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Bach and the North German Tradition, Vol. 1
Audite Musikproduktion May 2010
SACD
$21.99

J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, & Telemann: The Privileged Oboe / Korol, Michelangeli, Black,Trefflinger

Ars Produktion

$20.99 Jun 17, 2022

Of the six works recorded here by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach and G.F. Telemann (father, son and godfather), only two of them were specifically composed for the oboe, namely the g-minor sonata by C.P.E. Bach and the a-minor sonata by Telemann. However, as Emma Black proves on this new release, each of these works translates beautifully to the oboe. Australian born Emma Black is the principal oboist with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble (Thomas Hengelbrock) and principal and soloist with the Wiener Akademie (Vienna) and Le Concert de la Loge (Paris). With all of these orchestras she has performed in all the major European festivals and can be heard in numerous album and radio recordings.

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J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, & Telemann: The Privileged Oboe / Korol, Michelangeli, Black,Trefflinger
Ars Produktion Jun 2022
CD
$20.99

Schubert: Ständchen (Werke für Männerstimmen)

Carus

$18.99 Aug 12, 2014

The Carus Classics series feature outstanding CD productions from Carus’ past library of recordings. In the works introduced here, Schubert presents vocal chamber music as an independent genre. The male voice ensemble “Schubert hoch vier” – consisting of four internationally renowned Lied singers – together with Schubert specialist Thomas Seyboldt at the piano offered this unfortunately little regarded group of works with a masterful balance between ensemble spirit and soloistic expressivity.

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Schubert: Ständchen (Werke für Männerstimmen)
Carus Aug 2014
CD
$18.99

C.P.E. Bach: Sonaten fur Kenner und Liebhaber / Pieter-Jan Belder

Brilliant Classics

$28.99 Dec 10, 2013

The most boldly original and innovative of Johann Sebastian Bach's composer-sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel did not have to wait long, unlike his father, for public recognition. His music continued to be held in high esteem after his death, with composers such as Mozart and Mendelssohn making detailed studies of his style. Even Brahms took to editing a number of C.P.E. Bach's works.

Emanuel composed in almost every genre except opera, but keyboard music is without doubt the most consistent thread running throughout his career, with more than 300 works written for this medium alone. Spread over five CDs, this release is dedicated to the six groups of pieces together described as 'für Kenner und Liebhaber' ('for connoisseur and amateur'), his most ambitious publishing venture ever. The collections show a marked difference in style compared to many of his other compositions for keyboard that were strictly leveled at the popular, amateur-intended market: in addition to examples of the rondo, a form then in vogue, we encounter audacious sequences of modulations, an ever-increasing amount of motivic treatment and such styles as the free fantasy -- where Emanuel is at his most modern, the music here often containing no bar lines and demonstrating capriciousness of character through its constant switches between extremely fast passagework, uncertainty of direction and calmness.

Written for clavichord and harpsichord, these adventurous, highly engaging works are here performed with aplomb by Dutch keyboardist and period performance expert Pieter-Jan Belder. Belder has made many recordings for Brilliant Classics over the years; regarding his recent study of Domenico Scarlatti's Sonatas (93546), Fanfare magazine commented, '...his playing is never less than alive, fresh sounding, and thoroughly engaged in the music's acrobatics and gymnastics...very strongly recommended.'

Other information:
- New recording (2012--2013) played on fortepiano and clavichord.
- Contains notes on the music and an artist biography.
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the most famous son of the great Johann Sebastian, created his own individual style, in which freedom of expression was the keyword. This substantial collection of keyboard works, "Für Kenner und Liebhaber"(for connoisseur and amateur) contains some of his most audacious compositions, in which frequent and abrupt mood changes, improvisatory and declamatory passages without bar lines and wildly digressing modulations are the stylistic landmarks.
- Pieter Jan Belder is one of the most respected and esteemed keyboard players of today. His immense discography for Brilliant Classics bears witness of a highly skilled and communicative musician, with a deep and innate understanding of the style and performance practice of the Baroque and Classical Period.
- A perfect preparation of the C.P.E. Bach year 2014!

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C.P.E. Bach: Sonaten fur Kenner und Liebhaber / Pieter-Jan Belder
Brilliant Classics Dec 2013
CD
$28.99

Preludes Tableaux

Neue Meister

Vinyl

$24.99 Nov 21, 2025

Explore the cutting-edge fusion of tradition and technology with Preludes Tableaux, the latest album by visionary composer Johannes Motschmann. In this groundbreaking work, Motschmann collaborates with a custom-built AI, uniquely designed and meticulously trained to understand and replicate his distinctive compositional style. This is no ordinary AI; it was created specifically for this project, using a vast dataset of Motschmann's previous works to shape it's creative output. Each track on the album is the result of a dynamic interaction between Motschmann's human intuition and the AI's computational creativity, blurring the lines between human and machine-made music. The result is a compelling blend of organic and synthetic artistry that redefines musical collaboration. To enhance the sonic depth, the album was recorded using iconic analog instruments such as the Steinway D, Yamaha CP 70, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer, creating an immersive and rich soundscape. Alongside Motschmann's original compositions, the album features faithful, original renditions of classical works by Bach, Schonberg, Skrjabin, and Alain, offering a journey that bridges the gap between the historical and the contemporary.

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Preludes Tableaux
Neue Meister Nov 2025
Vinyl
$24.99

Mix & Match

Bach: Cantatas Vol 30 / Suzuki, Sampson, Et Al

BIS

SACD

$21.99 Jan 01, 2006

BACH Cantatas: No. 51; No. 210: Spielet, ihr beseelten Lieder. Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn? ihn, BWV 1127 ? Masaaki Suzuki, cond; Carolyn Sampson (sop); Bach Collegium Japan (period instruments) ? BIS SACD-1471 (Hybrid multichannel SACD: 71:17 & )

Volume 30 of Masaaki Suzuki?s highly regarded Bach cantata cycle is devoted mainly to Bach?s ?newest? work, the strophic aria ?Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn? ihn,? discovered in May 2005, and quickly authenticated and assigned the BWV number 1127 (thus, it?s separated from the cantatas, which occupy the first 200-plus spots in the catalog). Suzuki?s is the work?s first complete recording; abridged versions came first from Gardiner on his own Soli Deo Gratia label (12 minutes, combined with several other bits and pieces into a sort of cantate imaginaire ), and then from Koopman (17 minutes, in Volume 20 of his Challenge cantata series). Frankly, despite the beauty of Carolyn Sampson?s performance with Suzuki?s expert ensemble, Gardiner?s is the version of choice, simply because we don?t need to hear the same damn thing performed 12 times in a row over the course of 48 and a half minutes.

That?s what happens in a complete performance. In 1713, to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Bach?s early employer, Duke Wilhelm Ernst, a local town superintendent named Johann Anthon Mylius wrote 12 stanzas, each verse beginning with the German translation of the duke?s motto, ?Omnia deo et nihil sine eo? (?Everything with God and nothing without him?). The second line of each stanza and the following B section would change, but that second line would evolve in an odd way: only the third word would be replaced, and if you align the first letters of each of those third words you spell out the duke?s name. This is the sort of acrostic game that Bach loved, but it?s strange that he was assigned the task of setting the words to music. He was merely the Weimar court organist, and wouldn?t have any responsibility for writing cantatas until his promotion the following year. Perhaps more senior composers, including several in the Mylius family, had turned down the potentially tedious job. Perhaps the ambitious Bach lobbied for the assignment, hoping it would gain him the sort of attention that would result in the promotion he indeed received within a few months. At any rate, Bach merely wrote out the music for the first verse, intending it to be repeated as the text changed. To understand the acrostic, you need to see the entire text, but hearing the whole thing is hardly necessary. Bach provided an attractive, melismatic melody and an appealing instrumental accompaniment, but enough is enough.

To their credit, Suzuki and his elegant players do vary the instrumental bridges somewhat, and Sampson handles the melody with lovely grace, but it?s not enough to sustain interest for more than three quarters of an hour. All are heard to better effect in Cantata No. 51, a performance that floats and twirls, without losing its center of gravity in the weightier sections. For some reason, the aria ?Spielet, ihr beseelten Lieder? from BWV 210 is appended as a bonus track.

The 5.0 surround sound is, as expected from this source, outstanding in its balance and timbral fidelity, except that the important trumpet part in the outer movements of BWV 51 is too recessed, almost offstage. If you?re compulsively collecting the Suzuki series, there?s no reason to pass this up, but if all you want is BWV 1127, in this case there?s no merit to completism, and the Gardiner sampler is a more attractive option.

FANFARE: James Reel

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Bach: Cantatas Vol 30 / Suzuki, Sampson, Et Al
BIS Jan 2006
SACD
$21.99

C.P.E. Bach: The Solo Keyboard Music, Vol. 28

BIS

$21.99 Sep 09, 2014

C.P.E Bach's 'Zweyte Fortsetzung' Sonatas are a sequel to his famous Sonatas with Varied Reprises (1760). Of the six 'Fortsetzung' Sonatas, the first three appear here. The pre-sequel set had proven successful, possibly because it included written-out ‘improvisations’ for repeated sections - a feature, oddly, more or less absent from its two sequels. However, an alternative version exists of the first movement of Sonata No.3, which Miklós Spányi includes here, together with two unrelated 1760s sonatas. The second sequel also includes two stylistically contrasting 1740s era sonatas.

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C.P.E. Bach: The Solo Keyboard Music, Vol. 28
BIS Sep 2014
CD
$21.99

C.P.E. Bach: Solo Keyboard Music, Vol. 27

BIS

$21.99 Nov 19, 2013

This disc completes the set of CPE Bach’s Fortsetzung Sonatas, Wq51 that began in Volume 26 in this series. Although the sonatas were not published together with the composer's own variants on them, such alternative versions exist in manuscript, and splitting this set of large-scale works over two discs, Miklós Spányi also includes recordings of these varied or embellished versions that may represent the composer's revisions but could equally well have been intended as study material for his students.

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C.P.E. Bach: Solo Keyboard Music, Vol. 27
BIS Nov 2013
CD
$21.99

Distler: Die Weihnactsgeschichte

Carus

$20.99 Oct 09, 2015

In it's touching tenderness, the "Weihnachtsgeschichte" op. 10 by Hugo Distler is one of the most beautiful temptations for any a cappella ensemble at Advent or Christmas time. With it's scoring for four-part choir, from which all the soloists can easily be drawn, it is proof that the Christmas message can be conveyed with the same simple, sublime brilliance as with the old masters. The seven variations on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" which run through the work are much more than merely a framework for the story - they are also great music within themselves.

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Distler: Die Weihnactsgeschichte
Carus Oct 2015
CD
$20.99

Gesangbuch - Choral Works by Edward Cowie
Signum Classics Aug 2013
CD
$20.99

Wiegen Lieder [deluxe-box]

Carus

$37.99 Nov 13, 2015

Recorded as part of Carus' prizewinning "Liederprojekt" series, a charity project produced by Carus and Southwest German Radio that contributes profits to childrens' music education in Europe, this 3 CD set is an extraordinary collection of lullabies from Europa, America, Asia, Africa and Australia with selections that are at once deeply familiar to those that will delight with discovery for both the young and young at heart. With an impressive breadth of performers including Peter Schreier, Calmus Ensemble, Christian Gerhaher, Jonas Kaufmann and much more; it could be said this is the ultimate collection of lullabies that would complete any music library.

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Wiegen Lieder [deluxe-box]
Carus Nov 2015
CD
$37.99

BACH: THE COMPLETE WORKS FOR KEYBOARD VOL.10

HARMONIA MUNDI

$28.49 May 23, 2025

After stopping off in Cothen, Benjamin Alard continues his musical journey through the works of J.S. Bach. Here he focuses on the composer's early years in Leipzig, with the six Trio Sonatas, which he performs on harpsichord and clavichord. The famous 'little keyboard book' of Anna Magdalena takes us into the more intimate world of the Kantor's household.

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BACH: THE COMPLETE WORKS FOR KEYBOARD VOL.10
HARMONIA MUNDI May 2025
CD
$28.49

GLAUBEN, LIEBEN, HOFFEN

Coviello

$20.99 Jan 18, 2019

But now faith, hope, love,... but love is the greatest among them. The Bible quotation has always inspired artists. The ensemble Wunderkammer draws it's well-known, idiosyncratic musical conclusions from this: German sacred vocal works of the 17th century are juxtaposed with sonatas by Dario Castello (before 1600 - around 1658), each of which interprets the quotation in it's own way. Wunderkammer was founded in Berlin in 2014 by Sarah Perl (bass viol/violone), Mira Lange (harpsichord), Martin Seemann (cello) and Peter Uehling (harpsichord/organ). Together the musicians dedicate themselves to chamber music of the 17th and 18th century whose Old Masters they explore over and over with boundless curiosity, and to the interpretation of contemporary compositions. The ensemble also works in various orchestra formations, such as in the recording of J.S. Bach's Markus-Passion BWV 247. The musicians also perform with renowned ensembles.

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GLAUBEN, LIEBEN, HOFFEN
Coviello Jan 2019
CD
$20.99

Missae
Cantate Jul 2025
CD
$9.99

DIE GROSSTEN CHORWERKE
Berlin Classics Oct 2012
CD
$21.99

Irmgard Seefried Edition

ELOQUENCE AUSTRALIA

$119.41 Feb 14, 2025

"We all envied her, because all that we had to struggle so hard to achieve seemed so natural and self-evident to her because she knew how to sing from the heart" said Elisabeth Schwarzkopf of her colleague Irmgard Seefried. Collected here are Seefried's complete recital recordings for Deutsche Grammophon as well as highlights from her recordings of opera and sacred music for the label and includes material both unpublished and new to CD.

Irmgard Seefried was a revered artist among lovers of natural singing, wrote the critic Alan Blyth. 'The emotions, grave or gay, are expressed directly, unfussily, genuinely, in that peculiarly outgoing manner that was this artist's supreme gift.' This gift illuminates song repertoire from Bach to Bartók and beyond in a newly compiled and remastered set of her recital albums recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in the 1950s and 60s. 'If I were condemned to hear only one voice for the remainder of my life I think it might well be hers,' wrote Blyth on another occasion (a reissue of the 1953 'Liederabend' anthology of concert performances). 'If I wanted to be charmed, to laugh or to cry I would find her the perfect companion.'

The core of the set is formed by several albums of Romantic Lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Wolf. As well as an imaginative collection of Goethe settings, there is an album of Heine and Schumann, poetry and song, in which the recited portions are reissued on CD for the first time. The set includes two appendices, both also new to CD: Seefried's contribution to the DG audio documentary series 'Erzähltes Leben', and 'Erik Werba Accompanies You', in which the soprano's regular recital partner plays the piano part for famous Lieder (with the idea that the listener at home will take the sung line for themselves).

Seefried also made several opera recordings as well as sacred music for Deutsche Grammophon. Generous excerpts from these - often including entire scenes, not just arias - are included as newly-compiled anthologies across five CDs.

Seefried's voice was renowned for it's beauty and tonally purity, with minimal vibrato. Her diction was exquisite, as were her phrasing and legato in Schumann's cycle of Mary, Queen of Scots Lieder. Especially in folksong repertoire such as the Liebeslieder-Walzer of Brahms, she contrived to give the impression that her art came easily to her, and that it's expression was an inevitable extension of her personality, devoid of any suggestion of imposing her will upon the music. But this impression was the essence of Seefried's greatness, and it transferred to modern song repertoire, too: not only the opulent romanticism of Respighi's Il tramonto but Werner Egk's German-Mediterranean Quattro canzoni, and a selection of sacred solo motets by Paul Hindemith that surprised and delighted many critics on it's first issue.

All the material in this Original Covers collection has been newly remastered, and the set is richly illustrated and accompanied by a new essay on Seefried's art by Tully Potter as well as an English translation of Ein Selbstporträt by Fer van Campen.

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Irmgard Seefried Edition
ELOQUENCE AUSTRALIA Feb 2025
CD
$119.41

Chopin, Rachmaninoff: Complete Preludes / Algarra

IBS Classical

$21.99 Mar 11, 2022

This recording should be seen in that manner: as a beginning, a solo recording debut by Alejandro Algarra in which he confronts two colossi of the instrument. It is quite a recording milestone to tackle these two essentials. A real challenge both for him as a performer and for IBS Classical as a record label. So please do not be deceived by the apparent simplicity and unpretentiousness of the term prelude. Quite the opposite, in fact. Nor should a prelude be understood in this case as a prolegomenon to a major piece (“Preludes to what?”, as André Gide wondered in his famous Notes sur Chopin), but as individual works which, taken as a whole, represent a major technical and interpretative challenge; undoubtedly one of the all-time highs of piano literature.

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Chopin, Rachmaninoff: Complete Preludes / Algarra
IBS Classical Mar 2022
CD
$21.99

Chopin: 24 Preludes; Barcarolle; Polonaise; Berceuse / Goerner

Alpha

$20.99 Jan 29, 2016

"After Debussy and Schumann, Nelson Goerner comes back to the composer who revealed him to the great audience of recorded music: Chopin. His first Chopin recordings won him high praise and countless distinctions (3 Diapasons d’Or!): ‘Everything he touches seems 'right’ wrote Gramophone in a recent issue. Nicknamed ‘the great poet of the piano’, he now attacks Chopin’s 24 Préludes, which he chose to record live, in a single go, in Poland where he is particularly appreciated and considered an essential pillar of the Chopin Institute. As a complement, Nelson Goerner opts for the Barcarolle Op. 60, the Polonaise Op. 44 and the Berceuse op.57.

-----

REVIEW:

This is a disc that can only solidify Goerner's reputation as one of the outstanding Chopin exponents of his generation. His interpretations are never less than original, deeply considered, and filled with characteristic detail. That they also exhibit rare qualities of wisdom and discernment make him someone to return to, again and again.

– Gramophone

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Chopin: 24 Preludes; Barcarolle; Polonaise; Berceuse / Goerner
Alpha Jan 2016
CD
$20.99

J. S. Bach & C. P. E. Bach: Magnificat / Rademann, Gaechinger Cantorey

Accentus Music

$27.99 Jan 21, 2022

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach thought highly of the art of his father, Johann Sebastian. However, this did not prevent him from pursuing his own path. Even when Carl Philipp Emanuel made himself a candidate for the position of Thomaskantor as Johann Sebastian's successor, he did not reverently demonstrate his artistic ties to his father. Instead, he accentuated his compositional independence in one of his first choral works and confidently presented himself with a Magnificat. In Leipzig, this would inevitably subject him to direct comparison with his father, who, at the age of 38, as the newly appointed Thomaskantor, had also presented a Magnificat as his first major work on July 2, 1723. To this day, Carl Philipp Emanuel's Magnificat is measured against that of his father. In December 2020, the Gaechinger Cantorey chorus and orchestra under the musical direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann and together with an excellent ensemble of soloists performed both magnificent works together in concert - unfortunately in front of an empty hall but reaching their audience via livestream and recording it for this extraordinary release.

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J. S. Bach & C. P. E. Bach: Magnificat / Rademann, Gaechinger Cantorey
Accentus Music Jan 2022
CD
$27.99

CHRISTMAS WITH BACH ORGELBUCHL

MDG

SACD

$24.99 Aug 16, 2019

Christmas with Bach: Gerhard Löffler, the organist at the Church of St. James in Hamburg, has selected this title for his MDG debut. And to it we may add: "And with Arp Schnitger." After all, Schnitger's masterpiece of organ design in St. James is not only the largest instrument by this Northern German organ builder, whose death three hundred years ago is being commemorated in 2019, but also has what qualifies as the most important extant original pipework from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With these resources it very much makes it's presence felt in the music and interpretation. And when captured in magnificent three-dimensional sound on this Super Audio album, it is guaranteed to spread the Christmas spirit throughout the year.

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CHRISTMAS WITH BACH ORGELBUCHL
MDG Aug 2019
SACD
$24.99

Gronau Chorale Variations

Brilliant Classics

$13.99 Mar 25, 2014

Gronau: Chorale Variations for Organ, Composer Daniel Magnus Gronau, Artist Matteo Venturini organ, Format 1 CD, "The finest musical soul ever to have graced the city of Danzig": these are the words of Friedrich Gottlieb Gleimann, written in regard to his predecessor Daniel Magnus Gronau. Little is known about Gronau's life, other than he was titular organist at St John's Church in Danzig - where he earned an exceptionally high salary: 100 florins per quarter. His music was highly acclaimed in it's day; after his death, the Chapter of St John's bought the manuscript of a cycle of chorale variations for organ from his sister, paying a third as much again to have it handsomely bound in two volumes. Gronau left a small treatise on transposition and four books of keyboard music, the Chorale Variations of which form the subject of this engaging release. Similarly structured and containing between two and five variations (the first of which normally utilizes the chorale as a fugue subject), the works reveal the far more 'modern' approach adopted by Gronau in relation to the rest of his northern contemporaries - Es wird schier der letzte Tag, for example, requires the right hand to play on two keyboards against a continuo-like accompaniment in the left hand and pedals. The Variations certainly represent one of the most extensive compendiums of organ registrations to survive from the late Baroque period of organ music in Germany, and on hand to perform is Matteo Venturini, winner of no less than eight competitions and a regular at prestigious international music festivals across Europe and America. Venturini, with his thesis on Gronau's organ music, is clearly an expert in this field of repertoire; here, on his 13th recording, he reveals the sheer quality of this composer's music, making a strong case for why the Danzig genius is worthy of rediscovery and re-evaluation. First recordings, Recorded on 19, 20 & 22 May 2013, Church of San Rocco, Larciano (Pistoia), Italy. This CD contains the first recording of the complete Chorale Variations by Daniel Magnus Gronau, a master from 17th century Danzig. He wrote a treatise on transposition, and the Chorale Variations form one of the most extensive compendiums of organ registrations of late Baroque organ music in Germany. Organist Matteo Venturini is a winner of no less than 8 prestigious organ competitions. He wrote a thesis on the organ music of Gronau. He plays on a magnificent Ghilardi Organ in the Church of San Rocco, Larciano.

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Gronau Chorale Variations
Brilliant Classics Mar 2014
CD
$13.99

Prélude

IBS Classical

$17.99 Aug 16, 2019

Now I have this conscientious and exquisite work in my hands, Prélude, which contains a series of musical pieces inviting us to define the pianist both for his selection and for his interpretation. If we listen to them attentively, we are revealed the performer's personality. Here is the delicate spirit that is born from the respect for compositions and the art of combining it with a passion which is increasingly evident in him, a more determined and mature, almost daring. The playing of these notes in the hands of Antonio Galera is not based on an exhibition of skills that are no longer questioned but on the talented flow of music, which turns simplicity into poetry and passion into what is most difficult in it's development. (Elvira Lindo, journalist and writer)

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Prélude
IBS Classical Aug 2019
CD
$17.99

SAMTLICHE CHORWERKE
Orfeo Jan 1983
Vinyl
$106.99

Passion & Lament - Choral Masterworks Of The 17th Century

Sono Luminus

$18.99 Oct 27, 2009

Passion and Lament: Choral Masterworks of the 17th Century is a Dorian Sono Luminus release by the Bach Sinfonia, a period instrument group led by Daniel Abraham and based out of Silver Spring, MD; the concurrent vocal group is identified by the rubric Sinfonia Voci. Leader Abraham seems to have an uncanny knack for landing the premiere recording options on newly discovered works by famous composers; the previous Dorian Sono Luminus effort devoted to Handel's Alexander's Feast also contained the J.S. Bach aria Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn, discovered in 2005. Here the featured first recording is of a work by Heinrich von Biber, his setting of the Stabat mater that emerged in 2007. It is a short, somber, and restrained setting from late in Biber's career, not the most ravishing vocal work that he has to offer but still recognizable as his. Along for the ride is a selection of six Psalm settings from Salomone Rossi's The Songs of Solomon and the early oratorio Jephte by Giacomo Carissimi. The good news is that the Rossi settings, recorded without continuo, probably have never received a better performance on disc than here. Jephte, of course, is a canonical classical work and the Bach Sinfonia has a good deal more competition in it among recordings. The performance here is well done, and the crucial concluding chorus Plorate filii Israel is very well handled and particularly effective, though one wonders if a slightly larger continuo might not have been a bad idea for Jephte; the Bach Sinfonia here consists of only five instruments and normally they are a 22-piece band. The singing is all quite good; soprano Jennifer Ellis Kampani turns in her usual, stellar performance and one must compliment baritone Sumner Thompson for being a low male voice who "gets" concitato singing. Dorian Sono Luminus' recording is a very digital-sounding recording that has a slightly weird, metallic timbre; at one point it pulls a soprano note into a range of distortion. Nevertheless, Biber's devotees will want to know the new work, even though the true virtues of this disc are encountered best in the Rossi and in parts of the Carissimi.

-- "Uncle" Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

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Passion & Lament - Choral Masterworks Of The 17th Century
Sono Luminus Oct 2009
CD
$18.99

Raff: Symphony No 2, Four Shakespeare Preludes / Jarvi, Suisse Romande

Chandos

SACD

$21.99 Feb 26, 2013

Joachim Raff’s symphonies have a reputation as being diffuse, bloated, and just not terribly interesting. On the basis of some of his programmatic works in the form, perhaps this is true, at least some of the time, but his Second is a lively, compact, formally shapely and melodically rich work that does not deserve its neglect. Maybe the first movement, which is based on a triadic theme not terribly susceptible to development, lacks drama, but it certainly moves well, as does the entire symphony for that matter. The finale in particular maintains its momentum from start to finish, unlike so many other romantic symphonies. At only 33 minutes (in this performance), you can’t say that the piece outstays its welcome. Järvi typically does not see profundity where none exists, but leads the orchestra in a joyful romp through the piece that proves consistently entertaining.

The four Shakespeare preludes also prove to be lots of fun. All are relatively short but well-orchestrated and atmospheric. Perhaps Romeo and Juliet is the tamest–it’s only nine minutes long and it’s not Tchaikovsky, but Othello is punchy and tense (and even shorter); The Tempest opens with an effective storm and features music that challenges you to figure out who the characters are that Raff illustrates; and Macbeth, possibly the best of all, spends a lot of time focused on the witches and, seemingly, the final battle. It’s great to have this music recorded, and terrifying to realize that the symphony is Raff’s Op. 140 and the preludes his WoO 49-52. My but that man could churn it out, couldn’t he? Fine playing and excellent sonics round out a release that deserves your attention.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Raff: Symphony No 2, Four Shakespeare Preludes / Jarvi, Suisse Romande
Chandos Feb 2013
SACD
$21.99