Recordings for lute and related instruments

[canninator]

Some new recordings to look out for Lute lovers. Barto's vol 10 in the Weiss series is out Jan 26. I am particularly looking forward to hearing his Sonata No. 40 from the Dresden manuscript. A new fascimile of this manuscript is now available so maybe some new interesting recordings will arise from this.

Also this little beauty should be in any lute lovers collection (if you don't have these pieces by Hoppy elsewhere)


Hopkinson Smith on Naive records. As I'm sure you all know, Hopkinson Smith is a legend so this is a nice release. If you haven't already got it his recent Da Milano is also superb


It's such a shame that so many of his classic releases on Astree have never been re-released by Naive, a real treasure trove of excellent lute and vihuela recordings

[canninator]

Well, I've loved all 3 performers of this Dowland music that I have owned - just have 'so much' space for storage and did not have the complete O'Dette set; I can't imagine one being disappointed w/ any of these lutenists - they are all superb!  But, two sets of the 'complete' works should serve me well - like picking a 'mate', choices must be made - 

I don't think Hopkinson Smith will ever do a cycle. That would have benchmark written all over it but I do hope that Elizabeth Kenny does one for Hyperion, that would be great.

I really don't like what Jose Miguel Moreno did with Dowland on his 2CD set on Glossa with the introduction of the theorbe as a second voice. It would still be nice to hear him do a "regular" Dowland recording but my feeling is that he would not be so good in this idiom.

All the same, I would make room on my shelf for all these.

[zorzynek]

I'm pretty happy with Weiss' Sonatas for 2 Lutes performed by Karl-Ernst Schröder and Robert Barto. I'm not the connoisseur though.

Is Stephen Stubbs' interpretations of David Kellner any good?

[canninator]

I'm pretty happy with Weiss' Sonatas for 2 Lutes performed by Karl-Ernst Schröder and Robert Barto. I'm not the connoisseur though.

Is Stephen Stubbs' interpretations of David Kellner any good?

Never heard the Kellner disc but generally speaking Stephen Stubb's is a quality lutenist so I don't imagine you would have too many problems with it. Anyway, it's not as though many people have recorded Kellner! Where are you going to pick it up, I thought it was OOP.

[zorzynek]

Never heard the Kellner disc but generally speaking Stephen Stubb's is a quality lutenist so I don't imagine you would have too many problems with it. Anyway, it's not as though many people have recorded Kellner! Where are you going to pick it up, I thought it was OOP.

It was upped for a moment on Classical Heaven, but now it's not available anymore. Hope it will be reupped soon.

[Shrunk]

Also this little beauty should be in any lute lovers collection (if you don't have these pieces by Hoppy elsewhere)

Great to have these out at budget price, but any idea why they used such a STUPID package?

[mc ukrneal]

If only I had more issues of this complete series of Weiss' London manuscript....But it was issued on a tiny Canadian label and longtime OOP

I see here a brilliant opportunity for Brilliant. I really should mail them one of these days about this...

Good morning!

Q

You could try contacting the musician if you are interested enough. I see two email addresses (one at his site and one for where he works). The sites are: http://www.michelcardin.com/  and http://www.slweiss.de/index.php?id=3&type=liste&lang=eng. The second site gives a list of performers of the music (as well as the email address to contact for Michel). 

[Que]

You could try contacting the musician if you are interested enough. I see two email addresses (one at his site and one for where he works). The sites are: http://www.michelcardin.com/  and http://www.slweiss.de/index.php?id=3&type=liste&lang=eng. The second site gives a list of performers of the music (as well as the email address to contact for Michel).

Thanks for the heads up, I have considered that before, and maybe I'll just do that. 

The prospect of eleven seperate full price CDs, if even available and maybe only as CD-Rs, has put me off till now. But frankly the more I hear of this disc, the more I like it. Even more so than Barto's series on Naxos, though that is nothing less than excellent. It's Cardin's expressive articulation, enhanced by the life-like recording (Naxos' recording of Barto is more mellow), and his grasp of the overall musical architecture that is like clockwork, that wins the day.

Q

[Que]

Having seen the posting about Harmonia Mundi bargains at Presto Classical I bought

Marco Dall'Aquila: Pieces for Lute (Paul O'Dette)

via Amazon direct from HM.  Very soon after I started playing it I recalled reading a review somewhere last year, which must have been about this disc, bewailing the recording quality.  It is recorded in a very reverberant acoustic.  Best avoided!

That's what I've read as well. Pity, really.



Q

[kishnevi]

That's what I've read as well. Pity, really.



Q

Have it.  The acoustics are noticeable but don't (for me) detract from the music.

[Que]

Paul O'Dette - Art of the Lute - 5 disc box from H. Mundi w/ a mixture of composers (already own 2 complete sets of Dowland's lute works w/ 2 other performers, so don't need his Dowland box) - this is now selling @ BRO for $25 - of course, just a compilation of previous single discs, but the price is hard to beat!

Go for it, Dave. I've enjoyed that set immensely.  In particular the Kapsberger, also the music from Lord Herbert of Cherburry's Lute Book and the Molinari disc. For the Bach and Dowland I have other options that O'Dette doesn't trump, but still very nice performances indeed.

BRO is not as cheap as I expected, though!

Q

[Leo K.]

A very beautiful recording, of a composer new to me. This appears to be a hard to find recording (lent to me by a friend):


Album: Baron: Music at the Court of Frederick the Great
Artist(s): Pier Luigi Polato (lute), Ensemble Barocco Sans Souci
Release date: 2000
Label: Dynamic
Catalog #: CDS 270
Total time: 00:59:29

Ernst Gottlieb Baron or Ernst Theofil Baron ( February 17, 1696 – April 12, 1760). Baron was born in Breslau. He studied law in Leipzig, but later became successful as a performer on the lute. In 1735, he took up an appointment as theorbo player at the court of King Frederick II of Prussia. Baron is best known for his treatise on lute-playing, which is still widely available. He was personally acquainted with both Johann Sebastian Bach and Sylvius Leopold Weiss.

I particulary like the 2 solo sonatas (in Bb and G Major) for lute amongst the various instrument combinations found in this recording.

Sonata for lute in B flat:
No. 1, Fantasia 
No. 2, Allegro 
No. 3, Bourée 
No. 4, Aria
No. 5, Rondeau 
No. 6, Tempo di menuet 

Suite for lute in G:
No. 1, Prelude 
No. 2, Allemande   
No. 3, Courante   
No. 4, Menuet 
No. 5, Bourée 
No. 6, Polonaise 
No. 7, Gigue 

[Kontrapunctus]

Edin Karamzov is an interesting player. Here's his take on Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor! (I wish the OP would consolidate it into one part...)

http://www.youtube.com/v/gmHVj6tiIi0

[Leo K.]

Also enjoying Barto's Vol.10 of Weiss works. Should be interesting to compare to Michel Cardin, of which I just aquired four of the CDs from his cycle.

Also, this incredible recording of Robert de Visée's works for the Théorbe:



I have absolutely no reservations about this superb disc, it's really a wonder to hear the glory of the Théorbe, and the quality of Visée's music is a wonder.

[SonicMan46]

 

I have absolutely no reservations about this superb disc, it's really a wonder to hear the glory of the Théorbe, and the quality of Visée's music is a wonder.

Hi Leo - I own about 4 discs of Weiss's lute works - waiting for a BIG BOX to appear; he wrote so much! I've added that 2nd disc to my Amazon cart - sounds right up my alley!  Dave

For those liking classical guitar, a couple of new additions on MDG of duos by two different composers - made a few comments in the 'listening thread' w/o any interest, so I'll re-post here - part of a small bargain order from BRO!

 

[Leo K.]

Hi Leo - I own about 4 discs of Weiss's lute works - waiting for a BIG BOX to appear; he wrote so much! I've added that 2nd disc to my Amazon cart - sounds right up my alley!  Dave

For those liking classical guitar, a couple of new additions on MDG of duos by two different composers - made a few comments in the 'listening thread' w/o any interest, so I'll re-post here - part of a small bargain order from BRO!

 

I wish a major box would appear too, I about six disks from various performers. Another one I love is by Stephen Stubbs, unfortunately OOP, but with very nice playing of two Weiss suites and a suite of Bach's. Right now I am happy with Cardin (hard to find unfortunately) and Barto (very easy to find). 

[Leo K.]

Sonatas for Solo Lute, Op.1 (1740)


Partitas for Solo Lute, Op.2 (1742)



My wife has got me the lute works of Adam Falckenhagen (26 April 1697 – 6 October 1754).



Quoth the Wiki:

Adam Falckenhagen (26 April 1697 – 6 October 1754) was a German lutenist and composer of the Baroque period.

He was born in Groß-Dölzig, near Leipzig in Saxony, but spent the later part of his life in Bayreuth. He wrote tuneful music which is still played today on lute and guitar. Much of this music survives in the Bavarian State Library, Munich.

He received his first musical instruction in the village of Knauthain, the native home of Johann Christian Weyrauch. Weyrauch was a pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach and transcriber of works by Bach for the lute. In 1713 Falckenhagen is mentioned as "gifted in literature and music," and in 1715 as "Musician and footman of the young Lord of Dieskau." The Dieskaus were a family for whom J.S. Bach later wrote the Bauernkantate in Merseburg. Falckenhagen stayed in Merseburg with the Dieskaus from about 1715, until in 1719 he succeeded Johann Graf in the position of Saxe Court lutenist. Falckenhagen attended Leipzig University from 1719 to 1720. It has been suggested that Falckenhagen also studied with Johann Jakob Graf, a pupil of Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750), and later with Weiss himself.

Like many of his contemporaries, Falckenhagen travelled from court to court most of his life (Weissenfels, 1720-1727; Jena and Weimar (1729-1732), eventually settling in Bayreuth, where he won the favour of Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Bayreuth, in 1734. Wilhelmine was a lutenist and sister of Frederick the Great; she invited him to be the court lutenist at Bayreuth. Falckenhagen held this position until his death in 1754.

Falckenhagen's music is representative of the final flowering of 18th-century lute music in Germany.

I am excited to hear this, and I shall report back!

[Que]

Good question indeed, Dave!

That's why I picked up this issue by Michel Cardin. I was intrigued by the comments by Mark Sealy on ClassicalNet, in whom Cardin's complete series of Weiss' lute works (12 discs) has found a strong advocate. (More) BTW a nice discography of Weiss' Dresden manuscripts HERE.

Anyway, I have also one volume of Roberto Barto's series on Naxos, and although the works on the two discs are not the same, comparing the two approaches provided much interesting listening and revealed quite some differences.

Let me state first that it took a while before a preference emerged - these are two very good lutenists. Cardin is the more deliberate player, Barto is swifter and more flowing making a grasp on Weiss' musical architecture easier on first listening. Cardin is on the other hand is more articulate. The Naxos recording of Barto is also "easier on the ear" with a more mellow soundsstage at some distance of the instrument while the SNE recording of Cardin is up-close to the instrument with extra sonic "gruff" and "gut-effect" as a result. In the end I found Cardin's more probing and expressive approach more satisfying than Barto's admittedly very elegant playing that glosses just a bit over the music IMO.

Perhaps not the most convenient result, I might add... The Cardin series being OOP en fetching high prices, that were considerably higher than Naxos to begin with. Maybe buying directly from Michel cardin's website is an option.

Although... a wondefull OOP series on a tiny label, doesn't that sound like a perfect deal for Brilliant Classics?
Harry, you might want to tip the people at Brilliant ... and do us all a big favour.

Q

Fast forward for five years:

[asin]B00QG15MQO[/asin]

Q

[Florestan]

Don´t know if this has been mentioned, but it´s oustanding in every possible way.

[Karl Henning]

Novelty, or Music? You make the call ....

[asin]B001AK46HC[/asin]