Boccherini - Quintetos con dos violas - Ensemble 415

Boccherini - Quintetos con dos violas - Ensemble 415
chamber | Eac, flac, cue | no log, cover | 1 CD, 291 MB
February 9, 1999 | Harmonia Mundi| RapidShare

This is a very good recording, and the period-instrument group Ensemble 415 (led by Chiara Banchini) plays well as always.


For a work in C major, the initial theme of the first Op. 60 quintet is especially haunting and strange. As it turns out the source of this tune is a lullaby from Madrid. In the hands of this old master, though, who faced poverty and poor health by the time of these works (circa 1801), the lullaby feels like a funeral dirge (anticipating Mahler's first symphony by 87 years). The entire first movement feels very agitated, which was off putting the first few times I listened to this CD, but it has since grown on me. This is not the flowery Boccherini of early years, instead we find the music of an increasingly broken man. The cello does not even make a significant solo contribution until the third (and final) movement of the first quintet. Often it is the first viola which leads these works, lending an increased sense of the autumnal. Pathos rules but does not bog down these works, and the second quintet in C major is a bit more spirited. Boccherini was trying to gain favor with Lucien Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother and French ambassador to Madrid) with this set of works, so there are attempts to cater to a less anguished sensibility, but it is hard not to notice a certain sense of defeat laced throughout. This is a very good recording, and the period-instrument group Ensemble 415 (led by Chiara Banchini) plays well as always. Boccherini is an underappreciated master of the classical form, and this CD provides an excellent glimpse into that lost world.--Amazon

CD Content
# String Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas & cello in C major, G. 391 (Op. 60/1)
# String Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas & cello in C major, G. 397 (Op. 62/1)
# String Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas & cello in G major, G. 395 (Op. 60/5)

Tartini - Concerti - Banchini, Ensemble 415

Tartini - Concerti - Banchini, Ensemble 415
Concerto | Eac, Ape, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 355 MB
June 20, 1995 | Harmonia Mundi | RapidShare

While I am a big fan of Chiara Banchini (why isn't Carnegie Hall full of stomping fans for this woman?) the main reason I bought this disc was to hear the cello concerto. It is literally the centerpiece of this album, and is most enjoyable. The initial theme (in the Largo section) is reminiscent of Schubert's "Die Forelle", and the Grave is very beautiful. The dark texture of the Grave is enhanced by the soloist's almost romantic approach, and the use of organ for continuo brings out the sturm und drang feel of this movement. This is the first time I've heard Roel Dieltiens step out as a soloist and he does a marvelous job of it. The solo parts have a level of detail that is Baroque in nature, while the tuttis are looking ahead to the Classical style. The four movement layout though, and the overall picture reveals that the concerto is very much a product of the Galant- that little understood (and not always easy to listen to) period. Galant music tends to lack the rhythmic vibrancy of the Baroque, while its melodies and modulations are neither as elegant or well-developed as the Classical style. Meanwhile the concerti grossi are very much steeped in the Baroque tradition. There are intermittent viola solos and here, as in the A minor violin concerto, a harpsichord carries the continuo role. While the back cover has several errors and Enrico Gatti's liner notes are not always clear (they speak of Tartini in general rather than the works at hand), we are told that the concerti grossi are transcriptions of Tartini's sonatas by his pupil Meneghini. They are not spectacular but function well as bookends.The Presto of the violin concerto stands out in particular, though I have to say overall this disc is more suited to people with esoteric interests than someone with a passing curiosity. Ensemble 415 (here augmented with horns) is an excellent group but they are not as flashy as some of their European counterparts and the tempos are occasionally a bit sluggish. The recording, made in 1994, is a bit reverberant for me, though it is satisfying to hear the music linger for a moment at the end of each piece. Banchini is a marvelous performer as always, but I would recommend her recordings of Corelli, Boccherini, and Mozart before this one. It is a great CD, but as Gatti states in the liner notes, Tartini's style is not an easy one to adjust to, and I have to say that I don't listen to this that often. Still, if your interests take you here, by all means indulge.--Amazon

CD Content

Concerto Grosso in C major (arrangement)
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
with Ensemble 415
Conducted by Chiara Banchini

Violin Concerto in A minor, D. 115
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
with Ensemble 415, Enrico Gatti
Conducted by Chiara Banchini

Cello Concerto in D major
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
with Roel Dieltiens, Ensemble 415
Conducted by Chiara Banchini

Work(s) Violin Concerto in G major
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
with Ensemble 415
Conducted by Chiara Banchini

Concerto Grosso in E minor (arrangement)
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
with Ensemble 415
Conducted by Chiara Banchini

Geminiani - 12 Concerti Grossi - Ensemble 415, Banchini

Geminiani - 12 Concerti Grossi - Ensemble 415, Banchini
Baroque | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 2 CD, 644 MB
07/13/2004 | Zig Zag Records | RapidShare

Chiara Banchini founded Ensemble 415 in 1981. The ensemble is noted for its performances of Italian Baroque string music on period instruments. Banchini was among the better Baroque violinists performing at the end of the twentieth century, and the ensemble is at its best performing concerti featuring their director as solost. Their performances of music such as Vivaldi, Corelli, Boccherini, Muffat, and Tartini offer an opportunity to hear less well-known Baroque repertoire by composers who were very well known during the eighteenth century.


The Ensemble 415

Founded in 1981 in Geneva by Chiara Banchini, and established in Franche Comté, France, since 2001, Ensemble 415 is named after one of the pitches at which baroque music is played. Among the first generation of enthusiastic pioneers were François Fernandez, Enrico Gatti, Emilio Moreno and Fabio Biondi. Twenty years later, Ensemble 415 pursues its career with young violinists gathered in a partnership of soloists. David Plantier, Stéphanie Pfister, Eva Borhi and Leila Schayegh perpetuate the initial enthusiasm of Ensemble 415.

Internationally renowned Ensemble 415 has been invited to the greatest festivals and concert venues. Not only are its concerts and recordings acclaimed by critics and public alike, they also set durable impulses to the development of the perception and the interpretation of musical works from the 17th and 18th century as well as to the broadening of the repertoire proposed to music lovers.

Ensemble 415

The recording of and the rediscovery of such composers as Giuseppe Valentini and Giovanni Bononcini have demonstrated that the ensemble’s purpose lies in the assiduous research of quality, of the discovery and renewal of the repertoire as well as artistic integrity.

The Ensemble 415 is a gathering of soloists with the most talented baroque violinists and violists, supported by a continuo group of Italian inspiration. The Ensemble 415 is known for its harmonic sounding, the precision of the touching combined with a technical approach which is as much a result of the artistic complicity between its members as the unquenchable inspiration from its first violinist and artistic director, Chiara Banchini.

As a chamber orchestra, Ensemble 415 is performing with an orchestra from 13-40 musicians with a repertoire particularly dedicated to the music of Boccherini, Corelli and his school, Valentini and Muffat. As a chamber music group, the Ensemble 415 is dedicated in particular to Corelli’s Sonates Op. V, Vivaldi’s Sonates in Trio, to Quintettes and Sextuors by Boccherini and Mozart, as to J.S. Bach or Haydn. As a chamber music group the Ensemble 415 has recorded a selection of the Quintets from opus 39, 60 and 63, three sextets from opus 23 as well as the Stabat Mater in its first version for soprano and string quintet, with soloist Agnes Mellon.

During its long recording career, Ensemble 415 has published over 20 CDs, most of which have obtained international prizes and awards from specialized publications. Since 2001, Ensemble 415 is associated with the Parisian label Zig-Zag Territoires. The first publication of this collaboration, Giuseppe Valentini’s Concertos, won the unanimous acclaim of the critics and the public and has been awarded a “Diapason d’Or” and “10 de Répertoire” in September 2002.

During the last years, concert tours have led Ensemble 415 to Switzerland, Denmark, Singapore, Australia, England, Scotland, Italy, Slovenia, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Austria, Estonia, Russia. And the ensemble has been invited to perform at prestigious international events such as Brisbane Festival (Australia), Flanderen Festival (Brugge and Antwerp), Copenhagen Early Music Festival, Ambronay Festival, Ambraser Schlosskonzerte (Innsbruck), Utrecht-Early Music Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Festival Musica Antiga in Barcelona, Brühler Schlosskonzerte, Cologne. It has also performed in the following venues: Caen and Poissy theatres, Clermont-Ferrand Opera (France), Lausanne Opera, Victoria Hall of Geneva and Komische Oper of Berlin.

Ensemble 415 is regularly present in France during many early music festivals in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Dieppe, Festival du Haut-Jura, Uzès, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, Pontoise, Saint-Michel en Thiérache, etc. It is invited to the “Folle journée” in Nantes and the Loire region as well as to the concert season of the Théâtre de Suresnes.
Besides orchestral pieces by Corelli, works by Vivaldi, Valentini, Muffat, Bononcini, Porpora, and Geminiani appear on the programmes. Chamber music programmes include trios by Mozart and Haydn and Mozart’s quintet with French clarinettist Gilles Thomé and sonatas for violin and continuo by Corelli and Bonporti.

Among the distinguished soloists who collaborate with Ensemble 415 are: Christophe Coin, Roel Dieltiens, Christiane Jaccottet, René Jacobs, Maria Cristina Kiehr, Agnès Mellon, Guy de Mey, Luciano Sgrizzi, Conrad Steinmann, Geoffrey Lancaster, Andreas Scholl, Giuliano Carmignola, Carlos Mena, Marie Claude Chappuis, Katarina Arfken, Vesselina Kasarova, Veronica Cangemi, Lars Ulrich Mortensen, Juliette Galstian, Bart Kuijken, Gilles Thomé, Adriana Fernandez, Furio Zanasi and Gaetano Nasillo.

http://www.ensemble415.org/en/home_ensemble_415.php

CD Content

Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D Major
Concerto Grosso No. 2 in B flat Major
Concerto Grosso No. 3 in C Major
Concerto Grosso No. 4 in F Major
Concerto Grosso No. 5 in G minor
Concerto Grosso No. 6 in A Major
Concerto Grosso No. 7 in D minor
Concerto Grosso No. 8 in E minor
Concerto Grosso No. 9 in A Major
Concerto Grosso No. 10 in F Major
Concerto Grosso No. 11 in E Major
Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor, 'Follia'

More info about Ensemble 415: http://ottomusick.com/Forum/index.php?topic=11.0