Tír Na HiFi

Well, we are having a great February music- wise in Mexico City. Joyce DiDonato gives a recital next tuesday, the Emerson Quartet a couple of Beethoven concerts, and Fabio Biondi returns -never too soon- on the 25th.
This is another stupendous release from this mighty musician. First of all, this is the first late Alessandro Scarlatti opera ever recorded. Most of what we have from him are from his early years in Naples and Rome, but Carlo Re d´Alemagna comes from Florence in the late 1720´s, just a few years before he died, and it´s utterly fascinating. First of all, the great old man kept himself on his toes, this opera can readily be compared to what Vivaldi and Handel were composing at the time, the orchestration is rich and exuberant and the arias are already late baroque, far more complex than what we get from his Rome years. And of course, best of all is that the music is exquisite.
Fabio Biondi, chief conductor of the Stavanger Symphony at the time, manages to get 100% baroque sounds from them, very stylish, and of course it helps that the master himself is playing first violin and that the continuo comes Europa Galante. He also imported marvelous singers like Roberta Invernizzi and Romina Basso. This was recorded live as far back as 2009, but it´s just brilliant that it was released commercially.

Well, we are having a great February music- wise in Mexico City. Joyce DiDonato gives a recital next tuesday, the Emerson Quartet a couple of Beethoven concerts, and Fabio Biondi returns -never too soon- on the 25th.

Hi Pepe, what music will Fabio Biondi perform on the 25th and will he have the Europa Galante with him?

I remember not being able to get to St Louis (a four hour drive) to hear Stanislaw Skrowaczewski because of bad weather a year or so ago and saying a concert by Biondi and Europe Galante "will do". Seán went NUTS on me :) ...they are fabulous for sure and I was a quick convert.

Off to the symphony for some Carlos Chavez, Corigliano and Beethoven... but been enjoying some Scarlatti Sonatas on Phillips by the Queen of the Harpsichord Blandine Verlet.

Seán wrote:

Well, we are having a great February music- wise in Mexico City. Joyce DiDonato gives a recital next tuesday, the Emerson Quartet a couple of Beethoven concerts, and Fabio Biondi returns -never too soon- on the 25th.

Hi Pepe, what music will Fabio Biondi perform on the 25th and will he have the Europa Galante with him?

He will perform with Kenneth Weiss at the harpsichord Bach and Locatelli. Some of the marvelous Bach sonatas for violin and cembalo and Locatelli´s Didone Abbandonata sonata. Yummy!!!!

DonKC wrote:I remember not being able to get to St Louis (a four hour drive) to hear Stanislaw Skrowaczewski because of bad weather a year or so ago and saying a concert by Biondi and Europe Galante "will do". Seán went NUTS on me :) ...they are fabulous for sure and I was a quick convert.

I am glad you enjoyed it.

Off to the symphony for some Carlos Chavez, Corigliano and Beethoven... but been enjoying some Scarlatti Sonatas on Phillips by the Queen of the Harpsichord Blandine Verlet.

Was that with the Kansas City SO?

Jose Echenique wrote:

Seán wrote:

Well, we are having a great February music- wise in Mexico City. Joyce DiDonato gives a recital next tuesday, the Emerson Quartet a couple of Beethoven concerts, and Fabio Biondi returns -never too soon- on the 25th.

Hi Pepe, what music will Fabio Biondi perform on the 25th and will he have the Europa Galante with him?

He will perform with Kenneth Weiss at the harpsichord Bach and Locatelli. Some of the marvelous Bach sonatas for violin and cembalo and Locatelli´s Didone Abbandonata sonata. Yummy!!!!

That looks like a lovely programme, Pepe.

Seán wrote:

DonKC wrote:I remember not being able to get to St Louis (a four hour drive) to hear Stanislaw Skrowaczewski because of bad weather a year or so ago and saying a concert by Biondi and Europe Galante "will do". Seán went NUTS on me :) ...they are fabulous for sure and I was a quick convert.

I am glad you enjoyed it.

Off to the symphony for some Carlos Chavez, Corigliano and Beethoven... but been enjoying some Scarlatti Sonatas on Phillips by the Queen of the Harpsichord Blandine Verlet.

Was that with the Kansas City SO?

Yes it was, the Chavez "Sinfonia India" a short 15 minute 1 movement symphony, the Corligliano "Conjurer": Concerto for Percussion, Strings and Brass and the Beethoven 5. All quite good and lively, a celebration of the elemental art of rhythm.

Einojuhani Rautavaara
Symphony No 7 "Angel of Light"
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam conducting.

and back to Beethoven for a fabulous performance of the Seventh Symphony recorded on the 9th & 10th April 1936:



Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 7
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
Arturo Toscanini conducting.