Tartini: Violin Concertos, Sonatas

Laura Marzadori pairs these delightful discoveries with two D major sonatas written not for the standard trio-sonata disposition of violin, bass and harpsichord, but rather an instrumentation that anticipates the string quartet. Their writing is full of bold harmonic moves as well as typically brilliant figuration for the violin, most elegantly dispatched here by Marzadori on her Guadagnini violin. Giuseppe Tartini (Pirano d’Istria 1692 - Padua 1770) was a virtuoso violinist, composer, theoretician and teacher, a spider in the international cultural web in a time when Italy was the centre of the musical world, his violin school, the “School of Nations”, attracted musicians from all over Europe. Tartini’s 4 part Sonatas are modeled in 3 movements, fast-slow-fast, and bear witness of the incredible skill of Tartini’s string playing. They are highly melodious works of great beauty and charm. The two Violin Concertos are virtuoso works, paving the way for the great concertos from the classical and r