Albinoni - Concerti a cinque, Op. 10 Simon Standage & Collegium Musicum 90

• Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (1671 - 1751): Concerto a 5 in B flat major, Op. 10, No. 1
• 1Concerto Primo: I. Allegro02:18
• 2Concerto Primo: II. Adagio02:13
• 3Concerto Primo: III. Allegro02:09
• Concerto a 5 in G minor, Op. 10, No. 2
• 4Concerto Secondo: I. Allegro03:34
• 5Concerto Secondo: II. Andante02:55
• 6Concerto Secondo. III. Allegro03:30
• Concerto a 5 in C major, Op. 10, No. 3
• 7Concerto Terzo: I. Allegro04:06
• 8Concerto Terzo: II. Adagio02:12
• 9Concerto Terzo: III. Allegro01:52
• Concerto a 5 in A major, Op. 10, No. 5
• 10Concerto Quinto: I. Allegro03:14
• 11Concerto Quinto: II. Sempre Piano02:08
• 12Concerto Quinto: III. Allegro02:53
• Concerto a 5 in F major, Op. 10, No. 7
• 13Concerto Settimo: I. Allegro03:10
• 14Concerto Settimo: II. Andante03:05
• 15Concerto Settimo: III. Allegro02:47
• Concerto a 5 in G minor, Op. 10, No. 8
• 16Concerto Ottavo: I. Allegro04:01
• 17Concerto Ottavo: II. Largo02:00
• 18Concerto Ottavo: III. Allegro03:23
• Concerto a 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 11
• 19Concerto Undicesimo: I. Allegro04:21
• 20Concerto Undicesimo: II. Larghetto01:15
• 21Concerto Undicesimo: III. Allegro assai01:42
• Concerto a 5 in B flat major, Op. 10, No. 12
• 22Concerto Dodicesimo: I. Allegro04:03
• 23Concerto Dodicesimo: II. Adagio01:56
• 24Concerto Dodicesimo: III. Allegro03:48
• Total Runtime01:08:35

Info for Albinoni - Concerti a cinque, Op. 10

This is a fine recording of some very fine music. It should go some way towards restoring the reputation of Tomaso Albinoni.

A slightly older contemporary of Vivaldi, and also a native of Venice, Albinoni never scaled the same heights of fame as the Red Priest, either during his lifetime or afterwards. He never held posts at any of Venice’s churches or ospedali, and lived mainly off the proceeds of his father’s paper business. His final statement on the concerto form, the Op. 10 collection of 1735-36, was financed by (and dedicated to) the Marquis of Castelar, Don Luca Fernando Patino, hence this CD’s title, ‘Homage to a Spanish Grandee’.

Other than the dedication, there is very little that is recognisably ‘Spanish’ about the eight concertos featured, except in the first movement of No. 11 [track 19], with its foot-stamping flamenco-inspired rhythms. As the sleeve-notes suggest, the Op. 10 concertos are something of an odd set when compared to Albinoni’s more celebrated Op. 9 collection of 1722. Simple and unfussy in style, they are noticeably out of step with the contemporary concertos of Vivaldi, Locatelli and Tartini by omitting show-stopping solos for the principal violin. In fact, only the eighth and twelfth concertos contain more than occasional solo writing for violin.

But this hardly matters to modern listeners, and even makes a refreshing change. All nine concertos on the recording bristle with dynamism. The outer works – concertos 1 and 12 – frame the collection with unbounded energy. No. 7 is reminiscent of the comic operatic intermezzi which began to emerge in Venice at this time. There are quieter, reflective moments too. The central movement of the fifth concerto is unusually marked ‘sempre piano’ and evokes the wave-lapping motions of Venetian gondolas.

The playing of Collegium Musicum 90 on strictly authentic instruments is practically flawless. Simon Standage does a good job of directing the orchestra without attempting to hog the limelight as principal violinist. The sound quality, too, is first rate, with a clear but warm tone, and each instrument clearly audible throughout. John-Pierre Joyce (www.musicweb-international.com)

Simon Standage
is well known as a violinist specialising in 17th and 18th-century music. Leader and soloist with the English Concert from its foundation until 1990, he also fulfilled the same role for many years with the City of London Sinfonia. In addition to the many records he made with the English Concert (including Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, nominated for a Grammy award), he also recorded solo and chamber music, including all of Mozart’s violin concertos with the Academy of Ancient Music, of which he was, with Christopher Hogwood, Associate Director from 1991 to 1995.

Since his foundation, with Richard Hickox, of Collegium Musicum 90, he has made numerous recordings for Chandos Records. As soloist and director of chamber orchestras and chamber musician, he is active both in Britain and abroad. He is leader of the Salomon String Quartet (founded by him in 1981), which specialises in historical performance of the Classical repertoire, performing worldwide and making many recordings and broadcasts. He is a professor of baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest and teaches at summer courses in Europe.

He received a medal for services to Polish culture in 2008, was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music in 2009, and in 2010 received the Georg Philipp Telemann Prize from the city of Magdeburg.

Booklet for Albinoni - Concerti a cinque, Op. 10