Antonio Vivaldi

This is one of several concertos that Vivaldi wrote for the viola d'amore, a bowed instrument with 14 strings. The performer plays on seven of these, and the other seven are not touched directly but provide sympathetic vibrations.

The orchestral strings start out the opening Allegro in an infectiously happy mood that is not disrupted by a brief turn to the minor mode. The viola d'amore takes up the leading idea from the tutti and extends it in the first solo passage. The solo passages have an expansive singing style with some perfectly integrated virtuosic flights. The subsequent Largo features a continuous introspective cantilena for the viola d'amore over a single-line accompaniment. The concluding Allegro resumes the mood and style of the first movement, with solo passages that are accompanied by the continuo alone.