Early Music on Record Review

[Richard Tarleton]

Lislevand, ECM, short measure



This has just arrived, and I've got it on the CD player. But - it's only 48 minutes of music. This is seriously short measure. It seems to be an ECM problem - just checked, my ECM CD of Pablo Márquez playing Luys de Narváez is 46 minutes. By comparison, William Carter's Corbetta disc on Linn is 73.30, his Santiago de Murcia disc is 60 minutes. Paul O'Dette's CDs on Harmonia Mundi invariably come in around the 70-80 minute mark, and he's better than any of them. The repertoire is huge, there's masses of room on the CD, it would cost them nothing to keep him sitting there and knock out a couple more tracks.

This is the last time I buy an ECM CD. You get some posy black and white photography, weird booklet notes (particularly so in this case) and not a lot of music. I blame Manfred Eicher.

[doversoul1]

2 July

10.15 New Baroque Release

Corelli Bolognese
ARRESTI, BASSANI, CAZZATI, CORELLI, GABRIELLI, TORELLI, VITALI,
Musica Antiqua Latina/Giordano Antonelli

Telemann: Complete Suites & Concertos for Recorder
Erik Bosgraaf (recorder, direction), Ensemble Cordevento

Bach: Sonatas for Flute and harpsichord
Peter Holtslag (transverse flute), Ketil Haugsand (harpsichord)

Music at the Habsburg Court
Cappella Gabetta, Andreas Gabetta (violin)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07j3h1b

[Nick Armstrong]

I've only just got round to listening to last Saturday's programme. It's not often that I order a CD directly after hearing a sample, but I simply had to buy the new disc from Rolf Lislevand playing Corbetta and Robert de Visée - it sounds superb.

Me too! It does sound great.... but I agree that

This is seriously short measure. It seems to be an ECM problem .... You get some posy black and white photography, weird booklet notes (particularly so in this case) and not a lot of music. I blame Manfred Eicher.

The only reason I bought the disc is that ECM downloads aren't available in this country (I only ever buy downloads these days, as a rule) - so that strategy by ECM worked, didn't it ... Anyway, as usual these days when I'm forced to buy the CD version, it's in my various bits of digital kit now, for home/car/holiday listening - and the arty-fartily decorated CD is in a small pile of 'future Christmas / birthday' presents - I'm sure the right person will like it

[Richard Tarleton]

a small pile of 'future Christmas / birthday' presents - I'm sure the right person will like it

I remember David Owen Norris reviewing a rather concepty Maria João Pires album in a pretty box by saying "it would make a lovely pressie", thus summing it up perfectly.

Looking at some of Lislevand's other releases he does seem to come down on the side of concept albums and obscurity, the covers giving little away about the contents. Look at Scaramanzia, on Naive - no composers indicated on the cover, only track titles. The word apparently means "For luck" in Italian, which isn't giving much away.

[doversoul1]

9th July

10.30am New Releases on the Glossa Label

Brescianello: Concerti, Sinfonie & Ouverture
La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, David Plantier (violin), Vaclav Luks

Rolla: Duets for Violin and Viola
Isabelle Faust (violin), Thomas Riebl (viola)

Forqueray: Pieces de viole avec la basse continue
Paolo Pandolfo (viola da gamba), Guido Balestracci (viola da gamba), Rolf Lislevand (theorbo, Baroque guitar), Eduardo Eguez (theorbo, Guido Morini (harpsichord)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07jhpp7

Looking forward to hear this, as Brescianello and Rolla are new names to me.

[MickyD]

DS, you should invest in this delightful Brescianello CD, first released by Harmonia Mundi, but since re-issued at budget price by Glossa:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brescianello-Ouverture-Cetra-Barockorchester-Basel/dp/B01GO8EWXC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1468042156&sr=1-1&keywords=brescianello

[MickyD]

PS...I think the disc that I mentioned above is the one being featured by Andrew MacGregor this morning....

[doversoul1]

27th August

10.45
Andrew talks to Caroline Gill about recent reissues of recordings of Handel oratorios.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qbh13

Oh, those Oratorios…. Couldn’t we have Cantatas for a change, like this?

Handel: Cantatas and Sonatas
Ah, che pur tropo e vero, HWV 77
Care selve, aure grate, HWV 88
Dolce pur d'amor l'affano, HWV109b
Sonata in D minor for recorder and continuo, HWV367a, Op. 1 No. 9a 'Fitzwilliam III'
Oboe Sonata in f major, HWV 363a

Jorge Juan Morata (tenor) & Lixsania Fernandez (viola da gamba)
Recondita Armonia Ensemble

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Brilliant%2BClassics/95362BR

[MickyD]

I'm inclined to agree, but there is no doubt that this big box of Handel oratorios is quite a bargain and contains some great recordings.

[doversoul1]

I take back my words. I thoroughly enjoyed this review by Caroline Gill. I suppose, really, you have to say that Handel can’t go wrong.

Lots of interesting points as well as great music and performance.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I take back my words. I thoroughly enjoyed this review by Caroline Gill. I suppose, really, you have to say that Handel can’t go wrong.
Lots of interesting points as well as great music and performance.

- in every respect.

[doversoul1]

3 September

9.00am
Handel in Italy, Volume 2
Benjamin Bevan (baritone), Sophie Bevan (soprano), Mary Bevan (soprano), Benjamin Bevan (baritone), London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham (harpsichord & conductor)

10.40am
Hannah French on recent early music releases
Hannah French joins Andrew to discuss some recent Early music releases from harpsichordist Sophie Yates, recorder player Dan Laurin, and New York Polyphony. Plus the intriguingly titled 'Ice and Longboats*' from Ensemble Mare Balticum.

*Ice and Longboats: Ancient Music of Scandinavia: Ake, Jens Egevad, Ensemble Mare Balticum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07syffv

[doversoul1]

10 September

This looks very good

1145
'Serpent & Fire, Arias for Dido and Cleopatra', soprano Anna Prohaska's latest recording is with Giovanni Antonini's period instrument group Il Giardino Armonico, and features music by Purcell, Handel, Hasse and Cavalli, among others.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07tyr4h

Here’s a taster.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?composer=&work=%27Serpent+%26+Fire&performer=&medium=all&label=&cat=

[Sir Velo]

This has just arrived, and I've got it on the CD player. But - it's only 48 minutes of music. This is seriously short measure. It seems to be an ECM problem - just checked, my ECM CD of Pablo Márquez playing Luys de Narváez is 46 minutes. By comparison, William Carter's Corbetta disc on Linn is 73.30, his Santiago de Murcia disc is 60 minutes. Paul O'Dette's CDs on Harmonia Mundi invariably come in around the 70-80 minute mark, and he's better than any of them.

What has happened to Carter? I have all those Linn CDs and they're magnificent, particularly the Corbetta. Best played on a Blu Ray - or SACD player to really get the full effect of that finger plucking technique of his.

O'Dette better than Carter? If so, he must be some player! Any recommendations?

[Richard Tarleton]

What has happened to Carter? I have all those Linn CDs and they're magnificent, particularly the Corbetta. Best played on a Blu Ray - or SACD player to really get the full effect of that finger plucking technique of his.

O'Dette better than Carter? If so, he must be some player! Any recommendations?

Unfair of me, because Carter is primarily a baroque guitarist and O'Dette a lutenist, although these early pluckers all seem to be able to play anything, but I was seriously fed up at the time. Yes I haven't heard from Carter for a while - the last time was seeing him plucking soundlessly at his theorbo from the amphitheatre at the ROH's dismal Tamerlano in 2010, with a small band from the OAE. The production would have been better suited to the Holywell Music Room. I think I've spotted him on TV a couple of times.

He and O'Dette are not in competition, O'Dette notable for exploring the roads less travelled in the Renaissance lute repertoire - I'd recommend his CDs of Daniel Bacheler, Melchior Neusidler, JH Kapsberger
( ) as well as his recent My Favourite Dowland (all on harmonia mundi) and of course his complete Dowland which is one of the top 3 recommendations alongside North and Lindberg.... One teensy problem with O'Dette is that harmonia mundi mike him very closely and his stentorian breathing is enough to make you fear for his health.

And all on generously filled CDs. The closest to short measure in the Kapsberger at 69.27. I know we're not buying greengrocery here, but 46 minutes really is taking the p***.