Another hour of Baroque music

Earlier I posted a playlist with one hour of Baroque music and apparently, you liked it 😀

So here is an other hour of Baroque music, with three big and bold Baroque works. 

Fasch, Händel and Bach knew each other works and respected each other. The “grande” overture in g minor is played by the Belgian ensemble Il Fondamento. Their recordings are always a bit hit or miss to my opinion. But this Fasch recording is a hit. 

Händel’s 16th organ concerto is in fact an arrangement by the composer from the concerto a due cori in F major, HWV 334. That concerto borrowed material of the so-called Fitzwilliam Overture (HWV 424) and the opera Partenope (HWV 27). The organ concerto in this form was probably performed with the oratorio, Judas Maccabaeus (HWV 63) in 1747. 

The last work is Bach’s well known fist Brandenburg concerto in perhaps a lesser known performance, Jordi Savall leads le concert des Nations.

I hope you will enjoy the (just over an hour) playlist! 

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)

Tracks 01-07 Overture Suite for Three Oboes, Bassoon, Strings and Continuo in G Minor, FWV K/g 2 (between 1740-55)

Il Fondamento 

Paul Dombrecht, conductor.

Recorded 2004

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)

Tracks 08-15 Organ concerto HWV 305a in F major (no 16), arranged from HWV 334 (1747)

Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Bob van Asperen, organ and conductor.

Recorded 1996

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Tracks 16-19 Brandenburg concerto in F major BWV 1046 (before 1721)

Le concert des Nations

Jordi Savall, conductor

Recorded 1991

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18pm5Rbcxzlc06VCqVO9tA?si=c246625812ce438e(HTTP link)

Unknown Handel his chamber music on Spotify

In 1997 an interesting CD appeared with the title “the unknown Handel”, with chamber music by, or once attributed to Georg Friedrich Händel. But… the title almost suggests that the other chamber music by this composer is “known” (how much of op. 2 did yòu ever heard?). Well yes and no. In Handel’s music there are often “re-used” bits and pieces, so don’t be surprised if you hear a snippet Watermusic or the Messiah in these chamber pieces… The first CD is by the American traverso player Jed Wentz and his band Musica as Rhenum. Different “versions” of chamber music works, the second is by the British Brook street band with the complete op. 2 trio sonatas.

Hope you will enjoy this Handel selection!

“the unknown Handel”

-Trio sonata (here concerto version), Op. 5 no 4, HWV 399 (publ. 1739)

-Oboe Sonata in G minor, HWV 404 (1699!!, 14 year old Handel, basis of HWV 387 here in traverso version)

-Sonata a 5 for violin & strings in B flat major (Sonata à Cinque), HWV 288 (1707 composed for Corelli?)

-Oboe Concerto in G minor (No.3 here traverso version), HWV 287 (1704-5 Hamburg, possibly spurious)

-Sinfonia in B flat major, HWV 339 (1706-7)

-Concerto a quattro, for recorder (here traverso), violin, bassoon & continuo in D minor (1715, doubtful, also attributed to Telemann)

-Trio sonata (here concerto version for 2 traversi , Op. 2 no 5, HWV 390b (1717-22)

Musica ad Rhenum

Jed Wentz, traverso

Marion Moonen, traverso

Anton Steck, violin

Christoph Mayer, violin

Job ter Haar, violoncello

Marcelo Bussi, harpsichord

Trio sonatas op 2, published by Walsh in 1733:

-Trio Sonata No. 3 in B-Flat Major, HWV 388 (1717-8)

-Trio Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, HWV 387 (later version of hobo sonata HWV 404, 1699!!)

-Trio Sonata No. 4 in F Major, HWV 389 (1718-22)

-Trio Sonata No. 5 in G Minor, HWV 390 (1717-22)

-Trio Sonata No. 1 in B Minor, HWV 386b (before 1727)

-Trio Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, HWV 391( ca 1707)

-Passacaille from Suite in G HWV 432 (1720)

The Brook street band

Rachel Harris - Violin

Farran Scott - Violin

Tatty Theo - Cello

Carolyn Gibley - Harpsichord

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/7E1Y2i1P20yjPufC7oLEiL (HTTP link)

Dutch Delight!

Here are two new CD’s from two up-and-coming-if-they-are-not-already-arrived-yet-pianists
Diara van der Bercken and Hannes Minnaar. Diara does Handel, Hannes Bach, or rather, music inspired by Bach.

Diara van der Bercken acquired some fame in the Netherlands by driving (yes, you read it right) her piano through Amsterdam, while playing George Frederick Handel and was hung up 50 ft from the ground by a crane *doing the same*. As the october issue of the Gramophone stated in a review of the Handel CD; this is all rather apropos and I hope you can concentrate on the „musical affection and an immaculate virtuosity” that was mentioned along the first remark in that magazine!

Hannes Minnaar was the first Dutch Pianist that made it to the top 3 of the toughest piano competition in the World; the Queen Elisabeth competition in Brussels, 2010. Not with the usual suspects Rachmaninov or Prokofiev but, and it also shows his musical quirkiness, the 5th piano concerto of Camille Saint-Saens (see video below). On his new CD, just on Spotify, he plays music by Liszt, Busoni, Vaughn-Williams and.. hé! Rachmaninov. But this time with arrangements of, or inspired by works of, Johann Sebastian Bach. Everything is transparent and clear here, gently whispering in the pianissimo passages... Four stars from the Guardian and many more from the Dutch press urges you to take a listen, I hope…! :-)

Daria van der Bercken in Handel:

Handel:
Keyboard Suite, HWV 428 in D minor
Keyboard Suite, HWV 427 in F major
Keyboard Suite, HWV 432 in G minor
Air in G minor, HWV467
Keyboard Suite, HWV 435 (Chaconne) in G major
Keyboard Suite, HWV 434 in B flat major: Minuet
Mozart: Allemande, from Suite, K399

The playlist of the Bach CD by Hannes Minnaar can be found H*E*R*E <--




                   http://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/6w34wO6ZdsUT2mazCRssBg
                                  (two hours twenty-three minutes spine shivering moments)