Schoendorff - Complete Works - Cinquecento

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Another cracker from Cinquecento

This is another absolutely cracking disc from Cinquecento - their sixth, in each of which they have sought to record some of the less well-known works of the Renaissance repertoire. They continue to show here that there remains a huge untapped well of first-rate music from Renaissance Europe. Schoendorff was a musician in the Hapsburg court in Prague from about 1590 until his death roughly 30 years later. Of his work, only two mass settings, a Magnificat and two motets survive, all of which are recorded here. Schoendorff was a student and protégé of Philippe de Monte and the two mass settings here are based on motets by de Monte, both of which are also recorded here, and a de Monte Magnificat setting completes a very rewarding programme. It is all very fine music, beautifully sung.

Cinquecento are, as always, excellent. Countertenors take the top lines, making the pitch lower and the sound rich and resonant. They are technically superb with impeccable intonation, a lovely blend and a very direct engagement with the text, highlighted by having one voice to a part which to me brings a real personal immediacy to what they are singing. The acoustic is ideally resonant without blurring the parts and Hyperion's recorded sound captures it perfectly.

With excellent notes and very attractive presentation, this is an excellent disc all round and on a par with Cinquecento's superlative discs of Regnart, Vaet, Willaert and Richafort - some of my personal favourites. Very warmly recommended.

Dowland - The Art Of Melancholy - Davies/Dunford

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent disc

I agree with the chorus of praise this disc has received. There is an awful lot of Dowland on disc now and I think this stands with the best of it.

The selection of works is varied and imaginative, with plenty of the Greatest Hits here like Flow, My Tears and Semper Dowland, Semper Dolens, but a good smattering of less familiar works, making it a fine, varied programme of the melancholy and the lively with a good leaven of instrumental pieces among the songs.

The performances are excellent. Iestyn Davies is a very fine countertenor and he brings superb technique and control to these songs. He finds all the dolens in Dowland without ever slipping into sounding like a rather turgid dirge, which can happen in such recitals. Every song is invested with its own character and meaning, and it's exemplary singing, I think. Thomas Dunford's lute playing is just as good; he is delicate and subtle both as accompanist and soloist, and the overall effect is quite excellent.

I have a lot of Dowland, but this is among the best recordings I know. The recorded sound is, as always from Hyperion, excellent and the presentation attractive. This is an excellent disc all round, and I recommend it very warmly.

Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas - Pletnev

Rating: 3/5

Review:
Not my idea of Scarlatti

I'm not keen on these discs. I recognise that my lack of enthusiasm is a matter of personal taste, but I thought I'd write a review to let prospective purchasers know what to expect.

Pletnev is a magnificent pianist, his virtuosity is quite stunning here and I like hearing Scarlatti on the piano to complement my Scott Ross harpsichord set. However, I find Pletnev's interpretations hard to take. He plays these Baroque sonatas in a style more often associated with Schumann or Brahms, and that isn't what I want in Scarlatti. The grand Romantic gestures don't seem to me to go with Scarlatti's music. Much of the joy of Baroque music is its structure and texture and for me they are rather swept away by Pletnev's style, so that I find I'm hearing a lot of Pletnev and not quite enough Scarlatti.

I know that plenty of knowledgeable and thoughtful people like this recording very much. I don't mean to sneer at it or dismiss it; as I said, this is a matter of personal taste. I just thought that I'd let you know what to expect in case your personal taste coincides with mine.

Brumel - Missa De beata virgine - The Brabant Ensemble

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A fine disc from the Brabant Ensemble

This is a very fine disc of lovely music, beautifully sung.  It is good to see Brumel getting more exposure because these works are very rewarding, with an especially fine mass setting and I think  this is one of the Brabant Ensemble's best recordings for some time. I loved their early discs, especially of Phinot and Crecquillon but more recent discs seemed to have lost some of the depth both of sound and interpretation that made those earlier recordings so special. It is in more in evidence again here, I am delighted to say. The sound is resonant but crystal clear, and their engagement with the text is excellent, giving each phrase real meaning. It is good to see such a fine ensemble back to something like its best.

The recorded sound is excellent, as always from Hyperion, as is the presentation, with good, detailed notes. It's an excellent disc all round and warmly recommended.

Handel - Trio Sonatas Opp. 2 & 5 - AAM/Egarr

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A fabulous set

This is a fabulous set. Handel's chamber music is far less well known than his vocal and choral works or than his wonderful concerti grossi but it is delightful and of the highest quality. Packed with Handel's genius for melody and harmonic invention, it is among of the best of Baroque chamber music in my view, and these trio sonatas contain some of the best of it.

The performances here are terrific. I have had sets of Op.2 by Sonnerie and Op.5 by L'École d'Orphée for years. Both are excellent and I have loved them dearly, but this set is at least their equal and I may even prefer it. The individual musicians are all outstanding: Richard Egarr and Pavlo Beznosiuk both now have high and well-deserved international reputations, and Rodolfo Richter, Rachel Brown and Joseph Crouch are just as good here. There is an effortless virtuosity about the ensemble and they play with a wonderful poise and understanding both of the music and of each other, bringing out all the subtleties and moods of this varied music and it is simply a joy to listen to. The recorded sound is rich, intimate and beautifully balanced and the presentation and notes are very good.

I am sorry to sound gushing, but I really think this set is something very special. It has given me a huge amount of pleasure and I recommend it very warmly.

Beethoven - String Quartets Op.18 - Quatuor Mosaiques

  
Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent series

I think all three discs in this series of Quatuor Mosaiques recording of the Op.18 quartets are excellent, and I am glad to see them reissued and easily available.

These are Beethoven's earliest quartets and as such often don't attract as much attention as the Rasoumovsky Quartets or the towering masterpieces which are the Late Quartets, but they are very good indeed. Beethoven's String Quartets contain some of his very finest music, in my view, and his genius is well in evidence here. These are in many ways still in the tradition of Haydn and Mozart, but bear Beethoven's distinctive stamp; the fire and passion, for example, as well as lyrical beauty, the introduction of a scherzo rather than a minuet and trio in some quartets, and so on. These may be early works, but they have a maturity and depth of content which makes them far more than just juvenilia - and they are a joy to listen to, as well.

I already have excellent recordings of these quartets by the Alban Berg Quartet and the Takacs Quartet, but I think these may be my favourite. Quatuor Mosiaques are a period instrument ensemble who play with very limited vibrato and this, combined with the warmth of sound from their instruments gives the music a roundedness and inner glow which suits it very well. They are superb musicians, technically impeccable and with an understanding of both the music and each others' playing which makes these performances something very special, in my view.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three discs in this series. They are all superbly played and recorded and very nicely presented. They stand very well alongside the Mosaiques wonderful recordings of Haydn and Mozart, and I recommend them very warmly indeed.

Bach - Violin Concertos - Fischer et al

Rating 5/5

Review:
Excellent Bach

I think this disc genuinely deserves all the praise it has received. There are dozens of recordings of these works available, several of which are truly excellent, and this stands with the best of them, I think.

Bach's Violin Concertos are among his most popular works, and they deserve to be. They are full of melody and infectious rhythm, but are also masterpieces of composition with genuine depth and variety. From the quite stunningly sensuous slow movement of BWV1043 to the driving, toe-tapping finale of BWV1060 they are immensely enjoyable and hugely rewarding works.

Fischer and her colleagues do them proud. Tempi are very well-judged, so that Bach's vital pulse beats throughout. Slow movements never become stodgy and quicker movements dance along, often at a pretty brisk pace, allowing Bach's spirit to beam out. Technically, Fischer and her fellow soloists are excellent: the music sounds utterly natural even in the most difficult passages, they use restrained vibrato and rubato to shape phrases pretty well ideally, I think, and there is a genuine understanding between them. I was captivated by the whole thing.

Even if, Like me, you already have several recordings of these works I would recommend this. It is full of light and air and a deep understanding of Bach, brought out by excellent recorded sound. I confess that I was taken by surprise by how very good this is, and I recommend it very warmly.