This recording features all twelve of George Frideric Handel’s Concerti Grossi opus 6. It is performed by one of the most acclaimed period instrument groups on the current musical scene, the Combattimento Consort, Amsterdam under the direction of its founder Jan Willem de Vriend.

The conductor Jan Willem de Vriend’s international profile has leapt recently with a muchadmired set of Beethoven Symphonies for Challenge (CC72550). Having studied the violin at the conservatories of Amsterdam and Den Haag, de Vriend went on to found the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam in 1982. In his capacity as violinist and artistic director of this ensemble he has conducted numerous concerts and opera productions both in the Netherlands and abroad. The Consort’s repertoire concentrates on the period 1600-1800, not only familiar works but also lesser-known masterpieces, which are often only available in manuscript form. In 2007 they presented Arminio, Biber’s only surviving opera. Over the years, they have developed a distinctive style of playing, which has even come to be known as the “Combattimento School” of performance.

The creative riches of structure and the broad diversity of styles that Handel exhibits in the 12 Concerti Grossi opus 6, HWV319-330, has led to them being considered alongside Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos as one of the great monuments of Baroque instrumental music. First published in London in 1739, they take the works of Arcangelo Corelli as models, and are scored for a concertino trio of two violins and cello, alongside a four-part string orchestra and harpsichord continuo.