Underplayed, under-recorded, and quite underappreciated, the repertory for two unaccompanied violins rose in popularity in the first decades of the eighteenth century. But few listeners...

Underplayed, under-recorded, and quite underappreciated, the repertory for two unaccompanied violins rose in popularity in the first decades of the eighteenth century. But few listeners are aware that Antonio Vivaldi was among the first to experiment with this genre, in a little-known set of four sonatas which, according to a fascinating hypothesis, he might have composed for performance in tandem with his father during his tour of central Europe in 1729-30. The leader of Il Giardino Armonico, Stefano Barneschi, and Chiara Zanisi, who has already appeared on the Arcana label (Bach’s violin and harpsichord Sonatas with Giulia Nuti), take us on a journey through this relatively small literature, from Vivaldi to Berio by way of Leclair, Telemann, Tessarini and others. The programme is framed by a piece by the brilliant Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima, written especially for this project. Its last movement, Alleluja, is a tribute both to the finale of Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and to the church of Sant’Antonio Abate (Milan), where the premiere of Mozart’s early piece took place and where this programme was recorded.