The Dufay Collective Cancionero: Music For The Spanish Court (1470 1520) (2002, Avie # Av0005) [re Up]

Music for Alfonso the Wise by redoubtable English period instrument ensemble the Dufay Collective is not a collection of usual suspect Cantigas de Santa Maria, but attempts to re-create the lost heritage of the secular music that surrounded Alfonso X's court during his reign. Utilizing instruments reconstructed from miniatures, paintings, and other iconography dating from Alfonso's time, the Dufay Collective relies on music found within the Cantigas, manuscript sources outside it, remaining old musical practices still held over in "world music," and its own inventiveness to create an album that nonetheless smacks of authenticity.

Tromba Hispanica: 17th-Century music for the Spanish Court Trumpets - Barocktrompeten Ensemble Berlin (2011) {Raumklang RK2906}
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© 2011 Raumklang | RK 2906
Classical / Renaissance / Baroque / Trumpet

At the beginning of the 16th century a mighty axis was formed in Europe: the Spanish royal house joined with the Habsburg Empire, to which belonged also the nothern parts of Italy. These ties were a reason for numerous travels undertaken by envoys, diplomats and also rulers, who usually – as an important element of representation – were accompanied by ensembles of trumpeters. A huge ensemble of the Viennese court ca 1600 consisted of 30 trumpet and timpani players. Its Spanish counterparts were two slightly smaller ensembles: first, established before joining Isabela and Ferdinand courts, and the other one: a newly-founded ensemble of the Italian trumpet players.

The year 2012 marks the tercentenary of the birth of Frederick the Great, whose political and military glory has often relegated his musical talent to the status of a mere hobby. But Frederick II was not only the key personality of Berlin musical life for the whole of the 18th century – as is shown by the works of the composers presented on this CD, all of whom worked at his court at some point in their careers – but also an excellent flautist who left posterity a number of fine flute sonatas from his own pen.

This disc, very well recorded in 1984, presents the Fireworks music on period instruments but in the version that includes the strings. Pinnock later recorded the version that used a large wind band. The rest of this disc features two concertos for two horns which prove to be thoroughly entertaining.

Here is another fine performance of the Fireworks Music in its original scoring for nine horns, nine trumpets, 21 oboes, 21 bassoons, three snare drums and three timpani. It makes a grand noise, but just as interesting is the music that conductor Trevor Pinnock has assembled from other Handel works, something the composer himself did, to provide a rich and enjoyable selection of orchestral music that we would ordinarily never hear in this form. Pinnock has had a tendency in the past to sound somewhat stiff in Handel's music, but here he lets his hair down and everyone concerned seems to be having a very good time.