The many sonatas of the violinist-composer Antonio Bertali testify to the imperial splendour and culture at the Viennese court circa 1650. Famous in his lifetime as a violinist in the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona from 1620 to 1624, Bertali left for Vienna where he was appointed Kapellmeister in 1649, holding this position until his death in 1669. The collection presented here brings together 12 sonatas for three or four instruments and continuo and proves that Bertali succeeded in creating a musical oeuvre of great melodic beauty and considerable intellectual depth. After Bononcini (A335), Conti (A309), Caldara (A324) and Viviani (A302), the Austrian-born, Italian-based Gunar Letzbor continues his research on Austro-Italian connections in the Baroque Era. Letzbor studied composition, conducting and violin at Linz, Salzburg and Cologne. His encounters with Nicolaus Harnoncourt and Reinhard Goebel ignited a deep passion for period instruments and performance practice, leading him to perform with Musica Antiqua Köln, the Clemencic Consort, Armonico Tributo Basel and the Wiener Akademie. In 1995 Gunar Letzbor founded his own ensemble, Ars Antiqua Austria, an instrumental ensemble of varying size dedicated in particular to the exploration of the rich, but neglected, baroque repertoire of his native country and its neighbours.
