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Reviews

Dec 28, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Label
Aparté
Format
CD

Stephan Macleod’s Geneva-based ensemble recently released a Bach cantata project, one that took over six years to record.

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Bach: Complete Chorale Cantatas Gli Angeli Genève

Dec 27, 2025

Label
ECM Records
Catalog no
ECM 2843
Released
2025
Length
39:17

This album—albeit short at 39 minutes—is worth your time, bringing together viola, double bass, and sheng.

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Pur ti miro

Dec 26, 2025

Composers
Barbara Strozzi

Barbara Strozzi is now widely regarded as the most prolific and artistically substantial female composer of the 17th century, and one of…

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Strozzi: Portrait in 5 Acts Mields & Blažiková

Dec 26, 2025

Composers
George Frideric Handel
Label
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
Catalog no
88697630232
Released
2010

This was originally reviewed on December 24, 2010. I've updated the review based upon a recent re-listen; the original review did not…

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Handel: Venus & Adonis Zefiro

Dec 23, 2025

Composers
Joseph Haydn
Label
Alpha Classics
Catalog no
ALPHA 1092
Released
2025

Symphonies Nos. 29, 55 (The Schoolmaster), and 56 belong to the late 1760s and early 1770s, a period when Joseph Haydn was firmly…

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Haydn: Haydn 2032 – Volume 18 “Maestro di scuola” Antonini

Dec 22, 2025

Composers
Georg Philipp Telemann
Label
cpo
Catalog no
555 584-2
Released
2026

In this recent release from the Kölner Akademie, we get a recording across two discs of Telemann’s Frankfurt festival music (TWV 12:1)…

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Telemann: Auf Christenheit! Kölner Akademie – Willens

Dec 17, 2025

The premise of this disc on Da Vinci Classics is to present a variety of baroque violin sonatas with an unusual continuo option: single cello. I am not sure this pairing would have been so unusual in the Baroque.

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À due Raimondi & Demgenski

Dec 15, 2025

Composers
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Released
2025
Length
2:20:56

The last album I purchased featuring Mozart directed by Enrico Onofri was one that took considerable talent to identify; it included the…

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Mozart: Serenata Münchener Kammerorchester

Dec 14, 2025

Composers
Johann Ludwig Krebs

The last album I examined in this series was Volume 4. According to the liner notes, this sixth release marks the final installment of…

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Krebs Vol. 6 Devine

Dec 13, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach

This recording—featuring keyboard player Martin Sturm—presents alongside the first book of Bach’s “48” on organ, improvisations by the…

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Bach: Das Wohltemperirte Clavier Sturm

Dec 7, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach

This release continues the “Bach Organ Landscapes” series, which documents Bach’s organ works on historically significant instruments.

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Bach 53°32’46.0”N 9°59’42.4”E Halubek

Nov 30, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Label
Harmonia Mundi
Catalog no
HMM 902745
Released
2025

Bach’s early cantatas have attracted consistently strong recordings, perhaps because they’re inherently accessible.

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Bach: Christ lag in Todesbanden Ensemble Correspondances

Nov 29, 2025

Label
Gondwana Records
Catalog no
GONDLP076
Released
2025
Length
1:01:45

As of late, in an effort to expand my own musical horizons, I’ve been taking recommendations by Instagrammers—many of which showcase…

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Expanding to One

Nov 28, 2025

Released
2025
Length
1:14:42

The composer Charles-François Grégoire de la Ferté (1666-1746) is a name I’m betting you’re not familiar with; the sonatas recorded here…

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Sonates Oubliées – Charles de la Ferté

Nov 28, 2025

Composers
Georg Philipp Telemann
Label
cpo
Catalog no
555 699-2
Released
2025

I have collected a number of recordings that belong to CPO’s Telemann collection; like the Vivaldi effort on Naïve Classics, the Telemann…

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Telemann: Complete Violin Concertos, opus 9

Nov 24, 2025

Label
Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog no
486 7597
Released
2025
Length
58:13

Orpheus, from Greek mythology, became a symbol of art’s power, love’s devotion, and the fragility of trust and doubt.

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Orfeo son io L’Arpeggiata

Nov 23, 2025

You may have learned at some point that the elements of music are rhythm, harmony, and melody. Yet we can experience each of these on its own.

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The Book of Fixed Stars

Nov 21, 2025

The cover demands attention. At first glance, I read it as “The 5th Eye,” but Accademia Bizantina are off to record all six Brandenburg Concertos—each volume pairing one concerto with other works chosen to highlight a human body part.

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Baroque Anatomy: The Eye Accademia Bizantina

Nov 16, 2025

The baroque orchestra centered in Freiburg has had significant recording career, across multiple labels. This new release on Aparte is a live concert recording featuring music from various German sources, collected on a supposed route from Freiburg to Berlin.

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The Grand Tour: German Baroque Music Freiburger Barockorchester

Nov 15, 2025

Composers
Louis Couperin
Label
Erato
Released
2025
Length
11:57:00

Erato artist Jean Rondeau—yes, that French guy with the hair—returns with a major new release.

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Louis Couperin Complete Works Rondeau et al.

Nov 12, 2025

As they are perhaps now well-known to do, NeoBarock on this album are prepared to present a piece—in this case Bach’s Musical Offering, BWV 1079—alongside fodder that “doesn’t belong.” The juxtaposition of old and new may appeal to those wanting to hear…

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Spiegelungen NeoBarock

Nov 10, 2025

Composers
Domenico Scarlatti
Label
Arcana
Catalog no
A587
Released
2025

This release under the direction of Giulio Prandi, featuring soprano Carlotta Colombo, features four pieces by Alessandro Scarlatti and a…

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Scarlatti: Christmas Music Prandi

Nov 9, 2025

Composers
Henry PurcellJohn Blow

Le Poème Harmonique, under Vincent Dumestre, brings together John Blow’s Welcome Every Guest and Purcell’s Hail, Bright Cecilia! Z.

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Purcell & Blow at Versailles

Nov 2, 2025

Label
ECM Records
Catalog no
ECM 2848
Released
2025
Length
46:38

In this album from lutenist Rolf Lislevand comes a recital of pieces from the early 17th century, picked from the first published editions…

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Libro primo Lislevand

Nov 2, 2025

Composers
Antonio Vivaldi

Mike Fentross and his La Sfera Armonico offer a Vivaldi recital of dramatic soprano works sung by Channa Malkin.

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Mercy and Fury from Antonio Vivaldi

Nov 1, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Released
2025
Length
57:46

Having already covered Tristano’s earlier Bach releases—the Six Partitas and English Suites—this album feels like the next logical chapter…

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Bach The 7 Toccatas Tristano

Oct 28, 2025

Composers
George Frideric Handel

The program for this album runs just under an hour, featuring two of Handel’s Chandos anthems—multi-movement works written for Anglican…

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Handel’s Chandos Anthems Nos. 6 & 10 Musica Gloria

Oct 26, 2025

Released
2025
Length
1:10:48

This generous recital from Philippe Jaroussky, accompanied by his Artaserse, presents two world premieres, works by Galuppi and Porpora…

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Gelosia! Italian Cantatas Jaroussky

Oct 26, 2025

Composers
Johan Helmich Roman
Label
Resonus Classics
Catalog no
RES10316
Released
2023

The Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman has been covered here before among the reviews; in this case we come back to his writing for…

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Roman: To the Northern Star Flauguissimo

Oct 25, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Label
Prospero
Catalog no
PROSP0115
Released
2025

This live recording is programmed around famous works by Bach that feature horns.

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Bach’s Horns Solomon’s Knot

Oct 18, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach

The theme of this new album from Gli Incogniti is hardly unexplored. Many have traced Bach’s engagement with Italian music—especially the…

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Bach from Italy * Amandine Beyer

Oct 14, 2025

Composers
Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli
Released
2025
Length
1:20:51

Hélène Galatea Conrad, violin; Amandine Lesne, gamba; Dana Howe, theorbo; Adrien Pièce, keyboards Gallo CD-1722 This new recording…

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Pandolfi Mealli: Sonatas Opp. 3 & 4 Conrad

Oct 13, 2025

Composers
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Label
Claves
Catalog no
CD 50-3074/75
Released
2023

I can’t remember when I first heard the composer’s name, but my early exposure to Frescobaldi came into my life in an unexpected way.

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Frescobaldi’s Manuscripts Adrien Pièce

Oct 12, 2025

Released
2023
Length
1:10:20

This album features a variety of baroque music for flute, here performed by Leonard Schelb.

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La flûte de Monsieur Buffardin Schelb

Oct 12, 2025

Composers
JS BachPiazzolla
Released
2020
Length
54:36

I discovered this album back in April of 2021; it’s one of those I marked in Roon with a ❤️, but hadn’t remembered much about it, save for…

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Fuga y misterio Rubino, La Chimera

Oct 11, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach

This is not just another recording of Bach’s cello suites; the approach here was to record each suite on a different instrument (and no…

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Bach Cello Suites Ronan Kernoa

Oct 5, 2025

Composers
Claudio Monteverdi
Label
Arcana
Catalog no
A580
Released
2025

I became familiar with Monteverdi by way of my formal education in music in college; as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I had a professor whose…

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Monteverdi: Sesto Libro RossoPorpora

Oct 4, 2025

Composers
Purcell
Released
2025
Length
1:11:15

This album is a type of crossover production, one that stylistically was cohesive enough to work, combining voice, lute or guitar, and…

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Solitude Reginald Mobley

Oct 4, 2025

Composers
Antonio Vivaldi

Matthias Maute is not shy about mixing historical music alongside the modern.

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Vivaldi – The Four Nations

Sep 27, 2025

Composers
Georg Philipp Telemann

The title of this album is a bit of a tease. As was Harmonia Mundi’s pre-release of a track to whet our appetites.

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Works for Violin by Telemann Faust

Sep 24, 2025

Label
Erato
Released
2025
Length
1:33:26
Format
Digital Media

This new release featuring Thomas Dunford and Lea Desandre features music by Dowland and Purcell—obviously sung numbers but also a variety…

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Songs of Passion Jupiter

Sep 21, 2025

Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Released
2025
Length
1:00:34

Isabelle Faust is joined on this new release from Harmonia Mundi with contributions from Kristian Bezuidenhout (keyboard) and Kristin von…

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Isabelle Faust: Bach Sonatas for Violin and Continuo

Sep 14, 2025

Composers
Antonio Vivaldi
Label
Naïve
Catalog no
OP 8877
Released
2025

This 54 minute CD features one of Vivaldi’s surviving serenades, a type of dramatic cantata that was written for two voices, called La…

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Vivaldi – La Gloria e Imeneo Abchordis

Sep 10, 2025

Composers
Philip Glass

Vanessa Wagner brings body and human presence to the minimalist etudes by Philip Glass, producing a remarkable recording that serves as a reference for these works.

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Vanessa Wagner plays Glass

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