Geminiani - Alison McGillivray - The Herald

Baroque composer Francesco Geminiani was a man who experienced a number of frustrations and disappointments throughout his professional career. Indeed, at one point, he wrote: "I have lived to be most miserably disappointed." He was disappointed at the attitude of both musicians and the public, which, he felt, was "content to nourish insipidity". To whatever extent his views might have discouraged succeeding generations from championing his music, fortunately, cellist Alison McGillivray and harpsichordist David Guinness have been untouched by negative influences. Their recording of Geminiani's opus 5 Cello Sonatas, as well as a number of his keyboard pieces, is an absolute gem, an exquisite disc that reflects at every turn the refinement and sophistication of the composer's technique, as well as the astonishing range of moods he encapsulates within his delightful compositions, from melancholy to sheer wit and exuberance. Even for baroque agnostics, the disc, with its endless stream of stylish and imaginative performance strokes, is absolutely convincing.