Giuseppe Torelli

Sinfonia (Sonata) in A major TV 50

Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) was the leading composer of instrumental music in a flourishing school of composers active in Bologna in the second half of the seventeenth century and the opening decades of the eighteenth. This impressive sinfonia, published here for the first time, exists in two versions, both authentic. The original version is a sonata for two violins with strong concerto-like elements. The later version turns the work into a fully fledged concerto for two solo violins and orchestral strings (now including viola and violone). Either version can be played from the present score and parts.