Recently restored lost Concertos for Violin and Organ “For Anna-Maria”

The three concertos for violin, organ, and orchestra RV 774, RV 775, and RV 808 are part of six concertos known as the "Lost Concertos for Anna Maria" and part of the Quaderno Musicale di Anna Maria dal cinema, preserved at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice. They are divided into two groups of three concertos according to the performing ensemble. The concertos were found relatively late, and the violin part was reconstructed from separate fragments by Federico Maria Sardelli, conductor, flutist, and musicologist. Anna Maria was one of Vivaldi's students and spent almost her entire life in the Venetian orphanage Ospedale della Pietà, first as a student and later as a violin teacher. She was considered one of the most talented musicians of her time, and it is no coincidence that Vivaldi wrote over 28 violin concertos for her. In addition to the violin, she played the viola d'amore, cello, lute, theorbo, mandolin, and harpsichord. The concerts adhere to Vivaldi's usual Allegro-Largo-Allegro form, where the fast movements are captivating and the slow ones are deeply expressive and enchanting.