Period: Baroque

VIOLA FANTASIES from virtuoso Misha Galaganov presents the groundbreaking solo works Fantasies for Bass Viol (1735) by Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. These compositions are the only known solo works from a major Baroque composer to almost ideally complement the modern viola’s range and tonal characteristics. In this album, Galaganov uses natural gut strings and modern tuning to interpret Telemann’s beautiful melodies, inventive polyphony, and dance rhythms. Galaganov uses his scholastic research, knowledge, experience, and musical instincts to inform each performance regarding dynamics, tempi, ornamentation, and other aspects of interpretation. Essential and pleasant listening for all audiences, these works also offer a study in polyphony, ornamentation, bow technique, and more.

Edwin Barker’s playing is described as “timeless,” “vibrant,” and “compelling,” three descriptors that could not be better suited for his recording of J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 and Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Sonata Op. 108 for solo double bass. Elegantly capturing Bach’s suite in his arrangement for double bass, Barker navigates the challenging and unwieldy passages of the Prelude’s fugue with the same measured and tolerant musicality innate to the immortal tenderness of the Sarabande. Despite a grand leap in time and place, he inspires equal personality — and often spouts of well-placed capriciousness — in Weinberg’s Sonata, honoring the high technical demands of the work while carving out a unique appreciation for Weinberg’s stylistic traditions. BASSO PROFUNDO is a prime example of a master at work, a recording that will surely inspire another extensive list of descriptors risen in Barker’s praise.

Christopher O'Riley's THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER BOOK I delves into the subtle intricacies of Bach's famous masterwork, revealing the composer's nuanced craftsmanship through an exploration of the spaces between notes. Inspired by Bach's profound lyricism and informed by historical insights, O'Riley's interpretation transcends conventional keyboard traditions. Embracing the expressive potential of articulation and texture, he illuminates counterpoint with dynamic contrast, unveiling hidden dialogues within Bach's compositions. Through meticulous attention to intonation and rhythmic flexibility, O'Riley uncovers layers of meaning, echoing the Japanese concept of “Ma” — the significance of space and silence. This album invites listeners to immerse themselves in Bach's universe, where every pause resonates with depth and possibility.

The groundbreaking Roman composer Alessandro Stradella’s unjustly neglected oratorio ESTER, LIBERATRICE DEL POPOLO EBREO shines forth in a sparkling new release from Navona Records. Exploring themes of courage, self acceptance, ambition, justice, and power, this piece tells the story of Esther, a timid girl, secret Jew, and Persian Queen, who summons the bravery to save her people from annihilation. While the oratorio derives its narrative from the old testament’s The Book of Esther, this compelling story of a lone woman challenging an oppressive tyrant is sure to strike a chord, resonating powerfully for modern listeners as it recalls many ongoing conflicts in our world today.

Jennifer Bouton’s VIVALDI PICCOLO CONCERTOS is the first complete recording of the concerti by an American piccoloist. Bouton possesses a mastery over these works, having performed the most famous and beloved C Major concerto (RV 443) numerous times, notably with the Milwaukee Symphony and Nicholas McGegan in 2023. In recording the complete set of works for sopranino/flautino on the modern piccolo, Bouton aims to expand the standard canon of solo piccolo repertoire, and encourage modern performers to investigate the possibilities of ornamentation that live in each of these sparkling compositions. Expressive, light hearted, technically elaborate, and strikingly beautiful, this collection of works is a stunning showcase of Vivaldi’s colorful concerti, concluding with an exhilarating performance of Paganini’s Caprice No. 11 in C Major to round out the program.

With its innumerable recordings by the greatest pianists in history, one would think the book has been written on Johann Sebastian Bach's timeless pianistic masterpiece, The Well-Tempered Clavier. Renowned Swedish-Ukrainian pianist Natalya Pasichnyk now adds her name and interpretation to this illustrious list with RETHINKING THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER. Her intellectual yet spiritual take on the matter is likely to be exactly what the composer envisioned. Guided by Bach's assertion that music's ultimate purpose is to glorify God and rejuvenate the spirit, Pasichnyk explores the intersection between divine inspiration and human existence. The result is a veritable tour de force of strength and sensitivity; of rational perspicuity, yet with the most tender sentiment; of surging vigor and might, but also of nonchalant lightness. A triumph.

Ivory keys worn by two centuries of passionate musicians tell a story of musical evolution on SCARLATTI SONATAS, an album of solo harpsichord sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Soler, and an unidentified composer. Performed today by pianist Charles Metz, these works were first adapted for performance on the pianoforte in 1791 by Muzio Clementi, who breathed new life into Scarlatti’s timeless work with marked dynamics, articulations, and more. While Metz’s choice of repertoire holds ample historical significance, so does the instrument he employs to perform them — an 1806 square piano built by Clementi himself.

BUXTEHUDE Trio Sonatas op.1 is the debut album of Québécoise violinist Noémy Gagnon-Lafrenais, who joins forces with viola da gambist Margaret Little and keyboardist Christophe Gauthier to form Ensemble Spinoza and celebrate the seminal work of 17th-century composer Dietrich Buxtehude. VII Suonate a due, violin & viola da gamba, con cembalo Op.1. highlights Buxtehude’s distinctive compositional style and stands as a testament to his contribution to the instrumental repertoire of the Baroque era. Featuring North German, French, and Italian influences, the music is an aesthetic masterpiece of musicological significance. Through its historically informed performance, Ensemble Spinoza gives a thoughtful and heartfelt reading of each of the beautiful sonatas in this collection.

Good pianists are a dime a dozen, great pianists are one in a million. American virtuoso Bryan Wallick proves that he firmly belongs to the latter category on VIRTUOSIC FUGUE, a dazzling curation of music's strictest and most challenging form, executed with a buttery, singing tone and ravishing technical bravura. These fugues by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich challenge the pianist with the age-old dilemma of the form by performing them with a mesmerizingly light, precise touch, sparingly adding accent pedaling in highly strategic places. The result isn't just a masterclass in expressive virtuosity; it's also a mentally restorative, profoundly enjoyable listening experience.

When Johann Sebstian Bach composed his flute sonatas, the flute was in its infancy as a replacement for the popular recorder. Nevertheless, his musical genius rings out as richly layered harmony and emotions exude from each fluently written piece on J.S. BACH COMPLETE SONATAS FOR FLUTE & PIANO. On this two-disc recording, the mother-daughter duo of flutist Julie Scolnik, lauded by the Boston Globe for her “urgency full of fire that melts into disarming delicacy,” and pianist Sophie Scolnik-Brower further amplify Bach’s expressiveness, swapping the usual harpsichord for piano to deepen the dynamics and phrasing throughout the compositions.

When four musicians of high caliber join forces, one can generally expect favorable results; but only the truly splendid manage to create a musical experience greater than the sum of its parts. Such is the nature of The Opus Project, founded in 2020 and already rated as one of Canada's most eminent Early Music quartets.

Navona Records presents FRENCH CONNECTIONS, a new album of French works for harpsichord performed by Jonathan Rhodes Lee. The pieces selected for this collection celebrate the small, tight-knit pantheon of 17th-century French harpsichordists who helped shape the instrument’s repertoire. While the total output of these composers would make for countless hours of listening, FRENCH CONNECTIONS offers a taste of this expansive body of work. Music by Louis Couperin (c. 1626-1661), François Couperin (1668-1733) and Antoine Forqueray (1672-1745) comes alive through masterful performances by Lee, with recordings engineered and mastered by multiple GRAMMY-winning classical music producer Brad Michel.

The Newberry Consort and EnsAmble Ad-Hoc present A MEXICAN CHRISTMAS, an album of 17th century traditional music for worship and celebration. The collection features pieces commonly heard in both liturgical service and in the streets, and evoke the solemnity and fanfare heard in Mexico City’s convents and plazas, with jubilant vocals and lively strings, guitars, and percussion. Organ, harp, bassoon, and a variety of Mexican traditional instruments bring this exuberant and diverse music to life.

Navona Records presents DASHING VOL. 2, a festive assortment of new classical and jazz arrangements and compositions inspired by staples of the holiday season. Unwrap this gift from Sarah Wallin Huff, Joseph Turrin, Kristina Marinova, Jordan VanHemert, David W. Solomons, Elizabeth J. Start, Alan Rinehart, and Joseph T. Spaniola to find a variety of new works and familiar favorites. All of the traditional holiday sounds are featured in this album, embellished with distinguished compositional twists that complement seasonal standards. Experience the holidays in a refreshing way with reharmonizations of Silent Night, Carol Of The Bells for solo guitar, a jazz arrangement of Christmas Time is Here, and more.

Pondering the Baroque violin repertoire, one would be forgiven to think of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works and little else. Acclaimed English violinist Thomas Bowes courageously sets out to change this preconceived notion with TELEMANN FANTASIAS, a rare and remarkable full performance of all of Georg Philipp Telemann’s solo violin fantasias.

No other musical form allows the composer as much liberty as the musical fantasy, or fantasia. Ukrainian-born pianist Pavel Gintov iconoclastically blends emotion and reason in his selection of PIANO FANTASIES ranging from the Baroque through to the late Romantic era.

THREE CELLO SUITES from clarinetist Joshua Ranz and Navona Records is a truly groundbreaking take on Bach’s legendary works; In this album, for the first time ever, listeners may enjoy three unabridged cello suites by Bach arranged for the bass clarinet. Ranz selected Suites 1, 4, and 2 for this recording because, together, they form a cohesive and dynamic whole.

Chicago's best-known early music ensemble The Newberry Consort exhilarates with VESPERS, a collection of dazzlingly original music for women’s voices. The composer? A mysterious early-17th-century Mexican named Juan de Lienas, whose style energetically oscillates between Renaissance and Baroque elements.

Though there are thousands of languages and countless political differences across the world, people tend to come together through equally endless forms of music and dance. On THE SUITE, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Orlando Cela, focuses the lens on the Baroque dance suite as a method of expression that’s ripe for international flavor, artistic individualism, and human storytelling.

ÆTERNUM is a tribute to music's infallible steadfastness against the mundane adversity of human existence. Brazilian-born pianist Eliane Rodrigues convinces with her forceful, furious interpretations of keyboard works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven – among them the latter's Fifth Symphony, grippingly arranged by Rodrigues herself.