Continuo, Addio!

Farewell, continuo! Who needs an accompanying harpsichord or string orchestra when violin and cello alone can sound so rich and resonant? Violinist David Plantier and cellist Annabelle Luis brilliantly showcase a handful of dazzling works by 18th-century violin virtuoso Tartini and his followers that revel in the boundless character made possible by putting these two instruments front and center. Tartini sets the scene with violin pyrotechnics balanced perfectly by playful, spirited cello writing, while Pietro Nardini adds piquancy with cello pizzicato and Austrian composer Albrechtsberger’s Duetto III thrills with its twisting, turning counterpoint. The final movement of Pierre Lahoussaye’s Sonata, meanwhile, is a tempestuous and fiery showstopper.