Without doubt, Benjamin Britten (1913-76) left an indelible impression on every genre of 20th century English music. However, it is his smaller scale vocal repertoire that is particularly fascinating. Featuring three of Britten’s “Canticles” as well as a selection of his best realizations (or “arrangements,” if you will) of songs by Henry Purcell (1659-95), this recording represents the mature revival of English song. The “Canticles” presented on this recording (numbers 1-3) are masterful, morally charged pieces. They demand of the singer and pianist careful attention to how Britten uses text as the starting point for all of his works. The “Purcell Realizations” further illustrate the genius of Benjamin Britten. Benjamin Britten strikes the ideal balance between providing unbelievably stirring music and serving the text without overwhelming its intent. This recording demonstrates Britten’s preeminence among 20th century song composers.
The Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, in collaboration with several universities, researches valuable repertoire linked to the history of Andalusia. This Proyecto Atalaya has already produced a series of CDs with unknown jewels, which have been released on Passacaille. On this new album called Astro Nuevo we can rediscover works by Pedro Rabassa (1683-1767). As a faithful musical partner of the...
With this disc, Swiss harpsichordist Michel Kiener presents his interpretation of the Goldberg Variations, one of Bach’s absolute masterpieces. Kiener completed both his piano and harpsichord studies at the Geneva Conservatoire, where he won the prize of virtuosity in both disciplines. He perfected his art with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam and was laureate of the Bruges International...
Bach’s English Suites are entitled in a way that is as strange as it is hard to explain, at least at first glance. Contrary to what one might assume, these works are more closely related to French suites than to English music. The title is taken from the inscription “Fait pour les Anglois”, found on a manuscript owned by Bach's youngest son. In addition to an extensive prelude and four...
At the beginning of the 17th century, music in Italy underwent a radical change. From the first experimental attempts in Florence to revive the musical practice of Greek antiquity, which had not been handed down in detail, the genre of the monody developed, in which the singer could finally express all the nuances of the text (the "affects"), freed from the strict constraints of polyphony. To...
In the present recording, the organists Liuwe Tamminga and Leo Van Doeselaar have selected eleven double-choir instrumental pieces (from Giovanni Gabrieli. This selection of eight-to-twelve-part pieces, performed on two of the most beautiful and suitable organs for this repertoire—the two magnificent organs of the San Petronio Basilica in Bologna (unfortunately no comparable organs have...
World Premiere recording of the Six Sonatas for harpsichord with violin accompaniment of Cirri. Ignazio Cirri was maestro di cappella from 1759 at the Cathedral of Santa Croce, now the Duomo in Forlì. In that same year he was granted entrance to the Philharmonic Academy in Bologna. It is not certain whether his teachers included Giovanni Battista Martini who was only five years older. It is...
