This album was recorded in October 2015 at the Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Montevecchio di Pergola, Italy, with a pitch of a'=415 and 1/6 comma meantone temperament.
Interpretation
For this recording, the performers added florid instrumental passagework to slow movements, inspired by contemporary ornaments for Corelli's Op.5 violin sonatas.
Compositional Technique
Valentini's Op.12 sonatas feature unusual characteristics like the term 'Amorosa' in the second sonata and the use of 'Andante' between fast movements.
Performer Biography
Pizzicar Galante, the ensemble on this recording, specializes in galant music for mandolin and basso continuo and is known for its scholarly approach to historical performance practice.
Composer Biography
Roberto Valentini, born Robert Valentine in Leicester, England, moved to Rome in his twenties and established himself as a flautist, oboist, and composer.
Instruments
The term 'mandola' in Valentini's Op.12 refers to a small, pear-shaped plucked string instrument, different from the metal-strung Neapolitan mandolin.
Composition History
The sonatas by Boni and Valentini on this album are significant as the first two printed collections specifically for mandolin with basso continuo accompaniment.
