EarlyMusicNews.Org

ArkivMusic holds regularly held weekend specials of its CD holdings. You may be interested in adding the site on your links of early music sites as some of its sale items may be of interest to you. This weekend has its 2-disc set of the J.C. Bach: Milanese Vesper Psalms/Concerto Köln on sale.
                 

“Bach's St. John Passion is one of the masterworks of the choral repertory, but it took time for it to be acknowledged as the masterpiece it truly is. It was re-discovered after Mendelssohn's performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 had stunned the music world, awakening it to the superlative quality of Bach's vocal music, and, at the same time, creating an upsurge in the performance of choral music in general, which continues to this day. This recording of the St. John Passion by the Bach Choir of Bethlehem – America's oldest Bach society -- is an acknowledgement of an important part of its history.
                      

A little late, but … if you can still catch this sale event and are interested in any of the sale items … the sale ends by the end-of-day midnight EST February 29th. There are early music titles available that may be of interest.
                      

“Outhere is an independent musical production and publishing company whose discs are published under the catalogues Æon, Alpha, Fuga Libera, Outnote, Ramée, Ricercar and Zig Zag Territoires. Each catalogue has its own well defined identity. Our discs and our digital products cover a repertoire ranging from ancient and classical music to the contemporary, jazz and world music. We work with great artists and established ensembles, but we are also keen to invest in the development of young talent.
              

Harmonia extends congratulations to all of the 2011 Grammy winners! 

In the classical music genre, there were several early music recordings nominated.  Harmonia would like to highlight these recordings for your enjoyment.
                 

ArkivMusic’s weekend special newsletter is out for this weekend. Of note the“Gombert: Missa Media Vita / Hilliard Ensemble”.

Release Date: 01/10/2006
Label:  Ecm   Catalog #: 000591702   Spars Code: DDD
Composer:  Nicolas Gombert
Performer:  Robert [Bass Voice] MacDonald,  Andreas Hirtreiter,  David James,  Gordon Jones, Rogers Covey-Crump, Steven Harrold
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Hilliard Ensemble
Number of Discs: 1
Recorded in: Stereo
Length: 1 Hours 16 Mins.
                        

Stile Antico and Fretwork
Tune Thy Musicke to thy Hart
Tudor and Jocobean Music for Private Devotion

On Tune thy Musick to thy Hart the young British stars of song Stile Antico are joined by the award-winning viol consort Fretwork to explore the wealth of Tudor and Jacobean sacred music written not for church performance, but for the court and for the home. Sung entirely in English, the program invites audiences to eavesdrop on this profound and moving musical experience.
                

American Bach Soloists recent newsletter lets us know of its latest recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (2000) available on iTunes. However, instead, you may to take a look at its “discography” web page and take stock of its impressive catalogue of available CD titles. Quite an impressive display.
                       

(From the latest ArkivMusic Newsletter, 2 feb 2012 -- ed)

“ArkivMusic now has the Apex budget series of titles from Erato, Teldec, and Warner Classics on sale at 3 CDs for $20! Our featured titles are below. Buy 3 or more CDs from our complete section of eligible titles and you will be charged only $6.66 per disc. The more you buy, the more you save! Be sure to also view our list of Apex 2-disc sets at just $9.99 each! (Note: Our Apex 3-for-$20 sale does not include ArkivCDs or imports; sale ends 3/12/12.)”
               

ArkivMusic has on sale one of classical music's classiest labels, Harmonia Mundi, with noteworthy new releases and frontline titles available at $7 off list price plus a selection of reissues for only $6.99 each! Our featured titles are below, or view the entire catalog while it is all on sale! (Sale ends 3/5/12.)
                    

“As Mignarda, we typically perform music for voice and lute from the 16th century, an enterprise that keeps us busy enough.  But it turns out that our musical tastes do extend to the repertory of 19th century 'heart songs' or, the better-known descriptor, parlor songs.
       

(Note from editor -- The Sixteen continue adding to their digital shop with both new and back catalogue titles.)

“Since launching our digital site in September it has been our aim to make The Sixteen’s latest recordings available as Master Quality downloads. And so we are delighted to announce that our new disc The Earth Resounds, which features all of the repertoire from this year’s Choral Pilgrimage, is available in 96kHz/24-bit FLAC or ALAC files which were created direct from the studio master. MP3 and AAC files of the recording are also available to purchase. …

“We begin with a tribute to a legendary musician and leader in the field of early music, a singer whose haunting voice moved the hearts and souls of audiences, and inspired many musicians to further explore repertoire rarely heard.  On November 23^rd, 2011, Montserrat Figueras died in Barcelona, Spain after a year-long battle with cancer.
              

ArkivMusic.com has a few new releases at some savings that may be of interest to you (sale ends 3/27/12):

• Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico (Stile Antico and Fretwork explore a long-neglected repertory – the wealth of Tudor and Jacobean sacred music written for domestic devotion, rather than for church worship)
• Beethoven: Complete Symphonies / Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic (Thielemann’s Beethoven is rigorous, intellectual, and well considered, and the playing is outstanding throughout. A bold attempt to recapture and redefine Beethoven for the 21st century. (6 CDs + DVD);
• Air: The Bach Album / Meyers, Mercurio, English Chamber Orchestra (On her new album, Anne Akiko Meyers performs both solo parts in Bach's Double Concerto on two different Stradivari violins as well as Violin Concertos 1 & 2, the Air on the G String, and the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.) … 

There seems to be a lot on special this weekend at ArkivMusic. You may want to take a look at their early music offerings from Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers.

Additionally, ArkivMusic is also running Hungaroton which has a proud tradition of promoting Hungarian music and artists.

(Available in FLAC 24, FLAC16 and MP3)

“BIS's Boss Robert von Bahr:
It is hard to sit and write texts about certain SACD:s without succumbing to ridiculous boasting, and this is one case in point. The very fact that we have asked Ronald Brautigan to record Complete Mozart (10 CD:s), Complete Haydn (16) and the Mozart Concerti (ongoing), 
      

“La Catena d'Adone

La Catena d'Adone, first performed on 12 February 1626, presents the characteristics of the genre. A pastoral tale in a prologue and five acts, it relates the tumultuous love affairs of Adonis, Apollo, Venus and the enchantress Falsirena. The frivolous and sensual, even erotic, tone of the work has its response in the Christian moral...”

          

“Early Music America is a non-profit service organization for the field of historical performance in North America. One of their many activities is the sponsorship of competitions for up-and-coming performers. In 2011 the EMA partnered with the recording label Naxos and held a competition designed to promote the careers of emerging early music artists.  …
    

“Homage could take diverse forms in Counter-Reformation Rome, and this excellent recording by ensemble officium, Messa di Santa Cecilia, focuses on a particular instance that was interestingly polyvalent.
   

A reminder from ArkivMusic of their music sale "Opera and Vocal Alert" which is nearing its “end-of-sale” period. You may want to browse the list for any early music titles that interest you.
         

New Titles at Harmonia Mundi

“Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach 1714-1788
Trio Sonatas Wq 154-156, 158
London Baroque

C. P. E. Bach was particularly attached to the trio sonata, to   which he devoted some of his finest works.

From the latest ArkivMusic newsletter: “Warm up your winter with some terrific new recordings from Chandos, on sale now at ArkivMusic. Our featured titles are below, or view the entire Chandos catalog while it is all on sale! (Sale ends 2/14/12.)”
     

“In the 17th-century, the city of Prague experienced a resurgence of cultural and musical life inspired by foreign influences.
  

News from Ensemble Syntagma that its most recent CD release “Rosa e Orticha” (November 2011, Carpe Dium Records) has received “Best Recordings of the Year (2011)” by the Medieval Music and Art Foundation (USA) website. In addition, it has received a“20/20” from Musik and Sich, “Best Recordings of the Year” from “O Templo das Heresias” and, finally, was featured on the “In the Mode” (Public Valley Radio, California) programme on 8 Jan 2012.
    

“Jean-Philippe Rameau, an organist and music theoretician, was active for much of his life in musical centers distant from the cultural juggernaut of Paris. …  The beautiful selection of works provided in this recording allows the modern listener to view and enjoy the spectacle of five of Rameau’s most popular operatic creations in historically accurate performances …