Giuseppe Grosso

Giuseppe Torelli, whose native land was Veneto, is deservedly included among the composers who contributed to the renown and success of the Bolognese School, which was undoubtedly one of the keystones of Italian Baroque music, together with the Venetian, Roman and Neapolitan Schools. Torelli’s production that has been handed down to us includes almost 200 works, most of them chamber-music instrumental compositions and orchestral pieces with solo performers. Eight of these works are in print, practically all of them published in Bologna from 1686 onwards.

The concerto, such a familiar feature of the modern concert landscape, seems a simple thing in its opposition of individual and group. But its early history is not so simple; composers had to find structures that would support contrasts between one or more soloists and an orchestra. The "classic" Baroque concertos of Corelli actually represented a simplification of experiments carried out by earlier composers, the Bolognese Giuseppe Torelli central among them. Torelli is usually associated in Baroque listeners' minds with a few trumpet concertos, two of which (labeled sinfonias) are heard here. The short concertos for one or two violins (mostly six or seven minutes long, for three movements) are rarer but very attractive. They don't have the clean symmetries of the Vivaldian concerto, instead exploiting various ways of breaking up a movement into solo and tutti. Although short and essentially compact, each movement has an aspect of free imagination that is nicely brought out by the veteran English early music conductor and violinist Simon Standage, who joins with several other well-known soloists from Britain's historical-performance movement.

During his own lifetime, Sammartini was considered to be one of the most talented composers of his generation. John Hawkins wrote in 1776: “His singularities can only be ascribed to that boldness and self-possession which are ever the concomitants of genius.”

Chiara Banchini plays a sweet-toned Amati from 1651, predating Tartini (1692-1770) himself. His mercurial style seems ideally attuned to the ebb and flow of the music: largos are wistful and sad, allegros darting and fanciful with the florid ornamentation tossed off like birdsong. The carefully inflected performances of Ensemble 415 make plain the "affetti" (state of emotions) that inform Tartini's work. The Italian violin virtuoso made frequent use of poetry to inspire his composing, sometimes even recording the affecting epigram in the score.

This 25CD set presents the most famous, iconic and best-loved works from the Baroque Era, works which are part of our common musical heritage and conscience, eternally young and cherished for their charm, beauty and deeply human emotions, shared by audiences all over the world.

A celebration of instrumental Baroque splendour! This set present an anthology of Italian Baroque composers, featuring their instrumental output. Obviously the famous composers have their fair share: Vivaldi, Albinoni, Locatelli, Corelli, but also lesser known composers are featured: Barsanti, Bassani, Veracini, Nardini, Stradella, Vitali, Mancini, Platti, Legrenze and many more, over 30 composers! Performances by leading ensembles specialized in the Historically Informed Performance Practice: L'Arte dell'Arco/Federico Guglielmo, Ensemble Cordia/Stefano Veggetti, Violini Capricciosi/Igor Ruhadze, MusicaAmphion/Pieter Jan Belder and many more. A treasure trove of solo concertos, concerti grossi, sinfonias, overtures, trio sonatas and solo sonatas from the Golden Era of the Italian Baroque, era of joy, passion and brilliance!

This 2nd album focuses on the iconic Bologna musician musician and adds a great Soprano singer Nulia from Catalonia by illuminating the musical music as well as the voice work of the time. The 3 song voice works have an image of "air" and figuration repeatedly. In other words, the anxiety of a lover who struggle to find peace of mind as if it is moving in the air (Aria Colona), or the story of angels coming from heaven to save people (Perti's Kantha "Vieni pur con i tuoi vezzi") or Aura breathing in the sacred place (Pololo motto Aurae sacra e amati ardores) These Soprano self-chanting works are alongside the collaboration of Jusppe Trelli, born in Venice since 1684, lives in Boronia and has career as composer.

This sequel of the highly successful CHRISTMAS ALBUM VOL. 1. Features legendary classic interpretations of baroque music: for the first time one single CD combines all four Christmas concertos from Corelli, Locatelli, Manfredini and Torelli with Vivaldi's Winter, the Bach Air and Pachelbel's Canon. Nothing is more redolent of a Berlin-style Christmas than the timeless sound of Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic, making this the ideal gift to brighten the winter season.