Two Concertos For Organ

Randall Goosby presents his new album with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He has recorded the popular Violin Concerto by Max Bruch and the two Violin Concertos by Florence Price. The album also includes Price's Adoration in an arrangement for string ensemble.

This recording brings together all the arrangements for harpsichord by Bach of instrumental concertos by his Italian contemporary Antonio Vivaldi, adding those of one concerto each by the brothers Alessandro and Benedetto Marcello. They are performed by Sophie Yates who has made a series of solo CDs for Chandos, many of which have won international awards. She has been described by Gramophone as ‘hugely talented’ and by BBC Music as playing ‘with exceptional poise’.

Carmignola’s fiery and successful “Vivaldi con moto” is followed by a more subtle and traditional Bach Concerto recording, a Co-Production between Deutsche Grammophon and Deutschlandfunk. Carmignola and Concerto Koln bring new and outstanding colors into this often recorded repertoire, and their temperamental performance introduces a sparkling and thrilling interpretation of Bach’s concertos. Carmignola is a unique artist and one of today’s most charismatic and captivating violinists, prompting The Strad to say “Timing is everything, and Carmignola has the timing of Sinatra. Rubato, portamento, pauses, tight-rope showmanship.” For the Double Concerto, Carmignola is joined by Mayumi Hirasaki on the first violin.

The combination of organ and violin dates back to the Baroque era. Many of the sonatas for violin and basso continuo can be performed on the organ just as well or even more colorfully than on the harpsichord. Henri Marteau builds entirely on this tradition with his Fantasy for organ and violin op. 27, recorded here for the first time. The violin virtuoso and pedagogue, celebrated worldwide, was also a very prolific composer and, in addition to chamber music, wrote two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony, an opera and several organ works, for which he was inspired by the soft romantic registers of the pneumatic organ of the time in his adopted home of Lichtenberg in Upper Franconia let.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Alison Balsom - Works For Trumpet
C. Carey / A. Ibragimova / A. Ross / M. Caudle
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 330 MB | Part. Artwork: 21 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI Classics # 7243 5 58047 2 3 | Country/Year: Europe 2005
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque, Trumpet

…Balsom's tone is tighter and darker than André's, and she excels at legato playing, while remaining within an appropriate style. She is not as "punchy" as André often can be. Given her age and her educational background – she was a pupil of Håkan Hardenberger and John Wallace – she is likely to be a versatile and stylistically informed player no matter what she does. This is an impressive CD, and while it touches no deep emotional wells, it invites the listener to stay tuned!

The marvellous Ton Koopman plays Bach's complete works for organ in wonderful performances full of power, passion, and grace! These digital recordings were made in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999.

Although George Frideric Handel is thought of as the quintessential “English” composer, we should not forget that he was born in Halle, Germany and had a similar upbringing to such contemporaries as Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach, among others. His teacher from 1692 was Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau, organist at the Marktkirche, Halle. When Zachau died in 1712, Bach was approached to become his successor in Halle, a position he declined even though a contract had been drawn up and needed only his signature. At that time Handel was well traveled and far from Halle, having spent some years in Hamburg, where he was active in the opera, then more years based in Rome, and by 1712 had already been in London for two years. Thus Handel’s career, and the music he composed, was somewhat different from that of Bach and his contemporaries in Germany. But despite the differences, the roots were the same, and Handel maintained his contacts in Germany and was fully aware of the music being performed there.