Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9 Italico Splendore

• Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632 - 1692): Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9:
• 1 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 11 in D Major 04:45
• 2 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 10 in A Minor 05:59
• 3 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 5 in E Minor 07:41
• 4 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 7 in D Major 04:42
• 5 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 6 in G Minor 05:01
• 6 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 1 in D Major 06:16
• 7 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 4 in C Major 06:45
• 8 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 2 in C Minor 06:54
• 9 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 12 in C Major 07:40
• 10 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 9 in F Major 05:36
• 11 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 3 in B-Flat Major 07:37
• 12 Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9: No. 8 in B-Flat Major 07:31
• Total Runtime 01:16:27

Info for Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9

The city of Modena, under the rule of the Este family, was the capital of the Dukedom of Modena e Reggio. Thanks to Duke Francesco II’s fondness for the violin, music became an essential element in the most important events at the Este court, such as receptions, weddings and official visits of foreign sovereigns. These were the occasions on which the Duke displayed all his magnificence.

Modena stands out for the abundance of its collection of musical documents in the Biblioteca Estense: the library is a real mine, largely unexplored so far. This consideration gave rise to the idea of making this beautiful, extraordinarily modern music available to those who are “pursuing” culture and art. So our goal is to promote a rediscovery of the enormous heritage preserved in the Biblioteca Estense, by carrying out a meticulous study of the sources of the works of the composers who were active at the Este Court in Modena, transcribing them into modern notation and critical editions, and producing monographic recordings of them. The first step consisted in the study and recording of the instrumental works of Giovanni Battista Vitali.

The twelve Sonatas op.9 from 1684, for two violins and basso continuo, typically meant to be performed in a church, unfortunately have not survived in print, but only in manuscript form. Moreover the manuscript is not very well preserved, and at some points the paper has been irreparably damaged by time, so some passages are illegible. We have carried out a painstaking work of checking and reconstructing – only where we considered it indispensable – and at some points, even if the result is not particularly harmonious or formally correct, we have chosen to accept what history has handed down to us: loose scores, sometimes not devoid of certain mistakes that typically occur in versions that have not yet been printed by some publisher. These compositions achieve, and further complete and define, Vitali’s instrumental experimentation.

"I have reviewed previous recordings of this project, all performed by Italico Splendore, and have assessed them positively, albeit sometimes with slight reservations. This is definitely one of the best discs in this series. The fast movements are played in a lively and dynamically differentiated way, and the slow movement are performed with the right amount of pathos. Thanks to the style of playing and the recording, there is an optimum transparency, which allows the listener to follow Vitali's treatment of polyphony.

If you have purchased one of the previous discs, don't hesitate to add this one to your collection. If you have not, this disc offers an excellent opportunity to get to know Vitali, a composer who deserves to be better known." (Johan van Veen, musicweb-international.com)

Claudio Andriani, violin
Micol Vitali, violin
Alessandro Andriani, cello
Fabiano Merlante, harpsichord
Mario Sollazzo, harpsichord
Italico Splendore

Italico Splendore
The love and interest for the ancient music and the baroque, classical and pre-romantic repertoire, are the basis around which the Italico Splendore Ensemble was born and grew up; from the very beginning, in 2010, it conducted its work mainly in this direction: a constant and deep research on the sources and a scrupulous philological method.

The aim of the members is to do a research work in order to revalue less popular repertoires, to rediscover unknown authors, operate on ancient manuscripts, giving new life to hidden musical treasures regarding a period of a great splendor of the Italian musical art, source of pride in the European courts.

Italico Splendore has two main purposes: production and distribution of live musical performances, and research and musicological study.

The musical production has already been expressed by a regular concert activity at important musical seasons and festivals, and also by the achievement of recording projects for labels such as Dynamic, Brilliant Classics and Novantiqua Records.

The “chamber” setting is the basis of the artistic and musical organization and of the lockin on and finding out of common guidelines in the artistic life of the group. All members cooperate in total harmony, bringing their human and professional contribute, besides the artistic one, under the guide of the artistic director Alessandro Andriani and his brother Claudio, violin concertmaster.

All members, following the study of performing practice indicated by the treatises and essays of the period, play on original or authentic copies of instruments of the period, using gut strings, philological bows, historical keyboards and original wind instruments, in order to reproduce accurately the sound effects required by the composers.

In the field of musicological research, Italico Splendore set the purpose to find out and revalue a musical matter unpublished or less studied. For this purpose, the work is oriented on transcriptions and philological publishing to enrich the repertoire and to produce new scores. Besides this commitment, there is also an educational and youth training aim, at high levels, throughout workshops, masterclasses, meetings and lessons that Italico Splendore organizes every year, with the cooperation of international artists and experts.

Italico Splendore has the purpose to promote and spread the knowledge of the ancient, classical and pre-romantic music in all its structures and expressions, both in Italy and abroad, with particular attention to the Italian repertoire and authors still widely unknown.

The work of Italico Splendore is based on study, musicological research and live concert performance, as well as teaching, training and cultural disclosure. The experience of Italico Splendore makes conscious that a musical performance is really pleasant and effective, if it is perceived as involving and lively, as well as for the professional and musical quality offered to the public.

Booklet for Vitali: Sonate da chiesa à due violini, Op. 9