Antonio Vivaldi's two trio sonatas for lute, violin, and continuo, catalogued as RV 82 and 85 respectively, were both commissioned by and dedicated to Count Johann Joseph von Wrtby of Bohemia, as far as historians can determine. This has led some to conclude that these sonatas were composed during the early 1730s, because Vivaldi was probably present at Czech revivals of his operas during that period and Wrtby died in 1734.

Wrtby had chosen an excellent man to carry out his commission; Vivaldi wrote for solo lute at many times during his life, and the very fact that he would elevate the lute from continuo to solo instrument speaks to both his confidence in and his mastery of its resources. The RV 82 work, in C major, in particular shows a canny understanding of both the lute's limitations and its gifts. In the first movement, the lute leads the way in developing the sunny, gently rhythmic melody, while the violin generally plays a simplified version of the lute's line. The contrasting, combined timbres interact well, especially when Vivaldi occasionally sustains a note in the violin and lets the lute shower it with ornaments of various elaborate kinds. The second movement is in the minor mode, hushed and quiet, with a melody built on small, accumulating descents. In this movement, the lute proves especially eloquent, as its plucking emphasizes the broken feel of the melody. The third movement brings a theme more vigorous than that of the first movement, but no less cheerful, and the thematic development is once again entrusted to the combination of lute and violin. Here the violin gets to play staccato occasionally, thus complementing the lute's quick, athletic ornaments with its own sharp notes. Vivaldi's work in general shows an awareness of tone color that few other Baroque composers had, and the Trio Sonata, RV 82, is an excellent example.

© All Music Guide