Recorder Concertos

Little is known about the childhood of Nicola Fiorenza (1700c-64), except that taught at the Conservatory of S. Maria di Loreto in his home city of Naples from 1742-62, from where he was dismissed for allegedly mistreating pupils after repeated complaints about his rather draconian teaching methods. His surviving works show him to be his own man, cultivating a style that is a skillful blend of Venetian, Neapolitan and French Baroque styles. He was also a very skilled exponent of counterpoint. His music is certainly stands out from the mainstream of late Italian baroque. Fiorenza's four concertos are coupled on this disc with a delightful work by another little known Neapolitan composer - Giovanni Battista Mele (1694?-after 1752). Hios lively and cleverly composed concerto for recorder and strings is a real discovery, and is his only known concerto.