Veracini: Sonatas

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Veracini, one of the most outstanding violinists of his time and a prolific, versatile composer, is best known for his violin sonatas. The four recorded here come from different collections; obviously written by - and for - a virtuoso, they vary greatly in style and form. Opus 1 No. 1 is somber and dramatic, but three of its five movements are graceful dances; in the final Gigue, the violin imitates a "Posthorn." Opus 2, written 20 years later and entitled "Sonate accademiche," is more subtle and complex. No. 6 begins with a Siciliana, followed by a "Capriccio," a form Veracini favored: free, charming, surprisingly dissonant and chromatic. The minor-mode slow movement, flanked by two light, fast ones, is mournful and intensely expressive. The remaining two Sonatas are more contrapuntal. No. 1 from Veracini's last collection, "Dissertazioni" on Corelli's Sonatas Opus 5, develops Corelli's multiple-voice counterpoint and retains his "Moto perpetuo" finale. The playing is splendid. Holloway tosses off the fast passages, stratospheric flights, double and triple stops with effortless virtuosity; his articulation is crisp, his rhythm supple. Using low tuning and sparing vibrato, he produces a beautiful, warm tone, which he can change instantly to fit mood and character. His embellishments are brilliant and imaginative; his crescendos and decrescendos usually follow the ascending and descending lines, and he rather overdoes the echo effects. Jaap ter Linden makes his prominent cello parts authoritative yet supportive. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Adagio
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Allegro
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Adagio
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Vivace
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Allegro
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Andante
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Allegro
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Adagio
La Follia Op. 5 No. 12 In G Minor: Allegro
Sonata In C Major: Adagio
Sonata In C Major: Allegro
Sonata In C Major: Largo
Sonata In C Major: Presto
Sonata In G Major: Largo
Sonata In G Major: Allegro
Sonata In G Major: Largo
Sonata In G Major: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor: Adagio
Sonata In A Minor: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor: Tempo di Minuetto
Sonata In A Minor: Allegro
Sonata Op. 13 No. 6 In G Minor: Vivace
Sonata Op. 13 No. 6 In G Minor: Alla Breve
Sonata Op. 13 No. 6 In G Minor: Largo
Sonata Op. 13 No. 6 In G Minor: Allegro ma non presto
Sonata Op. 2 No. 11 In D Minor: Adagio
Sonata Op. 2 No. 11 In D Minor: Allegro
Sonata Op. 2 No. 11 In D Minor: Largo
Sonata Op. 2 No. 11 In D Minor: Allegro
Sonata Op. 5 No. 4 In F Major: Adagio
Sonata Op. 5 No. 4 In F Major: Allegro
Sonata Op. 5 No. 4 In F Major: Vivace
Sonata Op. 5 No. 4 In F Major: Adagio
Sonata Op. 5 No. 4 In F Major: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor: Largo
Sonata In A Minor: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Collection Right on Subject........2006-01-24

This 'Frans Bruggen Edition, Italian Recorder Sonatas' may seem like an insubstantial little piece, but if you have bought enough recordings of 'early music' and recordings of odd corners of the European classical world, you will appreciate how this recording stays right on subject. There is nothing here except Italian Recorder Sonatas. The only accompanyment you will hear is from a harpsicord. The great beauty of the recorder is front and center and you can appreciate its distinctive qualities which separate it from its more modern woodwinds such as the clarinet, the oboe, the bassoon and the English horn.

The publisher, Teldec has not, like Hyperion, indulged in little samples, and I appreciate their staying on message. Needless to say, the performances are outstanding and I am jealous that I cannot play as well as these performers!

a clasic..........2001-08-01

I learned to love the recorder with this cd (of course many years ago) may be is a little old fashion in style, but stills there as a reference point to every recorder player in the world.

Veracini: Sonatas /Holloway * ter Linden * Mortensen

Average customer rating:

If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it (with apologies for the terrible pun :)
PURITY + PRECISION = PURE BAROQUE MAGIC

Veracini: Sonatas /Holloway * ter Linden * Mortensen

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Italian Violin Sonatas: Fabio Biondi/Europa Galante
Buxtehude: Seven Trio Sonatas, Op. 2

ASIN: B0007R8FSU
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Tracks:

Overtura: Largo - Allegro
Aria. Affetuoso
Paesana. Allegro
Minuet. Allegro
Giga Postiglione. Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Grave-Allegro
Allegro
Allegro
Allegro
Allegro
Siciliana. Larghetto
Capriccio. Allegro, E Con Affetto
Andante Moderato
Largo
Allegro Assai

Amazon.com

Veracini, one of the most outstanding violinists of his time and a prolific, versatile composer, is best known for his violin sonatas. The four recorded here come from different collections; obviously written by - and for - a virtuoso, they vary greatly in style and form. Opus 1 No. 1 is somber and dramatic, but three of its five movements are graceful dances; in the final Gigue, the violin imitates a "Posthorn." Opus 2, written 20 years later and entitled "Sonate accademiche," is more subtle and complex. No. 6 begins with a Siciliana, followed by a "Capriccio," a form Veracini favored: free, charming, surprisingly dissonant and chromatic. The minor-mode slow movement, flanked by two light, fast ones, is mournful and intensely expressive. The remaining two Sonatas are more contrapuntal. No. 1 from Veracini's last collection, "Dissertazioni" on Corelli's Sonatas Opus 5, develops Corelli's multiple-voice counterpoint and retains his "Moto perpetuo" finale. The playing is splendid. Holloway tosses off the fast passages, stratospheric flights, double and triple stops with effortless virtuosity; his articulation is crisp, his rhythm supple. Using low tuning and sparing vibrato, he produces a beautiful, warm tone, which he can change instantly to fit mood and character. His embellishments are brilliant and imaginative; his crescendos and decrescendos usually follow the ascending and descending lines, and he rather overdoes the echo effects. Jaap ter Linden makes his prominent cello parts authoritative yet supportive. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it (with apologies for the terrible pun :).......2007-06-07

This is one of those rare discs that is pretty much perfect. "Pure Baroque Magic", as the previous reviewer said. Like that reviewer, I wasn't familiar with Veracini until this disc. Too many wonderful composers from the Baroque period are overshadowed by their much more famous contemporaries (e.g., Bach and Vivaldi), but Veracini is definitely worth discovering!

The four sonatas on the disc are beautifully written and performed, and the clarity of the recording is top-notch. Holloway seems to channel the spirit of composer-violinist Veracini (think of Yo-Yo Ma performing Boccherini) in his mastery of extemporaneous melodic ornamentation (trills, turns, and mordents -- oh my!), which was usually not notated explicity in Baroque manuscripts but rather simply expected of a capable performer. Holloway is certainly that!

These aren't sonatas in the Classical (and later) sense of the term. Using later definitions, these might have been called trios. But the sonata form in the Baroque period was different. In the Vivaldian form, there were four movements, while in the form popularized by Corelli, there were five -- as opposed to the more common three-movement form in the Classical and Romantic periods. There are representatives of both Baroque forms here, one of which is an explicit homage to Corelli's Opus 5.

Those familiar with the later form of the sonata might also be surprised to see a harpsichord *and* cello here, but the two operate together as a continuo in most of the movements, which is typical of the period. There are occasions, however, where the cello and harpsichord get to "stretch their legs", so to speak, breaking out of the continuo model, as in the lovely opening movement of the Sonata No. 5 in C Major (track 6). Listen for the wonderful tinkling arpeggiation in the hapsichord part, making it sound more like a harp, while the cello part is beautifully spare, harmonically reinforcing the central violin solo.

Veracini also has the ability to surprise. In the liner notes, Holloway calls him "an innovative composer [with] an eccentric personality", and that comes through at many points. For example, in the downward chromatic progression in the Aria movement of the Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (track 2). But while he diverges from traditional harmonic and contrapuntal forms at times, Veracini also delivers passages that are wonderfully illustrative of Baroque character, as in the second movement of the Sonata No. 1 in D Major (track 11), which has the feel of a Bach canon. Think of the final Allegro of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, taken down in tempo, and you'll have a good sense of it. There are also remarkably lovely slower movements, as in the Largo of the Sonata No. 6 in A Major (track 18), which calls to mind echoes of Vivaldi and Albinoni.

So, if you like the Baroque -- and in particular, Vivaldi, Corelli, Scarlatti, and to a lesser extent Bach -- do yourself a favor and order a copy of the Veracini Sonatas.

PURITY + PRECISION = PURE BAROQUE MAGIC.......2006-04-25

This is the fourth recording on ECM by John Holloway and colleagues. The first three are:

Schmelzer -- Unarum Fidium (ASIN B00002R0ZJ)
Biber -- Unam Ceylum (ASIN B00006I61G)
Biber -- Der Turken Anmarsch (ASIN B0000XK7LE)

These three discs are among the finest of all Baroque chamber music recordings that I've heard. To my taste, the two Biber CDs eclipse Andrew Manze's earlier effort and flirt with the status of desert-island discs.

Holloway's tone is phenomenally pure and precise. His colleagues are with him every step of the way. The playing brings to mind that of the finest string quartets -- that is how closely the players listen to each other and respond and integrate their parts.

Everything about these ECM discs is a delight: the music itself, the performances, the engineering (demonstration-worthy), and even such trivial niceties as the artwork and booklet.

This Veracini CD was released in March 2005, but I wasn't familiar with Veracini and so didn't purchase the disc. It wasn't until this CD was selected as a Gramophone Editor's Choice in April 2006 (I guess there's not a statute of limitations for that distinction) that I took the plunge.

My only regret is that I waited so long. Holloway & Co. have produced a truly outstanding disc. What surprised me so much is how outright tuneful Veracini's music is. In every movement, the violin dances and sings and traces some remarkably beautiful melodic lines. Jaap ter Linden on cello and Lars Ulriks Mortenson on harpsichord could not be more sympathetic or responsive partners. If this team had an ensemble name, that name would rank right at the apex of Baroque chamber groups, along with Florilegium, The Rare Fruits Council (Manfredo Kraemer), and Romanesca (Andrew Manze).

I would not consider this music as "specialist-only" repertoire. Veracini's music is so instantly attractive that it should appeal to any Baroque enthusiast.

The first piece on this CD, Op. 1/1, was recently recorded by Biondi and Europa Galante as the first piece on a CD of Italian violin sonatas (ASIN B00008XRSR). Don't get me wrong, I am an enthusiastic fan of Biondi and his group, but in this piece Holloway & Co. play circles around the Italians. Don't believe me? Listen to the sounds clips and decide for yourself!

I only hope that Hollway and his colleagues go on to record many more chamber-music discs as fine as this. Don't change the recipe, just give us more please!

(A fifth CD by these performers is available only through Amazon.co.uk -- ASIN B00005UC9Z. It's called "A London Concert" and includes works by Handel, Geminiani, Veracini, and others. It's on the audiophile Naim label.)

[Playing time: 61:46]

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Average customer rating:

The Art of Ruggiero Ricci

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2005-10-18

Italian Violin Sonatas: Fabio Biondi/Europa Galante

Average customer rating:

All roads lead back to Rome - and Corelli

Italian Violin Sonatas: Fabio Biondi/Europa Galante
Francesco Maria Veracini , Pietro Locatelli , Michele Mascitti , Francesco Geminiani , Giuseppe Tartini , and Europa Galante
Manufacturer: Virgin Veritas
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ASIN: B00008XRSR
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Tracks:

I. Overtura (Largo)-Allegro-Adagio
II. Aria (Affettuoso)
III. Paesana (Allegro)
IV. Minuet (Allegro)
V. Gia Del Postiglione (Allegro)
I. Adagio
II. Allegro
III. Andante
IV. Allegro
I. Grand Air (Vivace)
II. Les Vents (Allegro)
III. Festes Galantes [Sarabanda] (Largo)
IV. Badinage (Allegro)
V. Du Sommeil (Largo E Piano)
VI. L'amour En Courroux Au Desespoir (Allegro E Staccato)
VII. Calme Amoureux (Largo)
VII. La Noce Allemande [Allemanda]
IX. Suite De La Noce [Forlana] (Allegro)
X. Derniere Suite De La Noce (Allegro)
I. Andante
II. Presto
III. Allegro Affettuoso
I. Largo
II. Allegro
III. Allegro Assai

Amazon.com

One tends to associate the virtuoso violin repertoire with the 19th century, but in their own way these five sonatas, written between 1714 and 1743, offer an equally dazzling display of speed, facility, bow control and tonal variety. No wonder: the composers were among the foremost violin virtuosos of their time, as well as tireless innovators of technique and style; several even wrote treatises on violin playing. The earliest, and least familiar, is Michele Mascitti, a Neapolitan who moved to Paris when he was 30. His "Psyché," the program's only piece in a major key, is a divertissement in ten short "tableaux" on the theme of Cupid and Psyche, with the violin and continuo as the two protagonists. Refined and elegant, varied in texture, expression and character, it ranges from tender love songs to slow and fast dances, including a wild Badinage. Veracini's Sonata Op. 1 No. 1, a dance suite with an unusually active cello part, opens with a slow Overture and ends with a Giga del Postiglione, in which the violin imitates a posthorn's call. The other three sonatas are basically dramatic and melancholy, highly ornamented, full of double stops, running passages and cadenzas. Locatelli's is distinguished by a very elaborate keyboard part and a lot of spiky syncopation in the finale. Geminiani makes the violin sound quite luscious, almost romantic; his rhythms and phrases are startlingly irregular. He shares the exploration of the high register with Tartini, whose Sonata displays his incomparable melodic gift and trademark obsession with trills. The performances are beyond praise. Biondi, one of the deservedly most renowned baroque violinists, plays with enormous brilliance, expressiveness, and endlessly varied articulation and nuance; there is a sense of spontaneous exhilaration in his inventive, improvisatory ornamentation: he seems to be playing with the music and the violin. His partners, some manning several instruments, match him in every way. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

All roads lead back to Rome - and Corelli.......2005-11-27

The liner notes give a colorful history of the five "minor composers" of the Italian violin virtuoso era featured on this CD - revealing a fascinating commonality (beyond the fact that all their names end in the letter "i"). And this was that they all seeem to have been guided, metaphorically at least, to Rome and Arcangelo Corelli. All studied his methods, modelled his style and payed homage to his legend in their compositions seen here on this sampler of a few not-so-famous Italian violin sonatas. Like Corelli, many of these composers wrote brilliant concerto grossi in the spirit of the master. But the less exaulted sonatas here are no less musically interesting - especially when played by one of the masters of the Italian Baroque, Fabio Biondi.

The lead Amazon reviewer above summarized this CD well, so no need to repeat much, other than to say that the collection of violin sonatas here are wonderfully played with the typical verve, artistry, expressivity and sensuous tone that has earned Biondi an enthusiastic following worldwide. If you like Biondi in Vivaldi, Bach or other his other Baroque music, this CD will surely not disappoint. It spotlights his lyrical talents in a more intimate way via the simpler violin sonata genre. The sound quality on Veritas/Virgin is pleasantly forward, most vivid and is very good overall (but not quite perfect). As with most of the Virgin recordings I have of the Europa Galante as compared to others, there seems to be a depth of "sound stage" somewhat lacking (to me at least), but really nothing to discourage aquiring and enjoying this CD or the others. Five stars for a most enthalling performance of these lesser-known works from Biondi and the Galante.

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Veracini, Barsanti: Sonatas

Manufacturer: Simax
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004798F
Release Date: 2000-02-14

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The Complete Solo Recordings 1929-36

Manufacturer: APR
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000025U3E
Release Date: 1994-01-01

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Il Violino

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001TYB
Release Date: 1995-11-07

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Italian Recorder Music

Manufacturer: Capriccio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001WM1
Release Date: 1994-04-05

Tracks:

Son Prima - Eckart Haupt/Siegfried Pank
Son in f: (Grave)
Son in f: Allegro
Son in f: Largo
Son in f: Allegro
Son in d: Grave
Son in d: Allegro
Son in d: Largo
Son in d: Allegro
Son I Op.3 No.3 in C: Adagio
Son I Op.3 No.3 in C: (Allegro)
Son I Op.3 No.3 in C: Largo
Son I Op.3 No.3 in C: (Vivace)
Son in c: Adagio
Son in c: Con Spirito
Son in c: Siciliana. Largo
Son in c: Gavotta. Allegro
Son in a: Largo
Son in a: Allegro
Son in a: Allegro
Son in a: Allegro
Divertimento Da Camera in c: Lento
Divertimento Da Camera in c: Con Spirito
Divertimento Da Camera in c: Largo
Divertimento Da Camera in c: Vivace
Canzoni: Canzona Prima - Eckart Haupt/Christine Schornsheim/Siegfried Pank/Achim Beyer
Canzoni: Canzona Seconda - Eckart Haupt/Christine Schornsheim/Siegfried Pank/Achim Beyer
Canzoni: Canzona Terza - Eckart Haupt/Christine Schornsheim/Siegfried Pank/Achim Beyer
Canzoni: Canzona Quarta - Eckart Haupt/Christine Schornsheim/Siegfried Pank/Achim Beyer
Canzoni: Canzona Quinta - Eckart Haupt/Christine Schornsheim/Siegfried Pank/Achim Beyer

Veracini - Six Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord - Giorgio Bernabo, Alan Curtis

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Veracini - Six Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord - Giorgio Bernabo, Alan Curtis

Manufacturer: Dynamic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000CL5B60

Product Description

FRANCESCO MARIA VERACINI (1690-1768). Sonata N. 1: 1. Largo 2. Allegro 3. Largo 4. Allegro. Sonata N. 3: 5. Largo 6. Allegro 7. Largo 8. Allegro. Sonata N. 4: 9. Largo 10. Siciliana 11. Largo 12. Allegro. Sonata N. 5: 13. Largo 14. Allegro 15. Largo 16. Allegro. Sonata N. 11: 17. Largo 18. Allegro 19. Largo 20. Allegro. Sonata N. 12: 21. Cantabile 22. Allegro 23. Adagio 24. Allegro. Giorgio Bernabo, flute; Alan Curtis, harpsichord.