Donizetti: Messa Da Requiem – Collegium Vocale 1704

   in Classical Music (Feb, 2018)
Mozart’s 15 violin sonatas conveniently split into three groups: the so-called ‘Palatine’ sonatas, the Auernhammer sonatas and the late Vienna sonatas. Kuijken plays on a Grancino of around 1700 while Devos uses a copy of a 1788 Stein fortepiano; these recordings span some 14 years. Although the Accent box indicates these are violin sonatas, the indication is for keyboard with violin, and the fortepiano here indeed often carries the weight of the argument. With this in mind, one wonders at times if the balance has the violin a touch too far forwards. The violin sound is lean; the fortepiano is well caught, and the general impression is bright.

The early ‘Palatine’ …