PASSION: SONATAS FOR CELLO

DOMENICO SILVIO PASSIONI (1682 – 1761)

SONATAS FOR CELLO & CONTINUO (Amsterdam, 1718)

Sonata V in B-flat Major
Sonata VI in D Major
Sonata X in C Major
Sonata III in D minor (D minor)
Sonata VII in D Major
Sonata I in F Major
Sonata VIII in C Major
Sonata XII in A Major

ENSEMBLE THE CONTINUOUS

GIOELE GUSBERTI, cello
CLAUDIO FRIGERIO, cello
MARIJA JOVANOVIC, harpsichord

1 CD WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Passionei conceived this collection with the aim of enjoying it, and it has the same purpose for us, as we immerse ourselves in its dense rhetoric and gain new insights. Just as Passionei chose to publish his work to contribute to the ever-growing cello repertoire and showcase his instrumental knowledge, so we have chosen to publish this effort as a contribution to the rediscovery of Passionei's brilliance. We have therefore chosen only eight of the twelve sonatas where we are convinced we have arrived at a convincing vision of his compositional thought, the fruit of in-depth cello studies.

Passionei conceived this bundle of cello sonatas with the noble aim of amusement and as it is for us to enjoy his rhetoric and gain more knowledge from it. He published the sonatas to enrich the cello repertoire, as we did through our recording. We wanted to give a sincere contribution to the genius of Passionei and to our history as artists. Therefore we chose only eight of the twelve Sonatas in which we think to have achieved the composer's compositional vision as a result of a serious research about the cello practice.

Front cover: When I said I can see me in your eyes by Gianmario Masala. www.gianmariomasala.com