Discover Music of the Baroque Era
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Music CD Cover
Performer: Christina StelmacovichComposer: George Frederick Handel
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Composer: Domenico Scarlatti
Composer: Gregorio Allegri
Composer: Giovanni Gabrieli
Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
Composer: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Composer: Pierre Certon
Composer: Heinrich Schutz
Composer: William Lawes
Composer: Alessandro Scarlatti
Composer: Alessandro Stradella
Composer: Dietrich Buxtehude
Composer: Johann Pachelbel
Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully
Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Composer: Henry Purcell
Composer: Arcangelo Corelli
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2005-03-22
Music Label: Naxos
Free Music Notes for Discover Music of the Baroque Era
Free Music Review: Terrific Introduction to Baroque Music
Hit: 5 Stars
I really love this collection of Baroque music! Back in the 1990s, when Naxos was a new company, there was a lot of talk about their recordings not being as good as those of some other music labels, but I believe that Naxos has much improved, and terrific collections like this are testimony to the fact. There's a very nice balance on these CDs in terms of style, types of performers, and in presenting pieces that span the entire Baroque era from about 1600 to 1750. The tempos also balance nicely, though perhaps there's a slight emphasis on slower pieces, so the overall effect on me of hearing this music is peacefulness and serenity, while the etherial choral works add to that sense.
So much of the Baroque music that is performed often - mainly J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi - is actually from the end of that era, so Naxos has wisely included many pieces by earlier and also lesser-known but still excellent composers such as Allegri, Gabrielli, Schutz, Charpentier, Lawes, Monteverdi, Lully, Corelli, and others. And Naxos has avoided repeating most of those Baroque chestnuts that have been played to death. For instance, instead of Pachelbel's "Canon" (which is heard so much it's as though that was all he wrote), we get instead his "Toccata in C major" for organ. Likewise, there's nothing here from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," but we hear movements from one of his flute concertos and the choral work "Beatus Vir." And nothing from Handel's "Water Music" either, though we do have a movement from Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto Number 2" and "For Unto Us a Child is Born" from Handel's "Messiah." Wouldn't want to avoid ALL the most famous pieces!
Furthermore, all the music on these discs is performed with much finesse, and recorded well, although there does seem to me that there is some inconsistency of sound level such that I sometimes turn the volume up or down, though much of that is due to the nature of the music itself. Also, Naxos has been very generous in providing about 79 minutes of music per CD, and the booklet too is an unusually generous offering at about 130 pages. Some other reviewers have gone into detail about the booklet, so I won't repeat them, but will concur that Clive Unger-Hamilton has written very helpful background information on the Baroque era, and in a manner that is neither overly dry and scholarly nor overly superficial. This set is also an incredible value at less than $10. In short, it is not possible to praise DISCOVER MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE ERA too highly! Get it and enjoy!
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