Imagine – Pieces by Bach • Jean Rondeau
I first encountered Rondeau through YouTube. He was playing as part of a small trio ensemble, and I looked for more. The music was good; but who was this guy, with that hair?
HIP
Chamber Music of François Couperin
To my mind, when I hear the name “Couperin” I often immediately think of the harpsichord. Both François and Louis Couperin both are well-known for their harpsichord pieces.
Rameau Pièces de clavecin • Mahan Esfahani
Recently, I have noticed there are a number of new harpsichordists on the scene. It speaks to the interest young musicians have for the instrument, the music written for the instrument, not to mention the…
Per Monsieur Pisendel 2
A continuation of an earlier release by the same ensemble, combines two sonatas by Pisendel with those of his friends, including Antonio Vivaldi.
Corelli Assisi Sonatas
Ensemble Aurora led by violinist Enrico Gatti performs violin sonatas by Arcangelo Corelli. This album features 12 so-called "Assisi" sonatas for violin and basso continuo and a bonus of 4 additional sonatas, Corelli…
Telemann Solo Fantasias
Versatile violinist Shunske Sato records Telemann in a solo recital. Sato came to my attention through a video of him performing with Richard Egarr of the AAM.
Fasch Quartets and Concertos
When I was at the Lufthansa Baroque Festival several years ago in May, I heard a version of Ensemble Marsyas perform at St. John’s Smith Square.
Telemann Concertos for Winds – Volume 8
Michael Sneider and his colleagues from both La Stagione Frankfurt and Camerata Köln released in 2012 on CPO their final installment of concertos by Telemann featuring wind instruments.
La Villanella – Music of Kapsberger
I recently purchased the recordings of L'Arpeggiata on Alpha in a box set, and included is a CD of music by Kapsberger (known best, perhaps, as a lutenist).
Pandolfi: Sonate a Violino solo, opera terza
Gunar Letzbor with Ars Antiqua Austria (2013—Arcana) I'll start by writing that I was not a fan of this ensemble's earlier recording of Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli's opus 4 sonatas on the same label.
Fux Partite à 3
Ars Antiqua Austria have recorded Johann Joseph Fux's Partite for strings. Letzbor and friends record J. J. Fux Likely the best comparison of this music, at least in terms of the titles, are Pachelbel's partite.
Albinoni Violin Sonatas
The discography for Tomaso Albinoni is firmly centered around his concertos for oboe, from which the "Adagio" is likely his most famous work today.
Handel’s Eight Suites • Richard Egarr
My only exposure to Handel's solo harpsichord music was through a 1980s CD by Trevor Pinnock and a later recording on piano by Keith Jarrett.
Porpora Violin Sonatas
Nicola Porpora is likely best known not for his chamber music, but his role as a teacher and opera composer in 18th century Italy.
Music for a While • L’Apreggiata
It's been some time since I've had "the time" to write any reviews, let alone anything on this site. Today was my graduation ceremony, and while that means I hopefully gain some time to myself to write here, it also…
Bach Cantatas Volume 54 • Suzuki
Bach Collegium Japan records volume 54 of their Bach Cantata Series for BIS. BWV 197 This is a wedding cantata, which as we might gather from the character of the music, was for a significant pair of patrons.
Vivaldi: Concerti per 2 violini • Minasi & Sinkovsky
I spied this new recording several weeks ago, but waited patiently for it to perhaps arrive as a Christmas gift. I wasn't disappointed.
Corelli: Concerti Grossi • Beyer
Corelli, it seems, has been considered a "gold standard" among composers, at least historically speaking. His stature, combined with his publication of six collections of instrumental pieces, helped establish him as a…
Vivaldi: L’estro Armonico – Libro Secondo
I was a fan of Café Zimmermann's traversal of Bach concertos on the Alpha label. Their latest release is of Vivaldi concertos from the second book of L'Estro Armonico with two bonuses: RV 414 in G Major for cello and RV…
Leclair: Violin Concertos
Recorded in 1993 at St. Jude's on the Hill, this was among the first of Collegium Musicum 90's recordings on Chandos Chaconne. The band is made up of Standage's pals from other London-based ensembles.
Biondi plays Tartini
Back from his Opus 111 days, Fabio Biondi recorded five sonatas by G. Tartini. I just recently acquired the recording, featuring three sonatas from his opus 1, one from his opus 2, plus a sonata in B-flat known as…
Devil’s Trill (and other sonatas)
The Imaginarium Ensemble performs late baroque works for violin and basso continuo by Tartini, Veracini, Mossi, and Bonporti.
Secrets of the Baroque Violin
"The Secrets of [the] Baroque Violin" sounds like an interesting title for a recording (or book). It conjures memories of movies like The Red Violin, where, perhaps, we finally learn of what more scandalous things a…
Altre Follie • Hespèrion XXI
Several ensembles have presented to us variations on a Spanish-origin tune, Follias. By the late baroque, this was pretty much codified around a harmonic progression, not unlike, perhaps, the one use to frame Pachebel's…
Concerti Italiani
Rinaldo Alessandrini's ensemble Concerto Italiano has been known for both its instrumental incarnation as well for its vocal one.
Veracini – Sonate a violino solo e basso
Veracini was a Florentine who seemed to get around Europe (including the United Kingdom) an account of his violin playing capabilities; he died in Florence, however, in a less extrovert role, performing church music.
Stories of Napoli
Singer Macro Beasley has released an album with Accordone of music from Naples. I spied it recently while in a FNAC in Lyon, France.
Biber’s 1681 Sonatas • Letzbor & Ars Antiqua
Peter Holman wrote in a 1999 review of Biber's Mystery Sonatas by Letzbor that he, along with Eduard Melkus, and John Holloway had begun an unfortunate habit of performing Biber's sonatas with a rather 18th-century…
Bach Cembalo Concerti BWV 1052-1054, 1056
I know F. Cera from his work with Il Giardino Armonico. I had the opportunity to find this CD for sale when I was in France earlier this year. It opens with perhaps my favorite of the Bach hapsichord concertos, BWV 1052.
Bach Fantasy
The worst thing about this album is the cover; Rousset looks unnecessarily dark and agèd, if not posed in a slightly menacing way, almost to scare us from opening the CD.
Con Amore – Corelli, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, and Pachelbel
I'd been teased several years ago by an announcement on Mr. Onofri's website of a new album entitled Con Amore, and while it was available in Japan, it was hard to find here in the U.S.
Live in Concert: Ensemble Matheus with David DQ Lee
As a fan of baroque performance practice, I have some favorite ensembles, and among them has been the Ensemble Matheus, directed by Jean-Christoph Spinosi.
Vivaldi opus 1
You can think of Vivaldi's output around his published opuses, op.1-12, not to mention the knock-offs in op. 13.
Mediterraneo • L’Apreggiata
Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata release Mediterraneo, a collection of pieces that feature the ensemble's strengths in color, plucked instrumentation, and growing interest in world vocal styles.
Concert Review • Christophe Rousset
As you might imagine, I have a favorite list of musicians, of "baroque" musicians, and this list has been cultivated over many years.
Duetti • Jaroussky and Cencic
I've collected just a few of Philippe Jaroussky's recordings. Probably among the countertenors, he's a favorite. I've found his collaborations with Christina Pluhar among my favorites.
Concerti per violino per Pisendel
The latest release from the Vivaldi Project is volume 5 of the solo violin concertos, a collection for Pisendel, the Dresden-based violinist.
Freiburger Barockorchester Consort performs sonatas by Biber and Schmelzer
This release from the mid-1990s is a real gem, featuring Petra Mullejans in the driver's seat of a reduced-size of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. I first reviewed it in 2005.
Bachiana: Music by the Bach Family
For another view of this recording, fresh when it was released in 2001-2002, check out this page at the Bach Cantatas site.
Podger performed Vivaldi’s La Cetra
The cover of this recording reminds me of the earlier Podger release on the same Channel Classics label of La Stravaganza. My first double CD set of Vivaldi's op.