Antonio Vivaldi (c. 1678—1741) remains one of the most-loved and oft-performed of the baroque composers. In 1703, he was appointed to the position of music master at the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice, a home for orphaned girls. It was for this famous orchestra of young girls that he produced his more than 400 concertos, of which over 200 are for the violin. This Concerto in E Minor is one of only three concertos that Vivaldi wrote for four violins, all of which were contained in his Opus 3 L’estro armónico, his first work published in Amsterdam, affording him not only improved printing of his music, but also greater distribution of his music throughout eighteenth century Europe. It is in four movements: Andante, Allegro assai, Adagio, and Allegro.

Instrumentation:

• 4 C Flutes
• Alto Flute (or Flute 5)
• Bass Flute
• Contrabass/Contralto Flute (optional)