Early Music America Summer 2009 15

Anton EberlThe Complete Sonatas

for Solo PianoJohn Khouri, fortepianoMusic & Arts CD-1221 (3 CDs)www.musicandarts.com

That Anton Eberl’s sonatas havebeen frequently mistaken for W. A.Mozart’s, from the 1790s up to ourown time, is surely reason enoughto pique our curiosity. But Eberl(1765-1807) was no mere epigone,and now, thanks to fortepianist andscholar John Khouri, we can beginto better understand this multi-faceted composer. These six sonatas(as well as a toccata, fantasy, and a

sonatina),presentedhere com-plete for thefirst time,displayEberl’s virtu-osic piano

writing, some rich melodic and the-matic invention, and innovativedevelopment.

The compositions included onthis three-CD set span a period ofabout 15 years (1792-1807) andthus reveal much about Eberl’sgrowth as a composer. The earlyworks, such as the Sonata in CMinor, Op. 1 (1792), show a distinctaffinity for the late 18th-centuryViennese style, unsurprising for onewho was a friend and possibly a stu-dent of Mozart. The later sonatas—including what is regarded as Eberl’sgreatest extant work for solo piano,the Grand Sonata in G Minor, Op.39 (1807)—reveal a more passion-ate and individual style foreshadow-ing the generation of Romantics tofollow.

A specialist in keyboard music ofthe late 18th and early 19th cen-turies, John Khouri’s repertoireincludes works by composers fromHaydn to Schumann. Khouri per-

forms several of the Eberl sonatas ona modern replica of an 18th-centurypedal piano and inserts pedal partsof his own. While Khouri makes acase for the addition—that Mozartadopted this practice and, by exten-sion, Eberl may have as well—thesound is somewhat unsettling.Eberl’s sonatas are inherently dramaticin the Beethovenian vein, whichKhouri clearly wishes to highlight,but as a result, the tone in some ofthe more bombastic passages bor-ders on harsh and percussive. In thelyrical slow movements, however,Khouri showcases the c.1820 JacobPfister fortepiano with a velvety toneand a pleasing tenderness.

Listeners using their computersmay be annoyed to find that thetracks are not titled, but will find thebooklet helpful and informative.Khouri includes detailed notes, illu-minating what is known aboutEberl’s life and career, his Mozartinfluences, and specific attributes ofeach work. Not to be missed isKhouri’s description of Op. 27: “thedemonic last movement…beginswith shrieking downward plungingright hand passage-work.” Clearly,Anton Eberl is a composer worthy ofmore attention, and we thank JohnKhouri for making our explorationpossible. —Angela R. Mace

Johann Philipp Fortsch Sacred Concertos Roland Wilson;La Capella Ducale; Musica Fiata CPO 777369-2; www.cpo.de

The fourth disc in the seriesMusica Sacra Hamburgensis 1600-1800 features the curiously over-looked Hamburg composer JohannPhilipp Fortsch (1652-1732). Fortschhad a multi-faceted music career. Inaddition to being an early pioneer ofpublic opera in Northern Germany,at various times he was a singer,

librettist, music theorist, and prolificcomposer of both sacred and secu-lar music. He also appears to haveled one of those colorfully variegat-ed lives peculiar to the early modernera, achieving success as court physi-cian, diplomat, and politician apartfrom his activities as a musician.

Fortsch was instrumental inshaping the operatic tradition ofHamburg, monopolizing the reper-toire staged at the newly inaugurat-

ed operahousebetween theyears 1684-1690. Thetheater, inturn, influ-enced his

gospel compositions. Fortsch height-ened the drama latent in these texts,excising narrative passages and cre-ating coherent musical portrayals ofbiblical characters in concise dia-logues reminiscent of operaticscenes.

While Fortsch’s dialogue settingsare compact, being comprised ofrelatively short melodic phrases withno repeated sections, his psalmsunfold luxuriantly, privileging expres-sive ornamentation and melodicgrace. “Aus der tiefe,” for soprano(sung luminously by GerlindeSamann) with obbligato accompani-ment by violin and viola da gamba,is an especially poignant example.

Roland Wilson and the ensem-bles Musica Fiata and La CapellaDucale are to be commended notjust for bringing so vividly to life theworks of this interesting composer,but also for expanding our under-standing of the musical context thatnourished the fecund imagination ofthe illustrious Hamburg composerGeorg Philipp Telemann.—Berna Can

Christoph Graupner Partitas for Harpsichord, Vol. 7Geneviève Soly, harpsichord Analekta AN 2 9120www.analekta.com

It was only a generation or soago that Georg Philipp Telemannand his immense and varied produc-tion were scorned by serious musi-cologists and still little known toaudiences, with few recordings

(despite the early efforts of the Tele-mann Society and Richard andTheodora Schulze) and few perfo-mances. The last two decades haveseen a plethora of recordings, withmultiple versions of various master-works (for example, the two sets of“Paris” quartets) now available tochoose from. The work of ChristophGraupner (1683-1760) is perhapsnow in the position that Telemann’swas in 30 years ago. Both were soprolific that German musicologistsseemingly threw up their hands atthe labor involved in simply cata-loging their output. There is now athematic catalogue of the instru-mental works (Christoph Graupner:thematisches Verzeichnis dermusikalischen Werke [Graupner-Werke-Verzeichnis, GWV], Instru-mentalwerke, Carus: 2005), andapparently a volume devoted to cataloguing the vocal works is underway.

Like his contemporary and col-league J.S. Bach (Graupner was thesecond candidate to turn down thejob in Leipzig, after first choice Tele-mann and before Bach) Graupneronly managed to publish a handfulof collections of his large output ofkeyboard suites: a first set in 1718(Partien auf das Clavier); theMonatliche Clavier Früchte (MonthlyKeyboard Fruit), 1722, with theexplicit note that they are primarily

intended forbeginners;and a set of Four Sea-sons, ofwhich onlythe first,Winter, sur-

vives, from 1733. In addition tothese, Fuzeau has published 17suites from a manuscript held inDarmstadt.

Canadian harpsichordistGeneviève Soly has taken on themission of bringing Graupner’s workbefore the public, and her project ofrecording the harpsichord suites hasarrived at volume seven, whichincludes four of the months fromthe 1722 set. I suppose one mightthink of Graupner’s idiom for thekeyboard as the sort of more modern music that Telemann mighthave written if he had had more

recordingreviews

Early Music America magazine welcomes news of recent re cordings.Please send CDs to be considered for review and pertinent informationto Tom Moore, Recording Reviews Editor, 2937 Chapel Hill Road, Durham,NC 27707; recordings@earlymusic.org. Early Music America cannotguarantee the inclusion of every CD sent for review. All reviews reflectthe personal opinions of the reviewer only. Label web sites are suppliedwith each review to assist readers who are unable to locate discsthrough Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, ArchivMusic.com, or other outlets.

Edited by Tom Moore

16 Summer 2009 Early Music America

Noyse Productions Presents

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While Summer LastsMusic of Medieval England

Fortune’s Wheel: Robert Mealy, Lydia Heather Knutson,

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THE ATLANTIS ENSEMBLEJaap Schröder

Penelope CrawfordEnid Sutherland

Daniel Foster - Peter BucknellAnne Trout - Owen Watkins

Previously Released: Piano Trios, Op. 49 & 66 MO 0105 & 0205

Early Music America Summer 2009 17

technical facility on the instrument(it seems churlish to reproach theman who was skilled at so manyinstruments just because he wasn’t akeyboardist at heart), that is, a mix-ture of the grave German tempera-ment with the lightness of theFrench, and some spice from thegalant Italians, rewarding to the lis-tener, and enjoyable to the player.It’s hard to imagine why thesepieces shouldn’t join the Bach suitesas teaching material for the youngerpianist or harpsichordist. Soly’s read-ings are fluent and musical, thoughthere are moments that could bemore highly spiced, a tad more the-atrical, and less reserved. Her Hub-bard & Broekman instrument (afterHass) is beautifully rendered by therecording.

If you don’t yet know Graupner,this disc would be a fine place tostart. —Tom Moore

Joseph HaydnLa Passione:

Symphonies 41, 49, 44Arion Baroque Orchestra, Gary Cooper, guest conductorEarly-Music.com EMCCD-7769www.early-music.com

Unlike the other two Viennesegreats of the Classical era, Mozartand Beethoven, Haydn goes throughphases: sometimes in, sometimesout, at least in terms of his presencein concert programs and recordings.

This isdue, atleast inpart, tothe enor-mous anddiversecharacter

of his output. The last dozen sym-phonies and the later string quartetsremain present in the repertoire, butother aspects of his work may disap-pear for decades at a time—themasses, the two oratorios, the bary-ton trios, the piano sonatas, and the early symphonies—presumablybecause they don’t sound enoughlike Beethoven to maintain the inter-est of the general concertgoing public.

Arion is a fine Canadian ensem-ble with an extensive discography,beginning as a chamber ensembleled by flutist Claire Guimond andmorphing about a decade ago into

a chamber orchestra focusing onlate-Baroque music from the firsthalf of the 18th century. Haydn’sdeath-date in 1809 provided theexcuse for the group to move intolater repertoire—in this case, mid-dle-period symphonies from around1770, the age of Sturm und Drang.No. 41 in C is heard here in an earli-er version without trumpets andtimpani, but with C alto horns,which are written about as high asyou are likely to hear the instrument,with quite a punch. My favoriteamong the three is certainly the E-minor, no. 44, with its flying stringsand strong inflections, close to thestyle of the great C.P.E. Bach.

Arion’s readings are clean andcompelling, though I might haveopted for a stronger wind presencein mixing the sound. I hope thatsuccess in this project will lead Arionto explore other rewarding and hitherto unexplored territory in thelater 18th century. —Tom Moore

Jean-Philippe RameauPieces de clavecin en concertsEnsemble Baroque Nouveau (Charles Sherman, harpsichord;Anthony Martin, violin; StephenSchultz, Baroque flute; Josh Lee,viola da gamba) Reference Recordings RR-118www.referencerecordings.com

What more can be said aboutthese delightful pieces? I amreminded of a friend’s reaction onbeing introduced to maple sugarcandy—“I wish I had continued notknowing that this existed”—sincemaple sugar is delicious, and expen-sive and fattening. If you don’talready know these chamber works,you can rest assured that there areno calories involved. The only pity isthat there aren’t more to devour.

Rameau (1683-1764) was agenius for harmony, for melody, and

for dance,and thethree arecombinedhere inworks withbrilliantlyidiomatic

parts for harpsichord, accompaniedby a treble instrument (violin orflute) and a bass instrument (bass viol). There have been many fine readings of these works

Anna Bon: La virtuosa di Venezia

Connecticut Early Music Festival presents:

Anna Bon and Joseph Haydn at Eisenstadt Friday, June 12 at 8 PM

Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College, New London, CT

At the Boston Early Music Festival (fringe):

The Unique Anna Bon Saturday, June 13 at 5PM

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, 41 Berkeley St., Boston, MA

For more information visit www.ladm.org or contact us at 617-461-6973 or CD@ladm.org

Two dazzling programs of music byAnna Bon, including recently found

vocal pieces. Her unique style wasshaped by her studies at Vivaldi’sOspedale della Pietà in Venice and by herservice together with Haydn at the courtof Prince Nikolaus Esterházy.Bon’s music explores the galant stylewith delightful melodic lines and elegantvirtuosity.The ensemble includes violins, flute,voices, viola da gamba, violone, bothcontinuo organ and fortepiano as well asother instruments.

SingerCaterina Regina Mingotti

RECORDINGreviews

18 Summer 2009 Early Music America

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�MO 0305 Mozart:

Complete Music for Two FortepianosPenelope Crawford – Nancy Garrett

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Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47Sigismond Thalberg: Piano Trio in A major

The Atlantis Trio & Ensemble

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Early Music America Summer 2009 19

(discographie-rameau.com has along list beginning with Leonhardtand Harnoncourt in 1955, and as aformer Bostonian, I have fond mem-ories of performances by the BostonMuseum Trio, who recorded themon LP for Titanic). This seems to bethe first disc by Ensemble BaroqueNouveau (which includes three vet-erans of Philharmonia Baroque), andthey turn in lively, virile readings, fullof energy and sparkle. I look forwardto hearing future outings from thisfine group.—Tom Moore

Melchior SchildtOrgan WorksAnnette Richards, organ LOFT LRCD-1104www.gothic-catalog.com

Do you get lost in the thickets of17th-century “Schmusik” (the mem-orable title of a 1979 concert by theAntiquarian Funks of UC Santa Cruz,with works by Schütz, Schein, Schei-dt, Schmelzer, etc.)?

Melchior Schildt (1592-1667)was a student of the great Jan Piet -erszoon Swee linck in Amsterdam atthe start of the 17th century andwent on to work in Wolfenbüttel atthe court of Christian IV in Copen-hagen from 1626 to 1629, when hemade his final move to Hanover. Ifyou already know the name, it islikely because of his fine setting ofthe Dowland Pavan Lachrymae.

Annette Richards, who comes tothe project with a fine c.v. (organstudy at the Amsterdam Conservato-ry, a Ph.D in musicology from Stan-

ford, and aposition asuniversityorganist atCornell),offers thisand the restof Schildt’s

few surviving works, along withlagniappes by Sweelinck and Schei-demann, recorded on the 17th-cen-tury organ (with parts from the16th) at Roskilde Cathedral in Den-mark. Richards takes advantage ofits varied colors and powerfulplenum in fluent and convincingreadings. Surprisingly enough, anearlier Schildt disc from 1991 (oncevery favorably reviewed in EarlyMusic) is still available on a tinySwiss label, Aliud. Richards’ disc, her

debut, is certainly a strong competi-tor and can serve as introductionboth to a fine organist and to acomposer worth getting to know.—Tom Moore

Jan Pieterszoon SweelinckMaster of the Dutch

RenaissanceJonathan Dimmock, organLoft LRCD-1106-1107 (2 CDs)(www.gothic-catalog.com)

Even music-lovers with broadtastes, ones who can enjoy a widevariety of musical viands, may feelsome resistance to particular genresor instruments. For one it might bebagpipes (a disc by gambist Lorenzo

Ghielmi wasmemorablytitled Bag-pipes fromHell), foranother it isaccordion(especially

when the genre is polka), yet forothers, organ music is what sticks inthe craw. I suppose what these threeinstruments have in common is thathuman breath, at least in a directform, is not involved, so that listenersmay perceive a mass of sound with-out inflection, particularly when, inthe case of the organ, reverberantchurch acoustics are involved.

Jonathan Dimmock’s well-pro-gramed survey of Sweelinck (?1562-1621) should win over even thosewith a long-standing and deep-seat-ed resistance to organ music. It isfull of light, air, breath, and dance.The mean-tone tuning for the threeorgans featured helps the chords toring (imagine a loud consort ofshawms and sackbuts, in tune).Dimmock has chosen both sacredand secular works by the greatNetherlander and has spiced themwith dances by Scheidemann, Byrd(slightly out of place here, butalways welcome), and anonymousdances from the Susanne van Soldtmanuscript. Dimmock has two discsof Romantic repertoire and a Bachrecital to his credit; he also has par-ticipated in quite a few Bach cantatadiscs by the American Bach Soloists.To judge from this outing, Dimmockhas much to offer in earlier reper-toire. I look forward to future discsfrom this charming artist. —Tom Moore

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Matthew WhiteSuzie LeBlanc

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RECORDINGreviews

Jacobus VaetMissa Ego flos campiCinquecentoHyperion CDA67733 www.hyperion-records.co.uk

The European Renaissance vocalensemble Cinquecento has madefour recordings of somewhat lesser-known 16th-century choral reper-toire from the courts of imperialAustria. Their most recent CD fea-tures the work of Franco-Flemishcomposer Jacobus Vaet (c.1529-1567). He became a chorister at thechurch of Notre Dame at Koortrijk in1543, at age 13, and earned ascholarship to the University of Lou-vain in 1547. By 1550, Vaet wassinging in Prague for the emperor,Charles V, as a tenor. By the time hewas 25, he was kapellmeister toCharles’s nephew, the ArchdukeMaximilian. When Maximilianbecame Holy Roman Emperor in1564, Vaet went with him to Viennaand became court kapellmeister.Three years later, he died at the age of 37.

In his short career, Vaet wrotenine Mass settings, 66 motets, and ahandful of other works. On this CD,you will hear Vaet’s parody MissaEgo flos campi (based on a motet byJacob Clemens non Papa) and eightmotets—and you’ll stop wonderingwhy Cinquecento is digging up such

little-knownrepertoire.This is stun-ningly beau-tiful music,rich withword paint-ing and

characterized by intricate rhythmsand textures. The interior sections ofthe Mass are somewhat strippeddown, eventually ending up in theSanctus with a canon for two basses—the effect is powerful.

The music is flawlessly handledby the men of Cinquecento. Theirsense of rhythm is subtle, their bal-ance and blend are flawless, andthey manage to bring a heartfeltearnestness to even the most over-the-top text praising the House ofAustria. These are six beautiful voic-es, perfectly matched. Special men-tion must go the two countertenors,Terry Wey and Jakob Huppmann.Their top notes are bright and clearwithout ever being forced orstrained. —Beth Adelman

COLLECTIONS

The Contest of Apollo and Pan:Music of Castello and hiscontemporaries

Apollo & Pan (Tassilo Erhardt, BenSansom, violin; Sally Holman, dulcian; Steven Devine, harpsichord and organ; Chandos 756; www.chandos.net

This disc pays tribute to themythic Greek rivalry that so capturedthe Baroque imagination, pitting the

rational,string-instru-ment playinggod Apollo(here repre-sented bythe violin)against the

unbridled sensuality of wind-instru-ment playing satyr Pan (embodiedhere by the dulcian, an early bas-soon.) The recording offers ananthology of early 17th-century Italian instrumental repertoire, giving center stage to these twoinstruments.

Combat is an essential feature of the Baroque stile concitato, inwhich instruments vie against eachother for expressive supremacy. Thissense of skirmish is manifest, attimes cheekily, in the five sonatas byDario Castello (c.1590-c.1658). It isdelightful to hear the potentiallyungainly dulcian put through suchfrenetic paces, and Sally Holmancommands her instrument withauthority.

The pieces by Tarquinio Merula(1594/95-1665), Biagio Marini(1594-1663), Giovanni AntonioBertoli (1598-?1645), Francesco Turi-ni (c.1589-1656), and GirolamoFrescobaldi (1583-1643) are unitedby their organizing principle of varia-tion. As the program notes pointout, all the major variation schemesof the early Baroque period are rep-resented. Pieces by Giovanni Buona-mente (?-1642), a cheerful selectionchosen from his fourth book ofinstrumental pieces, provide the lone exemplar of the dance suite on the disc.

Apollo & Pan, in their recordingdebut, play this demanding musicexpertly and project a warm, plushsound. For those who like their17th-century instrumental musicserved up with a dash of volatilecaprice, their handling of tempo and accentuation may be on the

harmonia.indiana.eduListen online

a production of

Public Radio from Indiana University

made possible by a grant from the

This thirteen-part series explores the ways in which people and societies have

celebrated and commemorated the landmarks of living.

series

20 Summer 2009 Early Music America

RECORDINGreviews

conservative side, but nonetheless,this is a thoroughly enjoyable disc.—Berna Can

Endzeitfragmente: Fragmentsfor the End of Time

SequentiaRaum Klang RK 2803www.raumklang.de

The latest release from Sequen-tia, a collection of narratives andsequences sharing apocalypticimagery and mostly tracing their ori-gins into the first millennium, findsBenjamin Bagby continuing on thebardic path he first memorablystruck with his performances ofBeowulf more than 10 years ago. Iheard part of Beowulf in London in1999 and witnessed its power bothto enthrall and to disorient its hear-ers. At each of Bagby’s scheduledtuning breaks, while he attended tohis lyre, more and more listenersmade for the door. By the end, only half of the original audienceremained in their seats. But that halfrose for a standing ovation that wasby far the longest and most reverentI’ve been a part of, before or since.The new album, featuring Bagbywith his lyres and Norbert Roden -kirchen on flute (and harp), is in the same vein: sublime, if you can take it.

The meat of the Fragments pro-gram is three long sermon-like sungpoems in which the Germanic text is

paramount,describingfor its lis-teners animmediateand terrify-ing visionof the Day

of Judgment. Bagby animates thetexts’ rhetorical urgency with criesand sonorous exclamations, usingevery gradation of vocal deliverybetween speech and song. In anexcerpt from Alsatian monk Otfridvon Weissenburg’s 9th-centuryGospel commentary (preserved inmanuscripts with music notationimplying public performance), Bagbyintensifies the cumulative insistenceof the refrains by leaning into themwith a deep, woeful call.

The disc’s title alludes to thefragmentary nature of such oldmaterial, which the musicians haveoften conjectured from multiplelater manuscripts. Rodenkirchencontributes instrumental interludesbased on his study of the motivickernels of several 9th-centurysequences. Amidst the dark visionsof the text, his flutes—including the

piercing, breathy sound of the tinyswan-bone flute—shine like other-worldly beams of light. One inter-lude runs on jazzy syncopations thatare very much at home in the mod-ern world. (Rodenkirchen is interest-ed in the affinities between new andold composition.) For an Old Saxonaccount of Christ warning his disci-ples about the Last Day, Bagby usesa 9th-century harp tuning to spinout a minimalist accompaniment ofrepeated melodic fragments thatcycle hypnotically back to theircadences. In the face of the sublimehorror Bagby communicates at eachnew revelation of destruction andmayhem, there is something gor-geously unnerving about the waythe accompaniment perpetuallyrenews itself.

Bagby’s bardic performanceinvokes a world more foreign to ustoday—or simply older—than prob-ably any other early music reper-toire. The historical performanceendeavor rarely feels so raw and richany more as it does at this frontier.Liner notes in hand, it’s hard forus—and yet too compelling not totry—to imagine the original intimacybetween tale-singer and audience. Arecording can’t give us the commu-nal bond among pre-literate listen-ers, more than a thousand yearsago, hungry to learn what futureterrors their souls might face. On theother hand, our own millenniumknows something of the fear of theworld’s destruction, and we too canuse a bard. The album opens andcloses with a pair of sequences thatexude pure melodic (and spiritual)yearning. They are a tender elegy tothe world that their original listenersfeared losing to the flames of judg-ment day, but that only time hassufficed to take from us.—Shulamit Kleinerman

Italia 1600 Argentina 1900Verónica Cangemi, sopranoUna Stella EnsembleNaïve OP 30466; www.naive.fr

This recital of arias, cantatas,and songs by the Argentine sopranoVerónica Cangemi is held togetherby the concept the recording’s linernotes refer to as the music’s “Latin-ness.” There’s Italian music spanningthe early to late Baroque, along with20th-century works by ArgentinesAstor Piazzolla (1921-1992) andCarlos Guastavino (1912-2000) andthe Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos(1887-1959).

Cangemi has performed withsome of the early music world’selite: William Christie, Nikolaus

Harnoncourt, René Jacobs, and oth-ers. She has also appeared onrecordings in Naïve’s brilliant Vivaldiopera series, notably the recentrecording of La fida ninfa (she singsan aria from the opera on this recitalCD). She is blessed with a uniquetimbre and a huge range—her bot-tom notes are dark and full, her topnotes bright if a little unfocused attimes.

This is a brave debut recordingbecause she has selected some mur-derously virtuosic music by AntonioVivaldi (1678-1741), Nicola Porpora

(1686-1768), andFarinelli’sbrother,RiccardoBroschi(1698-1756). For

the most part, she sings beautifully.Although the dizzying fioratura ofBroschi’s aria “Son qual navech’agitata” is sometimes punctuatedby gulps, gasps, and slides intonotes, the flexibility and sheer scopeof her vocal range makes the listenergasp for all the right reasons. She isbrilliant in George Frideric Handel’s(1685-1759) “Lascia ch’io pianga”from Rinaldo and deeply affecting inthe music of Giulio Caccini (1551-1618) and Claudio Monteverdi(1567-1643). The contemporarysongs are gorgeous and make mewant to hear her in a recital devotedexclusively to this music.

The instrumental support by UnaStella Ensemble, however, is one starindeed. The accompaniment isrhythmically stolid, lacking fire andprone to occasionally fuzzy intona-tion. Cangemi is a singer to watchand this debut recital mostly servesher quite well. —Beth Adelman

The Knight of the Lute: Music from The Varietie of Lute Lessons, 1610

Matthew Wadsworth, luteChannel Classics CCS SA 25408www.channelclassics.com

The Varietie of Lute Lessons, acompilation of dances and fantasiesin various styles for solo lute, waspublished by Robert Dowland in1610. On this latest release, Mat -thew Wadsworth has selected 19 ofthe 42 pieces in the collection.

If one reads reviews ofWadsworth’s earlier recordings, orof his live performances, the samefew descriptions seem to recur:“intelligent,” “intimate,” “graceful,”“sensitive.” This release is no differ-

ent. While many of the selections hehas chosen to present on thisrecording have similar structures,melodies, or turns of phrase,Wadsworth has found a way tobring out what is unique to eachselection without being either tooblunt or too ostentatious. Certainpieces he chooses to treat in a virtu-osic fashion, with florid ornamenta-tion and embellishments; othersmay demand the merest of pausesat a cadence, or a slightly empha-sized trill. Much like a jeweler shap-ing a precious gem, he treats eachpiece delicately, with skill andnuance.

While the lute works of JohnDowland are quite frequentlyrecorded, and while other record-ings of the Varietie (namely those ofNigel North and Lutz Kirchhof, botharound 10 years old) have treatedmany of the same selections, it ismost welcome to see includedworks by John Perrichon and, espe-cially, the pavan by Thomas Morley,the only non-lutenist featured onthis recording. Anthony Holborne’s

pavan, Dow-land’s gal-liards forQueen Eliza-beth and theKing of Den-mark, andthe lesser-

known fantasy by Gregorio Huwetare particular highlights of therecording.

In the liner notes, Wadsworthsays that his “choice of pieces forthis recording was largely instinc-tive.” I hope that his instincts willalways produce results of this quality.—Karen Cook

Live: 2004-2008In Mulieribus (Kari Ferguson, HeatherRoszczyk, Tuesday Rupp, Catherinevan der Salm, Shaelyn Schneider,Anna Song, Ann Wetherell) Anna Song, directorIn Mulieribus: 619981275224www.inmulieribus.org

This latest release from the all-female In Mulieribus is a collectionof live performances between 2004and 2008. As such, it contains avariety of works from different pro-grams, several of which are devotedto the Yuletide season. However,despite the tracks being selectedfrom different performances, therecording itself is seamless. Thegroup has chosen their representa-tive pieces with no little thought tothe disc as a whole, making it a

Early Music America Summer 2009 21

22 Summer 2009 Early Music America

CELEBRATING 400 YEARS OF A MASTERPIECE

1610 - 2010

Monteverdi’s groundbreakingVespers music has long been asignature piece for Apollo’s Fire.Now Jeannette Sorrell and hervibrant company of artists bringthe Vespers to audiences acrossthe country, in honor of its

400th anniversary.

“Resplendent . . .with vibrantattention to

dramatic detail.”THE CLEVELAND

PLAIN DEALER

Vespers of 1610

TOURING IN 2010Information:

800.314.2535www.apollosfire.org

MONTEVERDI’S

THE CLEVELAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

j e a n n e t t e s o r r e l l

great example of how a compil-ation of live recordings should be assembled.

The disc begins with the gor-geous “In die tribulationis” byCristóbal de Morales, which is notonly a woefully under-recorded workbut also a great showcase for theclarity of the group’s voices. Whileon some of the later tracks, thelower voices occasionally get just abit lost in the mix, they really pop

out of thetexture inthis piece,showing offthe finequality of allthe singers.The group of

Medieval pieces that follows, espe-cially the anonymous “Portum inultimo,” is a particular highlight ofthe recording, both for In Mulieri -bus’s ability to attack Medievalrhythms with gusto and to producea beautifully blended, nuancedmelodic line. Most importantly, inthese pieces—and in the much morecontemporary Duruflé “Tota pulchraes”—the singers actively bring outthose dissonant, tense momentswith precision and sensitivity.

The group sings with a greatdeal of awareness of the acoustics intheir performance spaces. Theypause just long enough at the endof a phrase to let it reverberate,without either losing their momen-tum or obscuring the beginning ofthe next phrase.

While as with any live recordingthere are a few tiny imperfections, inthis case they only heighten the

enjoyment of the recording, asthough it were one live performanceitself. This is only In Mulieribus’s sec-ond release, so their future discs areawaited with enthusiasm.—Karen Cook

Virtuoso Concertos for ClarinoBrian Shaw, Baroque trumpet. Clarino 11704www.bshawmusic.com

Brian Shaw is assistant professorof trumpet at the School of Music atLouisiana State University in BatonRouge, and his vita includes degreesfrom Eastern Illinois University, theEastman School, and University ofTexas at Austin. This exceptional col-lection of rarities for clarino is hisdebut CD, and the qualities Shawdemonstrates here certainly meanthat his is a voice that will make a

major markon Baroquetrumpetplaying.Shaw, whoalso playsjazz trum-pet, has cer-

tainly been listening to the playerswho are the kings of the high regis-ter in that field, and he demon-strates astounding flexibility andcontrol in ascending to heights younever imagined possible for a natu-ral trumpet. Of the four concertirecorded here—by Haydn, Riepel,Richter, and anonymous—only theone by anonymous is a debutrecording on period instruments,but all four are far from being fre-quently performed and recorded,perhaps due to the heights to whichthe trumpet part ascends (the libraryof the august university where Iwork owns neither scores norrecordings for any of the four).Shaw’s tone is beautiful, and hisplaying unfailingly musical. He isaccompanied here by a band ofsome of the best period instrumentplayers in the New York area, andthe playing is vibrant, present, andclear, a credit both to the musiciansand the recording engineer.

This is a treasurable disc thatshould become a favorite of bothtrumpet fans and music-lovers ingeneral, and the fact that it is self-produced makes a statement notabout its artistry, but about the par-lous state of the record industry. —Tom Moore

Early Music America Summer 2009 23

September 2009Sept 18 Madison (Madison World Music Festival)Sept 19/20 Chicago (Chicago World Music Festival)Sept 23 BostonSept 24 New YorkSept 25/26 Bloomington (Lotus Festival)

Music from Medieval AndalusiaArabo-Andalusian music preserved in Morocco.

Vocal and instrumental suites based on ancient Andalusian poems of love and pleasure.

For info: www.menamusic.org (800) 220-6270

Orchestra of Tetouan (Morocco)lute, violin, viola, rebab, tambourine, goblet drum & zither

Meet the reviewersBerna Can was born in Istan-bul, Turkey. She has begun aproject of creating performingeditions of unpublished ItalianBaroque choral music from man-uscript sources, focusing on theVenetian Antonio Caldara.

Angela R. Mace is a doctoralcandidate at Duke University,where she is writing her disserta-tion on Fanny Hensel and FelixMendelssohn Bartholdy. She iscurrently revising Felix Mendels -sohn Bartholdy: A Guide toResearch for the Routledgeseries.

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