Wonderful! Corelli sheds his skin!!
04/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"These concerti are an awful lot of fun. Anyone familiar with any of the livelier baroque instrument renditions of Corelli's opus 6 will know they're vivacious to begin with, but Sardelli and his band put them absolutely into orbit.Sardelli makes a strong case in the liner notes for "doubling up" the strings with flutes, oboes and trumpets (this being a practice in which Corelli himself inulged during his lifetime if he had the right instrumentalists.) On disc, the whole thing is brought off remarkably well, and it works. The woodwinds and trumpets sound completely natural (perhaps too natural...will I go back to my pinnock version ever?)In all seriousness, for purists, this will not supplant the need for a "standard" version of Opus 6; one must admit that there are passages that sound like an interesting mix of Corelli, Handel, and Vivaldi after tre bicchieri di vino, but all in all its a great unexpected treat. GRAB THESE DISCS WHILE YOU CAN. They're ..., lively, and the most musical fun you'll have with your clothes on."