The eighteenth century is probably the most extraordinary period of transformation Europe has known since antiquity. Political upheavals kept pace with the innumerable inventions and discoveries of the age; every sector of the arts and of intellectual and material life was turned upside down. Between the end of the reign of Louis XIV and the revolution of 1789, music in its turn underwent a radical mutation that struck at the very heart of a well-established musical language. In this domain too, we are all children of the Age of Enlightenment: our conception of music and the way we ‘consume’ it still follows in many respects the agenda set by the eighteenth century. And it is not entirely by chance that harmonia mundi has chosen to offer you in 2011 a survey of this musical revolution which, without claiming to be exhaustive, will enable you to grasp the principal outlines of musical creation between the twilight of the Baroque and the dawn of Romanticism.
Authentic sound language for many eras with J. E. Gardiner
No living artist has won more Gramophone Awards than John Eliot Gardiner. "He proved that stylistic fidelity to sound is a moving feast," the Financial Times wrote about the British. Because at a time when original sound ensembles were still exclusively reserved for baroque music, Gardiner dared a step further and extended the practice to later eras. This edition, with its total of 64 CDs, covers a period of about two decades and presents the famous conductor in its entire artistic span: from the core repertoire with Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach and other baroque composers to the 19th century Frenchmen revered by Gardiner for their sensuality, including Massenet, Bizet and Ravel. In its completeness, the edition is sure to be a worthy honour on the 80th birthday of this pioneer of historical performance practice..
The Orchestre de Paris is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris.
On ne fait pas plus désolé que le chromatisme à l'orgue qui ouvre ce Requiem, avant que les chœurs n'en reprennent la lente progression en demi-tons qui, cette fois, montent et se poursuivront tout au long de l'œuvre. Enregistrée en 1993, cette version originale - quatre solistes, chœurs, harpe, orgue, quatuor à cordes - contraste, par son intimisme et sa discrétion avec les prodigieux déferlements de Mors et Vita, laissant apprécier la rare plénitude de l'inspiration musicale portée par la rare fougue de tous les interprètes, notamment dans le Dies Irae, dont on dirait les phrases mordues, tant elles sont scandées avec conviction…
A unique collector's edition is a "climbing on the history of music" for 20 centuries from ancient times (Greece) to the present day. "History of Music", the 20-disc collection. Starting with the ancient music, music of the Middle Ages continued, Renaissance and Baroque music and ending the era of romanticism and modernity.
Originally issued in the Century series in 2005, this EARLYMUSIC set by the artists of harmonia mundi now returns to invite you to travel the centuries in music. In 10 CDs and more than 12 hours listening, this unique guide will allow you to (re)discover the music of the past and develop your musical knowledge. Each CD is accompanied by a detailed booklet dealing with the musical, historical and geographical context, closely linked with key elements from the visual arts of the appropriate period. From the ancient world to 1600: the pleasure of discovery is complete, for eyes and ears alike!