THE VIVALDI PROJECT

The Vivaldi Project’s interest in the Classical string trio began with a simple question casually posed by the distinguished Haydn scholar James Webster: “Why is it that Haydn’s string trios are never played?” This prompted our own questions: “Haydn wrote string trios?” Hmm . . . Beethoven wrote a few trios . . . and Mozart wrote that really big Divertimento in E-flat major . . . . “Are there other Classical string trios we don’t know about?” Four volumes (and 28 trios) into the present recording series, we continue to be astounded by the sheer wealth and stylistic variety of the Classical string trio repertoire. The genre includes thousands of works by hundreds of composers, rediscovered trios emerging regularly from within library archives and private collections around the world. Our aim throughout the series has been to present rare works, often by virtually unknown composers, juxtaposed with those of familiar composers, yet whose trios have been overlooked in favor of more standard genres (like the string quartet and piano trio). The result, we believe, offers an important window into a neglected genre amid the rich, eclectic world of chamber music in the latter half of the 18th century.

---

 
Praised for its brilliant and expressive playing, The Vivaldi Project, co-directed by Elizabeth Field and Stephanie Vial, is dedicated to presenting innovative programs of Baroque and Classical string repertoire that combine scholarship and performance to both educate and delight audiences. The period instrument ensemble takes its name from the virtuoso violinist and innovative composer Antonio Vivaldi, recognizing his pivotal position between earlier Baroque and later Classical composers. Since it was founded by Field in 2006, The Vivaldi Project has performed throughout the country and can be heard on radio stations around the world, including live performances and interviews for Washington’s WETA, North Carolina’s WCPE and WUNC, Indiana’s WBAA, and Minnesota Public Radio. The Vivaldi Project has produced a number of educational videos and held workshops and residencies at music schools around the country, including the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, the Boston Conservatory, and the Curtis Institute of Music. [ www.thevivaldiproject.org ]


Violinist Elizabeth Field, distinguished for her passionate and stylistic playing on both period and modern instruments, is the founder of The Vivaldi Project and long-time concertmaster and frequent soloist with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Often appearing as guest concertmaster, she has performed with a wide variety of ensembles including Washington, DC’s acclaimed Opera Lafayette, Washington Bach Consort, and The National Philharmonic. She also performed and recorded with several New York based ensembles, including The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Orchestra of St Luke’s and The Brooklyn Philharmonic. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Hungaroton, Naxos, Dorian, and MSR and is currently on the faculty at George Washington University. Her DVD with fortepianist Malcolm Bilson, Performing the Score, was described by Emanuel Ax as both “truly inspiring” and “authoritative.”
 
Noted for the beauty of her playing as well as for her versatility, violinist Allison Nyquist is one of the preeminent performers of baroque and classical violin and viola. Nyquist has collaborated with many Baroque ensembles, including Chatham Baroque, Haymarket Opera Company, and Apollo’s Fire. She recently retired after 20 years as the concertmaster of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra with whom she has four CDs on Naxos. Her discography also includes recordings for Eclectra, Delos, and Centaur records. She has taught violin at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, Lawrence University, Ohio State University, and Interlochen Arts Camp and also served as professor of viola at Indiana State University and DePauw University. Nyquist lives in rural Warren County, Indiana where she grows lots of tomatoes.
 
Stephanie Vial is a widely respected cellist, praised for her technical flair and expressive sense of phrasing. She enjoys a multi-faceted career as a frequent performer, educator, and writer on music. She is the Artistic Director of Chapel Hill’s early music series, Baroque & Beyond, and is the author of The Art of Musical Phrasing in the Eighteenth Century:Punctuating the Classical “Period,” published by the University of Rochester Press. In addition to MSR, she can be heard on the Dorian Label, Naxos, Hungaroton, and Centaur Records. Vial lives in Durham, North Carolina, and currently teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Duke University. MADDALENA LOMBARDINI SIRMEN (1745-1818)
SONATA IN F MINOR OP.1, NO.6 (1770)
a deux violons et violoncello obligé
I. Lento
II. Menuetto Allegretto
 
JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809)
DIVERTIMENTO IN G MAJOR, H.V:20 (c.1750-1766)
for two violins and basso
I. Allegro
II. Menuet – Trio
III. Presto
 
JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH (1735-1782)
SONATA IN F MAJOR, B.40 (1755-1762)
for two violins and basso
I. Larghetto
II. Tempo di menuetto – Trio
 
SIMON LEDUC L’AINÉ (1742-1777)
TRIO IN F MINOR, OP.5, NO.6 (1771)
pour deux violons et une basse
I. Maestoso
II. Andante
III. Presto con fuoco
 
LUIGI BOCCHERINI (1743-1805)
TRIO IN C MINOR, OP.14, NO.2 (1772)
per violino, viola e violoncello obligato
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio – Tempo di Menuetto – Trio
III. Prestissimo
 
JOSEPH SCHMITT (1734-1791)
TRIO IN G MAJOR, OP.11, NO.3 (1778)
pour un violin, tenor, et violoncelle
I. Andante con espressivo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro scherzando
 
MADDALENA LOMBARDINI SIRMEN
TRIO IN B-FLAT MAJOR (before 1770)
a due violini e basso
I. Allegro non tanto
II. Adagio
III. Allegro assai



MSR Classics