Pietro & Prospero Castrucci: Sonatas for Violin and B.C.

Featuring

Marco Pedrona
Davide Merello
Pietro Castrucci
Prospero Castrucci

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Composer Biography

Pietro Castrucci and Prospero Castrucci, the composers on this album, were pupils of Corelli and later moved to London in 1715, joining the Royal Academy orchestra conducted by Handel.

Compositional Technique

The Castrucci brothers developed a variant of the viola d'amore called the 'violetta marina,' which Handel himself used in his operas Sosarme re di Media and Orlando.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in July 2022 at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Miracles in Cicagna, Italy, using an organ built by Tommaso II Roccatagliata in 1788.

Compositional Technique

Prospero Castrucci's violin writing occasionally features a central fugue, reminiscent of Corelli's Op. 5 sonatas, and a refined technique with many trills.

Compositional Technique

Pietro Castrucci's Op. 2 sonatas include indications for imitation of a viola d'amore with a mute at the bridge, and his Op. 1 Sonata No. 12 requires a specific violin detuning.

Compositional Technique

Pietro Castrucci's sonatas feature experimental techniques such as tempo changes within movements, arpeggiated chords on three strings, unisons with basso continuo, and inverted mordents.

Performer Biography

Marco Pedrona, the violinist on this album, founded the Ensemble Guidantus in 1995, specializing in baroque music and the rediscovery of rarely performed composers.