New York Classical Review

Born in the Baroque and carried into the Classical era, the concerto bridges two period. The Sebastians, a period-instrument ensemble known for its stylish performances of the genre, opened its 2026–27 season with “Concertos!” at Brick Presbyterian Church on Saturday.

The program ranged from works by Arcangelo Corelli and Giuseppe Torelli, who helped shape the emerging concerto, to those by Handel and Vivaldi, who represented the concerto at its Baroque maturity. With chronology set aside, the concert was a feast of fascinating textures and conversations between instruments, whether solo, in pairs and trios, or across the entire ensemble.

Corelli was a master of the concerto grosso, which he helped establish in Rome in the late 17th century. His Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6, no. 1, was published posthumously in 1714 as part of a set of 12, although Corelli is thought to have composed the works over many years, some possibly as early as the 1680s.

In the Concerto Grosso in D major, Corelli creates drama through the shifting dialogue between concertino and ripieno rather than soloists versus orchestra. Violinists Nicholas DiEugenio and Isabelle Seula Lee, with cellist Ezra Seltzer, lent nuance to Corelli’s use of texture rather than relying on volume for contrast. The second Largo revealed the concertino at its most lyrical and expressive, while the following Allegro delighted with energetic, rhythmically incisive playing from DiEugenio and Lee.

It’s an open question who composed the Flute Concerto in E minor, often attributed to Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin. The work would have pleased him, according to his most famous pupil, Johann Joachim Quantz, who quipped, “He only played fast pieces; for in that my master excelled.” By that standard, the Sebastians’ performance would have pleased Buffardin.

In contrast to the Corelli, the Flute Concerto showcases a solo instrument, and David Ross beguiled with the stunning beauty of his tone and subtle virtuosity. He engaged in rapid-fire exchanges with the strings in the outer movements while maintaining poise and elegance. The Andante revealed musicianship of rare refinement, the ease and delicacy of Ross’s playing giving the music an almost weightless quality. It was one of the loveliest musical conversations, with Ross and the strings alike playing with remarkable finesse.

Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A minor (RV 522), published in L’estro armonico in 1711, demonstrates these developments particularly clearly, standing at the intersection of the concerto grosso and the emerging solo concerto. Vivaldi uses the concerto grosso form, with the two solo violins as the concertino, while treating them as genuinely virtuosic protagonists, placing them in continuous musical dialogue with each other and the ensemble.

In the opening Allegro, the contrast between full strings and soloists was sharply etched. Lee and DiEugenio, having switched places, were equal partners as they exchanged short motifs, imitated one another, and at times moved together in tightly coordinated passages. The Larghetto e spiritoso revealed them at their most intimate, their lyrical lines gently intertwining. In the concluding Allegro, Lee and DiEugenio conjured drama through fast, fiery, and precise interplay.

Torelli was an important figure in the evolution of the concerto, particularly in developing contrasts between instrumental forces during his years in Bologna. His Concerto Musicale in D major, Op. 6, no. 4, from the collection Concerti musicali a quattro, was published in Augsburg in 1698. The collection was an important step in the development of the concerto, with explicit solo and tutti markings in some works reflecting the growing distinction between individual instrumental lines and the full ensemble.

After the sharply defined exchanges in the Buffardin and Vivaldi, Torelli’s concerto came as a surprise: there was relatively little actual soli/tutti contrast. Its four movements alternated poised Adagios with energetic Allegros, in which individuality gave way to richness, depth, and blend. The final Allegro lacked Vivaldi’s distinctive incisiveness but pointed in that direction with its crisp rhythms and forward propulsion.

With Handel’s Concerto Grosso in B-flat major, Op. 6, no. 7, the concert ended in an entirely different but instantly recognizable sound world. Although Handel’s score specifies a concertino of two violins and cello against ripieno strings and continuo, the distinction between the two groups is largely blurred. Seltzer nonetheless made the most of the cello’s brief solo passage.

The musical surprises continued. Handel’s second-movement fugue is built around a highly repetitive rhythmic figure rather than a conventionally shaped melody, and the ensemble spun its rapid reiterations into a remarkable display of rhythmic momentum. The final one came from the addition of a flute to the ensemble. It was jolly fun to hear Ross’s piccolo pierce through the strings in the concluding Hornpipe.

The Sebastians continue with “Bach from the Dead,” 7 p.m. October 29 at the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ, and 5 p.m. October 31 at Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, Manhattan. sebastians.org