The one baroque composer who is more than anyone else associated with the solo concerto genre surely is Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). He composed several hundreds of works of this type, of which the four concerti ‘Le Quattro Stagioni’ is probably most widely known. B’Rock juxtaposes this masterwork with other less known baroque concerti from Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) and Charles Avison(1709-1770). Being a student of Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli, Geminiani, like his master, wrote numerous concerti grossi for ensemble and several soloists. Around 1700 Corelli, who worked in Rome, perfected this other type of baroque concerto by combining a trio sonata with a string ensemble and basso continuo. Gemiani enthusiastically promoted the genre in England, where it was quickly copied by local baroque composers such as Avison. This Italian idiom from Corelli enabled them to be successful in 1730’s and 1740’s England, virtually the only country in Europe where loads of concerti grossi were being written at the time when the modern Vivaldian solo concerto had conquered the rest of Europe. Geminiani’s ‘La Folia’ is a dazzling series of variations for soloist and strings, which is B’Rock all over: dazzling, abundant with energy and full of contrast. The orchestra is conducted by concertmaster and soloist Rodolfo Richter.