CD Feature/ Corelli: "Violin Sonatas op.5"

Corellis fame as a composer mainly rests upon his Concerti-Grossi – and of course upon the fact that he composed op. 5, the sonatas for violin and basso continuo, which quickly gained considerable admiration at the time.

This new recording, just out on ARTS Music, encompasses the entire cycle of 12 sonatas. It is not often that you find a rendition with this kind of tranparency. Quite on the contray: The clearer and the more economical a composition was set out, the more artists find this a reason to hide its lucidity behind a veil of “initiative”. Things are different here, however. For one, the album is already marked by a natural transparency through its SACD-Quality. And then, of course, there’s the interpretation. Stefano Montanari plays with a lot of expression, without adhering to romantic tendencies. The Continuo-part is pleasantly present at every instant, thereby gaining the status of a second soloist, instead of remaining mere accompaniment. This recording makes you realise, why this cycle is a classic and has developed into a universal type of occidental music in the course of history.

On top of that, it is quite remarkable that the most progressive element is also the most unimposing: If you have a look at the entire op.5, you’ll come to see that – unlike most collections of its time – this is not just a compilation of really seperate pieces. Instead, the cyclical idea is already present.

By Jan Giffhorn

Homepage: ARTS Music