In Principio

LEIPZIG is now touted as the “New Berlin”, a mecca for vogueish twenty-somethings who are drawn by the cheap rents in the city and an artistic vibe. In 1989 the former East German industrial hub was said to have the most polluted air in the country, but the city’s illustrious past lives on. Despite extensive bombing of the city in World War II, the famous Thomaskirche and its associated Thomasschule, one of the oldest schools in the world and where the choristers are educated, survive and flourish. The Gewandhaus orchestra, with origins dating to the time of Johann Sebastian Bach in the 1740s, is known as one of the world’s finest symphony orchestras. This recording gives us a picture of musical life in Leipzig some 300 years ago, spanning the consecutive careers of three composers who led the musical activities in the city. The programme demonstrates the connection between JS Bach and his two predecessors. Bach based the general shape of his Magnificat on that of Kuhnau’s, and it was first performed in 1723, the year Bach took over as cantor in Leipzig after Kuhnau’s death. The short Schelle piece provides a rousing advent introduction.

Pergolesi Year 2010 marks the birth 300 years ago of a first rank composer and singular voice. Claudio Abbado's affinity for Pergolesi is a joy to the ear and balm to the soul. The introductory album of maestro's Pergolesi Project, the famous Stabat Mater, was rapturously received by the press.

Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus, RV 807, was added to the Vivaldi canon only in 2005; it was long attributed to Baldassare Galuppi. That shows you how minor composers don't get their due; it's a marvelous work, but it's only getting recordings now that Vivaldi's name is attached to it. At any rate, it's well worth hearing in this excellent performance by the rising British group La Nuova Musica, which has both vocal and instrumental components. They move like a well-oiled machine, making possible the clear communication of such vivid details as the musical depiction of a stream in the strings in the countertenor aria De torrente in via bibet (track 8) and the unusually elaborate fugue that concludes the work.

What can anyone add to the praise that has deservedly been heaped on Robert King and the King's Consort's 11 discs of the complete sacred music of Vivaldi? Can one add that every single performance is first class – wonderfully musical, deeply dedicated, and profoundly spiritual?

Niccolò Castiglioni was one of the most singular figures on the Italian music scene of the latter half of the 20th century. Including world première recordings, Volume 1 of this complete edition reveals the exceptional quality of Castiglioni’s early piano works, the cantabile solemnity found in his exploration of twelve-tone techniques, and the quest for simplicity in later pieces that include the Seconda sonatina discovered among the composer’s papers after his death. The acclaimed pianist Aldo Orvieto has recorded and performed extensively throughout his career and is a specialist in Italian 20th-century repertoire.

Josquin des Prez was unquestionably one of the greatest composers of Renaissance Europe. His works generally fall into one of three principal categories: motets, masses, and chansons. While his masses and chansons are consistently remarkable, it was in his motets that Josquin gave full reign to his creativity. This release featuring Daniel Reuss and Cappella Amsterdam offers a selection of Josquin's secular homages and sacred polyphony, focusing on the title work, a setting of the Miserere, which became a model for many composers that followed. This is the first of three albums from Cappella Amsterdam devoted to Franco-Flemish masters of the Renaissance.

Josquin des Prez - Miserere mei Deus - Cappella Amsterdam & Daniel Reuss (2018) {harmonia mundi HMM902620}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Digital Download (qobuz.com) -> 319 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 166 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2018 harmonia mundi | HMM902620
Classical / Renaissance / Polyphony

Josquin des Prez was unquestionably one of the greatest composers of Renaissance Europe. His works generally fall into one of three principal categories: motets, masses, and chansons. While his masses and chansons are consistently remarkable, it was in his motets that Josquin gave full reign to his creativity. This release featuring Daniel Reuss and Cappella Amsterdam offers a selection of Josquin's secular homages and sacred polyphony, focusing on the title work, a setting of the Miserere, which became a model for many composers that followed. This is the first of three albums from Cappella Amsterdam devoted to Franco-Flemish masters of the Renaissance.

This world premiere recording reveals a new masterwork by the 18-century Italian master Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, brilliantly reconstructed by musicologist Malcom Bruno from the composer's single-movement woks. Most of this music has been lost or forgotten since its creation more the 250 years ago, and most, if not all, has never been recorded.

Nicola Porpora was a Napolitan composer of Baroque operas and singing teacher, whose the most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. Besides some four dozen operas, there are oratorios, solo cantatas with keyboard accompaniment, motets and vocal serenades. Among his larger works, his 1720 opera Orlando, his Venetian Vespers, and the opera Arianna in Nasso have been recorded.