Johann Sebastian BachSonatas Viktoria Mullova, violin; OttavioDantone, harpsichord, organ;Vittorio Ghielmi, viola da gamba;Luca Pianca, luteOnyx Classics 4020113:27 minutes (2CDs)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s sixsonatas for violin and harpsichord,BWV 1014-1019, were written dur-ing a five-year period when he waskapellmeister for Prince LeopoldAugust in Cöthen. New recordingsof the works appear regularly, andit’s no wonder because in terms ofharmonic, melodic, and rhythmicinvention, they are nothing short ofmiraculous. Violinists love the works,and keyboardists do, too, becauseBach (1685-1750) frees the harpsi-chord from its hitherto subservientrole as a mere continuo instrumentand assigns the keyboard’s righthand its own melody line, one that’sequal to the violin’s. Rising to thechallenge of the music are thesesuperb performances by ViktoriaMullova on a 1750 Guadagnini vio-lin and harpsichordist Ottavio Dan-tone on a contemporary Italian copyof a Silbermann harpsichord.

Mullova plays with an angel’sbreath feathery touch in the gor-

geousLargomovementsthat opensome ofthesonatas—the BWV

1017 in particular. She also has mus-cle and energy aplenty when shebites into the extroverted passagesfound in all the sonatas. Mullovaplays with big tone, big gestures,and big heart throughout. Dantoneis, in some ways, a scene stealer. Heembellishes with wit and taste andups the ante rhythmically through-out. He makes the keyboard joyrideof the third movement Allegro ofthe BWV 1019 sonata into a tripthrough Bachian hyperspace. As adelicious bonus, the included violin,gamba, lute, and organ arrange-ment of the C major trio sonata,BWV 529, glows with timbral richness and Italianate flavor. —Craig Zeichner

Carl Czerny ClavierwerkeChristoph Hammer, fortepianoOrf Edition Alte Musik SACD 49470:06 minutes

The legacy of Carl Czerny (1791-1857) is assured, but perhaps in away that’s somewhat unfair to him.Known as the composer of countlessetudes, Czerny will forever be

remem-bered as apeda-gogue.Indeed,thisfamouspupil of

Ludwig van Beethoven chose a lifeof teaching and composing overconcertizing. But it’s clear from thisrecording that his musical and key-board legacy go far beyond whathe’s given credit for.

In this wonderful disc, ChristophHammer offers a sampling ofCzerny’s music that begins to givehim his due, revealing where com-posers such as Frederic Chopin andFranz Liszt got some of their ideas!(Liszt was Czerny’s most celebratedstudent, and both he and Chopinwere friends of Czerny.) It’s musicthat has echoes of Mozart andBeethoven, yet sees far into thefuture.

Czerny cannily wrote music forall tastes, composing brilliant “light”concert pieces as well as “serious”works. Hammer’s program is equallydivided between both types. Thedisc’s opener, Variationen über denbeliebten Trauerwalzer für dasPianoforte, Op. 12, is based on awaltz by Schubert and is decidedlylight and full of pianistic sparkle.

The Premiere Sonata in A-flat,Op. 7 (1819), is Romantic music parexcellence, and it’s a work Lisztchampioned. The first movement isrhapsodic, the second tempestuous,the Adagio...gorgeous. The fourthmovement is exhilarating, so the“Cappricio fugato” that follows andactually closes the sonata feelsstrange. However, upon repeated listenings, one appreciates the codaof the “fugato,” which recalls thefirst movement and evokes the feel-ing of returning home from a longjourney.

Hammer’s playing is by turnsscintillating and warm-hearted, andhe plays a fantastic replica of apiano by Rosenberger (Vienna,c.1805) built by Robert Brown. Thisdisc would be a welcome additionto any collection. —Sylvia Berry

Pierre de La RueThe Complete Magnificats;Three Salve ReginasViva Voce, Peter Schubert, directorNaxos 8.557896.97 119:53 minutes (2 CDs)

Pierre de La Rue’s mass settingsand chansons have been fairly wellrepresented on recordings, but theremainder of his sacred works hasnot done as well. This recording byViva Voce of La Rue’s Magnificatand Salve Regina settings is there-fore very welcome. La Rue (c.1452-1518) wrote eight Magnificat set-

tings (onevery tone),but onlyseven havesurvived. Ineach setting,chant alter-nates withpolyphony,

and in successive verses La Rue mixesup the number of voices—five arescored for four voices, while theremainder are for five and six. Thereare lots of neat compositional tricksin all of the works, with some cleverhandling of text and managementof the cantus firmus. The Salve Regi-nas (La Rue wrote six in all) are alsointeresting, with the Salve Regina IVborrowing themes from chansons byDufay and Binchois.

Viva Voce is a mixed-voiceensemble of very polished singers.They produce a body of sound thatseems larger than their 19 voices butis always clear and precise in allaspects of the singing. There is greatpower in the way voices build uponother voices—the opening of theMagnificat I is thrilling—but theyalso have great delicacy when need-ed. I came away thinking that theseare singers who pay attention dur-ing rehearsals; compliments to direc-tor Peter Schubert for leading suchsolid performances.—Craig Zeichner

George Frideric HandelFlaming RoseTempesta di Mare; Julianne Baird, sopranoChandos 074369:14 minutes

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), in composing his last Ger-man-language work, Nine GermanArias, used texts taken from HeinrichBrockes’s (1680-1747) pantheisticanthology Earthly Delight in God.The arias, written in the mid-1720s,were collected under their presenttitle in 1914, although they werenot originally conceived as a cycle.The verses Handel chose are sensori-al paeans to the diversity of natureas evidence of the benevolent pres-ence of God. As such, they voice theoptimism of the early Enlighten-ment, with its tranquil conviction in the harmony of man and universe.

Handel conceived these works aschamber pieces, scoring them forsoprano, obbligato instrument, andbasso continuo. Intimate in moodand scope, the arias explore theemotional terrain that stretchesbetween gentle introspection andeffervescent delight. The texts, richin pictorial and aural allusions, areparticularly well-suited to word-painting, and they inspired Handelto some profoundly subtle instancesof this art—the scampering flute

suggestiveof flames in“FlammendeRose,” orthe sharpdissonanceat the words

“arbeitsamer Eitelkeit” (vain labor)within the calm of Süße Stille.

Julianne Baird is a thoughtfulperformer, sensitive to the slightestfluctuation in mood and imagery. Inpassages of a tender nature, such asin Süßer Blumen Ambraflocken, sheis at her most eloquent.

The two Opus 2 trio sonatas,also included, accord well with thevocal music; some movements arereworkings of arias from otherworks of Handel. While underscor-ing contrapuntal interplay, Tempestadi Mare brings a fresh feel to themusic.—Berna Can

recordingreviewsEdited by Craig Zeichner

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Wolfgang Amadeus MozartDon GiovanniJohannes Weisser, baritone; LorenzoRegazzo, bass-baritone; AlexandrinaPendatchanska, Olga Pasichnyk,Sunhae Im, soprano; Kenneth Tarver,tenor; Nikolay Borchev, AlessandroGuerzoni, bass; RIAS Kammerchor,Freiburger Barockorchester, RenéJacobs, directorHarmonia Mundi 801964.66170:10 minutes (3 CDs)

It’s possible that before Don Gio-vanni’s premiere in 1787, the Pragueaudience might have wonderedwhat new twist librettist Lorenzo DaPonte and composer WolfgangAmadeus Mozart (1756-1791) couldadd to freshen the well-worn tale of

Don Juan.Today’s lis-tenersmight askthe samequestion:How doesthis record-

ing by René Jacobs add anythingnew to all the other versions of this oft-sung score—even those featuring period instruments?

Early music fans jealously claimJacobs as an interpreter of all thingsBaroque. This opera, however, sorich in its dark, lush harmonies,strays far from even the so-called“Classical” mold. Jacobs’s interpreta-tion demonstrates thought andcourage; it is not only well-executedbut also startling in its musical sur-prises. Supported by the FreiburgerBarockorchester, this Giovannimakes for marvelous listening. Themiking of the instruments is master-ful—one can hear each section dis-tinctly—quite a different experiencefrom usual string-dominated record-ings. But most surprising are therecitative sections, which are per-formed with panache and originali-ty. Jacobs has happened upon a for-mula that glorifies more than thearias in Mozart’s score.

Johannes Weisser’s rich voicemakes one wish the original Giovan-ni had been able to handle morenumbers. Lorenzo Regazzo ablysings his servant, Leporello. Sopra-nos Alexandrina Pendatchanska andOlga Pasichnyk both portray theircomplex characters through vocal

color alone. Pasichnyk, as Anna,deserves special mention for herincredibly nuanced control. KennethTarver, as Ottavio, pairs well withPasichnyk. Also well-matched aresoprano Sunhae Im as Zerlina andbass Nikolay Borchev as Masetto. Allinvolved offer a performance wellworth the time to listen.—Denise Gallo

COLLECTIONSByrdlandLawrence Zazzo, countertenor;Paragon Saxophone Quartet (SimonStewart, soprano saxophone; NaomiSullivan, alto saxophone; Tom Law,tenor saxophone; Katie Samways,baritone saxophone)Landor Records LAN 28062:47 minutes

Ten years ago the countertenorLawrence Zazzo was asked by somefriends to sing at their wedding,accompanied by a saxophone quar-tet. Zazzo was taken with the result-ing sound, and when he exploredthe consort music of William Byrd(c.1540-1623) and the lute songs ofJohn Dowland (1563-1626), hebegan to wonder what they wouldsound like on saxophones. A decadelater we have Byrdland (what a deli-cious pun), a recording of songs andinstrumental music by such giants asByrd, Dowland, Thomas Morley(c.1557-1602), Orlando Gibbons(1583-1625), and Henry Purcell(c.1659-1695), performed by Zazzoand the Paragon Saxophone Quar-tet.

Zazzo is a talented and sensitivesinger and perfectly suited to thisrepertoire. His voice is simply ravish-ing in Byrd’s profoundly moving

“Come to MeGrief forEver” andPurcell’s “IfLove’s aSweet Pas-sion.” If youknow Zazzo’s

work, you have no doubts that hewill take care of his end of the busi-ness. The big question is whetherthe saxophone quartet takes care oftheirs.

It does. First, the arrangementswere done by Ian Gammie, a gam-bist who has absolute respect for

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LA ROTADebut disc from the winners of the Early Music America

2006 Mediaeval-Renaissance Competition, featuring music from the time of Philip the Fair (1268-1314).

Sarah Barnes :: soprano Tobie Miller :: recorder, hurdy-gurdy

Émilie Brûlé :: vielle Esteban La Rotta :: lute, gothic harp

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the repertoire. Every note is playedas the composer wrote it for violconsort or is a direct transcriptionfrom previously existing and per-formed arrangements for viol con-sort. Second, the lush, plaintivesound of the saxophones is an idealfoil for Zazzo’s voice.

Of course, it helps that the play-ers are excellent. The intertwininginstrumental lines unfold with per-fect clarity, the timbre of eachinstrument is gorgeous, and the vir-tuosity of each player is withoutquestion. The glorious four-part fan-tasia by Gibbons is a showcase ofhow well the arrangements workand how comfortable the saxo-phone sounds in this repertoire. As amatter of fact, the players are sogood that I wished they would havestretched out a bit more in some ofthe dance numbers.

In the liner notes Zazzo thanksGammie that the project wasn’t“tantamount to heresy.” Quite thecontrary: Zazzo, Gammie, and theParagon Saxophone Quartet can be considered great defenders of the faith.—Craig Zeichner

Le Clavecin Français: La TerpsicoreArthur Haas, harpsichordPlectra Music PL 2070261:23 minutes

Arthur Haas has put together acollection that explores the musicalrelationship between the contempo-raries François Couperin (1668-1733) and Elisabeth Jacquet de LaGuerre (1665-1729). They were

born andlaid to resta fewyearsapart,came fromprominentParisian

musical families, grew up near eachother, and probably knew oneanother as children.

Jacquet de La Guerre, a prodigy,became one of the most celebratedmusicians in an age crowded withmusical talent. The first half of theCD is a selection of works typical ofher compositions. They evince a boldmachismo, using harmony as apowerful structural device, and gen-erally have no-nonsense titles suchas “Courante et Double,” “Sara-

bande,” and “Gigue et Double.”(The first piece, a prelude, is fromPièces de clavessin of 1687, and theremaining seven are from Pièces declavecin qui peuvent se jouer sur leviollon, 1707.) The group ends witha chaconne that is marvelous in itsarchitecture and narrative flow.

The second half of this collectionfocuses on works by Couperin. Likethose of Jacquet de La Guerre, hisshow the Italian influence felt inParis at the time. In addition, thereseem to be many references toJacquet de La Guerre’s work. How-ever, the many included characterstudies reveal a lightness and a fan-ciful nature rather different fromJacquet de La Guerre’s, with titlessuch as “Allemande La Laborieuse,”“La Charoloise,” and “La Terpsicore.”One of the last pieces on the CD is“Les Idées heureuses,” a lengthy andthoughtful rumination that fre-quently rambles in the outer fringesof D minor.

In fact, Haas has selected allpieces in D minor, as if he had pre-pared a live concert for us. (This mayactually have come about out ofrespect to the instrument used,which is an original Dumont from1707.) His performances here are allcarefully incised, with all of thedetails set into relief. —Stephen Dydo

The Elfin Knight: Ballads andDances from RenaissanceEnglandJoel Frederiksen; Ensemble PhoenixMunich (Joel Frederiksen, director,bass, lute; Timothy Leigh Evans,tenor, percussion; Domen Marincic,viola da gamba; Sven Schwann -berger, countertenor, flute, recorder,theorbo, lute; Sascha Gotowtsch -ikow, percussion; Helmut Weigl,colachon, theorbo)Harmonia Mundi HMC90198378:47 minutes

The Elfin Knight is a mythicalcharacter who turns up in a string ofballads that wind their way throughAnglo-Saxon folk music history. Inthe oldest versions, an elf threatensto abduct a young woman to be hislover unless she can perform animpossible task; she responds with alist of tasks that he must first com-plete. In later versions, the elf pro-poses fantastic tasks the lady mustperform to be accepted as his lover.She still parries by posing challenges

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Traditional Scottish music based on the poetry ofRobert Burns and Walter Scott

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Countertenor Matthew White, sopranos Suzie LeBlanc and Catherine Webster and friends

join the Voix humaines consort directed by Alexander Weimann to mark the Buxtehude 300.

“Highly recommended” — David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Matthew White • Meredith HallLa Nef

Matthew White • Suzie LeBlancLes Voix humaines

Early Music America Winter 2007 19

CHOIR OF KING’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

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20 Winter 2007 Early Music America

to him. Eventually, this song was abig hit for Simon and Garfunkel as“Scarborough Fair.”

The song appears here in threeof its many forms, including a ver-sion taken from a collection ofAppalachian folksongs. It’s fun towatch it morph, but that’s not thebest of the delights of this charmingCD. Joel Frederiksen (Munich, byway of the Boston Camerata andWaverly Consort) brings his deli-cious, expressive bass voice to more

than adozenAnglo-Saxontunesabout love,war, andpolitics

(what else is there?) that he hasspent decades researching, collect-ing, and arranging. Like a true Ren-aissance troubadour, he acts out thestory of each song with his voice.The slow ballads, where he accom-panies himself on the lute, are espe-cially wonderful: the strange song“Willie O’Wins bury,” the familiar“Barbara Ellen” and “Fortune, myfoe,” and the heartbreaking“Farewell, lovely Nancy.”

No slight intended to EnsemblePhoenix Munich, though, whichjoins in wonderfully throughout andshines in a few short instrumentalpieces. Tenor Timothy Leigh Evansespecially stands out in his dramaticperformance of “Lord Darly.” —Beth Adelman

An Italian Sojourn Trio Settecento Cedille Records CDR 90000 09961:23 minutes

Here we have eight sonatas by asmany composers, all on one disc.The subtitle of this release could be“The Violin in Italy: 1630-1750.”However, this survey of the develop-ment of the Italian Baroque violinsonata is richly enlivened by the verypersonal interpretations of the play-ers. Rachel Barton Pine, the violinist,has been playing with John MarkRozendaal (cello) and David Schrad-er (harpsichord) for over a decade asTrio Settecento. They have devel-oped their own very passionate wayof playing this music—stylisticallyaware but informed by moderntechnique—and it’s a treat.

The disk opens with three rela-tively early short pieces in D minor.

The first is the Sonata ottava by theVenetian Dario Castello (active 1621-1630). This fiery work both carriesforth the drama of Claudio Mon-teverdi and adumbrates the clarityand virtuosity of Arcangelo Corelli.The second is a lyrical and delicatesinfonia by Alessandro Stradella(1639-1682.) Biagio Marini’s (1594-1663) sonata is the third, and it hassome especially lyrical and virtuosicpassages for the cello.

The rest of the album containsfuller-length sonatas by Pietro Anto-nio Locatelli (1695-1764), Corelli(1653-1713), Giuseppe Tartini(1692-1770), George Frideric Handel(1685-1759), and Francesco MariaVeracini (1690-1768). The Tartini isthe Sonata Pastorale, a rustic evoca-tion of rural life played here withboth great energy and rich tone. TheVeracini, redolent with accidentals,begins with a passagallo (or pas-sacaglia), followed by a capricciocromatico, and ends with a slow cia-conna.

Both Pine and Rozendaal playperiod instruments; the violin is aGagliano that has never been

altered, veryrare in sucha fine instru-ment. Thefirst threepieces areplayed withdifferent

bows than the subsequent ones;presumably there is a switch fromBaroque bows to transitional orClassical ones. The very full sound ofthe strings is elegantly complement-ed by Schrader’s warm, brass-strungharpsichord.—Stephen Dydo

Love and Reconquest: Musicfrom Renaissance SpainFires of Love (Frances Cooper,soprano; Gordon Ferries, guitar,vihuela; Marcus Claridge,percussion; Jo Hugh-Jones, lute, recorders)Delphian DCD 3400370:56 minutes

It is always exciting to see mate-rial turn up that has not beenrecorded, is seldom recorded, or hasnot been recorded recently. There-fore, it is a pleasure that this collec-tion of Spanish Renaissance songsincludes several relatively unknownworks: “Ay, luna que Reluces,” “Con

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Early Music America Winter 2007 21

A B S D

The �nest music. The �nest interpretation.CHAMBER ORCHESTRAL CHORAL

The Amer ican Bach Soloists’ complete discography—including the six volumes of cantatas—is now avai lable through their websi te.

americanbach.org/recordings

Vancouver Early MusicProgramme & Festival 2008

SUMMER COURSES PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT

Mediæval ProgrammeFaculty includes members of Sequentia and Dialogos (Paris)

Benjamin Bagby & Katarina Livljanić directors

Baroque Vocal Programme “�e Compleat Singer”

Ellen Hargis voice; Steven Adby gesture, dance & stage movement; Ray Nurse co-director, vocal coachings, lute; Margret Gries co-director, vocal coachings, harpsichord; Doreen Oke vocal coachings, harpsichord

Baroque Instrumental Programme “�e Apothéose of the French Baroque”Jacques Ogg co-director, keyboard; Marc Destrubé co-director, violin; Wilbert Hazelzet traverso; Jaap ter Linden viola da gamba & cello;

Ana Yepes baroque dance; and others to be announced

Vancouver Early Music Festivalfeaturing performances by faculty members and guest artists

DETAILS ON OUR WEB SITE:

www.earlymusic .bc.ca

RECORDINGreviews

Amores,” and “Ay los Maytines era”are just a few. Better yet, these per-formances have a simple, understat-ed quality that suits them quite well.Only four musicians, Fires of Loverenders interpretations with an inti-

mate quality.FrancesCooper’ssoprano islimpid andsweet, herdiction clear;only occa-

sionally, in very high passages, doesshe fall short of a beautiful sound.Gordon Ferries’s work on guitar andvihuela has a similar lyrical quality,even in the virtuosic fantasias.

The goal of this recording is topresent a sonic picture of Spain atabout the time of the Reconquest(1492). The selections admirablyshow off the varied repertoire ofsecular music at the time, whichincluded foreign songs popularenough to be printed in Spanishmusic books. There are two verysmall disappointments with this col-lection, though. First, as a group,the majority of works are in similartempo and style. While gentle andattractive, this regularity becomes abit tiring. Second, despite offeringsome relatively unknown pieces, theCD also includes works that appearregularly in such collections, butwithout providing a compelling newview of them. These are very smallquibbles, however. The recording isa pleasure, with graceful and attrac-tive pieces both familiar and new.—Deborah Lawrence

Melodious Melancholye: The Sweet Sounds ofMedieval EnglandEnsemble Belladonna Raum Klang RK 200354:31 minutes

The unnamed writer of the linernotes makes the distinction betweenMedieval song styles in Europe, cit-ing the “highly ornamental passion”of the Italians and the “carefullyconstructed music” of the French.The English, the writer claims,“reflected a more direct and oftenintimate style of poetry.” This collec-tion of mostly anonymous 15th-cen-tury songs is, according to thewriter, a “tribute to the melodious

melancholy of the English.”Make your own decisions about

the stylistic nuances. The women ofEnsemble Belladonna—singers Miri-am Andersén and Rebecca Bain,along with the excellent instrumen-tal support of Susanne Ansorg onfiddle and rebec (the singers playinstruments, too)—simply deliver abrilliant program of music for oneand two voices, along with instru-mental selections. Both singers aremodels of tonal excellence and vocalcrispness, and their voices match upwell. For example, their performanceof the chestnut “Lullay lullow” is oneof the very best on record. The solosare gems, too; the Middle English

“Ar ne kuthich sorghenon” and“Bryd onebreere” arestunners.Ansorg’splaying is

marvelously infectious throughout,and the ensemble sets your feet tap-ping in “Hevene quene.”

Not since the days of Anony-mous 4 and the underrated Zorgina(of which Rebecca Bain was a member) has a small group ofwomen singers made such a perfectrecord. Let’s hope that EnsembleBelladonna has a long career withmany recordings ahead of it. —Craig Zeichner

Napoli/Madrid: Vinci Cantate e IntermezziRoberta Invernizzi, soprano; CristinaCalzolari, contralto; Giuseppe deVittorio, tenor; Giuseppe Naviglio,baritone; Cappella della Pietàde’Turchini, Antonio Florio,conductorNaïve OP 3027471:35 minutes

From 1503 to 1707, the King-dom of Naples was a province ofSpain, so it’s not surprising that anartistic bond developed between thetwo cultures. Italian musicians suchas the composer Domenico Scarlattiand the singer Carlo Broschi (knownas Farinelli) made their way to Spain.Clearly, the Spanish liked what theyheard, because the Spanish archivescontain much Italian music.

One of the composers whofound favor, although we are not

Continued from page 21

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At Corpus Christi Church, 529 West 121st Street, NYC

Friday October 19, 2007 8 PMRENAISSANCE ART SONGS: An Evening with Rufus MüllerFriday February 1, 2008 8 PMMAJESTIC DIALOGUES: The Brightness of Brass with Spiritus CollectiveFriday April 25, 2008 8 PMTHE QUEEN'S COURTIERS with Ex Umbris

2007-2008 Concert Season

Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley and Lisa Terry, viols

At Picture Ray Studios, 245 West 18th Street, NYC

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 8PMHOT OFF THE PRESS! New music and poetry for 2008

with actors Barbara Feldon and Paul Hecht

Ticket orders by credit card:Call (212) 358-5942 or go to www.Parthenia.org

Photo by David Rodgers, 2006

sure if he ever actually went toSpain, was Leonardo Vinci (?1696-1730). Vinci was so popular thatsome of his cantatas exist in aSaragossa archive with Spanishtexts. Three of those cantatas areheard on this recording, along with

his comicintermezzoErighetta eDon Chilone.Roundingout the pro-gram are acomic inter-

mezzo by Giuseppe Petrini (early18th century) and a zarzuela duet byJosé Nebra (1702-1768) that’s aninteresting blend of seguidilla andfandango.

Vinci’s cantatas are charmingwith their quicksilver, agile vocallines and melodic richness. AltoCristina Calzolari makes a goodshow of the vocal fireworks inAdónde fugitivo, while sopranoRoberta Invernizzi is marvelouslyexpressive in the cantata Triste,ausente, en esta selva. Invernizzialso brings strong vocal gifts andgreat comic personality to the twointermezzi, Vinci’s Erighetta e DonChilone and Petrini’s Graziello eNella. The instrumentalists of Cap-pella de’Turchini are all top notch.While this disc isn’t as interesting asthe earlier Provenzale recordings inthis Treasures of Naples series, thereis plenty to keep the listener happilyengaged.—Craig Zeichner

A Noble Entertainment: Musicfrom Queen Anne’s LondonThe Parnassian Ensemble (SophieMiddleditch, Helen Hooker, recorder;Joseph Crouch, cello; David Pollock,harpsichord)Avie AV209466:19 minutes

The music on this recordingoffers a glimpse into the bustlingLondon musical scene during thereign of Queen Anne (1665-1714).With a rapidly rising middle classpaying to hear music in the concerthall, the theater, and at home, itwas a good time to be a composerin England. Home performancegrew as well, and the recorderbecame something of the instru-ment of choice. The demand forrecorder music resulted in a

groundswell of recorder solos,duets, and trios being publishedaround 1700.

The familiar Trio Sonata in FMajor “in imitation of Birds” byWilliam Williams (1675-1701) opensthe program and is a good show-case for the excellent playing of therecorder duo of Sophie Middleditchand Helen Hooker. They play withone voice that’s both warm andrich—something we don’t alwayshear in recorder music. Works by thetransplanted Frenchman James Paisi-ble (c.1656-1721), Germans JohannChristoph Pepusch (1667-1752) andJ. Gottfried Keller (d. ?1704), andMoravian Gottfried Finger (c.1660-1730) also receive outstanding performances.

I was consistently taken with thesweet tone and precision of bothplayers. Even the highest flying pas-

sagesremainedvery pleasantto the ear,avoiding thepiercingshrillnessthat some-

times turns me off to much of thisrepertoire. Cellist Joseph Crouch hasexcellent solo moments in a sonataby the Italian Nicola Francesco Haym(1678-1729), and harpsichordistDavid Pollock plays Henry Purcell’s(1659-1695) Suite in G minor witheloquence. —Craig Zeichner

The Pleasures of Love andLibation: Airs by Julie Pineland other Parisian WomenLa Donna Musicale (SherezadePanthaki, Yulia Van Doren, soprano;Lydia Heather Knutson, Daniela Tosic,mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan,tenor; Cécile J. Garcia-Moeller, violin; Catherine Liddell, theorbo;Na’ama Lion, Baroque flute; BarbaraPoeschl-Edrich, harp; Noriko Yasuda, harpsichord; Ruth McKay,harpsi chord, organ; Laury Gutiérrez,viola da gamba, director) with Justin Godoy, recorder, and Daniel Olsen, bassLA 0710365:36 minutes

Musicologists studying womencomposers have dedicated much inkto certain women attached to thesalons of 17th- and 18th-century

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50 Winter 2007 Early Music America

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Exiting new recordings of Baroque and RomanticRepertoire on original instruments

J. S. BACH: The Works for HarpsichordLatest ReleaseDas Wohltemperierte Clavier, Book IPeter Watchorn (harpsichord)(Critic’s choice, Musicweb, 2006)

THE ROMANTIC SERIESFranz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin,Winterreise & SchwanengesangRobert Schumann: DichterliebeMax van Egmond (baritone)Penelope Crawford &Kenneth Slowik (fortepiano)Latest New ReleaseFranz Schubert & Robert Schumann:“Trout” Quintet & Piano Quintet, Op. 44

FELIX MENDELSSOHN 2009:Complete Chamber Music for Piano & Strings,commemorating the 200th anniversary of his birthLatest ReleaseD Minor Trio, Op. 49 & Sextet, Op. 110The Atlantis Trio & Ensemble: Jaap Schröder (violin),Enid Sutherland (cello), Penelope Crawford (fortepiano)

www.musicaomnia.org

ROBERT SCHUMANN:PIANO QUINTET, OP. 44

FRANZ SCHUBERT:“THE TROUT”

The Atlantis EnsembleMax van Egmond

ROBERT SCHUMANN:PIANO QUINTET, OP. 44

FRANZ SCHUBERT:“THE TROUT”

The Atlantis EnsembleMax van EgmondThe Romantics 8

“Everything about this latest release from American ensembleLa Donna Musicale is first-rate”

“Violin, flute, recorder, viola da gamba, harp, organ andharpsichord provide a myriad of delicately shifting colours.

Vocal duets ... add even further to the listener’s pleasure. Thisis a disc I will be returning to for a long time to come.”

William Yeoman, Goldberg, Fall 2007

For more information and to purchase our new CD please visit www.ladm.org or call us at 617-461-6973

Paris. Although a number of record-ings have been dedicated to theworks of Elisabeth Jacquet de LaGuerre (1665-1729) and others whowrote for the keyboard, there hasbeen a noticeable gap in recordingsof compositions by women whocontributed to the repertory for

voice,employingpopularcontempo-rary genressuch as theair, chan-sonette,

and brunette. In addition to beingwonderful compositions, thesepieces add an extra layer towomen’s cultural history becausethey present the added dimension oftext. Many of the songs, whentranslated from the contemporaryvernacular, demonstrate an earthi-ness and comfortable acceptance ofthe ways of love.

The Pleasures of Love and Liba-tion is the third recording from LaDonna Musicale, a group that haspreviously recorded the works ofAntonia Bembo and Jacquet de LaGuerre. They turn now to thesevocal works, the majority of whichwere penned by Julie Pinel (fl.?1710-1737). Various combinationsof performers in this talented grouptake turns interpreting a rich selec-tion of songs. Interspersed through-out are instrumental tracks, two ofwhich again represent Jacquet de LaGuerre. Particularly noteworthy arethe final two tracks, “CraignezL’Amour et sa colère” and “Aux plusheureux amants mon fort doit faireenvie,” because they feature most ofthe ensemble. Also worth a wordare the excerpts from Jacquet de LaGuerre’s violin sonata in D minor,with Cécile J. Garcia-Moeller assoloist. Kudos to La Donna Musicaleas they champion the unheard

music of women composers of thedistant past.—Denise Gallo

Rise, O my soul: English AnthemsStudio de musique ancienne deMontréal; Les Voix humaines;Christopher Jackson, conductorATMA Classique ACD2 250660:39 minutes

As I approach my 10th year aseditor of the reviews section, I’mstruck by the number of times I’velistened to a recording and said,“That was the most beautiful thingI’ve ever heard.” Just so you don’tthink it’s always sunny skies inreview world, I’ve voiced the con-trary opinion at times, as well.Hyperbole aside, Rise, O my Soulmight be one of the most beautifulrecordings ever made. From thecover photo, with its echoes ofGeorges de la Tour, to the excellenceof the singing and instrumentalplaying, rounded out by the gor-geous, life-like sound, this is as closeto perfection as you can come.

Of course, it helps when the pro-gram of verse anthems, whichincludes Orlando Gibbons’s “See,see the word is incarnate” and

ThomasTomkins’s“Above thestarrs mysaviourdwells,”receivedeeply heart-

felt performances. There are somesurprises as well. The verse anthem“Prayer is an endless chain” by JohnWard (c. 1589-1638) grips the lis-tener, while William Simmes’s (fl.1607-1616) “Rise, o my soul” flirtswith a Monteverdian flavor.

I’m something of a purist aboutthis repertoire, having been longaccustomed to the sound of Angli-can choirs of boys and men, but theresults Christopher Jackson getsfrom his mixed-voice ensemble areravishing. At the core of this pro-gram is the magnificent instrumen-tal support (viols and organ) of LesVoix humaines—for my money thebest ensemble playing this musiccurrently on the scene. Their contri-butions supporting, accenting, andcaressing each vocal phrase areequal to the virtuoso brilliance they bring to fantasias by Tomkins(1572-1656) and Gibbons (1583-1625). If there is praise higher than“essential listening,” I award it tothis recording. —Craig Zeichner

Early Music America magazinewelcomes news of recent re cordings. Please send CDs to be considered for review and pertinent information toCraig M. Zeichner, ReviewsEditor, 69 Poplar Street, Apt. 2C, Brooklyn, NY 11201; recordings@earlymusic.org.Early Music America cannotguarantee the inclusion of everyCD sent for review. All publishedreviews reflect the personalopinions of the reviewer only.

Early Music America Winter 2007 51