《Sonata for Violin and Basso Continuo in D》

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

Arcangelo Corelli, an Italian violinist and composer, was a pioneer who dedicated his life to playing and teaching the violin. Although he spent most of his working life in Rome, he also performed in other parts of Italy, Germany, and France. Corelli made many important contributions to the development of violin playing technique. Many of his outstanding students spread his performance techniques throughout Europe, subsequently giving rise to the growth of a number of new schools. Corelli was the first violinist in history to exert such a great influence on the instrument’s evolution. The 12 sonatas for violin and clavier were brought together in Corelli’s Opus 5, published in 1700. Later, Corelli dedicated the work to Sophia Charlotte (1668–1705) , the wife of the Elector of Brandenburg. With regard to the form of the piece, the first six out of the twelve sonatas are five-movement sonatas de chiesa, while the rest of six pieces are sonatas de camera. The twelfth sonata presented in this recording is unusual, in that it took La Folia dance, which was popular at the time, to be a theme of variations. Folia, meaning “stupidity”, was originally a lively, fast-paced dance that developed in Portugal in the late 15th century. By the 17th century, it had evolved into a much slower dance. Corelli’s La Folia encouraged many other composers to try their hand at composing in this style, with Vivaldi, Scarlatti, and many followers being the composers that created works entitled “La Folia”. There is some uncertainty as to exactly when Corelli wrote La Folia. It was first published in Rome in 1700 together with the other 11 sonatas in the collection. The piece starts off with a solemn, elegant 16-measure section, followed by a series of variations that create a rich, colorful effect. This performance uses a violin made by leading Italian violin maker Carlo Bergonzi (1683-1747) in 1732. The combination of the exquisitely-made instrument, the precision and sensitivity of the composition and the outstanding capabilities of the performers together make this a truly first-class recording.