Giovanni Benedetto PLATTI (c.1697-1763)
Trio Sonata in G minor WD691 [9:25]
Trio Sonata in B flat major WD689 [12:44]
Trio Sonata in E minor WD678 [10:22]
Trio Sonata in D major WD680 [9:38]
Trio Sonata in C minor WD694 [9:52]
Trio Sonata in A major WD683 [12:29]
Francesco Cerrato (violin), Stefano Cerrato (cello), Armoniosa
rec. Konzerthaus der Abtei Marienmünster, Germany, June/July 2016
Stereo/Surround 5.0; reviewed in surround.
Notes in English, French, Italian and German.
MDG 9031978-6 SACD [64:40]
Giovanni Platti was an Italian composer born in Padua. He
studied music probably in Venice, where his name is mentioned as a member
of the Venetian artists' guild. He was accomplished on several instruments
including the violin and oboe. He also seems to have made a speciality of
the then new fangled fortepiano. His big break occurred in 1722 when he was
appointed to the service of Count Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn, Archbishop
of Bamberg and Würzburg. After the Count died, the residency passed to, among
others, Count Rudolf Franz Erwein who was an accomplished cellist. Platti
stayed at this post, in various roles, until his death around 40 years later.
He was quite productive, but it is thought that at least some of his work
was destroyed in WWII when the archive of the huge Würzburg Residence, later
called by Napoleon the largest parsonage in Europe, was bombed. He certainly
composed concertos and sonatas for both his own instruments, violin and oboe,
plus sonatas for keyboard, other concertante pieces, a Miserere, a Stabat
Mater and probably oratorios. We know he composed twenty-eight cello concertos
and a dozen cello sonatas in addition to the set of cello works from which
this disc draws. He also joins the ranks of those several composers who arranged
Corelli's Op.5 violin sonatas into a set of concerti grossi.
These six Trio Sonatas are from a set of twenty he composed especially for
his aristocratic player and are thus unusually scored not for two violins
and continuo, but for one violin, one solo cello and continuo. The instrumentation
used for this recording is therefore violin, cello, cello continuo, harpsichord
and organ. This makes for a very rich and bass oriented sound. Platti was
careful to make sure the noble cellist was never overshadowed by a more virtuoso
violin line so this instrument does not stray far from the beaten track.
MDG have chosen to record this group fairly closely and listeners will find
they have to reduce the volume by around 4 or 5 dB to reach their usual level.
Another consequence is that the spacious acoustic of the Konzerthaus der Abtei
Marienmünster, so well utilised in the recent Franck and Ravel disc by Troussov
and Troussova, also on MDG, is not so much in evidence here. More is the pity
but the sound is perfectly acceptable. Armoniosa play in period style and
are clearly very accomplished indeed.
Platti is not of the front rank but displays the conventional inspirations
of that period. Not for him the extravagance of Vivaldi or the profundity
of Bach. His take on the Trio Sonata with a slow and grand first movement
followed by either two or three other movements is nevertheless pleasing to
hear. All but one trio on this disc follow the pattern slow-fast-slow-fast.
The music seems to invite the listener to sit comfortably and not get too
roused.
Dave Billinge
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