Corelli: Sonate per Viola da Gamba & basso continuo, Op. 5

Featuring

Guido Balestracci
Eunice Brandão
Gaetano Nasillo
Eduardo Egüez
Massimiliano Raschietti
Paolo Pandolfo

Luciano Contini
Arcangelo Corelli

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Instruments

The viola da gamba has a glorious history of at least 350 years, demonstrating versatility by adapting to the styles of both plucked instruments and the violin family.

Cultural Impact

Corelli's music had an "explosive impact" across Europe, with his compositions being widely circulated, performed, and copied.

Compositional Technique

The viola da gamba transcription of Corelli's Opus 5 includes changes in key for several sonatas and slight differences in tempo indications compared to the original violin version.

Composition History

Corelli's Opus 5, originally for violin and continuo, was transcribed for bass viola da gamba and continuo, reflecting the widespread admiration for his music.

Interpretation

For this recording, the performers used existing embellishments from the 1710 Amsterdam edition for some sonatas, and improvised embellishments during rehearsals for others.

Composer Biography

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) was born in Fusignano and died in Rome, achieving immense fame as both a composer and violin virtuoso.

Cultural Impact

Many prominent composers, including Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, and Couperin, were influenced by Corelli's works, either by elaborating on his themes or dedicating pieces to him.