in Early Music Today (Jun, 2015)
Timbre, originally a French word for bell, did not acquire any musical connotations until the mid-18th century, although it’s clear earlier composers, such as Bach and Vivaldi, were expert at using instrumental colours in all kinds of ways. Vivaldi composed more than 20 chamber concertos – works for three to six solo instruments with continuo – many of which employ striking timbral contrasts. On this CD, the focus is on the juxtaposition of high and low winds, so four of its five concertos feature recorder or flute and bassoon, with violin a middle voice; the sole trio sonata, RV86, is for recorder and bassoon alone.
Given such intriguing repertoire, it’s galling …
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.