Search - Corelli, Mcgegan, Philharmonia Baroque :: Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op.6 Nos. 1-6

Don't be put off by "Period Instuments"

Paul Oberlin | Yuma, AZ USA | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the first classical CDs I bought, well before I new the difference between period and modern instruments, etc. Contrary to Stan Vernnoy's review two doors down, I beleive you should like the music for what it is, not the instruments it is played upon. Also, to my ears, Corelli's music sounds much better on the period instruments. The modern instruments sound too sweet and glossy to me. Not to say that period instruments would work for, say a Rachmaninov symphony! It'a all a matter of preference."

Time travel

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 02/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD will take you back in time to another era...played on period instruments, it has a light, sweet feel to it. Very even in tempo and dynamics, it's ideal for a quiet dinner or studying.
The period instruments don't have the sonority of their modern counterparts, so if you prefer the rich sound of the instruments that are normally in use today, this recording is not for you.There's a charming simplicity to these pieces, and they're played with incredible precision by the San Francisco based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. This 17 person group led by Nicholas McGegan (who plays fortepiano and harpsichord) is superb, and it's also fascinating to hear what this music sounded like in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Recorded in '89, the total time is 59'41, and I love the cover of this CD, as well as that of Volume 2, Op. 6. 7-12, so bold and contemporary looking, they're Cigoli marble inlays from 1559-1613."

Lovely recording at the very least

Alejandra Vernon | 10/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a relative newcomer to classical music despite piano lessons (K-8) as a child and some minimal exposure as a child and as an adult, and I do not have a strong opinion about the period vs. modern instument controversy. I do however, have a few period instrument recordings (Gardiner, Biondi, Herreweghe) and more than like them. In no instance do I think that any of the instuments in these recordings or the recordings taken as wholes sound bad in any way--nor do the recordings done on these instruments appear to "lack something"--and that inculdes this recording of Corelli's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, 1-6. Not only that, I think that this particular recording is very well done, and the works themselves are wonderful. This makes this CD (and undoubtedly also the one of Nos. 7-12, which will take me a while longer to purchase) absolutely lovely and well worth the price, especially for people interested in baroque music."