To conclude our Baroque Weekend, Maxim Emelyanychev and Il pomo d’oro present one of the era’s most popular genres: the concerto grosso. In this vibrant dialogue between two instrumental groups, musicians engage in playfully virtuosic competition, leaving plenty of room for moments of extreme beauty and elements of surprise. Italian violinist and composer Arcangelo Corelli helped define the form with his Opus 6, which inspired later composers like Georg Muffat, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Giuseppe Sammartini. George Frideric Handel also drew from Corelli, setting off colourful emotional fireworks with his Concerti grossi op. 6.