Concerto a cinque, Op. 2 No. 4 in c minor Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Albinoni was the son of a well-to-do paper merchant who owned several
shops in Venice and some landed property. Little is known of his early life and
education—the composer, Legrenzi, is sometimes suggested as a possible teacher.
Because of his relative economic comfort, Albinoni was content to compose as a
dilettante, or a man of means who delighted himself and others through music.
(The Venetian, Benedetto Marcello, also fits into this category.)
His output is of legendary proportions. The libretto
of his penultimate opera, Candalide, (1734), describes it as his eightieth! The
concerto heard this evening is part of his opus 2, published in Venice in 1700.
In spite of the more common scoring for two violin parts, one viola part, and basso
continuo (the distribution favored mostly at this time), Albinoni cast these
works in five parts, hence the name, "a cinque." The scoring produces
a rich and busy texture, which, coupled with the composer's fine melodic sense,
affords to the listener a wonderful feeling of logic and luxury. David Schrader
Classical Music | Ensemble Music
Tomaso Albinoni
Concerto a cinque, Op. 2 No. 4 Play
Recorded on 06/05/2008, uploaded on 10/10/2010
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Concerto a cinque, Op. 2 No. 4 in c minor Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Albinoni was the son of a well-to-do paper merchant who owned several shops in Venice and some landed property. Little is known of his early life and education—the composer, Legrenzi, is sometimes suggested as a possible teacher. Because of his relative economic comfort, Albinoni was content to compose as a dilettante, or a man of means who delighted himself and others through music. (The Venetian, Benedetto Marcello, also fits into this category.)
His output is of legendary proportions. The libretto of his penultimate opera, Candalide, (1734), describes it as his eightieth! The concerto heard this evening is part of his opus 2, published in Venice in 1700. In spite of the more common scoring for two violin parts, one viola part, and basso continuo (the distribution favored mostly at this time), Albinoni cast these works in five parts, hence the name, "a cinque." The scoring produces a rich and busy texture, which, coupled with the composer's fine melodic sense, affords to the listener a wonderful feeling of logic and luxury. David SchraderMore music by Tomaso Albinoni
Sinfonia a cinque in g minor
Trio sonata Op. 1, no. 1 in D minor
Oboe Concerto in D Minor Op. 9, no. 2
Performances by same musician(s)
Suite from Bourgeois gentillomme
Suite from Les Indes Galantes
Harpsichord Concerto in d minor
Orchestral Suite No. 2 in b minor
Trio Sonata in d minor "La follia" Op. 1 No. 12
Cello Sonata in B-flat Major
Aria Sopra "La Bergamesca"
Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major
Sinfonia Dall' oratorio Il Giosuè
Passacaglia
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