Category: Recording

Rie Kimura violin, Fantasticus
57:58
Resonus RES10148
Tartini: Pastorale op 1/13, Sonata “Il trillo del Diavolo”
Veracini: Sonatas op 2/5 & op 2/12

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is an utterly enchanting recording from beginning to end. The handling of the opening track is highly original and, in stark contrast to the contemporary reports of Tartini and Veracini’s performance styles, Rie Kimura draws the listener into her intimate sound world, with gently caressing bow strokes, neatly shaping the most virtuosic passages with effortless ease. There is a real sense of dialogue with Robert Smith on cello, and there is a real sense (and not in a disrepectful way!) that Guillermo Brachetta is filling in the space between, where normally the keyboard player takes on the primary accompaniment role and the string bass emphasises the lowest part of the texture. This is the third CD by Fantasticus and the group goes from strength to strength; whatever they turn their attentions to next, I strongly recommend you look out for it!

Brian Clark

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Frank Theuns transverse flute & piccolo, Les Buffardins
59:41
Accent ACC 24297
Blavet in A minor, Boismortier Affettuoso from op 17/5, Buffardin in E minor, Corrette Adagio from op 4/4, Leclair op 7/3 & Naudot op 21/3

[dropcap]I[/drp[ca[]t seems like a lifetime ago that I first got to know the concertos by Blavet and Buffardin via Musica Antiqua Köln’s recording with Wilbert Hazelzet in the solo role – in fact, Googling it came up with 1995 as the date, so it is not as long agao as I thought! Corrette and Boismortier also featured then, though with complete concertos rather than extracted movements as here; when the total time is less than an hour I find the “bleeding chunks” approach surprising, to say the least – the outer movements of the Corrette are summarily dismissed as “fairly weak”. Similarly puzzling is Theuns’ decision to perform the Naudot concerto on piccolo (on the recommendation of the self-same Corrette…); published as a set of concertos for hurdy gurdy (or any instrument from a long list of alternatives), two violins and continuo, the sudden displacement of the solo line up an octave was a little harsh to my ears, and the tone (and consistency of intonation) of the instrument was not that attractive either. The same cannot be said of Theuns’ fabulous flute playing – whether it being the precise definition of the semiquaver runs, or the shaping of sustained notes above the strings, he is utterly the master of his instrument, unphased by any difficulty. Les Buffardins (single strings with double bass and harpsichord) are worthy companions – perfectly balanced, they accompany with great sensitivity and relish the possibilities the ritornelli give them to add drama to the whole. Hazelzet now has company on my shelves.

Brian Clark

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Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew
59:43
Éditions Les Arts Florissants AF005
Madrigals from Books 1-3

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is the second of three CDs that will survey Monteverdi’s non-dramatic secular music. The lavish presentation (a trademark of Les Arts Florissants) includes a booklet that runs to almost 80 pages; on closer inspection, more than 20 of those are taken up by translations into English and French of nine works from Book 1 (published when the composer was all of 19 years old!), six each from Books 2 and 3, and a further 20 by publicity shots of the group, biographies of the ensemble’s leading lights and a discography. I must confess that the various combinations of singers (only soprano Hannah Morrison and tenors Paul Agnew and Sean Clayton sing in all three books) were up against two wonderful groups, whose Monteverdi madrigals recordings are legendary: the Consort of Musicke (of which Agnew was, of course, a member) and Concerto Italiano.

I was pretty much drawn into that whole world by the former’s performances with their flawless tuning and attention to detail (in both words and music), and yet they were left miles behind by the latter’s dramatic renditions – the result, I fear, of all being native speakers and willing to take more risks with Monteverdi’s lines. The present performances, which sound as if they were recorded in a small space with minimal reverb, are somewhere in the middle – for me, any “interpretation” seems to stem from a need to inject some drama rather than it actually growing out of the music, perhaps even a little caricatured. That, of course, is not to say that others will not love these renditions; I will stick with Alessandrini and co. for now, though.

Brian Clark

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Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
141:43 (2 CDs)
Ricercar RIC347

[dropcap]1[/dropcap]7th-century music is best kept to itself, as far as I’m concerned. The three composers here are less forceful than their famous relative, but have a mild sound that can carry the words with ease. Dates are Johann (1604-73), Johann Christoph (1642-1703) and Johann Michael (1648-1694). The organ is mostly included, whether noted or not – that seems sensible. In the past, I used to follow recordings with scores whenever possible, but I don’t want the visual interruption now, apart from looking on the few pieces that seemed inappropriate. There are 15 motets on disc 1, 18 on disc 2.

There is only one singer per part, which helps the expression: it is sensibly done, but not overdone. Dynamics, apart from echos, come mostly from within the phrase. Meunier is the leader, but also sings bass – none of the conductorial arm-waving that we get from other small ensembles. The booklet is substantial at 111 pages, allowing for English, French and German. If you haven’t got a comprehensive collection of these three composers, buy this set – and, even if you do, you may want to add it to your collection anyway!

Clifford Bartlett

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