{"title":"Concerto Köln","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"handel-g-f-water-music-sinfonias-in-b-flat-major-hwv-3","title":"Handel, G.F.: Water Music \/ Sinfonias in B-Flat Major, Hwv 3","description":"Handel, G.F.: Water Music \/ Sinfonias in B-Flat Major, Hwv 3","brand":"Berlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012840902890,"sku":"782124161729","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1438007.jpg?v=1778382983"},{"product_id":"bach-mass-in-b-minor-4035719009101","title":"Bach: Mass in B Minor \/ Landshamer, Dijkstra, Concerto Köln","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor Bach, the Mass in B minor marked the culmination and also the end point of his life’s work as a composer. This \"great Catholic Mass,\" the only mass he composed, and in which he set to music the complete Ordinary of the Latin Mass, was his last great vocal work. The Mass, completed in 1748\/49, is a musical masterpiece in which the Baroque musical splendor is always to the fore, though reflective moments and intense, heartfelt chorales are also very important elements. The Latin Ordinarium constitutes the silk thread along which all these musical pearls are strung. Even after almost three hundred years, the music of Bach's Mass in B minor is still animated, fresh, and a true Baroque delight – whether heard live in concert or recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes this concert version of April 2016 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz so special that it should definitely be added to any audio collection? The fresh voices of the young but excellent vocal soloists: the regularly praised \"astonishing three-dimensionality\" and \"crystalline clarity\" of the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the direction of Peter Dijkstra and of course of the renowned period instrument ensemble Concerto Köln; and last but not least, the exciting live atmosphere of a concert event that delighted the audiences, and even managed to coax the word “magical” from Munich’s music critics – rare praise, but in this case, richly deserved!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDijkstra obtains remarkably sympathetic playing from the Concerto Köln. This engaging performance has plenty of vitality when needed, with the textures of the period instruments sounding clean and transparent. Up to its usual level of consistency, the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks gives a performance high on radiance and reverence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded at live performances in the renowned acoustic of the Herkulessaal, Munich, the BR Klassik sound engineers provide reasonably close sound that feels warmly atmospheric and seems to add to the sense of sacred awe. The clarity is pleasing and the balance between the soloists, chorus and orchestra is satisfyingly achieved. In the accompanying booklet, full texts of the Latin Mass with a German translation are provided.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDijkstra’s compelling live performance, full of insights and detail, can take its place alongside the finest recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--\u003cem\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BR Klassik","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013279043818,"sku":"4035719009101","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4035719009101.pt01.jpg?v=1778264028"},{"product_id":"bach-brandenburg-concertos-1","title":"Bach: Brandenburg Concertos","description":"Bach: Brandenburg Concertos","brand":"Berlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46015560581354,"sku":"885470005935","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2777537.jpg?v=1778187183"},{"product_id":"rigel-symphonies-concerto-cologne-206798","title":"Rigel: Symphonies \/ Concerto Cologne","description":"Although no stranger to repose the abiding impression left by this music is of flames licking at its heels. It looks back to late Mozart (40, 41) and forward to the wondrously gifted Méhul and beyond to Beethoven's Eroica and even Brahms and Berwald.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Rigel was born in Wertheim and studied in Germany with Jommelli and Richter. In 1767 he moved to Paris which he made his home. He was a well-loved figure in the French capital with symphonies, oratorios and concertos flowing in abundance. The French Revolution drew a number of politically suitable works from him. He was a leading teacher at the newly established Paris Conservatoire. The life story is nicely outlined by Benoît Dratwicki in the integral liner-note.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Rigel’s twenty-plus symphonies vied in Paris with those of Gossec and Leduc. The symphonies represented here range in duration from 10:03 to 15:33. The Fourth is full of enthralling detail. Rigel adopts the orchestral style familiar to us from early Beethoven and Mozart but there are many original touches. This is impetuous music - a child of the buffeting storm with gruff horns and a cauldron of classical conflict. The Seventh starts imperially emphatic. It is at times reminiscent of Beethoven's Seventh and the Great Ludwig’s bull-in-a-classical-china-shop manner. Even so this elbows-out approach is tempered by the kindly harpsichord continuo so noticeably absent from the Fourth. The Eighth is full of charming touches including seductive wind solos and surprisingly ear-tickling dynamic contrasts. Its central slow movement shows the mulch from which Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique grew. Number 14 has a startlingly inventive apple-pure pizzicato middle movement and a really Mozartean sense of peaceful repose. The gallant finale races along with chasseur horns. The Tenth Symphony combines dignity and exuberance which bridges the exhilaration of the Mozart K364 Sinfonia Concertante, the London Symphonies of Haydn and, in the finale, the Rossini overtures.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e These outstanding performances are resonantly recorded, delightful in their range of physical impact and rippling with life. I hope there will be Rigel sequels.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e - Rob Barnett,  \u003ci\u003eMusicWeb International \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Berlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026398302442,"sku":"782124164324","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1497027.jpg?v=1778289064"},{"product_id":"bach-magnificat-handel-dixit-dominus-dijkstra-concerto-80448","title":"Bach: Magnificat; Handel: Dixit Dominus \/ Dijkstra, Concerto Koln","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eHANDEL \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eDixit Dominus. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBACH\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Magnificat \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Peter Dijkstra (cond); Christina Landshamer (sop); Diana Haller (mez); Maarten Engeltjes (ct); Maximilian Schmitt (ten); Konstantin Wolf (bs); Bayerischen Rundfunks Ch; Concerto Köln (period instruments) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e BR 900504 (56:07 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eText and Translation) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eHandel composed his \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDixit Dominus\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e in 1707, the same year that Bach composed his first cantata, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eAus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e (BWV 131). Both men were 22 years old and presumably intent on announcing to the world that they were ready to take it on—which both emphatically were. It’s interesting to compare the two works, both harbingers of things to come. Bach’s cantata is appropriately serious and introspective, given its somber text (“Out of the depths…”), whereas Handel’s Psalm, mirroring its text, is rife with fireworks, vocal and choral. Like many another emerging artist he obviously set out to toss everything he knew into the project. There’s nothing wrong with fireworks, as long as they are as skillfully executed as they are here. Peter Dijkstra fans the flame in this high-energy realization. The \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eGloria Patri\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, which ends the work, is done at break-neck speed and then some. To call it exhilarating is perhaps an understatement. Yet it’s sung with remarkable precision and gusto by the Bavarian Radio Choir. And it’s not all flash; the duet in the penultimate movement is especially touching, with Christina Landshamer’s soprano soaring ethereally over Diana Haller’s lovely mezzo. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eBach’s Magnificat, originally in E?, dates from 1723 but was later revised and transposed to D, probably some time between 1728 and 1731. Both Bach and Handel, in their early-40s, were at the height of their powers then. Bach was settling in at Leipzig. Handel, in London, was producing Italian operas for his English audiences: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eOttone, Giulio Cesare, Rodelinda, Tolomeo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e. If anything, Bach’s Magnificat, with its high trumpets and kettle drums, is even more magnificent that Handel’s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDixit Dominus\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e. Again maestro Dijkstra draws a vital performance from his talented forces. The choir, 33 strong by my count, is splendid throughout, as is their instrumental counterpart, Concerto Köln. The well-matched solo quintet, named above, is as near to flawless as one could reasonably expect: not a moment of weakness in either work. Overall, this is a deeply satisfying release. Competition for the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDixit Dominus\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e is relatively sparse. Dijkstra’s would be hard to beat. There are many fine Magnificats out there. I’m currently carrying Richard Hickox’s version (Chandos) on my MP3 player. I may have to rethink that. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: George Chien \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"BR Klassik","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027472961770,"sku":"4035719005042","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1806081-2707201_7a3bc6ba-d4ab-4d93-9e72-9f0fe1b00fc0.jpg?v=1778312943"}],"url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/concerto-koln.oembed","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}