Looking for recommendations of baroque pieces for solo instruments

[J.A.W.]

I must admit that I've neglected CDs with baroque pieces for solo instruments. Any recommendations anyone, HIP interpretations included? Absolutely no piano, please

The Bach solo violin and suites for solo cello threads inspired me and I'm looking forward to several CDs that were recommended there.

Edited August 4, 2012 by J.A.W.

[MomsMobley]

harpsichord: ALL cds by Blandine Rannou (her new Goldberg is awesome); Celine Frisch (her Goldberg is also awesome, my favorite); Christophe Rousset; Andreas Staier; Skip Sempe. start here, do NOT-- repeat-- do not get any cds by Gustav Leonhardt. if you have the taste and the time, Davitt Moroney's William Byrd keyboard box is an amazing thing. Pierre Hantai's John Bull recording is essential.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Bull-Doctor-Pièces-Clavier/dp/B000059OBN

other composers to check out: Froberger (young Richard Egarr was esp. good here, he got more boring as he 'matured'); Frescobaldi; Domenico Scarlatti; Louis Couperin; Francois Couperin; D'Angelbert;

lute: Dowland, Weiss, Kapsberger; Paul O'Dette, Nigel North, Hopkinson Smith, Elizbeth Kenny, among others, are all excellent in their ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u49xW7KVznk

gamba: as long as you realize Jordi Savall ain't the last word, nearly all his recordings ARE worth hearing; figure out your repertoire and dive in. everything Paolo Pandolfo has done is excellent also. lemme know when your ready for consort music.

violin: hop on the Telemann fantasias but don't expect Bach. Telemann was a great great composer but these aren't his most important pieces. can you deal with continuo? if so Biber is endlessly challenging and rewarding, go for Reinhard Goebel first, skip Andrew Manze, whom only dead fish sect of limey critics could ever have mistaken for unhinged.

recorder: not a repertoire I pursue but if you wanna go that way, try your home boy Frans Bruggen in whatever looks interesting.

this just off top of bean, forgetting much.

[mikeweil]

There is not that much, most of it was for violin, before that, for viola da gamba. The repertoire outside of Bach was negelected until recently, but there were solo violin pieces by Westhoff and Walther (not his cousin). Most CDs include only part solo music.

Telemann composed quite a few, the flute pieces were played by Konrad Hünteler on a wonderful Denner flute found in an attic in perfect condition:

I saw him play the one Bach solo flute Partita on that flute in concert - unforgettable.

Andrew Manze recorded Telemanns pieces for solo violin:

The following two CDs include a few solo violin pieces each, the last two are all solo:

[J.A.W.]

Thanks Moms. Fortunately I know most of the composers you've mentioned. As far as instruments go I have my preferences - no lute and flute and the like, for instance. I'm certainly going to try a few of the discs you recommended.

By the way, I do have one Leonhardt, a Virgin 2CD-set with Bach's English Suites, but never play it - I always listen to the other version of the ES in my collection, Christophe Rousset's set on Ambroisie.

Like I said in the Bach Suites for solo cello thread I am interested in Rousset's interpretations of François Couperin's Livres de clavecin on Harmonia Mundi, but unfortunately the CDs are OOP and insanely expensive.

Edited August 4, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Д.Д.]

Hans, I understand you're not into lute, but others might find it interesting. Silvius Leopold Weiss was a great baroque composer for lute. I would recommend a 3-CD set by Terrell Stone. It's OOP but can be found here and there. Allmusic has samples, check them out: http://www.allmusic.com/album/silvius-leopold-weiss-sei-parthie-di-versavia-mw0001831181

I second Moms' recommendation for Blandine Rannou's harpsichord recordings - most gorgeous sound. I am not a fan of Leonhard either, he manages to make Bach sound boring (at least on a few Deutsche Harmonis Mundi recordings of his I have).

[J.A.W.]

I'd like to concentrate on a few Bach solo keyboard pieces for a moment, like the French and English Suites, the Partitas and the Well-Tempered Clavier. I have Christophe Rousset in the Suites and the Partitas and Kenneth Gilbert in the WTC. Any other recommendations? Again, no piano. I re-read the WTC thread, but that doesn't have recent posts.

Thanks.

Edited August 5, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Larry Kart]

Augustin Hadelich's Naxos recording of the Telemann Violin Fantasias is a winner IMO. Not HIP (at least in choice of instrument) but mighty fine fiddling.

[Larry Kart]

Based on prior experience (I finally dumped it) Christophe Rousset's Forqueray is crap:

If I didn't know better from recordings of his gamba works, I'd have thought that Forqueray is crap, too.

By contrast, Rannou's way with Forqueray seems ideal.

OTOH, Rannou's glacially paced reading of the aria of the Goldberg Variations (on Spotify) seems absurd to me.

Case by case.

[J.A.W.]

As I said earlier I'm also looking for non-piano versions of Bach's English and French Suites - any recommendations?

[Д.Д.]

Augustin Hadelich's Naxos recording of the Telemann Violin Fantasias is a winner IMO. Not HIP (at least in choice of instrument) but mighty fine fiddling.

I agree, this is a good one.

[MomsMobley]

French Suites, English Suites, Toccatas in one swoop--

http://www.amazon.com/French-Suites-English-Toccatas/dp/B005KAAAPA

I bagged all these separately on release and was thrilled.

Andreas Staier's Partitas for Deatsche Harmonia Mundi are excellent and can be had very cheaply as part of this box--

http://www.amazon.com/Andreas-Staier-Boccherini-Scarlatti-Telemann/dp/B005L12SI0/

Also keep an eye out for Benjamin Alard in the Ubung--

http://www.amazon.com/Clavier-Ubung-Book-J-S-Bach/dp/B00354XVM2

I'd like to concentrate on a few Bach solo keyboard pieces for a moment, like the French and English Suites, the Partitas and the Well-Tempered Clavier. I have Christophe Rousset in the Suites and the Partitas and Kenneth Gilbert in the WTC. Any other recommendations? Again, no piano. I re-read the WTC thread, but that doesn't have recent posts.

Thanks.

[Д.Д.]

Hans, I know lute is out of consideration, but how about lute-harpsichord ?

Bach as a Teacher. Keyboard Works from Cothen Period. Robert Hill, lute-harpsichord and clavichord (hanssler)

[WD45]

Hans, I understand you're not into lute, but others might find it interesting. Silvius Leopold Weiss was a great baroque composer for lute. I would recommend a 3-CD set by Terrell Stone. It's OOP but can be found here and there. Allmusic has samples, check them out: http://www.allmusic.com/album/silvius-leopold-weiss-sei-parthie-di-versavia-mw0001831181

I second Moms' recommendation for Blandine Rannou's harpsichord recordings - most gorgeous sound. I am not a fan of Leonhard either, he manages to make Bach sound boring (at least on a few Deutsche Harmonis Mundi recordings of his I have).

Naxos also issued the Weiss lute pieces across three discs (I think). I have one volume, and it is quite nice.

[Larry Kart]

The Naxos S. Weiss series, with Robert Barto, is now up to six discs I think -- I have three or four, all excellent. Weiss was quite a composer.

[MomsMobley]

Jakon Lindberg on BIS was also nice in Weiss but the Barto/Naxos series is obviously more affordable/comprehensive.

The Naxos S. Weiss series, with Robert Barto, is now up to six discs I think -- I have three or four, all excellent. Weiss was quite a composer.

[J.A.W.]

J.A.W., do you know the Olivier Beaumont F. Couperin box on Erato? Very very nice, excellent bargain too--

http://www.amazon.com/Couperin-Complete-Harpsichord-Olivier-Baumont/dp/B000OCZ7WK/

No, don't know that one, and 10 discs of François Couperin is a bit much for me. How's this Blandine Verlet François Couperin 2CD-set:

Amazon (it's much cheaper in Europe)

Edited August 12, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Larry Kart]

J.A.W., do you know the Olivier Beaumont F. Couperin box on Erato? Very very nice, excellent bargain too--

http://www.amazon.com/Couperin-Complete-Harpsichord-Olivier-Baumont/dp/B000OCZ7WK/

No, don't know that one, and 10 discs of François Couperin is a bit much for me. How's this Blandine Verlet François Couperin 2CD-set:

Amazon (it's much cheaper in Europe)

How Moms can recommend Baumont's Couperin after his endorsement of Rannou's Couperin baffles me. Encounters with Rannou's Couperin on Spotify (that album doesn't seem available on CD right now in the U.S., only for download, but perhaps that's different in Europe) make it clear to me that her Couperin is in a different class altogether. Compared to Baumont, I much prefer my old Kenneth Gilbert LPs.

[J.A.W.]

Larry,

Are you referring to this Rannou Couperin album:

It used to be available on CD, but not anymore. It can be had used, but at a price...

[Larry Kart]

Larry,

Are you referring to this Rannou Couperin album:

It used to be available on CD, but not anymore. It can be had used, but at a price...

Yes, that's the one. "At a price" sounds ominous. I think I'll stick with my Kenneth Gilbert LPs and check periodically at Amazon to see if the Rannou shows up there. BTW, I did found her Forqueray set at Berkshire, and it's on its way to me.

[mikeweil]

My favourite Francois Couperin discs are these:

Violaine Cochard, two discs on Ambroisie:

Pierre Hantai with mostly later pieces:

They play the same instrument, and it is fascinating how different it sounds with both - the recording is excellent in both cases, but their touch is very personal.

The cheapest complete recording btw, is Michael Borgstede's on Brilliant Classics:

Skip Sempé made one CD with a nice selection on Deutsche Harmonia mundi, it is out of print, but worth looking for.

Edited August 12, 2012 by mikeweil

[Larry Kart]

Cochard (on Spotify) sounds excellent to me. I love Couperin, have ever since i first encountered him in Sylvia Marlowe's hands.

[J.A.W.]

This may sound as blasphemy to some here, but I can't get used to Hantaï's playing, it's too quirky for my taste.

My favourite Francois Couperin discs are these:

Violaine Cochard, two discs on Ambroisie:

There's a second volume:

[J.A.W.]

There's a second volume:

I listened to sound samples of that one on one of the Amazon sites and it sounded to me as if there were playing two harpsichords on a track - don't tell me it's Hantaï...

[edit]

I took a close look at the photo of the back insert of the CD and it's indeed Hantaï...

I wasn't impressed by some of the more uptempo tracks, they sounded congested, as if she had to catch the 4:50 from Paddington...

Edited August 13, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Larry Kart]

I see that I have Michael Borgstede's set, which I liked enough to get rid of my numerous Kenneth Gilbert Couperin LPs on MHS in order to save space. I suspect that was a mistake, though I do like Borgstede, but it's not a mistake I can take back.

Did the same thing at about the same time with all my Fernando Valenti Scarlatti LPs on Westminster. What a maroon, in the words of Bugs Bunny.

[mikeweil]

I wasn't impressed by some of the more uptempo tracks, they sounded congested, as if she had to catch the 4:50 from Paddington...

The tempo choices of recent recordings are very adequate - the pioneers of period instrument playing tended to choose tempos as told by 20th century teachings, but research has shown the palette of tempos was much wider, and some were indeed fast and furious. Couperin had a virtuoso side to his playing, too.

This is also supported by research on the titles of Couperin pieces and the meanings and persons they refer to:

amazon link - see also on Jane Clark's site janiculum