Jean-Guihen Queyras - Vivaldi: Sonatas for Cello & Basso Continuo (2018) [Hi-Res]

Antonio Vivaldi's six sonatas for cello and continuo were written between 1720 and 1730 and published in Paris in 1740 by Leclerc and Boivin. Although a staple of the cello repertoire, these works are not often played in public recitals. When they were composed, the cello was just emerging as a solo instrument, and Vivaldi took full advantage of the instrument's expressive capabilities. These performances feature soloist Jean-Guihen Queyras, accompanied by a continuo team of harpsichordist Michael Behringer, lutenist Lee Santana and cellist Christoph Dangel.

“I think that in immersing myself in the world of these sonatas, I’ve probably taken a stroll down memory lane. We all carry within ourselves significant events that have structured our childhood, our imagination, sometimes our doubts, and when we decide, as performers, to concentrate our attention on a specific repertory, we’re often setting out in search of a part of ourselves that calls for new light to be shed on it. […] This music enveloped my everyday life, in a totally natural, familiar and almost organic way.” (Jean-Guihen Queyras)

“These cello pieces, composed in the grip of the greatest inspiration, remind us of the extent to which the extravagant and emotional brilliance of Vivaldian (and Venetian) art reposes above all on a direct sensibility of the elements in their simplest, even crudest form. Pisendel once submitted an attempt at a concerto to his teacher. Vivaldi immediately divested it of half its notes: one must know how to leave enough space for the miracle to filter through.” (Olivier Fourés)

Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
Michael Behringer, harpsichord
Lee Santana, lute
Christoph Dangel, cello