| Violin Concerto in A, D.96 | |||
| 1 | Allegro | 5. 31 | |
| 2 | Adagio | 4. 48 | |
| 3 | Presto | 4. 44 | |
| 4 | Largo andante | 6. 02 | |
| Violin Concerto in B flat, D.117 | |||
| 5 | Largo – Allegro | 8. 42 | |
| 6 | Largo andante | 4. 42 | |
| 7 | Allegro | 6. 06 | |
| Violin Concerto in G, D.78 | |||
| 8 | Allegro | 6. 02 | |
| 9 | Largo andante | 7. 44 | |
| 10 | Presto | 6. 04 | |
| Total playing time: | 60. 25 | ||

Giuseppe Tartini (1692 – 1770)
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TO PLAY THE VIOLIN WELL, Variously described in the literature as a composer, violinist, teacher and music theoretician, Giuseppe Tartini was an extremely versatile artist. And in each of his fields of endeavour, he left an indelible mark. As a composer, Tartini can largely be grouped amongst those of the Italian pre-classical period, i.e., the phase during which, successively, Vivaldi’s oeuvre and significance were digested and built upon, in which process Tartini’s virtuoso art of violin playing certainly made a significant contribution. About his playing, the following was written in 1739: “In its extreme purity of intonation – such that not even the minutest of notes is obscured – and its perfect solidity, it is surpassed by nothing I have ever heard.” However, it was not only this virtuoso’s mesmerising violinistic craft, but as well, his thoroughly chequered life story, that lead the observer quickly to discern parallels to another violin superstar – Niccolo Paganini, ‘the devil’s violinist.’ And like him, Tartini also seemed to have been thoroughly acquainted with Beelzebub, as witness the assertion, already in the first edition of his Sonata in G minor, dubbed ‘il trillo del diavolo,’ that the work’s wild solo part had been inspired, and taught to the composer by Satan himself. “One night, I dreamed that I made a pact with the devil for my soul. My every wish was his command, and my new servant knew all of my wishes in advance. I then decided to present him with my fiddle and see what could do with it. I can hardly describe the amazement with which I heard him play, to complete perfection, a sonata so exquisitely beautiful that it surpassed my wildest expectations. I was enraptured, enchanted; I caught my breath, and awoke. Then, I reached for my violin and attempted to recreate these tones. But to no avail. The piece I wrote thereupon may be the best work I have ever composed, but it is far beneath what I heard in my dream.” Admittedly, Tartini employed such anecdotes to create his own myth (which, in turn, doubtless promoted sales of his works), but it is nevertheless beyond dispute that his life story, about which an abundance of information is available, contains a number of quite incredible caesuras that are fully at odds with the norms of his time, and which are worthy of note. The choir organ of the Cistercian Stiftskirche, Wilhering (near Linz on the Donau), built in 1746 by Nikolaus Rummel, sen., stands opposite the pulpit and, in Rococo style, is designed to form a visual counterpart to it. In his six manual and two pedal registers, Rummel had obviously a special sound in mind – a bright, lively, and fresh sound that suited both the acoustic and the visual impressions of the church. This organ was one of Anton Bruckner’s favourite instruments and he often travelled from Linz to play on it. Fortunately it escaped the ravages of both world wars and plans made in 1928 to build an entirely new organ in its place were never carried out.
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No performing quartet ever surpassed the Quartetto Italiano in their Haydn and Beethoven performances. And they stayed at the top of their game for longer than any other
quartet in my knowledge, from 1947 until 1980, when they disbanded. What we hear in these PentaTone SQR remasterings are the classic foursome that were together for 30 years, and consisted of Paolo Borciani and Elisa Pegreffi, violins; Piero Farulli, viola; and Franco Rossi, cello. Their characteristic sound was like none other: rich, dark, with the strongest rhythmic profile imaginable. They gave the impression of a collection of four strong-minded people who have somehow managed to sublimate their individual identities into an ensemble possessing a super personality all its own.”
Dr Phil Muse, Atlanta Audio Society