RICCI, Francesco Pasquale: Six Sinfonias, Opus II - Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Emi Ohi Resnick, Jan Willem de Vriend

SIX SINFONIAS OPUS II
Composer(s):
Francesco Pasquale Ricci (1732-1817)

Artist(s): Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Emi Ohi Resnick, Jan Willem de Vriend

For fourteen years Ricci (Como) was a regular guest at the court in The Hague. There he was a ‘musicien particulier’ and he wrote several works, chiefly instrumental, for the prince and other members of the court. Several of these compositions were published there, in Amsterdam or London. His opus 2, a volume containing six symphonies, was published in Amsterdam in 1766. The orchestra was a standard one as it had been used in Italy since 1720: two oboes, horn, violin, viola and double bass, and a harpsichord if desired. As to length, form and content, these works can hardly be likened to the symphonies of Mozart and Haydn. They are short pieces consisting of three movements, simple in tone, but very entertaining. Both harmonically and thematically, the music is very accessible. One or two passages, such as the first movement of the second symphony, present a small harmonic challenge to the listener. There is also variation in the instrumentation: in the minuet of the third symphony, Ricci suddenly presents a transverse flute. And the fourth and final symphony is even a concerto in disguise, including the cadenza at the end of the second movement. The Radio Kamer Filharmonie (RKF) was founded in 2005 and is made up of a base of approximately sixty musicians that can when necessary be expanded to full symphony orchestra size or can be reduced to a chamber orchestra. Jan Willem de Vriend studied violin at the conservatories of Amsterdam and The Hague and founded the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam in 1982. As concert master and artistic director he has directed many extraordinary concerts and opera productions in the Netherlands and abroad. Jan Willem de Vriend leads his orchestra with a flourish in these refreshing pieces that have an allure and style that cannot be missed.

Six Sinfonias Opus II
Sinfonia 1 in D major
1 Spirito assai 03:17
2 Andante 03:20
3 Presto 02:11

Sinfonia 2 in G major
4 Con brio 05:00
5 Dilemma: Andante 01:43
6 Presto 01:22

Sinfonia 3 in G major
7 Allegro assai 02:46
8 Grazioso 02:04
9 Menuetto molto vivace 04:32

Sinfonia 4 in B flat major
10 Con brio 05:38
11 Largo sostenuto 04:26
12 Presto 03:28

Sinfonia 5 in E flat major
13 Spriritoso 06:28
14 Menuetto maestoso 03:48

Sinfonia 6 in G major
15 Finale: Vivace 01:18
16 Andante 01:02
17 Presto 01:12