Category: Recording

Concerto Romano, Alessandro Quarta
66:56
Christophorus CHR 77398

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]everal times I have written in these pages about the different reaction one can have, purely based on the equipment one hears a recording on. I listened to this passion oratorio during a car journey and was not impressed; some of the soprano singing was so shrill there was even interference with the speakers. So I was slightly confused when a Radio 3 presenter praise the release for the fine quality of the singing.

I am glad – as I always am – that listening to it again on a different machine altered my first impressions; while I am still not 100% convinced by some of the “drama”, there is much to recommend the performance overall, and it is high time we had more recordings of this sort of repertoire. It is slightly disappointing that Pasquini does not take the opportunity to write choruses at the end of each half, with or without the violins. The second half is actually preceded here with a sinfonia from an earlier Modenese Pasquini oratorio about St Vitus. I know I am in the minority in not buying into the current aural kaleidoscopic approach to continuo; of course manuscripts of Luigi Rossi’s works contain references to various instruments, but never within a section, and certainly not the diversity of sounds as has become fashionable – on I’m not sure quite what  grounds… Overall a welcome release and something different to contemplate next Easter.

Brian Clark

Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble, Arno Paduch
73:17
Christophorus CHR77389

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Johannes in question is John the Baptist and this – perhaps the first true German oratorio? – tells of his birth and destiny. Most likely written for one of his employer, Archbishop and Elector Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg’ significant birthdays in the 1620s, the work has an opera-like structure: two acts, each of three scenes setting texts from St Luke’s gospel, follow a prologue from Isiah (sic) and are, in turn, followed by an epilogue (a Magnificat antiphon from the rite for St John the Baptist), each of the divisions being framed by sinfonias for a variety of instrumental combinations (two cornetti with bassoon, a pair of violins with “viola bastarda”, three recorders, cornetto, violin and recorder). I found these the most satisfying parts of the whole, but there were moments to enjoy in the “drama”, too, especially the choruses. The booklet is informative but I had to read the German to make complete sense of various passages. Personally, I think it was a miscalculation to follow the drama with another of Bollius’s compositions; surely the fact that it ends with a sonata for the same forces as it began with is enough of a framework. Bollius is best known today for his treatise on singing “after the modern Italian art”, but clearly his music deserves wider distribution!

Brian Clark

Ensemble Diderot, Johannes Pramsohler
66:45
Audax Records 13705

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] little over five years ago (it already seems so much longer!), Musica Antiqua Köln – for so long trail-blazers of the “early music revival” – signed off with six unknown sonatas by Johann Friedrich Meister from his Il giardino del piacere  of 1695. In so many ways, the present recording marks a “changing of the guards”; as something of a protegé of Goebel, Johannes Pramsohler has, in a few short years, built a considerable reputation for not being afraid to tackle “new” repertoire (though never without both historical importance and real musical merit). So now he and his equally impressive colleagues from Ensemble Diderot mop up the six sonatas Goebel was unable to include in his final discographic offering as violinist (nos. 1, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 12 of the set). Apart from “La Musica Duodecima”, each opens with three abstract movements (while nos. 3, 7, 8 and 9 have a Fuga Allegro  between two Adagios, no. 1 has a Canon in unisono), then a sequence of dance movements. The final sonata opens with a Grave, then follow six dances. As with previous Audax recordings, the sound quality is extraordinary, capturing a wide range of dynamics – impressive as some of the virtuosity is, I especially enjoyed the slower music on this disc, where the three string players relish the sounds of their instruments so that we can, too; the violins are sufficiently different to allow us to hear the crossing lines, and Gulrim Choi relishes the moments where she can take the lead. I recall not being convinced by Goebel’s sleevenote claim for his release that MAK had truly discovered a long-last master (that being what “Meister” means in German), but on this re-acquaintance, I fear I was a little harsh – these are accomplished works that certainly deserve to be better known, and I cannot believe that this recording will not spread his reputation (and enhance those of the performers!) around the globe.

Brian Clark

Stefano Montanari, Ensemble Barocco “Carlo Antonio Marino”, Natale Arnoldi
53:12
Tactus TC671302

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]arino’s most likely claim to fame is that he was probably Locatelli’s violin teacher; a proclaimed virtuoso, sometimes based at Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, Marino published at least eight volumes of music, including a set of cantatas for solo voice, but primarily sonatas and concertos for strings, including three that survive in Manchester. As galant an effort this is to promote Marino’s output, I am afraid to say that neither the performances nor the recorded sound are quite up to the highest levels – some of the (undoubtedly challenging) solo music is fudged and there are some awkward moments of ensemble that really ought either to have been edited out or re-recorded. I am sorry to be so unkind to a world premiere recording, but I am compelled to give my honest opinion. Without doubt, Marino deserves to be heard and I hope that the fact that the performers have name their group after him means they will continue to explore it and bring it to a wider audience.

Brian Clark

Ensemble Dreiklang Berlin
57:59
hänssler CD HC15052

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince the default sound for organ in Sibelius is not very pleasant I often substitute a treble recorder for the right-hand staves when I am typesetting music that requires a baroque organ sound. The present recording is obviously far more musical than that, yet essentially these are transcriptions for recorder trio (they use a variety of instruments but there are no details in the booklet note) of music that works extremely well. Eight of the arrangements are published by Universal Editions, and another two by Edition Tre Fontane. The recorded sound is excellent, allowing each of the three voices to carry beautifully, even the ultra-slow speaking deep basses, without picking up too much interference between the various instruments (which can dog even the best recorder ensembles!), but also without robbing us of the chuffs that make them so characterful. Although all three players make use of vibrato, it is never allowed to upset the inner tuning. While there is not much “interpretation” (and I mean this in a very positive way!), Ensemble Dreiklang are not above having fun with Bach – there are all sorts of raucous noises in the Polonaise from Anna Magdalena’s book, and the title piece is given a lively rendition, showing that it can be done à3 and without going OTT…

Brian Clark

Tenet (Jolle Greenleaf, Molly Quinn & Virginia Warnken Kelsey sopranos, with gamba, harpsichord, theorbo, lute and baroque guitar)
65:08
Avie AV2326

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are 18 items here, nos 1, 4, 7, 9, 14 & 16 being instrumental. It is an excellent anthology, mostly from the first half of the 17th century, though the earliest is Diego Ortiz from 1553, the ground bass surviving well into the 17th century. The music is more-or-less equally divided between the voices, and they sound well. Barbara Strozzi is the outstanding composer, with support from Caccini, d’India, Luigi Rossi and Mazzocchi. Do buy it.

However, there are oddities. The normal extra pieces of information that one expects in such anthologies are missing: dates of composers and who sang what. It’s frustrating, particularly since it takes so little space, and it is usual for biographies of composers to be separated from those of performers. But the layout of Italian and English translations work well.

Clifford Bartlett

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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he New York City-based ensemble perform a programme which professes to revolve around the Concerto delle donne, the trio of female virtuosi who graced the late Renaissance Court of Ferrara. In fact while female composers such as Barbara Strozzi are included, very little of the music here relates directly to the famous trio, and the group’s main composer Luzzascho Luzzaschi is absent completely. The recorded sound is also a bit of an enigma, sounding rather uncomfortably close with a rather synthetic-sounding after-echo, so while the playing and singing is generally pleasant, the overall sound is less than satisfying and a little uncomfortable to listen to for any length of time. This is a pity, as the three singers bring a pleasing spontaneity to tracks such as the anonymous Passacaglia della vita, and the recorded sound seems to cramp their style. The inclusion of a contemporary piece by Caroline Shaw is also a bit of an indulgence – not long enough to establish the more adventurous sound world, but nonetheless a disruption to the Renaissance programme. All in all, I found this CD a bit of a hotch potch, and its idiosyncratic ambience was distinctly off-putting. This is a shame as the performances seem quite good and yet the captured sound is disappointing and the programme a bit unfocused.

D. James Ross