Deep remorse and the longing for divine redemption are two of the central topics in the cantatas of Northern German Baroque composers. Griet De Geyter and Il Gardellino have selected three exemplary works in this genre by Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach, giving special emphasis to the clearly led voice and striking expressivity of the young Belgian soprano. The emotional climax is Bach’s cantata with obbligato oboe “Mein Herz schwimmt im Blut” BWV 199, which is based on Christ’s parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The programme is complemented by an instrumental sonata by Buxtehude and two organ versions of the chorale “Jesu, meine Freude”, played by Leo van Doeselaar.
Full of fire, spirit, and life”: this description of the Bohemian composer Josef Mysliveček’s character was made by none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his younger contemporary. Mysliveček (1737-1781) spent his entire career in Italy and committed himself to the life of a freelance composer: he obstinately refused to accept any type of employment in permanent service. Not only did he...
Niccolò Jommelli was one of the most sought after composers of his time, but finally accepted to become musical director at the court of Stuttgart in 1753. Three years later he composed his Requiem to commemorates the recent death of the Duchess von Württemberg, mother of his patron, the Duke Carl Eugen..
Despite the fact that Jommelli owed his fame almost exclusively to his operas during his...
Alessandro Tampieri & Giorgio Dellarole : an unusual combination of baroque violin and accordeon but the result is stunning and very convincing. Musical fireworks with Bach, Corelli and Dario Castello.
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...
With this CD, violinist Mayumi Hirasaki, who has been Concerto Köln’s concertmaster since 2011, explores the chameleon-like possibilities of her instrument: when playing with scordatura, instead of the usual fifths interval between the violin strings, an alternative is used in which at least one string is tuned to a different pitch. This results in completely new sonic and harmonic...
The Italian Renaissance is the golden age of the lute. In quality and quantity, the lute pieces from this period are comparable to the piano works of the 19th century. Most of the works selected for this recording are by Francesco da Milano, an extraordinary virtuoso and gifted composer who was also known as "Il Divino" (the Divine), an epithet he shared with Michelangelo and Monteverdi. In...
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...
Franz Schubert (1797-1827) was an extremely prolific composer, but his entire output for violin and piano fits on two CDs. His bold use of tonalities is already evident in the early works from 1816 and 1817, which clearly reflect his admiration for Mozart. The first three are labelled "Sonatina", possibly intended to appeal to amateur musicians. However, they are highly complex works by the...
