Giovanni Sollima Suite Per Violoncello di JS Bach (2024)

The charismatic, cosmopolitan cellist Giovanni Sollima joins the instrumentalists of Il Pomo d’Oro for Al-Bunduqiyya – The Lost Concerto.

Explore Sir Neville Marriner's beautiful Bach renditions, from instrumental to secular and sacred vocal music, featuring Janet Baker, Andrei Gavrilov, Barbara Hendricks or William Bennett.

With these words begins the first written cello method, authored by Michel Corrette and published in Paris around 1741: the cello, a bass instrument, is considered a “noble pillar of harmony”. At that time, music history was roughly in the middle of the basso continuo era, which began during Monteverdi’s lifetime with the “Seconda Pratica” and ended during Robert Schumann’s lifespan. A lot revolved around the melody of the bass line, its realisation and rendering. In Corelli’s orchestra, a large bass section comprising many instruments of different sizes, with several cellos, double basses, lutes and harpsichords, was placed just behind the concertino. Behind them were the intermediate voices, first and second violas. Only behind the latter were those who carried the melody of the upper voices, namely the violinists. Such a setting has nothing to do with today’s musical practice and sound expectations. The vast bass section determined the tempo, the character and the dynamics. Those providing the melody had to adapt; any resistance would have been pointless.