The music on this disc offers a superb program sampling the recorded baroque and classical repertoire of Les Violons du Roy, ranging from well-loved gems by Vivaldi to a rarity by J.C.E. Bach to unique transcriptions of some of Bach's greatest music. Every selection is a brilliant musical jewel, played with panache and joy. A highlight of the collection is a brilliant, previously unreleased performance of Handel's Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 5 in D Major. The Artists " . . . they play with all the transparency, flexibility and sheer stylistic awareness of a period orchestra, with a stunning level of technical precision that should be a lesson both to those who listen to this repertoire and to those who play it." - Gramophone " . . . Splendid . . . These musicians have absorbed the lessons of the early music movement in terms of historically informed performance practices. Yet they play on modern instruments (though the string players do use period
With Gustav Mahler, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has a very special relationship. The composer conducted the orchestra no less than 12 times and found in Amsterdam an understanding audience. Mahler's Fourth Symphony was premiered in Amsterdam by the composer, who conducted it twice, once before and once after the interval, so that the audience could get to know the work better. With this release, Mariss Jansons and the Concertgebouw orchestra add an impressive new chapter to the RCO's recorded history of Mahler Symphonies.
