Early Music Round-up,
Early Music Round-Up - Autumn 2023
None more obviously so, perhaps, than The Playfords' mouthwatering and proudly folksy Garlic & Onions, which does for early seventeenth-century song what I Fagiolini's Amuse-bouche a few years ago did for the twentieth-century French choral idiom: 'Food, glorious food' is the theme, to be celebrated in all its variety.
Elsewhere the ceremony and grandeur of French Baroque funerary pomp is on display from Le Concert d'Astrée and Emmanuelle Haïm, while André Lislevand and friends offer their own affectionate 'last rites' for the viola da gamba; Jeanette Sorrell and Apollo's Fire breathe new life into Handel's Israel in Egypt in Sorrell's own adaptation, rebalancing the work while losing none of its impact; and the Tallis Scholars celebrate their fiftieth anniversary season with their first return to the music of John Sheppard since the 1980s. And not forgetting a unique contribution to this year's Byrd quadricentennial celebrations: the complete My Ladye Nevells Booke from harpsichordist Pieter-Jan Belder.
Recordings
Čičić acknowledges guitarist Sean Shibe's all-Bach recital from a few years ago as an inspiration for this solo disc; The Times contrasted it favourably with 'some violinists' febrile interpretations', while The Yorkshire Times simply held that 'this is not just yet another recording of the Partitas; it is THE recording'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Amassing a large ensemble to recreate the scale of Handel's vision (including his attempt to compensate with sheer volume for the sounds of waves and fireworks!), B'Rock Orchestra present the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks in all their splendour, yet retaining the essential clarity and light of Handel's style.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
An absolute must for all lovers of Byrd, in this anniversary year - the only complete recording of My Ladye Nevells Booke, an invaluable collection of pieces that provides a snapshot of the musical fashions of the late sixteenth century. As if a complete account of the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book were not enough, Pieter-Jan Belder brings his unique musicianship (hailed as 'utterly enthralling' by Early Music Today) to this storied tome.
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Lully: Thésée
Mathias Vidal (Thésée). Karine Deshayes (Médée), Deborah Cachet (Aeglé), Marie Lys (Cléone/Cérès), Bénédicte Tauran (La Grande Prêtresse de Minerve), Thaïs Raï-Westphal (Dorine/Venus), Les Talens Lyriques, Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Christophe Rousset
The latest in Les Talens Lyriques' Lully opera series, Thésée focuses not on the famous battle with the Minotaur but on a love triangle from the titular hero's youth. The heady mix of romantic and political intrigue, magic and divine intervention, and the wide range of backdrops, create a rich and varied tapestry in which Christophe Rousset and his musicians excel. Karine Deshayes as the trouble-stirring goddess Médée is particularly spellbinding.
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Another delightful cross-pollination between the worlds of early music and folk, with the works of Thomas Campion, Tobias Hume and John Playford taking centre stage. Culinary subject matters dominate - and Hume's song hailing the newly discovered herb known as 'tobacco' also makes an appearance. While modern sensibilities might be a little more hesitant to echo that particular endorsement, we can certainly all tuck into 'Lumps of Pudding' and relish 'The Glory of the Kitchen' with The Playfords.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
It's honestly pure coincidence that I placed this album immediately after The Playfords' gastronomic indulgence, but these penitential choral works of Paolo Aretino certainly make for a pleasant contrast. Odhecaton embrace his innovative textures, in particular close-knit low writing with multiple bass parts. A suitably oppressive sound-world for the lamentations and reproaches leading up to Easter Day, rendered spine-tinglingly beautiful in these performances.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Campra, Rameau, Mondonville
Marie Perbost, Emmanuelle Ifrah (sopranos), Samuel Boden (countertenor), Zachary Wilder (tenor), Victor Sicard (baritone), Le Concert d’Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm
Maintaining the sombre - or at least reflective - theme, Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d'Astrée present some gorgeous large-scale choral works from the French Baroque; Campra's Requiem in memory of the Archbishop of Paris and a pair of twenty-minute grands motets. Soloists and ensemble latch perfectly onto the unique sonorities and moods of the French Baroque style - solemn, even mournful at times, but always animated by an underlying gracefulness.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Gramophone succinctly sings the praises of Peter Phillips' singers on this album: 'absolute unanimity, perfect tuning, impeccable diction, stunning control'. This all-Sheppard recording has been long awaited - it was all the way back in 1989 that the Tallis Scholars popularised his striking Media vita, and it's a pleasure to hear them mark their fiftieth anniversary season with such sumptuous repertoire. Phillips comments tantalisingly that 'there is still a long way to go with him'. Long may it continue.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Adapted by the ensemble's director, through a combination of judicious cuts within movements (balancing the original's enormous length with the need to preserve its emotional arc) and editorial dynamics, this account of Israel in Egypt from Apollo's Fire presents the Old Testament story of the Exodus in vivid colour. The Ten Plagues would have been a gift to any composer with a taste for the theatrical; in addition to revelling in the blockbuster special effects, Sorrell and her players also expertly capture the work's journey from despair into triumph.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Galanterie: The Autumn of the Viola da Gamba
André Lislevand (viola da gamba), Emil Duncumb (fortepiano), Jadran Duncumb (lute)
The gamba may have been entering its 'autumn', but as our readers in the Northern Hemisphere will be being reminded at this time of year, some of the best colours of the year come as summer begins to roll into winter. Forward-looking works by Abel, CPE Bach, Telemann and of course JS Bach come together in this album of late German gamba repertoire, with Lislevand showing once again why Early Music Review described his playing on Forqueray Unchained as 'absolutely on top of his game'.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Books
The Pursuit of Musick is an encyclopedic and generously illustrated anthology of original written sources, exploring some 600 years of musical activity in Europe, from the first troubadours to the emergence of the pianoforte. Through this book Andrew Parrott presents an extraordinary treasure trove of material documenting myriad ways in which our recent ancestors engaged with music. And, exceptionally, it is almost entirely through their words – their images, too – that such experiences are here vividly evoked.
Available Format: Book
At thirteen years old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy who had captured the hearts of northern Europe, but his father Leopold was now determined to conquer Italy. Together, they made three visits there the last when Mozart was seventeen, all vividly recounted here by acclaimed conductor Jane Glover. Evocative, beautifully written and with a profound understanding of eighteenth-century classical music, Mozart in Italy reveals how what he experienced during these Italian journeys changed Mozart – and his music – for ever.
Available Format: Book
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