"Vivaldi's Ark: and they came two by two" is the title of the concert for which this piece was commissioned by Marta Belen, a Sacramento harpsichordist. She hosted a concert consisting of a series of duets by Antonio Vivaldi, and asked me to provide a piece that would bring all the duet pairs together. So we have a concerto, in the Vivaldi style (sort of), for 2 recorders, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 trumpets, 2 violins, 2 cellos and continuo. Six competing pairs, as it were. The lonely cowbell in the second movement represents the poor unicorn who was left behind (I think that's how the story goes). The cowbell returns joyously at the end of the finale for a curtain call!