Search - Arcangelo Corelli, Roy Goodman, Brandenburg Consort :: Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6

These two disks contain my favorite performances of these wo

Craig Matteson | Ann Arbor, MI | 05/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cherish these two disks. The performance of this music by the Brandenburg Consort led by Roy Goodman is simply wonderful. The playing is full of energy, ease, and a wonderful, well, self-belief and commitment to the music. None of the, "Well, this is just Corelli after all" we get from some others. Here, everything is given over to getting everything out of the music, and there is a lot of fun, enjoyment, and beauty to be had.



By the time Corelli died at sixty years of age in Rome, he had achieved world wide fame and respect. He had a tremendous impact on the development of violin technique including the playing of double stops and chords as well as they way violinists used the bow in their playing. While the concerto grosso form existed before him, it was he who put the form on the map, so to speak. His concerti were widely imitated (although the Opus 6 here was not printed in his lifetime - remember there were no meaningful copyrights in those days) and next generation composers such as Handel wrote sets of concerti in homage and imitation (for Handel, these were his Opus 3 concerti).



Corelli's complete known works comprise only six opus numbers, although these are all collections of works. Again, his influence and importance go far beyond this seemingly small output. However, these twelve concerti and simply wonderful. Some of the tunes you will already know, but you will be amply rewarded for your attention to all these works.



The first eight do not contain dance movements because they are ostensibly for the chapel. However, they are quite bright and energetic and full of movement. Nine through twelve do contain standard dance suite movements, but for all intents and purposes are not any more full of dance than the first eight. However, they do follow more strictly the formal strictures of the dance names given to the movements.



What a wonderful set that I am delighted remains in print.



I recommend this set with my strongest recommendation and encourage you to enjoy these disks over and over again."