The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and its concertmasters Mayumi Hirasaki and Georg Kallweit have taken the six great concertos by Arcangelo Corelli from the sheet music shelf to record them for PentaTone. This much can be revealed in advance: It turned out well.

The six concerti grossi have already been dubbed ‘the essence of the genre’, as they are extremely sophisticated compositions that triggered a veritable run on the Italian capital at the beginning of the 18th century when the Roman master presented them to the public. The reasons: Revolution and elegance.

The revolution of the great concertos consisted in the structure of the orchestra: Corelli juxtaposed a small orchestra with a large one, which created dynamism. And then he interwove the string parts of both orchestras in a way that was so clever and well thought out that all the dynamics dissolved into melodiousness, warmth and elegance.

This warmth and elegance also characterises the Berliners' recording. The overall sound of the ensemble is harmonious throughout, and the sensitivity with which Corelli's compositions are performed is remarkable. The transitions between the passages of the small and large orchestra are fluid and the placement of the musicians results in a flowing interplay from right to left to right, like a stereo greeting from the 18th century.

The stage for this performance is spacious, but not lavish. This is a good thing, as it means that the concerti remain compact and do not meander offstage musically. The separation of the instruments is precise, with the strings appearing more as a group, which is partly thanks to the very synchronised playing of the performers.

The only thing that sometimes stands out is the clarity of the treble. The steel-stringed violins sometimes seem a little too harsh, but this is very well compensated for by the bowing. It would be exciting to hear the recording with period instruments. It would easily be the gold standard.

But even so, the Corelli Concerti grossi Op. 6, 1-6 in the latest recording by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Mayumi Hirasaki and Georg Kallweit, are an outstanding recording that is a great pleasure to listen to.

A well-deserved listening tip. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Mayumi Hirasaki, concertmaster
Georg Kallweit, concertmaster

Photo: Uwe Arens