Four violins without bass

Vicobellignano di Casalmaggiore, parish church of S. Maria Assunta

Wednesday 10th May 2023, 9 pm

In collaboration with the Parma Conservatory. Early Music Department

Four violins without bass

Music by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Sebastian Bach and Arcangelo Corelli

Alessandro Ciccolini, Gioele Bellagamba, Davide Medas, Sebastiano Reginato, Violins

Since the end of the 16th century, the taste for experimentation and the search for new and contrapuntal refined instrumental colors has led composers to try their hand at composing pieces in which four violins appear as soloists, accompanied by the irreplaceable support of the basso continuo. Towards the end of the 17th century and during the 18th century, alongside the sophisticated chamber formation of the four violins accompanied by the basso continuo, various and splendid examples of concerts flourished in which the four concertante violins were accompanied by the orchestra. The Baroque Violin class of the "Arrigo Boito" Conservatory of Parma, under the guidance of maestro Alessandro Ciccolini, proposes a program based on the unusual instrumental formation composed of four violins without accompaniment of the basso continuo. The centerpiece of the program is three brilliant and original compositions written by the prolific and ingenious German composer Georg Philipp Telemann. The program is completed by two transcriptions elaborated for this ensemble by maestro Ciccolini (according to a practice of amplification of the original ensembles, widely practiced in the Baroque era): the sonata opera V number 12 for violin and continuo "Follia" by Arcangelo Corelli and the Partita BWV1002 for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach.