Corelli: 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6

While the concerto (in which a solo instrument is featured with orchestral accompaniment) has remained a popular music form for hundreds of years, a variation on that form – the concerto grosso – flourished briefly during the baroque period and then disappeared. In a concerto grosso, a small group of instruments called a concertino functions as the “soloist.” Perhaps the preeminent exponent of this form during that period was the great Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli, and his Opus 6 collection of 12 concerti grossi remains one of the most frequently performed and recorded examples of the form. This classic recording by Trevor Pinnock’s highly-regarded English Concert ensemble is one of the best.