Italian concertos, unknown and known

Abstract

The story is a familiar one and is legitimate, broadly speaking: Italian composers such as Vivaldi and Albinoni, who fostered the development of ritornello form, more or less invented the model for the 18th-century concerto. It was a development helped especially by the northern publication of their concertos, notably Vivaldi's famous op.3 set (Amsterdam: Roger and Le Cene, 1711), which brought their works as well as their musical reputations to an unprecedentedly large audience. The recordings reviewed here show the diverse ways the blueprint was cultivated and developed both within Italy and elsewhere during the first half of the 18th century. There are a number of regional accents on Neapolitan flute concertos (Hyperion CDA67784, rec 2008, 59′) from flautist Carlo Ipata and his group Auser Musici. This disc features five little-known concertos by composers such as Giuseppe de Majo (1697–1771) and Antonio Palella (1692–1761). In addition, there are composers...