Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op.6. Nos. 1-6- Capella Istropolitana

Arcangelo Corelli
Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Nos. 1-6
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krechek
Naxos 8.550402

Corelli's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 is baroque music at it's finest; tuneful, jaunty and lots of fun. If the first Concerto Grosso on this CD cannot convert you to a Corelli and Baroque fan, well, chances are nothing will. Fortunately, Naxos has recorded Op. 6 with the excellent Capella Istropolitana conducted by Jaroslav Krecheck, so we now have an superb version on modern instruments at a bargain price. So those who don't know this music can try it without risking too much capital.

The Capella Istropolitana is a very good band in both intonation and ensemble, and Krecheck's direction is both fleet and stylish. And while modern instruments are used, period performance practices are observed with regards to quick tempos and rhythmic bounce. So unless you cannot live without period instruments, this version represents an excellent hybrid of styles and is recommended without reservation.

Amazon Customer Review

Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Nos. 7-12 - Capella Istropolitana

Arcangelo Corelli
Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Nos. 7-12
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krechek
Naxos 8.550403

This is seamless, glorious baroque music in a splendid performance; The melodies are lovely, and the way the instruments are combined is a thing of constant beauty. As it is stated in the liner notes, "The surviving compositions of Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) are relatively few in number but disproportionately far-reaching in influence", proving once again that it is quality not quantity that matters, and his 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6, are some of the most exquisite pieces from that time period, and ones that were to inspire the music of future generations.

The Capella Istropolitana are musicians from the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, that started as a chamber group in 1983, and now have grown in size to perform and record the Mozart and Haydn symphonies, Vivaldi, Bach, and much more.
Jaroslav Krecek is an award-winning composer as well as conductor, and has led the Capella for many years. Recorded in 1990, the sound is clear and crisp, and total playing time 65'45.

Amazon Customer Review

Corelli: Violin Sonatas, Op.5 - Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr

Arcangelo Corelli
Violin Sonatas, Op.5
Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr
Harmonia Mundi HMU907298.99

For a large part of the 20th century violinists learned Baroque sonatas and concertos as glorified exercises (even as justification for having to practice all those scales and arpeggios!), as respected historical foundations that must be stood on and conquered, and ultimately as important landmarks on the path to the "really great" solo works ("Now, my boy, I think you're finally ready for the Mendelssohn!"). In other words, these pieces were not regarded as ends in themselves for the soloist, or certainly not as subjects for involved study. And no one believed such works offered extended possibilities for self-expression. Indeed, students were impressed with an unwritten rule that in this repertoire, you were to just "play the notes". Some teachers even made the point that ornamentation and improvisation, while once an integral part of Baroque performance, was no longer taught and therefore today's performers just didn't practice this lost art, thereby excusing developing young artists from another challenge (and perhaps adventure!). So we played Telemann and Bach and Vivaldi and Corelli straight and fast and in strict metronomic pulse--even the slow movements. All of this implied that there was a "correct" way - not the same as today's "period-performance" correctness - whose purpose was to preserve (as formaldehyde preserves) an ancient artifact.

Along comes Andrew Manze in the waning years of the 20th century, and all of our previously ingrained expectations regarding Baroque performance are suddenly and marvelously shattered. At last, here is a violinist who reasserts this music's once-accepted and long-misunderstood inherent excitement, its improvisatory roots, its performer-oriented legitimacy. As embodied in Corelli's magnificent Op. 5 sonatas, Manze and his long-time keyboard partner Richard Egarr set off a series of musical fireworks that not only revive these pieces as substantial concert works but also establish them as assertions of virtuoso technique and shameless celebrations of period style. Of course, Corelli's creations represent a high point in violin writing, whatever the period, but Manze expands the written notes into a dazzling display of sheer technique and well-considered yet stunningly imaginative interpretation, all of which shows off his 18th-century instrument to full effect. The engineering gives full measure to Manze's intense, delightfully edgy sound and balances perfectly with Egarr's bright, sparkly harpsichord timbre. Can Manze make a less-than-ideal recording? Apparently not.

David Vernier, Classics Today.com

Corelli: 12 Concerti Grossi Op.6 - The English Concert, Pinnock

Arcangelo Corelli
12 Concerti Grossi Op.6
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
Archiv 423 626-2

Here is a wish - recently expressed in these pages - come true! The English Concert have followed their superb recording of Corelli trio sonatas (0 419 614-2AH, 6/87) with an equally definitive CD of the Concerti grossi. By now this group must qualify as veterans of the early-music revival - they have made many important recordings (not least of which is the recent GRAMOPHONE Award-winning Haydn Nelson Mass), toured widely and through it all maintained a relatively stable personnel of the very best English players. This recording represents yet another important brick in the edifice of the revival of early orchestral music.

Over the years The English Concert have developed an unmistakable 'sound', probably quite inseparable from their Englishness. The courtly traditions of Purcell that Handel later assimilated and projected - a curiously successful mixture of gravitas and wit - are central to their approach to other repertory of the era, just as echoes of the French court - the delicacy and dance-like qualities so revered - colour the interpretations of La Petite Bande (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/EMI). There is, I suppose, a case to be made for the internationalism (and hence the adaptability of the music to different interpretations) of Corelli's Op. 6 in that it was a selection of orchestral movements assembled posthumously and first published in Amsterdam rather than in his native Italy. But the sophistication and discernment of the original auditors, the Roman aristocracy, is reflected in every movement irrespective of whether they were ever performed in the order we know them today. And the grandeur and fire, not to mention the conviction and precision, with which The English Concert imbue their performances seems to me ultimately more resonant of Corelli's conception of these works than the highly mannered and often almost mincing rendition by La Petite Bande.

Of course, listening to 12 concertos, one after another, is hardly what the composer expected or intended - just as Monteverdi probably would have been quite astounded that anyone would wish to perform or listen to his entire Marian Vespers cycle in a sitting - but the exercise does forcefully drive home the powerful sense of the composer's breadth of imagination and technique. In the course of these works one encounters a rich panoply of concertino and ripieno ensemble textures - simple alternation of the same phrase between forces, orchestra accompaniments that are sometimes sustained and at other times function as musical punctuation (and, indeed, glosses on the concertino text), polyphonic and homophonic tutti textures - and often in quick succession. Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord is always alert to the exigencies of Corelli's palette of ensemble colour - not to mention those of metre and tempo - and Simon Standage, the leader and first violin soloist, is adept at taking his cues.

The concertino playing of Standage, Micaela Comberti and Jaap Ter Linden (whose cello obbligatos in Nos. 1, 8 and 11 fairly fly!) is technically and stylistically never in question. Standage's cadential elaborations (as in the Grave of No. 3 and at the end of the first Allegro of No. 5) and transitional ones (for example, the Adagio of No. 12) - indeed those of Pinnock and the the orbist.

Nigel North in the Grave of No. 2 and elsewhere - are extremely tasteful, as too is his ornamentation in the Adagio of No. 9, if a trifle cool by Italian standards. Standage and Comberti play, as always, in complete mutual sympathy, giving moments of exhilaration such as in the electrifying upward bariolage of the first Allegro of No. 4. In fact, the second, dancing Allegro of this D major Concerto contains the most marvellous passages of written-out trills, chromatically suspended one from the other between the two violins, and exquisitely placed by the players. The fashion now - to many listeners' delight and relief - is towards using more vibrato, though (as in the Preludio of No. 10) it is applied with great discernment.

These performances have a wonderful sweep, conveying a grandeur of conception that too often eludes other ensembles. One of Pi nnock's greatest strengths is his ability to fuse a large-scale conception with perfection of detail. Even his command of silence (as in the opening Adagio of No. 4) is eloquent. If the fast movements often seem almost too fast (as in the Vivace of No. 3), they are never messy, and so powerful is their energy that the listener is occasionally catapulted headlong to the end of what are relatively short movements. The English Concert never descend to sentimentalism (of the sort one encounters in modern performances such as that of the Cantilcna ensemble on Chandos) and instead project a lively and sincere love of the music. These are truly inspired performances that should give great pleasure to all who listen to them and which surely merit the commendation of their peers.

J.A.S., Gramophone Magazine 1989

Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Ens. 415, Banchini, Christensen

Arcangelo Corelli
Concerti Grossi Op.6
Ensemble 415, Chiara Banchini, Jesper Christensen
Harmonia Mundi HMC90140607

Classics Today Rating: 10/9

Corelli's Op. 6 concertos, which so notably influenced Handel's later masterpieces in the concerto grosso style, are here reissued in first-rate performances by (then-Geneva-based) Ensemble 415, led by founder/violinist Chiara Banchini. The original recordings, released in 1992 and now repackaged in a handsomely presented 2-CD set, retain their clear detail and well-balanced sonic perspective, even if the overall ambience is a bit softer-edged and so a little less vibrant than we often hear these days from similar ensembles and repertoire. This sonic character is significantly influenced by the relatively large ensemble, which numbers nearly 40 in the concerti da chiesa and about 20 for the concerti da camera. These numbers certainly aren't unusual for a Corelli orchestra, and one of the benefits of this production is getting to hear such a grand sound in the tuttis enhanced by varied colors in the concertino and orchestral continuo groupings, whose makeup changes with each concerto.

The playing is impeccable--crisply articulated, with fetching rhythmic pulse and shapely phrasing in the slow passages. Interpretively we are treated to tempos that reflect an observation by Georg Muffat (who witnessed Corelli's own performances) to "imitate the Italians as closely as possible"--that is, to render the slow movements "slower" and the fast movements "faster" than the norm in northern Europe. So indeed there are some unusually slow moments--the Adagio-Allegro-Adagio movement of the famous concerto No. 8 ("Christmas Concerto"), for instance--and some assuredly brisk (but not too brisk) fast movements.

Overall, however, this probably is the slowest recorded set of these 12 works, and the thing is, you never suspect it because the balance of tempos from movement to movement is ideally judged, and there's a pervasive liveliness and buoyancy in the playing that ensures a certain momentum that never allows the music to feel under-powered. In fact, I prefer Banchini's performances to Nicholas McGegan's smaller-scaled, very articulate, exciting, and comparably lightning-fast renditions with the Philharmonia Baroque from 1989 (also on Harmonia Mundi). This was definitely an excellent choice for re-issue in Harmonia Mundi's new hmGold series--if you missed it, don't hesitate this time.

David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Corelli: Trio Sonatas - Members of TEC, Trevor Pinnock

Arcangelo Corelli
Trio Sonatas
Simon Standage, Michaela Comberti,
Anthony Pleeth, Nigel North, Trevor Pinnock
Archiv 419 614-2

It is odd that the trio sonatas of Corelli should have been overlooked for so long by the earlymusic revival, for they were the stimulus for so much of the late-baroque trio sonata repertory. However, to judge by this recording, it was well worth the wait, for in its well-blended artistry and variety of ensemble texture this first recording on period instruments sets a worthy standard.

Trevor Pinnock and members of The English Consort have chosen six sonate da chiesa (Op. 1) and four sonate da camera (Op. 2) from the 48 that Corelli published. Like Edward Mel kus, on his now deleted Archiv Produktion LP recording of Corelli's Op. 5 solo sonatas, Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti play with a variety of continuo combinations appropriate to Rome of the 1680s. The church sonatas are very effectively accompanied by organ and cello or archlute, the chamber sonatas by harpsichord and cello; no violone is used.

The recorded sound on this CD-only release is intoxicating—especially in the church sonatas where the organ sustains while the second continuo instrument takes the moving bass as in Op. 1 Nos. 1, 7, 9 and II. The violin tone is warm and resonant, though the upper part is occasionally more forward than the second (Op. 1 No. 3 Grave); even the cello (Op. 2 No. 6) and lute (Op. 1 No. 7 Grave) parts—both firmly and sensitively played by Anthony Pleeth and Nigel North— occasionally stand out (one suspects these moments of slight imbalance, among so many perfectly judged, are the fault of engineers, not of players).

The group play with wonderful precision, the fruit of many years' collaboration. The Largo e puntato of Op. 1 No. 12 is particularly well articulated. Points of imitation sparkle in the fugal allegros, suspensions ravish in the slow movements, lively gigas provide exuberant finales. Standage and Comberti insert some playful glissandos in the gigs of Op. 2 No. 6; trills abound though there might have been more of the artful filling in found in the Preludio of Op. 2 No. 4 and elsewhere. Neither player shrinks from the breathtaking dissonances Corelli sometimes dropped into his harmonic progressions, as in the finale of Op. 1 No. 1, and both are sensitive to the mercurial quality of the music, never more evident than in the Op. 1 No. 9 first and last movements. It is clear from these fine performances that this music is beautiful and compelling as well as historically significant. I hope that they will continue the cycle.

J.A.S., Gramophone Magazine 1987

Corelli: Concerti Grossi 7-12 - Modo Antiquo, Sardelli

Arcangelo Corelli
Opera VI - Concerti Grossi, Concerti 7-12
Modo Antiquo, Federico Maria Sardelli
Tactus TC 650308

The first modern performance with the addition of ripieno trumpets, oboes and flutes. The research of Hans Joachim Marx and, later, of Franco Piperno concerning the documents relating to the performances which took place in Rome under the patronage of the Ottoboni (but also of the Accademia del Disegno di S.Luca and the Ruspoli family), testify to the existence of a practice which has been hitherto ignored: that of doubling the instrumental music composed and conducted by Corelli with all sorts of wind instruments. This practice, amply documented by the many payrolls of the musicians hired by Corelli, forces us to re-examine his music from a totally different point of view from that which has prevailed up until now, one which has been entirely dedicated to the faithful reproduction of the compositions printed by Roger in 1714. This is thus the first complete performance of the twelve Concerti Grossi by Corelli which attempts to reconstruct accurately the historical-musical context in which these works were created and glorified. A context which is rich, sumptuous and paradigmatic, and which has constituted for decades the European model to which musicians and patrons alike looked with admiration. Today this musical practice has been restored and re-proposed for the first time to the modern listener. Anyone interested in learning more about the historical justification for this reconstruction is encouraged to read the studies of Marx and Piperno. Here, instead, we will attempt to shed light on the strictly musicological aspects which have guided our work.

Corelli: Concerti Grossi 1-6 - Modo Antiquo, Sardelli

Arcangelo Corelli
Opera VI - Concerti Grossi, Concerti 1-6
Modo Antiquo, Federico Maria Sardelli
Tactus TC 650307

The first modern performance with the addition of ripieno trumpets, oboes and flutes. The research of Hans Joachim Marx and, later, of Franco Piperno concerning the documents relating to the performances which took place in Rome under the patronage of the Ottoboni (but also of the Accademia del Disegno di S.Luca and the Ruspoli family), testify to the existence of a practice which has been hitherto ignored: that of doubling the instrumental music composed and conducted by Corelli with all sorts of wind instruments. This practice, amply documented by the many payrolls of the musicians hired by Corelli, forces us to re-examine his music from a totally different point of view from that which has prevailed up until now, one which has been entirely dedicated to the faithful reproduction of the compositions printed by Roger in 1714. This is thus the first complete performance of the twelve Concerti Grossi by Corelli which attempts to reconstruct accurately the historical-musical context in which these works were created and glorified. A context which is rich, sumptuous and paradigmatic, and which has constituted for decades the European model to which musicians and patrons alike looked with admiration. Today this musical practice has been restored and re-proposed for the first time to the modern listener. Anyone interested in learning more about the historical justification for this reconstruction is encouraged to read the studies of Marx and Piperno. Here, instead, we will attempt to shed light on the strictly musicological aspects which have guided our work.

Corelli: 12 Concerti Grossi, Op.6 - English Concert, Pinnock

Arcangelo Corelli
12 Concerti Grossi, Op.6
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
Archiv 474 907-2

Pinnock's set stands the test of time in this high-spirited, collaborative music. The re-release of The English Concert's awardwinning recording of Corelli's Op 6 concertos offers a welcome opportunity to reflect on some of the changes in taste that have emerged since 1989. Two competing recordings, by groups led by Italians — that of Ensemble 415 and Europa Galante — oblige with two quite different approaches to this most quintessential of Baroque music. Ensemble 415, under Banchini and Christensen, takes a historically informed approach to the instrumentation and tempi, leaning heavily on the observations of Muffat and the employment records of Corelli's patrons for evidence. This interpretation is representative, then, of the period in which the concertos were first performed — probably the 1680s — whereas Pinnock's is an 18th-century one, reflective of the time in which they first appeared in print. Where Pinnock relies on a lean and lithe ensemble to convey crystal-clear textures, the violins of Ensemble 415 luxuriate on the cushioned sound created by six cellos, five contrebasses, four archlutes and a chitarrone, in addition to the ubiquitous harpsichord and organ. They also use them as soloists (for example in Concerto Nos 4 and 12) and for special effects, as in the Pastorale ad libitum of the Christmas Concerto to mimic the sounds of bagpipes and hurdygurdies, to great, if eccentric, effect.

While Banchini and her second violin, Enrico Gatti, offer exquisitely ornamented repeats, they also at times take disconcerting liberties with the tempi within movements (for example, at the cadences in the first allegro of the Christmas Concerto). Their allegro and vivace tempi are generally slower than Pinnock's, and often agreeably so. Despite Georg Muffat's report of Corelli's preference for strongly contrasting tempi, I am inclined to believe that Pinnock often takes the fast movements too quickly. What is missing in 415's performances is Pinnock's architectural vision of these works and The English Concert's irrepressible sense of joy.

The leader of Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi, takes a distinctly personal approach to what is in essence collaborative music. His own musical voice is omnipresent. He is the impetus for the outré attitude — the eccentric articulation and dynamics and the heavily elaborated ornamentation — that characterises this recording. One could almost be forgiven for thinking these were solo concertos (which begs the question, who was Corelli's concertino second violinist?); to learn the identity of Biondi's 'second' it is necessary to log onto Naive's website; no booklet accompanies this reissue.

By contrast, the relationship between the concertino and ripieno ensembles Corelli intended is celebrated by the musicians of The English Concert. The collaboration of Simon Standage, the late Micaela Comberti and Jaap ter Linden with their colleagues remains unparalleled in terms of its consistency and precision. While the engineers in these recordings may have influenced these impressions, their hand in the 415 recording is apparently restrained by the decision not to employ special milcing; indeed, while the aural impression may be more lifelike, it is also less defined and, therefore, less brilliant.

Fifteen years after it was recorded, the glossy, corporate sheen of Pinnock's interpretation remains undimmed, securing its place as one of the lasting icons of the British early-music revival, if not the wider movement.

Julie Anne Sadie, Gramophone.net

Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op.6 Volume II - Eu. Galante, Biondi

Arcangelo Corelli
Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Volume II
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
Opus111 OPS30-155

There is no shortage of recordings of Corelli’s celebrated and only set of Concerti grossi, Op. 6. Some favour large groups, others much smaller ones. Europa Galante inclines towards the latter category, with 12 players, in addition to the two violins and cello of the concertino, which provides the contrasting element. This is the second volume of the recorded set, containing Concertos Nos 7-12. Two of these, one of them the much-loved Christmas Concerto, are ostensibly in the serious da chiesa mould, while the four remaining pieces are concerti da camera with their closer identity to dance measures.

But often the dividing line between the two is blurred and the matter is, anyway, hardly of overriding importance. The playing is enjoyable for the most part, though I felt a lack of Corellian nobility and resonance in the Seventh and Eighth Concertos. The two concertino violinists ornament the music tastefully and spontaneously yet are inclined to overdo it with fussy arabesques, and in one or two of the slow movementsI felt an intrusive element of sentiment creeping in. I also found the spacious, reverberant recording acoustic is inappropriate to the modestly-sized band. A mixed pleasure.

Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine

Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op.6 Volume I - Eu. Galante, Biondi

Arcangelo Corelli:
Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Volume I
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
Opus111 OPS30-147

There are for most of us definitive interpretations of familiar works, some of them live, some recorded. We can never quite put them out of our minds when listening to further performances. For me, the definitive recorded version of the Corelli concertos remains Trevor Pinnock's; no one else has yet captured so well the spirit, and in particular the harmonic intensity, of these works. That said, Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante play with all the precision and virtuosity one could wish for. The concertino ornamentation is often daring, as are some of the tempos. They have opted to use a light, off-the-string bow stroke as the norm, which enables them to produce almost transparent textures. There are moments, as in the sprightly Allegro of the Christmas Concerto, when everyone seems to be playing on a single bow hair. Elsewhere, they achieve what I can only describe as a gently brushed effect in such movements as the Adagio of Concerto No. 4 or the first Allegro of No. 6. The harpsichord continuo playing of Ergio Ciomei and the cellist Maurizio Naddeo is exquisite throughout, and the organist Fabio Bonizzoli contributes artfully, here and there (for example, the Allegro of Concerto No. I and the Adagio of No. 12), to the concertino ensemble timbre.

However, Biondi and Europa Galante romp through these works, indulging here and there in a little well-placed ntbato, with seemingly hardly a glance at the harmony. For all their sophistication, and even wit, these performances fail to convey the dynamism crafted into the sequences and trills, the pathos of the suspensions, the engagement of the antiphonal and echo effects: elements central to Pinnock's interpretation. Certainly, the lightness of their preferred bowing would have hampered the projection of these elements, though one begins to suspect that they were never priorities. Where is the exhilarating joy of the opening Allegro of Concerto No. 4? Where is the passion of the slow movements? Without due attention to the harmony, these performances are, ultimately, deprived of drama and represent, at best, understated reflections of Corelli's flesh-and-blood music. The humanity of this music, fired by virtuosity, inspired a generation of concerto composers, most notable among them Handel. This quality is what, ideally, should inform readings of these works.

JAS, Gramophone.net