What baroque/early music are you listening to?

[MickyD]

Thanks, ds...having a listen now...and I must say that gorgeous Harmonia Mundi acoustic wins me over much more than the dry one of Alessandrini. Strange, giving God a counter-tenor voice..I always imagine him as a bass!!

[BBMmk2]

Marchand et Rameau Oeuvres pour clavecin
Christophe Rousset, (Harpsichord)

[Pegleg]

Earlier:

Teleman : Brockes Passion

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/2106-zaterdagmatinee-telemanns-brockes-passion

Now:

http://classicalmusicinconcert.blogspot.com/2019/03/handel-brockes-passion-lars-ulrik.html

Handel: Brockes-Passion (HWV 48)
(Der für die Sünde der Welt gemarterte und sterbende Jesus)

Maria Keohane, soprano
Joanne Lunn, soprano
Sophie Junker, soprano
Daniel Elgersma, alto
Daniel Carlsson, alto (Judas)
Ed Lyon, tenor (Evangelist)
Gwylim Bowen, tenor (Petrus)
Peter Harvey, bass (Jesus)
Jakob Bloch Jespersen, bass

Concerto Copenhagen

DIR.: LARS ULRIK MORTENSEN

rec: March 29, 2018, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg

Original Text: https://web.archive.org/web/20130921...n_Textheft.pdf


Later:

Joseph Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross (Jordi Savall)

https://youtu.be/oBsZKF3mcv8

St Matthew Passion

http://allofbach.com/en/bwv/bwv-244/ or https://youtu.be/ZwVW1ttVhuQ

Alternatives:

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/8692-matthaeus-passion-door-de-nederlandse-bachvereninging

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/8703-matthaeus-passion-onder-leiding-van-marc-albrecht

[Joseph K]

Josquin - Missa Sine nomine, Missa Ad fugam - Tallis Scholars.

[Richard Tarleton]

Since it's now arrived I've moved it to this thread - Rachel Podger's 6 Bach Cello Suites on violin (mostly). Higher and faster, they mostly work brilliantly on their own terms, the major key suites dancing along, hugely enjoyable. The sarabandes lack the gravitas they have on the cello, but are OK, as she says she enjoyed getting stuck into her gut strings. The odd one out is the 6th, with low notes/phrases played on viola and spliced in by engineers. As Bryn has said, she explains how she tried it out on a 5 string viola and violin before settling for her own violin with low notes played on viola. These stick out as obviously played on a different instrument - completely different tone quality, they come as a jolt. I'm really surprised they thought this worked. Even if you hadn't read the notes I'm sure they would sound odd, but once you have you can't unread them. The disc is closely miked - lots of breathing in places (e.g. the Allemande in 6). Not that there's anything disagreeable about Ms Podger's breathing, it's not the bronchial rasp of a Paul O'Dette, but I don't think it's necessary to be that close.

A question about 6, which I hope someone who has studied the work might be able to answer for me. I've listened to a great many versions. There seem to be two basic rhythmic approaches to playing the Prelude. In the opening measures, and thereafter, some (judging by the music, which I've only looked at online, and there are no dynamics of course) place the emphasis on the last, rising high note in the bar, others seem to place the beat on the return to the basic beat at the start of the next bar. It is the difference between "dum dum-dum-dum DEE dum-dum-dum DEE dum-dum-dum DEE dum-dum..." etc., which the likes of Starker and Tortelier seem to go for, and "dum dum-dum-dum dum-dum dum-dum-dee -DUM " etc. - which Jaap ter Linden, and indeed Ms Podger go for. There's either a rising tension, or a steady beat. I really hope this makes sense. The result can sound like two different pieces. Starker and Tortelier both really attack it their way, which is great, but I really like the pounding beat of - say - Podger and ter Linden. Some - Yo-Yo Ma, I'm looking at you - are so slow and lugubrious as to miss the point altogether, I really can't imagine what he was thinking.

A subject for a BAL - Bach 6th Cello Suite? As long as it's not a twofer.

[MickyD]

English Classical Violin Concertos - this is one of the most delightful discs I know and so underrated.

[Joseph K]

Having watched a fair few (but by no means all) performances of BWV 998 on youtube, I've decided this is my favourite live version, Ian Watt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXz3mOFq0AA

… it's not perfect, but then who is, live? Ok, maybe some are, but in a way it's worse to have faults in one's deliberate interpretation... which aren't perhaps 'faults' as such, but might put me off a performance more than a dropped note here or accidentally repeated note there. And if you want perfection, there's the studio peformances of David Russell or Bream.

[Richard Tarleton]

Lovely.

Nice bloke, too. I saw him live at the 2014 Aldeburgh Festival in the Jubilee Hall in a mixed recital with some singers. He played the Britten Nocturnal on the 50th anniversary of Bream playing it for the first time in the same venue. - and in the same concert in true Julian Bream style he played the lute, with nails, accompanying a counter-tenor. I have a CD of his with the Britten, some Dowland, Walton, John McLeod and Thomas Wilson.

By the way if anyone does have any thoughts on interpreting the Prelude to the 6th Bach Cello Suite (see above) I'd be most grateful.

[Joseph K]

Bach - Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014-1019, Grumiaux - Jaccottet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwB6_wmH2BE&t=56s

[Richard Tarleton]

I meant to say, my one reservation about the Ian Watt BWV 998 is that he's using a capo on the first fret - not altogether sure why or whether it benefits from being pushed up a notch. I do like using a capo for lute and vihuela pieces....

[Joseph K]

I meant to say, my one reservation about the Ian Watt BWV 998 is that he's using a capo on the first fret - not altogether sure why or whether it benefits from being pushed up a notch. I do like using a capo for lute and vihuela pieces....

Yes, I noticed that too. Perhaps he favours it being in its original key.

[Richard Tarleton]

Yes, I noticed that too. Perhaps he favours it being in its original key.

Does raising the pitch achieve that? Original key E flat maj (not a friendly key on the guitar )....but a capo on the first sounds as F, n'est-ce pas? Don't worry you can lose me pretty quickly in matters of this sort, I daresay you're right Question as to what BWV 998 was originally written for, possibly lute for when he met Weiss in 1739 but more probably for Lautenwerk for which E flat would not have been a problem. Always keen to have things explained to me.

[Joseph K]

Does raising the pitch achieve that? Original key E flat maj (not a friendly key on the guitar )....but a capo on the first sounds as F, n'est-ce pas? Don't worry you can lose me pretty quickly in matters of this sort, I daresay you're right Question as to what BWV 998 was originally written for, possibly lute for when he met Weiss in 1739 but more probably for Lautenwerk for which E flat would not have been a problem. Always keen to have things explained to me.

It's in drop D.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It's in drop D.

Ah! That makes more sense.

Out of curiosity - would it be easier to play if the whole instrument was just scordatura-ed a semitone down (Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - Bb - Eb)? Though I can imagine the advantages of the perfecct fifth between the two bottom strings/

[Joseph K]

Ah! That makes more sense.

Out of curiosity - would it be easier to play if the whole instrument was just scordatura-ed a semitone down (Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - Bb - Eb)? Though I can imagine the advantages of the perfecct fifth between the two bottom strings/

Hmm. It probably wouldn't change the difficulty too much. One would have to think in E major, of course, a not unfamiliar key for guitarists.

Trivia: Jimi Hendrix almost always had his guitar tuned down a semitone, making jamming along to his music a bit of a hassle for countless guitarists since.