| Comments: | Ricky Yu said:
I've finally had the benefit of listening to the other four concerti, including Thurston Dart's rendition, and I'd have to say this recording (which incidently includes the quintessential Harpsichord Concerto No.1 in D minor), has far better tonality than the others. The tempo is very quick, although not rushed per se. What I like the most is the fact that you can hear all the soloists "imitatively vying with each other" as R. Jacobson writes in the programme notes. The 3rd movement (Allegro assai) of No.2 is simply the best music I've heard; essentially the trumpeter doesn't choke out notes, he blares them out to crisp perfection. The little touches such as the delayed trills in the slow (2nd) movements add a real tenderness to the pieces which melts your heart.
No.6 was originally one I did not like, because of the low pitch and complex motives. I played the viola some years ago and found it to be an expressive mellow instrument. This recording brings out the best of the lower-tuned archi. My only gripe is that I don't know what a viol da gamba sounds like, so I can't tell whether I'm hearing it or not. |
