Composer: Benjamin Hely, Tobias Hume, Diego Ortiz, Angelo Michele Bertalotti
Performer: Matteo Cicchitti, Musica Elegentia
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Challenge
Catalogue: CC72918
Release: 2022
Size: 167 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Ortiz: Tratado del glosas, libro secondo (1553)
01. Recercada Prima
02. Recercada Segunda
03. Recercada Tercera
04. Recercada Quarta
Hume: The First Part of Ayres, French, Pollish and others together … with Pavines, Galliards, and Almaines (1605)
05. I. A Galiard
06. II. Love’s Almayne
07. III. A Toy
08. IV. A Merry Meeting
09. V. The Spirit of the Almayne
10. VI. My Mistresse Almaine
Hely: The Compleat Violist (1699)
11. Psalm 100 & Psalm 92
12. Minuet
13. Ayre slowtime
14. Bourrée
Bertalotti: Regole facilissime per apprendere con facilità e prestezza li canti fermo e figurato (1698)
15. Ricercare Primo per contralto
16. Ricercare Secondo per contralto
17. Ricercare Terzo per contralto
18. Ricercare Quarto per contralto
19. Ricercare Quinto per contralto
20. Ricercare Sesto per contralto
21. Ricercare Settimo per contralto
22. Ricercare Ottavo per contralto
23. Ricercare Nono per contralto
24. Ricercare Decimo per contralto
25. Ricercare Primo per soprano
26. Ricercare Terzo per soprano
27. Ricercare Quarto per soprano
28. Ricercare Sesto per soprano
29. Ricercare Settimo per soprano
30. Ricercare Ottavo per soprano
31. Ricercare Nono per soprano
32. Ricercare Decimo per soprano
33. Ricercare Undecimo per soprano
This disc is a journey through the history of the solo viola da gamba, starting with its birth (1553) and finishing at the end of 17th Century. Besides the pieces by Diego Ortiz and Tobias Hume, there are some world premiere recordings of music by Benjamin Hely and Angelo Bertalotti.
The absolute protagonist of this recording is the solo viola da gamba which guides us on a musical journey from 1553 (Tratado de glosas by Diego Ortiz) to 1698/99 (Ricercare per diversi toni by Angelo Michele Bertalotti and The Complete Violist by Benjamin Hely). In so doing, it puts us in touch with a repertoire that may not be universally known, but still deserves to be discovered. Above all, it must be disclosed because it gives tangible testimonies that partially rectify some deep-rooted convictions about the viola da gamba. In fact, contrary to what is often believed, after blossoming in the Renaissance, this instrument did not leave the stage ex abrupto in the mid-17th century, crushed beneath the increasing weight of the cello. Instead, it continued to enjoy its own literature, certainly less striking but not less relevant. We are referring not only to the better-documented compositions for consort, but also to the solo repertoire which frequently had didactic and artistic value – often characterized by chamber allure due to its reserved nature.
Matteo Cicchitti is the leader of Musica Elegentia, already responsible for a previous Wagenseil disc on Challenge Classics (CC 72896). The double bass player, violonist, gambist and teacher, connoisseur and continuous researcher of historical performance, combines his activity as an instrumentalist with that of artistic and musical director for the repertoire of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.