Händel, Van Wassenaer: Concerti grossi & 6 Concerti Armonici

Handel wrote his Corelli-inspired concerti grossi in 1739. He adopted the existing form for the genre, but achieved a new range of expression within it. Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer was a Dutch nobleman whose Concerti armonici of 1740 were long attributed to Pergolesi. (Indeed, Stravinsky quoted Wassenaer in Pulcinella thinking he was borrowing from Pergolesi.) Four independent violin parts contribute to their rich textures.

The distinguished Dutch keyboard-player and conductor Ton Koopman (b.1944) founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979. The group consists of internationally renowned baroque specialists.