Giuseppe Valentini Ensemble 415 Banchini Concerti Grossi e a Quattro Violini, Op. 7 (2007, Zig Zag # Zzt2020801)

W.A. Mozart - Concertone (Serenata Notturna KV 239, Cassation KV 63, Concertone KV 190)
Ensemble 415 / Chiara Banchini
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 284 MB | Artwork: 17 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Zig-Zag # ZZT 060301 | Country/Year: France 2006
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School

"Ensemble 415 is a chamber ensemble devoted largely to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. The numerical reference in the group's name derives from the pitch used for tuning instruments in the Baroque era. In performing chamber music, Ensemble 415 consists of just a few players, but for larger compositions, the number expands to a minimum of 13 and can reach up to as high as 40 performers. The ensemble's repertory has been broad over the years, taking in many Baroque standards by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as lesser known fare by Muffat and others…"

Ludwig van Beethoven - Trios pour pianoforte, violon et violoncelle op. 1 n°1 & n°2
Patrick Cohen / Erich Höbart / Cristophe Coin
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 274 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMC901361 | Country/Year: France 1991
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period

Christophe Coin (born 26 January 1958) is a French cellist, viola da gamba player and conductor active in the field of historically informed performance. He is the cellist of the Quatuor Mosaïques and is the director of the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Trios pour pianoforte, violon et violoncelle op. 1 n°3; op.posth.154 & Gassenhauer-Trio Op. 11
Wolfgang Meyer / Patrick Cohen / Erich Höbart / Cristophe Coin
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 234 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMC 901475 | Country/Year: France 1994
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period

Christophe Coin (born 26 January 1958) is a French cellist, viola da gamba player and conductor active in the field of historically informed performance. He is the cellist of the Quatuor Mosaïques and is the director of the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges.

The first six sonatas, or the sonate da chiesa as they are commonly referred to, were published in Geminiani’s arrangements in 1726 and met with immediate success. Not only were the sonorities amplified by the instrumental expansion, but Corelli’s difficult-to-play sonatas were now within reach of violinists with more modest abilities. The skill with which Geminiani embellished Corelli’s music while remaining true to Corelli is immediately evident when Corelli and Geminiani are played back-to-back. It is roughly the aural equivalent of a black and white photo now viewed in color. Geminiani’s arrangements of the second set of six sonatas, the sonate da camera, were soon completed but did not meet with the same immediate popularity.

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.

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.