Gottfried von der Goltz – Geminiani: The Art of Playing on the Violin (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Geminiani’s The Art of Playing on the Violin, op. 9 (published in English in 1751) give us a very precious glimpse of what was musical practice in the first half of the 18th century, then considerably in the grip of the Italian influence. The publication began with some 28 exercises, aimed at perfecting technical skills such as double stops, special bowing, arpeggios, chords, ornamentation, shakes, swelling and softening, staccato, scales galore etc., and finished with twelve “examples”, “twelve pieces in different styles for violin and cello with basso continuo for the harpsichord”. What he meant by different styles are dances (courante: no. IV, gavotte: no. VIII, gigue: no. XI), fugues in the style of Corelli’s sonatas (nos. I, II, VII; while nos. IX-XI could be considered a full-fledged sonata da chiesa) as well as slow pieces in the “pathetic” style. These last, full of affectation, are particularly evocative of opera arias. Violonist Gottfried von der Goltz plays these twelve examplesusing several ornamentation techniques as pinpointed by the composer himself in the exercises – according to the liner notes, this would even be a recording premiere, and quite astonishingly it seems this is really the case. The interpreter begins the recording with a free improvisation, like a kind of offhand praeludium, reminding us that Geminiani was known amongst his student as Il Furibondo. So as not to wary the listener, the recording makes use of various continuo combinations, what with harpsichord, theorbo or organ. Von der Goltz completes the album with two of the Twelve Sonatas op. 4 for violin and basso continuo, composed 1739, two pieces which stylistically make the link between the Italian style (Corelli, Vivaldi) and the French (Leclair, Boismortier), several years before the Quarrel of the Buffoons broke out – that moronic Parisian controversy concerning the relative merits of French and Italian music in general, opera in particular.

Tracklist:

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762)
The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9
1 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Improvisation 01:01
2 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 1, Adagio 01:40
3 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 2, Allegro 01:48
4 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 3, Allegro assa i02:10
5 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 4, Allegro assai 02:09
6 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 5, Allegro assai 02:33
7 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 6, Allegro assai 02:00
8 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 7, Andante 02:58
9 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 8, Allegro0 1:46
10 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 9, Andante moderato 02:20
11 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 10, Allegro moderato 02:00
12 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 11, Allegro assai 02:39
13 The Art of Playing on the Violin, Op. 9: Composition No. 12, Allegro assai 03:12
Sonata No. 8, Op. 4
14 Sonata No. 8, Op. 4: I. Largo 01:29
15 Sonata No. 8, Op. 4: II. Allegro 05:07
16 Sonata No. 8, Op. 4: III. Andante 03:13
17 Sonata No. 8, Op. 4: IV. Allegro 02:16
Sonata No. 6, Op. 4
18 Sonata No. 6, Op. 4: I. Adagio 02:27
19 Sonata No. 6, Op. 4: II. Allegro 03:19
20 Sonata No. 6, Op. 4: III. Andante 04:19
21 Sonata No. 6, Op. 4: IV. Allegro 03:20