Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Dresden Concerti Volume 4
Concerto in D minor, RV240; Concerto in B minor, RV388
Concerto in E flat major, RV260; Concerto in A major, RV344
Concerto in D major, RV224; Concerto in D major, RV219
Concerto in D major, RV213

Once virtually forgotten, Antonio Vivaldi now enjoys a reputation that equals the international fame he enjoyed in his heyday. Born in Venice in 1678, the son of a barber who was himself to win distinction as a violinist in the service of the basilica of San Marco, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1703. At the same time he established himself as a violinist of remarkable ability. A later visitor to Venice described his playing in the opera-house in 1715, his use of high positions so that his fingers almost touched the bridge of the violin, leaving little room for the bow, and his contrapuntal cadenza, a fugue played at great speed. The experience, the observe