Dipping my toes in to Baroque

any idea if there's a UK stockist for the Colleguim Aureum recording?

 

No, but both www.jpc.de and www.amazon.de list it for the price of 10 Euros. Can't be much cheaper in the UK I think.

 

Dear Tones

To elaborate my answer above a little more: To speed my traversal up I have introduced the habit of listening to at least one Leusink CD late every evening just before bedtime. This is a good and recreative way to end the day. I have not (yet) reached the very ordinary performances you mentioned earlier, on the contrary I have heard many fine performances. I like Leusinks free and uncomplicated style very much, and the orchestra and instrumental soloist is almost exquisite pleasure. I also enjoy the clear and vibratofree (almost at least) voices of most of the vocal soloists, except Sytse Buwalda, the countertenor. The choir as such is perhaps the weakest part of the show, sounding a little underrehearsed. Generally though I prefer boys choir to mixed choir in Bach. I think Leusinks cantata cycle has an athmosphere much like live performance, and I appreciate that.This is maybe why I should complement preferably with Gardiner later? What I have heard of Suzukis cycle had a strange studied athmosphere compared to Leusinks, but I didn't think in that way, until I heard Leusinks, so I can say that Leusink already has changed my wiev upon the cantatas considerably, because his artistic intentions IMO are so convincing.

Regards,

 

Brandenburg Concertos

I suppose you have got a lot, and so have I. Interesting to see if we overlap.

Regards,

 

Amazingly not so many.
.. and none with the Collegium Aureum.
Tonight after the concert I will list them.

regards

 

I guess what I mean by "ordinary" are the things to which you refer later, where choir and/or soloists are not the best. In addition, I am biased, in that I much prefer a mixed choir rather than boy sopranos. I know that's not what Bach had, but then the recreation of what Bach had is an impossibility. Of Leusink's artistic integrity and conviction I have no doubts, only about the technical means at his disposal. This is why I like the Gardiner and Suzuki sets, because of the greater professionalism of the performers.

Nevertheless, even these forces are technically challenged by the cantatas. I have long been used to hearing the glorious trumpet obbligato in BWV90 played flawlessly (and dazzlingly) on a modern clarino instrument by Maurice André in the old Werner Erato set. That sort of performance is simply not possible with a natural trumpet, and one just has to get used to that.

 

I've heard that the Collegium Aureum DHM recording of the Brandenburgs is being released in the UK on 22nd Sept, according to crotchet.co.uk anyway. supposed to be around £12.

 

Mine arrived tonight from eBay Deutschland. Cost EUR8.61. Haven't had a chance to play any yet.

 

One CD down, one to go. I confess not to being particularly impressed by the Collegium Aureum performances of Brandenburgs 1-3. They're nicely done, but to my ears nothing outstanding. In addition, although someone said they were done on period instruments, the trumpet in No.2 is clearly not a period instrument, but a modern clarino trumpet. Unfortunately, the sleeve notes are brief and no details of the performers or their instruments are given. However, the No.2 is at least nicely balanced in that you can actually hear the recorder - in some modern instrument versions, the recorder is blotted out by the trumpet and the player might as well have stayed at home.

 

Clarinotrompete

Dear Tones
I am afraid you are wrong this time. I should be very surprised if Edward H Tarr, one of the most important pioners of the revival of baroque clarino-playing (and cornetto-playing, zink in german) played a modern trumpet with valves on a period recording. Of course he was asked to play on the Collegium Aureum recording, as he was able to play the natural trumpet. But his skill in playing this is so amazing, that you almost can't hear it is a natural trumpet except from the instrumental timbre in a few occations. I own the vinyl version of this recording,and the instrument he plays is referred to as "clarinotrompete". This word points to the by Helmut Finke reconstructed valveless round tromba (with 3 holes for adjusting the intonation, pictured on the famous peinture of Gottfried Reiche) and NOT the so called hohe Bach Trompete in F with three valves which was used in the 1950es e.g. on the partial period Wenzinger-recording from 1952 (Archiv). The Helmut Finke instrument was used for the first time by Walter Holy on the first Harnoncourt-recording 1963. Edward Tarr recorded even the second Brandenburg playing the hohe Bach Trompete or a piccolo trumpet on a non-period recording (Hungaroton, Ferenc Liszt chamber orchester conducted by Janos Rolla, ca 1986).

Regards,

 

It wouldn't be the first time, ol' bean! I know that Edward H. Tarr is pretty good on the natural trumpet, but this sounds completely unlike any other natural trumpet I've ever heard. The trills seem just too crisp and clear, the intonation too steady. This is why I thought it must be a modern valved clarino (which Tarr also plays). Anyway, I stand corrected - but I still think that this version is good but not exceptional.

 

well I picked up my copy from a local shop on Sunday. I paid a bit more for it but I'd rather give the specialist shops the business. especially when I enquired for the album by name and he instantly knew where it was through the back. besides Amazon were quoting 2 weeks delivery...

My original BASF LP was (P)1972 and I didn't realise that the recordings dated back further to 1965-1967. the remaster sounds utterly stunning. almost as good as the LP the LP gave more information on the sleeve regarding the players however.

but I'm well chuffed with getting this one on CD. I prefer it to the Arkiv Pinnock that I have.

 

I sound like a broken record, but do check out
www.alpha-prod.com for lots of that jazz-baroque thang. Lots of samples and even a streaming Internet radio station. The CDs themselves also happen to be the best recordings I own from a technical POV, which is a nice bonus.
I'm a particular fan of Vincent Dumestre et Le Poème Harmonique, but it's all (or nrarly all) good.