Grand Concerto Baroque

George Frideric Handel - Handel's Memories: A selection from Grand Concertos op. 6
Al Ayre Espanol / Eduardo López Bazo
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 505 MB | Full Artwork: 59 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Challenge Classics # CC72548 | Country/Year: Europe 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

…From this background material Handel made something completely new, with rich, unusual sound effects in the strings. Banzo's group Al Ayre Español, which does not at all restrict itself to Spanish music, catches this kind of unusual moment quite vividly. It's a specialist group of the best kind, the kind that aims at general audiences and puts across fairly arcane material by dint of sheer musicality. An ideal choice for those who want to get deeper into how Handel's London audiences heard his music.

Baroque Masterpieces - collection of Baroque music in the best performance in the company Sony BMG DHM Artenova. One of the best collections of Baroque music! The greatest works - the legendary performance! Baroque music is a style of European classical music in the period from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque era follows the Renaissance and the Classical period precedes. The main in this music was an expression of emotions. Baroque music - this violence and ecstasy, in contrast to the confidence and independence of the Renaissance.

The solo concerto emerged in Northern Italy in the first quarter of the 18th century and rapidly became popular across Europe. The five works here demonstrate how concertos for the flute differ in Germany, Italy and France. Outer movements usually retain the virtuosic elements that characterise the concertos of Vivaldi, but the Frenchman Michel Blavet infiltrates an exquisite Gavotte into his work, while Telemann’s superb melodies and rich harmonies are characteristic features of his Flute Concerto in D major. All five works exemplify the Baroque ideal of singing lyricism and passionate expression.

A Grand Concert of Music a rich English Baroque programme including a violin concerto (by Geminiani) and a keyboard concerto by Arne, featuring respectively Simon Standage and Trevor himself.

A Grand Concert of Music a rich English Baroque programme including a violin concerto (by Geminiani) and a keyboard concerto by Arne, featuring respectively Simon Standage and Trevor himself.

These performances are very authentic, which essentially means misconceived from the start, and often downright unmusical. Using teeny tiny forces (only seven violins), and inaptly named Arte dei Suonatori, they lack just that: the art of making a pleasing sound. The loudest thing here is the continuo, consisting of harpsichord, organ, theorbo, and archlute. Its prominence and enthusiastic improvisational flourishes on what ought to be very subsidiary harmonic support destroy Handel’s balance of tone and wreck the interplay between concertino and tutti. Frankly, the whole approach is so stupid and unstylish that it’s very hard to believe that anyone could associate this kind of playing with “historically informed performance”. It’s like wearing all of your internal organs on the outside of your body, and just about as pleasant.

VA - Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir - Celebration 30
Classical | APE + Cue | no log | Cover & booklet | 3 CDs | 1063 MB | RS
CBC Records | 2008

Tafelmusik is celebrating three decades of music making CBC Records honours Canada’s award-winning orchestra on period instruments, with a three CD box set. The three CD set features highlights from both the orchestra and choir recordings with CBC Records as well as the complete choruses Messiah CD released in 1998.