L'Arte Dell'Arco & Federico Guglielmo - Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos, Op. 3 (2014)

Antonio Vivaldi was one of the most successful composers of the Baroque era, best known for his iconic set concertos for violin, The Four Seasons. L’Estro Armonico Op.3 is among the most important printed editions of Vivaldi’s concertos; the works immediately met with great acclaim after their publication in 1711, giving way to over 30 reprints in the subsequent 32 years. Indeed, this was the first collection of concerti to be published with a title, showing that the composer himself was aware of the nature of this extraordinary event. The work was originally dedicated to Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici, son and heir of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This special release is the world premiere recording based on the edition by Michael Talbot, of the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice and has been produced in collaboration with Ricordi and Universal Music Publishing. L’Arte dell’Arco is an internationally renowned ensemble that has achieved great acclaim through performances and recordings. Each member is handpicked from the elite of the Italian classical music scene and has performed with many period orchestras across Europe. The group regularly takes part in early music festivals and has, in recent years, toured extensively outside of Europe in the Far East and South America. Artistic Director and Concert Master Federico Guglielmo has been hailed by the Boston Globe as “the new star of the ancient music landscape” and was the winner of the Antonio Vivaldi International Recording Prize, also receiving a Diapason d’Or for his recording of Vivaldi concertos.

After the iconic ‘Le Quattro Stagioni’, the collection of 12 violin concertos Op. 3, ‘L’Estro Armonico’ is the most popular and well known of all of Vivaldi’s works. It is vintage Vivaldi: lively, exuberant and brilliant allegros, spun‐out cantilenas in Italian ‘belcanto’ style, and a general feel of Italian passion and good humour. Violinist Federico Guglielmo is one of Italy’s foremost fiddlers, a pioneer of Early Music Performance Practice, a bon vivant understanding the secrets of Vivaldi’s language like few others. Played from the New Vivaldi Edition as published by the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini.

A superb addition to the Vivaldi series (the complete Opus 1‐12) by L’Arte dell’Arco, and Federico Guglielmo! Contains liner notes on the composer and works and performer biographies.