Pandolfi: Complete Violin Sonatas [IMPORT]

Giovanni Mealli (Composer), Richard Egarr (Performer), Andrew Manze (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Richard Egarr, Andrew Manze
• Composer: Giovanni Mealli
• Audio CD (August 10, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B00000JPXM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,986 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
All we know about the mysterious Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Meali--as his full name runs--is that he "flourished" at the court of Innsbruck between 1660 and 1669. And we probably wouldn't know even that, save for the fact that two sets of violin sonatas, designated Op. 3 and Op. 4, respectively, and dating from 1660, have somehow survived to the present day. Anyone familiar with the music of this period will realize just what a treasure these works potentially represent, for this was the moment of the emergence of the first great school of violin playing in Italy and Austria, typified by the dazzling music of Biber and his Salzburg contemporaries. Pandolfi was clearly one of the gang: his music is by turns winsomely lyrical and technically brilliant. None of these 12 works is longer than eight minutes, and each is a little suite of arias and dances full of contrast and invention. Andrew Manze is not just the world's best baroque violinist, he's one of the world's best violinists, period. His interpretations of these appealing sonatas are matchless, and Harmonia Mundi's sonics bathe both violin and harpsichord in a golden glow. Magnificent. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great C..D. of baroque violin music with harpsichord., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This C.D.contains Pandolfi's 6 sonatas from Opus 3 and 6 from Opus 4. These are virtuoso performances of some extraordinary music. Each sonata has its own descriptive subtitle and a movement layout.You really get your money's worth as the C.D. is 80 minutes long(Harmonia Mundi 907241).Andrew Manze is a superstar of the baroque violin. Richard Egarr is a sensitive harpsichordist accompaning Manze on this C.D. The music reminds you of Uccellini. A great C.D.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful violin sonatas of the "middle" baroque, August 18, 2003

By	Christopher McKoy (La Canada Flintridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Andrew Manze is an extraordinarily gifted violinst. Let me say right away that Manze's playing is not "squeaky" or "scratchy," as authentic performances of baroque violin music are often (sometimes with justification) said to be. Manze is clearly a virtuoso but he also plays the slower passages of these sonatas with great feeling.

Pandolfi's wonderful sonatas are from the middle baroque. Most popular baroque music, e.g., Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann, etc., is from the late Baroque, i.e., the early 18th Century. Pandolfi's music sounds quite different from what most listeners, familiar with music of the late Baroque, will recognize as a typical baroque violin sonata. For one thing, each sonata is in one continuous movement, during which there are multiple changes of tempo and mood. And the playing seems to me to be considerably more varied than in the typical late baroque violin sonata. Pandolfi's sonatas are clearly not from the alleged "sewing school" of Italian baroque music, according to which view all Italian baroque music sounds the same (in my view, many of Vivaldi's sonatas do indeed sound the same). My personal favorite Pandolfi sonata is probably "La Melana," which, contrary to another reviewer's claim, does have a beautiful lyric melody.

I think it quite unfortunate that the Opus 3 & 4 are all we have of Pandolfi's music. I would gladly trade a few dozen Boccherini pieces for one or two more of Pandolfi's lovely violin sonatas.

If you like Pandolfi's sonatas, you will probably also like Uccellini's sonatas, many of which have been recorded by Manze on another of his CDs with Harmonia Mundi.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inventive Baroque Violin Music, September 16, 2002

By	Barbara J. Chaplin (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This cd introduced me to the work of a baroque composer that I had previously been unaware of. The liner notes say that almost nothing is known about Pandolfi, and that only his Op. 3 and Op. 4 (the violin sonatas on this album) have survived.
Most of the music is not lyrically beautiful; rather, I would characterize it as inventive and imaginative. If you ever get the feeling that all baroque violin music sounds more or less the same, try this disc. Pandolfi definitely has his own distinctive voice.
The playing is exceptionally good, as is usual with Manze and Egarr. The sound quality is also excellent. I would recommend this cd to anyone who wants to explore the work of less well-known composers.