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The Op. 5 collection consists of eleven sonatas; the twelfth, and most popular, work is a series of twenty three variations on the ‘Follia’ of which Corelli was especially proud. All twelve pieces contain a variety of difficult violin techniques and director Pavlo Beznosiuk takes centre stage; his polished playing thrilling in its virtuosity. Corelli’s contribution to the history of violin performance was immense. All six of his published collections of instrumental music demonstrate his exceptional skill as a violinist and composer, but it was in his Op. 5 Sonatas that Corelli had the most significant impact on violin technique. This marks the second recording in a series which will see Linn and The Avison Ensemble record Corelli’s complete chamber music. The Avison Ensemble will release two further recordings of Corelli in 2013 celebrating the 300th anniversary of the composer’s death. Formed in 1985, the Ensemble has attracted great critical acclaim. The Guardian commented: ‘I’d take the Avison Ensemble over Karajan…any day’. The Avison Ensemble comprises some of Europe's leading Baroque musicians, including artists from The Hague, Germany, France, Austria and London, with international soloists from all over the globe. Pavlo Beznosiuk, the UK's foremost baroque violin virtuoso, is in demand as a soloist and orchestral leader performing regularly with the Academy of Ancient Music and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. “Beznosiuk plays with enormous affinity and charm,his fluent and imaginative ornamentation always within the bounds of the pulse and good taste. Having chosen not to ornament the repeats slavishly, he retains the power to surprise and delight us even to the last sonata.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2013 “Beznosiuk offers lyrical, intuitively musical performances, imbued with a placid, unpretentious grace, while his spontaneous ornamentation adds a dash of Baroque bravura. Beznosiuk is well matched by the outstanding continuo players...the quartet conversing with the ease and familiarity of old friends... The Linn recording is luminous and sensitively balanced” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 **** “The small additions to the two gavottes are stylish and it’s nice to hear the variations in the performance of the bass line...I found the Avison Ensemble’s recording of Corelli’s Op.6 revelatory in several respects” MusicWeb International, April 2013 | 
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| |  | Mr Corelli in Londonarrangements by Geminiani
Recorder virtuoso Maurice Steger, deftly assisted by The English Concert and Laurence Cummings, performs a sparkling program of concertos fashioned by the English adherents of Arcangelo Corelli from the Italian master’s visionary Violin Sonatas, Op.5. London around 1730: Although he never set foot on English soil and his compositions were already half a century old, Corelli was the absolute darling of London’s society. The musicians close to Handel soon realised that they were far more likely to succeed if they incorporated Corelli’s themes as opposed to only performing their own works. Variations on Corelli and new versions of his older pieces were soon de rigeur. Over the course of the next few years, Corelli’s violin sonatas Opus 5 were complemented by large numbers of virtuoso adaptations. This music corresponded perfectly to the musical taste of the times and although originally composed for the violin, the sonatas were soon performed in almost every conceivable instrumentation. In today’s popular music, it’s called a cover version; back then it was standard practice. Well-known melodies are used and adapted to the player’s technical abilities and the prevailing trends of the times. Francesco Geminiani, James Paisible, Pietro Castrucci, John Loeillet, William Babell and Robert Valentine are just a few composers who adapted Corelli’s music and through variations, ornamentations and orchestrations left their mark on the originals. Francesco Geminiani’s orchestral version of the Opus 5 sonatas serves as the basis for Maurice Steger’s current project. The recorder soloist uses this beautiful fabric of sound to perform the original variations, which survived as handwritten sheet music. They come to life as wonderful lyrical or virtuoso adaptations that sometimes test the boundaries of what is technically possible. “Steger's performance is a thrilling hybrid, dazzlingly embellished yet pure and true of tone. The English Concert match Steger's élan, with glorious solos from the ensemble.” The Independent on Sunday, 11th April 2010 “Steger nicely sets the scene, telling of England’s obsession with Corelli’s music and of the convivial societies of amateurs who would gather in smoke-filled rooms to play it...Steger’s playing is unfailingly seductive; the English Concert under Cummings is equally delectable.” Sunday Times, 18th April 2010 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Italian Sonatas
Dorothee Oberlinger (recorder), Walter Vestidello (cello), Giancarlo Rado (arch lute/guitar), Karsten Erik Ose (bass recorder), Giampietro Rosato (harpischord/organ) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | More Follies 1500-1750
“If an hour and a quarter of music based on 16 bars appears daunting, take courage from the immense stylistic variety over 200 years and the splendidly colourful range of instruments playing it. Altogether, the programme presents a highly imaginative overview of a single common musical design.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2005 ***** “The best known pieces are the meatiest. In Corelli's violin sonata, Manfredo Kraemer is reticent, almost tentative, before working up to dazzling fireworks, abetted by the cello of Balazs Mate and the strumming of Xavier Díaz-Latorre's guitar. The trio sonata by Vivaldi, the last of his Op 1 set, makes an exhilarating conclusion, Kraemer joined by Mauro Lopes and a four-strong continuo group. The surprise is an equally fine violin sonata by Henrico Albicastro, alias Heinrich Weissenburg, with its virtuoso double-stopping and lively bass-line.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006  BBC Music Magazine
Chamber Choice - December 2005 |
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| |  | La Folia (folly) 1490-1701
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| |  | La Folia
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| |  | Ida Haendel - Baroque Transcriptions
Recorded 1977 “This is a genuinely great fiddle record, one to place alongside those in which Heifetz, Szigeti or Elman (to name but three) tackle similar repertoire.
Indeed, if it's possible to make this music sound so beautiful, why does the 'historic performing' lobby kick up so much noisy opposition? One understands all the counter-arguments; and, yes, these are arrangements – which is different. But to take just one small example, at around 2'02" into the opening Adagio of Nardini's Sonata, Haendel suddenly dips from mezzo-forte to piano, as if she's switching from a serene smile to a questioning glance. The effect is both subtle and dramatic. Corelli's La Folia and Tartini's The Devil's Trill Sonata are similarly expressive. As for Vitali's Chaconne, Haendel admits that she was knocked out when she heard Heifetz play the piece and in some ways her impassioned performance resembles Heifetz's interpretatively spectacular 1950 recording (of Respighi's arrangement; Haendel plays David's more comprehensive alternative).
Always there's that ecstatic control of melodic line, holding fast to the harmonic thread – musically, patiently and with the touch of a true craftsman. The recording is superb, and the partnership with Geoffrey Parsons is beautifully balanced. A truly wonderful CD.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Baroque Violin Sonatas
Arthur Grumiaux (violin), Riccardo Castagnone (piano), Istvan Hajdu (piano) An old-world interpretation of Baroque sonatas and concert pieces, which shine and shimmer in Grumiaux's telling interpretations. The works by Leclair, Vivaldi, Nardini and Veracini's Sonata in B minor are the first international releases on CD. “Corelli's La Follia and Veracini's Op. 1 No. 7 are both turned with style, brilliance and considerable sensitivity.” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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