VIVALDI | Grosso Mogul | Concerto RV 208 in D major | Original manuscript

For solo violin, strings and basso continuo

I. Allegro (0:00)
II. Grave Recitativo (5:41)
III. Allegro (8:22)

Composed: c.1710, not later than 1717
Turin source: Giordano 29
Concordance: 2:52* = Op. 8 no. 11, mvt 1 (second version)
*Here the recording follows the non autograph sources and not the Turin manuscript.

For detailed description, see comments.

La Serenissima, ‘A Tale of Two Seasons’
Adrian Chandler, violino solo e direzione
Avie AV2287

[fuadjada]

Five Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I am amazed by how well Del Vivaldi is informed! To encourage creation of more videos, let's do more views!

[Ed_UKation]

One of my favourites by Vivaldi. It is earlier than I thought. Always seem to love the early ones!

[DelVivaldi]

One of the better-known concertos from the 1710s, when the Vivaldian concerto reached the form that was to be so widely imitated. There are some similarities with the grand concerto RV 212 in D major ‘per la Solennità della S. Lingua di S. Antonio’ (probably from 1712), down to the two elaborate cadenzas.

The slow movement Grave Recitativo, presumably meant to be performed in a free style of delivery akin to that of a recitative, is however unusual in Vivaldi’s concerto production; one other instance is perhaps the Grave of RV 562 (Dresden version).

‘Grosso Mogul’ exists in three manuscripts and appears to have been widely circulated shortly after it was composed. It is found 1) in the Turin manuscripts, Vivaldi’s personal archive. Though not a composition manuscript by the looks of it, but rather a fair copy (though this can be deceptive), it contains some deletions carried through in the other sources, and so would seem to antedate those.

As the video shows, it does not contains the two cadenzas, but only the indication ‘Qui si ferma a piaci[men]to’ (‘stop here ad libitum’). These cadenzas are found in the two non-autograph sources (both in parts) in slightly different versions: 2) in Cividale del Friuli, Italy, and 3) in Schwerin, Germany.

The title ‘Grosso Mogul’ comes from the German manuscript. Michael Talbot has speculated that this refers to a specific context of perfomance (as an intermezzo, possibly the drama ‘Il gran Mogol’ by Domenico Lalli premiered at Naples in 1713).

Another version, with a different slow movement, and without the cadenzas, was published in Vivaldi’s Opus 7 (as no. 11), c.1716/17, perhaps without Vivaldi’s supervision.

It is unfortunate that this important work cannot be more precisely dated and contextualized. If the Turin manuscript is indeed the first version, and not merely a later reworking, and if the dating of c.1710 by Ryom is to be believed, this would make it one of the earliest pieces to have survived in Vivaldi’s personal archive.

‘Grosso Mogul’ appears in J.S. Bach’s transcriptions of Italianate concertos (as BWV 594), generally dated to c.1713/14. Bach’s transcription is not of Op. 7 no. 11 (as sometimes erroneously reported), as it contains both cadenzas, as well as the ‘Grave Recitativo’ middle movement.

I. Allegro (0:00)
II. Grave Recitativo (5:41)
III. Allegro (8:22)

Composed: c.1710, not later than 1717
Turin source: Giordano 29
Concordance: 2:52* = Op. 8 no. 11, mvt 1 (second version)
*Here the recording follows the non autograph sources and not the Turin manuscript.

La Serenissima, ‘A Tale of Two Seasons’
Adrian Chandler, violino solo e direzione
Avie AV2287

[Freawulf]

Was at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig yesterday where La Cetra B.O. opened the 'Bach meets Vivaldi' concert with this!! Followed by Bach's BWV 594 transcription... :))

[TheOneAndOnlyZeno]

Currently transcribing Bach's arrangement of this Concerto, great Concerto especially when combined with Bach's genius, 2 together at once to make something higher than a masterpiece!

[luiscastro-nngk]

Me relaja mucho Vivaldi, sus obras son magnificas

[vanessasalvi]

Complimenti a tutti i musicisti che studiano questa arte stupenda.

[mriosjasso]

What concert for violin... and love the Bach version for organ as well.

[jaydenfung]

The second movement may be my favourite slow movement by Vivaldi.

[tobih.]

I really Love the Part at 2:39 - 2:49! But i Love the entire piece!

[eugenel]

it's just so vibrant and wonderful... i can't stop listening to it

[jaydenfung]

This is one of my favourite concerti by Vivaldi, but I cannot find free sheet music for the cadenzas. It’s not as if I could play them, however—they’re so virtuosic! Thank you for uploading this with the manuscript.

[henryfroelich]

Very beautiful! I need to hear more Vivaldi.

[MegaCirse]

Comme les premières lueurs d’un soleil bienfaisant, cette musique ouvre les yeux à de nouvelles promesses et à toutes les merveilles de la nature. Evocatrices de pouvoirs au-delà de l'observation, ces pièces tirent les ficelles du cœur, attirent les nostalgies et réveillent les amours, les vies écorchés et la torpeur des veilleurs tourmentés 🤮

[onewhogetsbread]

I have a theory:

Vivaldi named this concerto in honor of the kingdom of India at the time of his life (the Mughal Empire) bc he borrowed the aspects of drone notes and sympathetic strings seen in Indian music. The virtuosic violin passages all contain a drone note that mimics a sympathetic string of the Indian instruments. Such an interesting piece of music

[epopopopoi]

Does anyone know a link toward the score of the two cadenzas ?

[Ed_UKation]

I was thinking about the inclusion of Grosso Mogul in Opus 7. Seemingly, Opus 7 was published without Vivaldi's supervision and contains Concerti by other composers. I was listening to RV Anh 143. It sounds Venetian but not especially like Vivaldi. In fact, it sounds a lot more like Tomaso Albinoni. I wonder who wrote it?

[edwardhoward]

This is wonderful

Would someone who knows about violin playing comment of how difficult this is. It sounds as though (I have no idea) that this was Vivaldi's showing off piece and I wonder how it compares in difficulty to (say) Paganini or Sarasate.

[patrickmergl]

One God, one Farinelli - One God, One Vivaldi!!! WOW

[marcosPRATA]

Eis "a truta" de Vivaldi, em correria cachoeira acima. Onde não há a natureza nesse mestre? Bem assim ví o 1o mov. O 2o mov com abre com um arpejo maravilhoso e o violino sola como um rouxinol; o 3o mov. Alegro é uma festa, o mestre sola percorrendo a mesa farta, risos, alegria, céu de nuvens claras a inspiração está no ar...