Castello: Sonate concertate in stil moderno, Vol. 1

Featuring

Richard Egarr
Pavlo Beznosiuk
Bojan Čičić
Susan Addison
Josué Meléndez
Joseph Crouch

Benny Aghassi
Dario Castello

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Composition History

Dario Castello's sonatas, published as Libro Primo (1621) and Libro Secondo (1629), were highly successful and reprinted for 40 years across Europe.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dario Castello proudly called his music 'In Stil Moderno' (modern style), which he intended to convey something new and uncompromising.

Interpretation

This recording uses high Venetian pitch (A'=466) and a pure ¼-comma meantone tuning, a system of pitches commonly used in Castello's time, to enhance the music's character.

Historical Context

Venice, where Dario Castello lived and worked, was a large, cosmopolitan city in the 17th century, known for its musical innovation and vibrant printing industry.

Compositional Technique

Castello's 'Stil Moderno' features mercurial alternations of tempo and mood, with the first sonata alone having ten different sections.

Instruments

The recording features specific historical instruments like the cornetto, dulcian, trombone, and violetta, a small cello-gamba hybrid tuned a fifth higher than a 'normal' cello.

Composer Biography

Despite his success, almost nothing is known about Dario Castello's life; his name might even be a pseudonym, as suggested by musicologist Eleanor Selfridge-Field.