Pietro & Prospero Castrucci: Sonatas for Violin and B.C. Marco Pedrona & Davide Merello

• Pietro Castrucci (1679 - 1752): Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 3:
• 1 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 3: I. Adagio, Andante 02:03
• 2 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 3: II. Allegro Giusto 03:56
• 3 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 3: II. Giga Allegro 02:16
• Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 12:
• 4 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 12: I. Ciaccona 04:59
• Prospero Castrucci (1690 - 1760): Violin Sonata No. 4:
• 5 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 4: I. Largo 01:22
• 6 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 4: II. Allegro ma non Troppo 02:08
• 7 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 4: III. Allegro 01:26
• Pietro Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 1:
• 8 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 1: I. Allemanda 1 e 2 03:21
• 9 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 1: II. Andantino Moderato 02:24
• 10 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 2 No. 1: III. Andante Staccato 02:10
• Prospero Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 2:
• 11 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 2: I. Largo Assai 01:06
• 12 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 2: II. Allegro 02:24
• 13 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 2: III. Allegro ma non Troppo 04:54
• Pietro Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 4:
• 14 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 4: I. Andante 01:16
• 15 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 4: II. Allegro e Battuto 01:16
• 16 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 4: III. Adagio 01:15
• 17 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 4: IV. Allegro 01:27
• Prospero Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 5:
• 18 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 5: I. Largo 02:45
• 19 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 5: II. Allegro 03:03
• 20 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 5: III. Adagio 00:25
• 21 Castrucci: Violin Sonata No. 5: IV. Allegro Assai 01:52
• Pietro Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 7:
• 22 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 7: I. Adagio 01:42
• 23 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 7: II. Allegro 03:24
• 24 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 7: III. Adagio ma non Tanto 01:13
• 25 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 7: IV. Allegro 01:09
• Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 9:
• 26 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 9: I. Largo 01:42
• 27 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 9: II. Andante 04:04
• 28 Castrucci: Violin Sonata, Op. 1 No. 9: III. Amoroso 01:09
• Total Runtime 01:02:11

Info for Pietro & Prospero Castrucci: Sonatas for Violin and B.C.

Elegant Baroque sonatas for violin and basso continuo by a pair of little-known brothers, Pietro and Prospero, who belonged to Handel’s circle of talents in 18th-century London.

Pietro (1679-1752) and Prospero (1690-1760) Castrucci belong to the generation of virtuosos who connected the development of violin playing from Corelli to Tartini, and took the Italian style abroad, combining it with the latest musical fashions of the time. Born in Rome, they studied with Corelli, but moved to London in 1715, which had become a European capital for music primarily thanks to the patronage of the English aristocracy and the celebrity figure of Handel.

The Castrucci brothers played in Handel’s orchestra at the Royal Academy for the next 20 years, and Handel wrote obbligato parts for them in his operas. Prospero published only one collection, of six sonatas, in 1739; he seems to have been the more conservative of the two brothers, writing in a style reminiscent of his teacher Corelli, albeit decorated with bold flourishes characteristic of Veracini and Locatelli.

The more innovative of the two was Pietro, who became more famous, wrote more prolifically and was published well beyond London. His violin writing is a crucible of invention, featuring bold strokes such as multi-tempo movements, arpeggiated chords on three strings, unisons with basso continuo, inverted mordents, and the kind of ‘arco battuto’ writing that Beethoven would later emulate.

A pupil of Giuliano Carmignola, Marco Pedrona founded Ensemble Guidantus in 1995, specialising in music of the Italian Baroque. With them he has performed across Italy and further afield, giving highly praised performances of the canonic repertoire from Corelli to Pergolesi but also reviving many figures such as the Castrucci brothers.

Marco Pedrona, violin
Davide Merello, organ

Marco Pedrona
He graduated in violin at the 'A. Boito' Conservatory of Music in Parma with Giacomo Monica and subsequently perfected his skills with the masters Franco Gulli, Carlo Chiarappa, Giuliano Carmignola and for chamber music with Franco Rossi.

Winner of various competitions including the "Lorenzo Perosi" in Biella, the "Internazionale di Stresa", the "Franz Schubert" and winner of a scholarship with diploma of merit from the "Artis" association in Verona.

He has performed intensively in various chamber music groups and in Italian orchestras: RAI Milan, Arturo Toscanini Parma, Orchestra Sinfonica di San Remo, Orchestra da camera di Mantova.

He was first violin of the Orchestra Accademia 800 specialising in performances with 19th century philological praxis.

In 1995, he founded the Ensemble Guidantus, an instrumental group specialising in baroque music with a focus on Vivaldi's repertoire. With this Ensemble he has played in Italian and foreign festivals for important concert societies, has recorded CDs (Stradivarius, RS, Arion, Solstice, Enchiriadis, Calliope) and DVDs (IMC Japan) with unanimous acclaim from specialist critics.

Booklet for Pietro & Prospero Castrucci: Sonatas for Violin and B.C.