Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Bach: H-Moll-Messe [HMC901813.14] Konrad Junghändel, Cantus Cölln
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 2CD/443MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

This is the fourth recording of the Mass in B minor to utilize the one-voice-per-part (OVPP) theory, and again, it pays of beautifully. While Rifkin, Parrot, and Kuijken have all recorded the Mass in such a configuration, Junghanel's rendition seems to be the winner here. I noted that however fast the Sanctus, Dona nobis, and Gratias agimus tibi are executed, it is not a detriment to the sound. I believe what makes recording this large scale work with small scale forces is that the balance between each line is sounded perfectly. The recording reminds me of Herreweghe's… reverberant, ecclesiastical sound, suitable to the music. Each soloist functions perfectly as both a soloist and a chorister. I belive that the singers and players of Cantus Colln have the uniformity of voice unmatched by any other ensemble that has attempted to play Bach's concerted church music in such a configuration. The Mass in B-Minor under Rifkin's baton was the first to be recorded using OVPP. Nearly a 20 year old theory, Junghanel's set seems to be a revelation. It is nearly flawless. While I would appreciate the more "standard" tempos of some numbers, it is no less a relevatory pleasure to listen to.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Bruckner: F-moll-Messe [HMC901976] Herreweghe, RIAS-Kammerchor, Orchestre Des Champs-Élysées
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/249MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

The Mass in F minor marks a turning point in the life of Bruckner, then aged 44: crowning his long years of apprenticeship, it announces the series of masterpieces he went on to compose during his years in Vienna. The work illustrates the transition between a certain religious academicism and the Wagnerian heritage, while also reflecting a profoundly fragmented personality, to whom Philippe Herreweghe has already devoted three critically acclaimed recordings.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Debussy - Poulenc: Sonatas pour Violincelle et Piano [HMC902012] Queyras, Tharaud
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/259MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

Debussy and Poulenc made a lasting impact on the musical identity of their country through both their references to the past and their innovations. This programme illustrates their vision of a certain esprit français: moving constantly between irony and emotion, extremely refined, yet at the same time offering an amplified echo of ‘light’ music – in short, the ‘exquisite bad music’ the creator of Les Mamelles de Tirésias prided himself on writing. The trajectory of these two interpreters of the young generation in France, who have already made several recordings together, has led them naturally to this repertoire.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Ginastera: Estancia [HMC901808] Magdalena Barrera, Josep Pons, Orchestra Ciudad de Granada
Classical | EAC APE+CUE-LOG | 1CD/226MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

This is a great CD. Why? Because these are probably the Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera's four most accessible pieces, the sound is clear and cool, and Pons and his smallish orchestra play with finesse. This is, in my opinion, the best harp concerto written in the last hundred years, and the Variaciones concertantes Op. 23 is a masterpiece. You can certainly find bigger, splashier versions of the Estancia ballet suite: if that's your main interest, look for Gisele Ben-Dor's LSO version of the complete ballet (with the complete Panambi) on a hard to find Conifer CD. And Howard Hanson's old Rochester recording of the Creole Faust Overture is much more earthy. Nevertheless, Pons lays it all out beautifully before us, and avoids the slow tempi that characterize some of his other performances (the Bizet Symphony, for instance). Make no mistake, this is music to be savoured.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Neusidler: Lute music [HMU907388] Paul O'Dette
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/297MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

The son of a lute maker and prominent teacher, Melchior Neusidler was lucky enough to gain the favour of the Fuggers, a rich family of Augsburg bankers: soon his skills as a performer and their passion for his art enabled him to make his living from music – despite his difficult character, which discouraged many patrons! Paul O’Dette breathes new life into the music of this now forgotten master, which at one time was to be heard all over Europe.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Pärt: A Tribute [HMU907407] Paul Hillier, Theatre of Voices, The Pro Arte Singers, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/249MB | Covers + Booklet | RS.com

In celebration of composer Arvo Pärt’s 70th birthday (September 11th, 2005), a selection of recordings conducted by his longtime collaborator and biographer Paul Hillier, including a newly recorded piece, "Dopo la vittoria".

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Pärt: Da Pacem [HMU907401] Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, Paul Hillier & Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/213MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

Nine sacred pieces by Arvo Pärt including of his newest compositions, alongside works from earlier in his career. Pärt's longtime collaborator and biographer Paul Hillier leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and organist Christopher Browers-Broadbent in a third recording devoted to the Estonian composer.

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Pärt: I Am The True Vine [HMU907242] Hargis, Bowers-Broadbent, Pro Arte Singers, Hillier, The Theatre of Voices
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/209MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

"This recording is the fruit of many years' enjoyable collaboration between composer, conductor, and organist, beginning with performances of the St. John Passion back in the mid-1980s and continuing right down to the present day." (PAUL HILLIER)

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Credits to the original uploader for ripping and sharing this album.

Sammartini: Sonate per Flauto e Basso Continuo [HMC905266] Maurice Steger
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/395MB | Covers | RS.com

His brother, Giovanni Battista, was one of the fathers of the modern symphony; like him and like their father Alexis de Saint-Martin, Giuseppe Sammartini was a virtuoso oboist. But he chose to make his career at the court of the Prince of Wales, in London. Surrounded by a group of exceptional musicians, Maurice Steger gives us a chance to discover seven of his sonatas for recorder and continuo which, though composed in England, clearly proclaim their Italian origins! A treat for the ears, and a dazzling display of virtuosity.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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O Felice morire [HMC901999] Joel Frederiksen, Ensemble Phoenix Munich
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/291MB | Covers + Booklet | RS.com

Caccini was one of the principal creators of the stile recitativo which, at the very end of the Renaissance, led to a meteoric ascent in popularity of the solo voice. The decoration of the arias in his Nuove Musiche is never gratuitous, but always at the service of the passions of the soul, the affetti. The whole art of this style consists in maintaining a sort of expressive nonchalance or sprezzatura, characterised by elegance and lightness. With his meticulous interpretative approach and remarkable deep bass voice, Joel Frederiksen breathes new life into the theatricality of the nascent Baroque.

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Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 32

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Zaguán [HME987027] Miguel Poveda
Classical | EAC APE+CUE+LOG | 1CD/277MB | Covers+Booklet | RS.com

Miguel's voice has me under its spell (Me tiene embrujada). His powerful voice evokes a mixture of deep masculinity, raw lyricism and heady sensuality that is mesmerizing. It reaches into the primitive and mystical areas of your soul and doesn't let go. How does he get his voice to do that?! The accompanists are outstanding, (guitar) on this CD, (piano) on the other (Suena Flamenco). Try listening to this CD in the dark with headphones on… a rich albeit humbling experience. Buy anything you can get your hands on by these guys. Your life will never be the same.