Trio Sonatas 1655

Trio Sonatas 1655

During his lifetime Giovanni Legrenzi had great success as a musician and composer, and even today his significance has continued to be recognized. Legrenzi is recognized as the most richly imaginative representative of the Venetian late baroque period, and both Bach and Handel borrowed themes from him for their own compositions. Although a complete, reliable biography is still lacking, it is certain that Legrenzi, during his time as organist at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, produced an important cycle of trio sonatas with his Sonatas op. 2. The present CD preserves something of the magnificent sacred music heard on the lofts of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in the seventeenth century. The sonatas fascinate us with their thematic trenchancy, clearly delineated motivic cores, and rhythmic energy. The period instrument ensemble Parnassi Musici of Freiburg perform these works flawlessly.