William Byrd was influenced by Italian madrigals and sacred choral music as well as the colorful keyboard music from Venice. British keyboardist Freddie James puts the English composer in a lively dialogue with the Italian Renaissance, often with hair-raising results.
Byrd in Conversation with the Italians Read More »
The canzon-mottetto, a 17th-c. Milanese genre, is a hybrid work that alternates, then combines, an a cappella motet with an instrumental canzona until it becomes a double-choir motet in which one choir sings, the other plays. The Breathtaking Collective and Cappella Mariana join for an inspired exploration of this delightful repertoire.
Bruce Dickey and Friends Find Unique Styles from Milan Read More »
Apollo’s Fire, led by Jeannette Sorrell, has just released possibly the best available small-sized period-instrument recording of Bach’s B-minor Mass. This is thanks to their vision of Bach’s concept of the Mass as a whole with nothing amiss: correct choices of tempi, balances of orchestra, chorus, and solo voices.
A Powerful B-minor Mass from Apollo’s Fire Read More »
‘Christian Music in Jerusalem’ is a notable introduction to a subject that has been largely shrouded in obscurity, a historical blank into which we project our own preconceptions. Author Alexander Rosenblatt helps to dispel some of this fog through an ethnomusicological examination — involving Christian, Jewish, and Arab music — of traditions that continue to exist in the Holy Land today.
Soundscapes of the Holy Land Read More »
Cellist Elinor Frey’s playing is known for her vibrant personality, precision technique, and an uncommon dedication to historical practices. Her latest recording, three cello concerti by CPE Bach, conveys both the elegance and the intensity of this always surprising composer.
Elinor Frey’s Personal Approach to CPE Bach Read More »
