Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Harnoncourt’s Fux still sounds very fresh., 10 Oct 2003
This album was originally released in 1970 (recorded 1969), hence the programme is 48 minutes long to fit onto a single LP. The most surprising thing about this CD is how accomplished and fresh this recording still sounds. Firstly, the digital transfer is very good mainly because the original recording is in good condition and retains the close-miked sound. The Concentus gives an excellent performance that wouldn’t disgrace any current period orchestra. Harnoncourt and the Concentus were true pioneers of the historical instrument movement and this CD shows just how they paved the way for today’s period bands.
Fux is a significant Viennese composer, most active around 1700. The Serenada is a substantial and rousing piece of ten movements scored for a pair of trumpets and orchestra: the trumpets here sound quite distinctive and may be true natural trumpets without (modern) finger-hole intonation correction. The Rondeau is a short piece at only four minutes. The Sonata a 4 has a very unusual scoring of violin, dulcian (an early form of bassoon), trombone and cornett (with organ continuo). The music is quite conservative and is reminiscent of the previous generation of south German composers (Schmelzer and Biber), especially the Sonata a 4. Other works by Fux show the French influence of Lully, but these do not.
In conclusion, don’t be put off by the age of the recording (actually ADD) or by the relative obscurity of the composer – this is a thoroughly worthwhile purchase and at a bargain price too.
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
I'm glad this recording has been preserved, 11 Feb 2006
I believe that the recordings found on this CD were originally released in 1970 in a double boxed set of LPs entitled "Musik am Habsburgischen Kaiserhof" under the Das Alte Werk/Telefunken label. Along with the works of Fux found on this CD, the set of LPs included several instrumental works by Schmelzer also played on historical instruments by Concentus Musicus Wien. I used to love going down to the Music Library at the University of Queensland and listen to this recording when I was a student there. One day however, the library decided to dispose of a large quantity of their LPs to conserve shelf space and to my dismay, this set was included. Although I have never been able to locate an original box set of these LPs, I'm glad that Warner have re-released this excellent pioneering recording of high quality but not very well known music for a bargain price, which otherwise would have slipped into oblivion.
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dated, 8 Oct 2007
Yes of course all respect to VCM but this is rather shallowy recorded and laboured. Some of these early splices work, but this one only half does. In fact (what with Arcana's being a disappointment) there is no good recording of Fux's instrumental works (the cpo religious extracts are OK and even Clemencic's Requiem not too horrid, unbelievably) and where's the harpsichord partitas for goodsake? This is OK as a stopgap until a better band takes these pieces up.
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(3 customer reviews)
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