The Avison Ensemble - Corelli: Opus 5 - BBC Radio 3 'Record Review'

Pavlo Beznosiuk in an excerpt of his own set of variations. The same as we just heard Manze playing at the top. Why not take this artistic licence – this was Corelli the virtuoso, engrossed in his own performances and the best player on the fiddle there ever was. His successful career meant he didn’t have to publish Opus 5 because he needed to make a quick fortune in the printing boom – it was a touchstone in the art of violinist technique but it also leads wide open so many performing opportunities and here we find the Devil in the detail or to be precise all those devilish decisions Corelli leaves out. Beznosiuk embraces this challenges and explores with gusto – Angel or Devil it’s all about drama.