STRADELLA: Violin Sonatas [CD de audio] Chamber Music , Mario Ferraris and Stradella

Born in 1639, Alessandro Stradella is one of the most productive and popular musicians of his generation, a composer who enjoyed such a high reputation that he was never short of powerful patrons and commissions. Considered by some to be the Mozart of the 17th century, Stradella wrote most of his works for voices; This set documents the other side of Stradella. Twelve sonatas for violin and continuo, nine Sonatas for two violins and continuo, several other miscellaneous compositions such as the Sonata for two choirs, with two violins and two horns (each with continuo); a joyous cornucopia of combined styles and instruments. Although there is little key contrast in each individual piece, variation in tempo and meter offer contrast between movements, and Stradella is cleverly inventive in his use of figures based on adjacent notes. For all the density of their counterpoint, these sonatas revel in a continued willingness to push the boundaries of 17th-century conventions. Stradella's instrumental works have long been seen as incidental products of necessity rather than compulsion. As this compilation shows, however, his music shines even when no text is present. Newton Classics regulars Mario Ferraris and Angelo Ephrikian are saturated in the idol and give pleasant and elegant performances.