Portuguese music enjoyed its most spectacular flowering in the early seventeenth century. Many of the greatest composers were gathered in the capital Lisbon, and this was a period when many Portuguese musicians also made their careers in Spain, which was then linked to Portugal politically. This recording presents masterpieces of Portuguese polyphony from Lisbon and Granada brought to light by the choir’s director, Owen Rees. The Lisbon composers represented are Duarte Lobo (chapelmaster at the Cathedral), Pedro de Cristo (chapelmaster at the Monastery of São Vicente), and Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (organist at the Royal Chapel).
Many important Baroque composers and their music found their way to Denmark – thanks not least to the music-loving King Frederik IV. This CD presents a unique musical panorama of the King's court music and combines concertos by Christoph Graupner, Johann Adolph Scheibe and Johann Gottlieb Graun with newly discovered dance music for the King’s daughter, Princess Charlotte Amalie, reconstructed for this world premiere recording by Danish recorder virtuoso Bolette Roed and the Polish Baroque ensemble Arte dei Suonatori.
Throughout its Golden Age, England cultivated the masque, an elite entertainment featuring dialogue, song, and dance. As part of these spectacles, courtiers—and at times even the queen herself—often graced the dance floor. But it was hired professionals who provided the musical heart of these productions. Lutenists in particular were especially adept at creating music for any occasion. The dances, variations on popular songs, and fantasias they composed are full of versatility and virtuosity. This recording features lute works by the foremost composers of the Elizabethan-Jacobean era, with music by Dowland, Holborne, Bacheler, Ferrabosco, and other contemporaries who participated in The Queenes Maskes. For many years Elisa La Marca has been much sought after by leading specialist ensembles (Il Giardino Armonico, Il Pomo d’Oro, Les Musiciens du Prince, Zefiro etc.), with which she appears in prestigious locations, the mostly recent being the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Here she presents her first solo album, devoted to one of her favourite repertoires.
A 3 CD boxed set which includes 73 songs - all the original recordings, and a booklet from Mercury with a 5,700 word essay by Colin Escott, 84 rare photographs, brief biographies on all 73 Artists. The 3 CDs provide over 3 hours of total playing time.
What was begun in September 2012 as a project researched with fine artistic and intellectual endeavour subsequently expanded into an artistic and scientific project driven by conviction and passion. Six years of research and experiment have led us to interesting information and regularly revised insights into a valid realisation of an unexplored musical world that was truly characteristic of the prince-bishopric of Liège. In many respects, this music still does not receive the recognition it deserves, even in the region of its birth.