THE COMPOSER

"One God, one Veracini". The description, by Veracini himself, could only come from a very special personality. Arguably taken by a mad for many of his colleagues (he threw himself from an upstairs window), it was claimed by Mattheson and others that the cause of his illness was brought on by excessive musical and alchemical studies (Veracini suggested that jealous colleagues had conspired to murder him). Be that as it may, he was, according to Charles Burney,"one of the greatest masters of the violin that had ever appeared, and his abilities were not merely confined to the excellence of his performance, but extended to composition, in which he manifested great genius and science". His work was well known in London, where he lived for several years, and where his violin sonatas were held in great esteem.

THE MUSIC, THE PERFORMERS & THE PERFORMANCE

The two best sets of violin sonatas written by Veracini are those of 1721 (Dresden) and 1744 (Florence and London). Wonderful compendiums of violin technique, these sonatas are composed, according to Burney, "on good foundation": Veracini was an excellent contrapuntist, and his style as a composer was exceptionally conservative. His works, taken up largely with double stops and rapid passagework, were considered old-fashioned by his contemporaries, who preferred the gallant style. Eccentric, very difficult, deeply beautiful, noble and at times wild, this unique violin sonatas are, to some extent, an autobiographical record of Veracini's life as a travelling virtuoso, with touches of French, Polish, Scottish, English and, of course, Italian music, and even quotations from the operatic idiom. The soloist, Fabrizio Cipriani (founder of Europa Galante) has been playing this music for a long time. This recording, matured in a long series of concerts, shows his great mastery in combining the conservative style typical of Veracini with the brilliant virtuosity required by the composer. To this he adds his own superb cadences, recovering the old tradition set by the virtuoso composers of the time.

Fabrizio Cipriani, violin
Antonio Fantinuoli, violoncello
Sirio Restani, harpsichord

Booklet of 56 pages in four languages, beautifully illustrated, with 2 substantial essays on Veracini and his life, works and background by José Carlos Cabello, including annotations on the pieces of the recording.

Total time 65:39

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