Charles Avison was one of the most influential musicians
in eighteenth century England, both as a composer and as a writer of
music. He was born in Newcastle in 1709 and despite lucrative offers
of prestigious posts elsewhere he remained in his home city as cathedral
organist. He also organised subscription concerts in Newcastle and also
Durham.
Avison wrote about 60 concerti grossi. The twelve concerti
of opus 9 were published in 1766 in London and are designed to be played
in different ways including as keyboard solo or as string quartets.
On this recording No 4 is played as a string quartet and the remainder
as five strings plus either a harpsichord or organ. Each concerto is
written in four movements starting with a slow movement and then alternating
fast and slow movements.
The works are melodic and interesting to listen to
and Avison obviously had developed his own distinctive style which is
tinged with a slight touch of melancholy. They are played here with
style, using period instrumentation and recorded in a sympathetic acoustic
where every note can clearly be heard. It is well presented in an attractively
designed cover and with good notes. The only black mark is that with
only 46½ minutes of recording it does not represent good value although
the mid-price compensates to some extent. The music is so enjoyable
that it is a pity that more concerti were not included.
Overall this is an attractive and interesting disc
which can be fully recommended to anyone interested in early English
music.
Arthur Baker
See also review
by David Wright
The Georgian Concert, leader
Simon Jones