Concerto, RV 817

Among the many new works by Vivaldi discovered in recent years are not merely works completely unknown previously, but also ones that had already been noticed but for a variety of reasons were set aside. This is the case with the violin concerto RV 817, which has come down to us via a copy lacking the name of its composer. A reexamination of it in the light of the system of “musical concordances” - the great schema of Vivaldi’s reuse of thematicmaterial - has permitted its attribution to him without any further doubts and its recognition as one of the virtuosic concertos of his full maturity. Intended for his pupil and advocate Georg Pisendel, the concerto reflects a predilection for doublestopping and the exploration of the ultra-high register common to the works written for him. With this twenty-second violin concerto in A major, another precious piece is added to the mosaic of the Vivaldi catalogue.