When it comes to the concerto grosso, Corelli, Vivaldi, and Handel pretty much own the field. But that doesn’t mean many others didn’t succeed in the form (which came to embrace several different structural types and hybrids), and Pietro Castrucci, who spent nearly half of his professional life as leader of Handel’s opera orchestra, is one of them. Having met Handel during the German composer’s Italian sojourn in 1707/08, Castrucci eventually wound up in London, having established quite a reputation in Italy as a violinist, reputedly managing “24 or even 25 notes on one stroke of the bow. . .” Among his other credentials are his reputed study with Corelli and his service (during his pre-London years) in the famed “virtuosi di canto e suono” of Francesco Maria Ruspoli in Rome.
Although Castrucci’s composing skills are competent, he’s no Corelli–or Vivaldi–or Handel. For a virtuoso violinist, these compositions are surprisingly moderate in their demands on the concertino players; and in these six selections from his 12 Op. 3 concertos, we find no sign of Handelian melodic genius nor of that same composer’s theatrical capacity for touching a variety of emotions, with slow movements that pull at the heart and fast movements that dance off the page. So much for what Castrucci isn’t–what he is, on evidence of these examples, is a composer who has mastered form and style, who knows how to write for strings and knows how to get to the point, but whose limited creative imagination results in derivative (mostly of Corelli) albeit very delightful concert works.
And entertaining, too, thanks to these enthusiastic, well-articulated performances by violinist/conductor Anton Steck and his period-instrument Handel Festival Orchestra Halle. Not only do they produce the requisite precision of bowing that delivers excellent ensemble, but the players really dig into these pieces with the kind of energy that makes you imagine sparks flying. No one’s making any apologies for the absence of a masterpiece here! And it’s all set in a generously resonant yet finely detailed sonic environment that gives brilliance to the top end and plenty of weight (nearly too much) to the lower instruments. This disc will make a fine addition to the Baroque instrumental music section of your library–a chance to experience some of the music those 18th-century Londoners were hearing when Handel had the night off (although the skimpy disc time–only 46:21–is quite a bit less than we’re used to these days).
