What are you listening two?

[Jose Echenique]

Recent listening: Gardiner's version of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo....





....a wonderful version and that opeing sequence is to die for I think.

Did you know that this recording of Orfeo caught Anthony Rolfe Johnson in the middle of a vocal crisis?
He doesn´t sound that bad, but maybe he is more reserved than usual. By the time the recording was over he thought his career was over too. Fortunately after a few months of rest his voice came back and Solti offered him the role of Cassio in Pavarotti´s Chicago Symphony recording of Otello.
I always think of him as my all time favorite Handel tenor, what a pity that his last years were so terrible.

[fergus]

Did you know that this recording of Orfeo caught Anthony Rolfe Johnson in the middle of a vocal crisis?
He doesn´t sound that bad, but maybe he is more reserved than usual. By the time the recording was over he thought his career was over too. Fortunately after a few months of rest his voice came back and Solti offered him the role of Cassio in Pavarotti´s Chicago Symphony recording of Otello.
I always think of him as my all time favorite Handel tenor, what a pity that his last years were so terrible.

I did not know that Pepe but he sounded fine to me on the recording. All of the vocals are one of the big strengths of this version for me.

[fergus]

Bax; Symphony No. 3....





I had read recently that this was the Composer's favourite so I had to listen to it again. I can see why he particularly liked it as it evokes a great sense of the mystical and sense of Folklore in his music.

[fergus]

The wonderfully lyrical, almost operatic music of Carl Maria von Weber's Clarinet Concertos....

[fergus]

I have been dipping into the viol music of Lawes recently....

[fergus]

Vivaldi: La Stravaganza under Marriner....

[Jose Echenique]

One of the many priceless treasures that La Cappella de´Turchini recorded in the golden days of OPUS111.
Gaetano Latilla (1711-1788) was a very popular composer in the mid XVIII Century. Even the young Mozart got to know him during one of his travels to Italy. We have a great conversation with him thanks to Dr. Charles Burney who interviewed him for his book Music in France and Italy.
Though he composed many operas, most of them very popular in their time, Antonio Florio chose an absolutely delightful gem of an opera buffa to introduce him to the discography. Of course it helps to have a dashing, vocally flawless Roberta Invernizzi in the main role, but all the members of la Cappella give throughly idiomatic and admirable performances.
Oh, how we miss producer Yolanta Skura who dared to record all these unknown composers and works.

[fergus]

That seems like a very interesting CD Pepe and it seems to get very favourable reviews as you have already indicated.

[fergus]

Ockeghem: Missa L'homme armé....





....beautiful!!

[fergus]

This one is for Seán....a selection of Vivaldi Bassoon Concertos....