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Donald Macleod explores the Arcangelo Corelli craze after the composer’s death.

Arcangelo Corelli was something of a European phenomenon not only during his lifetime, but also after his death. His compositional output was not large, but the development of the printing press enabled his music to be widely circulated. Musically, he bridged the gap between the Baroque and the Classical periods, and is seen as pivotal in the development of the sonata and the concerto. Even today, Corelli’s music is held in high esteem, with composers still inspired by his music. As a violinist he was also legendary, and people flocked from all over Europe to not only hear him play, but to also be taught by him. Corelli spent most of his career in Rome, maintained in some luxury by royalty, nobility and the Church. During his career he collaborated with many other composers including Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel. Despite his fame and continued popularity, we still know relatively little about Corelli, and this Composer of the Week series seeks to explore the man and his music through his personal and professional relationships.

In this final programme, Donald Macleod explores the craze for the music of Corelli after the composer’s death. He was held in such high esteem that not only was he buried in the Pantheon near the painter Raphael, but also yearly recitals of his music were held there before the tomb. Composers like Couperin tried to emulate Corelli and the Italian style, and Locatelli would claim to be in direct musical lineage. Others took works by Corelli and tried to capitalise upon their popularity by embellishing them further in print. In modern times, Tippett and Rachmaninov have paid musical homage to Corelli, by creating variations on themes by the great master.

Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 2 No 2
London Baroque

Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 2
The Brandenburg Consort
Roy Goodman, director

Corelli Arr. Geminiani
Concerto Grosso VII in D minor
Academy of Ancient Music
Andrew Manze, director

Sonata in D minor, Op 5 No 12 (Follia)
Andrew Manze, violin
Richard Egarr, harpsichord

Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 9
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock, director

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales