For all you nerds!
Written: Nov 16 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great music played by a great orchestra led by a great musician
Cons: it takes ages to listen to it all!
The Bottom Line: For any early music enthusiasts out there, this is a must buy!
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| copernicus's Full Review: Geminiani: Concerti Grossi / Manze, Academy of Anc... |
It has been quite a while since I have written a music review, so please forgive me as there may be a fair bit of rustiness present. And even more worryingly, there is quite a backlog starting to build up, so I thought I’d better rattle one off and ease the pressure some! As always, I present to you another case of the obscure and fabulous, something a bit off the beaten track, and a surefire way to relax and soothe the nerves.
First, an introduction. Francesco Geminiani was an Italian by birth, but spent much of his life in London. He is hardly known at all these days, except perhaps as an obscure sidetrack to the great Arcangelo Corelli, who was his teacher, and perhaps the greatest Italian composer of the Baroque (and indeed any) age of Classicism. Corelli mastered the genre of Concerti Grossi, or Concerto for All. This was the forerunner to the modern symphony, and was perhaps the apotheosis of Baroque composition. Needless to say, Geminiani was a talented man to come under the tutelage of such a name, and these works bear this out.
Geminiani was first and foremost a violinist rather than a composer, and was famed by the English for his virtuosic interpretations of Corelli’s music, in particular his Opus 5 set of Sonatas for Violin, upon which these Concerti Grossi are based. An Opus, by the way, is a designation for a set of published works. Merely by being a student of Corelli’s, who was revered in England (which was suffering from a decided wane in musical talent), Geminiani received a lot of attention and patronage, even being asked to play before the King and Court. These Concerti Grossi are perhaps best described as a homage to his tutor, something made mention of in the liner notes.
Now that I have gone through the history and bored you to death, I shall proceed with the long-winded contents of what was a rather expensive acquisition!
CD One: duration 73:09
Concerto No 1 in D Minor
Grave/Allegro/Adagio – Allegro – Largo – Allegro
Concerto No 2 in Bb Minor
Grave – Allegro – Vivace – Adagio – Vivace
Concerto No 3 in C Major
Adagio – Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
Concerto No 4 in F Major
Adagio – Allegro – Vivace – Adagio – Vivace
Concerto No 5 in G Minor
Adagio – Vivace – Adagio – Allegro
Concerto No 6 in A Major
Adagio – Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata for Violin and Cello in A Major
Preludio – Giga – Adagio – Tempo di Gavotta
CD Two: duration 71:10
Concerto No 7 in D Minor
Preludio – Corrente – Sarabande – Giga
Concerto No 8 in E Minor
Preludio – Allemanda – Sarabanda – Giga
Concerto No 9 in A Major
Preludio – Giga – Adagio – Tempo di Gavotta
Concerto No 10 in F Major
Preludio – Allemanda – Sarabanda – Gavotta – Giga
Concerto No 11 in E Major
Preludio – Allegro – Adagio – Vivace - Gavotta
Concerto No 12 in D Minor “La Follia”
Theme & var 1-8 – var 9-14 – var 15-24
Cello Sonata in D Minor
Andante – Presto – Adagio – Allegro
So now that you know what’s in it, is it any good? Was this worth $70 of my ‘hard-earned’ money? Hell yes!
There is a good reason why this was nominated by Gramophone for Best Baroque Recording for 2000 (or 2001, can’t quite remember!). Trivia aside, this is some lovely music. Granted, some of it could qualify as ‘Table Music’, which is a nice term for background music. But all in all, this is sumptuous, at times electrifying, at times spun gold, and at times soul-rending.
Continuing my collection of Andrew Manze recordings (only about 6 or something to go!), he acts as the concertmaster for the acclaimed Academy of Ancient Music, renowned for their performances on period instruments (i.e ones which are actually really old). This is not a symphony orchestra by any means, consisting of about 20 members in this recording. Concerti Grossi were not made for performance by a symphony orchestra, since it is written for strings and bass only. There are no brass or woodwind parts. This may sound rather one-dimensional, but the sounds of the (period) string instruments are rich and satisfying (and no, I do not get my rocks off on the music, I have to use different words sometimes!).
Obviously, since there are no less than 59 tracks all up, I cannot go through each and every one. The entire length of the whole collection is 2 hours and 24 minutes, so it takes a bit of going through! But give it a few listens and you will be hooked (so long as you enjoy the genre to begin with, lest you become bored). Some tracks are simply mesmerizing, if not exactly dazzling the pants off you. Many of the slow movements are just this, nothing very spectacular, but often brooding, sometimes melancholy and almost sorrowful, other times breathtaking. Manze, on the first violin, has the main part, so any solo pieces are his job. As always, his virtuosic flair and full sound are evident, especially in the final Concerto No 12, which is simply an incredible piece which sounds like it really is a full symphony orchestra. It begins with a slow, repeated phrase, echoed in the bass, extremely simple in execution but powerfully effective. This opening theme is varied, almost but not quite copying Corelli’s variations on the theme, gathering momentum until the final, spine-tingling finale. Believe me, with the volume turned up, this Concerto will really get your blood boiling. It is the most astounding piece of Chamber music I have heard.
Aside from that, there are also the solo sonatas, tacked on at the end each CD. These are far different in atmosphere, especially the Cello sonata. The one for violin and Cello is quite interesting, and the violin is most definitely dominant. The cello is by no means hidden, but plays almost like a backup to the violin. The first movement is quite reflective and meditative, very peaceful in outlook, and very simple. The second movement is most certainly in type, very cheerful and simple, jig-like and easy-natured, the sort of thing that people would be dancing to or somehow following the rhythm. The third movement is not quite so cheerful, and lasts a mere 38 seconds. It’s a slightly melancholy piece, which never gets developed. The final movement is also quite simple and cheerful, a bit more elaborate than the Giga, the cello playing a very simple, arpeggiated rhythmic line supporting the more athletic violin, at times double-stopping (playing chords, basically, very difficult!). Very charming, using the ritornello technique, where the tune repeats and develops itself.
The Cello sonata is odd in that the cello is accompanied by another cello, as well as harpsichord. I barely even noticed the second cello, which played a rather subservient role as part of the continuo. I won’t bore you with a description of each track, but suffice it to say, the Presto and Allegro movements are quite exhilarating, in an understated way, and the slow movements are quite simply hypnotic. It’s a good way to finish the whole thing off.
While these Concerti are based upon the sonatas written by Corelli, it is important to note they are not simply transcriptions for an orchestra. Incorporating a melodic line for a solo sonata and chucking it down for the whole orchestra to play is not going to work. These pieces are not merely copies, but developments and experiments upon the groundwork laid down by Corelli. The violin is not playing as a solo instrument in the form of a solo concerto, but as a slightly more prominent part of a unified whole. The bass plays a very important part, and its utilisation is magnificent. This is very much prominent in Concerto No 12, which has my floor shaking if I have the volume up (yes, I do play it loud, I have some teenage tendencies after all!). The role of the bass in shaping the overall sound is not at all understated.
You may have noticed I don’t really know a lot about the technical jargon, I am merely trying to describe the way it sounds, in words, which is bloody hard! I hope you get the general drift. Anyway, I had better finish up now!
Just as a general conclusion, if you are ever able to find this and have the money and enough interest, then I certainly recommend you give this a listen. The powerful sounds evoked from such a small orchestra, the loving ornamentation provided by Geminiani, Andrew Manze and the Academy of Ancient Music as a whole, and the gorgeous melodies, whether they be cheerful jigs or woeful adagios, make this a most musical proposition!
Oh and by the way, this is recorded by Harmonia Mundi, and was done in May 1999
Thanks very much for reading, any and all comments are much appreciated!
Recommended:
Yes
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copernicus
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Location: Hopefully taking photos somewhere
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planning to write more soon...that's the idea anyway!
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