Early Music News & Reviews

Telemann's concertos all adhere to the same slow-fast-slow-fast, four-movement layout, yet are varied enough in texture, length, and rhythm — and, most crucially, inventive enough — to make continuous listening a pleasure in the lively hands of Dutch recorder virtuoso Erik Bosgraaf and friends.

The success of Saint Thomas School in keeping the traditional Anglican choir of men and boys thriving on these shores is obvious in the masterful singing on this disc. The singers do excellent justice to Purcell’s eloquent music while at the same time honoring Scott’s important legacy at Saint Thomas.

As recordings devoted exclusively to Kapsberger go, there are only a few (Rolf Lislevand, Hopkinson Smith, and Paul O’Dette come to mind). Stefano Maiorana’s CD sits quite comfortably among them in both quality and content, as there is minimal overlap in repertoire.

What The Musical Sounds of Medieval French Cities: Players, Patrons, and Politics shows is the exquisite diversity of how public “fanfare” was sponsored by individual cities and coordinated by civic ordinances with more private musical practices.