Cello
Ava Pres
Joclyn Herring

Vivaldi used the cello as a solo instrument in several compositions, which was a new trend during the period. He composed 27 concertos for cello, string orchestra and basso continuo. Among these cello concertos, RV 531 is the only one for two cellos. Vivaldi composed it possibly in the 1720s in Venice. A manuscript was found in the Renzo Giordano Collection at the National Library in Turin, which holds much of Vivaldi's personal collection.

The first movement begins not with the usual instrumental ritornello, but with the two soloists alone, imitating each other in fast succession, with virtuoso passages. Both soloists are equals, first competing without upper strings. Karl Heller noted that "the dark color of the two deep-toned instruments perfectly matches the serious expression, which is devoid of all virtuosity". He continued:

"The most striking aspect of the first movement (Allegro) is the wholly individual organizational approach that Vivaldi took in the opening. The two cellos imitate each other at a distance of one bar; they then play for the rest of the movement at an interval of a third, and play eight bars of figuration over the continuo's G minor harmony."

 

_{Source: Concerto for Two Cellos, RV 531, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Concerto_for_Two_Cellos,_RV_531&oldid=1080551471}