Tomaso Albinoni
Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni is best known for the Adagio for strings and organ, a work he did not write, not even in part. The real Albinoni was an important figure in the development of the concerto and an influence on Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach. While there are few unique characteristics in his style, he still managed to impart individuality to his music through his structural schemes and his tendency for repetition. During his lifetime, Albinoni was known for his work in opera, though only two now survive. His most famous authentic work is the Concerto à cinque (Oboe Concerto) in D minor, Op. 9/2.
Not much is known about Albinoni's life. He was the eldest son of a Venetian paper merchant. The family was very well off, and in his adult life Albinoni was financially independent so he did not seek professional employment in music. He thought of himself as an amateur musician, although he was completely trained in his art and on the violin. Initially, Albinoni attempted to compose church music, but didn't meet with much success. However, in 1694, with the publication of 12 trio sonatas, Op. 1, and the production of his opera Zenobia, Regina de Palmireni, Albinoni had found his milieu. In 1705, he married the soprano opera singer Margherita Rimandi. Meanwhile, Albinoni had inherited a portion of his father's estate and opened a singing school. The second (Op. 7) of his four sets of 12 Concerti à cinque appeared in 1715. Margherita was also quite busy during these years, appearing in opera productions as far away as Munich (1720), despite having given birth to seven children. On August 22, 1721, at only about 37 years of age, she died suddenly. Albinoni managed to keep busy during this tragic period, composing more operas, the Sei Balletti e sei sonate a tre, Op. 8 (1722), and his remarkable 12 Concerti à cinque, Op. 9 (1722), which is among the most important and influential instrumental compositions of its time and his most enduring work. With the appearance of the Opp. 8 and 9, the composer's career horizons seemed to broaden. He could confidently look beyond Italian borders now, since his reputation in opera, vocal and instrumental music was clearly spreading throughout Europe. He was invited to Munich, also in 1722, where a production of his opera I veri amici was given as part of the festivities honoring the marriage of the Prince Elector to the daughter of the Emperor. By the early years of the next decade, Albinoni's inspiration began diminishing. After his opera Candalide (1734), his next, Artamene, which he would not complete until 1741, would be his last. The composer had turned back to the instrumental realm in the 1730s, producing his Op. 10 collection, another set of Concerti à cinque, in the years 1735 and 1736. Albinoni suffered from diabetes in his later years and began failing in 1749. He died on January 17, 1751.
Albinoni was at one time accorded a place in the history of music next to Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi. He was extremely prolific and is said to have composed over 80 operas, 40 solo cantatas, 79 sonatas, 59 concerti, and 8 sinfonias. His compositions are extremely individual, and he possessed great gifts as a melodist. They were much admired by Johann Sebastian Bach, who used themes of Albinoni's in several of his keyboard fugues. Bach also used to practice realizing continuo harmonies using Albinoni's basslines and used Albinoni's works for teaching. Albinoni's operas were popular throughout Italy and are very original, but not well-known today because all but two were unpublished. In his oboe concertos, he treated the oboe as a lyrical, melodic instrument, much as the voice would have been treated. At the beginning of the 20th century, editions of his works were published, which is perhaps why the musicologist Remo Giazotto thought that his own Adagio for strings and organ might pass as one of Albinoni's compositions.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
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Adagio in G minor
Klassiek - Released by Zenify Records on 23 mei 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clásicos del Milenio, Tomaso Albinoni
Carmen Piazzini, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Lothar Koch
Klassiek - Released by Piros - Send on 18 apr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albinoni: Complete Solo Oboe Concertos
Concertmuziek - Released by Heritage Records on 1 jan. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albinoni: Adagio en sol mineur & 3 Concerti a cinque, Op. 7
Klassiek - Released by Saphir Productions on 2 jul. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerti a cinque op. 10
Harmonices Mundi & Claudio Astornio
Klassiek - Released by Arts Productions Ltd. on 3 aug. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albinoni Oboe Concertos
Klassiek - Released by Heritage Records on 25 nov. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oboenkonzerte: Albinoni, Mozart, Haydn
Ingo Goritzki, Jochen Müller-Brincken
Klassiek - Released by Claves Records on 1 jan. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baroque Oboe Concertos
Klassiek - Released by Heritage Records on 22 jul. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Baroque
Tomaso Albinoni, Georg Friedrich Händel
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 9 jul. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandes Maestros Del Barroco
Klassiek - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 18 mei 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
50 Must-Have Adagio Masterpieces
Klassiek - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 24 sep. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albinoni - Great Recordings
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 7 jun. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Baroque Masterpieces, Vol. III
Klassiek - Released by ADAGIO on 22 sep. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meditation Classical Music, Vol. I
Klassiek - Released by ADAGIO on 2 nov. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Lo Mejor de la Música Barroca: Los Grandes Clásicos
Klassiek - Released by Piros - Arturos on 28 sep. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ADAGIO IN SOL MINORE PER ARCHI E ORGANO (REVISITED)
Tomaso Albinoni, Francois Myrand
Ambient - Released by François Myrand on 5 apr. 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
De La Musica Antigua Al Barroco
Tomaso Albinoni, Arcangelo Corelli, Domenico Scarlatti
Klassiek - Released by Bomerang Records on 7 aug. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Melancholy Moods
Klassiek - Released by Dream Collection on 31 dec. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albinoni: Adagio
Tomaso Albinoni, Remo Giazotto
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 24 mrt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tomaso Albinoni: Concierto para Trompeta
Klassiek - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 28 feb. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo