Auvidis Astrée

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XX - Couperin - Les Nations, 1726 (1986) {2CD Set Naive-Astree ES 9956 rel 2000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 630 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 257 Mb
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© 1986, 2000 Auvidis France / Naïve / Astrée | ES 9956
Classical / Baroque / Chamber Music

Original released by Auvidis France in 1986. This reissue released by Auvidis-Naïve in 2000 (ES 9956). Couperin places himself between the Italian and French musical styles of his day to create something rather greater than either. For the most part early works, these sonatas with dance suites combine the style of Lully and Louis XIV's court with Corelli's brilliance: the result is a Grand Tour of the high Baroque, given, s'il vous plait, with a French accent. Savall's rendition, true to form, is dark, elegant, and supple. He assigns the trio-sonata texture to differing combinations of violins, oboes, and traversi, all with a large and inspired continuo group. Performers: Monica Huggett, Chiara Banchini, Ton Koopman, Hopkinson Smith, Stephen Preston, Ku Ebbinge &c. Highly recommended.

Jordi Savall & Andrew Lawrence-King - Lluís del Milà (1500? - 1561?) - Fantasies, Pavanes & Gallardes (1995) {Astrée-Auvidis E 8535}
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© 1995 Astrée / Auvidis E 8535
Classical / Renaissance / Chamber Music

Luis de Milan’s instrument was the Spanish vihuela, shaped like a guitar and tuned like a lute, for the existence of which his book El Maestro (1536) is the earliest known evidence, and one by Antonio de Santa Cruz (seventeenth century, undated) the last. When it was born, and when and why it died, remain unclear. El Maestro was both a collection of pieces and a thoughtful tutor book, containing much valuable information on the music of the time and on the manner of its performance; in some fantasias it is indicated which passages are to be played ‘broadly’ and in time, and which are to be delivered more quickly.

Ensemble Zefiro was founded in 1989 by oboists Alfredo Bernardini and Paolo Grazzi together with bassoonist Alberto Grazzi and consists of talented musicians drawn from leading Baroque orchestras. Zefiro regularly appears to great acclaim at major European, Asian and South American festivals.

Ensemble Zefiro, a period instrument group, give careful, attentive readings of Mozart’s two big octet serenades. In each case the opening movement is rather deliberate but very exactly judged in terms of dynamics and accentuation, and collectively very efficiently and precisely executed. The remaining movements are taken quite quickly, especially the minuets (the second of K375 seems unduly so and the trio is done much more slowly; while the canonic one in K388 is a little lightweight).

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers - Motets & Hymnes de l'Église - Les Demoiselles de Saint-Cyr, Emmanuel Mandrin (1997) {Astrée E8621}
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© 1997 Astrée / Auvidis | E 8621
Classical / Baroque / Choral / Organ / Sacred / Period Instruments

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers (@1632-1714) lived at the same time as King Louis XIV, and served the king at Versailles, among other duties, which also included work as organist and singing teacher at the Maison Royale de Saint-Cyr. Hence there's a nice historical connection to the performers in this recording, which collects several motets and church hymns by Nivers. Several of the works have been programmed into two "Saluts", or "Salut du Saint Sacrement" salutation/benediction of the Holy Sacrament). The music also borrows from organ works from Nivers' "Cent Pieces de tous les Tons", to keep a sense of alternating textures between the female chamber choir and the organ.

Jordi Savall, La Capella Reial, Hesperion XX - Francisco Guerrero - Sacrae Cantiones (1992) {Naïve Astrée ES 9953 rel 2000}
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© 1992, 2000 Auvidis / Naïve / Astrée | ES 9953
Classical / Renaissance / Choral

Sixteenth-century Spanish composer Francisco Guerrero is featured in a reissued disc of motets for four, five, six, eight and 12 voices, with and without instruments. They come from a handful of collections published between 1555 and 1597 and show Guerrero’s skill in evoking a wide range of moods, joyful, sombre and contemplative in turn. Jordi Savall’s ensemble is well-equipped to project the skilfully wrought structures and expressive allure of the music. Some of the pieces fare better than others in respect of vocal texture and ensemble. Tenors and basses occasionally lack tonal refinement but, at their strongest the performances provide a radiant conspectus of Guerrero’s masterly motets.

Charles Mouton’s music is rarely heard on CD, this being the only recording devoted exclusively to him. Stylistically Mouton was heir to the well-established Parisian tradition of Francois Dufaut, Denis Gaultier, and his cousin Ennemond (all of whom Smith has featured in full-length CD programs for Astrée–all unfortunately deleted), where lute composition and performance first attempted to mirror or at least programmatically allude to extra-musical subject matter. Hence, selections here such as “La belle homicide”, “Le Dialogue des graces sur Iris”, “La Bizare”, and the brief self-portrait selection “Le Mouton; Canarie” imply that the composer not only wished to enchant the ear, but also invited listeners to muse over the sources of his inspiration. Whether or not these intended allusions are made, Mouton’s pieces here are always well-crafted, quintessentially elegant, and ceaselessly nostalgic–the anachronistic epitome of late-17th century French style.

Blandine Verlet, a noted French harpsichordist, studied with Ruggiero Gerlin and Ralph Kirkpatrick. She began recording in the late 1970s for Philips, switching to the Astree label in the 1990s. Her recordings range from J.S. Bach's keyboard works to Froberger to lesser known composers such as Louis Couperin and Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre.

Sometimes you just want to relax. Here is one of my favorite ways. These Divertimenti by Mozart weren't even written for listening; they served as background music for dinners and social events. But Mozart couldn't write empty music, and as undemanding as these pieces are, there is always something to reward your attention in every measure. This sextet of period instrument wind players has exactly the right touch for the music. They play with alertness to every detail and relaxation in expression. The result is one of the most delightful, blissfully undemanding CDs in the catalog.