Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709)
12 Concerti grossi, Op. 8 (1709)
Roberto Noferini, Jérémie Chigioni (violins)
Ensemble Locatelli/Chiara Cattani (harpsichord)
rec. 2020, Chiesa di San Lorenzo Martire Dalmine, Bergamo, Italy
Tactus TC652090 [2 CDs: 110]
Giuseppe Torelli, born in Verona on 22 April 1658, studied composition with Giacomo Antonio Perti in Bologna and became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica at the age of 26. Torelli was violinist in the orchestra of Bologna from 1686 and Kapellmeister of the Margrave of Ansbach’s court orchestra in 1698. He was active in Vienna from 1699 to 1700 before returning in 1701 to Bologna, where he remained until his death on 8 February 1709.
Torelli influenced the development of the concerto grosso, especially by introducing the three-movement form (fast, slow, fast), and invented the violin soloist with orchestra. 12 Concerti grossi con una pastorale per il santissimo Natale, Op. 8 was published in Bologna shortly after his death in 1709. One feature that differentiates this set from other famous publications of twelve concerti grossi by Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi is that Torelli’s is divided between six concertos, Nos. 1-6, for two violins and another six, Nos. 7-12, for solo violin, which may be the origin of what became the violin concerto.
Ensemble Locatelli, directed from the harpsichord by Chiara Cattani, has recorded one of the most absorbing sets of concerti grossi that I have heard in a long time. These original-instrument performances can be recommended without reservation: they are warm, transparent, and invigorating, as well as captivating and gripping. From the first concerto in C major’s profound Adagio to the seventh concerto in D minor’s simultaneously buoyant and melancholic opening Allegro, Cattani’s nuances are rich in colour and contrast, and her accentuation is sensitive and detailed. The small orchestra (twelve musicians, including Cattani, are pictured on the back cover of the booklet) provides plenty of variety to sustain interest throughout.
This recording is the reference for Torelli’s Op. 8 collection because of its impeccable musicianship and the circumstance of it being the only complete set (a few recordings feature some of the concerti). The ‘Christmas Concerto’, No. 6 in G minor (‘Per il Santissimo Natale’), is the most famous. Given Torelli’s role in the development of the concerto grosso as a genre, it is surprising that other ensembles have not recorded this collection in its entirety. Although Torelli’s concerti grossi are not as instantly recognisable as Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni, the compositional quality of the works presented here is very high. Without Torelli’s pioneering achievements, Vivaldi may not have been able to compose his masterpieces.
In my view, the reason for the relative neglect of Torelli’s music is that much of his output has not been readily available. This revelatory set is an essential purchase because it casts subsequent composers of concerti grossi in a new light. Just as Trevor Pinnock’s recording of 12 Concerti grossi Op 6 (1988) showed Corelli’s influence on Georg Friedrich Händel’s Op. 3 and Op. 6, Cattani reveals Torelli’s influence on Vivaldi and, indirectly, on Johann Sebastian Bach, who also favoured the three-movement structure in his instrumental concertos. Cattani and her Ensemble Locatelli have made a substantial contribution to our understanding of how the concerto grosso developed. TACTUS has thankfully made this achievement readily accessible.
In terms of presentation, Tactus provides exactly what an important ‘Classical’ release ought to contain: an illuminating essay and a reproduction of Donato Creti’s ‘Ballo di Ninfe’ [Dance of the nymphs] from 1725. Creti was active in Bologna while Torelli was there, and the painting illustrates the power of music in a mythological setting from an early-eighteenth perspective. It should be added that the booklet is blessedly free of advertising. The acoustics in the Church of San Lorenzo provide optimal clarity with enough resonance to give a richness to the musical texture. The whole package provides the utmost visual and auditory satisfaction.
Daniel Floyd
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