Generally, when you think of baroque music you think Europe. Handel’s London, perhaps, JS Bach’s Leipzig, or Vivaldi’s Venice. For the composer Domenico Zipoli, his training as a missionary meant that he wound up further afield. Instead of hobnobbing at the courts of Europe, he lived and composed in Argentina at a time when getting to South America meant a difficult and lengthy journey. The music recorded on this disc was published as Sonate d’Intavolatura per Organo e Cimbalo, before Zipoli’s South American adventures began. Though still far from well known, the suites and partitas in the harpsichord half of the set are masterful enough to have impressed fellow composers. Writing centuries later, Vincent d’Indy referred to these works as proving Zipoli “one of the greatest Italian masters in musicality and elegance in composing”, and compared him favourably to Frescobaldi, Pachelbel and Bach. For the most part following the standard baroque dance suite form, Zipoli’s music is brought to life in this recording. Giovanni Nesi’s choice to record these works on the piano serves the music well, bringing a wonderful crispness and clarity to these works. Usually I’d quibble… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe…

This recording presents an unusual juxtaposition. On the one hand, we have the ubiquitous Four Seasons, but on the other, two world premiere concertos. The Four Seasons recording is certainly excellent, with effervescent performances from soloist and director Adrian Chandler. Also on the disc are two bassoon concerti (La Notte in B Flat and per Maestro de Morzin in G Minor), in both of which soloist Peter Whelan shines. However, most interesting on this disc is the presence of  a couple of first time recordings. These world premieres (Concerto in D, RV221 and Concerto in G, RV311) are for a strange hybrid instrument a bit like a tromba marina (a one-stringed, box-like instrument designed to imitate the sound of a trumpet). The violin in tromba marina, then, is designed to imitate the tromba marina in turn. Complicating matters, however, is the fact that there are a grand total of none in existence. Chandler details the research involved in recreating the violin in tromba marina, the resulting instrument having only three brass strings and a bridge that has a metal attachment to give a trumpet-like rasp. This bright-toned instrument proves… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe…

A handful of Limelight critics are spoiled for choice picking their favourite recordings.

Alina Ibragimova has previously tackled Bach’s solo violin Sonatas and Partitas with great success, and here she presents an equally superb recording of the Bach violin concerti. JS Bach’s violin concertos are oft-recorded, so new performances have to face down most of the 20th (and 21st) century’s greatest violinists – not an easy task! However, with sensitive accompaniment from ensemble Arcangelo and director Jonathan Cohen, Ibragimova brings a fresh and lively approach to these popular favourites. Only two of the works on this disc are officially labelled as “violin concertos”, the Concerto in A Minor, BWV1041, and the Concerto in E Major, BWV1042. In contrast, the Concerto in A Major, BWV1055, the Concerto in F Minor, BWV1056, and the Concerto in D Minor, BWV1052 all exist as harpsichord concerti, but due to various quirks, scholars have suggested that the pieces once existed in violin concerto format as well. Parts of the keyboard versions contain passages that seem oddly reminiscent of violinistic writing, complete with double-stops and convenient open strings. The theory is that Bach wrote a violin original, transcribed it for harpsichord (or other instruments), and at some point the… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a…

A much-loved part of the Australian music landscape, Guitar Trek’s newest recording is a wide-ranging set of pieces. With the tagline “gems from classical music and beyond” it’s easy to imagine a rather cynical combination of classical hits, but Guitar Trek have recorded a delightful programme with a solid mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. They’ve given us familiar names but with unfamiliar pieces (Rodrigo’s Four Pieces for Piano), as well as favourites that are always welcome (Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers). One of the problems with the guitar quartet is that four of the same instrument results in a limited texture and range. Guitar Trek’s point of difference, however, is that they, along with Australian luthier Graham Caldersmith, have created a guitar “family” – they use treble, baritone and bass instruments, in addition to the normal guitar. This expansion creates significant new opportunities for performance, of which they take great advantage on this CD. For example, part of the disc is devoted to South American music. One piece, Noite Serena (Serene Night) by Rufino Almeida, known as “Bau”, uses Guitar Trek’s classical bass as a substitute for the… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

Jacques-François Gallay was a French horn player prominent in the middle of the 19th century, inspiring one reviewer of the time to write that he “cannot conceive of the horn without M. Gallay”. Playing the natural horn takes an already complex and difficult instrument and ratchets up the difficulty several notches. Unlike the more modern, valved instrument, notes are changed by lip tension or by hand-stopping. With a minefield of intonation and projection issues to navigate, Anneke Scott performs this repertoire with astonishing ease. However, this third volume of Gallay’s music performed by Scott doesn’t quite live up to previous discs. This has nothing to do with the playing and more to do with the music itself. Operatic fantasias are not the most substantial of genres. While they were perfect for the travelling virtuoso to show off back in the day (opera’s big tunes, combined with lots of notes!), by the time it reaches the present the music has to stand on its own. There’s an attempt to get around this issue by having soprano Lucy Crowe perform some of the original arias by Donizetti and Mercadante. While… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

While the Bachs make a definite argument for musical talent running in families, CPE Bach’s music is very different from that of his father. In contrast to JS’s concentrated style, CPE’s music is full of sudden and unexpected harmonies, rapid shifts of register, and bursts of virtuosity. His writing is similar to that of the Romantics in its bar-by-bar freedom to allow a piece to develop in any direction. While you can theoretically categorise his manner as that of the style galant (essentially tuneful and straightforward), there’s a biting intelligence behind all of his music that’s absolutely irresistible. CPE Bach’s writings about music also give clues as to how they were performed, suggesting in his Essay on the True Manner of Playing Keyboard Instruments that it is vital that a musician “play with all one’s soul, and not like a well-trained bird”. Clearly having taken note of the composer’s advice, Bruno Procopio performs the six Württemberg Sonatas with verve. There’s a lot to enjoy in this set, with Procopio’s fleet-fingered touch doing much to highlight Bach’s unique compositional style. Particularly enjoyable are the exquisitely phrased slow movements of each… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe…

Well, in theory it’s a bad idea to judge a book (or a CD) by its cover, but in the case of Avi Avital’s new recording it works rather well. Set against a Venetian background, the typography of his name neatly reflects the letters in the name of Vivaldi and the two prove to be a fine match for each other. Here, Avital borrows liberally from Vivaldi’s concerti for other instruments. The mandolin’s tuning is identical to that of the violin, albeit with doubled pairs of strings, so it’s a fairly straightforward matter to transfer works across. Of the concertos, he plays the Concerto in A Minor, RV356, and the Concerto in G Minor, RV315, AKA Summer from The Four Seasons. You’d think that some of the hair-raising runs in these pieces, seemingly so effortless on the violin, would be awkward or ungainly on the mandolin, but if that’s the case Avital doesn’t show it. Particularly inspired is the inclusion of the Trio Sonata in C, RV82 (originally for violin and lute) with the combination of mandolin, lute, and basso continuo providing a charming atmosphere of convivial music making. There are some other inventive borrowings from other Vivaldi concerti, too….

Winsome Evans and the Renaissance Players have long since proved their dedication to early music in Australia, and in this release, the fifth in a series, they bring to life the music of medieval Spain. The Cantigas de Santa Maria is a collection of poems and music in praise of the Virgin Mary, thought to have been written by King Alfonso X during the 13th century. Therein lies the rub, though – how to accurately perform music so ancient? In the liner notes, Evans argues that Spain at the time took influence from Christian, Judaic, and Islamic beliefs, and as such musical performances would presumably be influenced by the same cultures. Therefore, on this recording there’s a kaleidoscopic range of instruments including Middle Eastern percussion such as the darabuka as well as shawms, the Turkish saz, and psalteries. The resulting arrangements are colourful and inventive, with soprano Mina Kanaridis singing particularly well on the hypnotic Poi-las Figuras. Some of the tracks are a little daunting, though. Beeyto Foi o Dia (Blessed and Fortunate), concerning the birth of Mary, is nearly 25 minutes long – rather a lot of medieval Galician. It’s a fine recording, and an even more impressive bit…

Although this is a debut recording by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists, the six players each boast impressive individual track records. As part of the SCO itself, they previously made a recording of wind concerti by Weber, which in turn inspired the creation of the ensemble on this disc. As the liner notes point out, throughout Mozart’s life, one constant was that he always wrote music for entertainment. Whether that music was designed to be played at parties or banquets, at evenings out or formal ceremonies, it’s abundantly clear that Mozart took all this good-natured music very seriously. The recording opens with the Serenade in E Flat, K375. There’s a well-known letter to his father in which Mozart describes his delight at discovering the musicians performing the work beneath his window as a surprise one evening. Similarly, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists present us as listeners with a pleasant surprise, as they (somewhat unusually) play the original version of this work for pairs of clarinets, horns and bassoons. Normally, the Serenade in E Flat features a pair of oboes as well, but clarinettists Maximiliano Martin and William Stafford produce some wonderfully shaded timbres, creating more than a strong…

★★★★☆ One of classical music’s dilemmas is the relatively small body of high-profile works that get recorded again and again. Thank goodness then for musicians like Josie Ryan and the Emerald City Viols. The repertoire on this CD for soprano and viol consort, is remarkably varied. It begins and ends with compositions by viol player and director Brooke Green, starting with settings of Dorothy Porter’s poetry, and passes through some surprising influences – Nick Cave is not the first name I expected to see referenced in the liner notes! Green utilises modern harmonies and rhythms, but not to the detriment of melody. There’s also a generous helping of more traditional repertoire from Gibbons, Morley, and Dowland, while sprinkled throughout are works by Elena Kats-Chernin and Ross Edwards. The Emerald City Viols give enthusiastic performances, especially excelling in the Renaissance pieces. Gibbons subtly melancholy settings are sung with great aplomb by Josie Ryan. Similarly, three Dowland songs (Flow my tears, In darkness let me dwell, and Can she excuse my wrongs) are performed in a… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

A new take on Strauss’ merry pranks lead to decidedly mixed bag. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in