Nicola Mestrino: 3 Duetti concertanti op 3: Duos pour Violons

Nicola Mestrino (1748-1789) was employed for a time in the Esterházy court orchestra, under the direction of Joseph Haydn, later he settled in Paris, and became one of the most celebrated violin virtuosos of the period. He was also a composer, one of his most successful works was this set of three violin duets, which was published in no fewer than four contemporary editions, in Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam and the German city of Offenbach. These four contemporary editions provided the basis for the edition that features in the latest volume in the URTEXT series and has been prepared by István Kertész, leader of the world-famous Festetics Quartet, which plays on periodinstruments. In these duets consisting of either three or two movements, the two violins have absolutely equal roles.