Vivaldi / Paganini / Tartini

On his new album, Nils Mönkemeyer devotes himself to Italian composers Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) and Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841). With the Early Music ensemble l'arte del mondo conducted by Werner Ehrhardt, Mönkemeyer has selected Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto in G minor, RV 495 and the Cello Concerto in G minor, RV 416 and recorded each in a version for viola and orchestra. Both concertos are spectacularly brilliant and their lyrical timbres are a perfect match for the expressive richness of the viola. Mönkemeyer also plays the solo cadenza from Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in D major, RV 208 "Il Grosso Mogul", which now sounds like a composition on its own on the viola.

There are also two world premiere recordings on the album: two solo pieces for viola by the now slightly forgotten Paganini teacher Alessandro Rolla: "Romanza nell'Otello" and "Arpeggio E flat major". The album also presents the 23 Variations on a Gavotte by Corelli composed by Giuseppe Tartini - the forerunner of Niccolò Paganini, who revolutionized playing on the four violin strings. Rarely recorded is Paganini's "Sonata per la Grand' Viola", where Mönkemeyer adds a special touch and takes the bow to the present: He has inserted between the movements an improvised cadenza by him and a fragile viola solo entitled "Di volo" by the contemporary Italian composer and Paganini fan Salvatore Sciarrino.