Veracini: Trio Sonatas Op.1

Antonio Veracini (1659-1733), skilled violinist, was one of the most prominent composers of his generation, alongside Arcangelo Corelli and Giuseppe Torelli. He was a notably distinguished figure in the musical culture of Florence at the end of the 17th century, playing in the opulent festivities of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany Court. He was educated by his father, Francesco di Niccolò Veracini a noted violist.

- Antonio Veracini's Op.1 (1692) contains 10 trio sonatas scored for two violins, cello or archlute, and figured bass for the organ; the very same forces stipulated by Corelli in his two collections of sonatas da chiesa Op.1 and 3. They are in many ways comparable to Corelli's, while displaying differences that they do not seem merely derived from the earlier works. Among the similarities, one may count the consistently fugal texture of the first allegro movements in duple metre and the lively trumpet idiom with echo repeats in non-fugal fast movements. However, Veracini's harmonic language is spicier, often relying on expressive chromatic passages.

- Played by the Italian Early music group Semperconsort, led by violinist Luigi Cozzolino, featuring violin, cello, theorbo, organ, harpsichord. This group’s earlier recordings of chamber music by Giovanni Vitali for Brilliant Classics were met with great critical acclaim in the international press.