This disc of four Baroque violin concertos contains three world-premiere recordings, but they are of minimal aesthetic or historical interest. These heretofore unknown concertos by Domenico Dall'Oglio, Michele Stratico, and Pietro Nardini are no worse or better than the more familiar concerto of Antonio Lolli. The standard tricks and tropes of the late Baroque Italian violin concerto are deployed to fine effect, but only listeners fully immersed in the concertos of Locatelli, Corelli, and Vivaldi are likely to find these works more than pleasantly diverting. The performances by violinist
Giuliano Carmignola are full of flash and fire, and the accompaniments by the
Venice Baroque Orchestra under
Andrea Marcon are poised and polished. Hearing new music can be a salutary experience, even if the new music in question is three centuries old, but general listeners are likely to find these pieces undistinguished and indistinguishable, and only specialists in the era are likely to note the qualities that make them distinct from hundreds of other late-Baroque Italian violin concertos.