tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27871209454145053662024-02-19T12:10:45.332+08:00Otto's Baroque MusickOttohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.comBlogger396125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-72051648575238815262017-08-08T07:55:00.003+08:002017-08-08T10:39:07.945+08:00Campra - Grands Motets - William Christie & Les Arts Florissants<br />
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<a href="http://www.filefactory.com/file/6nz5f7twup2r/Campra%2520-%2520Grands%2520motets%2520-%2520William%2520Christie%2520&%2520Les%2520Arts%2520Florissants.rar" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="346" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijismaH6QRH9qfDzRX536JQ1flLzr0HAb8pohQmUKqt6fRpXh4vaoes4ynuW7yKdc1VlYGCEUtkpG3pTSaQtu-U_hitFG2Xk8F0DQkl6ek6hLbTUberdcMIiJgSouz_wYzGoO12XNbOWW/s200/cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<li>Release Date: 2003</li>
<li>Label: Virgin Classics</li>
<li>Number of discs: 1</li>
<li>Composer: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Campra" target="_blank">Andre Campra</a></li>
<li>Performer: William Christie,</li>
<li>Les Arts Florissants</li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Campra-Grands-Motets-Florissants-Christie/dp/B0000BZNIE" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li>
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<i>Review:</i></h5>
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Though credited with inventing the “opera-ballet” and known primarily today for his numerous spirited stage productions, the remarkably prolific French Baroque composer André Campra was equally famous in his time as a church musician, penning (as of last count) no fewer than 60 “petits motets” and 51 “grands motets” (ones scored for full orchestra, choir, and soloists). In 1993 Les Arts Florissants director William Christie (performing on organ) shared continuo roles with viola da gambist Anna-Marie Lasla (who returns here), supporting soprano Jacqueline Nicolas in a lovely and highly acclaimed program of six of Campra’s petit motets for the Pierre Verany label. Now with much more Campra under his belt (including the premiere recording of Idomeneo, one of his most famous operas) Christie here offers an equally stunning program conducting three of Campra’s grand motets as well as a choral fragment–the Introit from his Requiem.Given how active Campra was as an opera composer it’s not surprising that equally rich gestural and melodic elements are often heard in these motets. For instance, the fifth movement of Notus in Judea Deus (In Judah is God known) features a highly dramatic bass duet powerfully rendered here by Andrew Foster-Williams and Arnaud Marzorati. Heightened by Christie’s crisper, more urgent articulation (particularly from the strings) Les Arts Florissants now marginally outclasses my long-standing reference recording–Herve Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel’s otherwise fine performance on Adda. (Enthusiastic listeners new to Campra would do well to seek out all three unfortunately deleted volumes Niquet devoted to the composer, featuring two extraordinary soloists–the youthful Veronique Gens and countertenor extraordinaire Jean-Paul Fouchécourt.) Equally exuberant is baritone Nicolas Rivenq’s opening aria to Exaudiat te Dominus (May the Lord hear thee), the program’s most consistently upbeat motet. Preceded by an orchestral pomp and fanfare worthy of Handel, Rivenq’s proclamations, though short, are stunning–as are the rousing choral, brass, and percussion forces that follow.Christie concludes the program with the Introit movement of Campra’s well-tended Requiem–Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi), Gardiner (Erato), and again Niquet all claim remarkably lucid, impassioned performances on disc. Though Christie favors a slightly slower tempo than all three, like Herreweghe he places primary emphasis on the movement’s rhythmic structure, heightening its sense of grandeur and solemn nobility. If Christie’s intention here was to whet our appetites for a complete performance of the piece, he has succeeded. Virgin’s sound is excellent–spacious and slightly reverberant while preserving instrumental and vocal detail. <b>This is a very rewarding release and highly recommended, especially to those unfamiliar with this unjustifiably neglected composer.</b></div>
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flac</h6>
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Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-49813800857112990212017-08-04T06:28:00.000+08:002017-08-04T06:42:16.576+08:00Stile Antico - Song of Songs - Palestrina, Gombert, Lassus, Victoria (2009) [24-96]<br />
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<a href="http://www.filefactory.com/file/4s4t4icakmkf/Stile%20Antico%20-%20Song%20of%20Songs%20-%20Palestrina,%20Gombert,%20Lassus,%20Victoria%20(2009)%20%5B24-96%5D.rar" target="_blank"><span id="goog_366961177"></span><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://img.discogs.com/QB5tFzVfbBGS8FHYJmyuZZ2MutE=/fit-in/500x500/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-4229755-1359160185-3333.jpeg.jpg" width="200" /><span id="goog_366961178"></span></a><span id="goog_366961148"></span><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_366961149"></span></div>
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<li>Release Date: 2009</li>
<li>Label: Harmonia Mundi</li>
<li>Number of discs: 1 </li>
<li>Composer: Various</li>
<li>Performer: Stile Antico</li>
<li><a href="http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/song-of-songs-clemens-non-papa-palestrina-guerrero-gombert-lassus-victoria-lheritier-stile-antico/0093046748968" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li>
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<h5>
<i>Review:</i></h5>
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One expectation that such an album may raise in its listeners is an answer to the question of what common and special inspiration might composers have taken from contemplating this most erotic of Biblical texts. The symptoms of their reactions might be sensuous melismas, perhaps, and anguished suspensions, surging bass-lines and…let us draw a veil there. Such devices are in abundance, whether chastely deployed in turn by Clemens and Palestrina or flaunted all at once in the selections of Guerrero and Gombert, though no more so than they would be on a programme of Marian or Lenten devotions; and these are just the opening four tracks.That unfair calculation ignores the plainchant antiphons between each pair of motets. It is rare for me to feel that such interspersions work on CD – let’s get straight to the polyphony – as well as they must in a genuinely liturgical context, but they do here, thanks to the quiet good taste and stylistically homogeneous approach of Stile Antico, with an especially winsome unanimity to the female-only <i>Tota pulchra es</i>.Indeed, these are just the sort of performances I’d hope to hear in church, which was (one feels) the practical and creative laboratory for what is recorded: full but not strained singing, allowing an advantageous acoustic and the number (12) and freshness of voices to take care of blend and balance, with plenty left in reserve for the longer spans of the two magnificent Victoria anthems, <i>Vadam et circuibo</i> and <i>Vidi speciosam</i>. Small choirs of semi-pro ex-Oxbridge choral scholars are not exactly thin on the ground, but with that background in mind, you may still find something new and different: I did, in the naively affecting declamations and unisons of Ceballos and the madrigalian business of Vivanco.</div>
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Hi-Res flac 24-96</h6>
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Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-17322968237039653932012-01-06T15:22:00.001+08:002012-01-06T15:35:18.310+08:00Telemann - Quatuors Parisiens Vols 2&3 - Holloway, Duftschmid, et al.<br />
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<li>Release Date: June 28, 2011</li>
<li>Label: CPO</li>
<li>Number of discs: 2 </li>
<li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemann" target="_blank">Telemann</a> </li>
<li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holloway_%28musician%29" target="_blank">John Holloway</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quatuors-Parisiens-2-3-Telemann/dp/B004VCORU2" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li>
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<i>Review:</i></h5>
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<tr> <td valign="top" width="478">This CPO edition presents a complete recording of the 12 Paris Quartets featuring high points in Telemann's chamber music as well as enthralling and imaginative interpretations by top-quality instrumentalists performing with elegance and sophistication.</td> </tr>
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flac, covers, thank you Thomas!</h6>
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</tbody></table>Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-68432743313003457832011-07-03T08:25:00.002+08:002011-07-03T08:27:42.877+08:00Telemann - Quatuors Parisiens Vol 1 - Holloway, Duftschmid, et al.<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:e30c4519-ff04-4437-9bc5-cd03461f05c1" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/1b3d72fa505804be/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC71Jnnc1cShxV1NkQPV9ORnWuZbk0ZiPGfSG-yYDYiSFICBH3UcmUgLKPodG-91XuDoosrQ1RqL2YvKkAaGqpdZ7OKG-Cp0pNztGVfNKWN24cnl6FIaVZ26amrMc5JJ2xXPM6-x2ValOG/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 03/31/2009</li> <li>Label: CPO</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemann" target="_blank">Telemann</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holloway_%28musician%29" target="_blank">John Holloway</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/G-P-Telemann-Quatuors-Parisiens-Vol/dp/B001PRKG4W" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">The works that have come to be known as Telemann’s “Paris Quartets” are actually two sets of works not meant by Telemann to be considered as one combined work. In 1730 in Hamburg, Telemann published six quadri (the word “quartet” was not in use in Telemann’s day) for violin, flute, viola da gamba or cello, and basso continuo, consisting of two concertos, two suites, and two sonatas. In 1736–37, these works were reprinted in Paris as Six Quatuors. In 1737, Telemann was able to fulfill a long-held desire of visiting Paris. During his stay, he published six Nouveaux Quatuors, so-called because of the previous printing of his Hamburg quartets. They<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pWvya26nAoI/Tg-3AtrMMrI/AAAAAAAAFP0/z7TCJzTZgZI/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="Telemann" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="121" alt="Telemann" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PoIkriFaI2I/Tg-3BVwHeoI/AAAAAAAAFP4/ThjCb3AKrBg/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="98" align="right" border="0" /></a> were written for the same instrumental group as the 1730 publication. In modern times, these two publications were reprinted together as the “Paris Quartets.” This recording, labeled Vol. 1, is presumably the start of a new set of the complete “Paris Quartets.” For this beginning volume, the performers have chosen two works from each publication. The Concerto in D and the Sonata in A are the second and third works of the 1730 publication, while the Quatuors in A Minor and E Minor are the second and sixth works from the later publication. </p> <p align="justify">The performers are a very accomplished lot. Most of them have appeared on numerous recordings, individually and occasionally with one or two of their colleagues on this recording, generally receiving high praise from Fanfare’s critics. We are not told if they were brought together for this project or if they occasionally perform together as a group. They sound like an experienced ensemble. Their performances are lively without going to extremes. Rhythms, while not stodgy, are steady. These performers do not think the music requires extremes of tempo or fluctuations in tempo, something indulged in by the Musica ad Rhenum in their complete recording of the “Paris Quartets” for Brilliant. The results show that such extremes are not needed in this music. I look forward to further installments of what will undoubtedly be a distinguished set of the “Paris Quartets.”--Ron Salemi  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, covers, thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-68326386375567169332011-07-02T13:08:00.002+08:002011-07-02T13:09:19.497+08:00Antonin Reichenauer - Concertos - Musica Florea (2011)<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:cfefb57c-8917-4695-b423-f29ef27b3a22" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/8fdb4536388e591c/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U0rPK-rP7VQ/Tg6kJ1XpTtI/AAAAAAAAFPE/hIxGMyKdBTY/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 06/28/2011</li> <li>Label: Supraphon</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton%C3%ADn_Reichenauer" target="_blank">Antonin Reichenauer</a> </li> <li>Performer:  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_Florea" target="_blank">Musica Florea</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=573824" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">Antonín Reichenauer (c. 1694–1730) – a few years ago a name virtually unknown, today mentioned by Baroque music lovers in the same breath as the greatest Czech Baroque masters, not to mention Antonio Vivaldi himself. Reichenauer assumed after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Friedrich_Fasch" target="_blank">Johann Friedrich Fasch</a> the post of court composer in the service of Count Morzin, whose chapel Vivaldi called a "virtuosissima orchestra" and for which he wrote a number of concertos. Following the previous – and first-ever – CD featuring Reichenauer’s concertos (SU 4035-2), within its Music from Eighteenth-Century Prague series Supraphon is now releasing world premiere <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEFquSdhtRmOi78H1vmocqwbzqQVjnJ-67y51V4OOB2JfXonCUlq1M2rKljsn2h75QePMWVyhOOmdQSC0LnGlzbSovUSrjCujzT6ae9vBD2tYIaLHPiQq51TrM5x5tk7DOfZ2emqQDKRQ/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Musica Florea" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="110" alt="Musica Florea" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nlLcpSHKZus/Tg6n2q5JdtI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/vM42LF5_vBc/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="160" align="right" border="0" /></a> recordings of other concertante works as performed by Musica Florea. Twenty years ago among the Czech pioneers of authentic interpretation of early music, today Musica Florea is an ensemble of international renown with a discography of acclaimed and award-winning recordings (Cannes Classical Award, Diapason d’Or). Their perfectly mastered playing on period instruments brings out to the full all the shades of colour, exquisite melodies and entrancing virtuosity of the concertos. After centuries, Reichenauer’s music is now revived and, as these recordings prove, rightly so. From the archives a priceless treasure has been unearthed.  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet,thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-15944070095541616672011-07-01T08:39:00.002+08:002011-07-01T08:40:07.155+08:00Sweelinck - Toccaten Fantasien Variationen - Peter Ella, clavichord<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:aa40870a-9b44-4c44-ba19-b77c04ecc2f6" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/e68e105e805c1106/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AUiRn1SPlIw/Tg0VK6D03_I/AAAAAAAAFN4/fWNaIoew5DQ/s144/cover.jpg" width="142"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 01/24/2006 </li> <li>Label: Hungaroton</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: Jan P. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweelinck" target="_blank">Sweelinck</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Ella-Peter.htm" target="_blank">Péter Ella</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweelinck-Fantasias-Variations-Jan-Pieterszoon/dp/B000DZV8L2" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck represents the highest development of the Dutch keyboard school, and indeed represented one of the highest pinnacles attained in keyboard contrapuntal complexity and refinement before J.S. Bach. However, he was a skilled composer for voices as well. Some of Sweelinck's innovations were of profound musical importance, including the fugue - he was the first to write an organ fugue which began <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dve2n_SrDIo/Tg0XRfKy2eI/AAAAAAAAFOA/qZAG5YxuUiE/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="One of the two surviving portraits of Sweelinck, this one dates from 1606. It is attributed to Gerrit Pietersz Sweelink, the composer's brother." style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="150" alt="One of the two surviving portraits of Sweelinck, this one dates from 1606. It is attributed to Gerrit Pietersz Sweelink, the composer's brother." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9i811ArQ06LfqqZMHSFNH0KpL2lhlh2xhmC7xALsFnFr2Yo5B46UIWpW2LbaELAFBrMWVixFRHm1xyhQ0xUrDmfnMwpuiGXkFbjcFezU3uevR72yO1hekY0gNzqtYfRsmeOZiUoo3FGm/?imgmax=800" width="122" align="right" border="0" /></a> simply, with one subject, successively adding texture and complexity until a final climax and resolution, an idea which was perfected at the end of the Baroque era by Bach. Stylistically Sweelinck's music also brings together the richness, complexity and spatial sense of the Gabrielis, with whom he was familiar from his time in Venice, and the ornamentation and intimate forms of the English keyboard composers. In formal development, especially in the use of countersubject, stretto, and organ point (pedal point), his music was far beyond the works of Girolamo Frescobaldi - its nearest predecessor - and looks ahead to J.S. Bach.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-11293271145979709902011-06-30T04:49:00.004+08:002011-06-30T04:59:38.128+08:00Campra - Requiem (Messe des Morts) - Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir<p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="482"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:ce5c3bc9-9682-4da4-80f6-e12e9f6d1856" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/bd95db998085cbcf/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NE2CchEK_zLqUwZ-5m0SHsE8Q4zH-UREo1pVt5-ZzW3CZcoOJwk2mgIjH-MCTl1o72diiLeGrubwzlg4I1DlaFXN0B0Xw4NRKjL8ru9PKmMw0T1CqEAkV_3hvj5m-4gDEMdiJlb82jNL/s144/cover.jpg" height="144" width="144" /></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: August 20, 2007 </li> <li>Label: Erato </li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Campra" target="_blank">Andre Campra</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Eliot_Gardiner" target="_blank">John Eliot Gardiner</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Campra-Requiem-Messe-Morts-Gardiner/dp/B000UKW4ZE" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="484"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify">The recording and performance does this exquisite Requiem perfect justice.The sensitive baton of the esteemed John Eliot Gardiner conjures heavenly playing from the English Baroque Soloists, and there is some superb work done by both choir and soloists.I honestly can't recommend this CD too highly to you. It's qualities are as crystal clear to me as it's possible to seem. Not only does it have the most entrancing and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF4xWoGldIv2pcJ5XYYEtPuNJU5t6xMqcEEsdkimVeRfn-m_MqIBLtlgbOxiQ3GXdzDqjRaxnsHJ120JMhbW8eCID_370c98Tqi0ewYl5IftayM81ZQVC6C-mE6-r-IqjqAM8tESC0owt/s1600-h/image6.png"><img title="andre campra" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; border-right-width: 0px" alt="andre campra" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mIbhOVE6dh0/TguP5WxWRiI/AAAAAAAAFNg/9pNqtaORkyg/image_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" align="right" border="0" height="149" width="125" /></a> beguiling "Introit" this side of Faure (forgive the missing accent -- I'll fathom this keyboard some day !),but amongst a plethora of other beauties it boasts an "Agnus Dei" of such sweet and sublime grace that's rarely to be encountered in the entire repertoire. The setting itself bears most similarity to it's illustrious descendant by Campra's fellow countryman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Faure" target="_blank">Gabriel Faure</a>. It boasts the same melting, blissful, beguiling harmonies and textures. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="488"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, covers</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-15978216542492369722011-06-27T10:20:00.002+08:002011-06-27T10:21:09.935+08:00Bach JS - Mass in B minor - Hickox, Collegium Musicum 90<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:0efe964a-a28d-4de0-b4ac-d1736bcaceb2" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/484e8e91c8ef8d12/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gJR36dvUyBU/Tgfljzfz-XI/AAAAAAAAFMY/Ni2BC-oenj4/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 07/26/1994</li> <li>Label: Chandos</li> <li>Number of discs: 2 </li> <li>Composer: JS <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach" target="_blank">Bach</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hickox" target="_blank">Richard Hickox</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegium_Musicum_90" target="_blank">Collegium Musicum 90</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Mass-minor-Stephen-Varcoe/dp/B000000A50" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5 align="justify"><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">Hickox's work is almost always a model of good conducting, musicianship, and balanced interpretation--his recording of the Mass in B minor is no exception. The whole ensemble, voices and orchestra, render the piece with verve and liveliness. Hickox's tempi are usually swift, but not at the expense of the music's often complicated melodic lines (such as those fiendishly difficult <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melisma" target="_blank">melisma</a>s in the "Osanna"). The orchestra's playing in particular is breathtaking in moments, such as the horn player's <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T5NDkrFEFdQ/Tgfo4d4A-QI/AAAAAAAAFMg/C0aIfCJMBkw/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Richard Hickox" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="135" alt="Richard Hickox" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UdxC2pIYNBk_XF9uBgIWTq8LIKrzNptTp0mJ-8l6L083llII7VmA8xUJoWaIbU33H_kMjl2Bj5TjT-wSpq6rMvGwUw5qvB7zzU2w-uka-LT1QKcMcsm1UnI7hBmpWXryAleNZDT3B2Gy/?imgmax=800" width="135" align="right" border="0" /></a> stentorian "Quoniam" and the joyous exclamation at the beginning of the "Gloria." The vocal and orchestral forces are mid-sized, giving the music power where needed, but also that degree of intimacy many of the arias and more pathos-imbued movements demand (the "Et incarnatus est," for example). All four soloists rise to the occasion; the soprano (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Argenta" target="_blank">Nancy Argenta)</a> sings the "Laudamus Te" with an audibly different accent--not a detriment, but a curiosity. Sound quality is wonderful: par for Hickox. This is a good all-around performance for people looking for the balance between traditional and modern Bach interpretations. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, covers</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-54204994447184268242011-06-26T09:18:00.002+08:002011-06-26T09:18:43.320+08:00Venezia - Rosenmueller, Legrenzi, Stradella - The Rare Fruits Council<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:39507091-fccb-4e0e-9449-693900ac34ac" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/17a8cc1309b706f9/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="137" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uRmHw3olQ5o/TgaFTsbIXmI/AAAAAAAAFMA/bBpV61xecrk/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: June 14, 2011</li> <li>Label: Ambronay</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenmuller" target="_blank">Rosenmuller</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legrenzi" target="_blank">Legrenzi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Stradella" target="_blank">Stradella</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/manfredo-kraemer-q34382" target="_blank">Manfredo Kraemer</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Venezia-Rare-Fruits-Council/dp/B004OZRP7I" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>In late 17th century Venice, a trinity of highly talented composers Rosenmüller, Legrenzi and Stradella enjoyed flourishing careers. They<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixK3-qL-eDjczOxg9mn3voLZL-yEeuyIpOI48WWbxDtv4K6sPfB0Je6BoctzG8XQY7MNvxggvwJXuU0siSKFZNRkaP3DP_dpZRmXM2Z77n3dbGUEMcj2VTQQu_vzC_K78scumz4kFcUVtp/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img title="Manfredo Kraemer" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="110" alt="Manfredo Kraemer" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lh97epSHFzI/TgaI1irKSWI/AAAAAAAAFMM/VlTcvsNicjw/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="110" align="right" border="0" /></a> were men whose lives were bound together by fame and persecution as well as peerless musicians whose innovative, passionate compositions were uniquely complementary. On this new disc featuring Sonatas and Sinfonias by this remarkable trio of maestri, Manfredo Kraemer leads his group The Rare Fruits Council in performances that illuminate the virtuosity and tenderness of their compositional art.  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet, thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-14965981873741120202011-06-25T09:10:00.002+08:002011-06-25T09:11:23.278+08:00Il ballo di Mantova - Organ Music in S.Barbara, Mantua - Tamminga<p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="482"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:6aa95baf-a506-4166-a2e3-c5f259794f3f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/f26c8af62509ab35/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pjgrChLXcgk/TgUxbY5e3eI/AAAAAAAAFK8/Ld8AJCSXkdc/s144/cover.jpg" height="144" width="144" /></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: May 3, 2011</li> <li>Label: Accent</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: Various </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.liuwetamminga.it/" target="_blank">Liuwe Tamminga</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/ballo-Mantova-Organ-Barbara-Mantua/dp/B004X9A810" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="484"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify">Liuwe Tamminga is considered one of the major specialists of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Italian repertoires for organ. He is the organist of the historic organs at the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna together with Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, where he plays the magnificent instruments by Lorenzo da Prato (1471-75) and Baldassarre Malamini (1596). He has recorded several compact discs, among them the complete works of Marc’Antonio Cavazzoni (awarded the “Diapason <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pTu0DxFMzJo/TgU1lOCvQJI/AAAAAAAAFLE/b0xrkhhNAdk/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Liuwe Tamminga" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" alt="Liuwe Tamminga" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9amsi4bA5_s/TgU1l9rQ0UI/AAAAAAAAFLI/zJ3Miid_0FQ/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" align="right" border="0" height="151" width="120" /></a>d’Or,” Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2005, Goldberg 5 stars); the complete Fantasies of Frescobaldi (best recording of Amadeus, March 2006 and Diapason 5 stars); “Mozart in Italia” (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2006 and Diapason 5 stars); and a recording dedicated to Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, together with L. F. Tagliavini (“Choc de la musique” and the International Prize “Antonio Vivaldi” of the Cini Foundation in Venice, 1991). </p> <p>01 - Anon.: Hatikvah (01:31) <br />02 - Anon.: Baraban (01:00) <br />03 - Ferrini: Ballo Di Mantova. 3 Variations (03:16) <br />04 - Cavazzoni: Hymn Ave Maris Stella (02:18) <br />05 - Cavazzoni: Canzon Sopra Il Est Bel Et Bon (02:12) <br />06 - Cavazzoni: Recercar Primo (04:05) <br />07 - Cavazzoni: Canzon Sopra Faute D’argent (02:35) <br />08 - Cavazzoni: Christe Redemptor Omnium (01:52) <br />09 - Anon.: Ballo Di Mantova. 2 Variations (02:11) <br />10 - De Wert(?): Ricercar (06:21) <br />11 - Brumel: Ricercar [Sopra Ave Maris Stella] (03:37) <br />12 - Brumel: Ricercata (01:33) <br />13 - Roncaglia: Mantovana. 6 Variations (05:21) <br />14 - Franzoni: Canzon Francese A 4 (02:34) <br />15 - Pallavicino: Toccata La Gonzaga (03:23) <br />16 - Bargnani: Canzon I La Gonzaga A 4 (02:34) <br />17 - Bargnani: Canzon XVI A 5 (03:35) <br />18 - [After Maria Grillini]: Barabén (02:06) <br />19 - [After Melchiade Benni]: Ballo Di Mantova (01:59) <br />20 - Frescobaldi: 6 Partite Sopra La Monica (04:20) <br />21 - Frescobaldi: Toccata XII (05:31) <br />22 - Anon.: Ballo Di Mantova (02:18) <br />23 - Anon.: Ballo Di Mantova. 4 Variations (05:18) <br />24 - Anon.: Hatikvah (01:34) </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="488"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet, thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-59922854457745704512011-06-23T12:41:00.003+08:002011-06-23T19:31:15.476+08:00Per la Vergine Maria - Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano (2011)<p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="482"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:ba4ef9b5-7158-43af-9443-3f87a05fec3f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/c864472d5f3a12fd/" atomicselection="true" target="blank""><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT3pJksPM0m08Fr8B2cFzXArhn1zvBdhl2e3KUAGTDZw5Te_oN-JCtUAyBwbDGqytImIhmIzq0tCK9FjaaOJHLSOyaFEWObnMbLRWcn_1Yt5qFmScAdNpH8b7gf2evRKX1IDpB67J2usj/s144/cover.jpg" height="144" width="144" /></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 06/28/2011</li> <li>Label: Naive</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: Various</li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinaldo_Alessandrini" target="_blank">Alessandrini</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerto_Italiano" target="_blank">Concerto Italiano</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vergine-Maria-Concerto-Italiano/dp/B004S7ZZ42" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="484"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify">The latest collection of liturgical choral works dedicated to the Virgin Mary begins where similar renaissance compilations have left off. The earliest work in Rinaldo Alessandrini's Marian sequence is Monteverdi's six-part Litanie della Beata Virgine, the most recent the tiny, austere Ave Maria that Stravinsky wrote in the 1930s. In between come 17th- and 18th-century eight-part Magnificats by Bencini, Soler and Carissimi, as well as <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UyNWJmUWK0U/TgLD9sQd8OI/AAAAAAAAFKo/vdcb4y0Z_M4/s1600-h/image%25255B10%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-37zRX-3yS4c/TgLD_LytrXI/AAAAAAAAFKs/GDFFBBPR8gY/image_thumb%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" align="right" border="0" height="171" width="123" /></a>a Salve Regina by Alessandro Scarlatti, but the real discovery, recorded for the first time, is a Salve Regina setting by Alessandro Melani, whose motets appeared on a Concerto Italiano disc last year. Those pieces, however, were far less striking than this short setting, in which a solo soprano (Monica Piccinini) is set against the remainder of the choir, whose role is to supply richly harmonized cadential phrases at the end of each section of the text. It's beautifully simple, and typically Concerto Italiano present it in a suitably unfussy way, with everything exactly judged and balanced, yet never over-elaborated.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="488"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, covers, thank you Thomas!<br /></h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-50351949187586901482011-06-22T11:38:00.002+08:002011-06-22T11:38:37.216+08:00Praetorius, M - Pro Organico - Jean-Charles Ablitzer<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:9a398349-95c1-4ab2-978a-8ff7919170ae" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/1b8614a055eb781b/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="126" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Iu5xdy1E2Js/TgFhwAcuSaI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/kBE7jkO_axw/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 02/12/2008</li> <li>Label: Alpha Productions</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Praetorius_" target="_blank">Michael Praetorius </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Charles_Ablitzer" target="_blank">Jean-Charles Ablitzer</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Prætorius-Pro-Organico-Praetorius/dp/B000WPJ7F2" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>The works of Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), an outstanding composer and great innovator, have mainly come to the contemporary publics attention thanks to his collection of dances under the name of 'Terpischore' and to his theoretical writings. Jean-Charles Ablitzer here gives us the first recording of ten organ pieces selected from his 'Musae Soniae' (phantasies on Lutherian melodies) and from his 'Hymnodia Sonia (Latin hymns). This interpretation, already acclaimed by a 'Choc' from the Monde de la Musique, reveals Praetorius as an inspired and gentle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eomjhSTBLHSQmQRpHksDy4IHEfRCZsr211RS2giu6-2TpNK38HyYQyKbvf0gyf-v-SlxofXk34EcyJdlr3Klq0gIGBey73y3uPGfLfkMVLW8UZuAl0m8V9g9YGWBhqyunlvRSKQa5MJn/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Michael Praetorius" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="160" alt="Michael Praetorius" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydSu6JvV4zxIQWNTUNW7NV9jfE7ffZd5ejMMZQ558045SN2FItuB4F0d7rJV95miI_Ovcdo3TNYalFNFTHlixTuI3SWkqL2PLb7TLeGWdusl5o5iZ1AZYz8C-kGRR2FJuO14wq0x9MNZG/?imgmax=800" width="122" align="right" border="0" /></a> colorist, whose musical idiom will leave a deep imprint on the first generation of baroque composers. the musicological rigor and the great sensitivity of the interpreter is further expressed by the choice of the historic organ of the church of St. Stephan in Tangermünde. Not only is it contemporary of the composer, but an identical model by the same maker is extensively described in Praetorius' 'Syntagma Musicum'. For once, as a unique exception, Alpha forfeits its role as a producer in order to bring this record to the public. It has been auto-produced by the artist but never commercialized while its unique quality soon turned it into an absolute, although unavailable reference.  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, covers</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-55500404918729721122011-06-12T14:02:00.002+08:002011-06-12T14:03:01.359+08:00Geminiani - Concerti grossi op. II - Ipata, Auser Musici<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:5b8c5fe9-c342-45bd-a958-096a7e004b68" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/19375c325c15b563/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-znXidNh2hKU/TfRUa-aCKiI/AAAAAAAAFI8/4wCjZux7C68/s144/Francesco_Geminiani-Concerti_grossi_op_II.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: June 7, 2011</li> <li>Label: Pan Classics</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Geminiani" target="_blank">Francesco Geminiani</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auser_Musici" target="_blank">Auser Musici</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geminiani-Concerti-Grossi-Auser-Musici/dp/B004VO7SQA" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>The compositions recorded here are a significant example of musical taste as it spread to the other side of the English channel in the first decades of the 18th century. England welcomed the Corellian style with such enthusiasm as to attract onto its banks a rich line-up of instrumentalists, singers, impresarios who with varying degrees of success contributed to the spread of the new Italian style based on the Sonata and the Concerto Grosso canonized in Corelli’s Op. V and VI. Francesco Geminiani arrived in London in 1714. As a direct disciple of Corelli, it was easy for him to<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-N_pmpqpAALc/TfRWdgqxrkI/AAAAAAAAFJQ/Wx4TR3iqEf8/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Geminiani, Francesco Xaverio (1687-1762)" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="149" alt="Geminiani, Francesco Xaverio (1687-1762)" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDsB0eXHklYa17ySLYryhdmWaYFGmOWSXOu6lbXPrjmFLRjWkZ1ulptwq00XRRmmm9g8O10KQ1EPZaT1v3kBBLCZAKXcOnLRfCWWliy7v18_K1ib7F3KJgoqJekBkc3J0ewZLkkJJFKtu/?imgmax=800" width="122" align="right" border="0" /></a> become part of the musical life there in London, soon gaining great fame as a violinist. The six Concerti Grossi Op. II had the benefit of being performed publicly in concerts organized by Geminiani himself in the Hickford Room, with such favorable results that the composer was forced to expedite their publication in order to be ahead of possible pirated editions being prepared; after the first edition in 1732 there followed numerous reprints up to the end of the 1700’s, confirmation of a considerable and long-lasting success. Auser Musici is a vocal and instrumental ensemble which was founded in 1997 by Carlo Ipata. The public and critical reception of Auser Musici’s tours of Germany, France, Spain and the USA, as well as of their recordings, confirms the enormous interest in their work. German classical magazine Toccata Alte Musik wrote about the recording of Geminiani’s Concerti Grossi: It seems as if these works were only waiting for Auser Musici.  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, artwork, thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-10020797117464827622011-06-11T11:52:00.002+08:002011-06-11T11:53:29.390+08:00Vivaldi - Concerti per il flauto traversier – Alexis Kossenko, Arte Dei Suonatori<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:7c512bf5-80c4-494c-860a-bf33c3130514" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/fb11807d595ab986/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOdzwf9akbVYdZheoA3gTZ2NOO-ZZxtLbcrRxL9SVPhs-l4Rbp1MeMKjHAmB92Yqxxf33drZOjBd4bVHC2tH-vuS4rZ-nlH2yvyy2LqmBp1QTu4-yiLKQPGu319Q3a-9HcQCXxmngeLCf/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 01/11/2011</li> <li>Label: Alpha</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi" target="_blank">Antonio Vivaldi</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.alexiskossenko.com/" target="_blank">Alexis Kossenko</a>, <a href="http://www.artedeisuonatori.pl/" target="_blank">Arte Dei Suonatori</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=526238" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">This is an absolutely splendid release and a must-have for all Vivaldi lovers as well as for all who appreciate vibrant playing in truly historically informed performances. French-born flutist Alexis Kossenko is an award-winning artist who devotes his talent more or less equally to both the modern and Baroque flute. In the former capacity, he has performed under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovitch and Valery Gergiev and recorded the Nielsen flute concerto with Justus Frantz and the Philharmonie der Nationen. In the latter capacity, he has partnered<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nitS6Z-tb5JMiIr-C4ZAfhL4GiWU6EOZlDcxujI9ydQr-zm2eRnhj5yB-9ieReh96ukgqxtrIUz-W853e4kG-KeyN3Z73aK8rv4b23MlJQkhsmAxQlBV00mNR4lJ4QQCgX-apmhXBZm3/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Alexis Kossenko" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="163" alt="Alexis Kossenko" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yHx0erkK17g/TfLmk2igk2I/AAAAAAAAFIU/TmhFmuMrl_s/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="113" align="right" border="0" /></a> Baroque specialists such as Richard Egarr, Andrew Manze, and Catherine Bott, and has performed under John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, Skip Sempé, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Jos van Immerseel, Jaap ter Linden, and Fabio Biondi. </p> <p align="justify">This is not my first encounter with Kossenko and the Polish Arte Dei Suonatori ensemble. Kossenko’s playing of flute concertos by C. P. E. Bach are simply astonishing and a must-buy. If icing on the cake be needed, it comes in the form of a thick French and English booklet containing notes on each individual concerto, detailed information on the instruments employed, and several pages of high-quality photographs. Viva Vivaldi, and kudos to Kossenko, Arte Dei Suonatori, and Alpha for a beautiful recording.  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet thank you Thomas!</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-27073089482923888082011-06-10T21:15:00.002+08:002011-06-10T21:16:32.281+08:00Dall'Abaco - Concerti a quatro da chiesa, op.2 - Il Tempio Armonico<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:0d7048da-51c9-4a72-9ca5-50cdb015d205" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/c274862b17f794a2/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncw7tiV63hYv5ETMmI-wDye0wWEqQCufevPjlOedBNJWIsnBE3GtWooYBD7XPK-5HdLuNHzO_eFon1yOy-JMizWlRFXpiCvPv_MijK32yuDfiqdfOfls4HDdPEMKGWqn5uvlhlqswnhvY/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 2003</li> <li>Label: ORF</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: E. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaristo_Felice_Dall%27Abaco" target="_blank">Felice Dall'Abaco</a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.iltempioarmonico.it/" target="_blank">Il Tempio Armonico</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/evaristo-felice-dall-abaco-concerti-opera-seconda-includes-dts-disc-w154143" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>Even though composer Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco was in the service of the Bavarian court of the elector Maximilian II Emmanuel for most of his life, his 66 skillfully crafted works (Op. 1 - 6), which were rooted in the Italian Baroque style, show his interest in experimenting with French dance forms and stately early classicism. Most of these creative pieces, described mainly as post-Corellian, were written within a 15-year period (1708 - 1721), during the repeated relocating of Maximilian's court.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4yl-i93H7AI/TfIZA-8-swI/AAAAAAAAFHc/9jNJbbiZYPs/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Dall'Abaco" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="167" alt="Dall'Abaco" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8rF24d_5x_k09wEHYIv6O_m0kwicRtozWg8nFIKIquwPkYYpN69hpfWCtLXpRrUx1r40K5D3zdX7rf1mbx5scDFEZjZS9souI_00TVZ2bKWUBo4P3Wq1HRmXaC4BWpIwtXkhDAl7zL-m/?imgmax=800" width="147" align="right" border="0" /></a> Dall'Abaco originally joined the court in 1704 after studying the cello and violin (probably with Torelli) and after performing in Modena, at times with Ambreville. Following a loss in the War of the Spanish Succession, the elector took many members of his court to various countries, beginning with the Netherlands, then to the city of Brussels, Mons, Compiegne, and finally back to Munich in 1715. Dall'Abaco was wed in the Netherlands to Marie Clamence Bultinck and the long period of relocating gave him the opportunity to prove his worth and devotion as a husband to his wife and as a court musician and servant to Maximilian. The elector was so pleased with the service he received that he appointed Dall'Abaco Konzertmeister upon their return; shortly thereafter, the composer then became electoral councilor. This triumph undoubtedly added to the joy he and his wife had shared following the birth of their son Joseph-Marie-Clement (1709 or 1710). Dall'Abaco continued to perform and compose in the service of the Bavarian court even after Karl Albrecht rose as its new leader following Maximilian's death. Dall'Abaco retired from the court in 1740 and passed away two years later, on the anniversary of his birth, at the age of 67. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-275243192889805852011-06-09T11:24:00.002+08:002011-06-09T11:24:49.361+08:00De Visee - Pieces de Theorbe - Jose Miguel Moreno<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:89be7c70-8b90-4d01-9116-530968bc65a6" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/9bfa30b15e40d35b/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FVDfMQBoSfY/TfA7JBfjkqI/AAAAAAAAFGE/7Te6AjRGkBo/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 09/29/2009 </li> <li>Label: Glossa</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Vis%C3%A9e" target="_blank">Robert de Visée</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Miguel_Moreno" target="_blank">Jose Miguel Moreno</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Visee-Theorbe-Jose-Miguel-Moreno/dp/B002BX4WGC" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>José Miguel Moreno is one of the leading specialists of historical plucked string instruments, but with a repertory that extends from the 16th century to the present day. A co-founder of Glossa, he had previously recorded with Teresa Berganza for Philips and with Hespèrion XX for Astrée. As a soloist, as an accompanist or with his ensembles La Romanesca and Orphénica Lyra (focused on the Spanish repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque), Moreno has made some of the signal recordings that have helped establish Glossa’s reputation: his groundbreaking album, The <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oAhLM-f9xK4/TfA84Rfh4hI/AAAAAAAAFGM/9yQ5Fr1NCAM/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 15px 0px 10px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="108" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5e9F9uY0Eyk2g-Mi68Cx3EZtBJIjootWDtyNu76jlvRAU1irovc3B520d96q4aYCymKE_P8PuxiMADPKZxtE6HVf-CdHmsHfGelc3ZwNG7mHjOOrZjPNxVBOWyyPItpiZFvScAiyF-Ic/?imgmax=800" width="108" align="right" border="0" /></a> Spanish Guitar (1536-1836), for example, has sold in excess of 30,000 copies; other recordings have explored the musical worlds of Cervantes’ Don Quijote and of the painter Diego Velázquez. Moreno has also recorded Boccherini Guitar Quintets, accompanied by his brother Emilio’s La Real Cámara. More recently, he has – in the company of Eligio Quinteiro – dedicated albums to the music of John Dowland and Luys Milán. Over the years such recordings have also received substantial critical praise. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-30883773806413246282011-06-07T18:18:00.002+08:002011-06-07T18:19:32.870+08:00Bach - Magnificat BWV 243; Handel - Dixit Dominus HWV 232 - Emmanuelle Haim<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:59345c90-e6fc-4709-acba-a315d2092222" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/dc5bccdc129155e4/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliVO1W8sqtvtfi9AZy-dDPExYqeQukCmmoqH1SM37e8IJVQ8pY39ZhEM4mgvcVQ-itAG1uF6z8JaTRI4D2iJr73E_U4KowYw7Ud-2odJjl8LwXfZGJL3072hFvDLLmXOAOf1jnTIlaF_y/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: November 20, 2007 </li> <li>Label: Virgin Classics </li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handel" target="_blank">Handel</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach" target="_blank">Bach</a> JS </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuelle_Haim" target="_blank">Emmanuelle Haim</a>,      <a href="http://www.leconcertdastree.fr/" target="_blank">Le Concert d'Astree</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Magnificat-Handel-Dixit-Dominus/dp/B000VT2RGK" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">Emmanuelle Haim never lets up in intensity. Her tempi on some of the Bach movements and on the concluding <a title="Gloria Patri" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Patri" target="_blank">Gloria Patri</a> of Handel are faster than I've ever heard anyone attempt. Especially on the <a title="Magnificat" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat" target="_blank">Magnificat</a>, she is clearly demanding the absolute maximum of her choristers, and to my ears they rise to the challenge. Likewise the soloists, especially the two sopranos and the <a title="Countertenor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor" target="_blank">male alto</a> <a title="Philippe Jaroussky" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Jaroussky" target="_blank">Philippe Jaroussky</a>, match the demands of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVQW0ZPV_V5IdcY7_TfYt0DvU4Nj4mxI0B3oZOc3ubM9LCiIOkLeccwVy0Jv9b7laGl0zw7OF3Nx_0GVLj8MFf4qkjQrU5Mxr2ZMGpy8B2kiJNxwMVZm8-grMLzmrs-Yw1nbth6RjicIC/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img title="Emmanuelle Haim" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-right-width: 0px" height="142" alt="Emmanuelle Haim" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpe4Zn_Yv9XCilQlKmckcI3Jyw-CrCYCRownanmiyKhq2fhToB_Hc7HZRE57f0EcZiJx2ZIJL_s3RuYg3TzOE50pwmCn_4h0HNOp0sFkSI7rJDpm48TG4bi8hTtbZC6BRlAW1M39PC79N/?imgmax=800" width="231" align="right" border="0" /></a>both composers and their ardent conductor. As a bassoonist, I'd like to  call attention to the eloquent Baroque bassoon playing of Philippe Miqueu. I'm envious; I wish I'd been there. </p> <p align="justify">Good performances of Bach's Magnificat are not uncommon, but this is the first thoroughly satisfactory disk of Handel's <a title="Dixit Dominus (Handel)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixit_Dominus_%28Handel%29" target="_blank">Dixit Dominus</a> I've encountered. Special alert to dieters: The charge this performance will put into you is worth at least 1200 calories on the exercycle. Listen and exult! </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div class="zemanta-pixie"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" alt="" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=0e3da554-461d-48ed-ab6c-7ce6aabe58e3" /></div> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-46150384392165880602011-06-05T12:26:00.002+08:002011-06-05T12:27:20.988+08:00Handel - 20 Sonatas, Op.1 - Wallfisch,Goodwin,Beznosiuk, et al<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:4424c478-a2ae-4425-a68e-b6cd339eebda" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/5a0cd7d566aef015/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPKR9VFAaQMzmw9ornlznWqKpumuhxA-gKaE1XKVVSBt_CILXDe4nnlHmvE7QY-KzRKqMpKVksayyNM0mnntu4TIUzUlkUo9tCOdQYDYTFp2R7KnDXSY05UQJ9UjWQxh4M84MJgBgD2NS/s144/cover.jpg" width="143"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 11/21/1995</li> <li>Label: 11/21/1995</li> <li>Number of discs: 3 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel_" target="_blank">George Frideric Handel </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.divine-art.com/AS/tunnicliffe.htm" target="_blank">Tunnicliffe</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Wallfisch" target="_blank">Wallfisch</a>,   <a href="http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/a.asp?a=A645" target="_blank">Nicholson</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Beznosiuk" target="_blank">Beznosiuk</a>, <a href="http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/a.asp?a=A445" target="_blank">Beckett</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Goodwin" target="_blank"> Goodwin</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Handel-20-Sonatas-Opus-1/dp/B000002ZYX/" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>This set gives authoritative readings, impeccable in style, dependable in text, and ornamented with enterprise but also with taste and sensible judgment. There are five violin sonatas, seven for flute and six for recorder. Lisa Beznosiuk has a soft and limpid tone, often almost <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-vP8vaHNaXkLt6NLpP5Q_CQC8odclEUjK23xQqg1iTuNO4S2SNKiFPGZ8V3_10o2z1x9rSlXqvx761aQRNgxV6-9ah5OIoZC6MPz60rbEWqGbD-jbSeRrTyVztcSu2EF6l0o45WtkyfL/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Handel" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="156" alt="Handel" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l-yDARn1e8mtl_e0eG-nYNIv1y-K8NR9QPQuXOWKzQTHY52ownvlbM6KRxhE47N3aHtW10fsMi6Qwaj8GhaxjJPzofvpv3k17xg8CNT5G4vYx22CE2qPR-8dL_dqwmnNxAY_nurQYL7N/?imgmax=800" width="111" align="right" border="0" /></a> sensuously full in the bottom register, and brings nicely crisp rhythms to the quick movements. Richard Tunnicliffe is a clear and alert cello continuo player throughout and Paul Nicholson's contributions at the harpsichord could hardly be bettered. Elizabeth Wallfisch, who has the violin sonatas, is another admirable stylist, and brings an unusual subtlety to music that is generally played more energetically. Above all, I relished the oboe sonatas here, played by Paul Goodwin. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans  thank you Thomas</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-72706439320848272162011-06-04T11:27:00.002+08:002011-06-04T11:27:28.120+08:00Gesualdo - Madrigaux a 5 voix - Christie, Les Arts Florissants<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:ef1c818d-b456-4398-bba1-321994f837d7" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/79ce04f690d7dab1/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabjiihgMxFl0zJJNlN__sax3D5tT2hMjZ_dDzPlmFhMNmnGS30qraWwZszsEo2wfluI5xAtslgQ14DCMvF8ck6LaywdiPhKskHvrz-8ZXxo8oGH-ymioA9aPhLU7toQK5WVmYHbXfkUqj/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 04/14/2009</li> <li>Label: Harmonia Mundi</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Gesualdo_" target="_blank">Carlo Gesualdo </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Christie_%28musician%29" target="_blank">William Christie</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Arts_Florissants_%28ensemble%29" target="_blank">Les Arts Florissants</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gesualdo-Madrigaux-Madrigals-William-Christie/dp/B000027O0U" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>In music circles, the name Carlo Gesualdo is usually followed by a strange look, knowing smile, or whimsical comment. The 16th-century Italian composer was nothing if not colorful, and his startlingly unusual music reflects an avant-garde approach to just about all aspects of his craft. Apart from his music, Gesualdo, Prince of Verona, was famously known for murdering his adulterous wife. In his music, especially his madrigals, he seemed to pay no attention to convention, or even to accepted rules <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67g1ZOOz8k1QSKtgiSIWfgg2QYXGvYVwBiiK_Y20hyphenhyphenkW3soxOmPgB6eALW7FzgLKN2FYfKrj78Pm-tqvkha67WjaLTR2HJFobq01iupnCf4Ezy0_T0wRhPb5fUzpDnGNhmk1mb4mb6a3E/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa." style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="182" alt="Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa." src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BaSWfN6x4Rw/TemmAtwydNI/AAAAAAAAFEk/yBPoqIxfeeo/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="142" align="right" border="0" /></a>of  harmony and melodic structure. As heard in the works on this disc, nothing is predictable, from sudden, surprising leaps, to disjointed melodies, jerky rhythms, and occasionally shocking harmonic shifts. Of course, music of this nature is difficult to sing, which is why you rarely hear these works in concert or on recordings. We are fortunate to have such skilled and imaginative interpreters as Les Arts Florissants, who present these marvelous pieces with real artistic flair and a true sense of fun. --David Vernier </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-61569156413479348332011-06-03T12:14:00.002+08:002011-06-03T12:15:10.655+08:00Lawes, William - Consorts in six parts - Phantasm<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:46ae674d-8073-4035-97c6-784c1c4b7afc" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/629d7885ba7be863/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP2RZVsF-nC2tLUdR_hbr90FbpT-uUGhDMcjr5kTreCUflNgYUcPUJGLqDRk1YNcQzr6M0qfLG0YYjn7DR1OMPqCWSecZdVVB7rkd4jwgXt-IjIOOc2H8nQfT3kSxfK3KOBamOslWssyN/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 06/11/2002</li> <li>Label: Channel Classics</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lawes_" target="_blank">William Lawes </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasm_%28music_group%29" target="_blank">Phantasm</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Lawes-Consorts-Four-Parts/dp/B00004U657" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HxmhPxMAkek/TehfockeNtI/AAAAAAAAFDk/Qf0f7Rs7xYQ/s1600-h/p10s10%25255B6%25255D.gif"><img title="p10s10" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="25" alt="p10s10" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T5PouxyqknY/TehfpNa8yZI/AAAAAAAAFDo/niclDsDCKUA/p10s10_thumb%25255B2%25255D.gif?imgmax=800" width="270" border="0" /></a> <p align="justify">Counterpoint is a wonderful thing, and seldom more wonderful than in the hands of 17th century English composer William Lawes. If you think that music for viol consort usually sounds like a heard of dyspeptic cows, you're in for a treat. This is fascinating stuff, fabulously rich, moving, emotionally gripping, and played to a passionate fare-thee-well by Phantasm. Each of these five suites (or "sets", as Lawes called them) contains a different selection of movements, comprising Pavans, <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ogg3CUxc2cw/Tehfq1U3mJI/AAAAAAAAFDs/Fsy0nlvOKmc/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="William Lawes" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="165" alt="William Lawes" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0lUAlWRbMVjjHVQfKYJIe6hIwxxHjl1ctxdSa6qi6oByosAEBROCyY-lkb27j-zupE2TX3XsiQbDZBjP9Gqm5LVvIJsZw1Rw_KekVClpqIlKinowwa0NpKySphoFUpggaImAqcg2HGPl/?imgmax=800" width="137" align="right" border="0" /></a> Fantazies, Aires, and In nomines. Some contain three pieces, others four. Variety and contrast are the composer's watchwords, and with six players to work with, he's able to construct textures of a harmonic richness and polyphonic complexity that offer an almost unlimited range of expressive possibilities. </p> <p align="justify">There isn't a single movement without something special to say, but I have to mention a few: the G minor set's long opening Pavan (the only one in the collection) and delicious concluding Aire; the amazing harmonies over repeated note patterns in the C major set's central Fantazy; the gorgeous first Fantazy in the F major set (a sort of 17th century answer to Barber's bittersweet Adagio for Strings); and the whole of the strikingly intense C minor set. The players of Phantasm draw a sound from their instruments as richly colored as the music itself, and while they omit the organ continuo you certainly won't miss it, and the gain in polyphonic clarity certainly compensates. They're also fabulously recorded--warmly, but with none of that Grand Central Station public bathroom reverb that afflicts too many early music discs. Indeed, the sound adds considerably to the immediacy of music that offers visceral excitement and a communicative directness outstanding for any era. Not to be missed!--David Hurwitz</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-34738198316285851462011-06-02T14:36:00.002+08:002011-06-02T14:37:25.349+08:00Couperin, Louis - Suites for Harpsichord - Christopher Hogwood<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:7a8cec66-e4fd-4b54-a511-2dab8b16e88f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/551944620e0232b9/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="142" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zqCzolQY64U/TectzSCt26I/AAAAAAAAFCo/QmNsWR9A4-s/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 02/1991</li> <li>Label: L'oiseau Lyre</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Couperin_" target="_blank">Louis Couperin </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hogwood_" target="_blank">Christopher Hogwood </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=150123" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>The Couchet harpsichord from the Brussels Conservatoire—a splendid instrument with a positively astonishing bass—which Christopher Hogwood uses for this excellent recording is dated 1646, and is thus contemporary with these Louis Couperin pieces, which were not published during the composer's lifetime but are preserved in two manuscript collections (the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG01DjdFm22-rOA02IdtTa3MRb3krP7-Qb-X5nuEFApxVCcxBAwZfxHbUpfAaoBJZKq-kh1Wm52gqW3kl8R_QjL_4p6T348vsp262u3CXTf3ybDWx4DSvoXDJQNyEGheiSsEOtwDAaUAre/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img title="The church of Saint Gervais in Paris, where Louis Couperin served as organist from 1653 until his death" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="158" alt="The church of Saint Gervais in Paris, where Louis Couperin served as organist from 1653 until his death" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gD1ATR9xTwM/TecviGvO1wI/AAAAAAAAFC0/BVn7y1ySGUw/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="128" align="right" border="0" /></a> second of which came to light only in 1968). It is doubtless their more limited circulation, plus the problems posed by Louis's elusive preludes non mesures, that are responsible for their being much less familiar than the character pieces of his nephew; but each time one hears them one is struck afresh by their quality and the subtlety of the writing. Hogwood thoroughly understands the style, and is adept at making small variants in repeats; and fortunately his choice of pieces. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-38705696944109060122011-05-30T15:52:00.003+08:002011-05-30T21:55:44.888+08:00Steffani - Suites Theatrales - Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:7392dc89-b96c-4661-8584-86c114d4d2b1" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/c05bae632b26d0ac/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="144" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Xzt2B879vqM/TeNLGESXrGI/AAAAAAAAFBM/EqSRhy_U4GY/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 01/25/2011</li> <li>Label: Divox</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agostino_Steffani_" target="_blank">Agostino Steffani </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.sonatori.net/en.html" target="_blank">Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/STEFFANI-Players-Sonatori-Gioiosa-Marca/dp/B000059Q2V" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>Agostino Steffani (1654-1728) is probably a nebulous figure for modern listeners, even those devoted to early music. Unlike most baroque composers, he composed almost no instrumental music, so his music has had to wait for the revival of baroque opera in the last decade or so to become better known. By contemporary standards he produced a small number of operas (New Grove lists sixteen, of which one is apparently a pasticcio reconstituted from earlier works), and even his chamber vocal works are atypical, focusing on the duet, to the virtual exclusion of solo works. And so this instrumental florilegium (apparently following the Roger <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/---Sxak-bGDc/TeNMv27_zbI/AAAAAAAAFBU/JW-YAXZgIGk/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="An 1816 lithography of Agostino Steffani from an unknown original." style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 10px 15px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="183" alt="An 1816 lithography of Agostino Steffani from an unknown original." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE10da5PIX3n0VItlOTMAy3wQnQHL4ygFGGFhlai11kx2xAAu46L7HQSqxD7j255XgthbKSMgeEyR9vRDTyDc-X6BoDqb2Opn9FrqG5ZuLZUuXZboDsgl-9Mq0TRxqcx-wwjUMhtfb5k9/?imgmax=800" width="151" align="right" border="0" /></a> collection of Sonate da Camera of 1705) from four of the composer's operas is particularly welcome. The earliest, Niobe, regina di Tebe, was written for Munich in 1688; I trionfi del fato and Henrico Leone were written for Hanover in 1695 and 1698 respectively, and Amor vien dal destino for Düsseldorf in 1709. What will surprise the listener (it surprises me, at least) is the thoroughly French style of most of the music, whether the French ouvertures, or the suites of dances, all with French titles, which reinforces Germany as the land of the mixed style, taking from both Italy and France, before France itself began to borrow from Italy (a commerce that rarely traveled in the opposite direction). The playing of the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca (and friends) is firstrate, with pep and sparkle. High remarks to the oboes of Andrea Mion and Marco Cera. This is my first encounter with this ensemble, and I came away impressed with their taste and adventurousness in repertoire. Warmly recommended. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-62636993765327980882011-05-29T15:54:00.002+08:002011-05-29T15:54:51.836+08:00Hasse - Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria Magdalena - Blaise, Kordes, Geneaux, Wey, Hofstetter<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:949a7352-cd7f-4732-9f5e-d8ca055087e5" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/2ef1d0e368205bf7/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCpCSHIqnstu_emQwUeYKxEHwDpGcN7Lt_E8H12sAjytz_btu5VKLAnhhZG_k2oyCZXC9foVFW0jVGlXIM3edYRG0pVe3MYiRy4VQTmQpXv7mXS9STrFJVhutqmJN3lh1bkkxtz0Dg4dG/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 09/28/2010 </li> <li>Label: Oehms Classics </li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Adolf_Hasse_" target="_blank">Johann Adolf Hasse </a></li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.tourism-bw.com/Culture/Fabulous-Festivals/Ludwigsburg-Palace-Festival" target="_blank">Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sanctus-Petrus-Sancta-Maria-Magdalena/dp/B003VY8PN6" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"> <p align="justify"></em>The music of Johann Adolf Hasse (1699–1783), once sorely neglected, is now receiving renewed attention as part of the general revival of music from the transitional period between the High Baroque and Classical eras. He was perhaps the most celebrated proponent of <a title="Age of Enlightenment" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" target="_blank">Enlightenment-era</a> values in music, which rejected alleged extravagances of the Baroque era and placed supreme emphasis upon structural symmetry and clarity of thematic and harmonic materials as expressions of rationality that supervened upon emotional expressiveness. Hasse became particularly <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgammFBlV4z26H8p-iFQD5ALQuXj0Y4RXFnFtfliVjbLeHm-oE9b3ckPNqPxQkHyb_K4zB5rO8D_rTCFk98MIhdu21GVh8VvoT5JgBusRSFs1gSlbqqNVYgX9tL3SFuQm8hDlpIed1ARvk0/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="Johann Adolf Hasse" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 15px 0px 5px 15px; border-right-width: 0px" height="160" alt="Johann Adolf Hasse" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-II7vK4qU0lg/TeH7nK9_BBI/AAAAAAAAFA0/E1v1oz2pdug/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="132" align="right" border="0" /></a> famous for his close working relationship with the famed poet <a title="Metastasio" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metastasio" target="_blank">Pietro Metastasio</a> and eventually composed operas setting virtually all of the latter’s numerous libretti. The dramatic character of Hasse’s opera seria was carried over into his oratorios as well, such as the one presented here in its premiere recording. This is a live performance, but the audience is so completely silent until its applause at the conclusion that this might as well have been a studio recording. The recorded acoustic has richness and depth and is a bit on the bright side. Michael Hofstetter conducts with gusto, and the period-instrument players are top-notch. The chorus and the vocal soloists all perform competently. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div class="zemanta-pixie"></div> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-39346054436558365382011-05-28T12:17:00.002+08:002011-05-28T12:18:20.715+08:00Telemann - Overture 'La Bourse', Suites - Dombrecht, Il Fondamento<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:fde14741-cd02-4888-a287-d355eea5c317" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/97dcca955a9999e2/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="142" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-m4COAgff9J0/TeB1HC69s3I/AAAAAAAAE_g/QawWMcI3M4M/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 07/13/2010</li> <li>Label: Vanguard Classics</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemann" target="_blank">Telemann</a> </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://www.ilfondamento.be/" target="_blank">Il Fondamento</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Overture-Bourse-Suites-Telemann/dp/B002USOVR8" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">Il Fondamento, the Baroque orchestra founded by oboist Paul Dombrecht more than two decades ago, has been turning out lively recordings of 18th-century music ever since. The present disc (a reissue of a recording from 1996), titled La Bourse after one of the suites, is comparatively modest: just two oboes, bassoon, and strings. <br />A bourse is a stock exchange. Telemann spent nearly a decade of his composing career living in an upper corner of a massive Frankfurt mansion whose ground floor was then occupied by the Frankfurt Bourse. The title La Bourse isn’t actually Telemann’s, having been attached to the piece (TWV 55:B11) by a 20th-century editor, but as musicological <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4-rqokj41lqxbi-sZRgo0w6RCei1weVGK-kSO1uBfEkyR9ktIQ5x77fDVONW-ixCLVVZDlaD7FaYRTHt0t3lD2G1o02mkMs7lMrT-4TW6ZenQL48EO4LVF4Ty_mqvSg9UKofbMrku-t3/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img title="Paul Dombrecht" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 0px 10px 15px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="217" alt="Paul Dombrecht" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GjyooGQ9lGs/TeB3YwQO0HI/AAAAAAAAE_s/fv3BA9myvdQ/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="164" align="right" border="0" /></a> conjectures go it’s not that much of a stretch. The last movement is titled “L’Espérance de Mississippi” — presumably the “Mississippi bubble” of 1720, when thousands of investors staked their hopes (unwisely) on French Louisiana. When you consider that the other movements are titled “Interrupted rest,” “War in peacetime,” “The victors vanquished,” and “Solitude in company,” it’s hard to resist the idea that this is Telemann’s portrayal of a stockbroker’s life. All the same, there’s little that you could call tone-painting in this suite. Telemann trying deliberately to imitate something, be it a frog or an old woman, almost never misses. These titles (apart from Le Repos interrompu, which is exactly what it sounds like) seem added after the fact. The other two suites here don’t pretend to illustrate anything but themselves. One (TWV 55:g3) is a sort of expansion of an earlier chamber piece. There are six movements in a row, titled “Aria,” so sharply distinct that apart from the common key you wouldn’t necessarily assume they all belonged to the same piece. The other (TWV 55:C4) is a big (10-movement) suite in as grand a style as can be achieved with so small an ensemble. It’s typical Telemann in the sense that it delivers what was promised, and then throws in a little bonus. You’ve got your dance movements (the canonical allemande, courante, sarabande, plus some extras); but you’ve also got a rambling “Air italien,” an “Entrée,” and a gavotte titled “Les Étudiants gaillards” (roughly, “the lively students”). This last is a hoot. The main gavotte is decorous enough, but the trio section involves oboes in octaves over a bassoon drone, to which Dombrecht has added some most apt percussion. The performances — nimble, suave, witty, and somber by turns — range as widely as the music does, and run in felicitous tandem with it.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, booklet</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787120945414505366.post-64234026886115123862011-05-27T22:03:00.004+08:002011-05-27T22:06:14.840+08:00Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra - A Baroque Feast<p> </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="482" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="173"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:51CF81A4-8F44-4a2c-8837-198C090B9994:303d2ed1-cdef-4aff-9a75-214aa0616b10" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><p><a href="http://www.filefactory.com/f/257c581dd200cd05/" atomicselection="true"target=blank"><img style="border-right: 2px; border-top: 2px; border-left: 2px; border-bottom: 2px" height="142" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QtblyjBEv_w/Td-twPd_-JI/AAAAAAAAE_M/ic2EYAIuCKU/s144/cover.jpg" width="144"></a></p></div> <br /> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> </td> <td width="301"> <ul> <li>Release Date: 10/22/2002</li> <li>Label: Analekta</li> <li>Number of discs: 1 </li> <li>Composer: Various </li> <li>Performer: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafelmusik_Baroque_Orchestra_" target="_blank">Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baroque-Feast-Festin/dp/B000065THP" target="_blank">cd info/ buy</a> </li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h5><em>Review:</em></h5> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="484" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="478"></em> <p align="justify">Even people who don't normally listen to classical music seem to love the singable melodies and effervescent rhythms that characterize much of the Baroque orchestral repertoire. Certain works have become favorites of television commercial and film producers, and chamber orchestras everywhere endlessly program selections from Handel's Water Music, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Albinoni's Adagio, and various works by Purcell, Locatelli, and Marcello--along with that dreadful and highly overrated "canon" by that guy whose name begins with "P". Most of these composers (thankfully not Pachelbel) are <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_eo938CMrGh6MLN5quGQvoeLBrHpuLsJOd38I63n9gVb6m3834BlMsc3FpUejCR30Q-HYnKpm_BxqX1McxdtTmdSHS0cB3exFSkhPBdXOEutiIekKvNgiYz3hZiW-QNBuCQeAa7FCnZy/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 15px 0px 10px 15px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="149" alt="Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChBKTkF1baIGzYnWsCx_bkTAml1Pv6eGajRms5ctT7_bDhMTHSojlReeYneLr5dgAxm4EFESybw5w2vuSfME3Oiai3u9dMT-zEZpiUIcQTe05-UIkm-sQCQBjISCBbrmsaNe4QdJ9LKq7/?imgmax=800" width="207" align="right" border="0" /></a> represented here, on this perfectly fine if just a little too-familiar program that features Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Purcell's Suite from Abdelazar, and Vivaldi's A minor concerto for two violins Op. 3 No. 8. To the producers' credit, the disc also includes some less-commonly-heard selections such as Handel's lovely Concerto for harp in B-flat major and Marcello's Oboe concerto in D minor. We're also treated to the richly scored, melodically engaging Op. 1 No. 8 Concerto grosso in F minor by Locatelli and to a lovely Sinfonia by Bach (from his Cantata No. 42). Overall, the program has a musical coherence and a pleasing sonic quality that encourages easy and pleasant listening. </p> <p align="justify">Of course, the Toronto-based Tafelmusik, one of North America's two or three top-rank period-style orchestras, delivers these Baroque staples with interpretive authority and impressive yet thankfully unadorned technique, giving careful attention to line in the slow movements and keeping rhythms and articulation crisp in the fast ones. The solo playing is first-rate (particularly the harp and oboe), and the sound gives desirable presence and clarity to the varied instrumental configurations. If you're looking for a very well-played, intelligently programmed recording of attractive Baroque orchestral music, look no further.--David Vernier </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>  </p> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="488" border="0"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom" width="482"> <h6>flac, scans</h6> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Ottohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788067013416875017noreply@blogger.com0