The untimely death of Peter Schidlof on 15 August 1987 resulted not only in the loss of a great violist: it also marked the end of an era in which, for almost 40 years, the Amadeus Quartet was one of the leading chamber music ensembles in the world. Together in the same formation for a longer time than any other string quartet, the four Amadeus members - Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel, Peter Schidlof and Martin Lovett - were close both as musical colleagues and as friends in private life; and this artistic "marriage", born out of a special fate which brought the Amadeus together after the War, could not survive the loss of one of its partners. They had always agreed that if any member could no longer play, for whatever reason, the Quartet would not continue; and the cellist Martin Lovett expressed what his colleagues clearly fell when he said, "Peter is simply irreplaceable". Indeed, it would be impossible for anyone to take his place without completely changing the sound and character of the ensemble. The quality of their playing was marked by a unique sonority and homogeneity, which derived from a common "schooling" with the great violinist and teacher Max Postal. It had a flexibility that could shape a phrase for its full expressive, emotional effect: yet the members of the quartet each projected very individual and contrasting musical personalities.

Twelve is the first album with a unifying concept for Anthony Phillips' Private Parts & Pieces series, and largely follows the intimate, non-retrospective precedent set by third album Antiques, with Ant constraining himself to one instrument throughout the album and recording the pieces in one period during 1984. Contrary to what one might expect, Twelve is also one of the least accessible albums of this series. Each of the moderately lengthy compositions is played on an acoustic twelve-string guitar, which limits the album's potential for different sounds and textures that might juggle the listener's attention. Despite this constraint, it is to his credit that Phillips really demonstrates a mastery of the instrument by exploiting all the possible sounds you can get out of it in a way that might have made Michael Hedges proud: finger tapping, harmonics, picking near the bridge to create a tinny timbre, etc…

In this set of nine originals, the Horace Silver touch is clearly evident: happy, strong melodies; groovin' beats; Silver's deft, deliberate, bluesy piano comping and boppin' leads; and the joyful playing of saxophonist Jimmy Greene and trumpeter Ryan Kisor, which seems to be more intense in the context of Silver's unmistakable compositions.

French Baroque Concertos - Musica Antiqua Köln
Blavet - Boismortier - Buffardin - Corrette - Quentin
Classical, Baroque | 1 CD | EAC | FLAC, CUE, LOG | Scans | 406 MB
Recorded: 4/1981 (10-13) & 6/1982, Plenarsaal, München
Released: 1995 | Label: DG Archiv Masters 447 286-2 | TT: 73:10 | RS
Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel

With so much excellent work over the years from MAK, this relatively early jewel has often been overlooked. Music by minor masters this may be but Goebel and his high-powered team are at their persuasive best. (L. K., Gramophone, Sept. 2007)

Girolamo Frescobaldi - Toccatas & Partitas - Roberto Loreggian
Frescobaldi Edition, Vol. 1: Il Primo Libro di Toccate (1615-1637)
Classical, Baroque | 2 CD | EAC | FLAC, CUE, LOG | Scans | 809 MB
Recorded: 25-28 Feb. & 24 Nov. 2007, Villa Beatrice d'Este, Baone
& Chiesa di S. Bernadino, Verona, Italy | Released: 2008
Label: Brilliant 93767 | TT: 59:00, 63:39 | Rapidshare
Roberto Loreggian - harpsichord

Brilliant Classics is recording the complete harpsichord music of Girolamo Frescobaldi [1583-1643], in lively and historically informed interpretations by Roberto Loreggian. This first volume contains his toccatas and partitas, which were much admired by J. S. Bach. They have never left the repertory of keyboard players and their challenges and rewards are just as stimulating today as they were for the those who eagerly snapped them up in the 17th century.