Almost three hundred years ago, the legendary opera librettist Pietro Metastasio was inspired to write dramatic verse on the Olympic Games, the mother of all festivals. It's perfection was renowned, and more than 70 composers set it to music. One of the first of these was Antonio Vivaldi, whose Olimpiade was a great success at it's premiere on 17 February 1734 in Venice. Once again, the audience was witness to a brilliant comedy of errors, which was not only based on the ever-popular role reversal, but also brings into play the power of the oracle and the "sportsman's" competition for the hand of a beautiful woman. A happy ending is guaranteed, as was the case at the Innsbruck Festival 2023, thanks to the original production and, above all, the infectious music of the Prete Rosso Vivaldi.

With this album, we enter into the court of the Swedish Queen Christina (1626-1689), who distinguished herself with her passions for the arts and sciences, but also through her exceedingly extravagant court life. A few years before her spectacular abdication and return to Catholicism (1654), she had employed an Italian opera ensemble including the Roman singer Domenico Albrici and his 21-year-old son Vincenzo. The latter had already made a name for himself at home and, within a few years in Sweden, composed many excellent vocal works. Together with several instrumental pieces, these survive in the famous D�ben collection at Uppsala University. From around three dozen titles, Manfred Cordes has selected a beautifully melodious anthology, which has become an unmistakable hallmark of Weser Renaissance.

Franz Danzi has gone down in music history and into the repertoire of countless ensembles as a prolific and ingenious composer of appealing wind quintets. The fact that this genre represents only a fraction of his highly diverse catalogue of works is often overlooked, for Danzi was among those luminaries of the "transitional era" who did not satisfy the general preference for clich�s. Heir to the Mannheim tradition on the one hand, visionary of the dawning Romantic era on the other; admirer of Mozart and kindred spirit of Weber; obedient court musician and quiet rebel-this combination makes for some anachronistic surprises: how else could anyone have written these classical, delicate Rococo trios, while in Vienna a certain Beethoven was pushing the boundaries of what was possible? Danzi could, and how!

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Spohr: Complete Piano Trios

These selections were recorded in November 1995 and June 1996.

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American Record Guide raves "...These are state-of-the-art early-music performances, German style, with a good deal of technical polish and energy....The soloists are admirable, especially bass Klaus Mertens....Tenor Andreas Post has a light, reedy sound that is well suited to the idiom."

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As recent recordings on Teldec and Chandos have shown, Antonio Rosetti was a marvelous composer with a fresh, original classical style. Although he used the Italianized version of his name, he was Czech, which is practically a guarantee of superior musical quality, especially in the treatment of wind instruments. These three concertos, two for clarinet and one for two horns, offer eloquent testimony to his high powers of invention and consummate craftsmanship. Rosetti wrote on an expansive scale: all three works feature fully developed opening movements, and the slow movements of the clarinet concertos, both subtitled "Romanze", boast a lyric beauty worthy of Mozart. Toss a couple of folk-inspired rondo finales into the mix, and the result is thoroughly winning. The performers seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. Clarinetist Dieter Klöcker in particular deserves credit for reviving so much unknown wind music of the classical period. A friend of mine remarked recently that he was surprised at just how good the music of some of the "other" classical composers (i.e. not Haydn and Mozart) really is. He was right, and here's further proof.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Michael Schopper, who is known predominantly as a singer, performs here as a pianist.