Manfredo Kraemer & Rare Fruits Council - Venezia: Rosenmüller, Legrenzi, Stradella (2011)

The curiously named Rare Fruits Council is a small group led by Argentine-German violinist Manfredo Kraemer. It has a good sound for the small-ensemble instrumental music of the late 17th century; Kraemer's violin in particular has an uncannily vocal sound at times. The program offers music by three composers who were active in Venice around 1670: the German Johann Rosenmüller, who fled to Italy after being charged with child sexual abuse, and native Italians Giovanni Legrenzi and Alessandro Stradella. For the casual listener, 13 of these sonatas in a row may be a lot; all are written for a group of from two to five stringed instruments, and all consist of a single, long movement made up of short sections in different tempos and textures. If you have been snared by the music of the 17th century you're likely to get a lot out of the program, which will attune your ear a bit to how a Venetian audience of the day might have heard the music and the differences among the three composers. Legrenzi and Rosenmüller were roughly contemporary (Legrenzi was a bit older), but Rosenmüller's sonatas have a certain German formality, with symmetrical shapes and a comparatively greater use of counterpoint. Stradella, roughly 20 years younger than Rosenmüller, is the one who points the way toward the high Baroque and the bifurcation into solo sonata and concerto that was soon to come; his sonatas fall into cleaner sections and have a more virtuosic treatment of the individual contributions. Recommended for Baroque enthusiasts. -- James Manheim