Sammartini is an important composer in the history of the symphony, but that doesn’t mean that he wrote important symphonies. These brief, pleasant works, all in three movements (No. 62 has an alternative finale), contain much Vivaldian passagework and some aptly songful tunes in the slow bits, but little else memorable or distinctive. The two works in minor keys, Nos. 9 and 23, are more interesting by virtue of that fact, and the occasional presence of a pair of horns or trumpets adds interest to the prevailing string sonority. But let’s not kid ourselves: this is pretty lightweight stuff. That said, the performances are lively and spirited, with good string tone and a correctly subservient balancing of the continuo harpsichord whenever it appears. The Aradia Ensemble is a Canadian group based in Toronto, and on evidence here it would be nice to hear them in more substantial fare. Very good engineering too.
