Early Music on Record Review

[Roehre]

10.30
Hannah French joins Andrew to talk through the 85-disc box set recently released by the legendary early music label SEON which was founded in 1969 as one of the first labels dedicated only to authentic music with a focus on recording upcoming stars such as Frans Brüggen, Anner Bylsma and Gustav Leonhardt.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b061fk1w

more details
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seon-Collect.../dp/B00KXJD58M

If they would have released two boxes (the composers chronologically ordered as the CDs are in this 85cd set) of some 45 CDs each, I might go for the first one. Now too many duplicates of too many well known works.
A pity.

[doversoul1]

8th August

Scattered throughout the programme:

9.00
Vivaldi: La stravaganza - 12 concerti Op. 4 x 2

10.30 New Releases
Gesualdo Madrigals
Euskel Antiqva: Legacy of the Land of Basque
Porpora: Alle Figlie del Coro

…and
11.30am
Captain Hume's Journey to India
HUME, T: Captaine Hume's Pavin; A Souldiers Galliard; Hark, Hark; The Spirit of Gambo; A Polish Ayre; My Mistresse hath a pritty thing from The first part of ayres for the viole de gambo alone; Tickle me quickly; Adue sweete Love; I am Melancholy; Sunrise by the riverside; Death; A tune to Hume; Lamenton di Tristano
Philippe Pierlot (viol), Dhruba Ghosh (sarangi), Nitiranjan Biswas (tabla), Roselyne Simpelaere (tampura)

[Black Swan]

I quite liked the excerpts I heard from:

Euskel Antiqva: Legacy of the Land of Basque

Music that I was not familiar with.

J

[doversoul1]

15 August

10.30am Interview – John Butt

Andrew talks to the acclaimed conductor, organist, harpsichordist, scholar and Music Director of the Dunedin Consort, John Butt

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b065wmsp

[doversoul1]

Alan Curtis

10.30

Another chance to hear an interview Andrew did with the conductor Alan Curtis, who died recently. Curtis specialised in the performance of baroque opera, especially Handel. He talked to Andrew about the changing nature of baroque performance over the years, including excerpts from his recordings of Handel's Admeto and Giulio Cesare.

[Pegleg]

I missed this interview first time around, and so paid special attention to Alan Curtis' comments on casting various voice parts and his preference for mezzo-sopranos. Maybe it's time to add his Giulio Cesare recording to the Alcina and Ariodante I already have.

Is it too much to expect that there will be at least one EMS dedicated to Mr.Curtis and his life's work later this year?

[Nick Armstrong]

I missed this interview first time around, and so paid special attention to Alan Curtis' comments on casting various voice parts and his preference for mezzo-sopranos.

I had also missed it until this morning. A sad loss to music, great work over the years and a genial-sounding chap.

Good to hear the ever-classy Jill Gomez singing Handel in the first of the extracts played

[doversoul1]

29th August

09.00
Biber: Missa Salisburgensis
La Capella Reial de Catalunya
Le Concert des Nations
Jordi Savall

10.00
Handel: Scherza infida, from Ariodante
Alice Coote (mezzo)
The English Concert
Harry Bicket
(Don’t forget the late night Handel Prom*)

11.50
J S Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No 1 in D minor BWV 1052
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Petra Müllejans.

*I hope it is a Handel Prom but I wonder why it has something (someone) called a stage director….

[MickyD]

I had also missed it until this morning. A sad loss to music, great work over the years and a genial-sounding chap.

Good to hear the ever-classy Jill Gomez singing Handel in the first of the extracts played

Yes indeed Caliban - and in that set of "Admeto", she got to sing what I think must be one of Handel's loveliest arias: "S'en vola lo sparvier", which sadly one hardly ever hears.

[doversoul1]

19 September

This looks promising.

1030
Andrew talks to Anna Picard about a clutch of fascinating new releases of Baroque choral and vocal music including discs of Handel (from his Italian years), Marcello (Psalms) and Albinoni (opera arias)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06bqbb4

[ed.] This looks intriguing

9.00 am slot
Cantigas de Santa Maria / Alfonso X El Sabio
Hana Blazikova (soprano, harp), Barbora Kabatkova (soprano, harp and psaltery), Margit Ubellacker (dulce melos), Martin Novak (percussion)

The Cantigas de Santa Maria come from the imposing collection of the court of Alfonso X el Sabio, which offers us one of the most precious sources of mediaeval Spanish music. The Cantigas take us to the end of the Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula and to the very heart of the culture where Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions mingle.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?composer=&work=&performer=Hana+Blazikova&medium=all&label=&cat=

[doversoul1]

More details. Looks promissing.

10.40am New Baroque Vocal Releases with Anna Picard

MARCELLO: Psalms: Voces8, Les Inventions
ALBINONI:: Opera Arias & Instrumental Music: Ana Quintans (soprano), Concerto de'Cavalieri, Marcello di Lisa
HANDEL in Italy, Volume 1: Sophie Bevan (soprano), Mary Bevan (soprano), Benjamin Bevan (baritone), London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham (director)
CRESTA, LUZZASCHI, ROSSI:, KAPSBERGER, and other: Ensemble l'Amoroso, Guido Balestracci, Esmé de Vries, Gioacchino de Padova (viole de gambe), Massimo Moscardo (theorbo) Joël Grare (percussions), Guido Balestracci (conductor)
DRAGHI, G B:, HART, JAMES, LOCKE, PURCELL, and other: La Tempete, Simon-Pierre Bestion

[doversoul1]

3 October

Somewhere in the first half an hour

Le Concert Royal de la Nuit
Violaine le Chenadec (soprano), Marie-Frederique Girod (soprano), Caroline Bardot (soprano), Caroline Weynants (soprano), Amandine Trenc (soprano), Caroline Meng (soprano), Lucile Richardot (mezzo-soprano), Dagmar Saskova (mezzo-soprano), Stephanie Leclerc (contralto), Stephen Collardelle (countertenor), Davy Cornillot (tenor), Etienne Bazola (baritone), Renaud Bres (bass), Nicolas Brooymans (bass), Ensemble Correspondances, Sebastien Dauce

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06fl8yk

This is (I think) the CD of the recording shown on the TV programme The King Who Invented Ballet.

[doversoul1]

17 October

11.45am Disc of the Week:

Rachel Podger plays Biber’s Rosary Sonatas
BIBER: The Rosary Sonatas (Mystery Sonatas)

Rachel Podger (violin), Marcin Swiatkiewicz (harpsichord/organ), Jonathan Manson (cello/viola da gamba), David Miller (theorbo/archlute)
CHANNEL CCSSA37315 (2Hybrid SACD)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06h8lqn

[doversoul1]

31 October

9.00am
Gabrieli in Venice: The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, His Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

Cavalli: L’amore innamorato
CAVALLI,, KAPSPERGER, FALCONIERI: Nuria Rial (soprano), Hana Blazíková (soprano), L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar (conductor) L'Arpeggiata

As far as this video shows, there is no ‘improvisation’ but

The members of the ensemble use stringed, keyboard, wind and percussion instruments to flesh out Cavalli’s score, which comprises only a vocal line, basso continuo…

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/2564616643

The two sopranos are a big attraction.

11.50am Disc of the Week
Taverner: Missa Corona spinea
TAVERNER: Missa Corona Spinea; Dum transisset Sabbatum I; Dum transisset Sabbatum II
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06l1b84

[MickyD]

And don't forget the survey of the new 50 CD L'Oiseau Lyre Classical and Romantic Box. I have most of them, but there are a lot of hitherto new incarnations on CD, not least the whole of Malcolm Binns' complete Beethoven piano sonatas. I know that Bryn is especially keen on getting hold of those, as indeed am I.