Sonates pour violoncelle

Description

In 1740, a collection titled "VI Sonate per violoncello solo col basso da Antonio Vivaldi" was published in Paris by Leclerc and Boivin, with the publication date inferred from an advertisement placed in the "Mercure de France" in December of the same year. This publication was certainly neither intended nor authorized by Vivaldi, who had ceased publishing his works at that time, with the collection of violin concertos Opus 12 from 1729, finding the sale of manuscript copies much more lucrative. However, the origin and authenticity of these pieces are supported by the presence of manuscripts of these sonatas at the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris (with some variations compared to the Leclerc and Boivin edition), attributed to a French copyist who worked in Venice between 1716 and 1726 in Vivaldi's circle. Other manuscripts from the same period exist in Naples and Austria. In 1726, Count de Gergy, a great cello enthusiast, arrived in Venice as an ambassador. While the relatively low technical difficulty of the sonatas makes them accessible to an amateur, the incomparable melodic gift and the specifics of Vivaldi's language reign supreme. With a classic structure of 4 alternating movements slow-fast-slow-fast, they confirm the Priest's strong taste for this great instrument, to which he dedicated 27 solo concertos and several other works for multiple soloists. Francesco Galligioni is also a viol player, and this is evident: he delivers a radiant interpretation here, with "largo" sections that are meditative or singing, free from excessive vibrato, where a thousand warm colors shimmer, and "allegro" sections that are cheerful and flutey, while maintaining warmth and roundness. The ensemble l’Arte del Arco supports the soloist's singing with an inventive and exemplary continuo. (Jean-Michel Babin-Goasdoué)