Sonata de camera a tre in D minor Op. 1/8 RV 64

Vivaldi’s
chamber works make up a small but engaging part of his immense output.The
composition of the trio sonata was at that time considered almost a rite of
passage for an emerging composer, largely due to the fame the revered violinist
Arcangelo Corelli had brought to the style. In 1705 Vivaldi’s Op. 1 trio
sonatas were published, introducing a new energy into the voice of Italian
instrumental musc. His style provoked a rather disaproving response from older
generations, with composers such as Charles Avison condemning the works as önly fit for the amusement of children.

RV 64 opens with flowing arpeggiated arabesques on the
first violin reminiscent of many Bach Allemandes.
The second violin is brought into the spotlight in the second movement, the Corrente, a fast
triple-meter dance. This is followed by a slow Sarabande movement in which the
two violins combine their sound in imitation over a distinctive, dotted
bass-line. The finale, a rich contrapuntal Giga
allows the bass line to engages canonically with the two violins. The movement
ends softly, providing a rather elegant conclusion to an otherwise boisterous
movement