Following his attractive performance of six of Vivaldi's cello sonatas, Christophe Coin has recorded six of the composer's 24 or so concertos for the instrument. Five of these, Michael Talbot tells us in an interesting accompanying note, probably belong to the 1720s while the sixth, the Concerto in G minor (RV416), is evidently a much earlier work. Coin has chosen, if I may use the expression somewhat out of its usual context, six of the best and plays them with virtuosity and an affecting awareness of their lyrical content. That quality, furthermore, is not confined to slow movements but occurs frequently in solo passages of faster ones, too. It would be difficult to single out any one work among the six for particular praise. My own favourite has long been the happily spirited Concerto in G major (RV413) with which Coin ends his programme. Strongly recommended. (Gramophone Magazine)

Nine cello sonatas by Vivaldi have survived. Six of them were published as a set in Paris in about 1740; that set, mistakenly known as the composer's Op. 14, contains the sonatas recorded in this release. The three remaining sonatas come from manuscript collections. All but one of the six works are cast in the slow-fast-slow-fast pattern of movements of the sonata da chiesa. The odd one out, RV46, in fact, retains the four movement sequence but inclines towards the sonata da camera in the use of dance titles. The music of these sonatas is almost consistently interesting, often reaching high points of expressive eloquence, as we find, for example, in the justifiably popular Sonata in E minor, RV40. Christophe Coin brings to life these details in the music with technical assurance and a spirit evidently responsive to its poetic content. Particularly affecting instances of this occur in the third movements of the A minor and the E minor Sonatas where Coin shapes each phrase, lovingly achieving at the same time a beautifully sustained cantabile.

2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of the harpsichordist and organist Scott Ross, who was just 38 years old when he died. This box brings together the harpsichord recordings he made for EMI and Erato, which are complemented by a selection of radio recordings: harpsichord and organ from Radio Canada, and harpsichord music from RTS (Swizerland) and INA (France). The lasts include a duet with his former teacher Huguette Grémy-Chauliac and chamber music with Christophe Coin and his Ensemble Mosaïque.

Fireworks, virtuosity and bravura pieces are essential ingredients of Vivaldi’s concerto oeuvre. Discover or rediscover Vivaldi’s concertos played by the most prestigious artists.

Philippe Herreweghe directs these Schumann concertos with severity and urgency, with an impact that’s particularly strong in the opening movement of the A minor piano concerto. The soloist is Andreas Staier, who plays a mid-19th century J.B. Streicher instrument. But it’s not just the use of period instruments (this is certainly the kind of piano Schumann would have known) that proves so fascinating here; rather, it’s the minutely detailed way in which soloist and conductor interact during this performance. Note, for instance, how astutely Herreweghe’s wind players articulate the sorrowful first subject group after the soloist’s opening salvo, a passage that sets the tone for all that follows.

Directeur musical de l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges depuis 1991, violoncelliste et gambiste de renommée internationale, soliste, chef d'orchestre et chercheur, Christophe Coin est reconnu comme l'un des plus mûrs et des plus créatifs musiciens de son époque. Il est fondateur du Quatuor Mosaïques, l'un des rares Quatuors à pouvoir fêter ses vingt ans d'existence.

Il s'agit d'œuvres relativement précoces, composées avant son installation à Madrid alors qu'il était encore un musicien itinérant. Le jeune Boccherini a probablement joué ces concertos à Vienne et durant ses tournées de concerts à travers l'Europe jusqu'à son séjour à Paris en 1767–68. La critique parisienne fut peu favorable — un journaliste a rapporté son jeu comme « Aigre» et qu'il était peu applaudi — mais cela était probablement plus dû au fait que son public était peu habitué à entendre le violoncelle comme instrument soliste qu'à une quelconque lacune technique de sa part. Boccherini a été un pionnier dans l'émancipation du violoncelle du carcan de la basse continue.

Johann Gottlieb Graun (1702/3-1771) began his musical studies at the famous Kreuzschule in Dresden. Subsequently he acquired his legendary prowess on the violin from two of the most excellent teachers of the time: the Vivaldi disciple, Johann Georg Pisendel in Dresden and Giuseppe Tartini in Padova. Very early in his career, during his service as concertmaster in Merseburg, Graun got acquainted with Johann Christian Hertel (1697-1754), an outstanding viola da gamba virtuoso; they remained friends throughout their lives, corresponding frequently. This may be the reason for Graun's apparent knowledge of the technical possibilities of the viol: his compositions for this instrument - not less than 22 large-scale works are extant - bear witness to this.

Anyone who thinks that period-instrument performance means austerity and coolness should listen to this disc. Here's playing full of expressive warmth and vigour. The opening of Op 77 No 1 is done duly gracefully, but with a sturdy underlying rhythm and the Scherzo is crisp and alive. Then the first movement of the F major work is beautifully done, with many sensitive details; and the lovely second movement is ideally leisurely, so that the players have ample room for manoeuvre and the leader makes much of his opportunities for delicate playing in the filigree-like high music. The players show a real grasp of structure and illuminate the key moments with a touch more deliberation or a little additional weight of tone. These performances, clearly recorded, are competitive not merely within the protected world of 'early music' but in the bigger, 'real' world too!

Les dictionnaires de musique du XIXe siècle signalent tous l’importance de Gross comme violoncelliste et compositeur. Il est injustement absent de ceux d’aujourd’hui. Son oeuvre de plus de 43 opus est composée principalement de musiques pour le violoncelle, de pièces pour piano, de lieder et de quatre quatuors à cordes.

Orfano fin dall’età di cinque anni, Félicien David cominciò la sua formazione nella cantoria della cattedrale di Aix-en-Provence prima di iscriversi al Conservatorio nel 1830. Qui frequenta le classi di Millault (armonia), Fétis (contrappunto) e Benoist (organo), seguendo contemporaneamente l’insegnamento di Reber. Periodo di breve durata tuttavia, poiché già nel 1831 abbandona l’istituzione senza aver ottenuto alcun premio e aderisce, sotto l’influsso del pittore Pol Justus, alla comunità saint-simoniana, della quale diventa il compositore ufficiale.

Born into a long line of musicians, some of whom officiated at the court of Versailles, Boëly was first taught from the age of five by his father, a countertenor at the Sainte-Chapelle who was also a composer, teacher and author of a treatise on harmony influenced by Rameau. In 1796, he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study under Guérillot (violin) and Ladurner (piano), who introduced him to Bach, Haydn and Clementi. His formal education was of short duration, however, since he was forced to leave the conservatory in 1800. From then on, he taught himself, reading the old masters to cultivate his personal tastes and develop his style, which was out of sync with that of the audiences of his time who preferred patriotic or Italian works to his overly classicist offerings.

Vivaldi wrote an astonishing 500 concertos during his lifetime, of which 27 were composed for solo cello. At the time, the instrument was in its infancy, and it was unusual for great composers to write works specifically for solo cello. Indeed, none of the concertos were published during Vivaldi’s lifetime: they had been written specially for his young female students at the Ospedale della Pietà, where the composer was employed in Venice, and were therefore not widely known. However, Vivaldi clearly saw the potential in the new instrument, otherwise he would not have gone on to write so much material for it; after the violin and bassoon, it is his third most popular solo concerto instrument.

Born in Normandy and largely self-taught in musical theory, Sebastien de Brossard (1655-1730) spent most of his career directing cathedral choirs in Strasbourg, Meaux, and other Alsatian cities. Brossard's 'Grands Motets' are plainly in the tradition of Lully, but have less of French elegance and more of German seriousness about them, a quality perhaps suited to Alsatian taste. Brossard has been better known as a musical theorist and as the author of the first musical dictionary in the French language, but his compositions are quite well-crafted and concert-worthy. He ranks, I think, with Delalande, Dumont, Charpentier, and a notch or two below Lully himself and Rameau. Nearly every French Baroque composer worth his salt wrote a Grand Motet on the text of Psalm 125, "In convertendo Dominus captivitatem Sion," and it's quite interesting to compare the various expressions of rejoicing in the Lord's favor.