3, nr. 1,3,4,6,7,9,10,12) Schweningen (Olanda) - giugno 1962 (op. 3, nr. 2,5,8,11) La Chaux-de-Fonds (Svizzera) - luglio 1963 (op. 4)
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer / Engineer		-
	Prima Edizione originale LP		Philips - 835 162 - (1 LP) - durata 35' 32" - (p) 1963 - Analogico - (op. 3, vol. 1/3) Philips - 835 163 - (1 LP) - durata 40' 24" - (p) 1963 - Analogico - (op. 3, vol. 2/3) Philips - 835 164 - (1 LP) - durata 41' 18" - (p) 1963 - Analogico - (op. 3, vol. 3/3) Philips - 835 209 - (1 LP) - durata 53' 20" - (p) 1963 - Analogico - (op. 4, vol. 1/2 Philips - 835 210 - (1 LP) - durata 52' 17" - (p) 1963 - Analogico - (op. 4, vol. 2/2)
	Note		-

"L'ESTRO ARMONICO," OP. 3 Vivaldi’s Op. 3 was published about 1712 by Estienne Roger of Amsterdam, and bears the title ”L’Estro armonico” (approximately translated: "Harmonic inspiration"). There are 12 concertos in the opus, which was the first of his concerto collections to be published. The individual concertos can be classified according to setting: four are written for solo violin, four for two violins, and four for four violins, all with the accompaniment of strings and harpsichord. The majority have three movements; sometimes a slow introduction is added as in the second concerto, or the piece is opened by an animated “Perfidia” as in the eleventh concerto. The sequence of the movements in the fourth concerto, slow-quick-slow-quick, is reminiscent of the church sonata. For the rest, Vivaldi prefers the North Italian concerto type, primarily established by Giuseppe Torelli, and characterised by the differentiation of thematic material between solo and tutti parts. These concertos are therefore not constructed as, for example, those of Pasquini and Corelli, on the principle of an identical content for soli and tutti, but develop from varied thematic material which is suited to the different abilities of soloists and ripienists. Thus the tutti ritornelli are usually built on broad, weighty themes, while the solo parts have virtuoso passages and richly embellished fioriture. Six of these concertos were later arranged for organ or clavier by J. S. Bach: No. 3 (transposed to F major), No. 7, No. 8, No. 10 for four claviers and transposed to A minor, No. 11, and No. 12, transposed to C major. A comparative examination of these concertos in Op. 3 compels one to marvel at the richness and diversity of Vivaldi’s invention, his sense of form and sonority, and at his command of instrumental writing. They reveal Vivaldi the great craftsman, and also the tireless experimenter. In this respect the title ”L’Estro armonico” for Op. 3 is entirely appropriate. The first concerto in D is for four violins obbligati and one solo cello. The opening movement already makes it clear that Vivaldi is not slavishly copying an adopted form, but freely and ingeniously modifying the formal principle. First and second solo violins begin with an imitative theme, which does not appear again in this form; its quaver figure is later taken over for the most part by the tutti, while the solo violins and cello retain the semiquaver figure. In the middle movement a descending theme in octave unison forms the thrice repeated ritornello, while the solo violins play figurations over an accompaniment from the violas. The work ends with a lively, extended movement in 9/8 time. Here for once soli and tutti have identical thematic material, which in the long solo sections is freely extended in figurations and passage work. The second concerto in C minor for two violins and cello obbligati is prefaced by a slow introduction, which by its mood and solemnity, suggests that the piece was written for the church. The tutti theme of the subsequent Allegro is based on a semiquaver run, spanning the octave, which becomes increasingly agitated. The solo violin passages also have running semiquaver figures, which are contrasted with the tutti motive. In the Larghetto, chords in dotted rhythm, now loud, now soft, form the ritornello. In between times, a cantilena, also in dotted rhythm, is interposed in the tutti, and echoed by the solo instruments. The final Allegro is in 12/8 time, and in the manner of a gigue. A brief chromatically ascending motive offers some surprising harmony. In the third work, a solo concerto in G, the solo violin takes on special prominence in the second and third movement. After a bar by bar exchange between solo and tutti, the cantilena becomes more and more extended in the middle movement. In the last movement the lengthy solo passages are accompanied by the higher strings - a device also used by Mozart - or by tutti chords. Along with the requisite modulation to B minor, the first movement is a particularly fine example of the standard concerto form. Unlike the others, the fourth concerto in E minor for four violins has four movements. A dotted motive melodically differentiated between soli and tutti, gives unity to the first Andante. In the following Allegro, the solo violins usually play singly or at most in pairs. The mellow atmosphere of the opening movement is here relieved by an opulent virtuosity. A brief Adagio - only a few bars long - provides a breathing space before the brisk attack of the closing Allegro, with its continuous animated impetus. The simplest harmonic relationships, constant interplay of soli and tutti and the transparent quality of the writing lend the movement the elegance and polish which we always admire afresh in Vivaldi. In the fifth concerto in A for two violins obbligati, the bold unison opening, extending over nine bars, bears the true Venetian stamp: Benedetto Marcello once said that a unison played majestically and with fire by massed strings is always effective. This unison beginning appears as a ritornello three times in the course of the first movement. In between come finely chiselled solo passages for the violins, sometimes without bass support, sometimes accompanied by delicate quaver chords. The middle movement is entirely reserved for the first solo violin, which soars above soft quaver chords from the upper strings, initially in a flowing cantabile, later developing into light fioriture. The closing Allegro alternates frequently between solo and tutti passages. Triad figures predominate in the tutti motive, while the solo violins make much use of trills and scales. Through republications, the sixth concerto in A minor for violin was one of the earliest of Vivaldi’s concertos to become well known. This early popularity is as much due to the striking first and last movements, as to the beautifully shaped Largo. The seventh concerto in F for four violins and cello obbligati opens with a broad Andante in which the solo instruments are given ample opportunity for display, singly, or two or three together, in the manner of a trio sonata or sonata a quattro. A lively, decidedly virtuoso Allegro follows, framed by two Adagio sections. This triptych form is in keeping with the North-Italian concerto form as divised by Giuseppe Torelli. ln the final Allegro, in 3/4 time, solo and tutti passages are for the most part allotted identical motives, a rare practice with Vivaldi. The eighth concerto in A minor for two violins is at once notable for spaciousness of treatment. As in the classical concerto, the principal motives are introduced in the first tutti. The two solo violins shape and develop this material with great ingenuity. In the middle movement, the unison ritornello of the opening returns as a basso ostinato during the solo section,adevice later used by J. S. Bach in the middle movement of his E major violin concerto. The last movement shows the same breadth of treatment as the first. The solo passages are extended by rich and sequenced figurations, and usually set contrapuntally against interesting counter-voices. The ninth concerto in D for violin obbligato is more of a virtuoso work. The characteristically clear-cut, somewhat robust opening theme of the first movement develops into a continuous animated flow, both in the solo and in the tutti, until a pedal point several bars long calls a halt, and leads into the closing ritornello. The Larghetto is also in D, and allows the solo violin to display itself above a quaver accompaniment from the upper strings. The closing Allegro is even more a virtuoso piece. The violins begin portentously with a wind passage, a fanfare as it were, heralding the entry of the tutti in rapid semiquavers. The solo part abounds in the most varied figurations and passes into demisemiquavers. The tenth concerto in B minor for four violins and cello obbligati has become known and loved in J. S. Bach's transcription for four claviers. The less well-known original has a more gentle, gracious atmosphere. The dense texture, as much as seven voices in counterpoint, calls to mind the orchestral sonatas and concertos of Vivaldi’s contemporary Albinoni. In the first and last movement the solo violins are variously combined with the solo cello. Each solo instrument is entrusted with particular tasks. There is a wealth of contrast between solo and tutti sections, as the dense polyphony of the tutti is often relieved by solo passages above pure continuo. In the Larghetto, Vivaldi achieves very notable effects in the violin arpeggios, since he calls for four different methods of articulation. The eleventh concerto in D minor for two violins and cello obbligati opens with a so-called ”Perfidia”: the two solo violins imitate each other in triad figures, and the solo cello answers them with figurations above throbbing quavers. Three bars of adagio lead to the succeeding fugato, with the entry of the solo instruments; this dissolves into an interlude passage and, over a lengthy pedal point on the dominant, leads to the conclusion. In the second movement, a few tutti bars frame a somewhat pastoral cantilena in the solo violins, above pianissimo chords in the violins and violas. In the finale, the solo violins maintain a vigorous pace, outbidding each other in motives, and contrasted by a chromatically descending motive in the solo cello. The movement has a number of solo passages, mostly allotted to the first violin. Like No. 6, the twelfth concerto in E for violin obbligato became known comparatively early through republications. The accent here is on sonorities. In the first and last movements triad figures predominate, both in the concisely worked tutti ritornelli, and in the virtuoso solo passages. The delicate, transparent accompaniment gives the slow movement a particularly light and unencumbered effect. "LA STRAVAGANZA," OP. 4 The 12 concertos of Op. 4 bear the collective title “La Stravaganza" (meaning approximately "Flight of fancy") and were published in the usual form of partbooks by Estienne Roger of Amsterdam about 1715. The instrumentation is the same for all 12 concertos: one solo violin, two ripieno violins, viola, and basso continuo. Except for No. 7, which has four movements, the concertos are all in three movements, and the sequence for each, Allegro - Largo - Allegro, is the usual one in the Italian concerto. The occasional use of a four-movement sequence is a reminder of the descent of this form from the sonata da chiesa. In this connexion, it should be remembered that the concerto form had its origin in the sumptuous musical usage of the late seventeenth-century Church of Upper Italy. The Mass was not only musical, with solo inserts and choral sections for one or more choirs, but instrumental pieces were also interpolated between the separate parts of the Mass: violin concertos, concertos for oboes and - by an old tradition - for trumpets, strings, and organ. From the Church, these newly-devised forms made their way into the courts of princes, and into the seminaries, colleges, and academies, which, nurtured by a growing demand for music, brought into fashion the public concert. Vivaldi was well placed to bring the instrumental forms to their first maturity. He freed the originally schematic and equally spaced exchange of ritornello and solo of all rigidity and convention and made from it a formal structure in which solo and tutti develop organically. The 12 concertos of Op. 4 form a collection which uses all the resources open to the composer of violin concertos at this time. Of particular significance is the shape given to the solo violin part. Vivaldi sometimes allows it to begin with the principal subject, and freely develop, sometimes he invents in addition an independent contrasting theme, or else allows the violin to indulge wholly in figuration. The forms of the accompaniment are also very varied. The most simple is the accompaniment by basso continuo, either by cello alone or cello and organ (harpsichord may be substituted). As frequently happens in Vivaldi's music, accompaniment is also provided by the upper strings, or by the two violins alone or together with the viola, in either case without bass. This form of accompaniment lasted right up to the time of Mozart’s violin concertos. Finally there is the accompaniment by the full ensemble, either in simple chords or in counter-themes. As with Op. 3 (“L’Estro armonico”), several movements from Op. 4 were later given fresh treatment by J. S. Bach. He transposed the first movement of the first concerto of Op. 4 to G major, and arranged it for a keyboard instrument. In addition he made keyboard transcriptions of the first two movements of the G minor concerto No. 6, richly embellishing the Largo. The first concerto in B flat opens with a close-textured tutti ritornello in the manner of Albinoni. The four solo entries with intervening ritornelli, place the first violin well in the forefront, but bring in another violin and a cello to second and accompany (a formal link with the trio sonata). The slow middle movement, Largo, belongs entirely to the solo violin, the strings under the direction “sempre piano” confining themselves to a simple quaver accompaniment. The last movement stresses tutti passages. A richly modulating section of over 100 bars takes up the greater part while the violin solo, which is only half as long, is based wholly on figurations. A 10 bar ritornello rounds the work off. The second concerto is in E minor, and also has three movements. With the exception of sizable ritornelli at the start of the first and last movements, it offers most of its chances to the solo violin - from the simple rhythmic variation of a motive, to the virtuoso embroidery of the principal theme. The ways in which the solo instrument is accompanied are interesting and varied: simple quaver figures in the upper strings basso continuo alone, the tutti with simple piano chords, or with related quaver figures. This kind of treatment really summarises the stylistic habits of the age, at least in the matter of accompaniment. The first movement of the third concerto in G is motivistically almost wholly built on common chord figures. The solo violin also launches into the main subject in figurations derived from the common chord. The second movement, a Largo in B minor, 12/8 time, offers strong contrast in its warm, intimate content, which is explored mainly by the violin, accompanied by the upper strings. The work ends in virtuoso style with a gigue-like Allegro assai. The fourth concerto in A minor, a serious and weighty piece, has a recurrent unison ritornello which gives the first movement a majestic solemnity. In the following Grave, the solo violin sings over dotted rhythms in the upper strings, and the closing Allegro gives the violin ample opportunity for display with four sizable solo sections. The final ritornello's unisono effects hark back to the first movement. In the fifth concerto in A the solo violin is assigned extended passages, sometimes of considerable technical difficulty. With the exception of the first, the tutti ritornelli are kept shorter. In the slow middle movement, which has no ritornello, the solo part is particularly rich and free. The sixth concerto in G minor is a work of more conventional cut. Ritornelli and solo sections alternate fairly regularly. In the first movement, the solo violin takes up the principal motive of the ritornello, and extends it in figurations. The last two solo entries are interesting in that two more solo violins and viola, or the cello, play counter-motives to the principal violin. The middle movement, a Largo in D minor, belongs mainly to the solo violin, whose part is simple and song-like. In the last movement, the solo instrument again has a very rich entry, and its part is notable for some rapid virtuoso triplet figures. The seventh concerto in C is the only four-movement piece in the opus. The sequence Largo - Allegro - Largo - Allegro, and the construction of the solo sections, scored almost entirely as trios between two violins and cello, underline the concerto’s descent from the sonata da chiesa. The initial Largo begins in ceremonious style, with the broken chord of C major. The freely fugal Allegro also attracts the lower strings into the semiquaver motion. In the second Largo, two violins share the cantilena in turn, while the remaining strings carry the richly modulating quaver accompaniment. The work closes with a sparkling Allegro in 3/8 time, gigue-like in manner, as is frequently the case, and oscillating rapidly between soli and tutti. The eighth concerto in D minor which has a harpsichord instead of an organ as continuo is opened by the solo violin accompanied by cello. It executes an oddly jagged motive, which predominates also in later solo entries, and somewhat influences the tutti motive. In the second movement, which follows the first without pause, the harpsichord is allowed effective solo arpeggios. The  work ends with a spirited, abundantly modulating Allegro, with extensive solo passages. The ninth concerto in F is another work of rather ecclesiastical solemnity. Interesting in the first movement is the way the semiquaver impulse passes continually between the upper and lower voices, The solo sections are nearly all a tre that is, for two violins and cello. In the middle movement, the dotted rhythms of the tutti predominate, with soloistic inserts for the violin. The tutti sections of the last movement are again very closely textured, and the solo violin, accompanied by the cello provides apt contrast. In the tenth concerto in C minor, the tutti ritornelli of the first and last movements are composed almost entirely in three voices, the two violins playing mostly in unison. The dotted rhythm at the start of the first movement is French in flavour, with the principal motive taken up by the solo violin, and extended into agile figurations. The Adagio which follows without pause, gives the soloist a simple, but very sensitive cantilena, framed by two tutti sections. The principal feature of the closing Allegro is the rapid exchange between solo and tutti, enhanced by brief, interpolated unison passages, and by the spirited solo violin part. The eleventh concerto in D begins with a “Perfidia” between two solo violins without bass. The tutti ritornello, a fine, ringing chord motive, remains in unison in the first movement. The second movement, a Largo in B minor is shared by the solo violin and solo cello, the latter playing almost uninterruptedly in semiquavers. The closing movement is blithe and sparkling. The tutti sections take care of the themes and modulations, while the solo violin accompanied by one cello provides the contrast in tone and playing technique. The twelfth and last concerto is in G. In the first movement soli and tutti are interwoven, both contributing in equal measure to the formal development. In the Largo, the solo violin, accompanied most of the time by the entire strings, has a richly embellished part framed by two tutti ritornelli. The last movement belongs mainly to the solo violin, with brief interruptions from the tutti. The violin part is amply provided with figurations, and also with cantilene. In this closing movement, Vivaldi once again draws on all the devices of instrumental compositions known to his time. Franz Giegling