Georg Christoph Strattner is best remembered today for some of his hymn tunes. But in the late 1690s, he was a well-respected composer of many forms of sacred music. Strattner spent most of his professional life at the court chapel at Weimar. Like Heinrich Schutz, who was of the previous generation, Strattner blended the ideals […]
Baroque music
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L’Orfeo Bläserensemble continue to please with Telemann
It’s been two years since the release of volume one. And, I think, worth the wait. L’Orfeo Bläserensemble presents three more Georg Philipp Telemann written for winds. What I like best about this series is the sound of the ensemble. L’Orfeo Bläserensemble performs with period instruments. The result is a much warmer sound than that […]
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Christoph Graupner Easter Cantatas intimate and effective
Christoph Graupner wrote over 1,400 sacred cantatas. So there’s a lot to choose from — even for an album of just Easter cantatas. Christian Bonath has done a superb job programming a set of Holy Week cantatas that span decades of Graupner’s output. And each one receives a recording world premiere. Just to run down […]
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Mexican Baroque masterworks by Juan De Lienas
The Newberry Consort has assembled an impressive body of recordings over the years. But this one is a real standout. The consort explores the repertoire of the Mexican Baroque. Specifically, music from a 17th Century manuscript collection housed in a Mexico City convent. The primary composer is Juan De Lienas, who’s something of a cipher. […]
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Ensemble Klingekunst artfully perform Martin Christian Schultze
Martin Christian Schultze may be somewhat of a mystery, and the purpose of his collection may not be entirely clear. But there’s no doubt — at least to me — about the quality of these six sinfonias. They’re well-crafted works, played with enthusiasm and energy. The Trattamento dell’Harmonia was published in 1733, and the title […]
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L’Arte dell’Arco triumphs with latest Giovanni Platti release
Giovanni Benedetto Platti was born when Johann Sebastian Bach was 13, and died when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was seven. Just as his life spanned the late Baroque and the early Classical era, so did his music. This release features four of Platti’s nine published harpsichord concertos. The works were written between 1730 and 1750, for […]
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Per la Notte di Natale – superb Christmas concertos
Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto (Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8) often turns up on classical Christmas music albums. And I admit I never quite understood why. To my ears, there wasn’t anything especially Christmassy about it. That’s what makes this release so welcome. The liner notes explain the aesthetic behind these Italian […]
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Antonio Vandini Complete Works carefully researched
Antonio Vandini was one of the celebrated cellists of his age. And that age was the early 1700s when he shared the spotlight with his close friend Giuseppe Tartini. Vandini, like other virtuosos of his time, composing music for his instrument. But he didn’t write much that survived — just six sonatas and a concerto. […]
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Francesco Mancini Recorder Sonatas engage the ear
Francesco Mancini’s collection of XII Solos for a Violin or Flute were first published in London around 1724. They proved so popular that the music went through at least three editions. As the title suggests, Mancini’s music was composed for either violin or flute. “Flute” was a somewhat generic term, and could apply to either […]