Francesco Maria VERACINI (1690 - 1768)
Overture VI in G minor (1716) [10.28]
Sonata VI in A minor (1716) [8.43]
Violin Concerto in A major (1719) [9.02]
Sonata II in A major (1721) [10.44]
Overture II in F major (1716) [20.04]
Federico Guglielmo (solo violin and direction)
L'Arte dell'Arco
rec. Chiesa di S. M. Annunziata, Sovizzo, 8-10 November 2005
CPO 777 302-2 [59.28]
Florentine violinist/composer Francesco Maria Veracini was originally trained
by his Uncle Agostino Veracini, himself a violinist. By his early twenties
he was already regarded as an exceptional virtuoso. He moved to Venice, presumably
to provide himself with more opportunities. Veracini made his first trip to
London in 1714, marking the beginning of his long years of travelling. Though
an esteemed virtuoso, Veracini wasn't an easy person to get on with; Charles
Burney described him as capo pazzo (a madman) and others commented on
his arrogance and eccentricity. His rivalry with and jealousy of other virtuosi
contributed to problems during an extended stay in Dresden and in 1722 he threw
himself from a window, apparently in a fit of madness, and broke his leg.
He returned to Florence and composed sacred music and a number of oratorios,
now lost. At this period it seems that Locatelli studied with Veracini. By
1733 he was on the move again, to London again where he composed operas for
the Opera of the Nobility (the company which was rival to Handel's) and met
with some success. He made a number of return visits to London, the final in
1745. He seems to have reappeared in Italy in the 1750s when he returned to
Florence where he remained until his death.
This disc, from L'Arte dell'Arco presents a selection of Veracini's pieces,
mixing two of his Overtures, two of his Sonatas and one of his violin concertos.
It is promised as volume 1 of a series devoted to Veracini's Overtures and
Concerti.
The six Overtures date from around 1716 and survive in a manuscript in Venice.
Both Overtures are attractive, lively pieces. The Overture VI in G minor is
in four movements and Overture II in F major in six movements, with a structure
similar to that of a French overture. Both pieces include much brilliant woodwind
writing, but that in Overture VI is probably the most virtuosic. The overtures
are finely played by L'Arte dell'Arco, giving infectiously vivid performances.
The Sonata VI in A minor comes from an anthology of sonatas - for violin or
flute and basso continuo - which Veracini published in Dresden in 1716 and
dedicated to Friedrich August of Saxony. It was these which attracted the Prince's
attention and caused Veracini to enter the Prince's service. The Sonata VI
in A major comes from a later anthology published in Dresden in 1721. These
pieces are smaller in scale than the overtures, but give violinist Federico
Guglielmo plenty of scope for demonstrating his fine technique.
The centre-piece of the record is the Violin Concerto in A major, taken from
a collection of Concerti a Cinque published in Amsterdam in 1719. I
must confess that I was slightly disappointed in this piece. The orchestral
writing is nowhere near as brilliant as in the overtures and the orchestra
is definitely subservient to the violin, in fact the piece is rather closer
in feel to the sonatas than the two overtures. That said, Guglielmo brilliantly
brings to life the bravura solo writing. There is an element of virtuoso note-spinning,
but Guglielmo plays so elegantly that he does convince.
Period performance group L'Arte dell'Arco were founded by Federico Guglielmo
in 1994 and specialise in the music of the Venetian republic. On this disc
they number some 18 players.
The booklet includes an informative note about Veracini and his music.
There seems to be a welcome revival of interest in the music of the 18th century
Italian violin virtuosi. This disc makes a strong case for Veracini's music.
I look forward to further volumes.
Robert Hugill