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[AnotherSpin]

Kirnberger Chorales and Other Organ Works, Vol. 2

Wolfgang Rübsam

[DavidW]

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Mehta, Israel Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Choir in Mann Auditorium.



I was quite impressed with the playing and the choral singing.  And for once my mind didn't wander off in the finale.  The recording is lacking the low bass of the best digital recordings in the best halls (Mann Auditorium is a known for being a dry hall), but is otherwise excellent. 

There's also a Mahler 6 with the same team that I have in the listening queue.

That is a desert island recording!!

[prémont]

Kirnberger Chorales and Other Organ Works, Vol. 1

Wolfgang Rübsam

Even if I don't always agree with Rübsam's often somewhat excentric interpretions on his Naxos Bach organ set, I always find listening to him interesting. His Bach on the piano series (also Naxos) even more so.

[steve ridgway]

Shit, I was hoping to sell you my CD.

I'm tempted  .

[prémont]

Is Bach alone enough?

No, but I listen to some Bach almost every day.

For many months now I've abstained from listening to Bach on the modern piano. Today, however, I returned for the sake of variety to Ivo Janssen, and I must say it was a most felicitous decision. Janssen remains impeccably self-effacing, never imposing himself upon the music with any flamboyant theatrics à la Sviatoslav Richter. Simply Bach, and the result is nothing short of pure musical bliss.

Well put.

[AnotherSpin]

No, but I listen to some Bach almost every day.

[..]

My ability to use English is quite limited, as has been demonstrated. What I meant to say was: is Bach alone enough when performing Bach - without embellishments or various liberties taken by the performer?

[AnotherSpin]

Even if I don't always agree with Rübsam's often somewhat excentric interpretions on his Naxos Bach organ set, I always find listening to him interesting. His Bach on the piano series (also Naxos) even more so.

I have yet to hear a Rübsam album that completely disappoints me. That said, if it never happens, I won't complain .

[prémont]

What I meant to say was: is Bach alone enough when performing Bach - without embellishments or various liberties taken by the performer?

That's a more difficult question. If the interpretation is too mechanical and strict, it may become tiring in the long run (e.g. Karl Richter). But on the other hand, too many excesses may become annoying (e.g. Glenn Gould). As so often in life, the middle road is the best way.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Romeo and Juliet Overture - The Nutcracker Suite.  Alfred Wallenstein · Virtuoso Symphony Of London.

[AnotherSpin]

That's a more difficult question. If the interpretation is too mechanical and strict, it may become tiring in the long run (e.g. Karl Richter). But on the other hand, too many excesses may become annoying (e.g. Glenn Gould). As so often in life, the middle road is the best way.

Most likely, that's the case. Literalism can be limiting, just as excessive flourish can lead one astray.

Haven't listened to Gould in quite a while, by the way. I'll wait a little longer, then give him another listen.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Pictures at an Exhibition, Yakov Kasman.

[Brian]

Spending my morning in Brazil with the piano music of Fernandez and Guarnieri.



(Qobuz uploaded the wrong cover art; the Guarnieri is a full 70-minute recital, not a single piece.)

[Harry]

Londoner's Taste.
Works by:
Babell: Concerto Op. 3, 1 for Recorder, 2 Violins,& Continuo: Sammartini: Concerto for Harpsichord, 2 Violins, & Continuo: Porpora: Sonata in F for Cello & Continuo: Boyce: Sonata XI in C major: Handel: Sonata in B-flat for Recorder & Continuo, Geminiani: Variations on a Subject of an English Tune for Violin, Cello, Continuo, Valentine: Concerto for Recorder, 2 Violins, Continuo.

Musica Alta Ripa.
Recorded: 1997 at Oranienburg von Schloss Nordkirchen.
Streaming: 44.1kHz/16 bit.
Label MDG. No PDF file attached.

This elegantly curated programme offers a window into the aural sensibilities of 18th-century London — a city whose musical life was shaped less by native invention than by its appetite for stylistic synthesis. It was, in a sense, a crucible of cultivated cosmopolitanism, where Italianate brilliance, French elegance, and English decorum converged under Georgian patronage.

Musica Alta Ripa presents this cultural tapestry with finesse, favouring subtlety over flamboyance. Their playing resists the temptation to dazzle, instead capturing the poise and civility that characterised much of London's private music-making. The ensemble's phrasing is refined and unhurried, drawing attention not to themselves, but to the music's intrinsic charm.

William Babell's Concerto Op. 3 No. 1, a true gem of the collection, sets the tone with rhetorical ingenuity and delicate invention. Though often remembered as an arranger of operatic arias, Babell here reveals a keen compositional voice, attuned to expressive nuance. Robert Valentine, an Englishman long resident in Rome, emerges as another key figure — his Recorder Concerto balancing Italian flair with understated lyricism, a fusion that speaks directly to London's taste for foreign polish tempered by native reserve.

Among the more familiar names, Sammartini's Harpsichord Concerto sparkles with textural interplay, while Geminiani's Variations on an English Tune showcase his gift for transmuting simple materials into virtuosic display. Handel, ever the dramatist even in chamber scale, contributes a Recorder Sonata of effortless grace, played here without ostentation — a welcome relief from the monumentalising tendencies that can sometimes distort his more intimate works.

The recording, dating from the late 1990s, bears the hallmarks of that period: a touch of digital brittleness in the upper registers, yet a pleasing spatial clarity. Schloss Nordkirchen lends its stately acoustic to the affair — resonant but not intrusive, a fitting sonic metaphor for the music's own balance between formality and expression.

A word must be said for the recorder itself. Often unjustly dismissed as a juvenile instrument, it proves here — in the hands of such sensitive players — to be capable of extraordinary grace. Particularly in the works by Babell, Handel, and Valentine, it becomes less a soloist than a voice among equals, threading in and out of the ensemble texture with speech-like elegance.

This is not repertoire to awaken the passions, but to engage the mind and charm the ear. It inhabits that genteel register where melody, order, and measured sentiment reign supreme — a reminder that not all beauty demands profundity, but that some is found precisely in balance, polish, and poise. In that, Londoner's Taste succeeds not merely as a collection of works, but as a quiet essay on musical refinement.

The cosmopolitan elegance of Georgian London

In the early 18th century, London emerged as a thriving centre of musical exchange, where composers from across Europe mingled with native talent to satisfy a growing appetite for refined entertainment. Handel was the towering figure, blending German craftsmanship with Italian lyricism, but many others contributed to the city's cosmopolitan sound.

William Babell, known for his operatic transcriptions, here reveals a gentler, more lyrical voice. Robert Valentine, an Englishman long based in Rome, offers a graceful fusion of Italian style and English restraint. Francesco Geminiani, a pupil of Corelli, brought expressive fire to English audiences while tactfully nodding to folk themes.

Even the more continental voices, such as Sammartini and Porpora, were warmly received in Georgian salons, their music reflecting London's hunger for polished brilliance. Native composers like Boyce lent the scene a note of stately balance, grounded in English tradition.

What emerges is not just a portrait of musical variety, but of an aesthetic ideal — tasteful, civilised, and quietly dazzling. Londoner's taste, indeed.

[SonicMan46]

Korngold, Erich - Piano Music w/ Martin Jones - 4 disc set listening on Spotify - all around excellent but probably not a purchase (streaming is fine).

Ives, Charles - Violin & Piano Sonatas w/ Jeremy Denk (born in Durham, NC) - great reviews attached; 2 discs come in a thin cardboard wallet, and will replace two CDs each in a jewel box.  Dave

   

[Harry]

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain –
Caprices Op. 18 Nos. 1–12 for Violin Solo
Gilles Colliard, Baroque Violin (cadenzas by Gilles Colliard)
World premiere recordings
Recorded in 2001 at Santa Eufemia de Cozollos, Palencia, Spain ·
Streaming: 44.1kHz/16-bit ·
Label: EMEC (no PDF booklet attached to this recording)

"Gilles Colliard is the first violinist to record this incredible collection of Guillemain's solo pieces. A remarkable discovery!"

Baroque violin solo works, if listened to too long in the wrong hands or the wrong acoustics, can sometimes fatigue the ear — but Guillemain's Caprices, in the hands of Gilles Colliard, are another matter entirely. From the opening bars, one senses this is not a dutiful exercise in historical repertoire, but a vivid adventure — both musical and emotional. Colliard does not merely play these works; he inhabits them, with expression so compelling and technique so dazzling that the listener is drawn into a sound world full of surprise and colour.

That this is the first recording of Guillemain's Opus 18 is astonishing in itself. These twelve solo caprices demand not only mastery of the instrument but also a kind of theatrical inventiveness — a flair for rhetorical phrasing, spontaneous gesture, and emotional nuance. These are not modest sketches but fully imagined character pieces, whose mercurial shifts and virtuosic demands recall the spirit of Locatelli, the daring of Paganini, and even foreshadow the unaccompanied experiments of later centuries.

It is no small feat to bring such pieces convincingly to life. The technical hurdles alone are formidable — double stops, rapid string crossings, daring leaps — but it is the musical sense Colliard brings to each phrase that elevates these readings. His cadenzas are tastefully judged, his articulations sharply etched but never harsh, and his tone — remarkably for a period violin — floats with an almost vocal fluidity. The violin seems suspended in mid-air, never forced, never shrill.

The recorded sound, though nominally CD quality, is of reference calibre. The acoustic of Santa Eufemia de Cozollos is a perfect match: warm, airy, and detailed, supporting the solo violin with just enough resonance to allow space without obscuring detail. It is, frankly, one of the most satisfying baroque violin recordings I've encountered in its class — free from the scratchiness or glare that often afflicts close-miked historical strings.

And then there is Guillemain himself. Long overshadowed by his more famous French contemporaries, he emerges here as a figure of wit, elegance, and fiery imagination. The Caprices are a gift to the violinist, yes — but more deeply, they are a gift to the listener willing to step into their world.

What a joy this recording is. What a privilege to hear it rendered with such commitment. And how fortunate we are — that Colliard has not only uncovered this neglected treasure, but revealed its riches with such generosity and brilliance. It is by far one of best recordings I have ever heard for Solo violin, interpretation and sound wise. A stunning experience.

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain and the French violinistic imagination

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (1705–1770) occupies a peculiar and fascinating place in the French Baroque. Trained in Italy and later a court musician under Louis XV, he brought a distinctly Italianate fire to the often more refined and restrained style of French chamber music. His compositions pulse with rhythmic vitality, sudden contrasts, and violinistic brilliance — qualities that were, at times, viewed with suspicion by his more conservative contemporaries.

The Caprices Op. 18, published in the final decade of his life, are among his boldest contributions. With no basso continuo and no partner in dialogue, these works stand as a rare French counterpart to the unaccompanied sonatas of Westhoff, Biber, and Bach. Yet they are not mere imitations. Guillemain's voice is personal and expressive, sometimes flamboyant, sometimes tender — and always inventive.

That these pieces remained unrecorded until Gilles Colliard's interpretation is both a mystery and a quiet tragedy. In a musical landscape still dominated by names like Leclair and Rameau, Guillemain reminds us that there was more than one path through the French Baroque. His was the path of risk, emotion, and colour — and at last, it has a worthy guide.

[JBS]

My ability to use English is quite limited, as has been demonstrated. What I meant to say was: is Bach alone enough when performing Bach - without embellishments or various liberties taken by the performer?

But Bach expected performers to embellish and take liberties. So perhaps "Bach alone" is not truly Bach.

And perhaps we need to approach the cantatas and passions separately, since they were performed under his own direction, and he would have more control/input on how singers would ornament the vocal lines. Did he ever expect the music he wrote for the Thomaskirche or the pre-Liepzig cantatas to be performed by others?

[JBS]

Korngold, Erich - Piano Music w/ Martin Jones - 4 disc set listening on Spotify - all around excellent but probably not a purchase (streaming is fine).

Ives, Charles - Violin & Piano Sonatas w/ Jeremy Denk (born in Durham, NC) - great reviews attached; 2 discs come in a thin cardboard wallet, and will replace two CDs each in a jewel box.  Dave

   

Martin Jones is a sort of one man factory, with all the complete sets he managed to record.

[SonicMan46]

Martin Jones is a sort of one man factory, with all the complete sets he managed to record.

OH YEA! I was going to precede his name with something like 'uber prolific' - 

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1899 Edition [Doblinger] Ed. Cyrill Hynais
Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands Opera, Ira Levine

[AnotherSpin]

But Bach expected performers to embellish and take liberties. So perhaps "Bach alone" is not truly Bach.

And perhaps we need to approach the cantatas and passions separately, since they were performed under his own direction, and he would have more control/input on how singers would ornament the vocal lines. Did he ever expect the music he wrote for the Thomaskirche or the pre-Liepzig cantatas to be performed by others?

I believe everything should be guided by measure, a sense of style and a respect for the original. At times, Bach is played as though he were simply a vehicle for the performer's self-expression.