Vivaldi: 12 Concertos Op. 7

After the enormous success of Vivaldi’s earlier collections La Stravaganza and L’Estro Armonico, his publisher Estienne Roger was eager to capitalise on the composer’s soaring popularity. With that in mind, Op.7 was published in 1720 containing 12 new concertos, ten for solo violin and two for solo oboe. However, it seems unlikely Vivaldi either authorised or approved of this publication, and recent research has even discovered that the authenticity of the concertos is doubtful, with at least the two oboe concertos certainly not by Vivaldi. The concertos may not bear the traditional Vivaldian hallmarks, with movements simplified or moved around, but they are still a worthy tribute to the composer, whether penned by the ‘Prete Rosso’ himself or not.

Federico Guglielmo leads his experienced and lively ensemble L’Arte dell’Arco from the front. A highly acclaimed soloist, Guglielmo has been an active performer on the early music circle for many years, having played alongside such groups as the Academy of Ancient Music and the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston. This time he is joined by oboist Pier Luigi Fabretti, who has previously performed with Concerto Köln and I Barocchisti, among others.

This new instalment of the complete recording of Vivaldi’s Op. 112 contains the 12 Violin Concertos Op. 7, published in Amsterdam in 1720. Prompted by the popular success of the previously published La Stravaganza and L’Estro Armonico Vivaldi wrote these concertos in the same vein: brilliant, dramatic, full of the vitality of Mediterranean life and colours.
Played by the Italian Early Music group “L’Arte dell’Arco, led by violinist (and soloist) Federico Guglielmo. French magazine Diapason wrote about them: ”they understand the secret language of Vivaldi…rich and generous instrumental textures envelop the expressive lines of the solo violin…”
World premiere recording authorised and based on the Critical Edition by Alessandro Borin, Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice.

Recorded in Italy in 2014
Contains biographies and notes on the works