In 2018 a collection of music by Carl Friederich Abel was discovered in Poland. In 1787 Count Maltzan purchased the manuscripts at Abel’s estate sale in London. He later returned to his native Poland, the collection soon forgotten. The Maltzan Collection has 29 works — 22 of them previously unknown. Six receive their recording world […]
Baroque music
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Giovanni Ristori Missa in C major to be taken seriously
A commenter took me to task for my recent review of Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Missa Omnium Sanctorum. “The point of a mass setting is not to be “fun” and Zelenka would probably abhor that characterization of this work… Anyway, it was his friend [Giovanni Alberto] Ristori who was responsible for the “fun” masses in Dresden.” […]
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Ars Antiqua Austria energize Georg Muffat
Georg Muffat studied with Lully in Paris early in his career. In 1680, he journeyed to Venice to study with Corelli. Influences from both composers can be heard in his 1682 collection Armonico Tributo. The structure of the proto-concerto grossi resembles those of Corelli’s Opus 4, written around the same time. And the dance movements […]
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Johann Friedrich Fasch Sacred Works on par with Bach’s
This release features a thoughtful program of music by Johann Friedrich Fasch. Two major choral works are separated by an instrumental suite. The Mass in G major is fascinating. Fasch breaks the text down almost to its component phrases. He then seems to treat each phrase differently, moving seamlessly from choral contrapuntal passages to vocal […]
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Zelenka: Missa Omnium Sanctorum – a true Baroque masterwork
In an ideal world, the works of Jan Dismas Zelenka would be as familiar as those of Johann Sebastian Bach, or Georg Philipp Telemann. Both were friends and colleagues of Zelenka, and both admired his work. The 1741 Missa Omnium Sanctorum is one such work. It’s a major work (over 50 minutes long), and an […]
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Ensemble Il Demetrio deliver thoughtful performances of Tartini
The liner notes lay out the problems with these Giuseppe Tartini works. In the late 1760s, the term a Quattro (in 4 parts) was somewhat vague. Did Tartini intend his Sonate a Quattro to be played with only four string instruments, as a proto-string quartet? And what about the role of the harpsichord, tacitly a […]
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Stefano Molardi branches out with Bach Family Organ Works
Consider this release a companion volume to Stefano Molardi’s previous Bach recording. That 2-disc set featured the complete works of Johann Michael Bach and Johann Christoph Bach (Johann Sebastian’s first cousin, once removed). There was enough material by J.M. Bach and J.C. Bach to fill two CDs. Not so in the case of the family members […]
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Telemann Wind Quintets, Vol. 1 – Pleasantly tuneful
Let’s be clear: the wind ensemble of Telemann’s time was vastly different than the ones we have today. Clarinets, metal flutes, valved brass instruments, and percussion were later additions to the ensemble. The lineup of L’Orfeo Bläserensemble is one Telemann was familiar with: two oboe d’amore, two F horns, and bassoon. Lute and cembalo provide […]
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Ensemble Imaginaire performs Durante with light touch
This double-disc release features eight string concertos by Francesco Durante, plus one that’s never been recorded before. Durante was a major figure in the early 18th Century. His music helped define the Neopolitan Galante Style. It was clean, clear, and relatively free of ornamentation. For the most part, the concertos on this release follow the […]