Capriccio Bo/Kiefer - Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori: 10 Concerti grossi, Op. 2, Alessandro Stradella: Sonate, Sinfonie

Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori (1663 � 1745), �Maestro di capella amenissimo, bravo sonatore di violino�, worked predominantly in his hometown of Lucca. His main work, 10 Concerti Opus 2, is an almost visionary achievement, in particular because he expressly called for a powerful orchestral sonority. Each Concerto has its own varied and multifaceted character. The solo passages of both violins are but short interludes. The accent is on the lively orches- tral idiom and its many surprises; previously unheard of combina- tions of string instruments are as thrilling as the transparent and lively dialogues within the orchestra. Alessandro Stradella (1644�1682) was constantly involved in love affairs and other incidents: the last ended in his murder on the Piazza Bianchi in Genoa. This did not deter from the quality of his compo- sitions. In many ways his works still appear modern, thanks to his gift for combining different orchestral timbres and volumes, and involving the players in inspiring exchanges and mutual imitations.