For many years, Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was beset by the same malady as Tomaso Albinoni, i.e., that of being recognized primarily for a single work. In Albinoni’s case it was the Adagio (composed by Remo Giazotto, using only a bass line from his countryman); with Pachelbel it was the all-pervading Canon in D which has been recorded so many times that one loses count and in an almost infinite variety of versions, ranging from the composer’s original for three violins and continuo to tuba quartet! However, some have chosen to venture further into the musical legacy left by Pachelbel and therefore uncovered a number of compositions whose quality—while variable and occasionally mundane—is overshadowed by their importance in the development of specific genre, including the sacred cantata.

Quand on songe à l’œuvre d’Arcangelo Corelli, l’un des maîtres de la sonate préclassique et du concerto grosso, nous vient le plus souvent et spontanément en tête le fameux Concerto per la Notte di Natale, n° 8 des douze concerti grossi composant son opus 6. La Follia, cette célèbre sarabande qui développe une suite de quelque seize variations, est à l’opus V ce que le Concerto per la Notte di Natale est à l’opus 6 : la pièce la plus célèbre et la plus populaire.

Yuri Temirkanov's Royal Philharmonic recording has been around for a long time; it was recorded in 1986 and has been in the catalog ever since – for good reason. Temirkanov is always sensitive to the exotic nature of these scores, particularly Spartacus, and he brings excitement to the varied colorful dances of both ballets. His recording is more full-bodied than the Bolshoi CD; no under-staffed orchestra here, and their rich sounds have been superbly captured by EMI's engineers.

Johann Joachim Quantz wrote over 300 flute concertos for Frederick II, King of Prussia, works that have increasingly been recognised for their wealth of invention. Before his years in Berlin, however, Quantz had worked in Dresden where he wrote a series of trio sonatas. The genre had been codified by Arcangelo Corelli and was the most popular form of chamber music at the time. Quantz fashioned elegant dialogues between the instruments, fugal passages, the melodic element of the trios always highlighted next to the counterpoint. These concise, eloquent works blend styles and musical languages in a way that foreshadows his larger-scale concertos.

Franz von Suppé (1819-1895) had to put in a lot of effort to finally be able to start a music study. Law and medicine were studies that fit better with the environment that Franz came from. The music eventually won. Franz Pokorny, theater director, saw the talent and offered him the opportunity to further qualify as a conductor. He more or less became the patron of Franz von Suppé. It is not without reason that Franz composed a "Requiem" for his benefactor when he died in 1855. The work does not have such a large orchestral line-up (including four horns, two trumpets, percussion and strings) and has subtle dramatic accents. The work thus deviates from other, often grandiose, romantic settings of a requiem.

An innovator and a revolutionary composer, its thanks to the Red Priest that the solo concerto made its way through Europe, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach and Handel and the subsequent course of music history. Published in 1714 (or 1716 as most scholars today tend to believe) and reprinted illegally numerous times in pre-copyright Europe, La Stravaganza, Op. 4 contains 12 solo concertos which can be defined as unsurpassed models of their kind, and the manifesto of Vivaldis aesthetic.

Clérambault was born in 1676 in Paris in a musical family whose members had served the kings of France since the 15th century. His father Dominique was a violinist and a member of the 24 violons du roi. Louis-Nicolas probably received his first music lessons from him. His organ teacher was André Raison to whom he dedicated his Livre d'orgue. His oeuvre is not very sizeable, but of consistently high quality. He was a major contributor to the genre of the chamber cantata which became popular in the early decades of the 18th century under the influence of the Italian style. Five books of such cantatas were published between 1710 and 1726.

he players take an appropriately spacious view of the Sunrise Quartet's serene opening bars, and provide a deeply felt account of the wonderful F sharp major slow movement from Op. 76/5. They offer, too, an intensely dramatic performance of the first movement of the D minor Fifths Quartet, and manage to find a striking change of colour for the minor sections of Op. 76/5's opening movement.

Lamentations or tenebrae were composed for the Matins services of Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Holy Week but were sung on the preceding evening. Each service consisted of three nocturnes and each nocturne was divided into three lessons. The Lamentations of Jeremiah were always sung during the three lessons of the first nocturne of each service. That makes nine tenebrae in all. Scarlatti however, set to music only six of them, all of which are sung on this new release. Five of the Lamentations are for soprano and the remaining one for tenor.

At the end of the 18th century, when Mozart went to Paris to develop, his biggest rival was Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825). The full extent of his musical charm can be seen through these elegant pieces in the album. Not only are symphonic concertos with oboe and bassoon as the main instruments very rare, but the music in the album are all recorded for the first time in the world, adding to the rarity and preciousness of the album.

Fully integrated with the musical line, the singers avoid melodrama through intimate, small gestures as if acting for screen, not stage.’ Gramophone Critics' Choice 2021 Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants conclude their exploration of this fascinating corpus. Even more than in his first books, Gesualdo here displays incredible modernity, playing in inimitable fashion on dissonances and chromaticisms. Love and death, joys and sorrows embrace and clash amid ever bolder harmonies.

This second release of music by Georg Schumann features symphonic works. Schumann, who was the director of the Sing-Akademie in Berlin for many years and a professor of composition at the Prussian Academy of the Arts, is currently being rediscovered as a late romanticist, but during his lifetime he was regarded as a neoromanticist. The Symphony in F minor is his most monumental instrumental work. What one critic wrote of the symphony of his youth also is above all true here: ‘… how one idea logically develops from the other’. The recording also includes two of Georg Schumann’s overtures. He was able to express all the moods in music – and this is his claim to greatness. After the weighty Prelude to a Drama he wrote a joyous celebration of life in the Lebensfreude overture, a work overflowing with delight in musical performance.

Een driedubbele cd met het integrale werk voor cello en pianoforte van Ludwig Van Beethoven, dat is het resultaat van de intense muzikale samenwerking van celliste France Springuel en pianist Jan Vermeulen. De twee begonnen drie jaar geleden samen te musiceren en de muzikale klik die beiden toen voelden, deed hen besluiten om het repertoire voor cello en piano aan te pakken. Eerst waren er twee Schubertcd's, dan volgde Schumann, en nu is er dus Beethoven. De sonate voor cello en piano is in feite een uitvinding van Beethoven zelf.

Denmark-born Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697) studied under Buxtehude, and eventually became his favorite and most-skilled student. After his studies, Bruhns became composer at the Danish Royal Court. Unfortunately, after his early death ended a blossoming career, many of Bruhns’ works have been lost. J. S. Bach held a deep admiration for Bruhns’ vocal works, and their influence is evident in Bach’s earliest works. This release includes Bruhns’ complete cantatas. Their “Stylus Phantasticus” shows freedom of form and expression. The four vocal soloists featured on this release are fantastic, and are joined by Harmonices Mundi and conductor Claudio Astronio, who has already released several recordings for Brilliant Classics to critical acclaim.

Donna, che in ciel di tanta luce splendi is a full-length cantata and the masterpiece in this recital. The introductory Sinfonia captures attention imperatively with its grandeur and turbulence. Then the succession of recitatives and arias, unfailingly alive with dramatic imagination, provides superb opportunities for the singer, all of which are taken here with well-grounded eagerness.