The music on this album comes not from the early Italian symphonist Giovanni Battista Sammartini but from his older brother Giuseppe, who spent much of his career in London. The five-year age difference shows up in the older brother's music, some of which looks back to Vivaldi. The three concerti grossi on the album are interesting examples of a style that has reached its dead end: Sammartini tries to wedge the small-versus-large-group contrasts of the concerto grosso into incipient Classical phrase structures, with varied ...
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The music on this album comes not from the early Italian symphonist Giovanni Battista Sammartini but from his older brother Giuseppe, who spent much of his career in London. The five-year age difference shows up in the older brother's music, some of which looks back to Vivaldi. The three concerti grossi on the album are interesting examples of a style that has reached its dead end: Sammartini tries to wedge the small-versus-large-group contrasts of the concerto grosso into incipient Classical phrase structures, with varied harmonic rhythm, non-terraced dynamic changes, and drives to the cadence. The way he does it involves ornate, virtuosic solos. The challenges to the soloists continue in the two oboe concertos on the album, fine additions to the oboe concerto repertory and fully able to stand comparison with Vivaldi's numerous wind concertos, along with which they might profitably be programmed. The three multi-movement pieces labeled overtures are really early Italian symphonies in everything but...
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