Carbonelli, Giovanni Stefano: 12 Sonate da Camera, Vol. 2
‘These sonatas represent in my view the best
music in terms of sheer quality that I have ever edited - and I don't exclude Vivaldi and
Albinoni from the comparison.’ - Michael Talbot
Volume 2, Sonatas 7- 12.
Talbot makes out a good case for Carbonelli's sonatas in the introduction, rightly
praising their seriousness and artistic ambition, their 'stylistic richness' (drawing on
Valentini, Albinoni and Vivaldi as well as Corelli, the main model), and their 'command of
musical form, with logical development and skilful combination of memorable musical ideas'.
Playing through them I was struck by the balance struck between the considerable technical
demands of the solo part and the rich harmonic implications of the carefully figured
continuo part. Even prominent early eighteenth- century composers sometimes found it
difficult to write convincingly in only two parts, but it is a test that Carbonelli passes
with flying colours.
It is good to report that the edition is worthy of the
music. It is clearly and elegantly printed, with the continuo figures included in the bass
part (allowing performances in which the cellist replaces the keyboard by adding chords),
and with a sturdy ring-bound score that sits flat on a music desk.
Peter Holman in Early Music Performer
As always, HH has produced another excellent example of music that needs to be more
accessible in the hands of a fine editor.
Clifford Bartlett in Early Music Review
I would change almost nothing in this excellent edition, save perhaps the font size of
the movement numbers.
Alon Schab in Eighteenth-Century Music