Antonio Vivaldi was one of the most successful composers of the Baroque era, best known for his iconic set concertos for violin, The Four Seasons. L’Estro Armonico Op.3 is among the most important printed editions of Vivaldi’s concertos; the works immediately met with great acclaim after their publication in 1711. Indeed, this was the first collection of concerti to be published with a title, showing that the composer himself was aware of the nature of this extraordinary event. The work was originally dedicated to Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici, son and heir of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. L’Arte dell’Arco is an internationally renowned ensemble that has achieved great acclaim through performances and recordings.
After the iconic ‘Le Quattro Stagioni’, the collection of 12 violin concertos Op. 3, ‘L’Estro Armonico’ is the most popular and well known of all of Vivaldi’s works. It is vintage Vivaldi: lively, exuberant and brilliant allegros, spun‐out cantilenas in Italian ‘belcanto’ style, and a general feel of Italian passion and good humour. Violinist Federico Guglielmo is one of Italy’s foremost fiddlers, a pioneer of Early Music Performance Practice, a bon vivant understanding the secrets of Vivaldi’s language like few others. Played from the New Vivaldi Edition as published by the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
