Enrico Casularo, Jonathan Nubel, Anne Kirchmeier, Ensemble Afflatus - Valentine: Chamber Music (2025)

Tracklist

01. Concerto in D Major: I. Allegro
02. Concerto in D Major: II. Largo
03. Concerto in D Major: III. Presto
04. Concerto in D Major: IV. Affettuoso
05. Sonata No. 6, Op. 13 in D Minor: I. Adagio
06. Sonata No. 6, Op. 13 in D Minor: I. Allegro
07. Sonata No. 6, Op. 13 in D Minor: II. Adagio
08. Sonata No. 6, Op. 13 in D Minor: V. Giga Allegro
09. Sonata No. 6, Op. 13 in D Minor: V. Allegro
10. Sonata No. 6 La Frascati in D Major: I. Allegro
11. Sonata No. 6 La Frascati in D Major: II. Andante
12. Sonata No. 6 La Frascati in D Major: III. Allegro
13. Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 13: I. Adagio
14. Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 13: II. Allegro
15. Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 13: III. Adagio
16. Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 13: IV. Allegro
17. Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 13: V. Minuetto Allegro
18. Sonata No. 6 in A Minor: I. Adagio
19. Sonata No. 6 in A Minor: II. Allegro
20. Sonata No. 6 in A Minor: III. Adagio
21. Sonata No. 6 in A Minor: IV. Giga Allegro
22. Sonata No. 6 in A Minor: V. Minuetto Allegro
23. Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: I. Adagio
24. Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: II. Allegro
25. Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: III. Adagio
26. Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: IV. Allegro

New recordings of High-Baroque concertos and sonatas by a forgotten English composer living in 18th-century Rome.
Born in Leicester around 1673, Robert Valentine came from a family of musicians, but found his vocation and his career path once he moved to Rome in his 20s. Working as a violinist and flautist for several churches, he was evidently proficient in several other instruments such as the oboe, and quickly found his feet as a composer with an ear for public taste, and the ability to translate his instrumental virtuosity into original invention on the page.
The present album takes a representative sample of that fluent invention with sonatas and ‘concertos’ (also written for chamber forces) from several different collections. A Sonata for two recorders holds instant appeal for anyone captivated by Vivaldi’s writing for the instrument. A Concerto in B flat, for recorder, two violins and ensemble, is worthy of comparison with the work of the Venetian master, for its brilliance and intensity.
By contrast, the style of the ‘Concerto con Flauto Traversiero’ leans towards a crystalline simplicity, well suited to the delicate sound of the transverse flute of the period, and capable of producing those chiaroscuro effects and dynamic nuances that the recorder lacks. In each case, Valentine writes sensitively for his chosen forces. A pair of sonatas for flute and basso continuo, published in 1735 as part of Valentine’s Op.13, are effectively elegant Baroque dance-suites – whereas an Op.13 published elsewhere under Valentine’s name includes a violin sonata written in the galant style, full of rustic fanfares and flourishes.
Founded and led by the flautist Enrico Casularo, Ensemble Afflatus specialises in the performance and recording of little-known, often unpublished music from 18th-century Italy. Casulero is also an editor of this repertoire, and a teacher of Baroque flute at the Santa Cecilia conservatoire in Rome. He is joined here by colleagues with no less expertise in the repertoire, and the album makes an ideal introduction to the art of Robert Valentine.

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