Passaggi Lauzer

Known for his “impressive virtuosity” (La Presse), soloist Vincent Lauzer is featured in this new album devoted to Vivaldi recorder concertos. Lauzer is accompanied by Arion Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Alexander Weimann.

The start of recorder soloist Vincent Lauzer’s career was meteoric. Winner of several prizes in national and international competitions, Lauzer was awarded the Fernand-Lindsay Career Award in 2015, First Prize at the 2012 Stepping Stone Canada Music Competition, and the Career Development Award from the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto in 2012. Révélation Radio-Canada 2013-2014 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2012 Opus Awards, recorder player Vincent Lauzer graduated from McGill University. His first solo CD was released in September 2013 on ATMA Classique. He is the artistic director of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival in New-Brunswick.

The latest recording by Arion Baroque Orchestra bears witness to the fact that Georg Philipp Telemann’s extensive catalog of works is not yet fully known to listeners. This CD marks the world premiere recording, under the direction of Alexander Weimann, of Telemann’s Overture in G major, TWV 55: G5. The accompanying suite of evocatively titled dances is utterly French in character, with a pastoral trio of wind instruments — two oboes and a bassoon. The two concertos on this recording are directed by Mathieu Lussier. They adopt the four-movement form (slow-fast-slow-fast), a vestige of the sonata da chiesa, one of Telemann’s favourite forms.

Contrasting affects, sensual melodies, effortless virtuosity and a preference for the intimate: these are some of the characteristics that make Italian music from around 1600 particularly appealing. Featuring music from Giovanni Battista Fontana, Girolamo Frescobaldi and Giovanni Bassano amongst others, Peter Van Heyghen and Kris Verhelst, two leading specialists in this field, have dedicated their latest recording to this music. Discover and enjoy their selection of virtuosically ornamented motets, madrigals, ricercari, toccatas, capricci, canzonas and sonatas, performed on authentic instruments (three different recorders, two harpsichords and an organ).

Affective contrasts, seducing vocality, effortless virtuosity, and a penchant for intimacy; these are some of the lures of Italian music around 1600. Peter Van Heyghen and Kris Verhelst, two leading specialists in this field, have dedicated their latest recording to this music. Discover and enjoy their flowery selection of ornamented motets and madrigals, song variations, ricercars, toccatas, intonations, capriccios, canzonas and sonatas, performed on historically accurate instruments (three recorders, two harpsichords and an organ).

A storm of passaggi to echo the virtuosity of the cornettists of Renaissance Italy who exalted their instrument, of which Andrea Inghisciano is one of the most sought-after contemporary exponents (listen, for example, to the disc ‘La Morte della Ragione’ with Il Giardino Armonico).