The quantity of this music is like volcanic soil in tropical areas: randomly put a piece of wood in the ground, and it starts to bloom. Who will ever be able to remember all these pieces of music and keep them apart? And yet everything sounds equally fresh and original, wherever you listen. The terms 'concerto' (for strings) and 'sinfonia' seem interchangeable, although the term sinfonia is reminiscent
… of the overtures and interludes for operas. Some 40 compositions have been transmitted in Vivaldi's manuscripts, which are kept in the National Library of Turin. There is also a collection of 12 concertos in Paris, apparently compiled under Vivaldi's supervision in the 1720s for a French enthusiast. Most of the concertos follow the three-part scheme fast, slow, fast. Every now and then we hear a beautiful fugue, which makes us realize that the red-haired priest was not just a versatile writer. (HJ)more
