The Avison Ensemble - Arcangelo Corelli: Concerti Grossi Opus 6 (2012) [SACD]

The UK's leading period instrument ensemble, The Avison Ensemble, presents the first recording in their series celebrating the chamber music of Arcangelo Corelli.
Directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk the ensemble explores the inspirational works of the Italian composer, including a captivating interpretation of the much-loved Christmas Concerto.
Corelli: Opus 6: Concerti Grossi is the third album in The Avison Ensemble's critically acclaimed series of recordings with Linn, and the first in their celebration of Corelli's chamber music. Released to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of the composer the ensemble's greatly anticipated set will explore the six opera of the eminent Italian's chamber music: the concerti grossi, violin sonatas, chamber sonatas and church sonatas.
Linn Records
London's Avison Ensemble, true to its name, has devoted itself mostly to recording works by lesser-known composers of the Baroque era. Arcangelo Corelli does not fit that classification, but his Op. 6 Concerti Grossi (not really a set, for they were composed at different times, for different purposes, and only published together) are better known in parts than as a whole, with the so-called "Christmas Concerto," Op. 6/8, and its singsong pastoral idyll the best known of all. The Avison Ensemble has undertaken to record all of Corelli's small-ensemble music. Some might prefer these pieces in smaller doses, but there's also a lot to be gained by working one's way through the whole group, which was popular enough to influence both Vivaldi and Handel, several decades later. Corelli's writing is more contrapuntal than that of either of those composers, with many examples of his characteristic chains of suspensions. The Avison Ensemble under leader Pavlo Beznosiuk avoids the energetic attacks of contemporary Italian groups, with Beznosiuk cultivating a sweet, fluid sound. He makes the counterpoint clear but minimizes the solo-group contrast that is at the heart of the concerto grosso form. The end result is an hour or more of pleasant listening that doubtless possesses many of the virtues that made Corelli popular among the English in the first place, faithfully captured by Linn's Super Audio recording.
James Manheim