Search - Concerto Italiano, Alessandrini :: Tuma: Partite, Sonate e Sinfonie

Refreshing Baroque

Biberfan | Virginia, USA | 12/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This music is so fresh to our ears. Concerto Italiano has discovered a composer full of invention. This is perhaps the ensemble's most fresh and virtuosic recording to date. It's full of vitality and the surprises in the music don't hurt the excitement these players must have experienced during the recording.



Written in the style of concerti grossi, these late baroque works borrow from a number of influences, including Corelli, but in a language somewhat more cosmopolitan, if not simply more original. You'll hear alternations between tutti and soloists, but the harmonies don't follow the formulaic models Corelli helped establish. Like Corelli, however, the music in some areas is simple enough it requires adept performances to coax out enough Affekt. (Intro to the Sinfonia a Quattro in B-flat Major is such an example).



The performers here are playing on rich, full-bodied instruments with an almost luxurious sound. A no brainer 5-star success for loves of the Baroque repertoire."