Vivaldi: Cello Concertos / Cohen, King

Front illustration: Venice by Moonlight (detail) by Henry Pether (fl1828-1862)

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Cello Concertos

Cello Concerto in G minor RV416
Cello Concerto in A minor RV420
Concerto for two cellos in G minor RV531
Cello Concerto in C minor RV401
Cello Concerto in G minor RV417
Cello Concerto in A minor RV418+
Cello Concerto in G major RV415+ (attributed Vivaldi)

JONATHAN COHEN cello & five-string cello
SARAH McMAHON cello (RV531)
THE KING'S CONSORT
ROBERT KING director, harpsichord

Vivaldi wrote more cello concertos (twenty-eight, at the last count) than anyone else to date. This exciting new recording presents six works by the Italian master and one particularly fine concerto whose attribution is in question; all seven are wonderful examples of the form to which Vivaldi continually returned throughout his long composing career.
Vivaldi is not known to have been a cellist, but his interest in the instrument can be ascribed to a distinguished list of virtuosic performers at the Pieta, the Venetian orphanage whose musical prowess was the envy of contemporary Europe. Vivaldi himself worked for the institution for some years, continuing to supply fresh compositions long after other engagements took him further afield.

Jonathan Cohen is a young British cellist, rapidly developing a versatile reputation for sensitive and accomplished performance across a range of genres. His mellifluous interpretations of these concertos are a joy of hear - if his name is new, this disc will surely convince a wider audience of an astonishing talent. Accompaniment is provided by Robert King and The King's Consort, acknowledged leaders in the interpretation of Vivaldi.

Recorded in Cadogan Hall, London, on 15-17 April 2005

(p) Hyperion Records Ltd, London, MMVI