Written between 1713 and 1717, Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor, RV 531 is his only original concerto for two cellos. It opens with a lively Allegro which features phrases where the soloists play in parallel as well as passages where the two engage in question-and-answer exchanges.
Here, the first movement is performed by husband and wife duo Jiaxin and Julian Lloyd Webber, with the European Union Chamber Orchestra under Hans-Peter Hoffman. ‘Both musicians articulate lightly and with pleasingly sharp definition,’ writes Nicholas Anderson in his review of this disc in our December issue, awarding it five stars for performance and recording.
He continues: ‘Their intonation is well-nigh impeccable and their warmly coloured timbre is a constant delight.’
In April 2014 Julian Lloyd Webber announced that he was to retire from performing due to a neck injury and this is the final recording he made. Pick up a copy of our January issue to read James Naughtie’s recent interview with Webber.
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