I Solisti Ambrosiani: Giardini

The Strad Issue: March 2026

Description: Music of galant charm undermined by technical issues

Musicians: I Solisti Ambrosiani

Works: Giardini: Six Sonatas for violin and continuo op.1

Catalogue number: TACTUS TC710704

Felice Giardini’s op.1 Sonatas each comprise three movements and combine mostly Baroque structures with a predominantly galant idiom.

Violinist Davide Belosio boldly tackles their challenging bowings, wide leaps, double- and multiple-stopping, harmonics and passages of high tessitura, skilfully negotiating the slurred staccatos in no.1’s Minuetto and no.2’s opening Allegro and producing clear, bell-like single and double harmonics in the last two movements of no.6.

He makes modest attempts to add extempore ornamentation in most repeated sections and aptly recreates Giardini’s reported elegant lyricism in the central Adagios of nos.3 and 4.

Belosio’s performances are not unqualified successes, however. They are marred by insecure and sour intonation, particularly in sections of double-stopping, an apparent awkwardness in shifting, abrupt phrasal delivery and a lack of spontaneity and direction in interpreting the composer’s written-out ornamental passages, notably in the final bars of the slow movements of nos.2 and 5.

Tempos for the outer movements are generally cautious and more might have been made of the dynamic contrasts clearly notated in Giardini’s 1751 publication.

Although their continuo support is studiously diligent, harpsichordist Nicola Bisotti’s contribution lacks real flair and imagination and cellist Claudio Frigerio seems too prominent in a close recording that also admits undesirable extra-musical noise.

ROBIN STOWELL