The Avison Ensemble – Arcangelo Corelli: Opus 2 & 4 – Chamber Sonatas (2013) [LINN FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

The Avison Ensemble – Arcangelo Corelli: Opus 2 & 4 – Chamber Sonatas (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 151:23 minutes | 3,33 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: LinnRecords.com | Covers & Digital Booklet

‘Opus 2 & 4: Chamber Sonatas’ marks the third recording in a series which will see The Avison Ensemble record Corelli’s complete chamber music celebrating the 300th anniversary of the composer’s death in 2013. Popular since their publication, Corelli’s two sets of chamber sonatas are a pinnacle of Baroque Italian instrumental music. They demonstrate a superior level of craftsmanship; they are of the highest quality, exquisitely refined and a good example of perfection in music.

The ongoing recordings of Arcangelo Corelli’s music by the Avison Ensemble and Ukrainian-British violinist-leader, Pavlo Beznosiuk, all have something to recommend them. With this double-disc set the group covers Corelli’s two published sets of “chamber sonatas,” a direct translation of the Italian “sonate da camera.” The term denoted a suite-like structure of multiple short dances or other binary movements rather than a specific set of forces. Corelli himself published them as “sonate a tre,” or sonatas for three instruments. The booklet notes by Simon D.I. Fleming here go to great lengths to justify performance with four instruments, as doubtless occurred often in the 18th century. What you get here, however, is something else: performance with five instruments, the violins of Beznosiuk and Caroline Balding, plus cello, archlute, and harpsichord or organ. This is a very big and active continuo group, and its presence is further heightened by the improvisatory fills of all the players, especially cellist Richard Tunnicliffe. This is not right or wrong, although it seems a bit daring in music specifically designated as being for three instruments. The effect is to push the music in the direction of a chamber group for equals rather than a dialogue of two soloists. And Corelli was nothing if not a soloistic composer. You may like it or not, but the virtues of the Avison group are once again on full display here; the players achieve a sparkling liveliness in the fast movements that few other groups seem to manage with period strings. The church sound is overresonant but at least has the virtue of not distorting the unexpectedly complex textures. You may want to give this a try even if you prefer a more minimal continuo style; it’s beautifully done, and who knows, Beznosiuk could turn out to be right.

Tracklist:
01 – Sonata da camera in D Major, No. 1 – I. Preludio – Adagio
02 – Sonata da camera in D Major, No. 1 – II. Allemanda – Allegro
03 – Sonata da camera in D Major, No. 1 – III. Corrente – Allegro
04 – Sonata da camera in D Major, No. 1 – IV. Gavotta – Allegro
05 – Sonata da camera in D minor, No. 2 – I. Allemanda – Adagio
06 – Sonata da camera in D minor, No. 2 – II. Corrente – Allegro
07 – Sonata da camera in D minor, No. 2 – III. Giga – Allegro
08 – Sonata da camera in C Major, No. 3 – I. Preludio – Largo
09 – Sonata da camera in C Major, No. 3 – II. Allemanda – Allergro
10 – Sonata da camera in C Major, No. 3: III. Adagio
11 – Sonata da camera in C Major, No. 3: IV. Allemanda – Presto
12 – Sonata da camera in E minor, No. 4: I. Preludio – Adagio
13 – Sonata da camera in E minor, No. 4: II. Allemanda – Presto
14 – Sonata da camera in E minor, No. 4: III. Grave – Adagio
15 – Sonata da camera in E minor, No. 4: IV. Giga – Allegro
16 – Sonata da camera in B-flat Major, No. 5: I. Preludio – Adagio
17 – Sonata da camera in B-flat Major, No. 5: II. Allemanda – Allegro
18 – Sonata da camera in B-flat Major, No. 5: III. Sarabanda – Adagio
19 – Sonata da camera in B-flat Major, No. 5: IV. Tempo di Gavotta – Allegro
20 – Sonata da camera in G minor, No. 6: I. Allemanda – Largo
21 – Sonata da camera in G minor, No. 6: II. Corrente – Allegro
22 – Sonata da camera in G minor, No. 6: III. Giga – Allegro
23 – Sonata da camera in F Major, No. 7: I. Preludio – Adagio
24 – Sonata da camera in F Major, No. 7: II. Allemanda – Allegro
25 – Sonata da camera in F Major, No. 7: III. Corrente – Allegro
26 – Sonata da camera in F Major, No. 7: IV. Giga – Allegro
27 – Sonata da camera in B minor, No. 8: I. Preludio – Adagio
28 – Sonata da camera in B minor, No. 8: II Allemanda – Largo
29 – Sonata da camera in B minor, No. 8: III. Tempo di Sarabanda – Adagio
30 – Sonata da camera in B minor, No. 8: IV. Tempo di Gavotta – Allegro
31 – Sonata da camera in F-sharp minor, No. 9: I. Allemanda – Largo
32 – Sonata da camera in F-sharp minor, No. 9: II. Tempo di Sarabanda – Largo
33 – Sonata da camera in F-sharp minor, No. 9: III. Giga – Allegro
34 – Sonata da camera in E Major, No. 10: I. Preludio – Adagio
35 – Sonata da camera in E Major, No. 10: II. Allemanda – Allegro
36 – Sonata da camera in E Major, No. 10: III. Sarabanda – Largo
37 – Sonata da camera in E Major, No. 10: IV. Corrente – Allegro
38 – Sonata da camera in E-flat Major, No. 11: I. Preludio – Adagio
39 – Sonata da camera in E-flat Major, No. 11: II. Allemanda – Presto
40 – Sonata da camera in E-flat Major, No. 11: III. Giga – Allegro
41 – Sonata da camera in G Major, No. 12: I. Ciacona – Largo
42 – Sonata in C Major, No. 1: I. Preludio – Largo
43 – Sonata in C Major, No. 1: II. Corrente – Allegro
44 – Sonata in C Major, No. 1: III. Adagio
45 – Sonata in C Major, No. 1: IV. Allemanda – Presto
46 – Sonata in G minor, No. 2: I. Preludio – Grave
47 – Sonata in G minor, No. 2: II. Allemanda – Allegro
48 – Sonata in G minor, No. 2: III. Grave
49 – Sonata in G minor, No. 2: IV. Corrente – Vivace
50 – Sonata in A Major, No. 3: I. Preludio – Largo
51 – Sonata in A Major, No. 3: II. Corrente – Allegro
52 – Sonata in A Major, No. 3: III. Sarabanda
53 – Sonata in A Major, No. 3: IV. Tempo di Gavotta – Allegro
54 – Sonata in D Major, No. 4: I. Preludio – Grave
55 – Sonata in D Major, No. 4: II. Corrente – Allegro
56 – Sonata in D Major, No. 4: III. Adagio
57 – Sonata in D Major, No. 4: IV. Giga – Allegro
58 – Sonata in A minor, No. 5: I. Preludio – Adagio
59 – Sonata in A minor, No. 5: II. Allemanda – Allegro
60 – Sonata in A minor, No. 5: III. Corrente – Vivace
61 – Sonata in A minor, No. 5: IV. Gavotta – Allegro
62 – Sonata in E Major, No. 6: I. Preludio – Adagio
63 – Sonata in E Major, No. 6: II. Allemanda – Allegro
64 – Sonata in E Major, No. 6: III. Giga – Allegro
65 – Sonata in F Major, No. 7: I. Preludio – Largo
66 – Sonata in F Major, No. 7: II. Corrente – Vivace
67 – Sonata in F Major, No. 7: III. Grave
68 – Sonata in F Major, No. 7: IV. Sarabanda – Vivace
69 – Sonata in F Major, No. 7: V. Giga – Allegro
70 – Sonata in D minor, No. 8: I. Preludio – Grave
71 – Sonata in D minor, No. 8: II. Allemanda – Allegro
72 – Sonata in D minor, No. 8: III. Sarabanda – Allegro
73 – Sonata in B-flat Major, No. 9: I. Preludio – Largo
74 – Sonata in B-flat Major, No. 9: II. Corrente – Allergo
75 – Sonata in B-flat Major, No. 9: III. Grave
76 – Sonata in B-flat Major, No. 9: IV. Tempo di Gavotta – Presto
77 – Sonata in G Major, No. 10: I. Preludio – Adagio
78 – Sonata in G Major, No. 10: II. Grave
79 – Sonata in G Major, No. 10: III. Tempo di Gavotta – Presto
80 – Sonata in C minor, No. 11: I. Preludio – Largo
81 – Sonata in C minor, No. 11: II. Corrente – Allegro
82 – Sonata in C minor, No. 11: III. Allemanda – Allegro
83 – Sonata in B minor, No. 12: I. Preludio – Largo
84 – Sonata in B minor, No. 12: II. Allemanda – Presto
85 – Sonata in B minor, No. 12: III. Giga – Allegro