Jacques Paisible (c. 1656-1721) seems to have had a real influence on musical life in London, even though his name is long forgotten. He spent about 40 years in the city and was a prolific composer of music for the theater. His main reputation as a performer was as a recorder virtuoso, and he published many works for the instrument in various combinations, including the Six Setts of Aires for two Flutes and a Bass performed here. Published in 1720, they provide good evidence for Paisible's talents both as a player and composer, which turns out to be craftsmanlike and idiomatic, with no virtuoso pretensions.

The English term "Sett" is analogous to the French "Suite", a form that included various traditional dance movements, and Paisible enhanced his minuets, sarabandes, and gavottes with an occasional rigadoon, march, or "Scotch Aire", spicing his lyrical melodic lines with an appealing sensuality. This music must have been perfect for theater intervals: it would offend no one, nor would it be too memorable to distract from the next scene.

The five members of Musica Barocca (recorders, viola da gamba, theorbo, harpsichord) all contribute excellent work here, making the most out of Paisible's pleasing melodies and sturdy, serviceable bass lines. The sound is ideal for these instruments--clear, warm, and detailed, with no dryness or harshness.

--David Preiser, ClassicsToday.com

Kuhlau, as a successful pianist and teacher, wrote a quantity of music for the piano, although his second piano concerto was destroyed in the fire of 1831. These compositions included salon music and pieces of varied technical difficulty that were of practical use in teaching. In addition to his stage works, which enjoyed variable success, he left songs and chamber music, with a particular emphasis on compositions for the flute, an instrument that it seems that he did not play himself, profiting, however, from the technical advice of a flautist in the theatre orchestra. His first attempts at writing for the flute had been in Hamburg, but it was in the 1820s that he embarked on a series of works, including the three Sonatas for flute and piano, Opus 83, published in Bonn in 1827, that earned for him the title of 'the Beethoven of the flute'. The Sonata in G major, Opus 83, No.1, touches on G minor almost at once and continues in a form that suggests the classical inheritance that he enjoyed, as a near contemporary of Weber, from the world of Mozart and of Beethoven. The minor-key slow movement brings variations on a Swedish song, Sorgens magt (Sorrow's Might), although melancholy is dissipated in passing, before the final return of the theme. The sonata ends with a movement in which flute and piano set out to match each other in brilliance, their course interrupted by a passage marked Andante sostenuto, brought to an end by a piano cadenza. The second of the set, the Sonata in C major, Opus 83, No.2, has further suggestions of Beethoven. The first movement has a dramatic slow introduction in C minor, before the piano launches into a C major Allegro, soon to be joined by the flute, in thematic material foreshadowed in the introduction. The E major Larghetto starts with the singing tone of the piano, soon joined by the flute. The last movement opens with a principal theme that, as so often, touches briefly on the minor, a rondo that offers both instruments a chance of display in a movement that brings episodes of distinct contrast. The set ends with the Sonata in G minor, Opus 83, No.3. It is introduced by the piano, soon joined by the flute, in a movement that has the element of drama suggested by the choice of key. The hymn-like lyricism of the slow movement is varied as the movement proceeds, before the initial serenity is restored. The sonata ends with a Rondo alla polacca, in which an opportunity is again offered for concluding brilliance in the writing for both instruments.

Regondi's guitar compositions reflect not only his gentle nature but also the high romanticism of his period. The discovery by Matanya Ophee of 10 Etudes, previously thought to be lost, compelled a revaluation of Regondi's contribution. The two Airs Vari�s, Op.22, and Op.23, can only reinforce the new respect that ensued. Each begins with a slow introduction, followed by an Andante theme, slightly operatic in character, after which come a number of variations (four in Op.22, five in Op.23) that show off the resources of the instrument: brilliant passages of demisemiquavers (32nd notes), a minor-key tremolo, consecutive ninths and triplets.

Lorenzo Ferrero's La Nueva España (The New Spain), a cycle of Six Symphonic Poems depicting Spain's conquest of Mexico in 1521 and the subsequent destruction of the Aztec civilization (including the slaughter of 20,000 people), was composed between 1991 and 1999. Not really a "21st Century Classic", it's still a decidedly 20th century work--an "anti-Ma Vlast" that turns Smetana's heroic concept on its head. Musically, the work owes much to the cinematic style that informs a good bit of today's concert music: it tells its tragic tale in the suggestively visual and dramatic manner of film scores.


Ferrero makes less use of ethnic sounds than you might expect; although the first poem, Presagios, opens with some Latin percussion, for the most part the musical language could be best characterized as "neo-romantic". The composer occasionally employs minimalist techniques, as in the third poem, La Ruta de Cortés, which is a sort of passacaglia that starts out sounding like Phillip Glass but ends up more like Mussorgsky. Ferrero's music is at times serene, at others fierce, but it always manages to captivate by its clean-lined beauty. Thus, La Nueva España won't impress the Sessions/Babbit/Carter crowd, but most everyone else will find himself intrigued, stimulated, and satisfied. Takuo Yuasa has his finger right on the pulse of this music, and he leads the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in a powerful performance, well captured by the Naxos engineers. At this price (and for more than 71 minutes of music), what better way to try something new?
--Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com

HANDEL: Nabal

Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 5

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RODRIGO: Per la flor del lliri blau / A la busca del mas all

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BAROQUE VIOLIN FAVOURITES

The German musician Ludwig Sphor was born in Brunswick in 1784 and he went on to establish himself as one of the most versatile musicians in Europe. Sphor's first two string quintets were composed while he was working as orchestral director in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien (1818-1815). They are outstanding examples of Sphor's skills as a composer, combining the Classical with the Romantic and virtuosity with lyricism.

Written in 1815 during the composer' final creative period, and at a time when the piano was becoming a more sonorous instrument, Beethoven' Cello Sonatas Nos. 4 and 5 exploit the cello' cantabile potential more fully than was previously possible.

SPOHR: Music for Violin and Harp, Vol. 1

Ropartz: Miracle De Saint Nicolas (Le) / Psaume 136