Giovanni Sollima - Costanzi: Sonate Per Violoncello (2016)

The inspired decision by cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima to investigate the instrumental music of his eighteenth-century counterpart, Giovanni Battista Costanzi, is yielding its first recording with a new Glossa release of cello sonatas.

Costanzi’s place in the history of the cello has all but slipped from view and yet his solo cello sonatas display a remarkable freshness in handling the late Baroque sonata genre as instigated by Arcangelo Corelli. They also impose substantial technical demands upon the soloist – including playing in the instrument’s highest register – making powerful use of the cello’s expressive capabilities. Five sonatas scored for cello and continuo have been selected by Giovanni Sollima for this recording, the first to assess this aspect of the Roman composer’s output.

Not content with attending to Costanzi’s works Giovanni Sollima composes one of his own – Il mandataro – which reflects the labours of an apparently marginal member of the Roman court in the time of Costanzi’s patron, Cardinal Ottoboni: a courier or messenger charged with keeping the musicians informed of their duties. Sollima, who has previously recorded Neapolitan cello concertos for Glossa (backed by Antonio Florio and I Turchini), is joined for this new recording by fellow cellist Monika Leskovar (a pair of the sonatas are for two cellos) and the Arianna Art Ensemble. Scholar Imma Battista supplies pertinent biographical information for this overlooked Baroque composer.

Tracklist:

GIOVANNI BATTISTA COSTANZI (1704-1778)
Sonate per violoncello

Sonata in G major for violoncello and basso continuo
01 Largo
02 Allegro
03 Largo
04 Allegro

Sonata in C minor for violoncello and basso continuo
05 Adagio
06 Allegro
07 Grave
08 Capricio (Allegro assai)

Sonata in F major for two violoncellos
09 Grazioso
10 Allegro
11 Alla francese [with 2 variations by Giovanni Sollima]

Sonata in B flat major for violoncello and basso continuo
12 Andante
13 Allegro
14 Giga (Allegro)

Sonata in F major for violoncello and basso continuo
15 Adagio
16 Allegro
17 Grazioso / Andante / Grazioso / Andante

Sonata in G minor for violoncello and basso continuo
18 Cantabile
19 Allegro
20 Presto

Sonata in C major for two violoncellos
21 Vivace
22 Amoroso
23 Allegro assai

24 Giovanni Sollima: Il mandataro
Moderato / Magnificat (Allegro) / Aria / Presto /Andante / Allegro


Personnel:
Giovanni Sollima, violoncello
Monika Leskovar, violoncello

Arianna Art Ensemble:
Andrea Rigano, violoncello
Paolo Rigano, archlute
Cinzia Guarino, harpsichord