Lost Vivaldi works recorded for the first time

Violinist Vadym Makarenko and early music ensemble Infermi d’Amore will this month become the first to present reconstructed works by Vivaldi, Veracini and Marcello in his newest album, Lost in Venice.

Released on 25 November by Eudora Records, the album is composed of lost works of Venetian Baroque music, carefully reconstructed by musicologist Olivier Fourés. Fourés worked with the libraries of Venice, including Library of the Venice Conservatory, to reconstruct works from fragments of works which were left unfinished. In some cases, parts of works were lost when manuscripts fell into neglect, with Venetian librarians describing reams of sheet music being used to mop up past flooding.

The album is the the first opportunity for modern audiences to hear recordings of Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto, RV 788, and the Sinfonia, RV 786, both written for students of Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà. Only the viola parts of these two works have survived but, Fourés was able to use similarities with other works, as well as his own harmonic plan, to develop a reconstruction. RV320 was similarly reconstructed using Vivaldi’s established technical language for the solo violin.

Works by Veracini and Benedetto Marcello were found in the library of the Venice Conservatory, with the solo violin part of Marcello’s Opus 1 requiring Fourés attention. Reconstruction of this part was conceived taking inspiration from Venetian variations from the early 18^th century.

Born in Ukraine, Vadym Makarenko attended the Kyiv Institute of Music and began exploring early music and historically informed practice. While attending the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Makarenko formed his own ensemble, Infermi D’Amore, which focuses on interpreting 17^th and 18^th century instrumental music.

Lost in Venice will be released on 25 November by Eudora Records. Further information can be found here.