Programme
Italian music for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo
London, First Half of the 18th century
Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)Sonata I, Op. 5 for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo in D major(12 Sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo, Op. 5, London 1700)Grave/Allegro/Adagio – Allegro – Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
Giuseppe Valentini (c. 1680–1752)Allettamento XII, Op. 8 for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo in D minor(XII Solos for Violin or Violoncello with a Thorough Bass, Op. 8, London 1720)Adagio – Presto – Largo – Allegro – Presto
Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762)Sonata IV, Op. 5 for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo in D major(6 Sonatas for Violoncello and Basso Continuo, Op. 5, in the composer’s transcription for Violin and Basso Continuo, London 1747)Andante – Allegro moderato – Grave – Allegro
Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)Three Sonatas for harpsichord solo
Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762)Sonata VI, Op. 5 for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo in D minor(6 Sonatas for Violoncello and Basso Continuo, Op. 5, in the composer’s transcription for Violin and Basso Continuo, London 1747)Adagio – Presto – Adagio – Allegro
Andrea Caporale (?–c. 1757)Sonata III for violoncello piccolo and basso continuo in D major(6 Solos for Violoncello and Basso Continuo, London 1746)Adagio – Allegro – Cantabile
Performers
Dimos Goudaroulis – 4 strings violoncello piccolo
Bruno Procopio – harpsichord
Programme Notes
Italian Music for Violoncello Piccolo and Basso ContinuoLondon, First Half of the Eighteenth Century
The four-string violoncello piccolo, a rare instrument situated between the violin and the cello, found in cosmopolitan London of the eighteenth century a privileged field of expression. A flourishing musical capital, the city attracted many Italian musicians – Corelli, Valentini, Geminiani, Caporale – who transformed the local scene and helped to shape a distinct English school of cello playing.
This programme reflects that vitality. Corelli opens with a sonata from his Opus 5, a quintessential emblem of Italian taste that inspired Europe at large. Valentini, ever inventive, pushes the instrument to its limits with the Allettamento XII, a bold work demanding rare virtuosity for its time. Caporale, active in London, offers in his Sonata III an elegant and cantabile art. Geminiani – Corelli’s pupil and indefatigable traveller – is represented by two sonatas from his Opus 5, published in London in 1747 in a version enriched with ornaments and variations. Finally, Domenico Scarlatti is evoked through three sonatas drawn from his only printed collection, the Essercizi per gravicembalo, published in London in 1739, which reveal the European resonance of his genius.
Yet beyond the scores, it is the encounter of two exceptional musicians that gives this concert its true distinction: Dimos Goudaroulis, cosmopolitan cellist and pioneer of the violoncello piccolo, and Bruno Procopio, harpsichordist and conductor of international standing. Their dialogue, at once erudite and poetic, brings vividly to life the Italian baroque spirit that once animated London.
Biographies
Dimos Goudaroulis – Cello
A musician of remarkable versatility, Dimos Goudaroulis has established himself for over three decades as a distinctive voice on the cello. Born in Greece in 1970, he studied in Thessaloniki before moving to Paris to work with Philippe Muller and Reine Flachot. Early in his career he broadened his horizons by exploring jazz and improvisation, before dedicating himself to historically informed performance on period instruments.
Settling in Brazil in 1996, he developed a rich artistic and pedagogical career. For ten years he taught at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and, in 2003, received the prestigious Carlos Gomes Prize as Best Soloist of the Year. His acclaimed recording of Bach’s Cello Suites was awarded the Prêmio Bravo de Cultura in 2008 as Best Classical Album. His collaborations span an extraordinary range, from jazz legends Max Roach and Lee Konitz to early-music pioneers such as Nicolau de Figueiredo, as well as Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti.
A recognised specialist of the four- and five-string violoncello piccolo, he recorded in 2010 with Nicolau de Figueiredo Le Ténor perdu, a landmark album featuring world-premiere works. In 2012, his stage project Logos – Dialogos brought Bach’s Suites into dialogue with six leading Brazilian choreographers.
Since returning to Greece in 2015, he has taught at the National Conservatoire of Thessaloniki and directs the Thessaloniki Baroque Music Festival. Performing widely across Europe, the Americas and Canada, he focuses on eighteenth-century repertoire on period instruments, while remaining faithful to improvisation — a defining feature of his musical identity. His discography numbers over forty recordings.
Bruno Procopio – Harpsichordist and Conductor
Graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, Bruno Procopio has forged a distinctive career as both harpsichordist and conductor, appearing in many of the world’s foremost venues and festivals including the Margrave’s Opera House in Bayreuth, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Edinburgh International Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, Bozar in Brussels, Les Folles Journées in Nantes, La Chaise-Dieu Festival, Simón Bolívar Hall in Caracas, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Fundação Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Festival Berlioz, and the Centro Cultural de Belém. His international tours have taken him across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.
He has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Liège Royal Philharmonic, Orchestre Lamoureux, Les Siècles, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and the Minas Gerais Philharmonic, among many others.
In 2019 he created the Jeune Orchestre Rameau, a cosmopolitan period-instrument ensemble whose debut recording was awarded the Prix d’Excellence by Scherzo.
A noted opera conductor at Rio de Janeiro’s Theatro Municipal, his productions have included the modern premiere of Marcos Portugal’s L’Oro non compra amore and Sacchini’s Renaud, in collaboration with the Palazzetto Bru Zane.
As harpsichordist, Procopio has recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Partitas, and Viola da gamba Sonatas, Rameau’s complete Pièces de clavecin en concert, and Couperin’s Portrait d’Iris. His recordings have received international acclaim, including Choc de Classica, 5 Diapasons, and Album of the Week from Le Figaro and Classic FM. Founder of Paraty Productions, a label distributed worldwide by Universal, he has produced more than 500 albums and supported over 150 artists, with the label awarded France’s Victoire de la Musique Classique.