Sinfonia in Re Maggiore

Originally set for just mandolins and bass, this version thins out the mandolins just a little but adds a great deal more texture to the soundscape, so that the end result is pleasingly full. Cocchi was born in 1712, and the music is not atypical of the period.
The guitar part, for that is what most readers will be wanting to hear about, is typically fulfllling a continuo role, but it's not just «filler«, and it sits nicely under the fingers, mainly in two voices. The lower guitar voice is duplicated by the bass instrument an octave below, so the guitarist is not going to feel indispensable surrounded by his steel-strung compatriots.
The first movement, Allegro Assai is boisterous, with some sforzando block chords prefixing the continuo role. Apart from some parallel sixths and tenths up the neck, most of this movement can be played in second position.
The slow second movement, in G minor, sees the guitar playing more slowly than the decorative melody, whose ornamented feel is redolent of a baroque chamber piece.
The concluding Allegro is spirited and, as the arranger succinctly remarks, has a Tarentella-like brashness and vigour.
The guitar part is probably about Grade 6 in standard. The mandolin parts are often double and triple-stopped, and devoid of tremolo. The final movement is rhythmically challenging and fast for most of the plectrum players.
The music will be unfamiliar to an audience, but the work is slender enough to slip into a full concert without dominating the programme.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)