The Concerto for 3 violins, strings, and continuo in F major is often counted among Antonio Vivaldi's more striking concerti; the profusion of his favorite solo instrument apparently inspired him to find fresh ways for the violins to interact and create exceptionally colorful textures using the interactions. The appeal of Vivaldi's invention is evident in the very first episode of the ritornello-form first movement: the three violins each solo in sequence, the first two with the same exuberant line, the third with different material that eventually draws the first two back into the fray for some high-spirited harmonizing. Similar antics inform the remainder of the episodes in the first movement: unexpected entries and exits creating ear-catching textures and are spiced by Vivaldian virtuoso runs and arpeggios. The second movement drops the orchestra altogether, as one violin plays a graceful, sad melody above busy, quiet ostinato accompaniment from the other two violins, one playing arpeggios and the other plucking out a rhythm; the effect is luminous, especially when a few bars of the bare accompaniment close the movement. In the third movement, the first violin also gets more prominence, but the three violins as a unit are still a formidable force. During the last episode, they unleash an avalanche of minor mode notes to lead into the last ritornello, but Vivaldi nevertheless manages to snatch major mode victory from the jaws of defeat—an imaginative ending to a highly imaginative concerto.

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