Trevor Pinnock is one of the world's leading exponents of historical performance practice, and this collection of Baroque keyboard favorites is one of his most successful attempts to communicate his musical values to a broad audience. These popular works are often anthologized, but seldom have they sounded as fresh and exciting as they do here. Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith and Bach's Italian Concerto are the best known of these selections, though Pinnock's playing liberates them from their use as flashy encore pieces and instead treats them as more intimate entertainments. François Couperin's magical Les baricades mistérieuses and Rameau's Gavotte Variations are also well known, and their inclusion on any disc of the harpsichord's "greatest hits" is de rigueur. Domenico Scarlatti's two Sonatas in E major are still brilliant, even at the lower tuning (A=415). The remaining works of this collection are perhaps less-widely heard, but each offers insights into both Pinnock's interpretive skills and the instrument's wealth of possibilities.
Even on its first record "L'Escapade" (1974), Mona Lisa appeared as a dedicated follower of the theatrical, emotional and melodramatic rock created by Ange. The emphasis, the sensibility, the vocal subtlety of Dominique Le Guennec goes beyond the usual style. He "lives" his lyrics and surprises the listener by performing an expressive and suggestive music that evoke Genesis.
Сompared with their previous albums, the purpose seems gone and the succession of them is simply not cutting the mustard with this proghead. While two tracks are instrumental, most of the other songs lack LeGuennec's vocals to give it that typical ML touch…
Even on its first record "L'Escapade" (1974), Mona Lisa appeared as a dedicated follower of the theatrical, emotional and melodramatic rock created by Ange. The emphasis, the sensibility, the vocal subtlety of Dominique Le Guennec goes beyond the usual style. He "lives" his lyrics and surprises the listener by performing an expressive and suggestive music that evoke Genesis.
"L'Ombre Et La Lumière" is Mona Lisa's comeback. This 1998 album shows a music that has remained as expressive, poetic, melodramatic and suggestive as ever.
This is a really great five-CD set. You get all of Bach's concertos except the Brandenburgs - which is a shame because Pinnock's Brandenburgs are terrific. Nonetheless, this remains an absolutely cracking collection of some of Bach's most enjoyable music in excellent performances. In the Harpsichord Concertos Pinnock is himself the soloist and shows why he is such a very well-liked and highly regarded musician. The music springs to life under his fingers (and under his direction) and many of these performances set new and enduring standards when first released in the early 1980s. They have informed much subsequent Bach playing and have worn extremely well themselves, sounding as fresh and involving as they did nearly 30 years ago. He is joined by other fine harpsichordists in the concerti for two, three and four harpsichords, (Kenneth Gilbert, Nicholas Kraemer and Lars Ulrich Mortensen) and the Concerto for Four Harpsichords in particular is an absolute joy.
90124 is a demo album by musician and producer Trevor Rabin. It was released in 2003 on Voiceprint Records, having been compiled from previously unreleased demos and songs recorded from his time as a session musician in 1983 before he formed Cinema which evolved into a new line-up of Yes to 1983…
Following an album dedicated to the forgotten Renaissance master Vicente Lusitano (Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Der Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik Quarterly Critic’s Choice), The Marian Consort makes an enthralling leap forward to the present day. True to its core mission of expanding the vocal repertoire, A Winged Woman showcases the ensemble’s commissions from a crop of the UK’s finest composers – including seven world premiere recordings – with music by Dani Howard, James MacMillan, Electra Perivolaris, Howard Skempton, Chloe Knibbs and others. The works challenge traditions and tropes in imaginative and refreshing ways, bringing together a rich array of musical styles and textual approaches. As Perivolaris’s titular work makes clear, this album puts centre stage the compelling work of some of today’s most exciting women composers.