Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The album at hand shows the well-known sonatas Opus 5 by Arcangelo Corelli in an experimental recording of high interest, based on sources from the 18th century regarding music theory and musical practice. Susanne Scholz and Michael Hell, both professors at Kunstuniversität Graz in Austria, share a common and fundamental interest in the strong statement of performance practice. It determines and reinforces their musical expressions and turns this recording into an experiment. The hypotheses that they establish here, which are based on different versions of Arcangelo Corelli’s well-known op. 5 sonatas, focus on instrumental technique, the selection of instruments and the realization of the harpsichord part. The differences, which can be heard in each version through the appropriate choice of these historically informed methods, create a kaleidoscope of musical expressions and soundscapes. This release thereby has no intention of depicting a homogeneous representation of Susanne Scholz’s violin sound and Michael Hell’s continuo playing, but rather of showing how different stylistic differentiations can sound using the most popular violin sonatas of the 18th century as a starting point. The different handed down ornamented versions of the sonatas by Corelli himself, or by Geminiani, or by Roman or an anonymous master reflect the stylistic changes during the first half of the 18th century as well as the different characteristics specific to each country. In this recording, we take these differences into account by switching between three harpsichords and three kinds of violin bows. Only one violin (baroque violin after Antonio Stradivari by Federico Lowenberger; Genova, 2012) was intentionally used to allocate better the sound differences of the postures and bows.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Corelli: Opere I e III

Opus 2 & 4: Chamber Sonatas is the third in The Avison Ensemble’s celebration of Corelli’s chamber music and the fifth album in their critically acclaimed series of recordings with Linn. Released to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of the composer, the ensemble’s greatly anticipated series explores the six opera of the eminent Italian’s chamber music: the concerti grossi, violin sonatas, chamber sonatas and church sonatas. Popular since their publication, Corelli’s two sets of chamber sonatas are a pinnacle of Baroque Italian instrumental music. They demonstrate a superior level of craftsmanship; they are of the highest quality, exquisitely refined and a good example of perfection in music. Corelli’s contribution to the history of violin performance was immense: all six of his published collections of instrumental music demonstrate his exceptional skill as a violinist and composer, but it was in his chamber sonatas that he first used what was to be known as the ‘Corelli clash’.

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REVIEWS:

These performances occupy fresh ground. Beznosiuk and the Avison Ensemble have clearly given much thought and attention to their performances: beautifully understated, and allowing the music to speak for itself.

– Gramophone

The Avison Ensemble captures their essence in graceful, finely controlled performances - by turns lyrical, fleet, playful, imbued with an effortless style that eschews mannerisms and fireworks but rather lets the music speak for itself. The string sound is silky and clean; the ensemble neat and subtly articulated.

– BBC Music Magazine

For musicians and music lovers of his time Arcangelo Corelli was nothing less than the true Orpheus ("il vero Orfeo"), whose music after his death was regarded as exemplary by their sovereign classicism and it's inner greatness far. Dealing with Corelli's music took place in many ways and also affected the music for viol. So lack of original literature circulated by him numerous edits the violin sonatas Op.5. In the National Library in Paris, the anonymous manuscript of a particularly successful editing is kept, will make music here after. She does not walk idiomatic runs around, complemented melodious chords and adjusts the bass voice of caution. Many composers put their creativity to Corelli's music. This could happen through the acquisition and development of it's stylistic features, or simply by transferring his violin technique on the viola da gamba, as in the 1709 printed Sonatas Op.9 by Johann Schenck. Friederike Heumann and her musical collaborators offer us a revealing insight into the "Corellimania" at the beginning of the 18th century, which could not even gambist unaffected.

No work in the 18th century reached a nearly high number of re-runs A. Corelli's violin sonatas Op.5 (published 1700). At the latest with this work of Corelli had finally become a classic. 1984 played a Sigiswald Kuijken a Auswahk from this influential Opus, a recording which has become itself a classic.

In early 18th-century England, the recorder was a popular instrument among music lovers, therefore- since the eminent Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli’s works made an enormous impression in the country- it was only a matter of time before numerous virtuoso recorder arrangements of his string works began to appear.Estro Cromatico leader Marco Scorticati and his longstanding partner Davide Pozzi join forces with Evangelina Mascardi, Sara Campobasso, Michela Gardini, and Pietro Pasquini to deliver a new rendition of this well-loved music, including two premiere recordings. Improvised ornamentation, as well as the multifaceted texture provided by diversified combinations of the continuo instruments, play a central role in the present interpretation, thus bringing Corelli’s extraordinary music back to life; as Roger North wrote in 1710 “if music can be immortal, Corelli’s consorts will be so.”

Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, Nos. 1-6

Classical Music

As the hub of a fledgling British Empire, London around 1710 was burgeoning with new wealth and offered the perfect setting for operatic entrepreneurs eager to spread the latest Italian fashions. It was thus a city of opportunity for Handel, fresh from spending five years in Italy, but also for many other touring musicians including Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Maria Veracini and Francesco Geminiani. This recording unveils a portrait of the chameleon Handel, emerging in the panache of his early Italian-styled Amadigi, reaching maturity in the 'English operatic' Hercules and arriving finally in the perennial melodic grace of Theodora, his penultimate oratorio. Extracts from these works, in which the young Norwegian mezzo-soprano Tuva Semmingsen displays both vocal agility and a wide-ranging emotional palette, are interspersed with instrumental works by Handel's Italian contemporaries. Corelli's Concerto grosso in D major, from the celebrated Opus 6, and Geminiani's 'La Follia' in D minor - incidentally a reworking of Corelli's famous violin sonata - both illustrate Italian instrumental music at its most sumptuous, in colourful and dynamic performances by the Norwegian period band Barokksolistene. For further variety, the leader and artistic director of the ensemble, Bjarte Eike, also performs a chamber work by Veracini, who visited London regularly during some three decades in the early 18th century. The Sonata in A major was published in England in 1744, and it would be quite tempting to interpret the use in it of a Scottish tune, Tweed's side, as merely a clever marketing device to charm a local audience, were it not that the tune, and the composition itself, was so attractive.

Corelli: Opus 1 & 3: Church Sonatas is the final recording in The Avison Ensemble’s celebration of Corelli’s chamber music and the sixth album in their critically acclaimed series of recordings with Linn. Released to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of the composer, the ensemble’s greatly anticipated series explored the six opera of the eminent Italian’s chamber music: the concerti grossi, violin sonatas, chamber sonatas and church sonatas. Each of Corelli’s church sonatas is a small gem; these short sonatas are full of innovation, beauty and warmth. They demonstrate a superior level of craftsmanship: they are of the highest quality, exquisitely refined and an example of perfection in music. Corelli’s contribution to the history of violin performance was immense and these trio sonatas were instrumental in raising the musical bar to new heights. All six of his published collections of instrumental music demonstrate his exceptional skill as a violinist and composer, but it was in his church sonatas which became the pillars of this musical format.

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REVIEW:

Britain's Avison Ensemble has a homogeneous, silvery tone that serves the music well, emphasizing its classic qualities and nicely underplaying the virtuoso touches that Corelli wrote into or implied for the violin parts.

– All Music Guide (James Manheim)