Grandeur of the Baroque
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- Category: Discography
- Created on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 20:20
Baroque music by Bach, Handel, Couperin and Weiss
2012 Telarc International - TEL-33223-02
Grandeur of the Baroque - Free track
I have chosen a group of pieces from the baroque period by composers that have meant much to me over the years. All of them have brought me great pleasure both in the enjoyment of studying and playing their music and also in listening to their great works being performed by others. The composers are Bach, Handel, Couperin and Weiss.
Some time ago my good friend Hubert Kappel made a beautiful arrangement of the sixth partita by Bach and I have wanted to play the Toccata and Fugue, as it is such a magnificent piece. I decided it should be the opener for the CD.
As a complement I played four Symphonias, shorter pieces that Bach wrote for the keyboard (they are often referred to as three-part inventions).
The large scale suite by Handel is a piece which I transcribed thirty years ago and I have played it in many concerts. It has a glorious beginning with an Overture that fits very well on the guitar and the last movement is a Passacaille that is well known in several versions for different instruments.
Couperin has been one of my favorite composers and I have recorded some other of his harpsichord pieces before. On this occasion I have transcribed four movements from the 26th ordre, they have strange titles... La Convalescence, La Sophie, L' Epineuse and La Pantomime. Each piece has a very distinct character, showing both the depth and the humor of his music.
The suite by Weiss has been part of my repertoire for many years. The Passacaille is a wonderful piece that many guitarists have enjoyed playing and I have been looking forward to recording it for a long time.
I hope that you enjoy the recording as much as I have enjoyed playing this wonderful music.
Best wishes,
David Russell.
1. Bach: Toccata (from Partita No. VI in E minor) (BWV 830)
2. Bach: Sinfonia 2 (BWV 788)
3. Bach: Sinfonia 11 (BWV 797)
4. Bach: Sinfonia 5 (BWV 791)
5. Bach: Sinfonia 6 (BWV 792)
6. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Overture
7. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Andante
8. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Allegro
9. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Sarabande
10. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Gigue
11. Handel: Suite No. VII (HWV 432) - Passacaille
12. Couperin: Vingt-Sixiéme Ordre - La Convalescente
13. Couperin: Vingt-Sixiéme Ordre - La Sophie
14. Couperin: Vingt-Sixiéme Ordre - L'Epineuse
15. Couperin: Vingt-Sixiéme Ordre - La Pantomime
16. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Allemande
17. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Courante
18. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Angloise
19. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Sarabande
20. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Menuet
21. Weiss: Suite No. XIV (Numbering by R. Chiesa) - Passagaille
"... Russell continues to amaze even more with each new outing that we’re getting the National Enquirer to verify he really is from outer space. A dazzling outing on some of the most fancy guitar pieces to ever hit a fret board, Russell stacks himself up against the masters of history and comes out their superior. Have we made the point that this is a killer classical guitar record where six strings and ten fingers provide more than enough to work with and take it over the top? Russell lays down the law with this magnificent recording that is sure to take it’s place on many all time best lists. A winner throughout."
Chris Spector, Midwest Record Online
Most people like the music of classical guitar, and there are few practitioners of the art better at it than Scottish classical guitarist David Russell. Maybe it's just longevity. He's been plucking the instrument since his childhood in the 1950's, winning major music awards and the hearts of millions of admirers all over the world. He has been recording since the 1970's, and he's been with Telarc since the mid 90's, this new album, The Grandeur of the Baroque, marking his seventeenth release for the company. Remarkable.
After his having covered the music of most eras, Russell returns to the music of the Baroque period, something he's done on several previous occasions for Telarc. This time, he covers five selections by Bach, six by Handel, four by Couperin, and six more from the less familiar S.L. Weiss, all of them in guitar transcriptions that work better than you might expect. Familiar music or unfamiliar, Russell handles all of it with consummate skill.
The program begins with the Toccata from Partita No. VI in E minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). It's a good curtain-raiser because while it is not extravagantly outgoing, it does afford Russell a chance to demonstrate his dazzling dexterity and prove his virtuosity without tearing the house down. The three Bach Sinfonias (Three-Part Inventions), Nos. 2,11, and 5, prove good counterpoints with their relatively serene, meditative moods.
Next comes the Suite No. 7 in G minor by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). It puts us into a more directly Baroque world, with Russell taking his time with the music and letting it breathe naturally in a perfectly relaxed yet regal manner. The Sarabande is especially appealing, although for that matter Russell plays the entire suite so well, so brilliantly and elegantly, it's hard to pick a favorite selection. Nevertheless, La Pantomime also stands out.
After the Handel, Russell gives us the Twenty-Sixth Suite from Book IV of Pieces de Clavecin by Francois Couperin (1668-1733). These pieces seem more thoughtful, calculated, and contemplative than particularly innovative or memorable. Still, that assessment may simply reflect my own personal biases in favor of German, English, and Italian Baroque music over French.
The program closes with the Suite in D major by Silvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750), an important composer of lute music in his time. In Russell's hands, the suite begins in a dignified and stately manner and then moves through a series of brief segments of varying temperaments. It's a pleasant and surprisingly catchy way to end the album. Indeed, some of the music sounds positively modern, and all of it sounds delightful.
Telarc recorded the album at Clonick Hall, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio, and released it in 2012. The sound they obtained matches Russell's performances in clarity, richness, and resonance. While it's only one instrument, it sounds like a whole ensemble on occasion, the acoustic setting and slightly close miking producing splendid results.
Classical Candor - John J. Puccio
classicalcandor.blogspot.com
Release Date: 21 FEB 2012
Label: Telarc Catalog TEL-33223-02