THE MUSIC

ARCANGELO CORELLI: Concerto da Camera in B-Flat Major, Op. 6 No. 11; Sonata a 4 in G Minor; Concerto da Camera in F Major, Op. 6 No. 12; Concerto da Chiesa in D Major, Op. 6 No. 4; Concerto da Chiesa in G Minor, Op. 6 No. 8 “Christmas Concerto”; Fugue for four voices in D Major.

ANTONIO VIVALDI: Lute Concerto in D major, RV 93

Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713) was born and came of age as a composer at a time when he could create compositions unfettered by inherited tradition and unwanted do’s and don’ts. His originality and his genius yielded a series of concerti grossi – twelve in total – composed at the height of his career, revised after he retired, and posthumously published.

Differently structured, the concerti grossi are either concerti da chiesa (church concertos), or concerti da camera (chamber concertos) some of which were conceived as suites of many movements, often as many as five, some in which three slow and fast movements alternate. All of Corelli’s concerti grossi were created for a solo group of two violins and cello with an orchestra of strings and continuo (usually keyboard and bass).

The Concerto da Chiesa in G Minor, Op. 6 No. 8 “Fatto per la Notte di Natale” (composed for Christmas Eve) arguably the most popular of Corelli’s concertos features the familiar solo group of two violins and cello juxtaposed to an orchestra of strings, keyboard, and bass.

Featured in the ALTO release as a bonus track, the Lute Concerto in D Major of Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) composed in 1730 is an example of how the composer excelled in this new form, writing concertos for a variety of solo instruments, in this instance the lute.

THE PERFORMANCE

Recorded in 2003 and in 2016, the ALTO reissue again features the New Dutch Academy, led by Simon Murphy. The Dutch ensemble excels throughout in all four of the Corelli concertos, as well as in the Sonata a 4 in G Minor, and in the Fuga a quattro voci in D Major, playing with utmost attention to the subtleties of Baroque performance practice and exhibiting eloquent musicality.

The Swedish lutenist Karl Nyhlin brilliantly plays the Concerto in D Major of Antonio Vivaldi with precisely executed articulation throughout, and with nimble agility in the opening and closing Allegro movements, along with an intensely sensitive delivery of the work’s Largo.

Producer: Carl Schuurbiers; Engineer: Erdo Groot; Vivaldi Producer: Karel Bruggemans; Vivaldi Engineer: Jean-Marie Geijsen; Licensed from Pentatone Music.

Rafael de Acha (c) 2023