Pietro Ballerini Puviani

This musical proposition combines two compositions created about 30 years apart, in two different countries and moments of life, but that emerge from the same feelings well portrayed in the poetic and autobiographic citations above. Formally, they are very different music pieces, but they both describe the emotional introspection of a man that narrates through music his own condition as an exile. The Concerto per chitarra e orchestra, Op. 99 is brought to life at the end of 1938: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco is in Florence and the latest Christmas vacation in Italy is filled with concern for him, the racial laws that came into effect make his and his family’s life intolerable.

If you're looking for a recording of Locatelli's complete Opus 8 Violin Sonatas, look no further. These 1994 recordings by the aptly named Locatelli Trio are not only superbly played and beautifully recorded, they have the singular virtue of being the only available recordings of the works. That's alright: with violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch at the helm, they are uniformly first-rate performances. Wallfisch is herself a superior period instrument player who balances the virtuoso demands of the music with its undeniable melodic charm and harmonic invention, and she leads cellist Richard Tunnicliffe and harpsichordist Paul Nicholson in performances that amaze as well as delight the listener. Furthermore, when the trio becomes a quartet with the addition of violinist Rachel Isserlis for the final four sonatas for two violins and continuo, the best gets even better through the brilliant interplay of two skilled soloists. For lovers of virtuoso violin music of the Italian High Baroque, this is as good as it gets. Hyperion's sound is crisp but warm, detailed but deep.