These six sonatas were
composed at Ravenna by the twelve-year-old
Rossini in three days; this was before
he had had any lessons on composition.
They had were discovered by Alfredo
Casella at the Library of Congress in
Washington and were published complete
in 1954.
These works are amazingly
mature and quite delightful to listen
to. The absence of the viola and the
inclusion of the double-bass give a
strangely open effect, which is almost
unique in this genre. The form is more
akin to the Italian "mini-concertos"
than the German style of string quartet.
The two violin parts are given equal
prominence; likewise the two bass instruments
are almost completely independent of
each other. The maturity and melodic
power of these pieces are outstanding,
considering the age of the composer.
The sonatas became
widely known to the public due to a
spectacular early recording by the Academy
of St Martin-in-the Fields conducted
by Neville Marriner. The popularity
of that disc was a major boost to the
reputation of ASMIF. The ensemble work
of this version is stunning and it still
sounds well. It should be noted that
a part for two violas was included in
this version. A number of string ensembles
produced similar versions subsequently.
This current version
is the first recording that I am aware
of which plays the sonatas as written:
for four instruments only. Before playing
this recording I felt sure that the
sonatas would feel thin in comparison
to the virtuoso ensemble versions with
which I was familiar. This however was
not the case and I was totally won over
by the excellence of the playing by
this Italian group. In many movements
the tempo is faster than those of the
multi-string versions but sounds very
natural. The overall impression is of
four very skilled musicians playing
for their own pleasure. The recording
and presentation is also very good.
Arthur Baker