Händel - Concerto grosso | WDR Sinfonieorchester

George Frideric Handel - Concerto grosso in B-flat major, op. 3 No. 2 HWV 313, performed by members of the WDR Symphony Orchestra under the direction of concertmaster José Maria Blumenschein. Recorded in early June 2021 at the WDR Funkhaus, Cologne. George Frideric Handel - Concerto grosso B flat major op. 3 No. 2 HWV 313 00:00 I. Vivace 01:48 II. Largo 04:11 III. allegro 04:12 IV. Moderato 08:00 V. Allegro ► More about the symphony orchestra, concerts and current livestreams can be found at https://sinfonieorchester.wdr.de ► The WDR Symphony Orchestra on Facebook   / wdrsinfonieorchester   ► Further concerts and introductions to works from the world of classical music, symphonic crossover, choral singing and concerts for children can also be found in the ARD Mediathek: https://www.ardmediathek.de/klassik Introduction to the work: London in the 18th century was characterized by a unique musical life supported by aristocracy and bourgeoisie. Many artists flocked to the English metropolis from the European continent, attracted by the possibilities of public concerts. In particular, musicians from Europe's number one music country - Italy - were welcomed with open arms. George Frideric Handel was also drawn to London in 1712, having previously familiarized himself with the latest musical trends during a stay in Italy. In the field of orchestral music, the concerto grosso caused quite a stir at that time. This refers to a concerto form in which the large orchestra - called tutti or ripieno - competes against a few soloists, the concertino. In Rome, Handel became acquainted with both this new musical genre and its most important representative, the violin virtuoso, composer and orchestra leader Arcangelo Corelli. He transferred the principle of the double choir, i.e. the alternating music-making in the old Venetian tradition, to the music for string orchestra. music for string orchestra. Although Corelli published only six groups of works, his reputation as a pioneer preceded him even during his lifetime. His 12 Concerti grossi op. 6, published posthumously in Amsterdam in 1714, were regarded as the classical standard of Italian concert music and were taken as models by great 18th-century composers - including Bach, Vivaldi, Geminiani and Handel. Corelli's music also dominated concert programs in London for decades, sometimes in surprising arrangements and instrumentations. George Frideric Handel and his publisher Walsh aimed at this market: in 1734 they published the Concerti grossi op. 3 and in 1739 the "Twelve Grand Concertos" op. 6. With the second collection op. 6, Handel sought direct comparison with Corelli's tone-setting concertos of the same opus number. With these they share the instrumentation (concertino: two violins and cello) and the stylistic orientation. Handel supplemented the pure string sound of the Concerti op. 6 with solo oboes in op. 3. In general, the concerto grosso knew no norm: it could be in three movements, as in Vivaldi's concertos, or have up to four or more movements, as in the church and chamber sonatas. As Handel's Concerto op. 3 proves, the composer was also open to influences of the suite, which strings together dance movements - in Concerto No. 2, these are a sarabande (1st movement) and a gavotte (5th movement). The Concerto op. 6 No. 7 also exudes dance-like cheerfulness, for example in the fifth movement "Hornpipe" (originally the name of a wind instrument), which is inspired by the rhythms of an Old English song. (Text: Tilla Clüsserath)