Telemann - Voyageur Virtuose - Amaryllis

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Excellent Telemann

In recent years Telemann has begun to be recognised for the genuinely great composer that he was, and this disc will serve to further that recognition. It's a cracking collection of six of his Trio Sonatas featuring flute, oboe and cello and I find it a delight.

The music is excellent. It is Baroque chamber music at its best, full of melody, harmonic invention and beautifully varied moods. Telemann's prolific output has led a lot of people to assume that he wrote reams of pleasant but ultimately uninteresting wallpaper but that really isn't the case. These sonatas show his true skill and inventiveness so that while listening to this music it is easy to see why Bach admired Telemann so greatly.

The performances really bring out all the music's qualities. Charm and grace abound, but there is also real bounce and zing in the quicker movements and genuine feeling in the slower movements. Amaryllis are a new ensemble to me and they are terrific, showing an effortless virtuosity, an obvious joy in the music and a wonderful empathy between them. It is exemplary chamber playing and a joy to listen to, very well captured in the excellent recorded sound.

I don't mean to gush, but I really do love this disc. It is in the same league for me as the Purcell Quartet's superb recordings of Bach's Trio Sonatas, which is very high praise indeed. Very warmly recommended.

Bach - The Toccatas - Esfahani

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A fabulous recording

This is a very fine recording. Mahan Esfahani is a brilliant harpsichordist and he is at his best in this repertoire, I think.

I have never found Bach’s Keyboard Toccatas to be the most approachable of his works so it says much for this disc that I find Esfahani’s interpretations thoroughly enjoyable and engaging. He has the technique to sail through the pretty extreme demands of the music and the depth of understanding to bring out the meaning of these complex works. The sound of his harpsichord is thrillingly rich and beautifully captured by Hyperion.

In short, I think this is a fabulous recording which I can recommend wholeheartedly.

Ribera - Magnificats & Motets - De Profundis/Skinner

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Very good polyphony

I hadn’t heard of Ribera but if David Skinner thinks he is worth recording I reckoned he was worth hearing. I was right.

Ribera, one of Victoria’s teachers, wrote densely textured and very skilful music which is a pleasure to listen to and sometimes very beautiful indeed. Skinner, of course, produces a fine, scholarly account of these Magnificats and motets, which he directs with empathy and a fine attention to detail.

I do have a slight reservation, which is that the choir here is large (up to 24 voices) and for me the detail can sometimes become lost. For this sort of polyphony I prefer a smaller, more intimately sized choir which to me can reveal the spirituality and beauty rather better.

That said, this is still a fine performance of very good music, excellently recorded by Hyperion. Recommended.