New Releases

[Mandryka]

A couple of c16 Italian harpsichords beautifully restored and well recorded, Waldner plays the usual suspects - Andrea Antico, Giovanni Picchi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Marco Antonio Cavazzoni etc etc. A lovely rendition of Peter Philips's Amarilli Mia Bella was a high point, and Andrea Gabrielli's passe mezzo cappricio. Waldner is a musician who leans towards restraint  - he doesn't overegg the pudding with expressive embellishments nor does he try to thrill you with rapid virtuoso playing. It's inevitable that a recording like this will bring to mind Gôtz, Tagliavini, Alessandrini, Hakkinen playing similar stuff. Where Waldner has a trump card is in the quality of the instruments and the quality of the sound.

Apart from a transparency they have in common, the harpsichord and virginals otherwise differ completely in sound. The virginals are characterised by an earthy timbre, rich in fundamentals, manifested by the frequent nomenclature «arpicordo» in Italy. In comparison, at first hearing the harpsichord sounds much more monosyllabic. Yet sharply attuned ears will discover a mysteriously colourful world in the intimate tones of this instrument with its single 8 foot register.

[Mandryka]

Released at the end of last year but I missed it completely. I thought Hilliard Ensemble had disbanded ages ago. I found it on Qobuz.

[Todd]

Amazon Germany no longer has a future releases menu option.  Maybe later this year it will come back.

[Mandryka]

[amw]

Very good, for the record.

[Mandryka]

Pierre Gallon plays keyboard, one lute piece played by Diego Salamanca (who he?), this is a recording of c17 pieces in hommage to Blancrocher. Very agreeable I think, and the fact that the CD includes some  music by Dufaut and Denis Gaultier on a harpsichord makes it stand out from a crowded field of Louis Couperin and Froberger recordings. The lute piece, an allemande by Blancrocher himself,  is a high point too.

Very good studio engineered sound.

For this recording I wanted to use a combination of two very different instruments. The first was an Italian-style harpsichord made by Philippe Humeau. Indeed, the Italian style was well-represented in Paris in the second third of the 17th century - there were instruments made by Zenti, Giusti, Faby, Boni, etc. So it is hard to believe that Froberger,
as a connoisseur (he was a pupil of the eminent Girolamo Frescobaldi in Rome), would not have been tempted to play these instruments during his stays in Paris. The other was a harpsichord freely designed in the style of Vincent Tibaut, a late 17th century Toulouse harpsichord-maker, made by Émile Jobin, which shows all the richness and invention of the French style of this period. This latter harpsichord is still very polyphonic for a French instrument and I felt it would be the best one to use for the lute repertoire.

[Brian]

Very good, for the record.

Glad to hear it and excited for it. I've enjoyed everything Kotaro Fukuma has recorded.

[Symphonic Addict]

I've seen this composer being mentioned elsewhere. I should check his music some day.

[Symphonic Addict]

This drew my attention because of the colourful cover art:

[amw]

Glad to hear it and excited for it. I've enjoyed everything Kotaro Fukuma has recorded.

My mom didn't like it, she finds his tone too hard and loud. On the other hand I still haven't figured out who she does like apart from Schnabel.

[JBS]

This came across my transom. Apparently available only as a download
https://www.warnerclassics.com/release/beethoven-complete-kreisler

[Alek Hidell]

This came across my transom. Apparently available only as a download
https://www.warnerclassics.com/release/beethoven-complete-kreisler

Sounds like a comedy duo: Fritz 'n' Franz. One hopes the performances aren't unintentionally comical.

[Florestan]

Sounds like a comedy duo: Fritz 'n' Franz. One hopes the performances aren't unintentionally comical.

One of the best performances ever. Desert island stuff.

[San Antone]

New Graindelavoix on Glossa

[Symphonic Addict]

In June:

[aukhawk]

"The Orchestra Now" ? - sounds like a scratch band from year 2 of the Academy.

[Mandryka]

As the musicology of the 20th century found, some of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositional structures clearly show that they are based on transcriptions.

NeoBarock now makes these findings audible and lays the reconstructions of the presumed versions of the famous double concerto for two violins (BWV 1043), the violin sonata in A major (BWV 1015) and the two viola sonatas in D major and G minor (BWV 1028 and 1029).

A groundbreaking new discovery in Bach's chamber music oeuvre in the innovative interpretations of NeoBarock.

[Mandryka]

Sweet warm harpsichord, lyrical playing, on the basis of the first couple of tracks this is pleasant background music. I think if I were interested in C18 and c19 music (Verdi liked Marcello) I'd listen to this.

[Mandryka]

From the first couple of tracks, this is contrapuntally and harmonically not totally without interest, and they seem to be rather committed performances. I shall listen to this.

[Mandryka]