Angèle Dubeau, La Pietà - Vivaldi: Concertos for Strings (1998)

Through their development and quest for sonorities, on a mass scale and in minute detail, these concertos, described by Walter Kolneder as "orchestral studies" laid the foundations for the classical symphony. There are composers who fit precisely into their surroundings and their inspiration corresponds exactly to the resources at their disposal. With the students at the Pietà, of whom the most talented had only one distraction, the pleasure of making music, Vivaldi was able to reach the best; this exceptional instrument, this laboratory, allowed the blossoming, in the words of Marcel Marnat, "of the immense and complex work of one of the most discussed and yet inscrutable musical geniuses".

The novelty, vigour, freshness and immediacy of Vivaldi's art, qualities which touch us today, could not have flourished without the youth and compliance of his students. The work he imposed on them demonstrates the power of combining discipline and artistic freedom.

One of Canada's most prominent virtuoso violinists, Angèle Dubeau has performed on the world's greatest stages in a spectacular career that has spanned more than thirty years and over thirty countries. While her talent, virtuosity and musicality have been recognized with many awards over the years, audiences have adopted her above all for her captivating performances, her generosity, her passion, her unparalleled communications skills, and her exceptional ability to connect with them. In fact, Dubeau is the only Canadian classical musician to have achieved two Gold Records for sales of 50,000 copies of a classical recording. Over her career, she has sold over 400,000 discs.