Gabrielli, Torelli, Corelli, Franceschini, Stradella, etc

COMPOSERS: Corelli,etc,Franceschini,Gabrielli,Stradella,Torelli
LABELS: Dabringhaus und Grimm Scene
ALBUM TITLE: Collection: Trumpet Concertos of the Early Baroque
WORKS: Works
PERFORMER: Friedemann Immer, Graham Nicholson (trumpet); Concerto Köln
CATALOGUE NO: MDG 605 0271-2

All but the most committed trumpet enthusiast would find this disc of Italian trumpet concertos of the early Baroque rather monotonous. One of the problems of a restricted theme is the risk of overkill: the listener is the loser time and time again with the current plethora of discs that favour ease of categorisation over a balanced concert-type programme. This new issue opens well enough with the attractive Suonata a 7 con due trombe by Franceschini, but this is the only time that the second trumpet is used and there follows a relentless series of sonatas and concertos for one trumpet in D major for the next 52 minutes, with only one moment of respite provided by Viviani’s Sonata for Trumpet and Organ in C. The disc would have been more successful if the generally stylish and spirited playing by Concerto Köln had been matched by that of trumpeter Friedemann Immer. His soft playing and ornamentation are worthy of note, but virtuoso repertoire of this kind demands more panache. A comparable disc from 1993, entitled ‘Baroque Music of Bologna’, from Ivor Bolton and the St James’s Baroque Players, averts similar problems by alternating one or two trumpets with non-trumpet items in different keys, and by superior performances. Deborah Calland