Giovanni Battista Reali, a violinist and composer featured on this album, remains a mysterious figure; after serving as maestro di cappella for the Duke of Guastalla in 1727, all trace of him is lost.
Performer Biography
Le Consort, the ensemble performing on this album, was founded in September 2015 and has since won the First Prize and Audience Prize at the Val de Loire International Early Music Competition in 2017.
Album & Artwork
This album, 'Specchio Veneziano' (Venetian Mirror), juxtaposes the works of two Venetian violinists, Antonio Vivaldi and Giovanni Battista Reali, reflecting their unique contributions to the trio sonata.
Composition History
Both Vivaldi and Reali published their first collections of 12 trio sonatas, known as Opus 1, four years apart (1705 and 1709 respectively), each concluding with a virtuosic 'Folia'.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in March 2021 at the Galerie Dorée, Banque de France in Paris, with Hugues Deschaux as the recording producer and mastering engineer.
Historical Context
Early 18th-century Venice was a vibrant artistic hub where music was omnipresent, played in streets, theaters, palaces, and gondolas, inspiring many local musicians.
Compositional Technique
Giovanni Battista Reali's trio sonatas are notable for their innovative features, such as adding a concertante cello part to enrich the dialogue and changing the meter in the final variations of his 'Folia'.
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