How much
Locatelli do you have? How much
Locatelli do you want? There is a lot of
Locatelli out there, but if you want to try just enough to convince you to get more
Locatelli, this disc will do the trick. With the euphonically named
Gottfried von der Goltz leading the superlative
Freiburger Barockorchester, six of
Locatelli' 12 Opus 1 Concerto Grossi provide an attractive introduction to the Italian Baroque composer. Scored for groups of four or five string soloists, plus string orchestra and organ continuo, the Opus 1 Concerti are endlessly fascinating -- and endlessly entertaining. With
von der Goltz as leader and first violinist, each work, even each movement in each work, has its own charm and its own personality. No two Largos are alike -- each plumbs the depths of its own inner world -- and no two Allegros are alike -- each soars to the heights of its own ecstatic enthusiasm. What they share in the
Freiburger Barockorchester performance is a common energy and an uncommon virtuosity. Captured with amazingly vivid sound in the Teldex Berlin Studio by Harmonia Mundi, these performances will be a lot of
Locatelli, but not enough
Locatelli. Inevitably, you'll want the
Freiburger Barockorchester to release the other six concerti.