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Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli
Sonate da Camera for violin and continuo,
vol.1, sonatas 1–6
ed Michael Talbot
Edition HH, HH280.fsp, Bicester, 2011 (ringbound, £35)
ISMN 979 0 708092 30 8
Lest we pretend the UK had any purebred indigenous baroque music, here’s another reminder of how much we owe to Europe and the free movement of musicians. Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli – or John Stephen Carbonell as he later styled himself – was one of umpteen virtuoso violinists imported by Italophile rich Brits in the 18th century. Some went home, others stayed to lead our orchestras and create a distinct Italo-Anglo repertoire. Carbonelli eventually made a name as wine merchant to the royal court, but he was classy enough as a violinist for Vivaldi to write him a personalised concerto (Il Carbonelli) and his own music is stately, taut and elegant in the hands of Bojan Čičić (a UK-based Croatian violinist) and his excellent Illyria Consort. They sound effortlessly stylish in these six chamber sonatas – Čičić makes even the high-wire showy stuff sing with a lyricism that is shapely, aerated and totally unforced.
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Carbonelli, Volume 1