Tartini: The Violin Concertos, Vol. 10
L'Arte dell'Arco / Giovanni Guglielmo
Dynamic CDS 399/1-2
Released: March 2003

 
During his time, Italian composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) was best known as a teacher and scholar, as well as a violinist. A traveling virtuoso, Tartini wrote for himself compositions that showed off his technique, which was quite extraordinary for its time, and widely acknowledged by his fellow musicians and admirers.

Among Tartini's works are his collection of 135 violin concertos that L'Arte dell'Arco, an Italian period instrument group led by brothers Giovanni and Federico Guglielmo, is in the midst of recording. A project that began in 1997 on the Genoa-based Dynamic label, the group has recently released volume 10 in the series.

According to David Hurwitz, Executive Editor of ClassicsToday.com, the music of Tartini and the Rococo period (1725-1775), was not just "sweet, simple, and kind of stupid and frilly and uninteresting," but rather "very passionate, and very surprising, and full of unpredictable turns."

The Rococo period marked the time between the death of Bach and the rise of Haydn and Mozart when music transitioned from a highly polished style to a type of music with more emotion and expression that explored the harmonic universe. Concertos became more expansive with flashier solo lines and extended orchestral sections.

"These transitional [composers] are marvelous to us today, not because they may present the most perfected classical masterpieces, but because the effort itself brought forth music of great energy and originality, and verve and excitement, and I think you can hear that in [Tartini's] pieces."