Locatelli: Sonata in D major, Op. 8 No. 8

The seventh and penultimate disc in London Baroque’s highly acclaimed survey of the Trio Sonata genre through the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries, lets us sample the developments in Italy which led to the genres decline and eventual demise.

This disc features Domenico Gallo’s trio sonata that inspired Stravinsky to compose Pulcinella (it was mistakenly believed for some time that Pergolesi composed this work).

The start of an exciting and prestigious series on Brilliant Classics: the complete works of Pietro Locatelli, in brand new recordings! Locatelli, like many of his contemporaries, moved abroad and settled in Amsterdam/The Netherlands, concertising as a violinist (and a “devil” he was as a performer!), and founding a flourishing publishing house.

Locatelli composed in the tradition of the Italian Baroque, in the well known forms of the Concerto Grosso, Solo Concerto and Trio Sonata. His style is inventive, flamboyant, and extremely virtuoso. His violin sonatas and concertos still present a daunting challenge even to todays violinists.

Russian violinist Igor Ruhadze was trained in his native Moscow as a virtuoso on the modern violin. However, his interest took him into early music, playing with such ensembles as Musica ad Rhenum, Jed Wentz and others. His solid technique enables him to tackle the often fearful difficulties of Locatelli’s music with ease, charm and brilliance. His ensemble play on original instruments, and follow the Historically Informed Performance Practice.

In this 2-disc release, the first volume in Brilliant Classics’ exciting new edition of Locatelli’s complete works, the Italian composer’s trio sonatas are brought into focus, taken from his Op.5 and Op.8 collections. The genre was popular in the mid-18th century, and Locatelli must have had commercial motivations for publishing two sets. However, the music itself remains elegant and sophisticated, catering to shifting popular tastes (adopting elements of the flourishing galant style, for example), while maintaining variety across the collections and carefully balancing traditional and new elements. This new volume is lent further authority by its performers, Ensemble Violini Capricciosi. A new ensemble led by Igor Ruhadze, it is comprised of musicians who all specialise in historical performance practice, and is therefore perfectly placed to deliver performances of sensitivity and insight. Comprehensive in scope, as this volume demonstrates, the Locatelli Edition promises to be an exciting addition to Brilliant Classics’ catalogue of recordings by rediscovered composers.

MDG and Musica Alta Ripa have worked on a number of musical projects including a Telemann cycle and a live recording of Gotino Steffani’s opera Orlando Generoso (MDG3091566). Numerous recording prizes such as the Diapason d’or, Cannes Classical Award, Echo Klassik have encouraged further discoveries.