This album explores rarely recorded music by John Jenkins (1592-1678) and Matthew Locke (1621/2-1677). These composers are typically associated with consort music, but Lidewij van der Voort (baroque violin) and Fred Jacobs (theorbo) delve into their compositions for two instruments on their debut CD as a duo.

With a bang, the French Revolution changes the face of Europe. The years around 1800 are also for the Netherlands a time full of conflicts, social changes and political upheavals. Camerata Trajectina makes the complexity of this history tangible. Language, politics, culture; music runs right through everything. A song is explosive material: it incites the crowd, it ridicules your opponent, it proclaims the truth of every party. Where music and text come together, the blood flows faster.

Classical Music

The work of the Rotterdam-born Pieter Hellendaal (1721 - 1799) has so far not been widely played or recorded. Antoinette Lohmann and Furor Musicus, always on the lookout for rare (but first rate!) repertoire, have now recorded a complete album of violin sonatas by Hellendaal, boasting as many as seven world premiere recordings, including a rousing Hornpipe. Furor Musicus was founded by Antoinette Lohmann in 2008. The group has released several recordings that have been critically acclaimed. The performers wish to guard against going with the flow of traditions that have developed over the past decades within the historically informed performance movement. There is still so much fantastic repertoire that has been unjustly neglected and never performed, and they view it as an important challenge to immerse themselves in previously unheard repertoire and to avoid being influenced by other performances. The organ used in this recording was built around 1700 by Peter Weidtman the Elder. It resides in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Here, the instrument has been restored as much as possible to its original state.

Classical Music

Classical Music

GESUALDO Madrigals, Book 4 • Kassiopeia Qnt • GLOBE 5224 (45:01 Text and Translation)


The first disc in this traversal of Gesualdo’s six books of madrigals arrived a couple of years ago (29:3). Wondering about the latest record number (the first book was numbered 5221), I found that the intervening numbers containing the second and third books of madrigals have already been issued, but not submitted for review. Apart from the old complete set of Gesualdo’s madrigals (still available), Book 4 has been recorded by Francesco Cera on Tactus and La Venexiana (24: 3). Cera seems to share the short playing time of the new disc, while La Venexiana adds three bonus madrigals from the second and fifth books and the Canzon francese to fill out the disc. Kassiopeia’s Book 1 was up against the more economical layout of Harry van der Kamp’s first three books of madrigals on a pair of discs, similar performances by two Dutch ensembles. Kassiopeia continues to give a fine account of the madrigals, singing at normal pitch, a third higher than La Venexiana’s transposed rendering and considerably faster in every madrigal without exception; the overall difference is eight minutes. The more relaxed tempos allow La Venexiana to bring out the affect of the chromaticisms. La Venexiana also uses lutes and a harpsichord, while Kassiopeia uses only voices. Since the field is not crowded, there is room for Kassiopeia’s intelligent traversal of this collection.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber

Includes work(s) by Andrea Gabrieli. Ensembles: Netherlands Chamber Choir, Huelgas Ensemble. Conductor: Paul Van Nevel.

Igor Stravinsky once said, "The only fitting comment on a piece of music is another piece of music," and this thought has also fascinated Brisk for many years. Through the ages, compositions have been arranged for different instruments, embellished, or used as a source of inspiration to write entirely new pieces. Putting early music in new settings is an essential part of Brisk's identity. The quartet has made many transcriptions and arrangements of both vocal and instrumental compositions, and often writes it's own elaborate diminutions for existing pieces. Modern composers have been invited by Brisk to write a musical comment on a certain style or composition. All these things can be heard on this album with music from Spain and Portugal. The music reflects many different stylistic periods, from the end of the 15th century until today, and illustrates the influence of the different cultures which left their traces in Spain and Portugal. Hymns and chansons of the 16th century are combined with songs of a later date together with 21st century pieces inspired by fado and Sephardic songs.

Classical Music

When people are affected by a disaster, they often seek comfort. There is a long tradition of disaster songs: by singing together people sought support from each other. Lotte Jensen (Professor of Dutch Cultural and Literary History at Radboud University in Nijmegen) investigates the emotional impact of disasters and the creation of a national identity in the Netherlands and came across songs about fires, floods, drought and insect plagues. Camerata Trajectina brings this tradition of the Dutch disaster song to life. About the plague and corona, about the St. Elizabeth's Flood in 1421 and the Flood of 1953: singing about disasters is timeless. Camerata Trajectina has made a fascinating overview, from devotional lyrics to psalm melodies but also cabaret-like songs from the 1920s. An expressive melodrama by Hendrik Badings and mesmerizing chorales from the Evangelische Liedbundel from 1806. The functions of these lyrics are diverse; to evoke awareness of sin or as a news outlet, for youth education or for fundraising. This album shows how people in the Netherlands dealt with major disasters and what a comforting and connecting role music played in this.

The invention of the cornet around 1828 was made possible by development of the valve for brass instruments. The cornet's ensuing popularity was partly due to the creation of many brass bands during the 19th century as a result of the newfound leisure time and increased wages of the lower classes. Consequently there also was a demand for music specifically composed for the instrument. The repertoire on this album is representative of the various musical styles which became popular for the cornet during the 19th century. This album contains a mix of familiar and rarely performed works for cornet and piano, including an incredibly moving arrangement of Reynaldo Hahn's popular A Chloris. Vaughan Schlepp here plays a beautiful Erard grand piano from 1845, signed by the famous 19th century virtuoso Sigismund Thalberg.

Each new album by Antoinette Lohmann and her ensemble Furor Musicus charts unknown territories, and this one, with repertoire by the German composer Johann Fischer (1646-1716/17) is no exception. Intrigued by the 17th century distinction between educated violinists and self-taught fiddlers, Antoinette has once again found a composer who provides music in both styles. For the occasion even an alternative ensemble Furor Agraricus was formed, employing such rustic instruments as Bumbass and clogfiddle. Antoinette Lohmann (Amsterdam, 1969) studied the violin, the viola and the baroque violin at the Amsterdam Conservatory. Antoinette has always been active in varied musical areas and her experience includes Argentinian tango, salon music, folk music and contemporary music. As a freelance player, she has performed and recorded with many orchestras and ensembles over the years. Currently her repertoire stretches from the early seventeenth century to the 21st century, but always on period instruments. She has a special interest in unusual instruments such as the viola d' amore, the tenor violin and the viola pomposa and exploring their repertoire.

This release of the Britten Cello Suites follows Quirine Viersen’s successful album of the Bach Suites. The album is a tribute to the artist’s good friend and producer Paul Janse, who passed away two years ago. Dutch cellist Quirine Viersen is one of the leading musical personalities of her generation. Her intense and virtuosic playing has convinced the public, the press, and her colleagues of her special musicality. She has shown broad insight in classical music literature with her concerto and recital performances as well as her festival participation. Viersen has been awarded numerous prizes at international competitions, the most important being the Young Artist Award in 2000 which was presented to her by the Credit Suisse Groupe. Viersen plays a 1715 Joseph Guarnerius Filius Andreae, provided by the Dutch National Instrument Fund.

Four musicians, sharing their musical worlds as equals: that is an intimate and refined art which requires a huge commitment and deep mutual trust. Four in One stands for four individuals who form a close creative unity while keeping their own identities. That is why Four in One is the perfect motto for the 35th anniversary of the BRISK Recorder Quartet Amsterdam. Canons from Dufay and Obrecht to Brahms, Skryabin, and Zuidam constitute the common thread on this album. Moreover, Four in One is a showcase of BRISK’s rich repertoire, with early music, new work written for the quartet, and arrangements of Romantic music.