Handel: Sonata in D major for violin and continuo, HWV371, Op. 1 No. 13

Riccardo Minasi, born in Rome in 1978, has performed both as soloist as well as concert-master with many important orchestras. Riccardo Minasi is a conductor and a musicologist as well as a leading violinist in the early music field. His critical edition of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma” has been used for the recording of the work with Cecilia Bartoli and Giovanni Antonini.

Musica Antiqua Roma, founded in 2007 by violinist Riccardo Minasi, unites the solo, chamber music and orchestral experiences of some of the most active young musicians on the international scene today. Besides Riccardo Minasi the ensemble is formed by Marco Ceccato (cello), Giulia Nuti (harpsichord) and Luca Piancha (archlute).

This collection represents a selection of Handel's most popular violin sonatas. The eight sonatas recorded here span more than four decades and bear witness to Handel’s broad stylistic range. They all contain wonderful music and have been loved by players and listeners since they were written. Six are well known. Two are unfamiliar, and the second of these, in G major, is quite unlike all the others: two brilliant fast movements separated by a brief, highly dramatic slow recitative. The rest are cast in the customary four-movement form, but they still have extraordinary diversity; no two of them sound alike.

Since the musicians have a strong relation to Italy (“Musica Antiqua Roma”) and since Handel’s sonatas are very much influenced by Italien composers of the Baroque period, the artwork is based on works of the famous Italian photographer Mario Giacomelli.

The coupling of the sonatas on this recording is unique, and the 28-page booklet has elaborate liner notes in English, French, German and Italian.

As a bonus extra, the ‘hidden track’ “Credete al mio dolore” (from the opera “Alcina”, arranged for violin by Riccardo Minasi) has been included.

Giovanni Antonio Piani (1678–1760) was one of the most important violinists of the Baroque and his reputation, today, rests upon the surviving 12 sonatas of his Op.1 set published in 1712 (all his other works are lost). In an unusually long and detailed preface to the sonatas, Piani provided highly detailed instructions on bowing, fingering, dynamics, ornamentation and tempi. In effect, this is the most detailed instruction manual for students of the Baroque violin and the performance practice of the day. Piani worked in Paris and Vienna, and is one of the key figures in the French violin school from Lully to Viotti.

Emilio Percan, a member of l’arte del mondo (ONYX4068), has programmed four Piani sonatas with two contemporary London-based masters – Geminiani and Handel, whose late and great Sonata in D is a masterwork of the late Baroque. Piani’s music is beautifully crafted and melodic and his works on this CD are receiving their world premiere recordings whilst Percan’s advocacy of these superb and little-known sonatas should be of interest to those who love Baroque music.

Two of Handel’s most popular works, along with two additional suites, in rhythmically vital performances by the English Concert under Trevor Pinnock, classic recordings from the 1980s.

“The Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music have probably never sounded better” (Gramophone)

Handel’s violin sonatas have been staples of the repertoire for generations, but there has been considerable confusion about their authenticity. Early editorial practice saw to it that several authentic works were published for instruments such as flute and oboe, but more recent scholarship has established that originally they were written for the violin. All the sonatas are full of Handel’s dashing bravura and his gift for expressive slow movements, providing a series of beautifully proportioned masterpieces. Ariadne Daskalakis’s recording of the Tartini Violin Concertos (8570222) was welcomed with acclaim for its ‘grace and lyrical poetry’. (MusicWeb International)

These recordings are great rarities and date from 1956-1959.