Geminiani: Sonates pour le violoncelle et basse continue I–VI

If one believes the few testimonies that free the life story of the Italian composer Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) from its historical semi-darkness, then he must have been a true jack-of-all-trades, a spring chicken and a jack of all trades - a musician who was unassimilated by the standards of his time and who did not make things easy for his contemporaries. Later often labelled with the carelessly given epithet "minor master", some of the works of this enterprising and imaginative Italian prove to be extremely fascinating facets in the great musical puzzle that we call "Baroque". These include several collections of sparkling concerti grossi, various publications of sonatas for violin, and the Opus 5 presented here, with six cello sonatas dedicated by their author to none other than the then Prince of Wales. This was undoubtedly a clever move, since His Royal Highness had fallen out with his parents - George II and Caroline - to such an extent that even the music of George Frideric Handel, who was highly esteemed at court, was not appreciated in the household of the heir to the throne. Whether and how Prince Frederick Louis made an effort to obtain Geminiani's Opus 5 is unknown; that he could have taken great pleasure in the six pieces is revealed by the present recording ..