One of the pieces in Vivaldi's famous collection “Il Pastor Fido” is this Pastorale, in which the violoncello functions not only as a continuo, but also as an obbligato instrument.  Although the character of this piece reflects the “galant” world of shepherds mentioned in the title of the collection, it also evokes associations of Christmas for today's listener.  lt is thus a truly versatile work which admirably enhances the chamber-music repertoire.<br>
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NOTE:<br>
It was in 1990 – more than 250 years after the publication of "Il Pastor Fido" – that the masterful forgery was exposed: not Antonio Vivaldi but in fact the French composer Nicolas Chédeville (1705–1782) turned out to be the true author of this sonata collection, which was subtly foisted upon the unsuspecting Parisian public in the middle of the 18th Century, at the height of Vivaldi's popularity in France.  Vivaldi himself never came to know anything of the misuse of his name and musical intellectual property.<br>
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An urtext revised edition of "Il Pastor Fido" is available as BA 8735<br>