J.S.Bach - Four Suites (from DVD)

27 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 163 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

Bach’s Orchestral Suites, or Overtures, are among the only true orchestral works he wrote for a chamber ensemble. With the exception of the Brandenburg Concertos, all his other orchestral works are for solo instruments, such as harpsichord or violin, and orchestra. The four overtures are tutti works, like the Brandenburgs, where the entire ensemble is the soloist. These works are also some of the most French of all of Bach¹s music - not only is the sound distinctly French, but the movements bear French names as well. Ton Koopman is one of the most interesting Bach performers in recent years. The performances are very good - they are lively, moving, full of vigour and they get the feet tapping, something that too many performers of these works cannot achieve. All too often these suites end up sounding staid and rigid, as conductors try and fit them into a mould that is more appropriate for Mozart or Haydn symphonies. This recording is full of fine contrasts as well - the spirited bouree of the second suite is followed by a stately, rhythmic reading of the polonaise, a sensitive minuet, and an almost bouncy badinerie. (This suite is especially intimate, featuring only 7 musicians, compared with about 20 for the third and fourth suites, and a dozen for the first.)

contents:

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major BWV 1066
Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor BWV 1067
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major BWV 1068
Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major BWV 1069

Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
dir. Ton Koopman

Nicolas Chedeville - Les Deffis ou L'Etude Amusante

tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 106 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

The (in)famous parody of Vivaldi's four seasons. "Nicolas Chedeville was high priest of an improbable bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy cult to which much of French high society surrendered in the early 18th century. The aristocrats wandered through their country parks dressed in `peasant' clothes, picnicked on country fare...and rural music was a favourite accompaniment, played on instruments with an appropriately rustic pedigree but exquisitely craftsman-made, much `improved', sounding as civilised as they possibly could in court-professional hands." Chedeville himself was a master of the musette, a small, refined version of the bagpipe.

Robert Mandel, hurdy-gurdy
Pal Nemeth, flute
Ensemble Le Berger fortuné

Chansons des Trouvères

tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

The repertoire of trouvere songs is one “we are only now beginning to explore” writes Margaret Switten. I’m not sure that John Stevens or Hendrik van der Werf would agree with this, but it is certainly a claim that whets the appetite. And here we have an enlightened and well-chosen selection, sensitively presented and delightfully sung by Paul Hillier with insight and feeling. The main object of the poets’ attention is fin’amor, but other themes, including the return of spring (Volez vous que je vous chant and En mai, quant li rossignolez), make their joyful appearance, and there is one piece in a completely different vein, a serious piece of religious polemics: Deus est ensi conme li pellicanz.
The melodies, simple and stanzaic, are of great beauty. Outstanding in this respect is Gace Brule’s A la doucor de la bele seson. Many are modal (Dorian) and a few share a well-known opening phrase with a Gregorian melodie-type that Andrew Lawrence-King has made much use of in his accompaniments. His own contribution is momentous: if the manner in which these songs were originally performed still remains a mystery for the singer, it is even more of an enigma for the accompanist. But Andrew Lawrence-King has taken the word trouvere to heart: he is a true ‘finder’. His empathy with text, music and singer is total: he ‘invents’ with a sure touch, and I think it is not going too far to say it is a touch of genius.'

contents:

  1. Volez vous que je vous chant
  2. Les oxelés de mon paix
  3. Ce fu en mai
  4. Ausi conme unicorne sui
  5. Deus est ensi conme li pellicanz
  6. Chancon ferai, que talenz m'en est pris
  7. En mai, quant li rossignolez
  8. A la doucor de la bele seson
  9. Quant voi la flor nouvele

Paul Hillier, voice
Andrew Lawrence-King,  medieval psaltery, harp, portative organ

Montserrat Figueras - La Voix de L'Emotion

2 CD - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 254 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

In November 2011, the music world suffered a huge loss with the passing of the great soprano Montserrat Figueras. Acclaimed in recent years for her exceptional work with her husband Jordi Savall, both in performance and in recordings for their Alia Vox label, Figueras was famed not only as a vocalist but also for her scholarly efforts in the area of musicology. This comprehensive tribute album presents a selection of highlights from Figueras career. It includes recordings she made for the Astrée, DHM, EMI and Alia Vox labels. Appropriately titled La Voix de l'émotion, this 35 track album is a fitting celebration of the depth, power and skill that were emblematic of Figueras musical style.
Figueras style of singing early music was at once steeped in historical sources and animated by freewheeling personal expression; she had a phenomenal ability to make ancient song come alive in the present. --Alex Ross

contents:

Disc: 1
  1. Medea: Invocation
  2. Berceuse Amazigh
  3. Romance: Palestina hermoza y Santa
  4. Planctus: Oarbre sanct, digne de honor (Maria)
  5. Milan: Romance: Triste estabamuy quexosa
  6. Mudarra: Villancico: Isabel, perdiste la tu faxa
  7. Di Rore: Chanson: Anchor che co'l partire
  8. Lope de Vega: Romance: Como retumban los remos!
  9. Victoria: Salve, Regina (excerpt)
  10. Monteverdi: Lamento della ninfa: Amor dov'e la fe
  11. Caccini: on le luci d'un bel ciglio, 1614
  12. Merula: Canzonetta spirituale sopra la nanna
  13. Hidalgo: Tono humano: Ay queme rio de amor
  14. Duron: Solo humano: Sosieguen descansen
  15. Reichardt: Berçeuse: Dorsmon enfant, 1798
  16. Sor: Aria: Ti ricordi che giurasti
  17. Sor: Seguidilla: Las Mujeres y cuerdas
  18. Mussorgsky: Avec la poupee
  19. Part: Berceuse de Noel

Disc: 2
  1. Romance: Por que llorax blanca nina
  2. La Sibila Galaica (excerpt)
  3. Canco: A chantarm'er de so
  4. Guerrero: Villancico: Si la noche haze escura
  5. Villancico: Nina y vina
  6. Narvaez: Villancico: Con que la lavare
  7. Villancico: Yome soy lamorenica
  8. Victoria: Ne timeas, Maria
  9. Luzzaschi: Madrigal: Aura soave
  10. Monteverdi: Canzonetta: Si dolce e il tormento
  11. Merula: Sentirete una canzonetta
  12. Marin: Canarios: No piense Menguilla ya
  13. Hidalgo: Tono Humano: Trompicavalas amor
  14. Canco: El Fill del rei
  15. Cererols: Hei mihi (Missa Pro Defunctis: VII)
  16. De Falla: Nana: Duermete, nino, dureme

J.S.Bach, Matthäus-Passion BWV 244

3 CD - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 244 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

The St. Matthew Passion, Bach's monumental retelling of the story of the Last Supper and the arrest and execution of Jesus, typically runs from two-and-a-half to three hours. Yet this performance makes the time... well, not exactly fly past (consider the subject matter), but it's not tedious for even a second. Much of the credit for this goes to the marvelous Evangelist, Ian Bostridge. He's an outstanding narrator: the clear tone and diction, skillful timing, and intense involvement with words that made him a famous lieder singer are all in evidence; his part consists of nothing but recitative, yet he holds your interest unfailingly. Franz-Josef Selig gives a more dramatic reading of Jesus than you usually hear these days--he may be a bit too "operatic" for some listeners, but he really communicates his character's very human anguish and sorrow. Similarly, soprano Sibylla Rubens, tenor Werner Güra, and bass Dietrich Henschel sometimes unleash a bit too much vibrato for some tastes, but their singing is full-throated and attractive and they're very sensitive to the nuances in the text and music. Superstar countertenor Andreas Scholl is the standout--he combines unearthly purity with very earthly feeling and blends beautifully with the baroque instruments. The real stars of the record, however, are Philippe Herreweghe and his remarkable choir and orchestra. This conductor and his musicians (especially his radiant choir, Collegium Vocale) have always been superb at conveying warmth, devotion, and contemplation, but intense joy, anguish, or anger have sometimes seemed beyond them. Not here: they cover the full emotional range of this work--from reverent reflection to anguished remorse to churning fury--without ever crossing the line into melodrama or sacrificing clarity.

Tenor [Evangelist]: Ian Bostridge
Bass [Jesus]: Franz-Josef Selig
Soprano [arias, Pilatus' wife]: Sibylla Rubens
Alto: Andreas Scholl
Tenor: Werner Güra
Bass: Dietrich Henschel
Bass [Pilatus]: Dietrich Henschel
Baritone [Judas & Priest 1]: Frits Vanhulle
Bass [Petrus & Priest 2]: Dominik Wörner
Alto [Witness]: Andreas Scholl
Tenor [Witness]: Werner Güra
Sopranos [Maids]: Elisabeth Hermans & Susan Hamilton

Chœr et Orchestre de Collegium Vocale Gent
Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino (Director: Michäel Ghljs)
dir. Philippe Herreweghe

Battaglie & Lamenti

12 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 130 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

Jordi Savall is hugely respected both as an instrumentalist and as a music director across early music. Throughout his career he has made outstanding period instrument recordings, exploring the roots of European Musical tradition, and his masterly playing of the viola da gamba gave immense depth to the success of the film ‘Tous les matins du monde’.
In the 17th Century, battles were celebrated with musical compositions which inspired soldiers with the glory of the past. But battles breed as much grief as grandeur. “Bataglie e Lamenti” is a musical journey which takes listeners through exhilarating and sombre landscapes, masterfully depicted by Savall, Figueras and Hespèrion XX.

Les pièces chantées contenues dans ce nouvel album Alia Vox furent enregistrées pour Archiv Production en 1981 mais ne furent pour ainsi dire jamais disponibles : c'était la fin du vinyl. Le Lamento d'Ariana est l'un des plus beaux enregistrements de Montserrat Figueras : il s'agit du fameux enregistrement de 1989, paru précédemment chez Auvidis. Les pièces instrumentales, quant à elles, ont été captées au cours des derniers mois.

contents:

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) : Pavan - Galliard Battaglia
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) : Lamento d'Arianna
Giovanni Gabrieli (v.1554-1612) : Canzon III a 6
Bastiano Chilese (actif 1608) : Canzon in Echo a 8
Jacopo Peri (1561-1633) : Lamento di Iole
Luigi Rossi (v.1598-1653) : Fantasia "Les pleurs d'Orphée"
Nicolò Fontei (v.1600-ca.1647) : Pianto d'Erinna
Anonyme : Sarabande Italienne
Giuseppe Guami (1542-1611/12) : Canzon sopra la Battaglia a 4
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1664) : Il Lamento "Su'l Rodano severo"
Andrea Falconiero (v.1585-1656) : Battaglia de Barabasso yerno de Satanas

Montserrat Figueras, soprano

Hesperion XXI
dir. Jordi Savall

 

Nicolò Porpora - Sonate XII di violino e basso (1754)

2 CD - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR Mb

Tusfile - FileFactory

contents:

Sonata I in A major

Sonata II in G major

Sonata III in D major

Sonata IV in B flat major

Sonata V in G minor

Sonata VI in C major

Sonata VII in F major

Sonata VIII in C major

Sonata IX in E major

Sonata X in A major

Sonata XI in D major

Sonata XII in D minor

Giovanni Guglielmo, violin

Piero Bosna, cello

Andrea Coen, harpsichord

W.A.Mozart - Violin Concertos Nos 1, 5 & Sinfonia Concertante

9 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 120 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

There is certainly no shortage of recordings of the Mozart works presented on this release by Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, but the performers manage to stand out with intelligent programming and distinctive playing. The Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major, K. 207, and Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219, work precisely because Frang does not try to make too much of them: her playing in these early Mozart works is brilliant and bright, and they function as something of an overture to the main attraction, the Sinfonia concertante in E flat major, K. 364, with veteran violist Maxim Rysanov as an equal partner; and it's here that this recording really stands out. The usual way with this duo concerto is for the two soloists to match each other's styles and let Mozart's melodies come to the fore, but here is a real dialogue in the Romantic way. It's unusual, but it works, especially in the slow movement. The recording is in no way overdone; the chamber orchestra Arcangelo under Jonathan Cohen provides spare, crisp accompaniment, and the combination of the sparse texture with the distinct soloist personalities is compelling. The cadenzas in the violin concertos, one of them by Joseph Joachim, add another Romantic note. This album both hangs together well and is a great deal of fun. Highly recommended.

contents:

Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 207
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 364

Vilde Frang, violin
Maxim Rysanov, viola

Arcangelo
dir. Jonathan Cohen

Italienische Meister

17 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 117 Mb

Tusfile - FileFactory

contents:

Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695 - 1764)

Introduttione teatrale D-Dur op. 4 Nr. 1

Alessandro Marcello (1684 - 1750)

Konzert für Oboe, Streicher und Basso continuo d-Moll

Francesco Geminiani (1687 - 1762)

Concerto grosso c-Moll op. 2 Nr. 1

Giovanni Paisiello (1740 - 1816)

Konzert für Klavier und Orchester C-Dur

Luigi Cherubini (1760 - 1842)

Sinfonie D-Dur

Cappella Coloniensis

dir. Hans-Martin Linde & Gabriele Ferro

Helmut Hucke - oboe

Hiro Kurosaki & Wolfgang Neininger - violin

Andreas Gilly - viola

Zoltan Racz - cello

Maria-Luisa Tanzini - fortepiano

Simone Kermes, Vivica Genaux - Rival Queens

15 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 120 Mb

Tusfiles - FileFactory

The Album explores the artistic legacies of the two legendary singers (Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni) and the heights of inspiration to which their rivalry moved the leading composers of their era.

A thrilling recording, in which Simone Kermes and Vivica Genaux sing arias and duets composed at the height of the rivalry between Eighteenth-Century singers Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni.

June 1727 was witness to the mother of all theater scandals. Francesca Cuzzoni (alias Simone Kermes) and Faustina Bordoni (alias Vivica Genaux), arch-rivals and both superstars of Italian opera, had a fight on stage at London’s Haymarket Theatre.

Featuring music by Bononcini, Händel, Leo, Lotti, Pollarolo, Porpora, and Porta, most of which has not been heard since the careers of Bordoni and Cuzzoni, Rival Queens explores the artistic legacies of the two legendary singers and the heights of inspiration to which their much-fêted competition moved the important composers of the era.

contents:

Giuseppe Arena: Come potesti, oh dio (from La clemenza di Tito) *

Attilio Ariosti: Lucio Vero Vorreste o mie pupille *

Giovanni Battista Bononcini: Astianatte Svenalo, traditor *

Giovanni Battista Bononcini: Spera che questo cor (from Astianatte) *

Giacomelli: Scipione in Cartagine nuova Villanella nube estiva *

Johann Adolf Hasse: Tu vuoi ch'io viva o cara (from Artaserse) *

Johann Adolf Hasse: Issipile Impallidisce in campo *

Johann Adolf Hasse: Va tra le selve Ircana (from Artaserse) *

Johann Adolf Hasse: Se mai più sarò geloso (from Cleofide)

Leonardo Leo: Ciro riconosciuto Benché l'augel s'asconda

Antonio Pollarolo: Lucio Papirio dittatore Padre amoroso *

Nicola Antonio Porpora: In amoroso petto (from Arianna in Nasso)

Nicola Antonio Porpora: Nobil onda (Adelaïde) *

Domenico Natale Sarro: Al valor di Borea armato (from Lucio Vero) *

Leonardo Vinci: L'onda chiara che dal fonte (from Ifigenia in Tauride) *

* World-premiere recording

Simone Kermes, soprano

Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano

Cappella Gabetta

dir. Andrés Gabetta

Farina - Le sonate

10 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 110 Mb

Filescdn - FileFactory

“Farina had great influence upon violin playing in Germany. Johann Vierdanck already met him as music scholar at Dresden. David Cramer and Johann Schop carried the Italian violin style to Hamburg, and even after two generations the music of Heinrich Schmelzer, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Johann Jakob Paul Westhoff and Johann Walther still shows the impact of Farina.”

contents:

  1. Sonata detta la Polaca, for 2 violins & continuo
  2. Sonata detta la Capriola, for 2 violins & continuo
  3. Sonata detta la Moretta, for 2 violins & continuo (Book 1)
  4. Sonata No. 24, detta La Franzosina, for violin & continuo
  5. Sonata detta la Farina, for violin & continuo (Book 1)
  6. Sonata detta la Greca, for 2 violins & continuo
  7. Sonata detta la Cingara, for 2 violins & continuo
  8. Sonata detta la Fiama, for violin & continuo
  9. Sonata detta la Semplisa, for 2 violins & continuo
  10. Sonata detta la Desperata, for violin & continuo (Book 5)



Lukas Friedrich & Christine Busch, violin
Barbara Noeldeke, violoncello
Hubert Hoffmann, archlute
Joerg Hannes Hahn, harpsichord & organ 

Amore e morte dell'amore

13 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 106 Mb

Tusfile - FileFactory

Now working, my mistake, sorry.

The duet madrigal, chamber cantata, or aria was a prime form of the early Baroque, ready-made for a noble family that wished to display its house singers and even draw from them a little bit of competition. There are a number of albums in the genre on the market, but Amore e morte dell'amore (Love and the Death of Love), from reigning Baroque soprano queen Roberta Invernizzi and newer contralto talent Sonia Prina, stands out from the crowd. First there are the rich voices of the singers themselves, who could sing a random web search page and make it sound good, and their razor-sharp coordination. Second is the program, which traverses the entire 17th century and moves into the 18th, holding everything together thematically and largely avoiding well-known numbers (other than the finale duet from Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea), touching on some unusual mid-century finds by Antonio Lotti and Francesco Durante, with a well-placed ensemble treatment of a Domenico Scarlatti sonata as an interlude. That piece shows off the talents of the Ensemble Claudiana, new faces on the historical-performance scene. Above all these individual factors is their coherence into an overall package. Invernizzi and Prina get the intimate chamber quality of most of this music, its natural habitat of a music room with a group of connoisseurs who were ready to listen closely. They are virtuosic, lithe, and playful, even when they approach a serious text. Naïve supports them beautifully with studio sound. Highly recommended.

contents:

Interrotte speranze di Claudio Monteverdi

Mentre vaga angioletta di Claudio Monteverdi

Se morto mi brami di Benedetto Marcello

Tanti strali di George Frederick Handel

Pur tí miro di Claudio Monteverdi

Giuramento amoroso di Antonio Lotti

Sonata, K90 di Domenico Scarlatti

Ohimè, dov'è il mio ben di Claudio Monteverdi

Son io barbara donna di Francesco Durante

Vorrei baciarti di Claudio Monteverdi

Sono liete, fortunate di George Frederick Handel

Roberta Invernizzi, Soprano

Sonia Prina, Contralto

Ensemble Claudiana

dir. Luca Pianca

Antonín Reichenauer - Concertos II

20 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 112 Mb

Tusfiles - FileFactory

Antonín Reichenauer (c. 1694–1730) – a few years ago a name virtually unknown, today mentioned by Baroque music lovers in the same breath as the greatest Czech Baroque masters, not to mention Antonio Vivaldi himself. Reichenauer assumed after Johann Friedrich Fasch the post of court composer in the service of Count Morzin, whose chapel Vivaldi called a "virtuosissima orchestra" and for which he wrote a number of concertos. Following the previous – and first-ever – CD featuring Reichenauer’s concertos (SU 4035-2), within its Music from Eighteenth-Century Prague series Supraphon is now releasing world premiere recordings of other concertante works as performed by Musica Florea. Twenty years ago among the Czech pioneers of authentic interpretation of early music, today Musica Florea is an ensemble of international renown with a discography of acclaimed and award-winning recordings (Cannes Classical Award, Diapason d’Or). Their perfectly mastered playing on period instruments brings out to the full all the shades of colour, exquisite melodies and entrancing virtuosity of the concertos. After centuries, Reichenauer’s music is now revived and, as these recordings prove, rightly so. From the archives a priceless treasure has been unearthed.

contents:

Sonata in D major, for 2 trumpets, timpani, cello, strings & basso continuo

Concerto in B flat major, for oboe, strings & basso continuo

Concerto in D minor, for cello, strings & basso continuo

Overture in B flat major, for 2 oboes, bassoon, strings & basso continuo

Concerto in G major, for violin, strings & basso continuo

Concerto in G major, for flute, strings, and basso continuo

Luise Haugk, oboe

Jana Chytilová, violin

Marek Špelina, transverse flute

Marek Štryncl, cello

Musica Florea

dir. Marek Štryncl

Lassus - Villanelle, moresche e altre canzoni

27 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 105 Mb

Backin - FileFactory

What is music coming to? With a song called "I'm Called Mister Erection," lyrics including the deathless line "it's a piece of dog sh*t," melodies so primitive that they're infantile, and harmonies so primitive that they barely exist, it's hard to imagine ever calling this stuff music. But not only was this stuff written by Orlande de Lassus, one of the greatest of the late-Renaissance composers, he even saw fit to publish most of it. Apparently, despite his transcendent motets and his exquisite madrigals, Lassus had a sense of humor and all listeners can do is to take it or leave it. But if they decide to take it, they have to take it with a grain of salt and a sense of humor.

Rinaldo Alessandrini and the Concerto Italiano clearly decided to take it with a great sense of humor because this is one of the funniest discs of so-called serious music ever released. That this is the same rarified vocal ensemble that has released so many emotionally nuanced recordings of Monteverdi's madrigals is hard to believe, but clearly the singers are enjoying their work and their enjoyment is infectious. Although the singers still sing with wonderful expressivity and tremendous flexibility, the Concerto Italiano is not shy about making the sound of its voices match the crude, rude, and lewd music. The result is a terrific disc, but certainly not for listeners with delicate sensitivities.

contents:

1 - Allala la pia calia, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/104

2 - Saccio 'na cosa, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/8

3 - Lucia celu hai biscamia (morescha), villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/97

4 - S'io ve dico, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/75

5 - Ecco la ninph'ebraica chiamata, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/76

6 - Par ch'hai lasciato, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/82

7 - Io ti vorria contra, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/85

8 - Hai Lucia buona cosa (morescha), villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/86

9 - Chi chilichi, moresca for 6 voices (S. x/120)

10 - O Lucia miau (morescha), villanelle for 3 voices, S. x/70

11 - Ad alter le voi dare, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/77

12 - Tutto 'l di mi dici, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/79

13 - Cathalina apra finestra, morescha for 6 voices, (S. 10/112)

14 - Tutto 'l di piango (Petrarca), madrigal for 5 voices, S. iv/122

15 - Matona mia cara, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/93

16 - S'io fusse ciaul'ettu, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/92

17 - Ogni giorno m'han ditt'a chi favelli, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/91

18 - O bella fusa, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/89

19 - Madonna mia pieta, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/61

20 - Canta Giorgia canta (morescha), villanelle for 5 voices, S. x/125

21 - S'io ti vedess'una sol volt'il giorno, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/102

22 - O occhi manza mia, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/103

23 - Sol'e pensos i piu deserti campi (Petrarch), madrigal for 5 voices, S. ii/71

24 - Tutto 'l di mi dici, villanelle for 4 voices, S. x/79

25 - Mi me chiamere, villanelle for 5 voices, S. x/108

26 - O la o che bon echo, villanelle for 8 voices, S. x/140

27 - Zanni piasi patro, villanelle for 8 voices, S. x/135

Concerto Italiano

Rinaldo Alessandrini

Rossana Bertini, Soprano

Roberto Balconi, Alto

Monica Piccinini, Soprano

Claudio Cavina, Alto

Giuseppe Maletto, Tenor

Sandro Naglia, Tenor

Daniele Carnovich, Bass

Sergio Foresti, Bass

Flour De Beaulte-Late Medieval Songs from Cyprus

13 tracks - MP3 192 Kbps - RAR 104 Mb

Backin - FileFactory

Given the mastery of period instrumentation evident on their new release, you might think the musicians of La Morra stepped right out of the late Middle Ages. "Flour de Beaulté" brilliantly chronicles the late medieval (or ars subtilior) style as it manifested itself in Cyprus during the late 1300s.

La Morra is an early music consort led by flautist Corina Marti and lutenist Michal Gondko. They are expertly assisted on this recording by Els Jannsens (voice), Dani Pelagatti (douçaine), and Uri Smilanski (vielle and flute).

The songs on "Flour de Beaulté" come from the Torino J.II.9 manuscript, cited in the liner notes as "the largest repository of French music... between the Ars Nova compilations of the fourteenth and the Franco-Burgundian manuscripts of the late fifteenth century". The anonymous works provide a glimpse into the musical culture of the Lusignan court at Cyprus, a remote outpost established by England's Richard I in 1192. The Lusignan kings were of French descent, and welcomed the sophisticated musical techniques developed by French composers of the 14th century.

The Torino songs effectively illustrate the character of the ars subtilior era: sophisticated, melismatic melodies and rhythms set against relatively simple harmonic accompaniment. Mysterious, even bewildering at first, these songs will reward the persistent listener with their beguiling charm.

The performances on this disc are vibrantly virtuosic and the acoustics are evocative and atmospheric, conveying a spatial depth that is astounding to experience. The expression "feast for the senses" is overused, but this recording will evoke visions of a dimly lit chapel, the scent of candles and incense, and even the cold touch of stone walls that have witnessed the passing of centuries.

"Flour de Beaulté" was named "Recording of the Year" for 2006 by the Early Music FAQ. It's well deserving of that honor.

contents:

1 - La belle et la gente rose

2 - Pour haut et liement chanter

3 - Amour, de qui je sui trestout espris

4 - Sur toute fleur la rose est colourie

5 - J'ai maintes fois oÿ conter

6 - Il faut, pour trover un bon port

7 - Tousjours servir je veuil la douce fleur

8 - Amour tient en sa ballie mon cuer

9 - Puisque amé sui doulcement

10 - Tres gente, pure et nete fleur de lis

11 - Ayes pitié de vostre creature

12 - Vo gent atrait me fait vostre servant

13 - Qui de fortune atende assés avoir

La Morra

Els Janssens (voice)

Corina Marti (flutes)

Michal Gondko (lute)

Dani Pelagatti (douçaine)

Uri Smilansky (fiddle)