Lost Vivaldi flute concerto found in Edinburgh archive

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A lost flute concerto by the composer Vivaldi has been discovered at the National Archives of Scotland.

Il Gran Mogol, which belonged to a quartet of lost concertos, has been authenticated as the work of the 18th Century Italian composer.

Southampton University research fellow Andrew Woolley found the piece among the Marquesses of Lothian's family papers at the archives in Edinburgh.

It will receive its modern day premiere at Perth Concert Hall in January.

Image caption,
The piece was part of a quartet of lost Vivaldi concertos

The other pieces of the quartet - La Francia, La Spagna and L'Inghilterro - remain lost.

Il Gran Mogol is almost complete, only missing a part for the second violin.

But Mr Woolley has reconstructed it using the manuscript of another flute concerto by Vivaldi, which is kept in Turin and appears to be a reworking of Il Gran Mogol.

He said: "This piece was previously known only from a mention in the sale catalogue of an 18th Century Dutch bookseller.

"Discovering that it is actually in existence is unexpected and hugely exciting."

It is unclear exactly how the concerto was brought to Scotland, but it is believed to have belonged to the flute-playing nobleman Lord Robert Kerr, son of the third Marquess of Lothian.

It is thought he may have acquired it on a Grand Tour of Europe in the early 1700s.

Scottish Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop described the find as remarkable.

"With no evidence that the piece has ever been played, I welcome the news that its premiere will be in Scotland," she said.

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