Vivaldi, A :: Concerto in A minor, RV 540

Concerto in A minor, RV 540

Vivaldi, A

International Music Company presents Antonio Vivaldi's 'Concerto in A minor, RV 540' for flute and piano edited by Jean-Pierre Rampal.

Vivaldi originally wrote this concerto for the viola d'amore, an unusual instrument of the violin family with twelve strings in which six of the strings were played with a bow while the others resonated passively for a sweet, silver tone. Rampal edited and arranged this concerto for flute and piano, adding a delightful piece to the flute repertoire.

'The creator of hundreds of spirited, extroverted instrumental works, Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi is widely recognized as the master of the Baroque instrumental concerto, which he perfected and popularized more than any of his contemporaries. Vivaldi's kinetic rhythms, fluid melodies, bright instrumental effects, and extensions of instrumental technique make his some of the most enjoyable of Baroque music. He was highly influential among his contemporaries and successors: even as esteemed a figure as Johann Sebastian Bach adapted some of Vivaldi's music. Vivaldi's variable textures and dramatic effects initiated the shift toward what became the Classical style; a deeper understanding of his music begins with the realization that, compared with Bach and even Handel, he was Baroque music's arch progressive. Though not as familiar as his concerti, Vivaldi's stage and choral music is still of value; his sometimes bouncy, sometimes lyrical Gloria in D major (1708) has remained a perennial favorite. His operas were widely performed in his own time.'

- Rovi Staff