Scarlatti: Concerti & Sinfonie - Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi

Alessandro & Domenico Scarlatti
Concerti & Sinfonie
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
Virgin 5 45495 2

This recording presents music by two Scarlattis: Alessandro (1660-1725), composer of innumerable vocal and chamber works, and his son Domenico (1685-1757), famous mostly for his several hundred keyboard sonatas. Alessandro is represented by six Concerti Grossi, a Sonata, and a Sinfonia; Domenico by three Sinfonias. All feature solo instruments: harp, recorder, and most prominently, violins and continuo cello. Alessandro fostered his son's talent, but the two eventually, perhaps inevitably, became rivals, and Domenico left his native Rome for Portugal and then Spain. Most of Alessandro's music recorded here is somber, solemn, and mournful, full of dissonances and sighing suspensions; four of the six concerti are in minor, but the two in major are bright and sprightly. One of the highlights is the slow, pastoral Finale of No. 6. They vary greatly in form, character, and texture; there is much masterful counterpoint, pungent rhythmic inventiveness, and a chromaticism that seems ahead of its time.

Europa Galante, an excellent Italian period-instrument group, is distinguished by its successful blending of meticulous technical and ensemble execution with musical spontaneity. Notable among the soloists are cellist Maurizio Naddeo and recorder player Petr Zeifart. Violinist Fabio Biondi, the group's director, is outstanding for his virtuosity, beautiful tone, and daring, inventive ornamentation. He deserves our gratitude for rescuing these unfamiliar works from undeserved neglect.

Edith Eisler, Amazon.com Editorial Review

Scarlatti: Concerti Grossi - Valli, Accademia Bizantina, Dantone

Alessandro Scarlatti
Concerti Grossi, Cello Sonatas
Mauro Valli, Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone
Arts 47616-2

Although Alessandro Scarlatti was best known in his day for his prolific vocal oeuvre (more than 60 operas, 33 oratorios, and 700 cantatas, among hundreds of other miscellaneous settings), later in life he turned his attention to composing a few orchestral and chamber works. Among these were the six Concerti Grossi (posthumously printed in London in 1740) and three cello sonatas performed here by the Italian period-instrument ensemble Accademia Bizantina. The concertos are strikingly similar in style and temperament to the Op. 6 set by Scarlatti's friend Arcangelo Corelli, works that Scarlatti was known to have heard (and that the Accademia Bizantina has recorded as part of its complete Corelli cycle for Frequenz). Lovely pastoral sequences are balanced with equally inspired, more upbeat movements, and listeners who treasure Corelli's achievement certainly will enjoy Scarlatti's.

These CD-premiere recordings of Scarlatti's equally well-crafted cello sonatas are also welcome. Cellist Mauro Valli is joined by Accademia Bizantina director/harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone, and together they deliver animated and engaging performances throughout, though their spirited renderings of the Allegros of the C minor and C major sonatas are especially ravishing.

Arts' sound is very good, though it admittedly lacks the definition and immediacy of the equally distinguished performances of the Concerti Grossi by the Ensemble Baroque de Nice (Pierre Verany). Alessandro Borin's notes offer analysis as well as many fascinating historical anecdotes. Recommended. [11/9/2004]

John Greene, ClassicsToday.com