A Tapestry of Baroque Delights: Le Consort's "Philharmonica" This captivating album by Le Consort, a rising French period instrument ensemble, takes us on a journey through the vibrant London music scene at the turn of…
The booklet accompanying this disc provides the context for this music and how it was enjoyed in 18th century Paris.
This CD is an abstract extension of the fantasy and illusion of the Arcadian world, the songs of shepherds, and stories of love, reworked in the fancies of the performer with the violin as singer and storyteller.
When the Leipzig cantor Kuhnau died in 1722, the town council went looking for a replacement. They wanted someone good, but the position wouldn’t be filled for some time.
The effort behind this album by Jorge Jiménez goes beyond performance, he created first a violin arrangement of a keyboard piece that challenges many a player with all ten fingers and several dozen keys.
Something was off with Qobuz’s booklet for this album, I could not access it. I therefore sourced my information about this recording here.
On the heels of Rousset’s recording of Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080, we now have a recording by the founder/director of the Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki.
An interesting new release from Paul Agnew is the first of what appears to be a new series for Harmonia Mundi entitled J.S. Bach: A Life in Music.
This album, which has already won a number of awards, came to my attention recently through a conversation; I’d not heard of this ensemble.
The music on this album has already been oft-recorded; many times in comprehensive sets such as the “Brandenburg Concertos and 4 Orchestral Suites.” The purpose for a new album pulling these works together—principally…
Telemann’s output is prolific; historically he’s known as among the most prolific composers in terms of his surviving output.
This new album I’d almost missed; it’s a shame I don’t have access to a booklet to explain its provenance. The recurring composer is Vivaldi, who is joined by original works by Giovanni Sollima, the cellist I have…
I somehow neglected to explore this release from nearly a decade ago. The theme has been done before, if I remember, by Manfredo Krämer, only focusing on works by Locatelli and Leclair; this album goes further to…
It’s been some time that I auditioned a new recording by the countertenor Andreas Scholl. His sound for me always evoked a masculine character while dispensing with vibrato that others at the time might have used as…
This past year has seen a renewed interest in Biber’s ‘Mysteries of the Rosary’ sonatas, the 16 that employ scordatura depicting stories from different rosary prayers.
My own appreciation of Bach—and what would open up before me as the entire Baroque period, if not the world of art music—came from me encountering BWV 1054.
There’s no shortage of collections of Handel’s works for violin and harpsichord, as the collection will fit on a single CD.
I’ve been waiting for a long time for more Bach—like these sonatas for violin and keyboard—to be realized on a period piano.
I auditioned this via Qobuz and no booklet was provided. Note: I was provided a booklet for review after this review was published. I had originally relied upon what was presented in Qobuz to know what instruments Mr.
Jean Rondeau records concertos by members of the Bach family in a new release on Erato. Pieces: Looking at the works of Bachs as a “family dynasty” is an interesting approach for a concert; I think it can work too for a…
This album’s inspiration comes from the confluence in France of music where the gamba and violin coexist as equal partners together, with the rise of the violin (and Italian import, at least in the way music was being…
Philology and self-image play roles in the artistic vision of Mahan Esfahani, a harpsichordist with whom I’ve had a hot and cold relationship with, at least from a distance, as a collector.
The theme of this collection of well, more minor works by Bach for keyboard, is a style that we think Bach infused into his compositions born of Italian models.
Christophe Rousset is probably like any other musician who has made recordings of other major works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Eventually, you want to record all the major works.
This video by Ton Koopman and the All of Bach Project) brings him to the Hildebrandt organ that is connected to Bach insofar as Zacharias Hildebrandt was purportedly Bach’s favorite organ builder.
We're leaving the recent focus on Bach behind. I’ve noticed recently that Luca Pianca has been putting out some solo albums.
Recently released in tandem are two new recordings of Bach’s fourth installment of the Clavier-Übung series, which we of course know as the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.
Maurice Steger and La Cetra Barockorchester Basel record works by J. S. Bach on Berlin Classics. I auditioned this via Qobuz and had no booklet provided.
The King’s Consort has re-recorded arrangements of Bach’s trio sonatas for organ BWV 525-530. The original recording by King and his consort had become a favorite album of mine; it had been well recorded by the Hyperion…
Igor Levit has released a new album entitled Fantasia featuring works by Bach, Liszt, Busoni, and others. The major pieces on this album include Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue BWV 903, Liszt’s Sonata in B minor S.
Luca Pianca (lute, theorbo) joins Il Suonar Parlante Orchestra and its director Vittorio Ghielmi in a concert of works by Marin Marais (1656-1728). It looks now that this album appeared back in April 2020.
This album features just three musicians, with Daniel Deuter appearing as the violin soloist, Heike Johanna Linder on gamba and lirone, and Markus Märkl on harpsichord and organ. I’ve enjoyed their recordings in the past.
Vlaams Radiokoor and Il Gardellino record Handel’s Dixit Dominus HWV 232 dir. Bart van Reyn on Passacaille (p) 2023 Combining a chamber work with soloists (the Pianto di Maria) with Handel’s full-blooded choral piece…
Period ensemble Les Récréations have recorded Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080 for Ricercar, led by Matthieu Camilleri on violin, piccolo violin, and viola, Sandrine Dupé on violin, Clara Mühlethaler on viola and…
Meret Lüthl and Les Passions de l’Ame have recorded Biber’s Rosenkranz-Sonaten on Prospero. On the heels of the recent recording by Amandine Beyer came this recording of the same set of sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz Franz…
The Spanish string quartet Cuarteto Casals has recorded for Harmonia Mundi Bach’s Art of Fuguing BWV 1080 like other quartets before them, Julliard, Emerson, Keller, etc.
In the eighth volume by Alard of Bach’s works for keyboards, he explores in this edition music from Bach’s years in Köthen (1717-1723) and Wollny in his notes makes reference to the pieces being for his first wife…
Requiem, K. 626; Savall, J. Les Concert des Nations with La Capella Nacional de Catalunya, Alia Vox (May 2023) A portion of the score of Mozart’s Requiem used to hang on the window to one of my professor’s office doors.
Violinist Oliver Fourés has written the excellent liner notes for this album, of music programmed to bring us back to the heyday of one of Venice’s many opera houses.
Among so many recordings already of Bach's late chamber music, this recording offers some subtle details coupled with technical gifts when it comes to the trio sonata, central to this collection of music featuring a…