Antonio Vivaldi's main instrument was the violin. The long-time maestro de' concerti at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice was a true virtuoso on his instrument, literally a devil's violinist «avant la lettre». However, «il prete rosso», the red-haired priest, as he was often called, composed with equal skill for the flauto dolce, better known here as the recorder.
Among the numerous recordings of Vivaldi's «Concerti per flauto», those by Giovanni Antonini and his famous Milanese ensemble Il Giardino Armonico stand out in a special way. They are pioneers in playing this lively and intricate music on historical instruments. A whole range of possibilities for presenting the «flauto» and its little brother, the so-called «flautino», are showcased here, drawing on all the registers of Italian musical artistry. Some pieces have programmatic titles such as «La tempesta di mare», while others evoke the singing of the goldfinch. Virtuosity is not spared either, as in the darkly colored C minor concerto. «Il giardino» places this frequently heard repertoire in an exciting context with works by Tomaso Albinoni and Giovanni Legrenzi, who, unlike Vivaldi, worked at several Venetian orphanages. Experience a sparkling lagoon of Venetian Baroque music, sometimes visited by storms. Glamour and the joy of life, but also peacefulness and melancholy are inherent in this music.