Viotti: Complete Violin Concertos

For 18th-century Italian composers, the stage was paramount. Giovanni Battista Viotti, an exceptional violinist and composer, however, aspired instead to a career with the Concert Spirituel in Paris, where his performances enthralled and astonished the audience. His compositions also set new standards for violin concertos and laid the foundation for the French violin school. This first complete recording of Viotti's 29 concertos reveals the full range of his technical and expressive mastery and shows why he had a formative influence on Niccolò Paganini and was admired by Johannes Brahms. Conductor and violinist Franco Mezzena has recorded more than 90 albums and videos. Many of his concerts have been broadcast by international broadcasters such as the BBC, ABC, and NHK Television Japan. On this recording, the Viotti Chamber Orchestra was conducted by Luciano Borin, while Mezzena conducted the Symphonia Perusina and the Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica.