Italian Cello Concertos by Lucia Swarts

Lucia Swarts

Italian Cello Concertos

Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917202120
Catnr: CC 72021
Release date: 01 January 1998

Hi-res download at Spirit of Turtle

1 CD
		Hi-res download at Spirit of Turtle

Label
Challenge Classics

UPC
0608917202120

Catalogue number
CC 72021

Release date
01 January 1998

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

The Cello’s March of Conquest during the Baroque Period
At the beginning of the seventeenth century the violin set out on its march of conquest as a solo instrument. Before then the violin was not thought highly of, but the French theorist Martin Mersenne (1588-1648) called it the king of instruments and praised it for its versatility. It lasted almost a half century before the expressive potential of the (violon)cello, the lyrical tenor and sonorous bass of the same family of instruments, was discovered.

The earliest important solo literature for the cello originated in Bologna in the last decades of the seventeenth century. This northern Italian town was the birth place of and centre of activity for Petronio Franceschini (1651-80), Domenico Gabrielli (1659- 90) and Giuseppe Jacchini (1667-1727), all three of whom were renowned composers and cello virtuosos. Jacchini, Gabrielli’s star pupil, applied himself so well to the cello that he soon was the equal of his teacher. His popularity was increased by his affable personality, described in one eighteenth-century source as “upright” and “straightforward”. In 1689 he was admitted to the orchestra of the municipal church of San Petronio in Bologna. Jacchini was recommended for this position by Count Pirro Albergati, to whom he was to dedicate his opus 4, the Concerti per camera à 3 e 4, twelve years later. This work, which appeared under the imprint of the Bolognese publisher Marino Silvani, is made up of ten short concertos, of which six contain an important solo part for the cello. The ninth concerto of the collection is particularly distinguished for its virtuoso solo part and some attractive dialogues between the cello and the first violin. Jacchini’s harmonic vocabulary is somewhat limited and this is undoubtedly one of the reasons why the three movements are rather loosely constructed.

De zegetocht van de cello in de barok
Dit album bevat Italiaanse Concerto’s voor violoncello, uitgevoerd door soliste Lucia Swarts en het barokensemble Teatro Lirico onder leiding van Stephen Stubbs.

In het begin van de 17e eeuw begon de viool aan zijn zegetocht als solo-instrument. Hiervoor werd de viool niet gewaardeerd, maar de Franse theoreticus Martin Mersenne (1588-1648) noemde de viool de koning onder de instrumenten, en roemde het instrument om zijn veelzijdigheid.

De cello begon pas aan het einde van de 17e eeuw aan zijn zegetocht. De eerste belangrijke solowerken werden gecomponeerd in Bologna, waar Petronio Franceschini, Domenico Gabrieli en Giuseppe Jacchini actief waren. Zij waren naast vermaarde componisten ook cellovirtuozen.

In Bologna werd ook het driedelige soloconcert ontwikkeling. De ontwikkeling van dit genre zette zich voort in Venetië. Vivaldi is bekend om zijn vele soloconcerten. Hij heeft niet minder dan 26 voltooide soloconcerten voor cello solo gecomponeerd. Daarnaast componeerde hij ook een concert voor twee celli, strijkers en basso continuo, die op dit album is opgenomen.

De vitaliteit en virtuositeit van Vivaldi maakte bij de componisten van de Napelse school plaats voor een lieflijk belcanto, dat ook in de instrumentale werken te horen was. Het vierdelige Concert voor cello in a klein van Nicola Porpora vormt een overgang tussen de oude en de nieuwe stijl.

Lucia Swarts is gespecialiseerd in het uitvoeren van kamermuziek, zowel op de moderne cello als op de barokcello. Ze is eerste cellist in het orkest van de Nederlandse Bachvereniging, en vormt een duo met klavecinist Siebe Hoekstra. Daarnaast speelt ze ook regelmatig in ensembles voor hedendaagse muziek, zoals het Schönberg Ensemble en het Nieuw Ensemble.

Artist(s)

Lucia Swarts (violin)

Lucia Swarts began studying the cello at the age of seven. She studied with Anner Bijlsma and Lidewij Scheifes at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague , where she acquired her solo degree in 1985.
In the year of her final exam , she gave her debut recital in the Kleine Zaal at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw , as a prizewinner in the `New Vintage`series for talented young musicians.
Apart from her appearances as a soloist , she has devoted considerable time and effort to playing music from every period of musical history in a wide range of chamber music settings, using instruments appropriate to the period .As well as the modern cello, she also plays piano, the viola da Spalla, baroque cello, cello piccolo and basse de Violon.
From 1983 on she played in the Schoenberg Ensemble (later Asko/Schoenberg) and worked with composers as György Ligety, Sofia Gubaidulina , György Kurtag, Reinbert de Leeuw, Oliver Knussen, John Adams, Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Martijn Padding and Mayke Nas Composer Mayke Nas (Componist des vaderlands 2016-2018) wrote a piece for her. In June 1996 Lucia was one of the solo players in the Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble in the Opera `A King Riding ` by Klaas de Vries.
Since 1983 , Lucia has been principal cellist in the baroque orchestra of the Netherlands Bach society and she also plays in the Residentie Bach Ensemble.
She worked with baroque specialists as Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen, Sigiswald Kuijken, René Jacobs, Peter Dijkstra, Jos van Veldhoven , Jos Vermunt and Ton Koopman.
While early music and contemporary music has a special place in her affection and where she was performing in many CD`s she also performs romantic music.In 1997 she recorded a CD with Leo van Doeselaar (piano ) with music of Saint -Saëns, Busoni, Moscheles and Gounod. CD .
She is always looking for new repertoire ( for herself and also for her students) ,which needs to become out of the shadow.
Lucia issued 7 solo CDs.
Six Cello Sonatas by Vivaldi (CC72051), Cello Sonatas by Boccherini (CC 72065), Italian Cello Concertos (CC 72021), Bach after Bach .Vol. 1(with Leo van Doeselaar (CC72066) , Italian Concertos & Sonatas (CC 72516).The Italian Origins (seven mouintain records) and Cello Solo Suites by J.S.Bach ( CC 72784) She is a professor in `modern ` and historical cello at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague since 1988 , where she works with Elena Malinova. Elena is also already for many years the correpetitor of her cellostudents.
Lucia is also visiting professor at the Conservatoire Superior de Salamanca and Sevilla (Spain).

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Teatro Lirico

Stephen Stubbs (conductor)

Stephen Stubbs spent a 30-year career in Europe. He returned to his native Seattle in 2006 as one of the world’s most respected lutenists, conductors, and baroque opera specialists. In 2007 Stephen established his new production company, Pacific MusicWorks, based in Seattle, reflecting his lifelong interest in both early music and contemporary performance. Stephen is also the Boston Early Music Festival’s permanent artistic co-director along with his long-time colleague Paul O’Dette. Stephen and Paul are also the musical directors of all BEMF operas. His extensive discography as conductor and solo lutenist include well over 100 albums, many of which have received international acclaim and awards. From 2013-2018 Stephen Stubbs held the position of Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington School of Music. During this...

Stephen Stubbs spent a 30-year career in Europe. He returned to his native Seattle in 2006 as one of the world’s most respected lutenists, conductors, and baroque opera specialists.
In 2007 Stephen established his new production company, Pacific MusicWorks, based in Seattle, reflecting his lifelong interest in both early music and contemporary performance. Stephen is also the Boston Early Music Festival’s permanent artistic co-director along with his long-time colleague Paul O’Dette. Stephen and Paul are also the musical directors of all BEMF operas.
His extensive discography as conductor and solo lutenist include well over 100 albums, many of which have received international acclaim and awards.
From 2013-2018 Stephen Stubbs held the position of Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington School of Music. During this tenure he produced and conducted Handel’s Semele, Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Gluck’s Orphée, Cavalli’s Calisto, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges.

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Composer(s)

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and cleric. Born in Venice, he is recognised as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe. He composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than forty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi (who had been ordained as a Catholic priest) was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some...

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and cleric. Born in Venice, he is recognised as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe. He composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than forty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons.
Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi (who had been ordained as a Catholic priest) was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for preferment. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival, and Vivaldi himself died less than a year later in poverty.

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