Summary

The violin concerto has taken its place as one of the most popular and exciting genres of all music. At the end of the 17th century, the violin as we know it was born, with Stradivarius amongst others creating masterful instruments that continue to be played today. Italy was alive with excitement for the violin, and this fever spread to its European neighbours, with the Baroque violin concerto serving as stimulus for both violin technique and repertoire development, raising the profile of both performer and composer and rivalling opera in popularity. This program shines a light on how German, Italian and French composers interpreted this genre with concertos by Telemann, Leclair, Handel, Vivaldi and Bach performed by Artistic Director Madeleine Easton, Rafael Font and Simone Slattery.

Program

J.M. Leclair Violin Concerto No.1 op.7 in D minor

G.F. Handel Violin Concerto in B flat major HWV 288

G. Telemann Violin Concerto in A minor TWV 51:A1

A. Vivaldi Violin Concerto RV 208 in D major, ‘Il grosso mogul’

J.S. Bach Violin Concerto in E major BWV 1042