Concerto for Cello in D minor RV 406

Vivaldi
once boasted that he could compose a concerto faster than a copyist could ready
the individual parts for the orchestral players. In the 1700s the cello was
seldom used as a solo instrument, but nonetheless Vivaldi wrote a sizable 27
concerti for the instrument. Relatively speaking, these concerti are short
works, around 10 minutes in length and adhere to a general form: an Allegro first movement, in which a ritornello breaks up the solo entries;
followed by a lyrical slow movement often only accompanied by basso continuo concluding with a final
fast movement, often with variety in form.

The
opening Allegro of the Concerto in D minor RV 406 is emphatic
and stormy, whose the energy is matched by the solo entry. An Andante in G minor ensues, with a
foreboding orchestral introduction to the broody, lamenting triplet figuration
in the solo part. The final Minuetto
is broadly tripartite in its structure relating to its dance-like title.