Naxos' 2006 double-disc compilation, The Very Best of Christmas, presents an agreeable and balanced assortment of holiday favorites, with vocal and choral numbers assigned to the first disc and instrumental and orchestral pieces on the second. The roster of choral performers includes the Worcester Cathedral Choir, the Scholars Baroque Ensemble, ...
The four Vivaldi sacred works included on this album are attractive pieces with strong links to various aspects of the composer's operatic language. The third work, Canta in prato, ride in monte, RV 623 (Sing in the meadow, laugh on the hill), is especially interesting with its religious pastoral text, but all four pieces, for solo voice and ...
Several large projects devoted to Vivaldi's sacred music got underway in the early 2000s, and this disc, billed as volume one of a series on the Naxos label, apparently begins what is likely to become, given the completist tendencies of the label, a voluminous new one. It stands on its own just fine, however, for the general listeners who may be ...
There are recordings, notably those by American-French conductor William Christie, that capture the sumptuous quality of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's choral music better than this one does, but this release by Canada's Aradia Ensemble is nevertheless worth considering. Its pairing of the splendid Te Deum and the uniquely folk-like Messe de Minuit ...
Is it possible to speak of a Canadian style in Baroque music? Groups like Toronto's Aradia Ensemble offer an alternative to the fiery performances of the Italians, the smoothness of the northern Europeans, or the bigger-is-better traditional performances the world over. And they put bodies in the seats in Toronto and Montreal. Consider the quartet ...
The performances on this disc of Henry Purcell's theatrical music by Toronto's energetic Aradia Ensemble are pleasant but not extraordinary. The novelty is the programming, which brings listeners closer than other releases to the unique quality of this music. Purcell's music for plays contained both pieces that are part of the action and ...
Recorded at 2008 Grand River Baroque Festival and utilizing the Aradia Ensemble -- a group consisting of an orchestra of 27 players and a choir of 28 singers -- this performance is light but powerful, and lyrical but dramatic. Kevin Mallon favors quicker tempos but still builds to immense climaxes in the concluding choirs. Though predominantly a ...
Borrowing classical music for film scores is an old practice that always seems to have utility and is still quite common, if the titles listed on Naxos' Cinema Classics 2007 give any indication. This roundup of classical themes featured in theatrical releases from late 2005 and 2006 points to an abiding need among filmmakers and soundtrack ...
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