For many years, Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was beset by the same malady as Tomaso Albinoni, i.e., that of being recognized primarily for a single work. In Albinoni’s case it was the Adagio (composed by Remo Giazotto, using only a bass line from his countryman); with Pachelbel it was the all-pervading Canon in D which has been recorded so many times that one loses count and in an almost infinite variety of versions, ranging from the composer’s original for three violins and continuo to tuba quartet! However, some have chosen to venture further into the musical legacy left by Pachelbel and therefore uncovered a number of compositions whose quality—while variable and occasionally mundane—is overshadowed by their importance in the development of specific genre, including the sacred cantata.

Quand on songe à l’œuvre d’Arcangelo Corelli, l’un des maîtres de la sonate préclassique et du concerto grosso, nous vient le plus souvent et spontanément en tête le fameux Concerto per la Notte di Natale, n° 8 des douze concerti grossi composant son opus 6. La Follia, cette célèbre sarabande qui développe une suite de quelque seize variations, est à l’opus V ce que le Concerto per la Notte di Natale est à l’opus 6 : la pièce la plus célèbre et la plus populaire.

Yuri Temirkanov's Royal Philharmonic recording has been around for a long time; it was recorded in 1986 and has been in the catalog ever since – for good reason. Temirkanov is always sensitive to the exotic nature of these scores, particularly Spartacus, and he brings excitement to the varied colorful dances of both ballets. His recording is more full-bodied than the Bolshoi CD; no under-staffed orchestra here, and their rich sounds have been superbly captured by EMI's engineers.

Johann Joachim Quantz wrote over 300 flute concertos for Frederick II, King of Prussia, works that have increasingly been recognised for their wealth of invention. Before his years in Berlin, however, Quantz had worked in Dresden where he wrote a series of trio sonatas. The genre had been codified by Arcangelo Corelli and was the most popular form of chamber music at the time. Quantz fashioned elegant dialogues between the instruments, fugal passages, the melodic element of the trios always highlighted next to the counterpoint. These concise, eloquent works blend styles and musical languages in a way that foreshadows his larger-scale concertos.

Franz von Suppé (1819-1895) had to put in a lot of effort to finally be able to start a music study. Law and medicine were studies that fit better with the environment that Franz came from. The music eventually won. Franz Pokorny, theater director, saw the talent and offered him the opportunity to further qualify as a conductor. He more or less became the patron of Franz von Suppé. It is not without reason that Franz composed a "Requiem" for his benefactor when he died in 1855. The work does not have such a large orchestral line-up (including four horns, two trumpets, percussion and strings) and has subtle dramatic accents. The work thus deviates from other, often grandiose, romantic settings of a requiem.

An innovator and a revolutionary composer, its thanks to the Red Priest that the solo concerto made its way through Europe, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach and Handel and the subsequent course of music history. Published in 1714 (or 1716 as most scholars today tend to believe) and reprinted illegally numerous times in pre-copyright Europe, La Stravaganza, Op. 4 contains 12 solo concertos which can be defined as unsurpassed models of their kind, and the manifesto of Vivaldis aesthetic.

Clérambault was born in 1676 in Paris in a musical family whose members had served the kings of France since the 15th century. His father Dominique was a violinist and a member of the 24 violons du roi. Louis-Nicolas probably received his first music lessons from him. His organ teacher was André Raison to whom he dedicated his Livre d'orgue. His oeuvre is not very sizeable, but of consistently high quality. He was a major contributor to the genre of the chamber cantata which became popular in the early decades of the 18th century under the influence of the Italian style. Five books of such cantatas were published between 1710 and 1726.

he players take an appropriately spacious view of the Sunrise Quartet's serene opening bars, and provide a deeply felt account of the wonderful F sharp major slow movement from Op. 76/5. They offer, too, an intensely dramatic performance of the first movement of the D minor Fifths Quartet, and manage to find a striking change of colour for the minor sections of Op. 76/5's opening movement.

Lamentations or tenebrae were composed for the Matins services of Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Holy Week but were sung on the preceding evening. Each service consisted of three nocturnes and each nocturne was divided into three lessons. The Lamentations of Jeremiah were always sung during the three lessons of the first nocturne of each service. That makes nine tenebrae in all. Scarlatti however, set to music only six of them, all of which are sung on this new release. Five of the Lamentations are for soprano and the remaining one for tenor.

At the end of the 18th century, when Mozart went to Paris to develop, his biggest rival was Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825). The full extent of his musical charm can be seen through these elegant pieces in the album. Not only are symphonic concertos with oboe and bassoon as the main instruments very rare, but the music in the album are all recorded for the first time in the world, adding to the rarity and preciousness of the album.

Een driedubbele cd met het integrale werk voor cello en pianoforte van Ludwig Van Beethoven, dat is het resultaat van de intense muzikale samenwerking van celliste France Springuel en pianist Jan Vermeulen. De twee begonnen drie jaar geleden samen te musiceren en de muzikale klik die beiden toen voelden, deed hen besluiten om het repertoire voor cello en piano aan te pakken. Eerst waren er twee Schubertcd's, dan volgde Schumann, en nu is er dus Beethoven. De sonate voor cello en piano is in feite een uitvinding van Beethoven zelf.

Denmark-born Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697) studied under Buxtehude, and eventually became his favorite and most-skilled student. After his studies, Bruhns became composer at the Danish Royal Court. Unfortunately, after his early death ended a blossoming career, many of Bruhns’ works have been lost. J. S. Bach held a deep admiration for Bruhns’ vocal works, and their influence is evident in Bach’s earliest works. This release includes Bruhns’ complete cantatas. Their “Stylus Phantasticus” shows freedom of form and expression. The four vocal soloists featured on this release are fantastic, and are joined by Harmonices Mundi and conductor Claudio Astronio, who has already released several recordings for Brilliant Classics to critical acclaim.

Donna, che in ciel di tanta luce splendi is a full-length cantata and the masterpiece in this recital. The introductory Sinfonia captures attention imperatively with its grandeur and turbulence. Then the succession of recitatives and arias, unfailingly alive with dramatic imagination, provides superb opportunities for the singer, all of which are taken here with well-grounded eagerness.

Recorded in 1977, it was Yuri Temirkanov's first recording of the work, and it is superior to his 1991 digital version on RCA with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The older reading is highly romantic in every way, caressing the composer's rich themes almost (but not quite) to excess, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing at its peak. Lush strings are appropriate for the score, brass is brilliant, and there is plenty of impact to percussion. Previn's Tchaikovsky is admirable, with the advantage of Kingsway Hall acoustics…

From the earliest planning stages for this recording, Andreas Scholl had only one orchestra in mind: the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. It's no surprise that Decca was skittish about the idea–there are, after all, many good baroque-instrument bands much closer to London–yet the star countertenor insisted that his rapport with this group was special and that it would be well worth the trouble to make the record in Sydney. Well, from the very first notes, it's clear that Scholl was right: conductor Paul Dyer and the ABO launch into the opening of Nisi Dominus with an energetic gusto that you'd sooner expect from Rinaldo Alessandrini's Concerto Italiano than from an Anglo-Saxon band. Scholl responds in kind: his vocalism is as smooth, clear, and assured as ever, but he goes beyond that–his innumerable subtle inflections of tone and timing are more reminiscent of a good orator than an opera singer.