I played this for my grade 5 violin examintaion. I was pretty nervous as it was my first time recording a violin examination. Written in 1700 as part of his Opus 5 collection of violin sonatas, it features 4 distinct sections, straying from usual pieces of the period. The first section of Corelli's La Folia introduces the famous theme with a stately, dramatic melody over a steady bass line. The violin's simple yet expressive phrasing highlights the theme's emotional depth, setting the stage for the virtuosic variations that follow. It has a hauntingly beautiful melody over a ground bass, based on a chord progression that was widely popular during the baroque period and serves as the foundation for the variations that follow.