Corelli's Op. 6 is a collection not so much of concerti grossi but of unrelated movements clumped (either by the composer or by publisher Estienne Roger) almost arbitrarily into 12 multi-movement sets. This B flat concerto is one of three that falls into only four movements; most of the others compile six or sometimes five or seven movements. This work begins with a measured Adagio built from a slowly see-sawing figure and long silences. Suddenly, the music lurches into a frantic Allegro section, which sounds like a greater workout for the violins than it really is, depending as it does on mad rushes of repeated notes. The movement ends with a brief Adagio section with a little violin cadenza that doesn't quite resolve, leading to the second movement. This is another Adagio, but more flowing than the earlier one, with the two violin sections initially shadowing each other closely, then uniting for a melody spun from very long-held notes, the bass moving gently underneath. The following Allegro maintains an easy pace, the violins antiphonally playing what seems to be a rather slow melody while the bass again provides a more active undercurrent. A brief Adagio passage brings this section to a noble close. The concluding movement begins with a plaintive, hesitant, minor-mode Largo, serving as an introduction to the main Allegro, where the full orchestra blurts out a gigue-like four-note motif that alternates with busy little figures for solo violins and continuo—each exchange of phrases taking just a few seconds and providing this concerto's only truly dance-like material.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.