New CDs

I recently acquired some new CDs.

They fall into the following categories:

• Loussier Trio (I decided to just buy it all up)
• Baroque (Bolivian Baroque, Pisendel)
• Jaroussky (Concert for Mazarin, Heroes-Vivaldi)

I’ve already written some on the Jacques Loussier material. The Bolivian Baroque CD by Florilegium is difficult to write about. I picked up the first edition after seeing a spot on CBS Sunday Morning with Ashley Solomon. The story behind the music is a compelling one: music preserved for hundreds of years in the Bolivian rain forest is played, complete with “authentic” Bolivian singers, depending upon your definition of the word. I found the whole description of “who” wrote this music confusing: was it in fact “American” “Indians,” or Italian Jesuits? The music definitely has that turn-of-the-century Italian baroque feel to it. The sound is interesting (it comes on Super Audio CD, I’m listening to the so-called redbook version). It comes with a low-calorie DVD explaining the project, which was interesting.

More Vivaldi is never bad, in this case, I picked up Jaroussky’s latest Vivaldi disc, plus his earlier disc which I purchased for the Onofri on violin: Un Concert pour Marazin. Backed up by Ensemble La Fenice, it contains early Italian works.

I hope to write-up some reviews soon.