Castello & Co - Venetian sonatas for winds and strings from the 17th century by Caecilia-Concert

Caecilia-Concert

Castello & Co - Venetian sonatas for winds and strings from the 17th century

Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917254723
Catnr: CC 72547
Release date: 28 May 2012
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Label
Challenge Classics

UPC
0608917254723

Catalogue number
CC 72547

Release date
28 May 2012

"A wonderful disc from this group of growing reputation, and if you thought you were pretty familiar with these pieces, try this one."

Early Music Review, 01-10-2012

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Press

About the album

Many of the composers/musicians presented on this CD were employed by the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, often working as both singers as well as instrumentalists, such as Dario Castello (fl. Venice 1st half of the 17th century). While there is little information currently available on his life and work, we can read on the title page of his editions that he was a musician at San Marco and the leader of a wind ensemble. He produced two collections of sonatas, with in total 29 works, published in Venice in 1621 and 1629. Castello’s sonatas are a reflection of the stilo moderno style of composing, with varying tempi and dramatic changes of affect. They also contain virtuosic passagework for each instrument. There were numerous reprints of Castello’s music, including one in Antwerp, indicating the popularity and continuing influence of his compositions.

With Castello & Co. the members of the Caecilia-Concert bring a fresh, dynamic approach to this groundbreaking instrumental chamber music, and demonstrate the expressive flexibility and technical fireworks this new repertoire demands from these old instruments.

The other composers, besides Castello, on this cd are:
Giuseppe Scarani (fl 1628-1642), Biagio Marini (1594 - 1663),Giovanni Antonio Bertoli (fl c1639 – 1645), Giovanni Picchi (fl 1600-25), Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583 – 1643)

Instrumentaal vuurwerk uit het 17e-eeuwse Venetië
Veel van de componisten en musici die gepresenteerd worden op dit album waren in dienst van de Basiliek van San Marco, zowel als zangers als als instrumentalisten. Een van hen is Dario Castello. Er is op dit moment weinig informatie bekend over zijn leven en werk. Op de titelpagina van zijn edities is wel te lezen dat hij musicus aan de San Marco was, en de leider van een blaasensemble.

Castello componeerde twee collecties met sonates, in totaal 29 werken, die in 1621 en 1629 in Venetië werden gepubliceerd. De sonata’s zijn gecomponeerd in de stilo moderno, en worden gekenmerkt door gevarieerde tempi, dramatische wisselingen van affecten, en virtuoze passages voor elk instrument. De vele herdrukken van de collecties gaven aan dat ze populair waren.

Met Castello & Co. geven de leden van het Caecilia-Concert een frisse en dynamische benadering van deze baanbrekende instrumentale kamermuziek. Het ensemble toont de expressieve flexibiliteit en het technische vuurwerk dat dit repertoire van oude instrumenten vereist.

Het Caecilia-Concert is een dynamisch internationaal ensemble, gespecialiseerd in de uitvoering van instrumentale en vocale muziek uit de 17e eeuw. Sinds hun succesvolle debuut in Nederland heeft het ensemble al op meerdere concerten en festivals opgetreden, zoals het Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht, het Festival van Vlaanderen, Ton Koopmans Itineraire Baroque Festival, en de Brunnenthaler Konzertsommer.

Instrumentales Feuerwerk aus dem Venedig des 17. Jahrhunderts.

Die meisten Komponisten dieser CD waren an der Basilika von San Marco in Venedig angestellt, häufig als Sänger sowie als Instrumentalisten. Mit „Castello & Co“ präsentiert das Ensemble Caecilia Concert eine frische und dynamische Annäherung an diese wundervolle Kammermusik und entfachen ein instrumentales Feuerwerk.

Artist(s)

Caecilia Concert

The Caecilia-Concert is a versatile international ensemble specialising in performance and research of 17th century music. The group was formed in 2001 by four young instrumentalists working at the forefront of authentic performance practice in Europe and has a distinct, unique sound and a range of virtuosic and expressive capabilities not often associated with such instruments or repertoire. Since its formation, Caecilia-Concert has given highly acclaimed concerts at festivals in France, Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands and the UK. They can be frequently heard on radio stations across Europe and their concerts have been broadcast on Austria ÖRF, Concertzender and NPS, as well and have appeared as featured artists on BBC Radio 3's 'The Early Music Show'.
Adam Woolf studied historical trombone at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating in 1997. During this time he became a founder member of the QuintEssential Sackbutt and Cornett Ensemble and began playing regularly with many other UK based ensembles. Principal trombone of Sir John Eliot Gardiner's English Baroque Soloists and elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
Harpsichordist and fortepianist Kathryn Cok was born in the city of New York, USA. She now lives in The Hague, Holland, where she completed a Masters degree at the Royal Conservatory as a student of Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot on the harpsichord, and Bart van Oort on the fortepiano. She has worked with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Musica ad Rhenum.
Upon graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Fiona Russell furthered her studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensi, Switzerland, and has since gone on to be one of the finest young cornetto players in Europe. She plays with The English Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble and QuintEssential Sackbutt and Cornett Ensemble.
Wouter Verschuren graduated from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He studied recorder with Michael Barker and Jeanette van Wingerden, and baroque and classical bassoon with Donna Agrell. He is principal bassoonist of The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra conducted by Ton Koopman.
Violinist Annabelle Ferdinand was born in Spijkenisse, The Netherlands. She studied violin at the conservatories of Amsterdam, The Hague and Sint Petersburg. After finishing her modern violin studies, she studied baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague with Monica Huggett and Pavlo Beznosiuk. She regularly performs with Anima Eterna, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

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Wouter Verschuren

Wouter Verschuren graduated from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He studied baroque and classical bassoon with Donna Agrell. Wouter is sought after in the Netherlands and abroad as a bassoonist, and is equally at home with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the Romantic. He is principal bassoonist of The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra conducted by Ton Koopman, and regularly plays with other renowned period orchestras. In addition, he regularly appears as a soloist, and plays in numerous international chamber music ensembles such as Caecilia-Concert, specializing in performance and research of 17th century music, and can be heard on countless CDs. Wouter teaches at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the Utrecht Conservatory.

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Kathryn Cok

Kathryn Cok pursues a varied career as a harpsichordist, fortepianist and academic on both sides of the Atlantic. She is well sought after both as a soloist as well as a continuo player. Born in the city of New York, USA, Kathryn now lives in The Hague, Holland where she completed a Masters degree at the Royal Conservatory as a student of Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot on the harpsichord, and Bart van Oort on the fortepiano. Kathryn recently won first prize in the first solo competition for baroque instruments in Brunnenthal, Austria. She works regularly as a soloist and continuo player with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and other important early music ensembles in Europe and performs regularly as...

Kathryn Cok pursues a varied career as a harpsichordist, fortepianist and academic on both sides of the Atlantic. She is well sought after both as a soloist as well as a continuo player. Born in the city of New York, USA, Kathryn now lives in The Hague, Holland where she completed a Masters degree at the Royal Conservatory as a student of Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot on the harpsichord, and Bart van Oort on the fortepiano. Kathryn recently won first prize in the first solo competition for baroque instruments in Brunnenthal, Austria. She works regularly as a soloist and continuo player with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and other important early music ensembles in Europe and performs regularly as a soloist in many of the world’s most renowned Early Music Festivals such as Oude Muziek, Utrecht, Brunnenthaler Concert Zomer, Bodensee Festival, and important keyboard collections in the UK such as the Cobbe Collection, Finchcock’s, Fenton House and the Gemeente Museum, Holland. She is co-founder of the Caecilia-Concert, a dynamic international group of instrumentalists specializing in performance and research of 17th century music for instruments and voices. Kathryn is busy as a researcher and teaches at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland.

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Bjarte Eike

Adam Woolf

Aira Maria Lehtipuu

Jamie Savan

Composer(s)

Girolamo Frescobaldi

Girolamo Frescobaldi was an Italian composer and organist of the Renaissance and Early Baroque. In 1608 he was named organist of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, after he visitied the Southern Netherlands in 1607-1608, in particular Brussels and Antwerp. From 1628 to 1933, he worked for the court of Ferdinand II of Tuscany, after which he resided back in Rome. His most popular work is his Fiori Musicali (1635), which is a collection of largely liturgical organ compositions to perform during mass. Johann Sebastian Bach owned a self-transcribed copy of this collection. Furthermore, Frescobaldi composed ricercars, canzones, toccatas (both for organ and harpsichord), four-part fantasies, madrigals, motets, and two masses for two four-voiced choirs and B.C. Frescobaldi's influence on keyboard music has been substantial....

His most popular work is his Fiori Musicali (1635), which is a collection of largely liturgical organ compositions to perform during mass. Johann Sebastian Bach owned a self-transcribed copy of this collection. Furthermore, Frescobaldi composed ricercars, canzones, toccatas (both for organ and harpsichord), four-part fantasies, madrigals, motets, and two masses for two four-voiced choirs and B.C.

Frescobaldi's influence on keyboard music has been substantial. This was realised by his many publications (which were under his published under his own supervision) as well as the many young musicians he trained. The most important of which of composer Johann Jakob Froberger, who eventually became the organist at the court of the Emperor in Vienna.

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Biagio Marini

Biagio Marini (1594-1663) has possibly studied with his uncle, the Domincan Giacinto Bondioli. Marini's works were printed and were influential in European musical life. He travelled his entire life, worked in Brussels and over thirty years in Neuburg an der Donau and in Düsseldorf, with Monteverdi in Venice at St Mark's Basilica, and in cities like Padua, Parma, Ferrara, Milan, Bergamo, and Brescia.There is evidence that he married three times and fathered five children. He died in Venice.
Although he wrote both instrumental and vocal music, he is better known for his innovative instrumental compositions. He contributed to the early development of the string idiom by expanding the performance range of the solo and accompanied violin and incorporating slur, double and even triple stopping, and the first explicitly notated tremolo effects into his music. He made contributions to most of the contemporary genres and investigated unusual compositional procedures, like constructing an entire sonata without a cadence (as in his Sonata senza cadenza). Many of his works have been lost, but those that have survived time demonstrate inventiveness, lyrical skill and harmonic boldness. In addition to his violin works, he wrote music for the cornett, dulcian, and sackbut.

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Dario Castello

Giovanni Antonio Bertoli

Giuseppe Scarani

Giovanni Picchi

Press

A wonderful disc from this group of growing reputation, and if you thought you were pretty familiar with these pieces, try this one.
Early Music Review, 01-10-2012

The international Caecilia-Consort, well known on the European circuit and regulars at the Utrecht early music festival, play with freshness, energy and precision.
The Observer, 19-8-2012

Caecilia-Concert is a specialist in this repertoire. Originally consisting of trombone, dulcian and keyboard they usually invite colleagues to play with them, and with the two violinists and the cornettist on thls disc they have made an excellent choice. The result is an exciting disc full of surprises. One can only admire the technical capabilities of the three wind players whose instruments are among the hardest-to-play.
Music Web International, 01-1-1970