Sonata de camera a tre in D minor Op. 1/8 RV 64

Vivaldi’s chamber works make up a small but engaging part of his immense output. The composition of the trio sonata was at that time considered almost a rite of passage for an emerging composer, largely due to the fame the revered violinist Arcangelo Corelli had brought to the style. In 1705 Vivaldi’s Op.1 trio sonatas were published, introducing a new energy into the voice of Italian instrumental music. His style provoked a rather disapproving response from older generations, with composers such as Charles Avison condemning the works as only fit for the amusement of children.

RV 64 opens with flowing arpeggiated arabesques on the first violin reminiscent of many Bach Allemandes. The second violin is brought into the spotlight in the second movement, the Corrente, a fast triple-meter dance. This is followed by a slow Sarabande movement in which the two violins combine their sound in imitation over a distinctive, dotted bass-line. The finale, a rich contrapuntal Giga allows the bass line to engages canonically with the two violins. The movement ends softly, providing a rather elegant conclusion to an otherwise boisterous movement