The English Concert (Trevor Pinnock) – Music For The Royal Fireworks + Concerti A Due Cori (Händel) (1985)

George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel’s music forms one of the peaks of the “high baroque” style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737, he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, and addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works. After his success with Messiah (1742), he never composed an Italian opera again. His orchestral Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain steadfastly popular. One of his four coronation anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Almost blind, he died in 1759, a respected and rich man, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Handel composed more than forty opere serie over a period of more than thirty years. Since the late 1960s, interest in Handel’s music has grown. The musicologist Winton Dean wrote that “Handel was not only a great composer; he was a dramatic genius of the first order.”[9] His music was admired by Classical-era composers, especially Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. (wikipedia)

The Music for the Royal Fireworks (HWV 351) is a suite in D major for wind instruments composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 under contract of George II of Great Britain for the fireworks in London’s Green Park on 27 April 1749. The music celebrates the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) in 1748. The work was very popular when first performed and following Handel’s death.
Rehearsal and final production

During the preparations, Handel and John Montagu, Duke of Montagu, the Master-General of the Ordnance and the officer responsible for the Royal Fireworks, had an argument about adding violins. The duke made clear to Handel that King George had a preference for only martial instruments (winds and percussion), and hoped there would be “no fiddles”.

Handel omitted the string instruments against his will. Also, against Handel’s will, there was a full rehearsal of the music in Vauxhall Gardens and not in Green Park. On 21 April 1749 an audience, claimed to be over twelve thousand people, each paying two shillings and six pence (half a crown) rushed to get there, causing a three-hour traffic jam of carriages on London Bridge, the only vehicular route to the area south of the river.

Six days later, on 27 April, the musicians performed in a specially constructed building designed by Servandoni, a theatre designer, assisted by four Italians. Andrea Casali and Andrea Soldi designed the decorations. The fireworks themselves were devised and controlled by Gaetano Ruggieri and Giuseppe Sarti, both from Bologna. Charles Frederick was the controller, captain Thomas Desaguliers was the chief fire master. The display was not as successful as the music itself: the weather was rainy, causing many misfires, and in the middle of the show the right pavilion caught fire. Also, a woman’s clothes were set on fire by a stray rocket and other fireworks burned two soldiers and blinded a third. Yet another soldier had his hand blown off during an earlier rehearsal for the 101 cannons which were used during the event. (wikipedia)

In 1747 and 1748, Handel then wrote three concerti a due cori in which he actually divided the orchestra into three parts, namely two wind choirs and a string choir with basso continuo. For the most part, these concertos are not independent compositions, but were arranged by Handel from choruses from the oratorios Esther, Belshazzar, Semele and Messiah and played as inter-act music in his oratorio performances. (wikipedia)

These compositions were played by The English Concerto:

The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener has been orchestra leader (concertmaster) since September 2007.

Trevor David Pinnock CBE (born 16 December 1946 in Canterbury, England) is a British harpsichordist and conductor.

He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert, which he helped found and directed from the keyboard for over 30 years in baroque and classical music. He is a former artistic director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and founded The Classical Band in New York.

Since his resignation from The English Concert in 2003, Pinnock has continued his career as a conductor, appearing with major orchestras and opera companies around the world. He has also performed and recorded as a harpsichordist in solo and chamber music and conducted and otherwise trained student groups at conservatoires. Trevor Pinnock won a Gramophone Award for his recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos with the European Brandenburg Ensemble, an occasional orchestra formed to mark his 60th birthday. (wikipedia)

There can be no doubt at all that these recordings are simply great!

Personnel:
The English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock
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Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord)

Tracklist:

Music For The Royal Fireworks, HWV 351:
01. Ouverture (Adagio – Allegro – Lentement – Allegro) 7.20
02. Bourrée 1.37
03. La Paix 4.10
04. La Réjouissance 2.09
05. Menuet I 1.29
06. Menuet II 1.41

Concerto A Due Cori (For Two Wind Ensembles And Strings) No. 2 In F Major, HWV 333:
07. Pomposo 1.46
08. Allegro 2.10
09. A Tempo Giusto 2.50
10. Largo 2.25
11. Allegro Ma Non Troppo 4.04
12. A Tempo Ordinario 3.35

Concerto A Due Cori No. 3 In F Major (“Concerto In Judas Maccabaeus”), HWV 334:
13. Ouverture 1.53
14. Allegro 3.06
15. Allegro Ma Non Troppo 3.17
16. Adagio 1.21
17. Andante Larghetto 4.02
B9 6. Allegro 4.38

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The labels from the German vinyl edition:

Matthew Halls – The Organ Concertos, Op. 4 (Händel) (2005)

The English conductor, harpsichordist and organist, Matthew Halls, was educated at Oxford University.

Having initially established his reputation as a keyboard player, Matthew Halls has worked extensively with many of Europe’s foremost early music groups and in opera houses including The Netherlands Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Komische Oper Berlin, as well as at venues such as The Megaron, Athens, Lincoln Center, New York and Wiener Festwochen. In recent years he has been a member of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. He was temporarily appointed director of The King’s Consort from June 2007 to May 2009. He has recorded numerous CD’s as a continuo player and soloist. He has also performed with Baroque orchestras including Les Arts Florissants and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Together with violinist Monica Huggett, Matthew Halls makes up the core of the chamber music ensemble.

Matthew Halls has established himself as one of today’s leading young conductors. Hall has appeared as a guest conductor with both Baroque ensembles (The English Concert, Portland Baroque Orchestra) and with modern orchestras (Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, London Mozart Players). He has conducted in such prominent venues as Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; La Cité de la Musique, Paris; the Konzerthaus, Berlin; and at the Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels. Beyond the early repertoire for which he has initially become known, Halls is known for his passion for the Germanic repertoire, particularly L.v. Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Schubert. As a conductor of choral music he has conducted an eclectic cross section of the repertoire, juxtaposing composers as diverse as Byrd and Benjamin Britten, Gesualdo and Arnold Schoenberg.

The 2007-2008 season firmly established Matthew Halls as a conductor of international repute. During this season he made a number of significant debuts with European orchestras. These included performances of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin at the Berlin Konzerthaus and programs of Baroque and Classical repertoire with the HR-Sinfonieorchester, Norrköping Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and London Mozart Players. Halls’ debut with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra early in the 2008-2009 season led to an immediate reinvitation to conduct the final concert of the Edinburgh International Festival in 2009, whilst his debuts at Handelfestspiele Halle and Central City Opera Colorado also resulted in immediate reinvitations, the latter to conduct a production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Forthcoming orchestral engagements include concerts with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Hamburger Symphoniker and Les Violons du Roy, and a performance of George Frideric Handels little known Floridante at the Handelfestspiele Halle.

In May 2009, Matthew Halls conducted the much anticipated inaugural performance of the exciting new group, Retrospect Ensemble, of which he is Artistic Director. The launch concert, a performance of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Jephtha at the opening night of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, was closely followed by the Retrospect Ensemble’s debut at the Edinburgh International Festival, performing a programme of Bach cantatas with soprano Carolyn Sampson. Future plans include their debut at the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, tours of Europe and to the Far East, an annual series at Wigmore Hall, (which will form the backbone of their concert diary) and a recording agreement with the innovative Linn Records.

Matthew Halls has a long established pedigree in the opera house. Having become known as one of the leading chorus masters in Europe, he has subsequently conducted a wide range of repertoire with companies such as English Touring Opera, New Chamber Opera and Amsterdam Bach Festival. Last season (2008-2009) he conducted the UK premiere of Georg Benda’s opera-singspiel Romeo and Juliet in conjunction with Bampton Classical Opera and London Mozart Players. His operatic repertoire naturally covers all the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical works, but also extends to a wide range of much later repertoire, with a particular focus on the Italian Bel Canto and the B. Britten operas.

His association with both The Netherlands Opera and Nationale Reisopera Holland have included productions of Verdi’s Luisa Miller, B. Britten’s Peter Grimes and Bellini’s Norma, as well as G.F. Handel’s Hercules, Samson, Solomon and Saul. This past season (2008-2009) he made an acclaimed North American opera debut conducting G.F. Handel’s Rinaldo for Central City Opera, who immediately invited him back to conduct Madama Butterfly in the 2010 season.

Matthew Halls remains very active as a harpsichordist, with Bach recitals at venues across the UK, including the South Bank Centre and Wigmore Hall, and performances including the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) as far afield as Israel, Ottawa, Quebec City and Moscow. This past winter he toured Europe performing Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists, ending the tour　with a recording in Cité de la Musique in early 2009.

Following his studies, Matthew Halls joined the teaching faculty of the Oxford University for five years. Passionately committed to education and working with young musicians, the development of Retrospect Ensemble’s Young Artist Programme has been a priority for him. Matthew is also a tutor for the European Union Baroque Orchestra and regularly teaches on summer schools and courses such as the Jerusalem Early Music Workshop and the Dartington International Summer School. (bach-cantatas.com)

Monica Huggett and her ensemble Sonnerie scored a hit on Avie with their recording of Handel’s Trio Sonatas, Op. 2 (AV 0033). They continue their traversal of Handel’s chamber works with the Organ Concertos, Op. 4. Matthew Halls is the brilliant soloist who spins out Handel’s endlessly tuneful works with an improvisatory flair that the composer – himself a virtuoso organist – would surely have approved. Halls was Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford and Director of Music at the University Church before playing harpsichord with the European Union Baroque Orchestra in 1998. Since then he has played with many of Europe’s leading period instrument ensembles, including Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra with Tom Koopman, English Baroque Soloists with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and the King’s Consort. As a member of Sonnerie, he has appeared at the Wigmore Hall and at Festivals throughout Europe. Matthew is also active as a conductor and is currently assistant musical director of New Chamber Opera. On this recording, he plays a replica of a Baroque style chamber organ, built by Jaap Fama and Henk Klop, and owned by the Dutch Bach Society. (press release)

The Handel organ concertos, Op. 4, HWV 289–294, are six organ concertos for chamber organ and orchestra composed by George Frideric Handel in London between 1735 and 1736 and published in 1738 by the printing company of John Walsh. Written as interludes in performances of oratorios in Covent Garden, they were the first works of their kind for this combination of instruments and served as a model for later composers. (wikipedia)

The early 1730s were a difficult stage in Handel’s career. There was a growing aversion against Italian opera, and an increasing interest in dramatic works on English text. A rival opera company was founded, which attracted most of the singers who used to sing in Handel’s productions. There was also a trait of nationalism in the opposition against Handel, as his German birth was specifically mentioned in negative articles in the press.

As a result Handel’s attention increasingly shifted to the composition of English oratorios. In order to attract audiences he introduced a new phenomenon: the organ concerto. It wasn’t the first time that he composed an orchestral work with a solo part for the organ. His oratorio ‘Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno’, which received its first performance in Rome in 1707, begins with a ‘Sonata’ for oboes and strings with solo organ. Handel started to play organ concertos during the intervals of his oratorio performances in 1735. The attempt to regain his popularity seemed not to be very successful at first. A newspaper wrote that during a revival of his oratorio Esther (first performed in 1718), he “has introduced two Concertos on the Organ that are inimitable. But so strong is the Disgust taken against him, that even this has been far from bringing him crowded Audiences.”

Later in 1735 a new organ was made for the Covent Garden Theatre, which was first played by Handel during performances of Deborah. Handel’s supporters were deeply impressed, as one wrote that “no entertainment in music could exceed it, except his playing on the organ in Esther, where he performs a part in two concertos, that are the finest things I ever heard in my life.”

These early concertos were published by Walsh in 1738 as opus 4. As they had to be playable to a wide circle of musicians, including skilled amateurs, the publication can only give a faint idea what Handel’s own performance must have been like. Charles Burney wrote that “he rather chose to trust to his inventive powers, than those of reminiscence: for, giving the band only the skeleton, or ritornels of each movement, he played all the solo parts extempore, while the other instruments left him, ad libitum.”

The publication of the organ concertos had great success. One may assume, considering the fact that music was played in many venues, including private homes, small concert halls and taverns, that these concertos were also frequently performed. It is from this perspective that this recording has been made. This means that most concertos are played with one instrument per part, and that the organ is rather small. Its disposition is not the same as that of the organ in the Covent Garden Theatre which Handel used, but has still enough possibilities to allow a differentiation in colours.

“The Chandos portrait of Georg Friedrich Händel” by James Thornhill, c. 1720:

The challenge to the soloist is to give at least some idea of what the solo part must have sounded like under Handel’s hands, without pretending to emulate his performances. In this recording Matthew Halls gives an impressive interpretation, with much creativity and imagination, both in his ornamentation and the playing of cadenzas. Only in some instances I find that he uses the same ornaments a little too often, for instance when a phrase is repeated. But otherwise I am very happy with this performance. The instrumental ensemble is playing at the same level throughout. The scoring with mostly one instrument per part allows Monica Huggett to add some ornaments of her own. In the Concerto no. 3 the violin parts are doubled. I can’t figure out why, since the booklet doesn’t give any reasoning for that. The tempi are well-chosen; only the last movement of the 1st Concerto is a little faster than the tempo-indication ‘andante’ suggests.

To sum up: this is an enthralling and wholly convincing recording of Handel’s organ concertos opus 4, and gives more than just a hint of the genius Handel was. (by Johan van Veen)

Recorded 16 – 18 July 2003, at Saint Silas Church, Kentish Town, London

Personnel:
Matthew Halls (organ)
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Ensemble Sonnerie conducted by Monica Huggett:

Monica Huggett, Emilia Benjamin, Sarah Moffat*, Claire Duff*, violin; Molly Marsh**, Hannah McLaughlin**, oboe; Katherine McGillivray, viola; Joseph Crouch, cello; Peter McCarthy, 3-string contrabasso; Matthew Wadsworth, archlute

A painting of Handel by Philip Mercier (c. 1730):

Tracklist:

Concerto No. 4 in F major HWV 292 (14.24)
01. Allegro 3.59
02. Andante 5.28
03. Adagio 1.20
04. Allegro 3.37

Concerto No. 2 in B flat major HWV 290 (10.04)
05. Sinfonia (A tempo ordinario e staccato – Adagio ) 0.55
06. Allegro 4.31
07. Adagio e staccato 0.44
08. Allegro ma non presto 3.54

Concerto No. 3 in G minor HWV 291 (10.34)
09. Adagio 3:23
10. Allegro 4:06
11. Adagio 0:47
12. Gavotte (Allegro) 2:18

Concerto No. 6 in B flat major HWV 294 (12.19)
13. Andante allegro 5.59
14. Larghetto – Adagio 3.47
15. Allegro moderato 2.33

Concerto No. 5 in F major HWV 293 (8.10)
16- Larghetto 2.01
17- Allegro 2.19
18- Alla Siciliana 1.39
19. Presto 2.11

Concerto No. 1 in G minor HWV 289 (16.22)
20. Larghetto e staccato – Adagio 5.50
21. Allegro 5.30
22. Adagio 1.24
23. Andante 3.38

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Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Neville Marriner) – 6 Concerti Grossi, Op.3 (Händel) (1982)

The Twelve Grand Concertos, Op. 6, HWV 319–330, by George Frideric Handel are concerti grossi for a concertino trio of two violins and cello and a ripieno four-part string orchestra with harpsichord continuo. First published by subscription in London by John Walsh in 1739, they became in a second edition two years later Handel’s Opus 6. Taking the older concerto da chiesa and concerto da camera of Arcangelo Corelli as models, rather than the later three-movement Venetian concerto of Antonio Vivaldi favoured by Johann Sebastian Bach, they were written to be played during performances of Handel’s oratorios and odes. Despite the conventional model, Handel incorporated in the movements the full range of his compositional styles, including trio sonatas, operatic arias, French overtures, Italian sinfonias, airs, fugues, themes and variations and a variety of dances. The concertos were largely composed of new material: they are amongst the finest examples in the genre of baroque concerto grosso.

The Musette, or rather chaconne, in this Concerto, was always in favour with the composer himself, as well as the public; for I well remember that HANDEL frequently introduced it between the parts of his Oratorios, both before and after publication. Indeed no instrumental composition that I have ever heard during the long favour of this, seemed to me more grateful and pleasing, particularly, in subject. ( Charles Burney, writing of the performance of the sixth Grand Concerto at the Handel Commemoration, 1784)

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London.

John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as “The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields”, a small, conductorless string group. The ASMF gave its first concert on 13 November 1959, in the church after which it was named. In 1988, the orchestra dropped the hyphens from its full name.

The initial performances as a string orchestra at St Martin-in-the-Fields played a key role in the revival of Baroque performances in England. The orchestra has since expanded to include winds. It remains flexible in size, changing its make-up to suit its repertoire, which ranges from the Baroque to contemporary works.

Neville Marriner continued to perform obbligatos and concertino solos with the orchestra until 1969, and led the orchestra on recordings until the autumn of 1970, when he switched to conducting from the podium from directing the orchestra from the leader’s desk. Marriner held the title of Life President until his death in 2016. On recordings, besides Marriner, Iona Brown and Kenneth Sillito have led the orchestra, among others.

In 1993, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields became the first – and to date, only – orchestra to be awarded The Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.

Since 2000, Murray Perahia has held the title of Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra, and has made commercial recordings with the orchestra as pianist and conductor.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields during the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, 2011

In May 2011, the orchestra appointed Joshua Bell as its new Music Director, the second person to hold the title in the orchestra’s history, effective September 2011, with an initial contract of 3 years. In July 2017, the ASMF extended Bell’s contract through 2020, an additional three years from his previous contract extension.

Sally Beamish has the title of composer-in-residence with the ASMF, the first composer so affiliated with the ASMF, scheduled through the 2019–2020 season. (wikipedia)

And as already mentioned, this orchestra was conducted by Sir Neville Marriner:

Sir Neville Marriner, CH, CBE (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English violinist and “one of the world’s greatest conductors”. Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the 18 “Greatest and Most Famous Conductors of All Time”. He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor. (wikipedia)

So enjoy another highligt auf Baroque music by the one and only George Frideric Handel.

Personnel:
William Bennett (flute)
Alan Cuckston (organ)
Barry Davis (oboe)
Malcolm Latchem (violin)
Celia Nicklin (oboe)
Wendy Phillips (bassoon)
Alastair Ross (harpsichord)
Graham Sheen (bassoon)
Kenneth Sillito (violin)
Roger Smith (cello)
Denis Vigay (cello)

Tracklist:

01. Concerto 1 In B Flat 8.25
01.1. Allegro
01.2. Largo
01.3. Allegro

02. Concerto 2 In B Flat 11.46
02.1. Vivace — Grave
02.2. Largo
02.3. Allegro
02.4. —
02.5. —

03. Concerto 3 In G 7.49
03.1. Largo E Staccato —
03.2. Allegro
03.3. Adagio —
03.4. Allegro

04. Concerto 4 In F 10.39
04.1. Andante — Allegro — Lentamente
04.2. Andante
04.3. Allegro
04.4. Minuetto

05. Concerto 5 In D Minor 10.19
05.1.  —
05.2. Fuga (Allegro)
05.3. Adagio
05.4. Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
05.5. Allegro

06. Concerto 6 In D 6.26
B3.1 1. Vivace
B3.2 2. Allegro

Composed by George Frideric Handel.

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The official website:

Ricercar Consort – Instrumental music by Händel (Brussels, Feb 3, 2015)

The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the Ricercar record label of Jérôme Lejeune.

The founding members were violinist François Fernandez, organist Bernard Foccroulle, and viola da gamba player Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely identified with the series Deutsche Barock Kantaten. In recordings and concerts, the Consort was joined by baroque specialist singers including; Greta De Reyghere, Agnès Mellon, countertenors Henri Ledroit, James Bowman, tenor Guy de Mey, and bass Max van Egmond, as well as the cornett player Jean Tubéry.

The consort is associated with the Festival Bach en Vallée Mosane held in the valley of the Meuse. (wikipedia)

And here´s a wonderful broadcast recording:

Philippe Pierlot has called on the services of two outstanding soloists for this programme, which is entirely devoted to instrumental music by Handel. The concertos for organ and for oboe show the Saxon master’s artistry at its peak, treating us to some moments of pure pleasure in music at times moving, at times joyful. A major occasion at the Centre for Fine Arts, in the company of one of the country’s finest baroque ensembles. (press release)

George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel’s music forms one of the peaks of the “high baroque” style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

“The Chandos portrait of Georg Friedrich Händel” by James Thornhill, c. 1720:

Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737, he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, and addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works. After his success with Messiah (1742), he never composed an Italian opera again. His orchestral Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain steadfastly popular. One of his four coronation anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Almost blind, he died in 1759, a respected and rich man, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Handel (centre) and King George I on the River Thames, 17 July 1717, by Edouard Hamman (1819–88):

Handel composed more than forty opere serie over a period of more than thirty years. Since the late 1960s, interest in Handel’s music has grown. The musicologist Winton Dean wrote that “Handel was not only a great composer; he was a dramatic genius of the first order.” His music was admired by Classical-era composers, including Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. (wikipedia)

A painting of Handel by Philip Mercier (c. 1730):

Enjoy the magic of Baroque music, enjoy one of the greatest composer of this time !

Personnel:
Ricercar Consort condcuted by Philippe Pierlot
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Sophie Gent (violin)
Maude Gratton (organ)
Emmanuel Laporte (oboe)

Tracklist:
01. Concerto grosso in d minor, op. 6,10 (HWV 328) 13.38
02. Concerto for oboe, strings and bc in g minor (HWV 287) 8.10
03. Concerto for organ, strings and bc in d minor, op. 7,4 (HWV 309) 16.27
04. Concerto grosso in B flat, op. 3,2 (HWV 313) 12.10
05. Concerto for oboe, violin, strings and bc in f minor 10.38
06. Concerto for organ, strings and bc in g minor, op. 4,3 (HWV 291) 10.31

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The official website:

Various Artists – The Enjoyment Of Music – An Introduction To Collins Classics (1989)

And here´s a real nice label compilation:

Classical label formed in 1989, originally owned and operated by Windsong International/Pinnacle Entertainment in association with HarperCollins.
Phoenix Music International acquired the rights to the entire catalogue through its acquisition of Pinnacle Entertainment Ltd in 2009.
Or:
Collins Classics is a highly respected classical label formed in 1989 and now owned by Phoenix Music International. Featuring recordings from renowned London orchestras including the London Philharmonic, London Symphony and Consort of London, Collins Classics’ catalogue covers a wide range of musical works from Bach to Britten and Shostakovich to Sibelius. The label’s 130 albums form a small yet important part of recorded music history.

And this album is a really good opportunity to rediscover classical music.

Listen and enjoy it !

Tracklist:
01. Consort Of London: Solomon – The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (Händel) 3.07
02. Seta Tanyel: Händel Variations On A Theme In B Flat, Op.24 – Extract (Brahms) 1.19
03. The London Symphony Orchestra/Louis Frémaux: Symphonie Fantastique, Op.14 – March To The Scaffold (Berlioz) 4.33
04. Judith Hall: Flute Quartet In C, K285 – Allegro (Mozart) 8.56
05. The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Hilary Davan Wetton: Chanson De Matin, Op.15 (Elgar) 3.30
06. Nikolai Petrov: Etude Op.8, No.2 (Scriabine) 2.23
07. Symphonica Of London & Montserrat Caballé/Wyn Morris: Poème De L’Amour Et De La Mer – La Fleur Des Eaux (Chausson) 12.31
08. The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Hilary Davan Wetton: The Planets – Uranus (Holst) 5.51
09. Seta Tanyel: Eroica Variations Op.35 – Fugue (Beethoven) 4.43
10. Consort Of London/Julia Girdwood & Josef Frohlich: Concerto For Violin And Oboe, BWV 1060 – 3rd Movement, Allegro (Bach) 3.36
11. The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Louis Frémaux & David Nolan: Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite, Op.35 – The Young Prince And The Young Princess (Rimsky-Korsakov) 9.41
12. The London Symphony Orchestra/Jacek Kaspszyk: Pictures At An Exhibition – Baba Yaga – The Great Gate Of Kiev (Mussorgsky) 9.20

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Various Artists – Concerti Grossi – The Joy Of Baroque (1997)

A new kind of orchestral composition, the concerto, appeared in the last two decades of the 17th century, and became the most important type of Baroque orchestral music after 1700. The concerto was the synthesis in purely instrumental music of four fundamental Baroque practices: the concertato principle; the texture of a firm bass and florid treble; musical organization based on the major-minor key system; and the building of a long work out of separate autonomous movements.

The concerto grosso is probably the most important type of baroque concerto, characterized by the use of a small group of solo instruments, called “concertino” or “principale”, against the full orchestra, called “concerto”, “tutti” or “ripieni.” The concertino usually consists of two violins and continuo (the same ensemble that constitutes the Baroque trio sonatas). The ripieni are a small string orchestra, later occasionally including wind instruments (trumpets, oboes, flutes, horns).

“Concerto grosso” originally signified the “large consort,” that is, the orchestra, as opposed to the “concertino” or “little consort,” the group of solo instruments. Later, the term “concerto grosso” was applied to the composition which used these opposed groups.

The practice of contrasting solo instruments against full orchestra had been introduced into Baroque music long before the concerto as such made its appearance. A predecessor of the concerto was the sinfonia or sonata for one or two solo trumpets with string orchestra, which was cultivated especially at Venice and Bologna. Various elements of the concerto also may be found in the Venetian opera overtures, which were occasionally played outside the opera house as independent instrumental sonatas.

The circumstances under which orchestral church music was presented were often such as to encourage the concerto style. The church of San Petronio in Bologna, for instance, maintained a small orchestra of expert instrumentalists; when large numbers of extra players were brought in for special occasions, the contrast between the modest technique of the outsiders and the accomplished virtuosity of the regular performers strongly suggested writing that could take advantage of the situation by providing an appropriately different kind of music for each group within the framework of a single composition — easy parts for the ripieno, more difficult parts for the soloists when heard alone.

Concertos, like sonatas and sinfonias, were played in church as “overtures” before Mass or at certain moments in the ceremony.

The earliest known examples of the concerto grosso principle occur in two “Sinfonie a piu instrumenti” by A. Stradella (1653-1713). Some concerti grossi by Corelli, although published much later, would seem to be of a date close to Stradella’s, because they show the patchwork structure of the earlier canzona with quick changes of a considerable number of short “movements.”

The typical Allegro movement of the concerto was established primarily by Torelli. Each begins with a complete exposition of the theme by the full orchestra; alternating with solo/concertino episodes, the material of the tutti exposition recurs once or twice, slightly modified and in different keys; the movement is rounded off and brought to a close with a final tonic tutti practically identical with the opening one.

A tutti which recurs in this way in a concerto is called ritornello; this structure is typical for all first and last movements of late Baroque concertos. The form is something like that of the rondeau, with the important exception that in a concerto all the ritornellos except the first and last are in different keys. The concerto therefore combines the principle of recurrence with the equally important principle of key relationships.

Typical traits that mark the mature concerto form of the Baroque are: 1) the fast-slow-fast sequence of movements (allegro-adagio-allegro); 2) the ritornello form; and 3) virtuoso flights of the soloists. An occasional adagio introductory movement might precede the first Allegro movement. Generally, except in the case of Vivaldi, the fast movements are based on the fugal principle. A typical pattern of key-related cadences in an Allegro movement might be: tonic; dominant; tonic; relative minor or major or other related key; subdominant or dominant; and finally, tonic. (by lcsproductions.net)

And here´s a real fine collection of classic Contero Grossi … enjoy this delightful music of the 17th century …

Personnel:
London Festival Orchestra conducted by Ross Pople (01. – 04. + 13. – 15.)
Hamburg Solist conducted by Emil Klein (05 . – 09.)
Cis Collegium Mozarteum Salzburg conducted by Jürgen Geise (16. – 22.)

Tracklist:

Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No.1.:
01. Largo – Allegro 2.33
02. Largo – Allegro 2.32
03. Largo – Allegro 4.54
04. Largo – Allegro 20.6

Georg Friedrich Händel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1:
05. Tempo giusto 1.35
06. Allegro 2.24
07. Adagio 2.51
08. Allegro 3.09
09. Allegro 1.36

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto Grosso in D minor Op. 3 No. 11:
10. Allegro – Adagio – Allegro 4.22
11. Largo 2.10
12. Allegro 2.46

Giuseppe Sammartini: Concert Grosso Op. 5 No. 6:
13. Spirituoso – Allegro – Spirituoso – Adagio 4.15
14. Rondo – Allegro moderato e graziosa 5.28
15. Pastorale – Andante sostenuto 5.14

Pietro Antonio Locatelli: Concero in F minor:
16. Largo 0.35
17. Grave 1.31
18. Vivace 1.24
19. Grave 2.02
20. Largo andante 3.49
21. Andante 2.29
22. Pastorale – andante 3.58

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Various Artists – Romantic Harp Concertos (2001)

The harp is a stringed musical instrument which has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard, which are plucked with the fingers. Harps have been known since antiquity in Asia, Africa, and Europe, dating back at least as early as 3500 BC. The instrument had great popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, where it evolved into a wide variety of variants with new technologies, and was disseminated to Europe’s colonies, finding particular popularity in Latin America. While some ancient members of the harp family died out in the Near East and South Asia, descendants of early harps are still played in Burma and in Sub-Saharan Africa, while other defunct variants in Europe and Asia have been revived by musicians in the modern era.

Harps vary globally in many ways. In terms of size, many smaller harps can be played on the lap, while larger harps are quite heavy and rest on the floor. Different harps may use strings of catgut or nylon, or of metal, or some combination. While all harps have a neck, resonator, and strings, “frame harps” have a pillar at their long end to support the strings, while “open harps”, such as arch or bow harps, do not. Modern harps also vary in techniques used to extend the range and chromaticity of the strings, such as adjusting a string’s note mid-performance with levers or pedals which modify the pitch. (by wikipedia)

And her you can hear this beautiful instrument in classical concerts from famous composers like George Frederick Händel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. and from more or less unknown composers like Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Georg Christoph Wagenseil.

Enjoy the magic sound of a harp !

Personnel:

George Frederick Händel: Harp Concerto in B flat major:
Maria Grafova (harp)
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Janáčkova filharmonie Ostrava conducted by Hartmut Haenchen

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto in C major, for flute, harp & orchestra, K. 299
Beata Kaminska (harp)
Joanna Kontowicz (flute)
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Łódzka Orkiestra Kameralna conducted by Zdzisław Szostak

Johann Karl Krumpholz: Harp Concerto in B flat major:
Klara Novakova (harp)
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Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Oliver von Dohnányi

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf: Harp Concerto in A major:
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Harp Concerto in C major:
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Partita in F major:
Georg Christoph Wagenseil: Concerto in G major, for harp, 2 violins, cello & orchestra:
Jana Boušková (harp)
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Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim conducted by Vladislav Czarneck

Tracklist:

CD 1:

George Frederick Händel: Harp Concerto in B flat major:
01. Allegro moderato 6.02
02. Larghetto 5.08
03. Allegro moderato 2.47

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto in C major, for flute, harp & orchestra, K. 299: 04. Allegro 10.33
05. Andantino 7.44
06. Rondeau 10.12

Johann Karl Krumpholz: Harp Concerto in B flat major:
07. Allegro moderato 12.29
08. Andante con variazioni 5.41
09. Rondo, allegro 5:57

CD 2:

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf: Harp Concerto in A major:
01. Allegro molto 6.37
02. Adagio 9.10
03. Rondeau, larghetto 3.33

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Harp Concerto in C major:
04. Allegro moderato 6.28
05. Adagio 9.45
06. Allegro 3.15

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Partita in F major:
07. Presto 3.49
08. Adagio 7.02
09. Menuetto 2.43
10. Finale, allegro 4.05

Georg Christoph Wagenseil: Concerto in G major, for harp, 2 violins, cello & orchestra:
11. Allegro 3.50
12. Andante 4.37
13, Vivace 5.11

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Maurice André – Concertos pour trompette (1987)

At the height of his career, the name of Maurice André, who has died at the age of 78, was synonymous with the trumpet. Not only was he largely responsible for establishing the trumpet as a popular solo instrument, but he also dominated the scene in the 1960s and 70s with a punishing schedule of concerts (an average of 180 a year) and more than 300 recordings, many made on his trademark piccolo trumpet.

As the winner of a prestigious international competition in Munich in 1963, he was sought out by the conductor Karl Richter, who needed a player with star quality for the taxing trumpet parts of such works as Bach’s B Minor Mass. Other notable conductors with whom André worked at this time included Karl Böhm, Karl Münchinger and Herbert von Karajan. He made an immensely successful recording with Karajan of a transcribed concerto by Vivaldi.

It was the lack of repertoire for the trumpet that persuaded André to make arrangements of works for violin, oboe and other instruments. He played them on the piccolo trumpet, an instrument designed to deliver the higher range with facility, and proceeded to stun audiences with a winning combination of technical brilliance and sweetness of tone.

André was a big man, with bushy eyebrows and fleshy fingers. Often the tiny instrument seemed to disappear from view beneath his hands. But he was a huge inspiration to generations of trumpeters, not least his pupils at the Paris Conservatoire, where he taught from 1967 to 1978. He continued to tour after that, first with his brother Raymond, also a trumpeter, and later with his children Nicolas and Béatrice (trumpeter and oboist respectively).

His farewell concert took place in 2008 in St Nazaire Cathedral, Béziers, in southern France, by which time André was officially in retirement. He had moved to a hilltop villa in the Basque country, where he developed his talents as a woodcarver and painter, but continued to practise the trumpet for four or five hours a day.
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Born in Alès, France, at the foot of the Cévennes mountains, André was the son of a coalminer who was also an amateur trumpet player. His father presented the 12-year-old André with a cornet and was so impressed by the boy’s potential that he sent him to study with a friend of his, Léon Barthélémy, a former student at the Paris Conservatoire.

Having taught André for four years, Barthélémy urged his father to send the boy, who had in the meantime followed his father down the mine, to study at the Conservatoire. Since the family could not afford the fees, André joined a military band, enabling him to secure a free place there. He studied with Raymond Sabarich, receiving first prize for both cornet and trumpet after his first and second years of study.

His early orchestral posts were with the Lamoureux Orchestra (1953-60), the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra (1953-62) and the Opéra-Comique (1962-67), but his success in the Munich competition effectively launched his career as a soloist. He had in fact been invited to sit on the jury of the competition, but decided to participate himself. It was at this time that he met and married his wife, Liliane, who supported him loyally as manager and companion on his tours, not least in the early years when his career was slow to take off.

André’s eventual success was founded on a solid technique, superb breath control and seemingly inexhaustible stamina, attributed by him to his years in the coalmine: “I built myself up when working in the mine at 14 years old, when I was moving 17 tons of coal a day,” he once said.

Certainly the technique was formidable. Playing a three-valve Selmer instrument (a fourth valve was added by the manufacturer in 1967 in collaboration with André to extend the register downwards), he effortlessly negotiated the stratospheric pitch range for which the Baroque repertoire was notorious. In the virtuoso faster movements, his tone sparkled brilliantly; in the slow movements it was creamy and seductive. As Karajan once opined: “He’s undoubtedly the best trumpet player, but he’s not from our world.”
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Since the 1970s, Baroque performance practice has developed considerably, with more variety of phrasing and articulation. Both soloist and orchestral accompaniments on many of André’s recordings now sound inflexible, with dirge-like tempi for slow movements. But at the time, this style of playing was thrillingly new and original. It was his lesser-known predecessor Adolf Scherbaum who introduced the piccolo trumpet and its repertoire, but André who brought it global popularity.

Though André was far from a devotee of contemporary music, the sound of which, he said, reminded him of the coalmine, he did have music written for him by several composers including André Jolivet, Henri Tomasi, Boris Blacher, Antoine Tisné and Jean Langlais. A biography, Maurice André: Une Trompette pour la Renommée (A Trumpet for Fame, 2003), was written by his student Guy Touvron, and his memoirs were published under the title Le Soleil Doit Pouvoir Briller pour Tout le Monde (The Sun Has to Shine for Everybody, 2007).

This is a sampler with some of his finest recordings … he was a master of the trumpet !

Personnel:
Maurice André (trumpet)
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Orchestre de Chambre Franz Liszt (CD 1: 01 . 03., 17. + 18.)
Maxence Larrieu (flute)
Janos Rolla (violin)
Bernhard Schenkel (oboe)

Orchestre de Chambre de Wurtemberg conducted by Jörg Faerber (CD 1: 04. – 08.; CD 2: 04. – 09., 16. + 19.)

Academy of St.Martin-in-the-fields conducted by Neville Marriner (CD 1: 09. – 16.; CD 2: 10. – 12.)
Bernard Soustrot (trumpet)

London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos (CD 1: 19. – 21.; CD: 2: 13. – 15.)

Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti (CD 2: 01. – 03.)

Tracklist:

CD 1:

Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047:    
01. Allegro 5.21
02. Andante 3.53
03. Allegro assai 3.00

George Frederick Händel: Water Piece, suite for trumpet, strings & continuo in D major, HWV 341:
04. Overture 1.50
05. Gigue. Allegro 1.45
06. Air 2.01
07. Bourrée 1.06
08. Marche 1.31

Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto for trumpet, 2 oboes, strings & continuo in D major, TWV 53:D2
09. Allegro
10. Grave 0.47
11. Arie 3.52
12. Grave 0.32
13. Vivace 2.23

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel: Concerto for trumpet in D major:
14. Allegro 3.01
15. Andante 2.52
16. Allegro 2.42

Michael Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in D major, MH 104:
17. Adagio
18. Allegro 3.12

Franz Joseph Hadyn: Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, H. 7e/1:
19. Allegro 6.53
20. Andante 4.09
21. Allegro 4.57

CD 2:

Giuseppe Torelli; Sinfonia for trumpet, strings & continuo in D major (“Trumpet Concerto”)
01. Allegro 2.30
02. Adagio – Presto – Adagio 3.01
03. Allegro 1.48

Tomaso Albinoni: Concerto à cinque, for oboe, 2 violins, viola, cello & continuo No. 2 in D
04. minor, Op. 9/2:
04.. Allegro e non presto
05. Adagio 5.30
06. Allegro

Giuseppe Tartini: Trumpet Concerto in D major, D. 53 (arrangement of Violin Concerto in E major):
07. Allegro
08. Andante 2.49
09. Allegro grazioso 3.15

Antonio Vivaldi: Double Trumpet Concerto for 2 trumpets, strings & continuo in C major, RV 537:
10. Allegro
11. Largo 1.03
12. Allegro 3.21

Benedetto Marcello: Oboe Concerto in C minor, SF. 799 (attributed to A. Marcello)
13. Allegro moderato 4.05
14. Adagio 5.00
15. Allegro 3.26

Domenico Cimarosa: Trumpet Concerto in C major:
16. Introduction. Larghetto 3.20
17. Allegro 2.56
18. Siciliana 2.44
19. Allegro giusto 2.30

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Maurice André,  born 21 May 1933; died 25 February 2012