Vivaldi, La Stravaganza Op. 4 Volume. 1 No. 1-6 for Violin and Piano (Barenreiter)

Antonio Vivaldis twelve concertos op. 4 known by the name of La Stravaganza were first mentioned as a collection of Concerti a 4 in the 1711 Foreword of LEstro Armonico op. 3. Their publication had to wait until 1716, when Estienne Roger issued them in two volumes of six concertos each. However, unlike the original announcement, La Stravaganza is more than a collection of concertos for solo violin with string accompaniment: in five of the concertos the soloist is joined by a second solo violin or even by a solo violoncello (Concerto No. 7).

The many reprints of La Stravaganza bear witness to its popularity and widespread dissemination well into the 1730s. Besides the surviving prints, there is a significant body of handwritten sources containing alternative versions for seven of the concertos. Some of these manuscripts stem from the music library of Johann Georg Pisendel.

This edition of La Stravaganza is not only the first scholarly-critical edition, it is also the only complete edition available. In addition to the twelve concertos handed down in the Roger edition, Brenreiter offers an additional concerto in full score, piano reduction and parts contained in the 1728 print issued by the English publishers Walsh & Hare, as well as alternative versions (without viola) found in handwritten sources for Concertos No. 6 (Volume 1) and No. 11 (Volume 2).