Corelli – Sonata ‘La Folia’ and other sonatas

Arcangelo Corelli was born into a wealthy family in the small Italian town of Fusignano in 1653. His musical studies began in earnest when he moved to Bologna in 1666; four years later he was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica there. By 1675 he was in Rome, where the young ‘Arcangelo bolognese’ became known as a rising star among the fine violinists of the city. He regularly performed at the highly elaborate church services that were major musical attractions in Rome, as well as frequently taking part in oratorios and operas. In about 1679 he entered the service of the exiled Queen Christina of Sweden as a chamber musician. To this remarkable lady, a discerning music-lover who had abdicated her throne and embraced Roman Catholicism in 1654, Corelli dedicated his first printed collection of trio sonatas (Op 1, 1681).