Category: Recording

Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas

Constantino Mastroprimiano
158:19 (3 CDs in a box)
Brilliant Classics 94378

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hese six three-movement sonatas, along with an extra Finale movement in number 6 and a bonus Fantasino in C, are played by Constantino Mastroprimiano on a fortepiano by Urbano Petroselli after a 1790 Anton Walter original, with the later sonatas being played on an 1838 Erard. Ranging from the composer’s opus 2 a set of sonatas composed when he was just 14 to his opus 106 from around 1824, when he was 46, these pieces chart the development of his compositional skills up to his last decade. They also chart the dramatic changes which occurred in musical taste during this period – his opus 106, a ‘Grande Sonate Brillante’, is a work of fully fledged romanticism while his opus 2 had elements of the galante style. His pleasant opus 124 Fantasino on a theme from Mozart’s Die Hochzeit des Figaro and the dedication of his opus 13 to Haydn remind us of the musical circles that he moved in, and while he seems to me never quite to achieve the profundity of many of his greater contemporaries, you can hear elements particularly of Beethoven and perhaps even a hint of Chopin and Schumann in his piano textures. Constantino Mastroprimiano has a fine mastery of these works, although – whether due to microphone placement or the instrument itself – I feel that the Erard sounds a little fluffy, particularly in the opus 106 which could do with an altogether brighter instrument. Hummel himself owned and played an Erard, so perhaps he would disagree!

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07DY2HFG9&asins=B07DY2HFG9&linkId=c0395c6de27656fd20522f6ec78a95f9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B07DY2HFG9&asins=B07DY2HFG9&linkId=ca6cd14770593e900d81bcae166cf6d4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07DY2HFG9&asins=B07DY2HFG9&linkId=65458f142f3e2586ba17188de4ee8dba&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Classical, Keyboard music

Recording

A Courtly Garland for Baroque Trumpet

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on A Courtly Garland for Baroque Trumpet

Robert Farley, Orpheus Britannicus, Andrew Arthur
resonus RES10220

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his CD of courtly music for Baroque trumpet accompanied by strings and/or organ features all the likely names – Viviani, Biber, Schmelzer, Fantini, Torelli – and a couple of unexpected ones such as Godfrey Finger, Andrea Grossi and Gottfried Reiche. There are also a couple of solo organ sonatas Pasquini and Frescobaldi played by Andrew Arthur. Clearly, this programme relies heavily on the merits of the soloist and fortunately these are many. Robert Farley has a radiant trumpet tone and his playing has an innate musicality, bringing out the full subtlety of movements which in the case of some of the early Baroque slow movements such as the Viviani are somewhat skeletal melodically. He is also a master of phrasing and dynamics, while introducing delicate ornaments and subtle trills as appropriate. The Sonata in C for trumpet, violin and continuo by Godfrey Finger turns out to be one I have performed on Baroque clarinet, and is a work of genuine originality and subtle beauty, powerfully brought out here by Robert Farley, with Theresa Caudle providing an eloquent account of the violin part. Perhaps the most striking music is by Biber – his Sonata a5 no. 4 in C, in which the strings play in a calm and sustained manner under the flamboyant trumpet part, before joining in the technical fireworks. This a lovely CD, thoughtfully programmed and beautifully executed.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07DVGWHDS&asins=B07DVGWHDS&linkId=31de2828c3ad86a7a742655c16d3c151&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B07DVGWHDS&asins=B07DVGWHDS&linkId=b8dcda1a982502671d8dc50f0a3d5ba4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07DVGWHDS&asins=B07DVGWHDS&linkId=8b7f1211c554dc7e5ad123dc169b525f&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque

Recording

The Nightingale’s Response

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on The Nightingale’s Response

Fontanella Recorder Quintet
43:44
Barn Cottage Records bcr015
Music by Campion, F. Couperin, Merula, Purcell, Van Eyck, Vivaldi & modern composers

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his charming CD of music for recorders ranges from Elizabethan repertoire to contemporary repertoire, taking in music by van Eyck, Purcell, Couperin and Vivaldi on the way. A general rustic theme with particular focus on the nightingale relies to some extent on arrangements of original works by members of the group such as the Vivaldi Concerto ‘Pastorella’ which is played in a lovely arrangement by Rebecca Austen-Brown. Although details are sparse in the programme booklet, it sounds to me as if they use Renaissance instruments for the earlier repertoire and Baroque recorders for the later material. In any case, the playing is beautifully sensitive, the blend and tuning wonderfully focused and the performances delightfully musical and involving. Particularly striking is the group’s account of Volière from Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals in a brilliant arrangement by Annabel Knight.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0784L5QDP&asins=B0784L5QDP&linkId=79495069b47c68443417fe8978d9fa26&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B0784L5QDP&asins=B0784L5QDP&linkId=dd1dad7cad98b07f1fdfda30294e2252&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0784L5QDP&asins=B0784L5QDP&linkId=203a98e24c2f7b36f8845048a23a90f0&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque

Recording

Porpora: Germanico in Germania

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on Porpora: Germanico in Germania

Max Emanuel Cencic, Julia Lezhneva, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Juan Sancho, Dilyara Idrisova, Hasnaa Bennani, Capella Cracoviensis, Jan Tomasz Adamus
218:18 (3CDs in a box)
Decca 483 1523

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he recent ‘rediscovery’ of Porpora’s operatic oeuvre has been one of the major events in the world of early opera in recent years. Fortunately, it has been timed to coincide with spectacular developments in the technique of male alto singers, allowing them to do justice to Porpora’s demanding castrato roles. At the centre of this latest project is the male alto, Max Emanuel Cencic, a remarkable singer who has previously impressed with his accounts of music written for the castrato Senesino and who here takes on a role first taken by the celebrity alto castrato Domenico Annibali. Porpora was a singing teacher as well as a composer and so his compositions for voice are intentionally highly technically demanding, and from his first dramatic appearance, Cencic shows that he is the full master of all the vocal fireworks that Porpora’s original virtuosi displayed. Before this, however, the Capella Cracoviensis replete with brass and woodwind instruments have provided stunning accounts of Porpora’s showy instrumental writing, while a superb cast have ensured that all the characters are powerfully represented musically. Particularly fine is Julia Lezhneva as Ersinda whose blizzards of passaggi would have made even Porpora’s jaw drop. She sings with such enormous musicality and assurance, that her remarkable technique seems almost incidental. But this is a cast where virtuoso singers are just lining up to show off their technical prowess and Hasnaa Bennani possesses a similar blend of interpretive talent and stunning technical assurance. The exploration of the world of Neapolitan Baroque opera has led to several major eye-opening discoveries, and this has the feel of another one. With his strategic use of wind instruments, Porpora’s scores are automatically more colourful than most of this period, and when you add to this the technical fireworks he writes into his vocal lines he more than deserves the prominent place he is beginning to be restored to in the pantheon of early opera.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B06XRKCKML&asins=B06XRKCKML&linkId=9a15ff6b71c3abfe2e3714cd712db69b&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B06XRKCKML&asins=B06XRKCKML&linkId=12de397f9689baf41085bd2bc3ff5313&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B06XRKCKML&asins=B06XRKCKML&linkId=5e56c7da92a93fcb2eac6bdc2a49ed91&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque, Opera

Recording

A. Scarlatti: Oratorio per la Sanctissima Trinita

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on A. Scarlatti: Oratorio per la Sanctissima Trinita

Linda Campanella, Silvia Bossa, Gianluca Belfiori Doro, Mario Gecchetti, Carlo Lepore, Alessandro Stradella Consort, Estévan Velardi
83:51 (2 CDs in a single jewel case)
Brilliant Classics 95535

[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]ou wait years for a recording of an oratorio by Alessandro Scarlatti and then two come along at once. Recorded for Brilliant Classics by the same forces as Il Dolore di Maria Vergine and also in an edition by Velardi, the present oratorio was probably composed just two years previously in 1715 and therefore probably intended for performance in Naples. Its cast of allegorical characters – Faith, Divine Love, Theology, Infidelity and Time – make it much less appealing to a modern audience, but my feeling is that the music, too, is inferior with rather brief and obvious arias and nothing like the emotional appeal of the Dolore. The present performers do the best for it that they can, with ravishing accounts of some of the arias and some lovely playing from the instrumental soloists. Certainly, with these two recordings, Estévan Velardi and his excellent forces have made a compelling case for Alessandro Scarlatti’s oratorios becoming better known. An excellent and detailed programme note by Mario Marcarini as well as a listeners’ guide helping the unfamiliar to find their way through the score both enhance this package and are an indication of the performers’ evangelising role.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B077Y63GY6&asins=B077Y63GY6&linkId=dadeb749a8fc769d2ddee3cf9e1a34b7&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B077Y63GY6&asins=B077Y63GY6&linkId=b3d6e67b69538a76539a84a64b2a13c1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B077Y63GY6&asins=B077Y63GY6&linkId=b1516d8f575db0d1dcc28a8fd2284905&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque

Recording

Arte de tanger: Gonzalo de Baena’s New Keyboard Method (1540)

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on Arte de tanger: Gonzalo de Baena’s New Keyboard Method (1540)

Bruno Forst
135:16 (2 CDs in a single jewel case)
Brilliant Classics 95618

[dropcap]G[/dropcap]onzalo de Baena’s keyboard method involves intabulating polyphonic music from instrumental and vocal sources into a series of letters to allow them to be played easily on the keyboard, and as the first such book to be published on the Iberian peninsula it is doubly important as a window on how keyboard players thought and worked and also as an invaluable source of material. Unfortunately, due (of all things) to misfiling in the Palacio Real library in Madrid, it remained unknown to modern musicology until 1992. Playing the 1685 organ by Joseph de Sesma in the Church of Santa Ana, Brea de Aragón and the modern Gerhard Grenzing organ, based on 17th-century Spanish models, in the Church of San José, Navalcarnero and reading from Baena’s tablature, Bruno Forst presents a cross-section of the material in the book. This includes music by composers such as Morales who were still alive when Baena compiled his collection, as well as music by Baena himself and by his son Antonio, but includes mainly the great Flemish composers from previous generations such as Ockeghem, Compère, Josquin, Obrecht, de Fevin, Brumel, Caron and Agricola. Unlike the Scottish book of composition, “The Art of Music”, from the second half of the 16th century, Baena includes entire pieces rather than relatively brief examples, suggesting perhaps that his Method served the additional purposes of preserving the earlier repertoire and making it available to organists of the mid-century. Forst is an authoritative guide through this repertoire, making intelligent decisions on timbre and providing subtle and appropriate ornamentation.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B077Y87PPH&asins=B077Y87PPH&linkId=b945342b91c4781e78fa4051859a42a4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B077Y87PPH&asins=B077Y87PPH&linkId=a27e0d719b553afd0eb5292f3272770a&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B077Y87PPH&asins=B077Y87PPH&linkId=ce6bd55eaf9c5e66e7200502e03674ab&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Keyboard music, Renaissance

Recording

Heinrich Schütz: Psalmen

Dresdener Kammerchor and Barockorchester, Rademann
74:50
Carus 83.016

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his latest volume in the Carus edition of the complete works of Schütz comes to some of the real musical bread and butter of the composer’s output with his settings of the psalms. Generally syllabic and homophonic, or modestly polyphonic, and designed for congregational and domestic performance, this music is at the opposite end of the scale from his epic polychoral compositions. The danger with a complete recording of this material would appear to be boredom in the listener, but the performers cleverly vary the textures from choral performance to soloists with a variety of accompanying instruments. In fact, like all great masters, Schütz manages to inject a high level of inventiveness into even this rather humble genre, and some of the settings for solo voices take on the polyphonic intricacy of solo sections in his more ambitious works. And then even the chordal homophonic settings bear the Schütz stamp of originally, moving idiomatically through unexpected harmonic progressions. By this time very familiar with Schütz’s quirky idiom, the Dresdener choir sing with a smooth authority which it would be hard to match, while the contribution of the fine vocal soloists and instrumentalists provides the perfect foil to the beautiful choral sound.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B06Y5ZCDZH&asins=B06Y5ZCDZH&linkId=c78c491bf4d9b7befb1c701301699fa1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B06Y5ZCDZH&asins=B06Y5ZCDZH&linkId=b57135f4d7cfc3738eded04d3ca00ff7&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B06Y5ZCDZH&asins=B06Y5ZCDZH&linkId=ca0d2333079e109f093d4786e1fe7e5d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque, Choral music

Recording

Vivaldi: Concerti pour deux clavecins

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on Vivaldi: Concerti pour deux clavecins

Gwennaëlle Alibert, Clément Geoffroy
67:29
Encelade ECI 602

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] was surprised that I had never heard of Vivaldi’s concertos for two clavecins – of course, there are Bach’s transcriptions of Vivaldi for two harpsichords and strings, and indeed transcription turns out to be the key to this CD. Frustrated by the lack of music by Vivaldi for harpsichord, Gwennaëlle Alibert and Clément Geoffroy have transcribed a selection of his concertos and trio sonatas for a pair of harpsichords. This would appear to be a singularly random thing to do until you read François Couperin’s instructions on how to transform the orchestral music of previous generations into music for two harpsichords. We should bear in mind that, before the days of electronic music reproduction, to hear Vivaldi’s music in the later Baroque you had to assemble a chamber orchestra and persuade them to play this outdated repertoire. Much easier to devise a way of reading it on two harpsichords with one of your mates! The results sound quite unlike anything else you are likely to hear on the harpsichord, wonderfully dense tinkling textures through which you follow the melodic lines like an inquisitive hobbit through Fangorn Forest. Bach’s transcriptions for massed harpsichords such as the charming concerto for four harpsichords spring to mind, but in these transcriptions, all the lines including the orchestral strings are taken by the two keyboards. I found the results absolutely delightful and a feast for the ears – a million miles perhaps from Vivaldi’s original intentions, but – if we are to believe Couperin and others – a sound which might not have been all that alien to the ears of the later Baroque musician. Alibert and Geoffroy use a 2012 Marc Ducorner harpsichord after Ruckers and a 2013 Michel Chabloz harpsichord after the legendary Edinburgh le Taskin, which together produce a wonderfully tinkling ensemble sound. Not everybody’s cup of tea but I love it!

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0762CWGGZ&asins=B0762CWGGZ&linkId=3cf40b3b03b8b02fec34c4dd72d1c6d4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B0762CWGGZ&asins=B0762CWGGZ&linkId=1494fed61dee1ec7b142a0807a846fbe&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0762CWGGZ&asins=B0762CWGGZ&linkId=fe08bd3ee48cca88d4eb01bcdf4a2caf&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque, Keyboard music

Recording

Gloriosus Franciscus

La music per San Francesco dal XIII al XVI secolo
Anonima Frottolisti
73:48
Tactus TC 250001

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his selection of sacred music devoted to St Francis includes some real musical gems, perhaps most strikingly the items from the 13th-century Reims Psalter which include a dramatic Kyrie and other liturgical items. The later material from the 15th and 16th centuries receives varied performances on a galaxy of instruments and voices. By doubling lots of different instruments, the ensemble of just 13 players and singers manages a dazzling variety of timbres and textures, including the unexpected sounds of for example the Renaissance psaltery. Meanwhile, the voices are cappella chanters, solo singers and narrators. This versatility adds enormous variety to a programme already diverse in its sources and material. I have just one small gripe – inexplicably and as happens so often the spoken voice inhabits its own boomy world of artificial acoustic. Why not just record it in the same natural acoustic as the singing voices? Anyway, this CD provides a varied and consistently interesting cross-section of Franciscan music from three centuries in performances which are arresting and impressive.

D. James Ross

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B078Y2T8JP&asins=B078Y2T8JP&linkId=b94e9a655b8a7fd3418d72708a40f1a9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B078Y2T8JP&asins=B078Y2T8JP&linkId=8d665feab4822c04e1344c4cba30a9cd&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B078Y2T8JP&asins=B078Y2T8JP&linkId=9d9a16d5464b7d682fffef1bfc55c328&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Vocal music

Recording

1717: Memories of a Journey to Italy

Post author By EMR2015
Post date October 26, 2018
No Comments on 1717: Memories of a Journey to Italy

Scaramuccia (Javier Lupiáñez violin, Inés Salina violoncello, Patrícia Vintém harpsichord)
62:19
Snakewood Editions SCD201801
Music by Albinoni, Fanfani, Montanari, Pisendel, Giuseppe Valentini & Vivaldi

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he title of this excellent project refers to a study tour undertaken by Johann Georg Pisendel – at the expense of the Saxon court – which saw him rub shoulders with all of the leading Italian violinists of his day. As well as pieces written especially for him, there are sonatas written in collaboration or dedicated by one of them to another, and a couple of world premiere recordings. Albinoni’s B flat major sonata is far more virtuosic than most of the music you may know by him (probably inspired by the German’s virtuosity). The sonata in E minor by Montanari and the Vivaldi/Pisendel piece are both augmented by sets of variations (legitimately enough, since these are frequently a feature of the Red Priest’s works) by the violinist and harpsichordist of the group. Clearly, this is demanding music – Lupiáñez combines a fine bowing arm with some nifty fingerwork, seemingly undaunted by the technical challenges, while his continuo partners provide stylishly supportive accompaniment. It is a sobering thought that these six extremely fine works represent only the tip of the tip of the iceberg that is Pisendel’s library of works gathered from his Italian contacts – that the library in Dresden has made them all available online is encouraging groups like Scaramuccia (who have even established their own recording company to produce this CD!) to explore the vast riches which it contains. Given the high standards set here, I hope it will not be too long before we hear more from them!

Brian Clark

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=infocentral-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07JNSZG8H&asins=B07JNSZG8H&linkId=2519ddfdb05f8fdce70d2709aaf79d5f&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=DE&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-21&language=de_DE&marketplace=amazon&region=DE&placement=B07JK48LPQ&asins=B07JK48LPQ&linkId=98446cc3422e0d17a54926bdb08fe210&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

[iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=earlymusicrev-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07JL513PV&asins=B07JL513PV&linkId=8fbe55972c9710187bdaaf5547240140&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]

This site can only survive if users click through the links and buy the products reviewed.
We receive no advertising income or any other sort of financial support.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Tags Baroque, Chamber music