Handel composed his Grand Concertos Op 6 in affectionate emulation of Corelli's Concerti Grossi Op 6 from a quarter-century earlier; and, astonishingly, completed all 12 within a single month, thanks to liberal quoting from his previous work.
GC No 8 in C minor, for instance, contains echoes of earlier operatic successes such as Agrippina. The opening GC No 1 in G major establishes the character of these interpretations by Eduardo López Banzo's ensemble Al Ayre Español: the perfectly poised gait of the opening movement, with bounteous viols offering a richly textured timbre that sustains through the galloping Allegro into the tenderly wrought harpsichord part of the Adagio.
Download: Grand Concerto No 1 in G major; Grand Concerto No 8 in C minor
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies