Of Vivaldi's more than 500 concertos, 27 were written for the combination of cello, strings, and continuo. Most of these, like this G major effort, have a duration of about ten minutes, and contrary to Stravinsky's charge about the sameness of Vivaldi's concertos in general, most are quite individual in character. The Concerto in G major here probably dates to the first or second decade of the eighteenth century. It consists of three movements, with two Allegro outer panels framing a central Largo.

The first movement opens with a joyous orchestral ritornello, with the jaunty but unhurried violin theme being propelled along by a busy bass line. The cello enters with equally chipper music, playing a variant of the opening theme. Subsequent material reappears but in somewhat different guises, Vivaldi showing imaginative thematic development, as well as colorful solo and ensemble writing.

A somber introduction is presented by unison strings at the outset of the second movement, after which a brighter theme is presented in the strings' higher ranges and then taken up by the cello. There are elegant exchanges between orchestra and soloist thereafter, and the tempo throughout sounds more animated than its Largo marking would normally suggest. The finale opens with a festive introduction, the cello then following with more mellow and less showy but still quite lively music. In subsequent exchanges, however, the cello becomes more driving and assertive, yet more bouncy and playful, too, in the end imparting a rollicking sense to the proceedings. This is certainly one of Vivaldi's more colorful and instantly appealing concerto finales.

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