The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and concertmaster Bernhard Forck embark on a trio of Handel recordings, beginning with the first six of Handel's Concerti grossi Op. 6. These ever-popular works date from 1739, during Handel's time in London, and pay tribute to the earlier Baroque master Arcangelo Corelli.
Featuring
Bernhard Forck
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
George Frideric Handel
Did you know?
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Composition History
Handel's Op. 6 concertos were intended for publication and use in London's concert life, and also served as entertainment between acts of his London theatre oratorios.
Historical Context
Eighteenth-century London was a hub for commercial concerts, with the first recorded public concert advertised in 1672 by violinist John Bannister.
Compositional Technique
These concertos incorporate French overtures, fugues, Italian, French, and English dances, as well as movements resembling opera arias and accompanied recitatives.
Compositional Technique
Handel's Op. 6 concertos are modeled on the style of Arcangelo Corelli, a 17th-century Roman composer, but also introduce a more diverse mix of styles and forms.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Nikodemuskirche, Berlin, in February 2019.
Composition History
George Frideric Handel's "Twelve Grand Concertos" (Concerti grossi), Op. 6, were composed in just over a month, between September 29 and October 30, 1739.
Historical Context
The German composer Johann Mattheson noted in 1713 that musicians seeking to earn money should go to England, highlighting London's reputation as a center for commercial music-making.
