Corelli Trio Sonatas

Arcangelo Corelli - Trio Sonatas, Op.3 - Jaap Schröder, The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Baroque | Ape + Cue | no log | Covers & booklet | 1 CD | 433 MB | RS
Smithsonian Collection ND 035 | 1989

With these words ("Great virtuoso of the violin, and our contemporary Orpheus"), Francesco Gasparini, writing in his 1708 figured bass tutor, succinctly described Arcangelo Corelli, one of the most revered and influential composers of the entire baroque era.

The only available complete recording, newly made by a stylish Italian early-music ensemble, of a landmark collection of Baroque chamber music.

Born into a noble family, Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) entered the Ursuline Convent in the Piedmontese city of Novara at the age of 16. Having taken holy orders she lived there for the rest of her life as a religious sister, later its director of music and Mother Superior. She evidently showed musical promise from an early age, as the first of her published collections of music dates from as early as 1640, when she was just 20 years old.

Listening to this recording you feel as if Corelli was the greatest composer in the world, and that this music is the finest ever written. The artistry, interpretation, and complete understanding of Corelli's string trios elevate this music beyond its purely historical stature. The SCP are incomparable: Jaap Schroeder, Konrad Junghaenel, Kenneth Slowik, etc. The recording is perfectly judged.