D. C. Giancoli, Fisica 2 (ii o Iii Edizione), Casa Editrice Ambrosiana Contiene Ampia Raccolta di Esercizi C. Mencuccini, V. Silvestrini, Fisica II (iv Edizione), Casa Editrice Ambrosiana Contie

Bojan Čičić and the Illyria Consort’s latest Delphian recording revels in the great variety of musical styles and traditions that grew up around Christmas and its related feasts in Catholic Europe in the seventeenth century – a time when the introduction of ‘rustic’ effects into instrumental music changed the sound of Christmas forever.

Ever since Ensemble Matheus and Jean-Christophe Spinosi stood in the limelight of the stage, they have incessantly received praise and prizes. They know how to be cleverly carried by the Vivaldi wave. They present a fascinating, lively vision of the music of the "red priest", but also take into account the findings of musicology. What a pleasure to hear these virtuosos! A joy that will not be lost even if repeated listening. There is something to discover here.

–Pierre Guillaume

Les Violons du Roy. Chamber orchestra based in Quebec City, composed of 15 permanent musicians, founded in 1984 by principal conductor Bernard Labadie. Its name comes from that of the court orchestra of the Bourbon kings of France in the 17th and 18th centuries.

While it isn't Handel's most obscure opera (hum a few bars from Catone, anyone?), Siroe, Re di Persia is definitely on the margins. It's hard to say why exactly, although the unflatteringly edited Metastasio libretto (by Nicola Haym) is surely part of the reason; the character and conflict development of the original are largely missing from the version Handel set. But the music is Handel at his best, and let's face it: from the perspective of a modern listener, plot is not the main draw of opera seria. With that in mind, Harmonia Mundi's complete recording, with Andreas Spering and the Cappella Coloniensis, is an excellent first step toward giving Siroe wider exposure. It's well played, thoughtfully conducted, and it features an excellent trio of leading ladies.

Handel’s group of nine German arias, composed in London in the mid 1720s, is unique in his vocal output. They are not big display pieces, and they are not excerpts from operas or oratorios. In fact, we don’t know much about the purpose behind their composition. Catriona MacLeod’s excellent notes make a good case for these having been written for private in-home performances, like the trio sonatas with which Chandos fills out this disc. These are significantly more intimate and inward-looking arias than much of Handel’s vocal writing, reflective in nature—and also chamber-like in the musical relationships between voice and instruments.

When Cindy Castillo and Frédéric d'Ursel told me about their project involving the six Sonatas for violin and keyboard by J.-S. Bach and invited me to write pieces for violin and organ to frame two of them, I immediately and intensely felt the challenge. The juxtaposition of styles that would inevitably result implied an equation that was not easy to solve: the music to be created had to be in connection, in dialogue with that of this "Master" - one of the most famous in the entire History of Western Music! In any case, it seemed to me that the project had to aim at a proposal for an overall form whose elements would be brought together in a coherent architecture that would be perceptible to the listener.

Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler already enjoyed a worldwide legendary standing during his lifetime - he was considered the German conductor and performances were greeted with rapturous applause. Today, more than 50 years after his death, Wilhelm Furtwangler is still an icon and his work has become an integral part ofthe music scene.

Con l’attivazione delle lauree triennali, i corsi universitari hanno subito una notevole riduzione del numero di ore a disposizione per le lezioni ed esercitazioni. …

The Father, the Son and the Godfather is a snapshot from a time when art music escaped from the courts and churches. Domestic music-making in the company of close friends became a treasured extension of social interaction, and the resulting boom in ‘market opportunities’ offered composers a tremendous freedom in their choices of genres and styles, as demonstrated by this colourful programme. It features three composers whose music could not be more different, taking into account that all works were composed during the span of only two generations by authors who knew each other better than just well: J.S. Bach (the father), C.P.E. Bach (the son) and Georg Philipp Telemann (CPE’s godfather).