Biography
Castello, an Italian creator of instrumental sonatas, concentrated on wind instruments because that medium suited his artistic aims. His works unfold in seven to nine clearly demarcated blocks punctuated by repeated changes of speed. The scores themselves imply that these shifts were signaled aloud rather than marked on the page. Parts written for the higher registers—flute, violin, and cornett—plus the occasional bassoon line, demanded players of virtuoso caliber. Although he lived at the same time as Monteverdi and may have known him, no surviving records confirm any personal connection; nonetheless, Castello exerted a decisive influence on the growth of the instrumental sonata as a distinct form.
Albums
