Search - Arcangelo Corelli, Charles Medlam, London Baroque :: Corelli: Trio Sonatas / Medlam

London Baroque's later Corelli recordings are better

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 10/26/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If it were a matter of the recorded sound only, this 1986 effort from London's Abbey Road studios would score full marks: everything here is very directly and clearly captured, and the balance between the instruments is perfect. But unfortunately the playing is as direct and relentless as the sound, leaving little or no room for nuances and making one wonder why Arcangelo Corelli was so famous in his day. The CD appears to have been London Baroque's first attempt at Corelli's sonatas and offers a selection from all six of his published works: two sonatas each from opus 1 and 2 respectively, one sonata each from opus 3, 4 and 5 and a somewhat mutilated solo version of the concerto grosso opus 6, no. 5: Corelli is known to have played these pieces with quite large forces, but he also made provision for them to be played as trio sonatas. London Baroque were not satisfied with Corelli's chamber version, however, and restored the viola and the violone from the larger concerto, which may be legitimate as far as the sound goes but surely can no longer be called 'historical performance practice'. The group later recorded all of the sonatas from opus 1 through 4 on 4 Cds for Harmonia Mundi, and as these have been re-released at budget price, budding Corelli fans should turn there rather than to this forerunner. If price is no object, the recordings by the Purcell Quartet on Chandos Chaconne would probably be an even better choice."