Search - Reinhard Goebel, Musica Antiqua Koln :: 5 Overtures

An unsurpassable performance

03/01/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Francesco Maria Veracini's orchestral concerti is yet another of Reinhard Goebel's and Musica Antiqua Köln's outstanding performances of the music of the Dresden Court. The effect a period-instrument performance has on the quality of the recording can only be described as "electrifying". Veracini combines good Dresden solidity with wisping, virtuosic Italian brio and gusto. A true fiery rival for the stale, traditional repertoire of Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel. Another marvellous, incredible feat to the honorable credit of the performers and a genuine gift to the friends of music. END"

Lovely baroque music

Lars Hinnum | 06/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These very delightful and pleasant "Overtures" - written by the not much recorded Italian composer F. M. Veracinis (1690-1768)- are well performed by Reinhard Goebel and his period-performance specialist orchestra Musica Antiqua Cologne. A winning and lively recording. If you are a great fan of baroque music this is the CD to go for."

Good Baroque off the Beaten Track

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 07/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best compliment I can pay these five overtures (concerti grossi, really) by Franceco Maria Veracini is to say they have a Handelian melodiousness about them that raises them above similar efforts by Geminiani, for instance. Maybe it's the fact that Veracini wrote these works for Dresden, where they may have liked a good tune more than Italian theatrics. Whatever the cause, these works are clouded by few minor-key excursions (except in No. 6 in B-flat major, which seems almost to spend more of its time in related minor keys than in the major key) and have an overall bonhomie and even playfulness that bring them far closer to Handel's idiom than to that of Vivaldi or Bach. Perhaps the most winningly Handelian of all is No. 3. Incidentally, No. 6, the darkest of the lot, is also the least attractive and has a downright grating final minuet; this piece may have been a failed experiment by Veracini.



If the Overtures aren't great music, I think they are very good music, and Goebel makes a very good case for them, with the exception of No. 6. Then again, you may not agree with my assessment; you may find No. 6 winning as well. In any event, this disc is certainly worth a try, and Veracini is a composer worth getting to know."