Great Baroque Recordings, but....

[Bogey]

An above average Baroque recording in every way, and the only CD on the Regis label I own (I'd like to get more). The Bassoon here is front and center, without being buried by other instruments or regulated to a supporting role as is usually the case.

Funny that you mentioned this as I noticed the same thing when I sampled this disc earlier this evening.

[Que]

....only by composers with a name that the common listener would not recognize of have heard of.  In short, I want to add some cds to shelf this year with less than common names that gave us great baroque music, but for the most part, have been put on the "obscurity shelf".  HIP preferred, but any great recordings welcomed.

Bill, my apologies for my late arrival.

First, for the newer members, let me point out the threads to discuss recordings of Baroque music outside the downthreaded paths of Bach, Händel and Vivaldi. My recommendations of individual recordings are to be found on those threads.

French Baroque Music

German Baroque Music - beyond J.S. Bach (and Händel)

Italian Baroque Music - beyond Vivaldi

Practically anything from the French Baroque can be considered "obscure", taking into accounting the little interest it attracts in general. But besides the stalemates of F. Couperin, J.Ph. Rameau, J.B. Lully and M.A. Charpentier I would look into: Marin Marais, Henri Desmarest - the king of the French motets, father & son Sainte Colombe, Jean Féry Rebel, Gaspard Le Roux and Jean-Marie Leclair. I left out typical harpsichord-composers - lots of more goodies there.

In German Baroque, besides Biber and Zelenka, a resounding seconding of the previous rec. of Johann Paul von Westhoff and Johann Gottfried Walther, also Johann Georg Pisendel and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer.

For the Italians I should mention Antonio Caldara, Giovanni Battista Bononcini, Leonardo Leo, and Francesco Durante.

record labels that excel in seeking out sterling obscure Baroque Music: cpo, Zig Zag Territoires and Alpha Records.

Q

[Marc]

Neat to see an organ cd listed.  These usually get buried or forgotten from the get go unless the first two initials are J. S. 

Thanks for your kind words.

Ironically, I myself must be a GMG member who has been terrorizing this board for almost a year now with mainly .... J.S. organ talk.
But I find it interesting to listen to composers who were his predecessors.

[Clever Hans]

http://www.amazon.com/Zelenka-Patris-Brutscher-Schwarz-Bernius/dp/B00005N6MO

[kishnevi]

I get them from Amazon.com. Just copy image location after you've found the recording your looking for, and post it between the Insert Image on this board.

By the way Bogey, this Tartini recording from an obscure label called Zig Zag Territories on kishnevi's list is also outstanding. It has some of his solo Violin Sonatas (not the "Devil's Trill") played by Chiara Banchini interspersed with arias sung beautifully by Patrizia Bovi. An Italian import on every level, mine came in a handsome fully enclosed box with a rather large booklet, even though this is only one CD priced below $20!

Grazie! Merci! Danke! Spasebo!  Well, you get the idea

I have three or four CDs from ZigZag--music by Liszt (HIP), Mozart and another Marais CD I forgot about last night.   Apparently they are distributed by Harmonia Mundi .  The major difference in packaging from the Tartini CD is that the others don't have a book; otherwise the quality level is the same.  They're actually French,not Italian.
The Marais CD (to focus on the one germane to this thread) is performed by Ensemble Spirale, led by Marianne Muller, and features Marais' entry into the battle of the Follia variations (32 of them, in his case), a suite in E minor, and a twelve minute piece called "Le Labyrinthe".

Now let's see if I can work this CD image thing

[listener]

....only by composers with a name that the common listener would not recognize of have heard of.

     Think outside the Bachs.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Buy this CD by Gerre Hancock, a phenomenal organist, formerly at St. Thomas Church in NY City. There is some Bach et al. on here, but also a piece by the French composer Nicholas de Grigny called Veni Creator. It is a very beautiful and interesting piece (by itself worth the cost of the CD IMO), and the sound quality of this CD is superb.




http://www.amazon.com/Fanfare-Johann-Sebastian-Bach/dp/B000003J8G/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1264407016&sr=1-5

[Bogey]

http://www.amazon.com/Zelenka-Patris-Brutscher-Schwarz-Bernius/dp/B00005N6MO

Enjoyed the samples, but $45 was a bit steep.

[Bogey]

Really enjoyed this one too.  However, also too steep at $213

[Bogey]

Snapped up these three from Dave, Bunny, and AM's posts.  Many thanks!



More to come.

[Bunny]

Here are a few more recordings:

Heinrich Schütz: Die Sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz (available also with a different cover) - by Rudolph Mauersberger; Dresdner Kreuzchor, et al.

Dietrich Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri - by Konrad Junghänel and the Cantus Cölln

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater - by Barbara Bonney; Andreas Scholl; Christophe Rousset: Les Talens Lyrique

Couperin: Leçons de Tenebraes - Christophe Rousset: Les Talens Lyriques; Veronique Gens; Sandrine Piau

 
 

[Bogey]

Tartini: Sonate a violino solo/Aria del Tasso, Chiara Banchini, violin, Patrizia Bovi, soprano, on Zig Zag Territories, which has vocal music mixed in with violin sonatas, and goes beyond the usual Tartini territory.

Twice our paths have crossed in as many days, kishnevi.  Just ordered.   

[Opus106]

Italian Violin Sonatas
[Veracini, Locatelli, Mascitti, Geminiani, Tartini]
Europa Galante/ Fabio Biondi
Virgin

One of my favourites. Some of the most energetic spirited performances of Baroque music I've heard.

[Scarpia]

Couperin: Leçons de Tenebraes - Christophe Rousset: Les Talens Lyriques; Veronique Gens; Sandrine Piau

That one is "da bomb" as we say down in the 'hood.

[RJR]

I heartily recommend the works of Alka-Seltzer. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is: brings you back from upset stomach, acid indigestion and headache.

[Bulldog]

Enjoyed the samples, but $45 was a bit steep.

That price is nuts.  ArkivMusic has it for $19.

[The new erato]

Carus discs can regularly be had on offer in he UK at about £ 9, around $ 15. I think there are ongoing offers at some of the usual suspects now.

Is the market so inefficient that somebody actually gets awat charging over $ 40 for a current, easily available disc?

[Brian]

Carus discs can regularly be had on offer in he UK at about £ 9, around $ 15. I think there are ongoing offers at some of the usual suspects now.

Is the market so inefficient that somebody actually gets awat charging over $ 40 for a current, easily available disc?

Last Christmas my mom bought me a single CD for $55 off Amazon USA when, if she'd searched any other website, she'd see that they all (even Amazon Europe) had it for under $20. The CD was so good she decided to buy her own copy, so I found her a site with a new copy for $11. But she had gotten an Amazon gift card and wanted to use it, so ... she got another $55 copy.

BTW the CD was Jordi Savall's "Istanbul," currently being discussed in the "Purchases" thread.

[Bulldog]

Carus discs can regularly be had on offer in he UK at about £ 9, around $ 15. I think there are ongoing offers at some of the usual suspects now.

Is the market so inefficient that somebody actually gets awat charging over $ 40 for a current, easily available disc?

I don't think it's a matter of market forces as much as the hope on the part of scumbags that there are many suckers out there.

[The new erato]

I don't think it's a matter of market forces as much as the hope on the part of scumbags that there are many suckers out there.

You just called Brian's mother a sucker!