In 1720, Johann David Heinichen was rehearsing his latest opera in Dresden. The lead castrato pitched a fit. He tore up the music and hurled the pieces at Heinichen’s feet. That incident was all the excuse King Augustus the Strong needed. He dismissed his temperamental — and very expensive — singers. It effectively ended Italian […]
Baroque music
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Johann Mattheson “Joseph” — contemplative masterwork
Joseph Mattheson was a close friend of Georg Fredrich Handel. In part because the two shared an affinity for vocal writing. Mattheson was director of the Hamburg Cathedral. His operas were performed at the famed Oper am Gänsemarkt. Because of these connections, Mattheson had access to the best singers in the city. And that’s who […]
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Kölner Akademie’s Telemann Easter Cantatas Highly Recommended
Let’s be clear. This is a mere sampling of Georg Philipp Telemann’s output for Easter. After all, he composed Easter cantatas and oratorios for about sixty years. And often more than one for a specific date. This release focuses on works composed during the 1720s. Telemann was in his 30s, working in Frankfurt. He was the city’s […]
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Classical Interviews – Jeanette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire
Jeanette Sorrell is the Founder and Artistic Director of Apollo’s Fire which is a baroque orchestra with a vibrant, lively sound that has won awards, including a Grammy and a large, global following. She grew up playing the piano and listening to composers like Bach and Vivaldi -but when she heard Baroque music as a […]
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Francesco Zappa: 6 Duets for Violin and Cello
Let’s be clear: we’re talking about Francesco Zappa (1717-1803), not Frank Zappa (1940-1993). Zappa was a Milanese cellist and composer. He spent most of his professional life in The Hague. There he served (at various times) as a performer, composer, teacher, and impresario. The six duets for violin and cello on this release were published […]
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Pietro Antonio Locatelli Op. 7 Concertos make the transition
This release presents the six concertos Pietro Locatelli published as his Opus VII. The year was 1741, and styles were changing. The concerto form of Vivaldi and Corelli were beginning to show their age. Style Galant was on the rise. In this collection, Locatelli transitions from his past into his present. That’s not to say […]
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Fortunato Chelleri: Six Symphonies Nouvelles entertain
Fortunato Chelleri was certainly a cosmopolitan composer. He was an Italian opera composer initially. And then he was a court composer in Florence, Venice, and Barcelona. In 1722 he worked with Giovanni Platti in Würzburg. He served in the Royal Swedish court in the 1730s and returned to Germany to finish his career. All the […]
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Leila Schayegh completes LeClair violin concerto series
This completes Leila Schayegh’s traversal of Jean-Marie Leclair Op. 7 and Op. 10 concertos. LeClair was one of the premier violinists of the early 1700s. He’s credited with founding the French school of violin-playing. Bottom line: LeClair was a monster player — and he expected anyone performing his concertos to be the same! As with […]
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Georg Philipp Telemann Sings of Love
This release is all about love. Rest assured, these three secular cantatas are but a fraction of those Telemann wrote. The program is well-planned. The three cantatas come from three different sources. They were written for different occasions and presented different views of love. Julia Kirchner and Georg Poplutz each perform a solo cantata, […]