Francesco Geminiani, an Italian composer, spent most of his career in England, alongside George Frideric Handel.
Compositional Technique
Geminiani's Op. 7 concertos often deviate from the traditional four-movement structure, with some having three movements and one being 'sectional,' composed of various shorter and longer episodes.
Interpretation
The musicians of Café Zimmermann found Geminiani's Op. 7 concertos to be surprising and varied, leading them on unexpected musical paths and challenging their experience of Baroque music.
Composition History
Geminiani's Concerti Grossi, Op. 7, were first performed as interval music in opera and concerts as early as 1745, but were not published until 1748.
Compositional Technique
Geminiani's Op. 7 concertos are written for eight instrumental parts, with four 'Concertino' parts (one player each) and four 'Ripieno' parts (multiple players), though the distinction between them is often blurred.
Critical Reception
Geminiani's reputation was often controversial, with some viewing him as a classical master and others as a composer whose music was too capricious to be taken seriously.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Geminiani's music is described as irregular, unpredictable, and capricious, yet also melodious and natural to listen to, a paradox noted by music lover Thomas Twining in 1773.
