Francesco Geminiani: Sonates pour le violoncelle et basse continue I–VI

Featuring

Kristin von der Goltz
Andreas Küppers
Christoph Dangel
Hille Perl
Thomas C. Boysen
Francesco Geminiani

Sylvius Leopold Weiss

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Interpretation

For this recording, cellist Kristin von der Goltz decided to make each of Geminiani's six sonatas quite different, varying ornamentation and basso continuo instrumentation based on the score's emotional state.

Instruments

The four-string, C-G-D-A tuned, small model of Antonio Stradivari's cello, played with the fingerboard on top, became the undisputed standard by 1700.

Critical Reception

The 18th-century critic Charles Burney stated that Geminiani's publications were "the offerings of whim, caprice, expedients, and an unprincipled change of style and taste."

Historical Context

The cello became an emancipated solo instrument across Europe by 1700, especially in France, leading to a demand for original cello literature.

Composer Biography

Francesco Geminiani, a violinist and composer born in Lucca in 1687, often moved between London, Dublin, Paris, and The Hague for three decades.

Interpretation

Some of the sonatas on this album are preceded by short preludes by Silvius Leopold Weiss, a lutenist and composer, to bring a sense of peace between Geminiani's bold cello sonatas.

Performer Biography

Kristin von der Goltz, the cellist on this album, is a professor of baroque cello at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and the Munich University of Music and Theater.