Al Fresco
Celebrating 60 Years of Archiv Produktion… and an opportunity to experience the musical diversity of this great label afresh, as we roll out some fabulous recordings and evoke a certain Joie de Vivre.
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The wild, the loud and the joyful are the traits that leap from Piffaro's early exploration of Renaissance Italian dance and songs. Vivid and diverse instrumental colours are pristinely caught,... — More…
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Fournier's rendition of the Cello Suites displays more aristocratic, more 'refined' playing than Casal's, but its equally dedicated. It's also recorded with a fullness of tone which still makes... — More…
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He might not possess the abandon of a Skip Sempé of the fiery passion of Pierre Hantaï, but Trevor Pinnock is guilelessly persuasive negotiating Scarlatti's digital landmines with ease. — More…
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Vivaldi: Gloria in D major, RV589, etc.
Nancy Argenta, Ingrid Attrot (sopranos), Catherine Denley (contralto), Ashley Stafford (alto), Stephen Varcoe (bass), David Reichenberg (oboe) & Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet)
Choir of the English Concert & The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord/direction)
Stark contrast between detached notes and languorous lines, together with extreme tempos, create a highly-charged performance. Interpretations have a freshness unrivalled since this disc's... — More…
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Mozart - Piano Quartets
Malcolm Bilson (piano), Elizabeth Wilcock (violin), Jan Schlapp (viola) & Timothy Mason (cello)
The players relish their period instruments' unusual resonances - incisive bowing and charged exchanges abound - and the sound engineers faithfully capture them. — More…
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Nothing quite like this has happened before: a disc devoted entirely to Machaut’s songs, all performed with voices alone. Only the texted line in the manuscripts is sung with text; the rest... — More…
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Hasse: Salve Regina
Barbara Bonney (soprano) & Bernarda Fink (mezzosoprano)
Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Hasse's unique combination of fire, lyricism and elegance is perfectly captured here. Bernarda Fink, however, weighs down her line with dramatic excesses, marring an otherwise commendable disc. — More…
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Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z629
Eiddwen Harrhy, Jennifer Smith, Judith Nelson, Elisabeth Priday, Timothy Penrose, Wynford Evans, Martyn Hill, Stephen Varcoe, David Thomas, Ashley Stafford
Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
This disc highlights Gardiner's flair for drama. Airy dances and languishing sighs are but two of many effects that he calls forth. Pristine sound reproduction. — More…
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Handel: Dixit Dominus
Arleen Auger (soprano), Lynne Dawson (soprano), Diana Montague (contralto), Leigh Dixon (tenor), John Mark Ainsley (tenor) & Simon Birchall (bass)
Choir & Orchestra of Westminster Abbey, Simon Preston
Soloists clearly relish their vocal pyrotechnics, showing off the qualities through which they later became top names. Absence of sleeve notes undermines appreciation of the work. — More…
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