The Metropolitan Soloists take us back to the beginning of the 18th century, playing music by four Italian celebrities of the time, when the violin already had a prominent place in European instrumental music. When it came to sonatas for violin and basso continuo, the most important reference was the book Op. 5 that Arcangelo Corelli published in Rome in 1700. So that’s where it all begins, with the third of the twelve sonatas in this collection. In chronological order, there follow three other sonatas that demonstrate how this influence spread on a continental scale. Michele Mascitti published Op. 2 in Paris in 1707. Antonio Vivaldi published his Op. 2 in Venice in 1709, but after two years in Amsterdam. As early as 1716, Francesco Geminiani published his first book of twelve sonatas in London.

Settecento
Soloists from the Metropolitana

A. Corelli Violin Sonata in C Major, Op. 5/3
M. Mascitti Chamber Sonata in D Major, Op. 2/1
A. Vivaldi Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 2/3, RV 14
F. Geminiani Sonata in C Minor, Op. 1/7

Ágnes Sárosi violin
Fernando Miguel Jalôto harpsichord