Vivaldi – Paganini – Tartini / Nils Mönkemeyer – Viola

On his new album with l’arte del mondo, co-produced with WDR, violist Nils Mönkemeyer combines the great sonata by Paganini with arrangements by Vivaldi and Tartini – an exciting and illuminating juxtaposition.

All of violist Nils Mönkemeyer’s albums for Sony Classical received excellent reviews and entered the German classical music charts – also due to the always interesting programs. And of course there is repertoire on his new “Italian” album that has never been heard before for viola. Of course, such an album cannot be without music by Vivaldi, and for his recording with the Ensemble l’arte del mondo under Werner Erhardt, Nils Mönkemeyer chose two beautiful concertos by Vivaldi, which were not written for the viola, but for cello and bassoon respectively: the Bassoon Concerto in G minor RV 495 and the Violoncello Concerto in G minor RV 416, both brilliantly arranged and with their lyrical timbres perfectly suited to the expressive richness of the viola. Mönkemeyer also plays music by Vivaldi as a soloist – and for this he chose the solo cadenza from Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in D major, RV 208 “Il Grosso Mogul”, which now sounds like an interesting composition in its own right when played alone on the viola. There are even two world premiere recordings on the album: two solo pieces for viola by the now unjustly forgotten Paganini teacher Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): “Romanza nell’Otello” and “Arpeggio in E flat major”. Gíuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), Niccolò Paganini’s forerunner, who revolutionized playing on the four violin strings, composed the 23 variations on a gavotte by Arcangelo Corelli, originally written for the violin. Mönkemeyer plays them on the viola, accompanied by the harpsichordist of l’arte del mondo. Also rarely recorded is the three-movement “Sonata per la Grand’ Viola” by Paganini (1782-1840). Mönkemeyer adds a special touch to this work as well: he has inserted his own improvised cadenza and a fragile viola solo entitled “Di volo” by Italian and Paganini fan Salvatore Sciarrino between the movements. As a result, the new album is an interesting encounter with well-known composers of Italy, but in an unusual form. A real discovery.