Giovanni Battista Fontana - Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Basso Continuo

Website: https://chathambaroque.org ______________________________ Giovanni Battista Fontana (1589-1630) Sonata No. 2 in D Major for Violin and Basso Continuo Chatham Baroque Andrew Fouts (violin) Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba) Scott Pauley (theorbo) ______________________________ The 2020 pandemic has uprooted plans for graduation celebrations, travel, family weddings, reunions and much more. (And if only that, one feels fortunate!) So it was with great pleasure that Andrew Fouts, Scott Pauley, and I gathered together for the first time since February to record Giovanni Battista Fontana’s Sonata No. 2 in D Major in the beautiful sanctuary of Calvary Episcopal Church. Fontana’s creative output was small, unfortunately. He died in Padua from the 1629-31 plague 11 years before the publication of his only collection of music. Chatham Baroque has performed this piece countless times. The sonata’s quick transitions in character and tempo portray a sense of lightness and searching and contrast with moments of tenderness and joy and hope. – Patricia Halverson