Duo Gelland
Olde Focus Recordings FCR 925
45:50
These four charming duets for two violins RV 68, 70, 71 and 78 differ from Vivaldi’s opus 1 set of duos for two violins in that these are ‘senza il basso’. Published after the composer’s death, they possibly date from the 1730s when Vivaldi toured central Europe with his father – certainly the option of performing without continuo accompaniment would lend itself to the unpredictable conditions of international touring. On the other hand, the mature style of the writing and the technical demands suggest that they were probably composed later for Vivaldi to play with one of the talented violin soloists of the Ospedale della Pietà.
The Duo Gelland, a married couple of violin virtuosi, take a wonderfully fresh and spontaneous approach to this music, living up to the group’s ethos ‘never to perform anything exactly the same way twice.’ In this way, the duets they play are treated as ‘live’ dialogues between the two players, and any performance, including this recording, is just one of many options. An element they don’t mention in their notes (perhaps understandably) is the strongly competitive element of these accounts! Whatever the circumstances, these duets could hardly hope for a more vivacious and electrifying performance than this short but charming recording.
D. James Ross