EMA Recording & Book Reviews

In the late 18th c., the most important Bach was undoubtedly C.P.E., whose sonatas for keyboard and violin are among the freshest and most expressive of any era. A wonderful new recording from Rachel Podger and Kristian Bezuidenhout captures Bach in all his shifting moods and vigor.

At turns insightful and innovative, these essays present cutting-edge research into Rameau's operas, from rivalries and 18th-century aesthetic debates to close readings of the librettos and details of musical 'borrowings' and creative renewal. The chapters on his opera's productions and performances are often revelatory. In all, the book is an exceptional addition to the Rameau literature.

An adventurous viol consort named Science Ficta is devoted to 'the thorniest polyphonic challenges,' old and new. The ensemble's latest recording revives forgotten viol music from some famous Belle Epoque composers.

This strong new recording is a collection of unpublished motets by Giulio San Pietro del Negro who, like his contemporary Monteverdi, let the words guide the music.

The music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is gaining a foothold in the repertoire, and his only surviving opera has finally been recorded. Haymarket Opera's splendid 'The Anonymous Lover,' from 1780, features a winning cast and strong orchestra. Unmissable.

Viol players today might know the music of English Tudor composer William Whyte, even as his biography remains a mystery. In this vivid new recording, New York's Abendmusik has finally committed Whyte's complete consorts to disc and make a compelling case for his music.

An impressive and valuable new book, 'The Cambridge Companion to Seventeenth-Century Opera,' traces the origins and development of opera, from the 16th through cusp of the 18th centuries. More than a dozen scholars contribute essays, covering Florence and Paris as expected, but also with insightful histories on English, German, and the Spanish territories (including in the Western Hemisphere).

Britain's King Charles II had a French-born mistress, Lady Louise. In their remarkable debut recording, Ensemble Leviathan explores music of her orbit and influence, from the 'rustick' to songs of madness and mourning.

Gambist Laura Jeppesen and theorbist Catherine Liddell revel in the nocturnal sounds of Marin Marais, mixing and matching movements from the composer's different suites. What follows is a performance of alluring introspection and tenderness.

The Orlando Consort, on the eve of their last-ever performance at the Boston Early Music Festival in June, have released Machaut in a breathtakingly beautiful new recording.