Violinist and composer Antonio Lolli is an individual who had been all but lost to history. Another in a line of Italian violin virtuosos along with Locatelli and Paganini, Lolli was born between the two giants and, although he lived contemporaneously with both of them for at least some time, there's no indication that he knew either of them. Like Locatelli and Paganini, he made a name for himself by composing and performing works of seemingly impossible technical difficulty on the violin. Heard here for the first time on CD are the complete nine concertos, plus one other whose authorship is questionable. Performing the concertos is violinist
Luca Fanfoni, accompanied by Reale Concerto. Unfortunately for Lolli's chances for a revival,
Fanfoni's performances are frequently difficult to listen to. Outer movements appear to exceed his technical capabilities and much of his passagework sounds laborious and strained. Tempos between the orchestra and soloist fluctuate wildly as
Fanfoni attempts to execute his own part in time with his accompaniment. Intonation varies from poor to intolerable, particularly in the higher registers of the instrument. While Lolli's works are a welcome addition to the Italian virtuoso literature, listeners should wait for a recording that does them much more justice.