Nuove Musiche
thu 17 sep 2026 19:00 hrs
This episode features excerpts from two recent CDs: keyboard sonatas by Baldassare Galuppi and viola sonatas from the Spanish Classical period.
Baldassare Galuppi was the leading composer in Venice after the death of Vivaldi. His popularity was so great that works by Vivaldi were even being sold under Galuppi’s name. He trained as a harpsichordist but was mainly interested in opera. He began his career as a harpsichordist in opera productions and soon started composing arias for operas by other composers. He travelled to England, where several of his operas were performed, although they were not met with universal enthusiasm. After returning to Italy, however, his reputation quickly grew. Later in his career, he devoted himself increasingly to sacred music.
Keyboard music occupies the most important place in his instrumental output. Only two collections of six sonatas each were published during his lifetime, while three other sonatas appeared in collected editions. Most of his keyboard works survived only in manuscript. The thematic catalogue lists 172 sonatas in total, varying considerably in both length and form. Some consist of a single movement, while others have two or three. Italian harpsichordist Alvise De Piero has embarked on a project to record the unpublished sonatas. We’ll listen to three of them today.
The second CD takes us to Spain. During the reigns of Charles III and Charles IV, vacancies in the Royal Chapel were filled through a three-stage audition process. First, candidates had to perform a piece of their own choice. The second stage involved sight-reading a piece selected by the examiners and specially composed for the occasion by one of them. Candidates were given only four or five minutes to study the score.
Spanish violinist Pablo de Pedro Cano has recorded eleven sonatas for viola and basso continuo that were part of this examination repertoire. They date from 1778 to around 1818. As examination pieces, they are all technically demanding. Most of the composers are little known today. The exception is Gaetano Brunetti, who came from Italy. The sonatas featured here were all written by Spanish composers who worked as violinists in the Royal Chapel.
Baldassare Galuppi (1706–1785)
Sonata in F major, R.A. 1.08.02
Sonata in F major, R.A. 1.08.12
Sonata in B-flat major, R.A. 1.16.01
Alvise De Piero (harpsichord)
CD: The Hidden Galuppi, Da Vinci Classics C01176, 2026
Felipe de Los Ríos (1754–1801)
Sonata in C major
Juan Oliver y Astorga (1733–1830)
Sonata in G major
Sonata in F minor
Juan Balado (?–1832)
Sonata in C major
Pablo de Pedro Cano (viola), Lorenzo Meseguer (cello), Samuel Mailló (harpsichord)
CD: The Viola Sonatas from the Royal Chapel of Madrid, Eudora EUD-SACD-2601, 2026
Additional track:
José Lidón (1748–1827)
From Sonata in D major: Larguetto cantabile
CD: see tracks 4–7
Pictured: cover of the CD featuring the viola sonatas
