ABSTRACT
The two periods during which Vivaldi showed his greatest interest in the transverse flute – 1715–17, when those demanding chamber concertos were composed, and the period inaugurated in autumn 1727 by the aria 'Sol da te, mio dolce amore' – coincide with the availability of flautists of superior ability. Leaving aside the group of Saxon musicians who resided in Venice in 1716–17, the two periods are marked, perhaps significantly, by the presence of Ignazio Siber, who after an initial term of employment at the Pieta alongside Vivaldi in 1713––16, returned there in 1728 as Maestro di traversie. Two flute concertos have come down to them in incomplete state. This is a great misfortune, since they are among the best works written by Vivaldi for the instrument. Their themes have a dramatic character, and their music has an inspired flow, so that despite their incompleteness they must be regarded as significant offerings.
