The musicians featured on this new release write: “For some years now we have been interested in the experiments of composers on the frontiers of Baroque musical language. The music of the sons of Bach and especially of Carl Philipp Emanuel has already come to fascinate us, and we had the same urge to discover and let ourselves be surprised when we decided to tackle Geminiani. To immerse ourselves in his op.7 was an exciting process, questioning our experience of Baroque music and rousing the enthusiasm of all the musicians of Café Zimmermann.” (Celine Frisch, harpsichord) “WHAT?!” was the first stunned reaction of the musicians after reading through Geminiani’s Concertos op.7. A composition that is invariably controversial, at once surprising and familiar. Then it was a new discovery with each concerto, with different textures and styles from one movement to the other. This music led us along unexpected paths from the church to the theatre, from Italy to France, from the seventeenth century to the eighteenth.” (Pablo Valetti, violin) “Geminiani’s music reflects my state of mind, one foot in the seventeenth century and the other in the eighteenth. The rhetoric and architecture it employs are still compatible with the Baroque. But the choice and exploration of emotions are already very new, similar to the way we feel today. This state of inner contradiction was probably not always understood by Geminiani’s contemporaries, but it is exactly what we look for and admire nowadays.” (Petr Skalka, cello)

GEMINIANI Violin sonatas, op. 4/1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12 • Liana Mosca (vn); Antonio Mosca (vc); Luca Pianca (archlute); Giorgio Paronuzzi (hpd) (period instruments) • STRADIVARIUS 33853 (67:41)


William S. Newman, in his massive study of the Baroque sonata, listed Francesco Geminiani’s sonatas for violin and continuo (op. 1 from 1716 and op. 4 from two decades later) and for violin and cello (op. 5) and judged Geminiani’s knowledge of the violin to equal that of Giuseppe Tartini or Pietro Locatelli (the latter of whom, like Geminiani, had been a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli, though a more technically adventurous one), but considered his style to be more conservative. Of the six sonatas presented by Liana Mosca, Antonio Mosca (her father), Luca Pianca, and Georgio Paronuzzi, all but two consist of four movements (the others numbering three); none of the movements’ titles give a hint of their dance-like elements or rondo forms. Almost all the sonatas have been cast in major keys. Geminiani would later rework six of the 12 sonatas of op. 4 (including No. 1 and No. 7 from Stradivarius’s collection) as concerti grossi. While Mosca remarks in a personal note in the booklet that Geminani’s sonatas from op. 4 haven’t received a great deal of attention, Rüdiger Lotter included the First, Eighth, Ninth, and 10th (two from Mosca’s selection) in a program released on Oehms 356 that also included several sonatas from Antonio Maria Veracini’s op. 1 ( Fanfare 29:1).


Geminiani revised the sonatas of his op. 1 at about the same time as he published op. 4 and included in the new edition of op. 1 the kinds of ornaments that make so striking an impression in Mosca’s performance of op. 4, as in the First Sonata’s Adagio (and also that of the Third Sonata). In that movement, she also displays a rhythmic and dynamic flexibility to create a capricious expressive sensibility that apparently suits not only the works themselves but Geminiani’s reputation as an expressive performer (among some: Tartini called him il furibondo , while John Hawkins thought he lacked the fire of the later violinists of his era). The sonata’s second movement isn’t fugal; it depends for its effect on the piquancy of its homophonic lines, of which Mosca gives a tangy account. The continuo provides an ingratiating strumming accompaniment in the Largo, a backdrop against which Mosca makes at times startling adjustments to the solo’s dynamic level; the finale includes surprises after dramatic pauses, and Mosca times them with the acute sensibility of a persuasive rhetorician. In general, she produces a twangy though by no means sharp-edged tone from her violin (and a perhaps surprisingly full one from its lower registers), described as a Venetian instrument from about 1750.


Mosca and the ensemble bring vivacious wit to the second movement of the Seventh Sonata and its jaunty subject (do these suggest the stolidity for which Geminiani has sometimes been condemned?) and spice to the ornamentation of the sonata’s third movement, Moderato. The Adagio of the Third Sonata showcases, as well as the encrustations of ornamentation mentioned earlier, the sudden gestures that make the sonatas sound inventive, at least from an expressive point of view (that sense of invention, continues, reaching almost to the level of improvisation, in the ensuing Allegro). The Sixth Sonata, again in D Major, at first seems almost somber compared to the three that precede it on the program, until Mosca dispels whatever gloom might have enshrouded it with her bright gaiety in the second movement; similarly, she shifts from the almost romantic sensibility of the sonata’s Andante to crisp Gallic sprightliness (Geminiani spent time in Paris) in the final movement, recalling a similar vein in the works of Jean-Marie Leclair (also a musical descendent of Corelli, this time through Giovanni Battista Somis). The two three-movement sonatas omit the slow movement; what they lose in affetuoso they gain in starchiness (although the last Allegro of the 10th Sonata includes a slow episode that almost replaces the missing movement). A multisectional fantasy serves as the first movement of the 12th Sonata’s three.


Lotter deploys a more astringent tone in his recording but he hardly stints on ornamental or expressive detail. Still, Mosca’s unaffected geniality, dramatic Luftpausen , and rhetorical sensibility breathe extra life into her performances.


With its clean recorded sound, its imaginative performances, and its ingratiating literature, Mosca’s selection of Geminiani’s sonatas might serve either as a favorable introduction to the works of the composer for those who aren’t familiar with him or an enjoyable reminder for those who know him that he brought more than Corelli’s teachings to London. Strongly recommended to all types of listeners.


FANFARE: Robert Maxham

Geminiani: Concerti Grossi tratti dalle Op. 3, 1 e 5 di Arca

No other master equaled him in tone; the sweetness and singing of his violin sound; his fine and elegant taste; his perfection in tempo and intonation (...)". What contemporaries attest to the violin playing of Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) applies without restriction to his compositions, which are still far too little known. He attached less importance to virtuoso effects � la Vivaldi, but rather to the "melodic grace and adornment" � la Corelli, so much appreciated in his adopted country England. Some of the delicate chamber music treasures are presented here by the Ensemble Apollo's Cabinet.

Francesco Saverio Geminiani (1687-1762), born in Lucca, began his study at an early age with his father, but his most important lessons followed in his years with the great Roman Master, Arcangelo Corelli. Composition lessons with Alessandro Scarlatti helped inspire and solidify his craft. In 1714 Geminiani settled in London, where he quickly gained fame as an ensemble player, concert violinist, and teacher. Here he became friends with Handel and led the orchestra during many performances together. Geminiani enjoyed great success not only in London, but also in Ireland where he spent a considerable amount of time. In 1760 he settled in Dublin, dying there in somewhat impoverished circumstances in 1762. Geminiani's playing was distinguished by it's great expressiveness, richness of dynamic coloring, extraordinary liveliness, and a strong temperament. Tartini tellingly called Geminiani "il furibondo" - the furious one! Among his most significant contributions to the Baroque concerto repertoire are his Concerti grossi Opp. 2 and 3, published in 1732 and 1733 respectively. These sets each consist of six concertos and follow the model established by Corelli, particularly his Concerti grossi Op.6. However, Geminiani's works are more expansive and harmonically adventurous. They often feature intricate contrapuntal writing and dramatic contrasts between the concertino (the group of solo instruments) and the ripieno (full ensemble), a hallmark of the concerto grosso form. Op.2 is notable for it's lyrical elegance and refined structure, while Op.3 reveals a bolder, more expressive style, perhaps reflecting Geminiani's growing independence from Corelli's shadow. These works were not only designed for public concert performance but also for teaching and domestic music-making, showing Geminiani's skill in balancing artistic depth with accessibility. Geminiani's Concerti Grossi were well-received in his time and continued to be admired for their rich textures and expressive power. They exemplify the late Baroque ideal of merging virtuosity with emotional intensity. Today, they remain a staple of early music ensembles, highlighting Geminiani's role as a key figure in transmitting and transforming the Italian Baroque tradition for an international audience. Played by the Italian elite group L'Archicembalo, who previously recorded, to great critical acclaim, the String Concertos by Vivaldi for Brilliant Classics.

Ruhadze plays Geminiani: the latest volume in a revelatory project breathing new life into the founding figures of the Italian violin school of the 18th century.

While Geminiani's Op. 1 collection dates from 1714, just two years after he'd settled in London, Op. 4 was published in 1739, alongside a revision of Op. 1. In the meanwhile he had become known, not only in England but across Europe, for the brilliance and imagination of his playing, which transfers itself so readily on to the pages of these sonatas. They posed the stiffest challenge to violinists of their time – perhaps only Geminiani himself could have done them full justice – and yet now they come alive under the fingers of Ruhadze with new energy in which flamboyance is balanced with grace and elegance.

Igor Ruhadze’s Brilliant Classics recording of sonatas by Locatelli (94736) won warm praise from Gramophone. ‘The playing is elegantly supple, the string tone warm, and the architecture of individual movements thoughtfully worked out. All this makes for a pleasant mood and enjoyable listening. The more exuberant pieces are brilliantly and at times breathtakingly performed.’ With his latest Brilliant Classics album, the Russian Baroque-specialist violinist and director turns to another pivotal figure in Baroque-era violin culture, Francesco Geminiani.

Taught first by his violinist father and then by both Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti in Rome, Geminiani was already a leading figure in north Italian courts in his 20s, before he undertook the move to London that made his name and fortune. Geminiani dedicated the Op.1 Sonatas (1716) to Baron Johann Adolf Kielmansegge, his first London patron. According to Hawkins, Kielmansegge favored the composer by arranging a performance before the king in which Geminiani was accompanied on the harpsichord by Handel. With these sonatas, which clearly stem from Corelli, Geminiani presented himself to the public as Corelli's pupil. Many imitation editions followed the first printing, but the commentator Charles Burney maintained that only the composer himself could do them full justice. Apparently designed as a calling card for Geminiani’s talents as a violinist-composer, the Op.1 Sonatas still make strenuous technical but also expressive demands on any interpreter. Their genteel surface and polished dialogue between parts conceals an array of sophisticated contrasts between moods and demonstration of a violinist’s credentials as an artist as well as a technician.

For this new recording, Igor Ruhadze is joined not by his colleagues in the Violini Capricciosi ensemble but the Russian-born harpsichordist Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya. Having pursued graduate studies with early-music luminaries such as Richard Egarr and Menno van Delft, she too evinces intense sympathy with Geminiani’s idiom.

The musical production of Francesco Saverio Geminiani is totally focused on instrumental music, and includes two collections of violin sonatas, one of cello sonatas, three of concerti grossi, two of Pièces de Clavecin, and a series of transcriptions and revisions of works by other important Italian composers such as Arcangelo Corelli and Francesco Mancini. Geminiani was very active as a treatise writer: he published no less than six works, among which the one that stands out is The art of playing on the violin, published in 1751 and still regarded as the most important violin treatise of that period, together with that of Leopold Mozart from 1756. The treatise became quite famous at once, and was much used by the composer’s contemporaries; several versions of it were published up to 1790, with English and French editions, reaching the New World. The composer’s only digression from his customary work consisted of La Forêt enchantée, a theatrical pantomime meant to be performed by mimes and dancers on expressly-composed music; it had been inspired by Canti xiii and xviii of Gerusalemme liberata, by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595). The version drawn up by Claudio Valenti – who devised the dramatic part together with the actor Piero Nannini – seeks out and re-creates the prosodic relationship between the text and the music that constitutes the core of the composer’s inspiration in his reading of Tasso’s text. For this reason, the work is presented not only in its version for string instruments alone, with the addition of a single flute, but has also been stripped of its orchestral repetitions (all of them), so as to outline an instrumental structure that is transparent, but able to catch and amplify the expressive peculiarities of the score in relation to the text, achieving a novel sort of representative madrigal.

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762), son of the violinist Giuliano Geminiani. After a season at the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples and a two-year spell at the Cappella Palatina in Lucca, Francesco left his homeland for good in 1714 to pursue a career in London, Dublin and Paris. The flourishing public concert life and optimal publishing conditions in London were attracting a great many Italian musicians, who were adored by the English public, achieving cult-like status - Arcangelo Corelli most of all. As a pupil of Corelli's, Geminiani inherited that legacy, while at the same time promoting an independent development in violin playing. Geminiani not only skilfully used the cult of Corelli and his own privileged position as an Italian musician to market himself; he also cultivated close contacts with powerful patrons, made a name for himself as an event organiser and painting dealer, and published several treatises. Among those, his The Art of Playing on the Violin, which he published at his own expense in 1751, was pioneering. He was responding to a pronounced culture of violin enthusiasts, whose great demand caused a proliferation of amateur schools and rudimentary music compendiums in England. Geminiani's treatise, however, was one of the first in Europe meeting professional standards. It differs significantly in scope and conception from other treatises of the mid-18th century from German-speaking countries, focusing intently on seeking the true nature of musical expression as the highest purpose of music. This is also reflected in the term 'Ornaments of Expression' coined by Geminiani to describe ornaments. He lists a rich selection of ornaments in another method, Treatise of good taste in the Art of Musick, published in 1749, designed to help the musician practise the art of ornamentation and variation. This treatise, along with his Rules for Playing in a true Taste published in 1746, include arrangements and variations based on well-known Scots tunes. The fashion of choosing simple folk songs as the basis for compositions was also utilised by other Italian composers in order to meet the needs and preferences of the English public. Geminiani's variations uniquely combine the Italian art of variation, inspired by the example of Arcangelo Corelli, with the simple grace of Scottish folk songs and ornamentation techniques developed under the influence of many years spent in Paris. The compositions contained in Geminiani's treatises go far beyond mere didactic use. His skilful, idiosyncratic use of harmony, rhythm and ornamentation tells the story of a highly trained, experimental and unconventional artist moving between nations and compositional styles. Other information: - Recorded April 2021 in Gartensaal, Germany - Bilingual booklet in English and German contains liner notes and profiles of the musicians - Francesco Saverio Geminiani was born in Lucca. He began his study at an early age with his father, but his most important lessons followed in his years with the great Roman Master, Arcangelo Corelli. Composition lessons with Alessandro Scarlatti helped inspire and solidify his craft. In 1714 Geminiani settled in London, where he quickly gained fame as an ensemble player, concert violinist, and teacher. Here he became friends with Handel and led the orchestra during many performances together. Geminiani enjoyed great success not only in London, but also in Ireland where he spent a considerable amount of time, settling in Dublin in 1760. - Geminiani's playing was distinguished by it's great expressiveness, richness of dynamic coloring, extraordinary liveliness, and a strong temperament. Tartini called Geminiani "il furibondo" - the furious one! - One of Geminiani's most enduring legacies is his treatise The Art of Playing on the Violin, published in 1751. This influential work is one of the earliest comprehensive guides on violin technique and interpretation. Unlike previous violin tutors, which often focused on basic fingering and bowing, Geminiani's treatise provided detailed insights into expressive playing, ornamentation, and the subtleties of articulation. It reflects the evolving style of violin playing in the 18th century, emphasizing musicality over mere technical proficiency. It covers topics such as bowing techniques, left-hand positioning, and vibrato, offering exercises to develop precision and expressiveness. He also stresses the importance of dynamic contrast and phrasing, essential elements in Baroque performance practice. - Played on period instruments by Anna Kaiser (violin), Johannes Berger (cello) and Solrun Franzdottir Wechner (harpsichord).

Geminiani's Sonatas op.5 are particularly significant, marking milestones in my musical journey. What fascinates me about Geminiani is his propensity for unpredictable, asymmetrical and improvisatory style - both as a composer and as a performer. This inspired our own improvisatory approach to ornamentation, continuo realization and timing during the recording session. Geminiani's The Art of Playing the Guitar contains the most comprehensive example of basso continuo realization on the cello, a practice I encouraged in this recording.

As champion of music from Ireland, Peter Whelan and his Irish Baroque Orchestra give a rare glimpse into a fascinating figure of the eighteenth-century Dublin music scene. Who was Rachel Baptist? Not much is known of the ‘Celebrated Black Syren’, other than she was a soprano of African descent and born in Ireland, sang regularly in Dublin, London, Liverpool, and other cities, and performed alongside famed castrato Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci. The program includes works that Baptist might have performed at the ‘Grand Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick’ held in 1752, including arias by Handel, Pasquali (a couple of premiere recordings), Purcell, and some additional instrumental pieces. The ‘resplendent’ Rachel Redmond (The New York Times) is the soprano.

Classical Music