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Vivaldi: Complete Concertos and Sinfonias for Strings and Basso Continuo

L’archicembalo
263:15 (4 CDs in a jewel case)
Brilliant Classics 95835

51 pieces in all of the standard keys of the Baroque era, mostly in three movements (only the G minor RV155 and D minor RV129 “Madrigalesco” have four), but what a wonderful array of styles; and what a treat to have them all in these fine performances in a single set. There are no gimmicks, just fine playing, well recorded. The fourth CD was originally performed in the Palazzo Ghilini in Alessandria in 2015 for the Tactus label, but the others are new recordings, dating from three sessions in 2018. Each of the four discs starts in C and ends in B flat or B minor, having worked their way through the rising scale, so clearly some careful planning went into the programming. If you find yourself tiring of the violin pyrotechnics of Vivaldi’s solo and duet concerti, these “orchestral” may be more to your taste.

Brian Clark

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The Jupiter Project

Mozart [arranged by] Hummel, Cramer, Clementi
David Owen Norris fortepiano, Katy Bircher flute, Caroline Balding violin, Andrew Skidmore cello
79:49
hyperion CDA68234

In their informative programme note, David Owen-Norris and Mark Everist make the very good point that in the early 19th century in the absence of gramophone and radio and in light of the expense and scarcity of full orchestral performances, most people would have become acquainted with the music of Mozart in chamber arrangements which they could experience much more easily or even play for themselves. We would recall the very pleasing arrangements for string quartet, flute and piano made towards the end of the 18th century by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon of Haydn’s symphonies for just such a purpose, and similar efforts were made in the early 19th century to bring Mozart’s music to a wider audience. Johann Nepomuck Hummel’s arrangements of Mozart’s overtures to Die Zauberflöte and Le nozze di Figaro are recorded in delightful performances here, but the two major works are a brilliant transcription of the C major Piano Concert no 21 by Johann Baptist Cramer and Muzio Clementi’s remarkable transcription of the “Jupiter” Symphony, no 41. Contemporaries commented on these transcriptions as if they were original chamber pieces, and such is the inventiveness of the arrangers, particularly in the two larger pieces, that we can understand this. As a student of Mozart, Clementi seems particularly at ease with his master’s music, and the arrangement of the “Jupiter” Symphony is indeed a masterpiece of its genre. There is of course a whole orchestral palette missing, but the arranger’s job is to convince you to the contrary, and Clementi makes such masterly use of his four instruments that you forget about all the missing ones. This intriguing CD, the result of a project at the University of Southampton, is valuable addition to our understanding of the propagation of music in the 19th century as well as being thoroughly engaging and entertaining in its own right.

D. James Ross

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Recording

Handel : Water Musick / Telemann : Wassermusik

Zefiro, Alfredo Bernardini
72:15
Arcana A 432

This CD juxtaposes the Water Musick Suites in F, G and D by Handel with the ‘Hamburger Ebbe und Flut’ by Telemann. It is a live recording made in St John’s Smith Square as part of the 2003 Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music, and, while there is a miraculous absence of audience noise and all the excitement of a live performance, the sound is a little immediate and brittle and surprisingly lacking in the St John’s warmth of acoustic. Calling Telemann’s Suite his Wassermusik draws a direct parallel between the two works, which is frankly disingenuous. While we know that Handel’s Water Musick’s only aquatic association is that is was performed mainly ‘on the river’, Telemann’s suite on the other hand is a thoroughly pelagic affair, with movements associated with Thetis, Neptune, Amphitrite, Tritonus, Aeolus and Zephir and ending with a depiction of the Hamburg ebb and flow, given a particularly tidal performance here, and the singing of lusty boatsmen. The Telemann, scored for strings and oboes doubling recorders, is also very much the poor relative orchestrally of Handel’s Suites with their additional brass, including famously the first orchestral use of horns. Zefiro under the direction of Alfredo Bernardini give all of the music crisp idiomatic performances, although I did find the immediacy of the recorded sound a little wearing – perhaps I would have been no more enamoured of the acoustic of the original performance of the Handel in the open air and ‘on the water’!

D. James Ross

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The Food of Love

Songs, Dances, and Fancies for Shakespeare
The Baltimore Consort
68:04
Sono Luminis DSL-92234

It is good to see the Baltimore Consort back so many years after their glory days on the now defunct Dorian label. There have been some crucial changes in the line-up, but the group clearly retains its funky borderline trad. approach to early music which made their accounts of this repertoire so exciting. It is disappointing and a little puzzling that there is so little surviving music contemporary with and relating to Shakespeare’s plays, but the Consort do the next best thing here, assembling plausible repertoire with more or less tenuous links to a sequence of Shakespeare plays. If I felt the playing lacked something of the youthful energy and brio of some of the group’s vintage releases, this is an undeniably entertaining programme given the recognisably Baltimore Consort treatment. My only major reservation is one which applied equally to their earlier recordings, the rather uncomfortable ‘home counties’ pronunciation of the singer, in this case Danielle Svonavec, which seems entirely at odds with the gritty instrumental playing – the one exception, the archly ‘mummerset’ grave-digger is equally uncomfortable to listen to.

D. James Ross

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Recording

Lachrimæ Lyræ – Tears of Exile

Sokratis Sinopoulos, Lacheron, François Joubert-Caillet
65:37
Fuga Libera 753

Greek Lyra meets viol consort, Greek Lyra improvises with viol consort, Greek Lyra and viol consort tackle Dowland – and this curious CD is the result. I think the most successful tracks are those on which a viol drone supports improvisations by Sokratis Sinopoulis on his Greek Lyre. For me, the accounts of the Dowland Lachrimæ Pavanes and associated Galliards and Almands with the Greek Lyre forced into the role of a treble viol just sound a bit weird. I found myself speculating that I might have found them more persuasive if Sinopolous had felt free to improvise more freely as in the ‘Greek’ tracks, but this just underlies the complete implausibility of the project. In the programme note, François Joubert-Caillet makes various attempts to tie the Lyra repertoire and his viol consort’s together under the theme of exile, but is ultimately reduced to writing that British and Greek taverns were both places in which music was listened to attentively – wishful thinking at so many levels. The playing is never less than expressive, and for all I know there may be an audience out there which has been waiting for the Greek Lyra to enlist the support of viols to tackle Dowland – I don’t think I am among them.

D. James Ross

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Teatro Spirituale (Rome, c. 1610)

Alice Fouccroulle, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Inalto, Lambert Colson
72:15
Ricercar RIC399
Music by Anerio, Cavalieri, Cifra, Frescobaldi, de Macque, Marenzio, Quagliati & anon

This charming selection of spiritual songs from early 17th-century Rome is proposed by the performers as the sort of repertoire which would have graced the Oratory of St Philip Neri, founded in Rome in 1575, and which offered a daily diet of prayer, sermons and sacred music. The singing, particularly of Alice Foccroulle and Reinoud van Mechelen, in these performances is very fine indeed and very persuasive. Director Lambert Colson makes a good case for the variation in scoring for each stanza of the songs presented, which provides for a constantly varying kaleidoscope of textures. The five vocalists and four sackbut players, with Colson playing cornett and mute cornett, are augmented by the sounds of two lirones, theorbos and archlutes, harpsichord and the splendid 1509 Montefalco organ in San Francesco in Trevi. Unfortunately a printing error in my programme notes means that two whole pages are missing, driving a bit of a coach and horses through Colson’s interesting and informative notes. The Neri Oratory’s enormous popularity meant that the size of its ‘congregation’, the quality of the performers keen to play and sing there and the scope of the compositions were all on the increase in the early 17th century, and this is reflected in the opulence of the present recording. And notwithstanding the penitential tone of much of the music, it also captures the positive and optimistic atmosphere known to prevail at these gatherings. This is an involving and intriguing exploration of mainly unfamiliar repertoire, in many cases by unfamiliar composers, and underlines the wealth of repertoire associated with the Eternal City at this time.

D. James Ross

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Recording

Vivaldi: Musica sacra per alto

Delphine Galou A, Accademia Bizantina, directed by Ottavio Dantone
59:47
Naïve OP30569

As the massive Naïve Vivaldi edition starts to reach its later stages – this is volume 59 – it is inevitable that there will be issues that have the feel of tidying-up loose ends. This is one such, a collection of sacred works including two introdutioni, solo motets that lead to a Mass section or Vespers psalm, the Salve Regina, RV 618, a brief antiphon Regina coeli, RV 615 and the Vespers hymn Deus tuorum militum, RV 612. In addition there is the Violin Concerto in D for the Feast of the Assumption, RV 582, composed, like the rest of the programme with the exception of the hymn, for the Pietà. With the exception of the motet Filiae maestae Jerusalem, RV 638, a sombre masterpiece that formed an introduction to the Miserere, none are particularly well known, though all the vocal works were of course included in Robert King’s complete traversal of the sacred music for Hyperion.

It is the two introdutioni, both designed to precede settings of the Miserere (of which there are no extant examples by Vivaldi) sung at Tenebrae in Holy Week, which form the substance of the disc. RV 638 is an especially striking work with a text concerned with the events of the Crucifixion’s ninth hour, with outer accompagnati, one of moving intensity, the other a powerfully dramatic episode depicting ‘shattered rocks’ and the renting of the veil of the Temple, framing a delicate, pain-soaked aria. The performance, as throughout the programme, is outstanding. In the aria Galou, who I continue to think of as an alto, rather than the contralto label Naïve use, sings with fluent ease and evenly produced tonal beauty across the range, displaying real insight and sensitivity for the text, while shaping the cantabile line with the utmost musicality. In the da capo her discreet embellishments are finely turned, while her husband Ottavio Dantone provides admirably well-judged and finely balanced support. In the accompagnati both find the drama inherent in the highly potent text.

Like RV 638, Non in pratis, RV 641 was also written as an introduction to the Misere and also has a text related to the Crucifixion, though the opening plain recitative seems to draw its inspiration from the Song of Songs. Here an accompagnato and extended aria are framed by plain recitatives, the final one being directly addressed to the suffering Christ as a plea for mercy. Again the aria conveys a mood of infinite sorrow, the double string orchestra effectively used to imitate cascades tumbling over each other, perhaps an illustration of the text’s ‘torrent of blood’. In the B section the winding upper strings unsupported by bass convey a sense of being lost in mystery, the playing of Accademia Bizantina absolutely lovely, the singing of Galou profoundly touching. None of the other vocal works match the motets. The hymn is a brief, simple setting for alto and tenor (Alessandro Giangrande) in which Vivaldi set the three odd verses, the even ones of which would have been sung in plainchant. Given that the disc is quite short measure it would have been agreeable to have those to form a contrast.

The finely judged gradual crescendo at the start of the Salve Regina could well be used as a fine example of the care that Dantone brings to all he does, while the long, languid melismas of the opening aria are again beautifully shaped by Galou, whose veiled tone is most effective. Again, ‘Ad te suspiramus’ (iii) turns the focus on the sheer beauty and contrasts of tonal colour of Galou’s singing, while the second and fourth section bring a sense of heightened urgency. The final vocal work, Regina coeli is sung by Giangrande, here ostensibly as an alto, though the awkward break in the voice only emphasises the fact that he is naturally a tenor, rather than a countertenor.

The Violin Concerto in D is a fine work in three movements calling for considerable virtuosity from the soloist, which it here gets from Alessandro Tampieri, whose playing of the florid passage work in the opening Allegro and the capriccio section of the final movement is outstanding. Perhaps more impressive still is the sense of hazy poetic mystery he brings to the central Grave, with its high lying line unsupported by bass and only minimal touches of accompaniment. This is a highly rewarding addition to a unique series, particularly valuable for the two motets.

Brian Robins

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Recording

Diderot: The Paris and London Albums

The Paris Album
Ensemble Diderot
65:13
ADX 13717

The London Album
Ensemble Diderot
66:10
ADX 13718

Many readers will own and still enjoy the three London Baroque recordings from ca. 2005 that explored the development of the trio sonata in England, France and Germany. They ranged widely (the English repertoire went back to Gibbons), an approach which these new releases (a Dresden-themed disc is already available) complement by focussing on the later 17th century. There is only one repertoire overlap with LB – Rebel’s Tombeau de Monsieur de Lully–- and four world premiere recordings are claimed on each disc, all of them strong pieces. Keller’s Ciaconna in G major in the London programme particularly impressed me, not least because of its unusual bass line which naturally broadens the harmonic potential of the work.

That same disc also includes three sonatas by Purcell, all very fine but also already much-recorded. Was there no other suitable repertoire of quality? It’s hard to believe that, for example, Draghi’s excellent work was just a flash in the pan. The Paris programme resists the pull of the biggest name (just one sonata by François Couperin) but does give us two pieces by Brossard (whom we perhaps think of as a man who wrote words rather than notes) which are consistently engaging, especially when the bass viol is liberated from its continuo role to become an obbligato voice in the tenor register, a device also used by Blow in London.

I do applaud the ensemble’s straightforward approach to instrumentation – the two violins on the upper parts and just a harpsichord for the continuo realisation. The bass line enjoys the finesse of a gamba in the French programme and bass violin/cello in London but would an appearance by the gamba and perhaps a chamber organ in that programme have been appropriate? The actual playing is terrific – fantastic ensemble even at high speed and excellent tuning. There are a few flourishes from the harpsichord which felt a bit 18th century but that won’t stop me splashing the stars, not least because the booklet notes are for once decently written, decently translated and useful!

David Hansell

[Editorial note: In the early days of the online version of EMR, we allocated stars to recordings so that reviewers could be clearer about where they had found virtue and where they had found it wanting. (It also gave lazy readers a quick and easy way to decide if they wanted to buy it or not!) David rarely gave five stars in any category to any recording; for these two, he awarded the full quota across the board, so while he didn’t explicitly say so, I think you could say these two disc really excited him.]

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Festive masses from Lambach Abbey

St. Florian Sängerknaben, Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor
66:31
Accent ACC 24358

There are obscure composers and then there are the likes of Benjamin Ludwig Ramhaufski and Joseph Balhasar Hochreither! The latter was born halfway through the lifetime of the former and, mostly on account of the prominent trumpet parts, there is not much to distinguish their music; indeed, on a blind listening, I defy even a seasoned lover of 17th-century music not to assume it’s either Schmelzer or Biber… Such is the quality of the polyphony and the lyrical ease of the melodies. Combining boy’s voices with those of six men works very well and the instrumentalists clearly enjoy the chamber music feel. Gunar Letzbor’s quest for “true sound” typically gives a dry edginess to his recordings, but here the rather warmer acoustic allows the sound to blossom a little without detracting from the detail. I have enjoyed having this CD in the car for the past few weeks – it is bright and uplifting, and I highly recommend it.

Brian Clark

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Recording

Er heißet Wunderbar!

Barokkanerne, directed by Alfredo Bernardini
67:38
LAWO LWC1169

This is a beautiful CD combining cantatas by three of the candidates for the vacant Thomascantorate with a concerto by a fourth. The one-to-a-part singing lifts the music by Fasch and Graupner to a whole new level when compared to performances by choirs who have hitherto been the only ones to champion the repertoire, especially with four such skilled singers in fine voice and instrumental partners whose lightness of touch elevates the sound even more. Cecilia Bernardini’s rendition of Telemann’s little-played Concerto in E minor with two obbligato oboes is very impressive – I swear she must use olive oil on her bow rather than resin, so even and effortless do the pyrotechnics for both hands sound (rather like a swan, serenely gliding by frantically paddling out of sight!) “Schwingt freudig euch empor” is one of my favourite Bach cantatas and this performance is right up there amongst the best I have heard.

All the more frustrating therefore to read “For who has heard of Graupner, or of Fasch, and do we in hindsight really take the nimble multi-arted Telemann all that seriously?” in the booklet notes. Such opinions are fine, but actually printing them in a booklet like this undermines years and years of work to restore these composers’ reputations even to public notice at all. And even if the note writer doesn’t have much respect, Herr Bach most certainly did, so perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned there.

And then there is “The [Fasch] cantata’s brevity (perhaps a world record here) may suggest that the performances in Zerbst were not a significant part of the service”… First, the piece in question survives in a secondary source so who is to know what had happened to it in transmission? Secondly, a letter Fasch wrote in 1752 reveals that he had been told that music was taking up too much of the services so he had to halve the length of the figural music – and in those days you did as you were told. Besides, on a major church feast, the service also included a Missa brevis with Credo, so pretty much the equivalent of three cantatas in one sitting. Not to mention a Te Deum with “unter Paucken und Trompeten”. A little knowledge is, indeed, a dangerous thing – maybe someone who actually knows about the music might be asked to contribute their next booklet essay.

Brian Clark