Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Franz Schubert was described by his contemporaries as a thoughtful, sensitive and highly competent pianist, if not a virtuoso, like Mozart and Beethoven. The distinguished fortepianist, Trudelies Leonhardt, presents here a miscellany of shorter piano works, both sonata and dance movements, mainly from the years 1815-1818, along with the mysterious and beautiful Hungarian Melody, from 1824. She performs on an exactly contemporaneous fortepiano by Benignus Seidner, Vienna, c. 1815. Trudelies Leonhardt is a member of one of Europe's most famous musical families, she's a leading exponent of the fortepiano and has a wide international following.

Selection includes "Beyond the Notes" - Salmi bizarri: Cozzolani and the music of Milanese convents.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Performances by distinguished Australian Baroque violinist, Stanley Ritchie. Complete performances of Bach's three Sonatas and Three Partitas for solo violin, part of the violinist's core repertoire, presented by an expert in Bach performance. Performed on an original Baroque violin in it's original condition by Jacob Stainer, c. 1670, one of whose instruments was in Bach's own collection. Booklet text and essay by Stanley Ritchie presented in English, German, French and Italian.

These chamber duets bear witness to the close friendship between Agostino Steffani and Sophie Charlotte of Hanover. They became acquainted in the 1680s and remained in touch until 1703, by which time she was ‘queen in Prussia’. A talented individual, she sang, played the harpsichord and wrote poesia per musica. Steffani composed five duets for her and made a collection of twenty-six others that he intended to give her. As he revised them for presentation, he corresponded with her, and she sent him unbridled encouragement. Her admiration leaps from her letters, quoted in the liner note, and its effect is audible in the music it inspired.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was famous from an early age as a pianist, utilizing the sophisticated Viennese instruments that were developed from the 1770's by builders such as Anton Walter and Andreas Stein. On this companion album to MO0409, distinguished fortepianist, Trudelies Leonhardt, presents another programme of Mozart's solo sonatas from Salzburg, Mannheim and Vienna, as well as the Rondo in D major, K. 485 and the sublime Adagio in B minor, K. 540. Leonhardt performs ona fortepiano built by Paul McNulty, a replica of an instrument by Mozart's favorite maker, Anton Walter.

Classical Music

Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 form the final part of his monumental ClavierÜbung (Keyboard Practices) series and appeared in print in 1741. The work exploits the full technical and musical resources of the two-manual harpsichord and its player. Within the framework of its thirty elaborate variations on a 32-bar ground bass, the work presents a dazzling compendium of keyboard styles, from learned counterpoint through to the most audacious and modern abstract writing for an instrument with two independent keyboards. The present recording is one the final volumes of Peter Watchorn’s complete survey of Bach’s entire harpsichord output.

Classical Music

Musica Omnia presents the debut recording of Canadian vocal ensemble Capella Intima, under the direction of tenor and baroque guitarist Bud Roach, performing sacred canzonettas from the Oratory of San Filippo Neri in Chiavenna, attributed to Francesco Ratis (d. 1676), and published in Milan, 1657. This fascinating volume borrows freely from the most popular dances and melodies of the previous decades, applying sacred texts that align with the founder’s teachings, encouraging a personal relationship with the Divine. Clearly written with young people in mind, the texts are sensual in their images of spiritual ecstasy, and often tinged with humor in their varied descriptions of the sinner’s inevitable fate. This is the first complete recording of this little-known repertoire by Francesco Ratis, and it is performed here with original performance practice with Baroque guitar accompaniment.

What struck me immediately listening to these new Musica Omnia recordings of J.S. Bach's familiar sonatas for violin and harpsichord is how similar they sounded to one of my longstnding favorite cycles, the long-deleted Philips recording with Monica Huggett and Ton Koopman. Like Huggett and Koopman, violinist Emlyn Ngai and harpsichordist Peter Watchorn's performances share a similar swagger, panache, and emphasis on the dance. The differences between their tempo timings in most movements are also only within 10 and 20 seconds of one another (no one compares with Huggett's fleet bravura in the faster movements). The most remarkable similarity between the two cycles however, is the way they sound: both the violin and harpsichord are afforded a stunning equal sonic weight and presence. When the Philips cycle was first issued, this acoustic equality often was criticized as being too up-front and unrealistic. To my ears though, this balance made wonderfully refreshing musical sense.


Watchorn feels the same way, explaining in his copious notes that the successful performance of these pieces depends on this sonic relationship between the instruments. He posits that the harpsichordist's right hand often is the equal partner with the violin, while the left hand supplies the bass line usually provided by a cello or viola da gamba. He further explains how difficult this balance is to achieve in live performance (or recorded for that matter, regardless of how closely each instrument is miked), the key being how well the instruments are matched. Like Koopman, Watchorn has selected an ample harpsichord capable of this desired dynamic equilibrium. And also like the regrettably deleted Philips set, this Musica Omnia recording auspiciously succeeds on a sonic level that only a handful of currently available recordings do.

Unlike any other recording, Musica Omnia offers a free third CD titled "Bach as Kapellmeister". Here Watchorn discusses the circumstances in which Bach composed these sonatas, often supplementing his commentary with musical examples. I'm told that Musica Omnia plans to include a similar offering (called "Beyond the Notes") with every future release.


Bach's milestone oeuvre for violin and harpsichord has certainly had its share of wonderful recordings, and to choose an absolute favorite would be an unfair if not impossible expectation given the variety and diversity of interpretations. Of the currently available recordings, Kuijken/Leonhardt and Goebel/Hill, along with Manze/Egarr/Linden and Grumiaux/Jaccottet/Mermoud (who solve the left-hand bass line difficulty by simply adding a gamba) are unique cycles worthy of consideration. Add Ngai and Watchorn to the list, especially if instrumental perspective and sheer naturalness of sound is a priority. Highly recommended!
--John Greene, ClassicsToday.com