Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) was a remarkable woman. This talented Venetian was a renowned singer and composer. She hosted gatherings in her father’s house for the city’s intellectuals and artists. This was her venue for performing. But she’s known today for something else — her music. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal music between 1644 and […]
Tactus
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Respighi Works for Flute and Orchestra work for me
Many people only know of Ottorino Respighi through his trilogy of tone poems celebrating Rome. This release helps fill out the composer’s profile with some very unusual works. With the exception of Gli Uccelli, these selections come from the early part of Respighi’s career. Those early works only exist in manuscript, and it’s not clear if […]
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Rafaele Carpino sources Mauro Giuliani guitar works
Mauro Giuliani was the pre-eminent guitar virtuoso of the early 19th Century. And, as was the practice, virtually all of his compositions were for his instrument. This release features six works, four of which in Giuliani’s favorite form — theme and variations. Guitarist Rafaele Carpino is also a historiographer of the instrument. For this recording, […]
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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 […]
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Italico Splendore serves Vitali well in new recording
Giovanni Battista Vitali is finally getting his due — thanks to this series from Tactus. The Italico Splendore Ensemble has been steadily making its way through Vitali’s published compositions. This release — the sixth — features the Soante a due violini, Op. 9, published in 1684. These are sonatas da chiesa (church sonatas). At the […]
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Anonima Frottolisti demonstrate Humanism in music
I first fell in love with early music through recordings of David Munro. In many ways, the Anonima Frottolisti reminds me of those recordings. The ensemble performs with enthusiasm and energy. The album is a survey of music heard in 15th Century Italy. The Humanist movement grew out of a rediscovery of ancient Greek writings […]
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Early Baroque gems from Varie Sonate of Giovanni Battista Vitali
For the average person, I think, the term “Italian Baroque” conjures up the music of Vivaldi. But the Italian Baroque really began around 1600, and it took a while for the music — and the instruments — to complete the transition from the Renaissance. What struck me most about this collection of sonatas by Giovanni […]
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Pugnani Violin Concertos As They Were Meant To Be Played
This recording is more remarkable then it appears at first hearing. Gaetano Pugnani was one of the most brilliant violinists of his age. At age ten he joined the Royal Chapel of Turin — as first violinist. And his career just kept getting better. As a virtuoso, he performed with the leading orchestras of […]
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Maggalena Lombardini String Quartets deserve a second hearing
Maddalena Lombardini lived quite a life. Born in Venice in 1735, she was a renowned violinist by the age of 14. Guiseppi Tartini took her under his wing, and soon she had a thriving career as a performer and an instructor at the Mendicanti of Venice. At 31 she married violinist Ludovico Sirmen and the […]