Girandole Armoniche - Extravagantes Seicento (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

The focus of Extravagantes Seicento is the musical exuberance of a century full of contradictions, and at the same time receptive towards all kinds of novelty. By means of a rich collection of instrumental sonatas for violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord, the recording portrays the peregrine world of composers and instrumentalists who travelled throughout Europe in their search for receptive cultural circles and the degree of financial stability required for the creation of new works. In particular the Habsburg courts of Vienna and Innsbruck attracted artists from Italy and central Europe, becoming hubs for innovation in the visual arts, the theatre and instrumental music.

Under the imperial protection of Ferdinand III, Leopold I and Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, the great violinists of the 17th century Ignazio Albertini, Giovanni Padonolfi Mealli, Samuel Capricornus, Heinrich Schmelzer and Ignaz Biber expanded the technical potential of the violin and the viola da gamba, producing a repertoire of highly melodious sonatas featuring virtuoso brilliance and such eccentricity of sound as to surprise or even disconcert audiences, both then and today.

Tracklist:
1. Sonata I in D Minor for Violin and Continuo 07:11
2. Sonata II "La Cesta" in A Minor for Violin and Continuo 06:49
3. Ciaccona in C Major for Keyboard 02:17
4. Sonata IX in A Minor for Violin, Viola da Gamba and Continuo 04:56
5. Sonata IV in D Major for Violin and Continuo 08:15
6. Sonata V in E Minor for Violin and Continuo 10:48
7. Sonatina â viola de gamba aut violino solo: I. Sonatina 04:19
8. Sonatina â viola de gamba aut violino solo: II. Allemande 01:52
9. Sonatina â viola de gamba aut violino solo: III. Courente 01:25
10. Sonatina â viola de gamba aut violino solo: IV. Sarabande 02:55
11. Sonatina â viola de gamba aut violino solo: V. Gigue 01:29
12. Ciaccona a 2 in D Minor for Violin, Viola da Gamba and Continuo 04:52