\u201cEuropa Galante exploits the music\u2019s contrasting dynamics to striking effect, creating pleasing, lightly transparent string textures that allow clear audibility of all parts (\u2026) Tasteful and neatly executed extempore solo ornamentation, some varied reprises and the occasional addition of transitional passages to link movements add to the mix. Fabio Biondi\u2019s playing is sensitive, poetic and freely expansive in the aria-like central Largo and sparkles with articulate energy and technical agility in the fast movements (\u2026) The recording is bright, vivid and ideally balanced.\u201d \u201cWith the Introduttioni, Fabio Biondi serves as conductor, and they are fascinating pieces (\u2026) Biondi wisely adjusts his usual tumultuous, operatic style in favor of a quick, brighter sound with his small Europa Galante ensemble, perceiving correctly that the music can speak for itself. This is an essential album for those closely interested in the pre-Classical period, but it may be equally well recommended to general listeners.\u201d \u201cFor those not accustomed to Biondi\u2019s sound, there\u2019s a real sweetness to it, and he\u2019s a master at giving shape and phrasing. He employs significant vibrato, but in doses, and it\u2019s not continuous.The ensemble\u2019s cohesion, which is on full display in the ritornello of the final movement, is astonishingly tight.In conclusion, this is a strong release from champions of the Italian baroque. If the pieces are new to you, this is among the best you can get.\u201d \u201cBiondi and his friends in Europa Galante opt for a more intriguing Locatelli: the six Introduttioni teatrali (Theatrical Introductions) which constitute the first part of the Opus 4.Few recordings of the Introduttioni teatrali have been made so far. Fabio Biondi\u2019s poetic eloquence brings fresh colours to them, even bringing to mind, at many moments of surprise contemporaneous pieces like Mondonville\u2019s 6 Sonates en symphonie.Pursuing his grand European tour, the ever-voracious Fabio Bondi here closes another loop – and with what a mouthwatering final act\u201d 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\nThe Strad<\/strong><\/a>
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\nALLMUSIC<\/p>\n<\/div>
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\nBIBERFAN<\/a>
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\nPrestomusic<\/a>
\nSeptember 2025<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.europagalante.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/locatelli_800.jpg\" "\\"locatelli_800\\"")
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