The Raglan Baroque Players

In these intimate, elegantly written violin concertos by 18th-century Italian composer Giuseppe Tartini, the music of the classical period ahead can be heard coming out of its baroque cocoon. Though Tartini’s melodies and cadences are very much like Vivaldi’s, Tartini’s form and structure often reveal a clarity and lightness associated with Mozart’s time. Born in 1692, Tartini lived until 1770, well into the Viennese Classical period, and his reputation as a supernatural fiddler foreshadows the great Niccolò Paganini. Tartini dreamt he heard the devil play a beautiful sonata, and, on awakening, he scrambled to write down what became his still-famous “Devil’s Trill” sonata. These opus 1 concertos are his first published works, and they are completely accomplished. The soloist, Elizabeth Wallfisch, offers splendid musicianship.