CD of Accademia Amsterdam, co-production Folia
Contents: "Music for Baroque Dances at the Court and Theatre"
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This is simply a sparkling gem of a release. The French noble style of dance was at its peak at the end of the 17th Century and through the first half of the 18th. [...] The music is divided in groups, mostly according to context — such as whether it was for the theater or the ballroom. A shorter section at the end has a few dances with Spanish and Italian flavor, and the last two are English country dances from the Playford collection.
I love this music, and it's performed in a way that feels very authentic — one can imagine an elegant French ballroom or a theater. Most of it is very lively (naturally), though there are some slower dances. Great party music!
The notes give quite a bit of information about the period in general and then a few words about each dance, including source notes, which might be of particular interest to performers.
American Record Guide March/April 2013
Read the whole article in PDF.
The idea behind this very eclectic disc is, [...] to explore through chamber music the stereotypes of passionate Italians and staid Dutchmen. This was evidently concocted by oboist Onno Verschoor of the Accademia Amsterdam, and to insure that both sides were represented, cellist Alessandra Montani and keyboardist Fabio Ciofini were imported from Italy.
[...] de faam van het concerterend gezelschap en de uitstekende publiciteit voor dit concert zorgden voor een goed gevulde Dorpskerk en dat is dan meteen al een warme binnenkomer! Het ensemble Accademia had voor dit concert een heel bijzonder programma voorbreid met muziek rond de Kersttijd van G.F. Händel en F.W. Zachow.
