We shouldn’t forget that the British have something of a share
in the music of Giuseppe Sammartini, in much the same sense
that we have a share in that of Handel. It was in London that
Sammartini died in November 1750. The Whitehall Evening Post
of Saturday 24 November 1750 reported that “Last week died at
his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, Signior S. Martini,
Musick Master to her Royal Highness and thought to be the finest
performer on the hautboy in Europe”. Sammartini had lived and
worked in London since the summer of 1728. His greatest fame,
as this brief obituary implies, was as a performer, in which
capacity he was recorded – and praised – as a member of the
orchestra in works by both Bononcini and Handel. He was appointed
music master to the family of Frederick, Prince of Wales in
1736 and held the post until his death. During his years in
London his chamber music was quite well known; his concertos
were, for the most part, published after his death.
Of the concertos to be heard on this disc, it appears that the
two flute concertos were probably relatively early works, written
before Sammartini’s departure for London. The harpsichord concerto
and the oboe concertos - which latter certainly speak of the
composer’s own mastery and understanding of the instrument -
belong to his years in London and, indeed, suggest how attentively
he had listened to Handel.
Of the two concertos for flute, that in A major turns out, after
a promising start, to be a relatively dull affair. The initial
allegro contains some pleasant melodies and has a charming gracefulness;
however, the ensuing andante (especially) and allegro are somewhat
pedestrian. Invention is better sustained in the D major concerto,
not least in the central siciliano which, though short, sings
out delightfully. In the outer movements the music could surely
benefit from a good deal more vivacity and punch than the present
performers bring to it.
The harpsichord concerto was one of four published posthumously
in London in 1754 (Concertos for the Harpsicord or Organ
with the Instrumental Parts for Violins, etc. Opera Nona,
Printed for I. Walsh). It is an impressive piece, made up of
a stately opening movement (marked andante spiritoso), an allegro
assai which has some attractive writing for the harpsichord,
an andante which has an attractive sense of spaciousness and
contains much attractive interplay between orchestra and soloist,
as does the closing allegro assai, characterised by an unfussy
playfulness. The whole is well-played by Donatella Bianchi -
an assured soloist I don’t remember encountering before - and
I Musici Ambrosiani.
The two oboe concertos which close the disc are preserved in
a manuscript (RM23b8) in the British Library. The manuscript
contains twelve concertos, only the last four of which make
use of the oboe. The first of the two heard here has some striking
writing for the oboe in its first movement, but the following
andante and allegro grab the listener’s attention rather less
than forcefully; there is a degree of ponderous stolidity in
the way the andante is played - though the marking is andante
ma non tanto - and the closing movement (tempo di menuetto)
is a bit short on ideas. The second of these concertos is altogether
more successful. Again in three movements, Sammartini’s writing
is far more than merely well-crafted - the sense one has in
listening to the first of these concertos; here there is consistent
panache, expressed in solo writing of some virtuosity. Sammartini
doubtless had his own abilities in mind when writing it, and
he presumably performed it during his years in London. The brief
central andante is richly expressive and the closing allegro
is infectiously lilting. Francesco Quaranta is heard at his
best here – and so is Sammartini.
Not all the music here is completely persuasive – but the best
is very much so. The performances are always decent – sometimes
much more than that.
Glyn Pursglove
Donatalla Bianchi (harpsichord), Paolo Ferrigato (flute), Franceso
Quaranta (oboe) 
