Dal Barba: Violin Sonatas Valerio Losito, Federico Del Sordo, Diego Leverić, Cecilia Medi, Andrea Lattarulo, Carlo Calegari

• Daniel Pio Dal Barba (1715 - 1801): Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major:
• 1 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major: I. Addaggio 05:43
• 2 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major: II. Allegro 05:43
• 3 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major: III. Capriccio Variator 07:59
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Major:
• 4 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Major: I. Addaggietto 04:34
• 5 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Major: II. Allegro Lento 06:10
• 6 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Major: III. Allegro 02:46
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in G Major:
• 7 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 3 in G Major: I. Addaggio 06:44
• 8 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 3 in G Major: II. Spiritoso 05:02
• 9 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 3 in G Major: III. Minueto Variator 06:59
• Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Major:
• 10 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Major: I. Addaggio 08:18
• 11 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Major: II. Vivace 06:31
• 12 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Major: III. Allegro 03:00
• Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major:
• 13 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major: I. Addaggio 07:19
• 14 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major: II. Allegro 05:52
• 15 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major: III. Minueto Variator 09:11
• Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major:
• 16 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major: I. Addaggio 06:26
• 17 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major: II. Allegro 06:07
• 18 Barba: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major: III. Minueto Variator 07:53
• Total Runtime 01:52:17

Info for Dal Barba: Violin Sonatas

Little-known, late-Baroque chamber sonatas by a Veronese contemporary of Bach and Haydn.

Born in Verona in 1715, Daniel del Barba grew up, lived and worked there as a composer, violinist, singer and librettist until retiring in 1791; he died in the city a decade later. When his collection of 12 violin sonatas was composed and published isn’t certain: probably the late 1740s. By then he had become known as a composer for both the stage and the church. These sonatas remain among the few surviving examples of instrumental music in his output, but they tell us that del Barba was a master of his art in the north Italian school of violin writing. The absence of counterpoint and of brilliant virtuoso effects distinguishes these sonatas from Vivaldi and his Venetian contemporaries. The supple melodic ideas, decorative lyric lines, and late Baroque formal designs belong instead to the gentler stile galante, and in particular to the influential style of Giuseppe Tartini, who may have acted as a mentor to del Barba.

Audiences at the time enjoyed the tunefulness of del Barba’s music, its harmonic clarity and sentimental charm.

Almost three centuries on, contemporary listeners may readily respond likewise, thanks to the revival of interest in his music led by Brilliant Classics. An album of Dal Barba’s Requiem (96189) and other sacred music was released late in 2022; this collection of the first six violin sonatas features several distinguished interpreters of Italian early music, led by the violinist Valerio Losito, who has made several critically acclaimed albums for the label.

"Scarlatti’s music is, as always, an infection of delight... Losito and Coen are thoroughly convincing." (Fanfare)

"This is an excellent release… one really should have this album in the collection… The performance by Valerio Losito and Paolo Perrone is finely detailed and energetic…Losito handles the often tortuous passages with ease and musicality." (Fanfare)

Valerio Losito, baroque violin
Federico Del Sordo, harpsichord
Diego Leverić, archlute
Cecilia Medi, baroque bassoon
Andrea Lattarulo, baroque cello
Carlo Calegari, double bass

Valerio Losito
The Baroque violinist and viola d’amore player Valerio Losito graduated with highest honors after studying with Yvonne Ekman in Rome (modern violin) and Enrico Onofri in Palermo (baroque violin). He has performed in concerts throughout Europe, America and Japan, both as a chamber musician and in international orchestras such as the European Union Baroque Orchestra. He has collaborated with major conductors and early music specialists such as Rinaldo Alessandrini, Federico Maria Sardelli, Riccardo Minasi, René Clemencic and Chiara Banchini. Since 2006 he has been playing a Ferdinando Gagliano viola d’amore on loan from the Elsa Peretti Foundation. As a musicologist he has carried out several research projects in libraries all over Italy, and in collaboration with Renato Criscuolo he rediscovered Vivaldi’s motet Vos invito barbarae faces, now identi ed as RV811. Valerio’s rst recording for Brilliant Classics was in 2011, when he performed Domenico Scarlatti’s ‘melobass sonatas’ on the viola d’amore with the harpsichordist Andrea Coen (94242). In 2012 he recorded the album ‘Viola d’amore solo’: a collection of solo music for this instrument (94367). In 2014 his rst CD featuring solo violin sonatas by Carlo Tessarini was released (94787), followed by a recording of violin sonatas by Francesco Maria Veracini from unpublished manuscripts (94822) both of them with the harpsichordist Federico Del Sordo. He has also recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, Naïve, Dynamic, Musicaimmagine Records, CPO and WDR-3.

Booklet for Dal Barba: Violin Sonatas