Reviews by the editorial staff of Early Music America. Have a new recording or book? Submit it for consideration.
Fascinating Study Of Vienna’s Musical Past
Music historians traditionally choose from three methodologies to write their books: biographical, stylistic, and chronological. David Wyn Jones, however, tells us “this history takes a different approach, a slice history focusing on three epochs, 1700, 1800 and 1900, a portrait of each period that allows contrasts to emerge and continuities to be articulated.”
Apollo’s Fire St. John A Resounding Success
The soloists and the ensemble as a whole perform exquisitely; the soloists are incredibly well suited to their roles, the instrumental ensemble is unified and well balanced, and the chorus is exceptional — the opening scenes in Part I are some of the best choral Bach in my recent memory.
Academy Soloists Excel in Castello Sonatas
It is interesting to observe Richard Egarr expanding the interests of the Academy of Ancient Music to include more intimate chamber music: Handel’s Op. 1 solo sonatas and his trio sonatas Op. 2 and Op. 5 (both released in 2009), and now shifting back more than a century for sonatas by Dario Castello.
Nothing Square About Matielli Piano Sonatas
Patrick Hawkins’ new album of sonatas by the Viennese composer Giovanni Antonio Matielli (1733-1805) celebrates the square piano — one of the important late-18th century innovations in domestic music-making. Hawkins makes a good case for the little-known sonatas of Matielli, especially as pieces to delight keyboard
Keyboard Songs In Need Of No Words
Histories of keyboard music frequently bypass this large repertoire of “derived” (arranged) music, so one notes with satisfaction the very thorough coverage here, with a generous amount of illustrative material, tables of publications, music examples, and facsimiles.
Doubling Your Pleasure With Telemann
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.
Purcell Disc Pays Tribute To Late Choral Director
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.
Kapsberger Theorbo Pieces Vibrantly Performed
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.
French City Soundscapes Full Of Joie De Vivre
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.
Fresh Takes On Seven Vivaldi Cello Concertos
The album should put to rest the notion that Vivaldi wrote one concerto five-hundred times: Guy Fishman finds all that is individual about each of these works.
