Work
Loading...-
Violin Concerto in E ('L'amoroso') , RV271Key: E
Year: before 1742
Genre: Concerto
Pr. Instruments: Violin & Chamber Ensemble
- 1.Allegro
- 2.Cantabile
- 3.Allegro
Like most Vivaldi concertos, this E major effort is cast in three movements and its scoring features continuo, usually meaning harpsichord. But because this concerto carries the nickname "L'amoroso" (love, or romance), some performers choose to employ a more romantic-sounding instrument to serve as continuo, such as the guitar, which arguably blends into the more sensual fabric here than the steelier tones of the harpsichord.
The first movement is marked Allegro and features a lovely, unhurried ritornello that mixes a gossamer gentleness with a sense of near ecstasy in its caressing tones. The violin enters with a brighter manner, but without breaking from the tender mood. The whole movement exudes an almost dreamy sensuousness, a youthful, love-struck mindset quite in character with the concerto's moniker.
The second movement, marked cantabile, maintains much the same mood but is more nocturnal in the violin's songful opening melody. There is a hint of the melancholy here and throughout the movement, though, too. The Allegro finale, however, brims with joy in the orchestra's opening statement, though the violin's ensuing music modifies the exuberance with a sense of elegance. Still, a feeling of romance lingers and the writing here and throughout for both orchestra and soloist is brilliant and full of color.
© All Music Guide



