title: Great album

text: I enjoy most of these songs—which is a good  thing because I wrote them and it’s me singing and playing the instruments. The lyrics may be a little bit mopey at times (it IS a break-up album after all),  but at least it’s melodic and has some nice chords.  I released this back in December of 2020, and well…let’s just say it didn’t cause a big splash. Amazon started out with 5 copies, and now, a year and a half later, they still have the same 5 copies. I guess I’m pretty bad at marketing—plus I hardly ever play live, so that explains that. I’ll have a new album coming out hopefully in August and my goal is to sell at least one copy.


title: The movie may be forgettable, but the score is great.

text: I have no intention of ever watching this movie, but I purchased the soundtrack because I'm a big fan of Michel Legrand.  This is top-tier Legrand, and captures many different moods, elegaic, romantic, suspensful, etc. It doesn't just reprise the same theme over and over again like so many movie scores do. After maybe 10 listens, I like it just as much, if not more, than when I heard it for the first time. All to many of his scores from the 80's and 90's are as yet unreleased. Somebody needs to get on that. This one is a little bit pricey, but if you can find it for a good deal (or you have deep pockets), you won't be disappointed.


title: Synthetic Herb

text:
Herb's 17th "Tijuana Brass" album (but 25th overall release)

1. Bullish : 10/10 Dirty and danceable synth with a bold, memorable trumpet melody.
2. Always Have a Dream : 10/10 Lite and dreamy. Mushy mid-eighties prom. But I kinda like it. Bass 'n beat keeps the wheels moving forward. Goes on for awhile, but that's alright.
3. Make a Wish : 10/10  Catchy melody and cooly danceable. Vocal refrain serves its purpose, but what makes this tune great is how the trumpet slides off the refrain and back into the verse melody.
4. Maniac : 8/10 I shouldn't like this song as much as I do. Cheeseball lyrics, but Lani makes it work. The instrumental part works too. Trumpet cuts straight to the point.
5. Struttin' on Five : 5/10 OK, but A little unfocused.
6. Love Without Words : 10/10 Late-nite. Wine. Candlelight. You in a turtleneck and blazer. Her in a cocktail dress. You clink glasses and laugh at a private joke. She feeds you a strawberry. Hmmm. I wonder what's going to happen next?
7. Passion Play : 6/10 Good enough, but overshadowed on this album.
8. Life is my Song : 8/10 Strong closing song. That drum' n 'bass beat is sick and the trumpet croons out a perfect melody. The chorus might be a little soft--but overall pretty solid.

67/80 (4.19/5)
Definitely not what most people think of as the sound of "Tijuana Brass". Heavy on the synth. Most of these songs wouldn't sound out of place in a dance club. The sound is definitely "dated". You know its from the eighties. Its got that kind of glossy sheen to it. The earlier TJB had a more "timeless" feel. But that said--this is a very strong set of songs with very memorable melodies. John Barnes provides a very solid beat foundation and synth cushion. If you cannot tolerate 80's synth-pop, then you probably won't like this album, at least not on first listen, but stick with it, and it will grow on you.

 No usual TJB members are credited here. Even the ubiquitous Julius Wechter is absent. It is more accurately considered a Herb Alpert solo album--which happened to coincide with a Tijuana Brass reunion tour. They labeled it Tijuana Brass probably just to tie it in with the tour and probably for no other reason. But that's fine, because after all, the most important member of the Brass, and its inventor, is Herb himself.  As far as I'm concerned, he can release a solo fife album and call it "Tijuana Brass" if he wants to.

Now I've got only one more TJB album to go : Lost Treasures. A compilation album, but still vitally necessary to complete the TJB picture. I could expand this project and review EVERY Herb album, not just the TJB ones, but I think that is something to revisit, especially since his first post-TJB album, Just You and Me, remains out of print, and is way too expensive for my, at present, modest budget.


title: ... and I am playing right now it is really great what they did to these recordings is truly unbelievable ...

text:
Elvis the new recordings just arrived today and I am playing right now it is really great what
they did to these recordings is truly unbelievable well done and the different styles on every
track makes it even more exciting to listen too all I can say to all you Elvis fans this is a must
have CD it truly worth more than a five star rating.

Morris Part


title: This Cd Of Shirley Ellis ok I mainly brought this ...

text:
This Cd Of Shirley Ellis ok I mainly brought this Cd for my wife who
 likes the clapping song however it is worth listening too.

 Morris


title: worth having

text:
I brought this Cd of Doug Ashdown thinking it had the two
tracks I was wanting and unfortunately it does not have
them but still it is a good CD just the same it is worth
having in anyone's collection.

 The two songs I was wanting are The Band Played Waltzing
 Matilda and other side is Tell Me Honey Honey on a CBS
 45 BA 222880 which I have had for many a year and I would
 like to be able to get both of them on a CD however I can not
 find them on any of his CD's so if their is one could you let me
 which record company has one please.


title: rather good

text:
This four Cd set is rather good I found it very satisfing it is
good to listen too those great songs of the past.

Morris


title: Great '70's "Live" Collection For Every Chicago Fan, At A Good Price.

text:
Cd 1 -  (Live July 1970) In The Country, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, 25 or 6 to 4, Poem For The People, I Don't Want Your Money, Mother, It Better End Soon (1st-5th Movement), Beginnings, Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon (Make Me Smile, So Much To Give, Color My World, Now More Than Ever), I'm A Man (81 Minutes).....
Cd 2 - (Live June 1974) Introduction, Call On Me, Saturday In The Park, Something In This City Changes People, Beginnings, Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon (Make me Smile, So Much To Give, Colour My World, Now More Than Ever), Dialouge Pts 1 & 2, Italian From New York, Hanky Panky, Life Saver, Just You 'N Me, I've Been Searchin' So Long, 25 or 6 to 4, Feeling Stronger Everyday (82 Minutes)....
Cd 3 - (Live May 1977) Intro, Anyway You Want, Questions 67 & 68, Scrapbook, A Hit By Varese, If You Leave Me Now, Taking It On Uptown, Saturday In The Park, I've Been Searching So Long, Mongonucleosis, 25 or 6 to 4, I'm A Man, Feeling Stronger Everyday (81 Minutes)...
  This is a very good "Radio" recordings featuring  Peter Cetera (vocals/bass), Terry Kath (vocals/guitars), Robert Lamm (vocals/keyboards), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Walter Parazaider (woodwinds), Danny Seraphine (drums) & mid/late 70's  concerts, Laudir DeOliveria (percussion). NOTE: the song list from CD 2 is not correct on the CD case (I corrected it). All 3 concerts are good, but my favorite was the 1974 concert. Hearing songs "live" that I never heard before, and check out the instrumental break between "So Much To Give" and "Colour My World", the band (rhythm section, horns, keyboards) was in their PRIME!!!


title: Ireland's genius for melody

text:
This is an enticing collection of Gaelic melodies from Irish early music of the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s performed by the excellent period ensemble Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, directed by François Lazarevitch who also plays flute and bagpipes for some of the items. They’re joined by American tenor Robert Getchell and violinist David Greenberg. There are eighteen pieces in all consisting of a mixture of vocal and instrumental items, including many catchy, foot-tapping numbers as well as graceful, soulful melodies from the likes of the great Irish composer Turlough O’Carolan. Topics of the titles and vocal numbers include war, death, love, adventure and drink.

Among the irresistibly catchy items are the opening ‘Oró Mhór a Mhóirín’, ‘An Drumadóir’ (track 4), ‘When she came ben, she bobbit – Kitty’s Wish’ (10), ‘O’Neill’s Riding Barrack Hill’ (14) and the closing ‘The High Road to Kilkenny’ sequence. Robert Getchell’s fine voice and delivery result in convincing and committed interpretations of the vocal pieces; and David Greenberg’s violin contribution is outstanding, as in the mesmerising violin solo which opens the O’Carolan sequence in track 7.

Recorded sound is vivid and involving, and booklet notes by John Purser and director Lazarevitch are extremely interesting and enlightening. Documentation is excellent, and all texts are included with English and French translations. This is a fabulous and virtually irresistible programme for enthusiasts of early classical and folk music alike, and for my taste is even better than the same group’s earlier Scottish programme ‘For ever Fortune’. I also look forward to their equivalent programme of English music ‘The Queen’s Delight’, which I understand will be issued shortly at the time of writing this.


title: Britten’s modernised Purcell coupled with a hidden treasure

text:
This two-disc reissue from the enterprising Eloquence series brings us an interesting take on 'The Fairy Queen' from the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Britten. This was originally issued on vinyl in 1972, and has already been reissued on CD a couple of times with different couplings. But the present pairing, which includes incidental music from ‘The Tempest’, is one not only of special interest but of quite remarkable quality, as will be explained below.

Taking ‘The Fairy Queen’ first, we get the majority of Purcell's music, but radically re-organised and in places re-scored by Britten. However, it is by and large a vivid, energetic and enjoyable performance entering admirably into the spirit of Purcell's wonderful music. This was actually the first recording I ever heard of the work, I derived huge enjoyment from it, and to me it still sounds pretty good today. The distinguished vocal cast are largely excellent, especially on the female side: Jennifer Vyvyan, Mary Wells, Norma Burrowes, Alfreda Hodgson, with good work also from Owen Brannigan, John Shirley-Quirk, James Bowman and Charles Brett. Peter Pears takes some of the tenor roles, but I can't say I find his voice at all acceptable in Purcell's music - his strangulated tones reminding me more of Dudley Moore's sketch on YouTube (look up Little Miss Britten or similar) than of anything else.

This is Purcell on modern instruments, of course, with little sign of historically informed performance. Some of Britten's tempi are a bit ponderous, especially in Oberon's birthday celebration 'Now the night is chas'd away’ (CD1, track 2) - this sounds like the most funereal birthday anyone could have. The English Chamber Orchestra do excellent work throughout, although the chorus is unfashionably large by today’s standards and the recording sounds somewhat congested in their passages. The Chaconne close to the end of the final act (CD2, track 7) is by turns lyrical and majestic. On the whole this is far more than a curiosity - rather a genuinely insightful and enjoyable performance of one of the most delightful masterpieces of the English baroque.

‘The Fairy Queen’ music spills over onto the second disc, and is then followed by the real treasure of this set – namely, a reissue of a Purcell recording first issued in 1958. This programme, which always was and still is fabulous, consists of incidental music from ‘The Tempest, or The Enchanted Island’, ‘Dioclesian’, ‘The Virtuous Wife’, and two instrumental pieces, all performed by outstanding soloists with Philomusica of London directed by Anthony Lewis. The vocal pieces from ‘The Tempest’ include ‘Arise, ye subterranean winds’, superbly delivered by bass Hervey Alan, and the well-known ‘Halcyon days’ sung beautifully by Jennifer Vyvyan accompanied by a beguiling oboe solo. William Herbert’s tenor is just as good in ‘Your awful voice I hear’ and Hervey Alan returns for ‘See, see the heavens smile’ – in spite of the booklet wrongly listing this as being for tenor voice.

The remaining works are the dashing Sonata for Trumpet and Strings, its solo part featuring the ringing trumpet of Dennis Egan; a pair of exceedingly graceful minuets from ‘The Virtuous Wife’; Jennifer Vyvyan returning for ‘What shall I do?’ from Dioclesian; and the soulful Ciacona in G minor to close the programme. This has always been one of my favourite Purcell recordings; not only does its mono sound stand up well today, but the beauty of its music and the stylish performance mark it as a recording to be cherished for ever.

Richard Wigmore’s excellent booklet notes pay a generous and well-deserved tribute to Jennifer Vyvyan, undoubtedly the vocal star of this set, and offer a useful commentary on the music. They refer to a commonly-held opinion that the attribution of the ‘Tempest’ music to Purcell is doubtful, and that it is more likely to have been composed by his younger contemporary John Weldon. But no matter, for it is still wonderful. Texts of the vocal items are not included in the booklet.

As for ‘The Fairy Queen’, there are more recent and very good recordings, of which my favourites are those under Harnoncourt and, above all, Dantone (with another one promised from Paul McCreesh in 2020-21). Compared to these, while Britten’s account is far from authentic, it is nevertheless musicianly and most enjoyable. But this set is valuable above all for the beautiful and mostly rarely heard music of the second disc, its performance a worthy reminder of the pioneering Purcellian style and flair of Anthony Lewis.


title: Disappointing recording of Portuguese polyphony

text:
This is a programme of Portuguese late-renaissance lamentation and other sacred music, built around a Mass setting by Duarte Lobo together with works by a few other composers including Cardoso, Morago, Fernandez and De Brito. In his booklet essay, the Marian Consort’s director Rory McCleery sees the works as an expression of Portuguese nationalism in reaction to the dominance of the ruling Habsburg emperors.

The programme is introduced by Cardoso’s Lamentations for Maundy Thursday, with the remainder framed by the movements of Duarte Lobo’s parody Mass on Palestrina’s motet ‘Veni Domine’. Among the better interspersed pieces are Lobo’s ‘Pater peccavi’ (track 7) and Estevao de Brito’s ‘Heu Domine’ (9).

Unfortunately I do not find the works offered here especially interesting, at least in this recording. The problem is exacerbated by the quality of the performance and the sound balance. The vocal blend of the Marian Consort’s six voices is far too top-heavy for my liking, with little lower-voice weight in evidence to balance the texture; their six voices consist of two sopranos, alto, countertenor, tenor and bass. One of the sopranos also applies too much vibrato for my taste. The recording balance does nothing to compensate for the vocal balance, with the result that the works scarcely sound the way renaissance sacred music should. Altogether I find this a very disappointing recording, which compares poorly with other Iberian renaissance programmes from the likes of the Tallis Scholars, Gabrieli Consort or Ensemble Gilles Binchois.

As a footnote, readers should also beware of occasional fake reviews of recordings by the present ensemble, often giving themselves away by obvious unfamiliarity with the recording they purport to review, or else by an apparent ignorance of musical matters. Such five-star but one-word reviews (or sometimes stretching to two words, to give them due credit) can result in an unjustifiably high overall score out of five at the top of the product page. I should add that there are also perfectly sound reviews by knowledgeable writers (you know who you are!).


title: Great performance of a Scarlatti masterpiece

text:
Alessandro Scarlatti described this five-voice version of ‘La Giuditta’ as his best oratorio – which, as fans of the composer will surely agree, is saying a lot. This excellent performance demonstrates the point very well. For this recording, made in 2004 and recently reissued, Martin Gester directs Le Parlement de Musique, with the vocal roles taken by sopranos Céline Ricci (as Judith) and Adriana Fernández, alto Martín Oro (Holofernes), tenor Vincenzo Di Donato, and bass Bruno Rostand as the high priest.

Scarlatti’s musical setting is superb in its richness and variety, combining drama, feeling, violence, reflection and triumph, full of fine melodies and interspersed with the occasional instrumental interlude. All the singers are first-class, with especially distinguished performances from the fine-voiced Céline Ricci bringing us a spirited and heroic Giuditta, alto Martín Oro’s Oloferne, and tenor Vincenzo Di Donato as Achiorre the Amonite captain. Gester’s period-instrument ensemble, who have already brought us many fine recordings in the past, play superbly in a colourful score including trumpet and recorders as well as the usual strings and continuo. Gester himself is one of the finest of all masters of baroque practice, and his direction is stylish and full of life.

Recorded sound is excellent, essays are extremely informative in a well-illustrated booklet, and texts and translations are included.  The present version is heartily recommended. The two other reviews posted here, by reviewing colleagues Gio and Rio Henry, appear to refer to a different recording of the work by the Alessandro Scarlatti Consort directed by Estevan Velardi - no doubt having found their way here through no fault of their own. There are several other recordings of the work available, but I’m not familiar with these as yet.


title: Immaculate and authentic, just a little lacking in character

text:
Listening recently to half-a-dozen recordings of Bach’s Mass in B minor has led me to some interesting conclusions. The first is that the involvement of a ‘big name’ conductor and ensemble by no means guarantees a place among the best recordings; the other side of this coin being that a number of lesser-known directors and ensembles can produce highly competitive results which may be considered among the most successful and enjoyable renditions of Bach’s mighty masterpiece. The second conclusion is that, while a choice between authentic, small-scale, ‘historically informed’ performance, and the more traditional approach with larger choir and ensemble, is clearly a significant decision in which many enthusiasts will already hold their own preference, here again the choice of one or the other approach is no guarantee of satisfaction, let alone of superiority. Personally I have been finding that, as a result of careful listening, my own prejudices on both the above counts are being overthrown time and again. The process of reaching these (perhaps not very surprising) conclusions involves not only endless delight in the musicianship of many brilliant and dedicated performers, but also infinite gratitude at the very existence of this work of such extraordinary profundity and beauty. And by the way, if any customer is unlucky enough to come across my other recent reviews of B minor Mass recordings, please excuse the repetition of the above opening remarks.

Turning now to the present recording by Concerto Copenhagen directed by Lars Ulrik Mortensen, this is firmly of the historically-informed persuasion, with vocal soloists each doubled by just one additional voice for the ripieno choruses, and a 25-strong instrumental ensemble with period instruments. The voices are all very fine and are beautifully integrated and balanced with the instruments, resulting in graceful and convincing textures throughout. The excellent line-up of vocal soloists – sopranos Maria Keohane and Joanne Lunn, alto Alex Potter, tenor Jan Kobow and bass Peter Harvey – all do a splendid job. Just to take a few examples of the qualities of this performance, the opening Kyrie is taken at a brisk pace, graceful rather than overtly monumental; in ‘Christe eleison’, the two sopranos sing with an innocent purity to beautiful effect, again at a brisk tempo. ‘Et in terra pax’ builds to a fine climax, with first-class instrumental work here and throughout the recording. ‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ brings us a fabulously forthright horn solo, against which excellent bass Peter Harvey has his work cut out to assert himself; this movement is one of the highlights of the performance. ‘Cum Sancto Spiritu’ brings the Gloria to a joyful conclusion. However, in the Sanctus, the ‘Pleni sunt coeli’ passage is a bit feeble for some reason, lacking the assertive impact it should have. Alex Potter is outstanding in his ‘Agnus’ Dei solo.

Recorded sound is not all that great for my taste, lacking in richness, short on bass tones and general ambience in spite of being recorded in a Copenhagen church. The performance as a whole is musically immaculate, finely judged, but lacking a little in character and perhaps in the heartfelt spirituality of some of the finest performances available. The booklet offers a good essay, nice photos of the musicians, and text and translations. Altogether this is a very fine rendition, surely among the best of the H.I.P. versions available. However, for historically informed performance with small forces, I have a firm preference for the wonderful version from La Petite Bande directed by Sigiswald Kuijken, issued in 2009 and reissued in 2015.

Such are the formidable competition as well as the sheer numbers that it would be foolish to try to name a ‘best recording’ of the B minor Mass with any confidence, let alone to the general agreement of other listeners and reviewers. But, for my personal taste, the historically-informed Kuijken recording just mentioned, and the more traditional 2015 Berlin Classics recording by the Dresdner Frauenkirche choir and orchestra directed by Matthias Grünert (available at the time of writing from amazon.com as well as amazon.fr, amazon.de and other European sources), are - among the recordings I am most familiar with - my two favourites.


title: Outstanding French baroque

text:
This is a selection of music from French baroque opera, mainly orchestral but also including a few arias sung here by tenor Howard Crook. Composers represented are Lully, Charpentier, Rebel, Lalande and Rameau, with the last-named getting the lion's share with an extended suite of seventeen movements from his pastorale 'Daphnis et Aeglé'. As the CD's title indicates, there is a predominance of dance movements.

The music is played by La Petite Bande, here expanded to form a substantial baroque band of around 30 players with woodwind well represented and resulting in colourful and incisive textures. The playing is very alert and impeccably stylish, all superbly directed by Sigiswald Kuijken. Among my favourite pieces are those by Jean-Féry Rebel, including an extremely entertaining Chaconne from his 'La Fantaisie' which returns at the end of that sequence.

The tenor arias are well sung by Howard Crook, but unfortunately no texts or translations are supplied in the otherwise well-written booklet. Altogether this is a very high-quality selection of rarely-heard French baroque music.


title: Beautiful French baroque Lamentations

text:
This is the second cycle of Leçons de Ténèbres by Michel Lambert (1610-1696), singer, dancer and music master to Louis XIV, composed in 1689. His first, 1662 cycle is available in a fine but very different recording sung by baritone Marc Mauillon. The present two-disc set, however, is performed mainly by high voices with instrumental accompaniment, as the composer clearly intended. The singers on this 1988 recording are soprano Noémi Rime, contralto Nathalie Stutzmann, countertenor Charles Brett and tenor Howard Crook. They are accompanied by a small instrumental group of viola da gamba, theorbo and harpsichord/organ directed by Ivète Piveteau.

The work consists of three sets of three Leçons or Lamentations, with each work taken by a different voice in turn and with corresponding variations in the combinations of instruments. This results in a constant variety of texture as well as of pace, with lively and imaginative contributions from the players. The nature of the music involves merciless exposure of the participating voices and all the singers are excellent, their performances heartfelt and very stylish in all cases. Nathalie Stutzmann’s contralto voice is fabulously rich, Rime’s soprano is beautiful, and Brett and Crook are just as fine. Lambert’s music is serious and spiritual in feeling, further enhanced by extreme ornamentation and melismata – and, in my opinion, entirely equal in quality to the better-known works in the genre by Couperin and Delalande.

Recorded sound, from the Abbaye de Royaumont in France, is both vivid and ambient, with a little rumble only noticeable as the last note of each piece dies away. Booklet notes are brief but apt, and the cover depicting a relief from Moissac Abbey still looks very classy indeed. Unfortunately no texts or translations are provided, which is a very serious omission since, in my view, they are absolutely essential to an understanding of the music. The CD version is hard to find at the time of writing, but a search of overseas Amazon sites can yield results. This recording makes an outstanding complement to the more recent recording of Lambert’s first cycle of Leçons, giving a far better indication of how the music should sound in spite of the very high quality of Marc Mauillon’s performance on that other set. The present set well deserves another reissue – but with texts and translations of course!


title: Superb Froberger recital

text:
This is a very fine selection of works by Johann Jacob Froberger, performed by Danish harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen. He plays on a splendid modern copy by Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen of a Ruckers instrument, which is beautifully recorded and sounds just right for this music.

Mortensen is an outstanding baroque musician, playing with great feeling and insight. Several of the composer's most profound works are performed here, including 'Tombeau sur la mort de M. Blancrocher' in a powerful performance, and the superb 'Lamento sopra la dolorosa perdita di Ferdinando IV'. The opening Toccata II is especially fine, as are the various Sarabandes which are generally placed at the close of each Suite. The Sarabandes of the Ferdinando IV suite and the Suite no. 19 in C major are simply wonderful. Another highlight is the impressively wide-ranging suite of variations 'Auff die Mayerin'.

Booklet notes are short, but useful all the same. This recording has been around since 1990 but is still one of the finest and most absorbing demonstrations available of Froberger's pioneering work. Together with a much more recent recital by Julien Wolfs - not listed on Amazon UK or US at the time of writing but readily available from French or German sources - it is strongly recommended to all baroque keyboard enthusiasts.


title: English consort music in beautiful performance

text:
This is a very fine programme of Fantasia-Suites for viol consort by William Lawes, John Jenkins and John Coprario – three Royalist composers who suffered from the ravages of the English Civil War, two of them eclipsed and one (Lawes) killed in battle. The music is performed by the Italian-based period instrument ensemble Theorema; and, as is often the case with continental European groups who tackle such repertoire, they are every bit as good as the finest of British viol ensembles such as Phantasm, Fretwork or the Rose Consort of Viols.

The first Fantasia-Suite, by Jenkins, is characterised by great beauty and delicacy of textures, both in Jenkins’ music and in the work of these musicians. Lawes’ Fantasia-Suite (tracks 11-13) is again most beautifully done, as also is Jenkins’ understated but still remarkable ‘Newark Siege’ Pavan, Galliard and Air, its fanfare-like motifs brilliantly imitated on the viols. Even in this subdued and subtle scoring medium, Jenkins succeeds - like other fine composers of battle pieces such as Clément Janequin - in representing both the bravado and the misery of warfare. This is one of the best renditions I’ve heard of this favourite piece.

Booklet notes by viol player Roberto Gini, on both music and background, are extremely interesting; and recorded sound is lovely, conveying all the grace and subtlety of the viol consort. I would firmly recommend this recording to lovers of English early baroque music.


title: A more problematic final Buxtehude volume from Hans Davidsson

text:
This is the third and final volume in Hans Davidsson’s complete Buxtehude series, this time consisting of three CDs to supplement the first two twin-disc sets. Once again Davidsson plays on the magnificent modern reconstruction of a North German baroque-style organ in the Örgryte New Church in Göteborg, Sweden, completed in the year 2000. The same comments about some of the other Buxtehude sets available apply as for the first volume. Those comments are set out in more detail in my review of Davidsson’s first volume, so I won’t repeat them here except to say that there are several fine sets available and that choosing the best of these is a difficult task – but that Davidsson’s series is very much in contention.

Once again, the set boasts the very great assets of Davidsson’s style, energy and technical mastery, an excellent choice and varied sequence of works, and of course the splendour of the instrument itself. This final volume is entitled ‘Dietrich Buxtehude and the Schnitger Organ’, in a reference to Buxtehude’s close association with the instruments of that master builder and to the fact that the design of the Göteborg instrument was based on surviving examples of Arp Schnitger’s work.

As in his first two volumes, Hans Davidsson’s playing is quite outstanding, with characterful, fluent phrasing and dynamics, style thoughtful or spontaneous as appropriate, and brilliant technique. He makes full use of the exceptional capabilities of the Göteborg instrument to render Buxtehude’s powerful, energetic, majestic preludes and toccatas, and colourful chorale variations. The works are well organised to provide varied programmes of toccatas, chorales, ciaconas, preludes etc., with an ample and well-judged variety of formats on each of the two discs. Each of the three discs is given a title, respectively ‘Organ Chorales’, ‘Christmas’ and finally ‘Learned Counterpoint and Chorale Fantasia’. In reality, however, the choice of works is equally varied within each disc to include examples of all the formats such as prelude, toccata, canzona, chorale etc. The sequence of four Magnificat settings at the end of the second CD is especially fine.

My main worry over this set comes with the treatment of the chorale fantasias on the third and final disc. Three of these chorale-based works are punctuated by a solo singer (soprano or bass) introducing each line of the chorale melody, followed by the organ variation itself. In the final work on the CD, the extended  cycle ‘Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein’, each of Buxtehude’s numerous organ variations is introduced by the plain chorale line sung by solo soprano. This approach is not used for any of the other chorale works in this complete set, and indeed I cannot imagine the works having been performed in this manner in Buxtehude’s time. I suppose there is some argument for familiarising today’s listeners with the Lutheran hymn melodies on which the organ works are based – but, quite frankly, most of us who listen to works such as the Bach cantatas or German baroque organ music are already familiar with the chorales and won’t need additional support of this kind. For me, the approach ruins the continuity of Buxtehude’s finely-wrought sequences of chorale variations, and therefore constitutes a serious distraction for the listener.

There is no mention of all this in the booklet notes - which are, as in the first two volumes, fairly generalised. For more details on the music, we are referred to Gothic Catalog’s website for fuller commentaries. However, unlike Volumes 1 and 2, at the time of writing there are no commentaries to be found on the website for the music of this third volume, even though it was issued in 2009.

To sum up, then, this is a slightly disappointing conclusion to Hans Davidsson’s complete Buxtehude series. The fact remains that the series boasts the very great assets of Davidsson’s outstanding performances, the use of the same magnificent Göteborg organ throughout the series, and the superb recorded sound. Drawbacks include the need to find (and pay for) the three volumes separately; the nuisance factor of having to find information on the label’s website; the use of a modern instrument, which may not be the preference of some listeners; and the problematic treatment of the chorales on the final disc as outlined above.

I would therefore hesitate to recommend this complete set in preference to others. It is certainly well worth considering but, as things stand at the time of writing, among the sets I’m familiar with I have a slight preference for that of Bine Bryndorf (for which I’ve explained the reasons in a review of that set). In fact, if I had to make a first choice among complete Buxtehude recordings it would probably be Bryndorf or else the five-disc series by Helga Schauerte, the latter not well-known here but readily available from European mail-order sources. I should add the health warning that, so far, I have only heard parts of the Schauerte set. So, until I’ve listened to the latter properly, I have to say that the first two volumes by Hans Davidsson and the complete set from Bine Bryndorf are the ones I’ve appreciated the most.


title: Excellent complete set, with a couple of reservations

text:
The hundred-or-so organ works of Dietrich Buxtehude provide rich pickings for any player bold enough to undertake a complete recording. Boldly imaginative preludes and toccatas, endlessly inventive chorale variations, passacaglias, canzonettas, all offer ample opportunities for displays of power, virtuosity, subtlety and reflection, not to mention the magnificence of many fine and beautifully restored baroque organs of northern Europe.

As a result there are a number of very fine complete sets available on disc, each usually covering six or seven CDs. These include recordings by Bernard Foccroulle, René Saorgin, Hans Davidsson, the partnership of Marie-Ange Leurent and Éric Lebrun, Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, Helga Schauerte, Bine Bryndorf and the present 7-disc box from Harald Vogel. All the above sets are worth considering, but recently I have been listening to these last two, both of which are especially interesting.

One choice which the player (and recording company) must make is whether to record the whole series on a single instrument, or to use different instruments in the course of their recording. There are arguments to be made for either approach, although personally I prefer the single-instrument (or at least not too many, say three or four at the most) solution. For this set, Harald Vogel plays the works in groups on different north German instruments - sometimes on several different ones in the course of a single disc - using seventeen organs in all. Most of these are very fine, original Arp Schnitger instruments or reconstructed equivalents. But a few of them are on the weedy side, which I don’t much appreciate since I believe that big music sounds best on a big organ. That may be unsubtle in taste, but there you have it. To compound the problem, some of them are recorded at different levels and so you sometimes have to re-adjust the volume control in the course of a single disc.

However, Harald Vogel’s playing is very fine indeed – extremely fluent, stylish, virtuoso by any standards, and technically more-or-less perfect. The works are well organised to provide varied programmes of toccatas, chorales, preludes etc. Certain of the discs are especially successful, in part due to the chosen instrument; for example, discs 3 (Arp Schnitger organ, Grasberg), 6 (mostly Arp Schnitger, Roskilde) and 7 (Arp Schnitger, Hamburg St. Jacobi) are quite splendid.

Recorded sound is outstanding, despite the above-mentioned small nuisance factor. Full information is provided in one booklet on the organ specifications and registrations, together with good photos of each instrument. However the other booklet, supposedly with information about the music in addition to the track listing, is very feeble, and we are referred to MDG’s website for more complete information – which in my view is a nuisance and a poor effort.

Altogether I would say that this set is well worth considering – although, of the ones I’m familiar with, I have a slight preference for that of Bine Bryndorf (which I’ve explained in a review of that set). If I had to make a first choice of a complete Buxtehude recording it would probably be the Bryndorf or else the five-disc series by Helga Schauerte, the latter readily available from European mail-order sources. I should add the health warning that, so far, I have only heard parts of the Schauerte set. So, until I’ve listened to the latter properly, I have to say that the set from Bine Bryndorf is the one I’ve enjoyed the most.


title: Impressive German organ pioneer

text:
Johann Ulrich Steigleder (1593-1635), German organist based in Stuttgart, died of the bubonic plague in war-torn southern Germany. His name subsequently fell into relative obscurity, yet he was a keyboard pioneer who achieved an impressive synthesis of Italian and north European styles. He left two substantial published works – namely, a volume entitled ‘Ricercar Tabulatur’ and a monumental set of forty variations on the chorale ‘Vater unser im Himmelreich’, all of which are brought to us by Léon Berben on this complete two-disc set.
Berben plays the Wilde-Schnitger organ, dating from 1598/1683, in the church of St. Jacobi in Lüdingworth, a fine old instrument which is well suited to this music. However, it is very closely recorded here and so the sound is over-analytical and short on ambience. Berben has made many very fine recordings of baroque organ music, but this 1603 performance is one of his earlier ones and his playing is somewhat staccato in manner for my taste.

The first disc brings us the composer’s ‘Vater unser im Himmelreich’ variations. The forty pieces are extremely inventive, offering a wide variety of forms and treatments, each with a title provided by the composer such as ‘Fantasia oder Fugen Manier, 4 vocum’, ‘Coral im Bass, 4 vocum’ etc. The variations seem to get more and more adventurous as they proceed yet, throughout the work, the chorale melody is always crystal clear no matter how complex the music of the other voices. Some of the variations amount to individual pieces of impressive grandeur, the two clearest examples perhaps being the opening Fantasia and the masterly 40th variation ‘Auf Toccata Manier, 4 vocum’ which concludes the second disc. This final work is a masterpiece of skill and invention, seeming to point the way to Buxtehude and Bach.

The twelve ‘Ricercari’ of the second disc are also very fine music. Some of their subjects are reminiscent of Lutheran or other hymn melodies, although not named as such – for example the Ricercar in F (Ein feste Burg, track 3) or Ricercar in G (St Anne, track 4); all display the composer’s impressive mastery of counterpoint. Again the instrument is well suited to these works but, for me at least, the close recorded sound robs the performance of some of its atmosphere.

Berben’s own booklet notes are excellent and extremely informative. At the time of writing there is one other recording available of each of these sets of works. The ‘Vater unser’ Variations are still available in a superb recording by Martin Gester on the magnificent organ of St Michel in Bolbec, Normandy – in this case spread over two CDs, but for me distinctly preferable to the present version. The Ricercar Tabulatur also exists on a single CD performed by Olimpio Medori; his instrument is also a fine early organ, perhaps sounding a little lightweight to do full justice to Steigleder’s majestic music, but resulting in a worthwhile performance equalling the present one from Berben.

In spite of the above reservations Berben’s set is a significant contribution to the early baroque organ discography, and Steigleder’s music should surely be of great interest to organ enthusiasts.


title: French baroque flop

text:
Maybe it's just me, but I could not connect with this music at all. I love the French baroque – Lully, Delalande, the Couperins, Campra, Charpentier, Rameau, Leclair, Titelouze and assorted keyboard masters great and small. I have even heard some decent stuff by the present composer, Clérambault – notably some organ and harpsichord pieces – but the present collection of motets for three male voices with instruments does nothing for me.

Maybe it's the mannered, preciously melodramatic singing by countertenor, tenor and bass – especially from the second of these three – that puts me off, but one way or another I could not find anything to enjoy or appreciate here. The constant and copious vocal ornaments are distracting and sound forced. Instrumental support is all right, but there are no interesting passages or memorable melodies. Texts and translations are supplied; booklet notes are thorough, as well as eloquent in praise of the music.

An ordeal from start to finish. Any chance of getting my money back?


title: Magnificent end to a unique series

text:
With Volume 11, this enterprising series covering the complete organ works of Samuel Scheidt, on the German Fagott label, reaches its conclusion in magnificent style. Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654), one of the great composers of the north German organ school, is one of my own great favourites from this remarkable musical tradition.

Each of the volumes has offered a well-organised selection of works in different forms, and each set features a different organist and instrument. The music of the present disc – a two-disc set, unlike the single items of the preceding volumes - is performed by Jan Vermeire on the Felsberg organ of the church of Saint-Vaast, Béthune. This church was destroyed in the first world war, and only in 2001 did it finally acquire a new Great Organ, designed in the north German style by the Swiss organ builder Felsberg AG. In this case I have no qualms at all about the choice of a modern instrument because the result is magnificent, with glorious registrations ideally suited to the task.

Both the selection of works and the stylish musicianship of organist Jan Vermeire are outstanding. The selection on these two discs serves to illustrate the versatility and imagination of Scheidt's approach to variations on chorales, Latin hymns and secular melodies. The opening item on disc 1 is a delightful example, a set of seven variations 'Französisches Liedlein Air de Lampons' (CD1, tracks 1-7). The tune - which I've heard somewhere before but can't recall where - is greatly enjoyable in itself, a beautiful secular melody which Scheidt explores in lively style, further enhanced by Vermeire's use of his instrument's gorgeous colours. Many of the works are simple pairs of variations on Lutheran chorales, rather than extended cycles, with the second variation more elaborate than the first and enhanced here by different registrations. Those pairs at tracks 1/13-14, 1/33-34, 1/54-55 and 2/14-15 are especially fine examples. Among them are a fair number of chorales unfamiliar to me, and perhaps to other enthusiasts.

The composer is at his best in the more extended sequences, such as the Pasamezo (1/21-32), based on a theme of no great initial attraction melodically, but developed into a fascinating series of variations. Niederländisches Lied 'Die flichtig Nimphae' (2/1-7) is another delightful sequence on a lovely melody. One of the finest – and most unusual - works in the set is the series of twelve 'Canones aliquot' (sample canons), many of them based on familiar chorale melodies (unnamed here); these are superb, compact contrapuntal works, each one a miniature masterpiece (2/16-27). The final two works on the second disc are both quite outstanding. 'Herr Gott dich loben wir' (2/32) is again a superb sequence of variations in beautiful colours. This is followed by a 'Magnificat 4. Toni' setting (2/33-38), another absolutely splendid work starting off in subdued manner before building up to its magnificent final verses.

Recorded sound is first-class, booklet notes are a repeat of those from earlier volumes – in other words, an excellent general survey of Scheidt's life and work but with no commentary on the individual pieces recorded here. Of course the titles of the works are shown in detail in the track listings. Altogether, this is among the very best volumes in this series, and in fact one of the very finest recordings of the composer's music that I have heard. If you love organ music – especially of the north German school – then you'll find this a revealing and deeply satisfying set.


title: Another fine volume in a superb series

text:
This is volume 10 in a pioneering series on the Fagott label covering the complete organ works of Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654), one of the great composers of the north German organ school. Scheidt - despite that surname inducing the occasional chuckle among immature music students - is one of my own great favourites, and the present series has been proving a revelation to enthusiasts of this remarkable musical tradition.

The volumes have all featured a well-organised selection of works in different forms, each disc played by a different organist on a carefully chosen instrument. The music of the present disc is performed by Elke Besterhorn on the Compenius organ of the Michaeliskirche, Erfurt, its dates given in the booklet as 1652/2000. The church and all its contents were almost completely destroyed in the second world war, after which both building and church were rebuilt virtually from scratch. So it's a bit of a cheek calling it a Compenius organ at all since it sounds and is entirely modern. However, it's still a very fine instrument and well suited to the German baroque.

There are some lovely pieces here, including the opening pair of variations on 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (tracks 1-2) and the absolutely splendid three-verse setting of 'Veni Creator Spiritus' (32-34). As is often the case, Scheidt is at his very best in the more extended variation cycles, here represented by the 'Cantio Sacra Warumb betrübstu dich mein Hertz' (12-23). Elke Besterhorn proves a fine advocate for Scheidt's music, and her playing is excellent throughout.

Scheidt's craftsmanship is always impeccable, although I did find that there are quite a few less interesting pieces - to me at least - in this volume, works which I won't be rushing to return to often. If you've already been collecting the series, then you won't want to miss out on the present volume on the grounds of these few quibbles; but if you're new to the series, a good place to start would be the latest two-disc issue, volume 11, which turns out to be the final one. It is fabulous.


title: Outstanding version of a great baroque masterpiece

text:
The listings are not short of fine recordings of Heinrich Schütz's beautiful Mass for the Dead. The present disc has been around since 1998, and it is still one of the truly outstanding versions. Françoise Lasserre directs her regular Akademia ensemble of fourteen lovely, pure voices (with female sopranos and male altos) and a medium-sized instrumental band including the excellent La Fenice wind ensemble and familiar names such as Jean Tubéry (cornetto), Christina Pluhar (harp and theorbo) and Laurent Stewart (organ).

The Requiem itself is preceded by a very well judged selection representing the composer's major collections such as Geistliche Chormusik, Symphoniae Sacrae and Kleine geistliche Konzerte, interspersed with a handful of instrumental pieces by Scheidt and Gabrieli. These are all given beautiful performances and the arrangement works better, in my view, than placing the Musicalishe Exequien first and then following it with other pieces as fillers.

The performance of the main work differs from some other fine recordings, the best of which tend toward the small-scale and intimate; these include outstanding versions directed by Meunier, Cordes and Haller. The present performance applies larger forces (but certainly not too large) and richer textures, bringing ample colour and drama to the work. Passages such as 'Er sprach zu seinem lieben Sohn' are delivered superbly, with the contrast between soli and cappella powerfully expressed. In the final section, 'Herr nun lässest du deinen Diener', the chorus line is again clearly delineated in texture and perfectly captured by the recorded sound; the effect - both musical and emotional - is beautiful.

Lasserre's recording conveys a powerful unity and a grand overall vision of Schütz's great work, representing a superb counterpart to the more intimate performances available – which, in case it's not already clear, I also greatly admire. Recorded sound and ambience are outstanding, booklet notes are excellent, and texts and translations are included.


title: Splendid version of one of Bach's greatest organ collections

text:
Bach's Dritter Theil der Clavier-Übung, as most Bach enthusiasts will know, consists mainly of Lutheran organ chorale settings in various formats, framed by the two parts of the magnificent Prelude and Fugue BWV552 - the latter commonly known in the anglophone world as the 'St. Anne' Fugue after the 18th-century hymn of that name. Since I've recently reviewed several recordings of Clavier-Übung III, I hope readers will excuse the repetition of this short introduction to the music if they come across more than one of those reviews.

Clavier-Übung III forms a superbly structured and varied sequence and, thanks to JSB's admirable foresight, amounts to an eminently satisfying two-disc set - as well as making for a wonderful evening of Bach listening all in one go if you feel so inclined. The work has also been extremely fortunate in recordings, including especially fine ones from Jeremy Joseph, Matteo Messori, Rainer Goede, Wim van Beek, James Johnstone and Ton Koopman. I've been listening to a number of these again recently, as well as going back to this 1989 version from Bernard Coudurier which turns out to stand up extremely well in this very competitive field.

Coudurier plays the superb organ in the Schloßkirche of Lahm, in the Itzgrund district of Upper Franconia, built in 1728-32 by Heinrich Gottlieb Herbst and beautifully restored in the 1980s. It's an absolutely splendid instrument with a remarkable range of attractive and colourful registrations, and with a few mechanical noises also audible but to no ill effect. Moreover, Coudurier's playing is stylish, skilful and versatile. The more low-key chorale settings sound lovely, and the majestic movements such as the opening Prelude and closing Fugue, as well as the more forthright chorale settings, are delivered in terrific style. Coudurier uses delightful and individualistic phrasing in some of the more playful chorales, and the overall effect is one of exciting and entertaining variety. The four Duetti are a joy, thanks to the player's delicate touch and his instrument's beautiful registrations. For the closing Fugue, Coudurier goes hell-for-leather in the final, triple-time section resulting in an exciting, Grand Prix-style rush to the chequered flag.

In addition to Clavier-Übung III, and unlike the other available sets, we also get two substantial bonuses in the form of the six Schübler chorales (BWV 645-50) and the Canonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch' BWV 769, the latter brought to a rousing climax by Coudurier. Booklet notes in German are excellent, but their English translation is awful. In spite of a slight inferiority in recorded sound in relation to more recent recordings, this volume by Coudurier compares extremely well with the other fine versions listed above, standing out both for the very fine instrument and for the individuality and charm of Coudurier's playing.

If I were forced to choose one version of Clavier-Übung III, it would probably be the set by Rainer Goede, superbly played on an absolutely magnificent Christoph Wiegleb instrument of 1738-39 in the monastery church of St. Gumbertus in Ansbach, Thuringia.


title: Not so desirable German baroque

text:
The purpose of this programme of German baroque music, as stated in the booklet notes, is to illustrate the aim of baroque composers to express pleasure and desire through their music, in this case for the purposes of religious faith. The works selected here are two sacred solo cantatas by Johann Philipp Krieger, one each from Buxtehude and Johann Philipp Förtsch - whom I had not encountered before - and two instrumental pieces by Schmelzer and Kerll. Apart from Buxtehude, these composers worked mainly in the circle of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

The disc starts off well with Buxtehude's beautiful, chaconne-based cantata 'Quemadmodum desiderat cervus'. It gets a lyrical, sensitive and beautifully-textured rendition from the youthful Belgian-based period instrument ensemble Musae Jovis, directed by Pieter de Moor who also sings the tenor part very nicely indeed. The intensity and devotional quality of the singing and playing effectively serve to illustrate the theme of the programme. The recorded sound is life-like and involving, with plenty of space between the performers.

Unfortunately, things start to go downhill after this. There is still a personal quality and intensity to the performances, but I found the tenor cantata 'Aus der Tieffen' by Förtsch not especially interesting – in addition to another irritation which I'll come back to in a moment. Kerll's Trio Sonata is an attractive work in some ways, with a very fine and well-played viola da gamba part, but I'm not sure about the rationale for the inclusion of this work other than a welcome change from the sound of tenor voice. Next comes Krieger's tenor cantata 'Herr, auf dich trau ich' – the longest work in the programme and again of limited interest, with a lengthy text and substantial passages of recitative. Only an attractive 'Hallelujah' setting at the end relieves the monotony; otherwise this comes over as a rather shapeless work, at least in this performance. The other problem is that the chamber organ is far too intrusive in some of the works, particularly when paired with the very lightweight tenor voice which thus gets overwhelmed at times. This happens on tracks 2 and 4 of the disc, and in my view it's a serious failure of judgement in recording balance. Strangely, in some of the other works the same continuo player switches instead to an almost inaudible harpsichord; either that or else he’s taking a tea break.

The second cantata by Krieger, 'Der Herr ist mein Hirt', is a much greater success, for which I am grateful because Krieger is one of my favourite baroque composers – especially in the instrumental and secular field, as illustrated in the beautiful disc 'Lieben und geliebet werden' [[ASIN:B00000IYX5 Krieger: Lieben Und Geliebet Werden]]. Back to the present disc, the programme closes with a lovely instrumental piece by Schmelzer, 'La Bella Pastora', a catchy and enjoyable set of instrumental variations. The two violin players are especially fine in their virtuoso parts here, and that organ resumes its nuisance role but to less drastic effect than previously. Overall, this last instrumental work is a welcome relief because, by this time, I was getting irritated by the repeated presence of the tenor voice and would instead have greatly appreciated a different voice or two in the mixture.

The duration of the disc is rather short measure at 52 minutes. Booklet notes are excellent, and all texts and translations are provided. Musae Jovis are clearly a very talented and promising early music ensemble, and I hope they come back with more baroque music in future – but preferably constructing their programmes more judiciously and avoiding some of the problems mentioned above. As it is, a score of three stars is a bit on the generous side because I can't imagine myself coming back to this disc often, except possibly for the very fine Buxtehude and Schmelzer works. However, Buxtehude's 'Quemadmodum' cantata is available in several other recordings, sung variously be soprano, tenor or baritone, my favourite by a long chalk being the one on this lovely disc: [[ASIN:B005X0NR70 Cantatas & Sonatas]]. The Schmelzer variations, also well worth hearing, can also be found in a number of other recordings, sometimes under the title 'La Pastorella'.


title: Excellent 'Saul' in traditional style

text:
Although Charles Mackerras never, as far as I know, pursued what is now considered historically informed performance with period instruments and small choirs, he was in many ways a significant advocate of historically-aware practices – as shown in his ground-breaking 'Messiah' recording of 1967. In this 1972 recording of 'Saul', however, he reverted to the tradition of performing Handel on a grand scale. The Leeds Festival Chorus and the English Chamber Orchestra together form a very substantial body of musicians, who make an impressive - and many would say appropriate - noise in the grand choral and orchestral set pieces.

So textures are sometimes thick, to the detriment of Handel's carefully judged scoring, and tempi  occasionally ponderous. This rendition is majestic, monumental and - compared to several fine period-style performances available nowadays - more detached, more impersonal, with somewhat less telling insight into Handel's psychological human drama. The team of soloists are very good, including Donald McIntyre as Saul, Sheila Armstrong as Michal and Ryland Davies as Jonathan. Especially fine are James Bowman's David, Margaret Price's Merab and the High Priest of Gerald English.

In general the great choruses are very well done, with the large and spirited choir putting everything into, for example, the concluding 'Gird on thy sword'; the orchestra are also excellent and just as committed. Other fine moments include the powerful 'Oh fatal consequence' chorus, a lovely harp solo in Act I Scene 5, and a very affecting 'In sweetest harmony'. The great 'Envy' chorus which opens Act II is taken at a slow tempo by today's standards - sung with great conviction and expressing the irresistible power, rather than the fury, of this vice so central to the character of Saul and to the entire drama.

Recorded sound is showing its age, but it's not bad. Booklet notes are excellent, and text and translations are included. The greatest assets of this version are Mackerras' impressive overall vision and consistently fine direction, and the excellence of the choir. For a long time, in fact, this was my favourite among recordings of 'Saul'. However, now that there are several excellent historically-inspired performances available, I definitely prefer some of these and I find the present traditional reading harder to listen to than before. Competition is formidable, and leading candidates include recordings under Gardiner, Christophers, Neumann, Harnoncourt, McCreesh, Rademann and Jacobs. Of these, my personal favourites are McCreesh, Jacobs and Harnoncourt.


title: Compelling insight into Handel's mighty oratorio

text:
Harnoncourt's recording of 'Saul' was first issued by Teldec in 1986, re-issued in 1995 and then again in 2009 – the first two with a German baroque painting of the death of Saul on the box cover, replaced by a Dutch Golden Age still life for the 2009 re-issue. Amidst an impressive choice of recordings of the great work, Harnoncourt's account is notable for several reasons. One is that this is a live recording, made in Vienna; another is the mix of British and continental soloists; and the third factor, the one which stands out most clearly, is the conductor's dramatic and heartfelt vision of the work.

That powerful insight is very effectively shared by the performers - the soloists, the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Concentus Musicus Wien ensemble. All the great choral and orchestral set pieces go superbly, with energetic choruses and splendid instrumental symphonies. To take only a few examples, the celebratory choruses in Part 1, such as 'How excellent thy name, o Lord' and 'Welcome, welcome, mighty king' are vigorous and incisive, expressing both the joy and the majesty of Handel's score. Opening Part 2, the uniquely powerful 'Envy, eldest born of hell!' receives a somewhat unusual rendering, its hushed opening tiptoe-ing in stealthily at a fairly quick tempo, with initially subdued anger rising and falling rather than being belted out with the grim, sustained fury it more usually conveys. This approach may not be to everyone's taste, but musically I found it highly effective. Later on, 'Oh fatal consequence of rage' is both vigorous and deeply felt, and 'O fatal day!' is extremely affecting.

The soloists are every bit as good. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau makes a superb Saul, baring his soul in this powerful character role, with a distinct accent to his English which to me doesn't matter one bit. Julia Varady is an excellent Merab, again with an accent – but you soon get used to it and, since all the characters are foreign anyway, who cares? Paul Esswood, at his very best here, is outstanding as David. Elizabeth Gale's Michal and Anthony Rolfe Johnson's Jonathan respond equally well, the whole team of soloists rising to the inspiration of Harnoncourt's vision of this mighty psychological drama.

The recorded sound takes some getting used to, sounding just a bit lightweight at times; but listeners with tone controls can compensate for this quite effectively. So the choir's words are sometimes hard to make out, and the carillon in the Symphony at the end of Act 1, scene 2, sounds a bit feeble. Harnoncourt made a few cuts for this live performance, mainly to some recitative and da capo passages, but nothing that bothers me. So the work occupies two well-filled CDs, as opposed to the more usual three.

'Saul' has been increasingly fortunate on disc in recent years, with well-regarded versions available from Gardiner, Neumann, McCreesh, Christophers, Rademann and Jacobs. Apart from the present set, my favourites are those directed by McCreesh and Jacobs - the former an outstanding all-rounder, and the latter virtually matching Harnoncourt in penetrating to the very heart of Handel's psychological drama, and in better recorded sound. I'm not familiar with the Gardiner, Christophers or Rademann recordings.

Booklet notes are good, and texts and translations are supplied. Altogether, Harnoncourt's imaginative and compelling vision of 'Saul' is a stunning success, and to say that it's worth experiencing would be an understatement. For completeness and outstanding recorded sound, however, if I had to pick a single version it would probably be the one from René Jacobs.


title: Late renaissance keyboard pioneer

text:
The more I listen to the work of Giovanni Gabrieli's uncle Andrea, the more fascination and respect for his music grow. In fact we have nephew Giovanni to thank for the survival of at least some of Andrea's music, since the latter wasn't much bothered about publishing his own music and it was young Giovanni who was largely responsible for its preservation and publication. Moreover, Giovanni's high opinion of his uncle's output was well deserved - as is amply demonstrated by the contents of this outstanding disc, as well as by some others available of his sacred music.

Andrea Gabrieli's keyboard music was pioneering, varied and exceptionally fine. Here we have twenty keyboard works, half of them played on harpsichord and the rest on organ. Fortunately, Fabio Bonizzoni makes the correct decision by playing all the harpsichord pieces in sequence for the first half of the programme, and then switching to organ for the rest. I say fortunately, because I have a great dislike for programmes in which a player frequently scuttles from one instrument to another and back again.

Not only that, but Bonizzoni's playing is outstanding – stylish, virtuosic and spontaneous. Both his Italian period instruments are superb – a rich, resonant Vito Trasuntino harpsichord from 1571, and the splendidly colourful 1519 organ in the Church of the Madonna di Campagna at Ponte in Vaitellina, built by Bizarri and later modified by Antegnati in 1589.

The music itself consists of examples of the various genres of Gabrieli's time, some of which he pioneered or developed himself: Canzon, Toccata, Ricercar, Fantasia and dance. The Canzoni and Ricercari are more concerned with ingenious counterpoint, mostly upon arresting and memorable melodies such as the signature long-short-short opening motif of the Canzon. Some are intabulations of French chansons. The Toccata format gives freer rein to virtuosity and improvisation, invitations which Bonizzoni accepts in every case with brilliant alacrity. Some of the works, entitled Ricercar arioso, combine these two facets to great effect. In fact, every one of these works has interest, enjoyment and distinctive melody to offer, and I particularly appreciated Canzon detta Qui la dira (track 2), Canzon ariosa (4), Ricercar arioso II (6), I (8) and IV (11), Ricercar del II. Tono (15), and Ricercare dell' XI. tono (19).

Also remarkable are the single contribution by nephew Giovanni, Fantasia in modo di canzon francese (10), explained in the booklet notes as a clear tribute to Uncle Andrea; and finally the exuberant and inventive Capriccio sopra il madrigale detto Con lei foss'io (20) which brings the programme to a close.

Recording of both instruments is first-class, and the booklet notes are extremely detailed and informative with some interesting biographical information. No explanation is offered as to the choice of organ for some works and harpsichord for others. Personally, I thought that most of them were better suited to the harpsichord. But, in any case, Bonizzoni's playing of both instruments is superbly stylish and committed. This, the two excellent instruments and Andrea Gabrieli's exceptionally fine music, all combine to make this an outstanding disc of renaissance instrumental music. It is hard to find in CD format at the time of writing, and it well deserves to be reissued. In the meantime it's worth checking the European Amazon sites for a reasonably-priced example.


title: Superb Bach in a very competitive field

text:
Bach's Dritter Theil der Clavier-Übung, as most Bach enthusiasts will know, consists mainly of Lutheran organ chorale settings in various formats, framed by the two parts of the magnificent Prelude and Fugue BWV552 - the latter commonly known in the anglophone world as the 'St. Anne' Fugue after the 18th-century hymn of that name. Since I've reviewed several recordings of Clavier-Übung III, I hope readers will excuse the repetition of this short introduction to the music if they spot more than one of those reviews.

Clavier-Übung III is a superbly structured and varied sequence and, thanks to JSB's admirable foresight, forms an extremely satisfying two-disc set - as well as making for a wonderful evening of Bach listening all in one go if you feel so inclined. The work has also been extremely fortunate in recordings, including especially fine ones from Jeremy Joseph, Léon Berben, Matteo Messori, Rainer Goede and Wim van Beek. I've been listening to a number of these again recently, and now comes this present one from James Johnstone – the initial volume of a projected series of recordings of Bach organ works. For this volume he chooses the 1739 Wagner organ in the Nidaros cathedral of Trondheim, Norway, restored by Arend in the 1990s. He also states in his booklet notes that he will use different instruments for the various subsequent volumes.

Johnstone has a lively, agile style of playing, especially noticeable in the more monumental pieces such as the Prelude and Fugue – the prominent extended notes separated more markedly than they often are by other players, who commonly deliver the mighty chords in more legato style. His tempi are also slightly quicker than in most of the other recordings I’m familiar with. Johnstone’s approach offers a light touch and refreshing clarity, bringing new life to many familiar pieces, and I especially liked his playing of the four Duetti in this respect. Above all, his love of and insight into Bach’s music are obvious throughout.

The Trondheim instrument is very fine, with the recorded sound here favouring clarity over ambience. As mentioned above, this is a highly competitive field, and such is the standard of playing among the leading organists of today that, for the listener, the choice of instrument may well tip the balance of preference between one recording and another. My own favourite versions of Bach’s monumental collection, in addition to the present one from Johnstone, would be those by Jeremy Joseph, Wim van Beek and Rainer Goede. If pushed for a first choice I would probably pick the last-named, particularly for the fabulous sound of the recently restored, 1738 Wiegleb organ in the monastery church of St. Gumbertus, Ansbach in Thuringia.

In any case, James Johnstone’s version makes an impressive start to his Bach project. The player’s own booklet notes on music, background and instrument are highly informative.


title: Beautiful Italian baroque programme

text:
This is an unusual programme of sacred works by Maurizio Cazzati, prominent and prolific composer in mid-17th-century Bologna. The main work is a beautiful Missa per li Defonti, for five voices and instruments. There are also three sacred motets for solo voice, and a handful of instrumental works. They are performed by Ensemble La Fenice directed by Jean Tubéry. Familiar names among the soloists include soprano Maria Cristina Kiehr and alto Dominique Visse. In fact the performances, both vocal and instrumental, are in general outstanding.

The opening work, Sonata La Strozza, is a cheerful and engaging instrumental piece, beautifully led by the two stylish cornetti of Jean Tubéry and William Dongois. The simple melody of the following 'Salve Regina' solo motet is most beautifully sung by Maria Cristina Kiehr. The Capriccio (track 3) is an echo piece for two cornetti, again wonderfully performed. It's followed by a very fine Ciaccona (4), the two cornetto masters again demonstrating sheer enjoyment in music-making. 'Regina coeli' for solo tenor is a heartfelt piece, but doesn't come off quite so well here owing to the rather harsh tenor tone in the higher notes. Similarly, Dominique Visse's squeaky voice is not entirely suited to the spiritual quality of 'Ave Regina Caelorum' (6). The following 'Capriccio sopra 16 note' brings us more instrumental acrobatics.

This brings us to the main item, the Requiem for five voices and instruments (8-16). It's a lovely work with many fine solo and concerted passages, the music extremely responsive to the text, and in a superb performance by singers and players alike. This beautiful piece is delivered here with spirit, style and total conviction, the result a joy to hear and a great credit to Jean Tubéry's direction. It forms the culmination of a varied, coherent and fascinating programme of Cazzati's music.

Notes in English are excellent, with ample information on composer and chosen works. Latin texts are supplied, but with French translations only. The recording was made in 1991 and, short of any future reissue, there seem to be only a very few copies still around.


title: Awful recording

text:
This is a terrible performance of some wonderful music. Monteverdi published his 'Missa In illo tempore' along with the revolutionary Vespers of 1610, in order to silence critics who were in effect accusing him of adopting the 'stile moderno' because he wasn't smart enough to compose in the polyphonic 'stile antico' manner. The Mass is a parody on Nicolas Gombert's motet of the same name, resulting in a setting of exceptional sophistication and beauty.

Monteverdi made his point to stunning effect, but it all goes for nothing in this 1990 recording by the ORF (Austrian Radio) Choir directed by Gottfried Preinfalk. The choir is full of extremely wobbly voices, the polyphonic lines are entirely unclear, and that's even without the adverse effects of the muddy recording. Palestrina's Missa brevis fares just as badly. There's a certain sincerity about these performances, I suppose, but it's nowhere near enough to make up for the sheer awfulness of the choral sound.

There are some very fine recordings of the Monteverdi Mass available, including those from Philippe Herreweghe, Masaaki Suzuki and Roberto Gini – in the last two cases coupled with the 1610 Vespers. My own favourite, however, is the absolutely beautiful performance by Odhecaton directed by Paolo da Col. As for the present disc - forget it.


title: For Titelouze, best to look elsewhere

text:
his recording focuses on the organ music of Jehan Titelouze (1563-1633), commonly considered the founder of the French organ school. The programme illustrates selected organ works in a liturgical context, alternating with choral works of the period by the master's younger Rouen-based contemporaries Henri Frémart and d'Artus Aux-Cousteaux.

The few surviving works of Titelouze consist of eight Magnificats and twelve Latin hymn settings. The hymn settings, 'Hymnes de l'Église pour toucher sur l'orgue, avec les fugues et recherches sur leur plain-chant', each consist of 4-voice variations on Gregorian hymns, in three or four organ verses. In each case the first verse is based upon a statement of the hymn melody in long notes overlaid by polyphonic treatments of varying complexity; the last verse, typically fugal in character, is generally the most complex, with brilliant and highly developed counterpoint. It is all absolutely splendid music, and on the present recording we are offered three of these hymn settings and the Magnificat sexti toni.

The organ works are played on a superb church instrument in Mont-Saint-Aignan, Normandy, rebuilt to splendid effect in 2001. The vocal works are performed by the four voices of the Ensemble Les Meslanges, each voice doubled by wind instruments and directed by Thomas Van Essen. The disc starts off well with a very fine vocal Magnificat sexti toni by Aux-Cousteaux, whose music I had not come across before. The sung verses alternate with Titelouze's organ verses, both works are lovely and are dovetailed together to beautiful effect.

After this promising start, however, the remainder of the programme is disappointing in several respects. The main problem is the indifferent quality of the 'Missa Verba mea' by Frémart – a rather dull work in my opinion, and certainly not helped by the unremitting company of the 'colla parte' cornetto, sackbuts and serpent. Opinions vary widely on such instrumental doubling, but personally I usually get on with it pretty well if it's sensitively done in appropriate music. But that is not the case here; Frémart's music is largely short-breathed and declamatory in style, and the swamping of the voices and their words by constant metallic blowing seems to me to deprive them of any expressive effect they might have had. The result is that five of the nine tracks in the programme are a bit of a bore.

The three hymn settings by Titelouze - Exultet caelum, Ave maris stella and A solis ortus - fare much better in the hands of organist Ménissier and his fine instrument, and the disc would have been well worth hearing for the sake of these works and of the opening Magnificat. But ..... as a result of the recently renewed attention being given to the works of the great organ pioneer, there are several other Titelouze recordings providing formidable competition. The two recordings of all twelve hymn settings, by Markus Goecke and Yves-G. Préfontaine, are both outstanding, and then there is the splendid recording of the complete organ works (i.e. all the Magnificat and hymn settings) by Robert Bates on the Loft Recordings label – all of these on superb French baroque instruments. Compared with any of these, the present performance of my own favourite, the hymn setting 'Exultet caelum', trivialises the music, well representing its ingenuity but missing out on its soulful profundity. In contrast, Markus Goecke's recording - my own first choice among these very fine alternatives - is magnificent.

In sum I would say that the present recording has its virtues and, taken in isolation, is worth a hearing or two. But, if you are interested in listening seriously to the original and deeply rewarding music of Jehan Titelouze, any of the other recordings listed above will offer a far better solution.


title: Poetry of the common man

text:
The renaissance was an extraordinary era in the development of music both expressive and pleasing to the modern ear. Nowadays it tends to be the sacred music that gets the most attention; but the description applies equally well to the secular and this CD, subtitled 'The Song Masters of Heidelberg', offers a beautiful demonstration of that. Georg Forster (c. 1510-1568), doctor and musician, developed his musical skills at the Palatine chapel in Heidelberg – an area with a rich tradition of secular music, as has been illustrated in the past by a number of much-loved recordings from the days of the vinyl LP.

In his five collections of German Songs, Forster assembled works from numerous fellow composers as well as some of his own. From this third book, the most prominent among these in the selection offered here are Caspar Othmayr and Forster himself. The ensemble I Ciarlatani are an exceptionally talented and thoughtful early music group who have already brought us several outstanding recordings of renaissance and early baroque repertoire, the others being easily found on Amazon by searching for the Ciarlatani name.  A small but varied band of seven period wind and string instruments, together with soprano, tenor and baritone voices, they bring enjoyable variety of texture and mood to this well-organised sequence of German songs. The nineteen poems set here  depict a whole range of everyday, personal experiences and feelings of ordinary men and women, almost like a Bruegel painting set to music.

The melodies by Forster and his colleagues are by turns graceful, catchy, wistful and poetic. 'Drey laub auff einer linden' (track 2), for example, is a melody beautifully sung by soprano Ute Kreidler, accompanied by a simple combination of instruments to lovely effect. Track 3, sensitively played on solo lute, brings another fine tune; and 'Wolauf, gut gsel, von hinnen' (5) is another cheerful, graceful melody. In the tenor song 'Meine freundlich B' (8), the singer enumerates the qualities and behaviour he expects of the bride of his forthcoming marriage, to an elegant melody and with an effect more self-righteous than aggressive. The tenor part, central to this entire programme, is beautifully taken by Sebastian Hübner. This is followed by the song's counterpart (9), a reply from the bride in which she gets her own back in no uncertain terms – a satisfying pairing for women's-rights enthusiasts here.

There are other enjoyable texts to fine and engaging melodies, including some of euphemistic bawdiness. The oft-recorded 'Entlaubt ist uns der walde' (13) brings another strong central melody and fine counterpoint between the three voices; as often in this repertoire, nature is used as a metaphor for various aspects of human life – in this case autumn to represent farewell. 'Ich armes keutzlein kleine' (15) is especially memorable for its repeated owl-call motifs, resulting in a remarkably catchy effect. 'Sie ist mein trost und auffenthalt'' (16) is another highly attractive melody. 'Mir ist ein schönß braunß meidelein' (19) brings the sequence to a beautiful conclusion.

Altogether this is a collection both refreshing and touching, mixing love with humour, the trials of life for ordinary folk like you and me, and above all a wealth of enjoyable and memorable melodies. It's all performed with spirit, insight and musicianship, and in fine recorded sound. The booklet is first-class, with exceptionally useful and interesting notes and good illustrations. The song texts are all provided, together with a glossary of the archaic word-forms for German speakers. The texts are not translated into English ('twould be a fearsome taske to undertake ywis) but useful summaries of each one are given in English, which serve the purpose admirably.

Altogether, like everything else I've heard from this ensemble, a beautiful and fascinating  recording.


title: Rare but worthy memorial to an outstanding musician

text:
How very sad that the late John Toll (1947-2001) didn't make more solo recordings. This is the only one I can trace, and it's stunning. But Orlando Gibbons was a great choice for demonstrating Toll's abilities. For the composer was a Tudor musician of the first order, brilliant, versatile and profound, and there isn't a single one of his works, secular or sacred, that doesn't have something to say.

The present disc is a collection of his keyboard works, some of them played on the harpsichord and some on the organ. Both instruments are superb – the harpsichord a modern copy of a 1637 Ruckers, the organ the 1693 instrument in Adlington Hall, Cheshire. Both are ideally suited to this music. John Toll has a terrific way with the keyboard, playing with seemingly natural style, energy and insight in every one of these works. There are twenty-four pieces here, a representative selection of the various forms of Gibbons' works including Prelude, Fantasia, Pavan, Galliard, and including one of my particular favourites, the Italian Ground (track 22); this latter, while not so reflective or profound as some of the other pieces, nevertheless epitomises the distinctive quality and mastery of melody characteristic of the Tudor era.  The disc's evocative title is named after another of the works, The Woods so Wild (3). The programme concludes with an especially inspired and energetic piece, Fantasia for Double Organ – even if its title is not to be taken literally.

My only reservation stems from a habitual irritation over recitals in which we are switched back and forth several times from one instrument to another – in the present case, harpsichord and organ. Still, at least we don't get a virginal or several other instruments as well, so I suppose two aren't bad; what is more, the choice for each work is invariably appropriate and the recordings, although actually made in two different places, are of outstanding quality, beautifully matched and conveying an entirely consistent ambience. Booklet notes by Andrew Parker are extremely useful and interesting, and there's also a tribute to the player from John Holloway.

I might have been tempted to deprive this disc of one star in the above rating because of my own personal reaction to the musical-chairs approach. However, that would not adequately reflect either the beauty of Gibbons' music, the player's superb interpretations, or my respect for an outstanding performer who is no longer with us. Altogether this is an exceptionally fine representation, not only of John Toll's abilities but of the keyboard music of a great composer.


title: Good recording of a splendid Tudor Mass

text:
Christopher Tye was a close contemporary of Tallis and other composers of the Tudor era. He spent most of his career in the prestigious post of Master of the Choristers and organist of Ely Cathedral. Only a proportion of his works have survived, but among them are motets and two Mass settings. Of all these, his masterpiece is surely the six-voice Missa Euge Bone – recorded on the present disc and by several other ensembles over the past few decades.

This recording is performed by the adult, mixed-voice Cambridge University Chamber Choir, diirected by Timothy Brown. Together with the Mass, eleven of Tye's motets are also included. The choir produce a very good sound and vocal balance; their voices are pure and clear, the upper voices secure in the high passages. Their expressive power is a bit restrained for my taste at times but, as we shall see, they do rise to the occasion at some important moments. The opening motet, 'In pace in idipsum', is a really beautiful work, treated here to lovely, responsive singing. Other very fine pieces are 'Quaesumus omnipotens et misericors deus' (track 8) and the closing 'Nunc Dimittis', another beautiful work performed here with great sensitivity.

But the main thing is the Mass setting. I've been comparing a couple of versions of this recently, and the work has grown on me each time. It's a setting of remarkable character, becoming more complex, adventurous and exciting as it progresses, and director Timothy Brown's choir responds well. I especially liked the crescendo at the start of the Sanctus, but in fact the entire work is well delivered and brought to a fine conclusion in the Agnus dei.

Recorded sound is excellent, as are the booklet notes; and, in principle, texts and translations are given – except that, for some reason, the texts for items 10-16, i.e. most of the motets which follow the Mass setting, are missing. Perhaps that's because these items are all to English texts – but this doesn't seem like a very good excuse to me. If you can make out all of the words in music of this kind better than I can, good luck to you.

I haven't heard all of the other recordings of the Missa Euge Bone – at the time of writing there are four available in all – but I have been listening to the one from the Choir of Westminster Abbey, directed by James O'Donnell. That is very good too, with weaknesses in the vocal balance but conveying well the scale of Tye’s masterpiece in contrast to the more intimate atmosphere of the present recording from the Cambridge choir. The result is that I would find it hard to make a firm recommendation between these two. Above all, this Mass is a magnificently rewarding work, and the present performance does reasonable justice to the profound sincerity of Tye's music.


title: Beautiful renaissance masterpiece lost and found

text:
The main work in this programme is a 4-voice polyphonic Mass setting, Missa Sancta Trinitas. It forms part of a complete Mass sequence, titled Missa Transfigurationis to indicate its purpose for performance on the Feast of the Transfiguration. The manuscript was lost for many years but has since been rediscovered and restored to the archives of the cathedral of Tournai. The Mass itself is a quasi-parody setting based on the motet 'Sancta Trinitas' by Josquin's contemporary Antoine de Févin. The Mass, like many other fine works of the period, is anonymous. It may or may not be by Févin himself - a problem discussed in the CD booklet notes - but the one thing of which I’m certain is that this is a masterpiece of the first order.

This recording covers the entire Mass sequence from the Tournai manuscript, including plainchant passages, a couple of hymns, and an alternatim Magnificat setting again by Févin - this latter from another source but inserted here to replace the Magnificat specified for the Feast but absent from the manuscript. Févin's very fine model motet is also included at the end of the disc. So the result is rather a lot of plainchant passages - more than I personally would find ideal, in fact - interspersing three polyphonic masterpieces, possibly or definitely (respectively) by Févin, namely Magnificat, Mass and 'Sancta Trinitas' motet.

The Mass, above all, is a magnificent work. If anything it seems to get even better as it goes along, with its strong element of Josquinian style especially, for example, in the distinctive paired-voice and homophonic passages of the Credo. Some music-lovers would argue that no other mortal could possibly equal the expressive power of the incomparable Josquin; but, if that's the case, then I would argue that the composer of this Mass, whether it's Févin or somebody else, comes pretty close. Could it be from the pen of Josquin himself, I was thinking? Unlikely, though, because such was the master's prestige that nobody in his right mind would ever have missed the opportunity to display that revered name on any qualifying manuscript or publication. Our enjoyment of this superb Mass setting is further enhanced by the opportunity to hear the model motet but also, more crucially, by the splendid performance from the eight-voice Psallentes vocal ensemble under the outstanding direction of Hendrik Vanden Abeele. Singing with two voices per part, namely three countertenors, tenor, baritone and three basses, they produce a rich, full, beautifully balanced sound, delivered in splendidly expressive style and spirit. Listeners who sometimes complain about overemphasis of the higher voices in renaissance music will certainly find nothing to worry them here.

The plainchant passages are very well done, delivered in a lively and well-paced style, although listeners need to be aware that altogether they take up about 20 of the 65 minutes of music on the disc - a case for using that chant solutions button on the remote control, for my purposes at least. The two hymns are given a vigorous, animated rendition, and the recording, made in the superb ambience of the Abbaye de Beaufays in Belgium, is outstanding.

The booklet is very tastefully produced, with several fascinating reproductions from the beautiful Tournai manuscript, and it offers excellent, informative notes on background and music as well as all texts and translations. There is also a touching tribute to Dirk Snellings, who sadly died in 2014. He was director of the excellent Capilla Flamenca ensemble, who produced many fine recordings of renaissance music and who had originally been scheduled to perform the music on the present disc. After Snellings' death Psallentes, under Hendrik Vanden Abeele, stepped in to fulfil the project, and the result is unquestionably worthy of their predecessors.

This is a really outstanding recording which is sure to please renaissance enthusiasts, and I would recommend it without hesitation.


title: Graceful baroque duetting for voice and viola da gamba

text:
This is a very fine programme of late baroque opera music from imperial Vienna, on the intriguing theme of arias for soprano and viola da gamba. Composers represented are F-u-x (see last para for explanation of this spelling), Attilio Ariosti, G.B. Bononcini and Pietro Baldassari, with the first two being the most dominant. I already know F-u-x well and have an extremely high regard for his music, but this is my first encounter with Ariosti. Their music here is lovely, with a predominant air of melancholy even in the more lively arias. As a result of the particularly expressive qualities of the viola da gamba - supported by a small period instrument ensemble – the dialogues between soprano voice and solo instrument work beautifully.

Soprano Hana Blazíková, with a beautifully pure voice and a superb feeling for baroque style, has already made a name for herself with some very lovely recordings in the early music field. Here she is very much in her element, and the programme owes much of its success to her outstanding qualities and to those of director and gamba soloist Petr Wagner. There are several arias here which offer opportunities for marvellously intricate and expressive duetting between voice and instrument, and the musicians make the most of them with really beautiful and touching performances.

The opening item, Baldassari's 'Il goder un bel sembiante', in fact has two viola da gamba parts, and the resulting textures are really lovely. The following item, Ariosti's 'Sa il crudel', enjoys graceful melodies and an equally fine accompaniment; and in fact I very much liked all the pieces by Ariosti, as well as the items by the F composer which tend to be the most extended and fully developed on the disc. F's 'Sento nel core' (track 4) is an extended piece with some striking and exceptionally inventive viola da gamba passages, once again superbly performed here. I also greatly enjoyed Ariosti's 'Tal vicina a Giglio' (8) and F's 'Non sdegnar' (10).

Throughout the programme, balance and integration of voice and instruments is excellent, the other players of the Ensemble Tourbillon do very fine work, and Petr Wagner's sensitive direction is spot-on. Booklet notes are first-class and all texts and translations are provided. Altogether this is an unusual and extremely rewarding programme. Acknowledgements to fellow UK Amazon reviewer E. L. Wisty, both for his appreciative review and for his brainwave about how to sneak the F composer's name past Amazon's self-righteous digital filter of filthy words.


title: The earth won't move

text:
Michel-Richard de Lalande, otherwise known as Delalande, was Master of the King's Music at the court of Louis XIV, and the king's most favoured composer after the death of Lully. Louis XIV liked, and could afford, to have music for all kinds of occasion, including sacred, secular and operatic, and some of Delalande's finest works are the sacred motets of which, like his great predecessor, he was a master.

In a different category, however, are the 185 pieces composed to be played, as the title indicates, to accompany the king's suppers. They include a wide variety of forms and instruments, and were arranged into twelve suites. The present four-disc set was the first complete recording of all the Symphonies composed for Louis XIV; it was originally issued in 1990 and is now re-issued at a very handy price. Most of the suites begin with an Ouverture, and the subsequent movements include many short dance pieces, the more substantial forms of Chaconne and Passacaille, a few Caprices and the occasional Air. The latter are restored for this recording to their original version of airs for soprano.

Instrumentation is varied, ranging from trumpets and percussion in the ceremonial, martial or hunt-style pieces to the more gentle, subtle tones of woodwind and strings and continuo where appropriate. There's a great variety of mood, pace and texture here, with Hugo Reyne's capable period-instrument band playing in excellent and spirited style throughout. The use of percussion provides further variety and colour in places, with some especially fine work on castanets to liven things up.

And it does need livening up, for really this is mostly rather shallow music. It's no wonder because, while the Sun King undoubtedly had good musical taste, he wouldn't have wanted anything profound sounding forth while he was eating his supper and chatting away, as you do – and, judging by the contents of these discs, what the king didn't want he didn't get. There's plenty of light, graceful and superficially attractive music, with a few reflective moments. But the most interesting pieces for me are the more substantial Chaconnes, Passacailles, and the occasional Ouverture – and certainly not all of the latter, some of which are distinctly underdeveloped compared with those of Lully, Rameau, not to mention Bach, Handel, Telemann or a host of others.

If you're irresistibly attached to the occasional music of Versailles, and fancy having more than five hours of it available to listen to, then this set will satisfy. But nobody in their right mind would want to hear it all at once – not even on the car stereo for a long haul on the motorway. I would stress that I don't want to knock a very fine composer, but I greatly prefer Lalande's sacred music, his motets whether 'grand' or 'petit'. He was also reputed to be an outstanding organist and keyboard player, and no doubt he would have been well able to craft some beautiful instrumental and chamber works; but unfortunately, as far as we know, nobody asked him to - or, if they did, none has survived.

For me, the fault of this set lies with the music's purpose and with the Sun King himself, and not with his Master of Music. Reyne's Simphonie du Marais do the best they can with all this undemanding musical fare, and their performances really can't be faulted. The booklet notes are fairly brief, but informative all the same. No texts are given for the few sung pieces, but that's not a serious worry here. It's all in a nicely compact box, and won't take up much space on your shelves.