Popular since their publication, Corelli's two sets of chamber sonatas are a pinnacle of Baroque Italian instrumental music. They demonstrate a superior level of craftsmanship; they are of the highest quality, exquisitely refined and a good example of perfection in music. Arcangelo Corelli The Italian violinist Arcangelo Corelli was not a prolific composer. In total he published six collections of music, all of which consist of instrumental music alone. Nevertheless, Corelli is held to be one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era and his music was widely disseminated and reissued many times. Corelli's significance as a composer is due to his influence. Many other composers found his work to be a perfect model for their own compositions; as such, sonatas and concertos in the Corellian style were produced in vast quantities throughout Europe. His Op. 6 Concerti Grossi, published posthumously in 1714, were well received, as were his Op. 5 Violin Sonatas from 1700. The Op. 5 was one of the most successful works of all-time, as shown by the immense number of reprints that appeared in the century after its first publication. Nevertheless, Corelli first found fame as a composer of trio sonatas, of which he published four sets of twelve between 1681 and 1694. Corelli was born on 17 February 1653 in Fusignano, a small provincial town, less than a month after the death of his father and in whose memory he was named. He studied the violin locally before he moved to Lugo and then to Bologna no earlier than 1666; by 1675 Corelli had relocated to Rome where he worked for a series of patrons. His first patron was Queen Christina of Sweden, to whom he dedicated his 1681 Op. 1 trio sonatas. After a change in her financial circumstances, Corelli had no option but to leave Queen Christina's service and by 1684 had entered the employment of Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili. Pamphili, who had inherited his wealth from his parents, was of a more worldly nature than one would expect of a cardinal. Much to the Pope's disapproval, Pamphili was a regular patron of the theatre and held extravagant parties at his family villa in Cecchignola. Additionally, he was also well known for his investments in the arts. Corelli performed in Pamphili's orchestra and honoured his illustrious benefactor through the dedication of his 1685 Op. 2 sonatas, in which he described Pamphili as a ‘worthy...protector of the Muses.' fragment bookletu © Simon D. I. Fleming, 2013 ‘The Avison Ensemble offer suave, personable performances, allowing this exquisitely engaging music to do its own work.’ The Sunday Times ‘What emerges in Pavlo Beznosiuk’s supple performance with the Avison Ensemble is music of immense suavity and elegance – from the enchanting Largo of the 6th, to the tender pastoral of the Christmas Concerto.’ The Independent