Marcello Concerto

Marcello Di Lisa presents three cantate con stromenti that explore the anguish of abandoned lovers; his erudite booklet-note discusses the literary tradition behind the stories of the shepherd Aminta (a stock Arcadian character with roots in Hellenistic poetry), Ariadne abandoned by Theseus on Naxos, and the forsaken Olimpia (heroine of cantos 9-11 of Ariosto’s Orlando furioso), and also provides a penetrating commentary on the musical content of Scarlatti’s cantatas.

The 350th anniversary of Alessandro Scarlatti’s birth fell in 2010 but did not receive the fuss that one of the most fascinating Italian Baroque composers deserves. His operas are particularly neglected but Daniela Barcellona and Concerto de’ Cavalieri go some way towards remedying this situation. Director Marcello Di Lisa has chosen a fascinating programme of sinfonias and arias from Scarlatti’s six last extant serious operas (1716-21), written for the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples (Tigrane, Carlo re d’Allemagna and Cambise) and for Rome’s Teatro Capranica (Telemaco, Marco Attilio Regolo and Griselda). Most are unpublished and have been edited from manuscript sources; 20 pieces receive world premiere recordings.

Wherever the Kaunas Chamber Orchestra comes from, they are excellent in the Baroque repertory – possessing a fine sense of nobilmente mixed with a lively sense of rhythm. The Marcello Concert Grossi may not be quite as fine as Corelli's or Handel's opp. 6, but it is certainly the equal of Torelli's op. 8, Avison's Scarlatti-inspired or Geminiani's opp. 2-5. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed by the sound as indicated by another reviewer.

Alessandro Scarlatti is justly famed for his contributions to Read more opera seria and cantata, and indeed it may even be said that he was one of the main progenitors of the Neapolitan style of the early 18th century. In Naples and earlier in Rome he was obligated to write a considerable amount of sacred music, much of it for smaller settings that would be useful in the local churches. Since his music is now becoming more common on disc, it is good to have this recording of a set of four pieces—a gradual, a Marian antiphon, a motet, and a Psalm—all of which reflect rather different approaches to each portion of the liturgy and yet contain a certain commonality in form and structure.

Concertos pour hautbois (Marcello, Haendel, Telemann, Albinoni, Cimarosa)
1954-1965 | Ape+Cue | Cover Scans | 77':04'' | 356 MB | 4 RARs

Considéré comme l'un des hautboïstes français les plus renommés, Pierre Pierlot est né le 26 avril 1921 à Paris et décédé le 9 janvier 2007.
Après des études musicales au Conservatoire de Valenciennes avec Gaston Longatte, Pierre Pierlot entre au conservatoire de Paris dans la classe de Louis Bleuzet et obtient en 1941 un premier prix de hautbois et de musique de chambre, classe de Fernand Oubradous. En 1949, il remporte le premier prix au concours international de Genève dont il a été plusieurs fois membre du jury ainsi que ceux de Munich et Budapest.
En 1946, de son amitié avec le flûtiste Jean-Pierre Rampal naît le Quintette à vent français avec Jacques Lancelot à la clarinette, Gilbert Coursier au cor et Paul Hongne au basson. À partir de 1952, Pierre Pierlot est membre de l’Ensemble baroque de Paris avec Robert Veyron-Lacroix et Robert Gendre.
Après les Concerts Lamoureux où il crée la "Symphonie concertante" de Jacques Ibert, il entre à l’orchestre de l’Opéra-comique en 1947 jusqu'à sa fermeture en 1972, devenant hautbois solo de l'orchestre de l'opéra de Paris. Nommé professeur de musique de chambre en 1969 au conservatoire national supérieur de Paris, il prendra la suite en 1974 de la classe de hautbois d'Étienne Baudo jusqu'en 1986. Durant cette période 47 de ses élèves obtiennent le Premier Prix.
Concertiste et chambriste reconnu du monde entier, dédicataire du concerto de Milhaud (1958) et du concerto de Martelli (1972), ses enregistrements des plus grands concertos pour hautbois d'Albinoni à Vivaldi, de Cimarosa à Mozart, ou de Strauss à Poulenc, avec les orchestres de Kurt Redel, Claudio Scimone et Jean-François Paillard restent et resteront des références en particulier "Le Charme du Hautbois" (I Solisti Veneti, Erato).
Son fils Philippe est flûtiste à l’Orchestre National de France.

The famous oboist Heinz Holliger and the legendary musical ensemble recorded for the posterity one of the most pyramidal musical documents in the second half of the past Century. There's no any flaw. Every single bar is perfect. Holliger dominates not only the variegated tonal possibilities of the instrument, but he gives to each score the expected degree of expressiveness and feverish lyricism.

Jacques Loussier has spent most of his career blending jazz and classical styles into a lightly swinging and highly melodic hybrid. He is most well-known for tackling Bach, but here he covers a range of Baroque composers. Loussier, bassist Benoit Dunoyer De Segonzac, and drummer Andre Arpino play pieces by Handel, Pachabel, Scarlatti, Marcello, Albinoni, and Marias. Loussier has a very light touch and the trio is laid-back, never distracting from the melodies. You can hear the influence of Dave Brubeck in Loussier's playing (especially on Marais' "La Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont"), and much like Brubeck's best work, there is a strong sense of warmth and intelligence on Baroque Favorites. The only complaint one might have is that the brevity of some of the songs breaks up the flow of the record. Nevertheless, Baroque Favorites is a very nice album.

18th-century Venetian sonatas for flute and recorder in opulently scored, historically informed performances.