giovedì 3 marzo 2016

Ludwig van Beethoven - Complete Sonatas for violin & piano


3 CD - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR Mb


CD 1

CD 2

CD 3



Period-instrument performances of Beethoven's violin sonatas aren't too common; they pose thorny problems of balance even beyond the question of whether Beethoven wouldn't have preferred modern instruments if he could have had them. But this superbly musical set by violinist Midori Seiler, playing an Italian Baroque violin of unknown manufacture, and fortepianist Jos van Immerseel, on a copy of an entirely appropriate Viennese Walter piano, may well redefine the standard for these works. The sonatas were recorded at different times in the late 2000s decade, and some were issued separately, but all were very nicely recorded in the chamber music hall of the Luxembourg Philharmonie, and they are very much a set. The joys of these recordings run across all three discs (the ordering of the sonatas was done merely in order to fit the complete program onto three), and they come from both players as well as from the interaction between the two. In the all-important Violin Sonata in No. 9 A minor, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer"), Seiler uses the rougher articulation of the Baroque violin to impart a loose, dramatic feel to the sonata's vast opening movement. The final Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 96, a work that anticipates Beethoven's late creative period, is marvelous; Seiler and van Immerseel understand that this most Brahmsian of Beethoven's works doesn't need too much help from the performers. Its perfectly innocent theme develops naturally into mysterious complexities as it shifts rhythmically both in relation to the piano accompaniment and to itself, and it works best if presented straightforwardly, as Seiler and van Immerseel do here. The earlier sonatas crackle with unexpected dialogue between the two instruments, something new in Beethoven's time, and there's real excitement in the performances even as they remain restrained. Not one is by the book or dull. Highest possible recommendation.
AllMusic Review by James Manheim


contents:


Disco 1

Sonata « Spring » No. 5 in F, Op. 24
Sonata No. 1 in D, Op. 12 No. 1
Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 12 No. 2
Sonata No. 3 in E Flat, Op. 12 No. 3

Disco 2

Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 30 No. 1
Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Op. 30 No. 2
Sonata No. 10 in G, Op. 96

Disco 3

Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23
Sonata No. 8 in G, Op. 30 No. 3
Sonata « Kreutzer » No. 9 in A, Op. 47


Midori Seiler, violin
Jos van Immerseel, piano

lunedì 29 febbraio 2016

Capturing Music. The Story of Notation


17 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 107 Mb




This CD came with a book which I'm trying to find.


contents:


 1. - Gregorian Chant, Introit " Ad Te Levavi "
 2. - Gregorian Chant, Introit " Resurrexi "
 3. - Gregorian Chant, Alleluia " Pascha Nostrum "
 4. - Hymn, " Ut Queant Laxis "
 5. - Alleluia " Pascha Nostrum "
 6. - Alleluia " Pascha Nostrum "
 7. - Clausula, " Latus Est "
 8. - Motet, " Immolata Paschali Victima "
 9. - Sumer Is Icumen In / Perspice Christicola
 10. - Motet, " Diex Qui Porroit / En Grant Dolour / Aptatur "
 11. - Motet, " Aucun Ont Trouvé / Lonctans Me Sui / Annun [Tiantes] "
 12. - Motet, " Garrit Gallus / In Nova Fert "
 13. - Biauté Qui Toutes Autres Pere
 14. - Io Son Un Pellegrin
 15. - Musica Son
 16. - En Attendant, Esperance Conforte
 17. - Belle, Bonne, Sage, Plaisant


Blue Heron

Johann Abraham Schmierer: Zodiaci Musici (1698) Orchestral Suites

47 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 112 Mb




There are few composers who have vanished from music history to the extent of Johann Abraham Schmierer. We know very little about this composer s origins, education, career and life journey. Some listeners, during or after hearing this recording, may well wonder why this music despite its undeniable qualities and relatively early publication (already in 1902 in the tenth volume of Denkmäler Deutscher Tonkunst) has not been recorded earlier. One reason is surely the fragmentary character of the collection, for six suites are obviously missing. The main reason why his music was ignored for so long, however, was most probably the composer s name. Even an unbiased musicologist, interpreter or music lover who stumbles across his name ('Schmierer' is German for 'scribbler') may instinctively ask Can a composer with such a name manage to write good music? Now, thanks to Petr Wagner and his Ensemble Tourbillon anyone can hear for himself than he can indeed do so!


contents:


Zodiaci musici

Suite No. 1 in F Major
Suite No. 2 In D Minor
Suite No. 3 in D Major
Suite No. 4 In B Minor
Suite No. 5 In B-Flat Major
Suite No. 6 In G Minor


Ensemble Tourbillon
dir. Petr Wagner