Early Music on Record Review

[MickyD]

That is an odd imbalance, isn't it? Has Hogwood only recorded this Corelli? Mind you, the wonderful 30 CD boxed set Music of the Enlightenment from Harmonia Mundi (about one fifth of the price of the L'Oiseau Lyre box) contains ne'ersomuch as a semiquaver of Corelli - nor does the SONY Vivarte box. Corelliphobia?


(And aren't Arne and Bach's sons "Early Classical" rather than "Baroque"?)

I am pretty sure that Hogwood only ever recorded the 'Christmas' concerto of Corelli, for a Christmas lollipops CD. Strange indeed, when you consider that he did most other core baroque repertoire. Still, I find the Brandenburg's set of the Op.6 concerti on Hyperion very satisfying indeed...and many of its members have played previously with the AAM.

[Black Swan]

11.15am
Monteverdi Vespers (extract)
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04f8d80

Thanks for this. I am very interested in this recording and I am huge fan of both Monteverdi and Rinaldo Alessandrini.

[doversoul1]

30 August

9.00
Luca Marenzio – Primo Libro di Madrigali 1580
La Compagnia del Madrigale

Arise, my Muse
Blow, Clarke, Croft. Gabrieti, Purcell
Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Richard Egarr (harpsichord) and other

10.15am
Andrew talks to Simon Heighes about a box set of operas by Gluck from Decca.
(Gluck isn’t exactly Early Music but nor is he not exactly...)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04fy8pr

[Black Swan]

I am interested in the Marenzio CD. They won the Grammophone award. So I will be listening to this one.

[aeolium]

10.15am
Andrew talks to Simon Heighes about a box set of operas by Gluck from Decca.
(Gluck isn’t exactly Early Music but nor is he not exactly...)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04fy8pr

I really enjoyed this selection from the Decca set, especially the extracts from Iphigénie en Tauride with JEG and the Lyon Opera orchestra. The selections brought out the way in which the lyricism seemed always to be subordinated to the drama in Gluck's work. I wasn't aware that Thomas Allen had recorded any Gluck operas but he came out very well. The add-on CD of historical extracts also sounds interesting, the broadcast example featuring the wonderful voice of Gérard Souzay (I would also like to hear the Belgian soprano Suzanne Danco in Divinités du Styx).

It's a shame that Gluck has featured so thinly at the Proms in his tercentenary year. He deserves better.

[Black Swan]

I really enjoyed this selection from the Decca set, especially the extracts from Iphigénie en Tauride with JEG and the Lyon Opera orchestra. The selections brought out the way in which the lyricism seemed always to be subordinated to the drama in Gluck's work. I wasn't aware that Thomas Allen had recorded any Gluck operas but he came out very well. The add-on CD of historical extracts also sounds interesting, the broadcast example featuring the wonderful voice of Gérard Souzay (I would also like to hear the Belgian soprano Suzanne Danco in Divinités du Styx).

I totally agree, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this section and am now looking at what recordings of Gluck I have gathering dust in my collection, before buying. I particularly liked the Armida extract.


It's a shame that Gluck has featured so thinly at the Proms in his tercentenary year. He deserves better.

Totally agree.

[doversoul1]

I agree, it was an excellent discussion. I expect some people find Simon Heighes a little too flippant but I think his ‘chat’ is based on his solid knowledge and I always enjoy the way he describes things in completely non-academic terms. I learned an awful lot about this in-between period in the development of opera while being thoroughly entertained. Strangely enough, it never occurred to me to wonder what all these operas looked like. The music sounded perfect on its own to me.

It is such a pity that there seems to be so few programmes on Radio3 these days from which we (I mean I 'with little knowledge') can learn.

I was very impressed by Luca Marenzio’s madrigal, too.

[Nick Armstrong]

This looks fun, kicking off Saturday's programme (13th Sept):

9.00am
François Couperin: Apothéoses
Amandine Beyer (violin)
Gli incogniti

Their Corelli Concerti Grossi set was raved about in France, and sounded very good from what I've heard...

[doversoul1]

…plus
11.40am
Handel: Jephtha (extract)
James Gilchrist (tenor)
Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano)
Sophie Bevan (soprano)
Robin Blaze (countertenor)
Matthew Brook (baritone)
Grace Davidson (soprano)
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04h7h5f

P.S. the first post-Proms BaL on 20 September will be Handel’s Orlando

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?11953-BaL-20-09-14-Handel-Orlando

[Nick Armstrong]

9.00am
François Couperin: Apothéoses
Amandine Beyer (violin)
Gli incogniti

I thought this Couperin performance sounded terrific!

For some reason the Jephtha extract left me cold, but I've recorded it and shall listen again...

[Black Swan]

I agree with Caliban I thought the Couperin was very good but upon a look in my collection, I already have the Apotheoses. I was not compelled by Jeptha. I don't have a complete recording so wiil listen again.

[MickyD]

I too liked the Couperin, but already have the Apotheoses in a much older recording by the Kuijkens. As for Jeptha, I have it in the Harnoncourt version - haven't listened to it for a long time, but am sure it is full of Harnoncourt idiosyncracies....but he often assembled good soloists such as Anthony Rolfe-Johnson. I think there was also one from Gardiner but I never heard that.

[Nick Armstrong]

Igor Levit's Bach: superlative!!

[Beresford]

Igor Levit's Bach: superlative!!

Yes. Intriguing and very sympathetic - not bombastic.
Part way through, I noticed that Igor Levit almost always emphasized the second note of each phrase, and de-emphasized(?) the first note, which seemed to give more space for what came next. I would like to know if this is part of his interpretation, or is this a standard technique in Bach's keyboard music.

[doversoul1]

27 September

10.15
Andrew is joined live in the studio by a panel of Early Music enthusiasts in the shape of Caroline Gill & Simon Heighes to discuss recent releases of baroque music including a 30th anniversary disc from Concerto Italiano and the final release under Jeanne Lamon as Music Director of Tafelmusik

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jj37s

I imagine / hope this will include CD Review’s tribute to Christopher Hogwood.