Corelli: Sonate da camera a tre, Op. 4 (complete)

The appointment in 1689 of Pietro Ottoboni as Cardinal of San Lorenzo in Damaso marked the beginning of one of the most splendid epochs of patronage of the arts in Rome. A passionate lover of music, Ottoboni gave his protection to numerous musicians: Handel, Pasquini, Scarlatti and Caldara all at some point worked at the cardinal’s court. A few months after his election, Ottoboni took into his service the famous violinist Arcangelo Corelli, who was employed not only as first violin and leader of the instrumental music, but also given complete control over the sumptuous musical events. It was his Op. 4, the final collection of trio sonatas, that Corelli presented in 1694 as the expression of gratitude for the protection he had received from Cardinal Ottoboni. This set of twelve sonatas constituted the culmination of a symmetrical production that alternated collections of church (Op. 1 and 3) and chamber sonatas (Op. 2 and 4) and helped to establish Corelli’s music as models in the definition of these two genres. In a recording made in June 2012 in Solomeo, Umbria, Enrico Gatti infuses these works with particular elegance and lightness; his Ensemble Aurora creating a reading of the highest order, which any admirer of the best of Baroque Italian music will wish to return to, again and again.

It may seem surprising: can 10 discs really contain all of Arcangelo Corelli's output? They can, and do, but the surprise is merited, for the influence and reputation of these works far outstrips their quantity (and how often can one say that of a Barock composer!). On display here is the apogee of Barock form as displayed in the genres of Solo Sonatas, Trio Sonatas and Concerti Grossi, full of sparkling virtuosity and an intimate knowledge and love of the violin and its potential as a solo instrument.

The influence was felt most immediately in Rome, where he was based for his adult life, but publication of these collections soon earned him a name across Europe, as much as his prowess as a solo violinist did; for this was the golden age of the composer as creator, when composition went hand in hand with performance. Of course there is plenty more music Corelli composed which hasn't survived, or at least not on manuscripts with his name on them, for Corelli as an impresario frequently staged oratorios to which he would have contributed sinfonias and instrumental numbers.

What survives is never less than highly polished; often bold, and continually inventive, as is more than evident in these performances from a welcome and uniform perspective by a leading Dutch period-instrument ensemble. And it's unique; there is no other Corelli box on the market, nor has such a project ever been attempted before or since.