This prolific Italian ensemble has reduced its size considerably for this recording. But these are still highly dramatic performances, deriving their power from Guglielmo’s ability to harness the propulsive nature of Vivaldi’s writing while allowing a great deal of rhythmic flexibility and melodic embellishment. In this respect he resembles Rolf Lislevand on Naïve – though the latter’s ensemble is made more attractive by the addition of extra plucked strings.

Soloists Mauro Squillante and Davide Rebuffa offer a characterful, flowing reading of the G-major Concerto for two mandolins (RV532) which opens the disc; Squillante is equally captivating in the C-major Mandolin Concerto (RV425). Diego Cantalupi’s archlute, which Guglielmo for the most part gracefully doubles on the violin, is similarly deployed in the two Trios and the Concerto for two violins and lute, bringing out both the joy and the austerity in the writing. Guglielmo’s wonderful cadenza linking the first two movements in RV82 is, like his direction throughout, tasteful and inventive.

Pietro Prosser on Baroque lute and Mario Paladin on viola d’amore for their part succeed in making the D-minor Concerto for these two instruments sound both novel and beautiful. The Harpsichord Concerto RV780, performed with florid abandon by Nicola Reniero, makes an ideal filler.