Handel - Concerto Grosso Op. 6, nº 4 in A minor HWV 322 -ASMIF-Marriner

Georg Friedrich Händel - Concerto Grosso Op. 6, nº 4 in A minor HWV 322 -Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields - Neville Marriner.

The Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, or Twelve Grand Concertos, HWV 319--330, are 12 concerti grossi by George Frideric Handel for a concertino trio of two violins and violoncello and a ripieno four-part string orchestra with harpsichord continuo. First published by subscription in London by John Walsh in 1739, in the second edition of 1741 they became Handel's Opus 6. Taking the older concerto da chiesa and concerto da camera of Arcangelo Corelli as models, rather than the later three-movement Venetian concerto of Antonio Vivaldi favoured by Johann Sebastian Bach, they were written to be played during performances of Handel's oratorios and odes. Despite the conventional model, Handel incorporated in the movements the full range of his compositional styles, including trio sonatas, operatic arias, French overtures, Italian sinfonias, airs, fugues, themes and variations and a variety of dances. The concertos were largely composed of new material: they are amongst the finest examples in the genre of baroque concerto grosso.

Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.4 HWV322

Movements:

00:00 I. Larghetto affetuoso
03:17 II. Allegro
05:57 III. Largo, e piano
08:28 IV. Allegro

The fourth concerto in A minor is a conventional orchestral concerto in four movements, with very little writing for solo strings, except for brief passages in the second and last movements.
The first movement, marked larghetto affetuoso, has been described as one of Handel's finest movements, broad and solemn. The melody is played by the first violins in unison, their falling appoggiatura semiquavers reflecting the galant style. Beneath them, the bass part moves steadily in quavers, with extra harmony provided by the inner parts.
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