Gunilla von Bahr plays Bach and Vivaldi

Advantages: Wonderful transcriptions of JS Bach's majestic music; sensitive, tender, vivacious, effortless and fluid playing.
Disadvantages: Nil.

...was nothing like the valved species familiar to us today. The antique version must have been hell to play, since it depended solely on lip control to create any melodic variation, especially in the upper register. All of which is totally irrelevant to Alison Balsom, who uses the modern valved trumpet (piccolo and C types) to play these works of Baroque magnificence. (Do I hear lamentation from the period instrument purists? Oh, pshaw.) The pieces on this album were arranged and transcribed, or co-arranged and co-transcribed by Ms Balsom herself from works for the keyboard, cello, oboe, flute, voice, etc. Transcription seems to come easily to her: so natural do the works of Bach sound on the trumpet, you’d think they were written especially for it. The trumpet repertoire is rather thin on the classical side of things, and surely, Bach... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Classic Concertos for Everybody
Disadvantages: Strings only!!!no woodwind...boo!

...The Four Seasons by Vivaldi Made famous by countless car adverts and Nigel Kennedy at the Albert Hall amongst other places. This has got to the piece that all fiddle player long to play and solo in! My first exposure to this came when I was seven, we had a hat making competition at school, the Hat Parade, and dad suggested making a musical hat and came up with the Four Seasons which was a favourite of mine as a youngster. Mum and me made the hat, which turned out to be a master piece in the end (for a 7 year old anyway!) and I won first place! I was fixed with Vivaldi for a long time after! Even a novice in classical music would recognise some of the notation! Vivaldi composed in Vienna, and was born 1678 and died in 1741. In these times, most music was composed and performed by telling a story and acting and dance were very... Read review

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Advantages: vivid, passionate and entirely against type. Totally first class
Disadvantages: the foldout CD is bizarre!

...Before I go any further, I would like to express an extremely large THANK YOU to my dear friend Teresa, also known as zerbine28, who is not only a most friendly lady, but also an erudite and knowledgeable writer in her own right, far moreso than I could ever hope to be. It is she who so marvellously provided me with this CD, a gesture which goes far beyond the shelling out of $18 for the purchase of the music. So, in return, I say you all go out and at least read some of her reviews on my behalf. Thanks a bunch, Teresa! Anyhow, we've all heard Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons, at least in some form. There always excerpts of them playing on the TV commercials, or something equally innocuous. This is usually accompanied by a sonorous voice announcing "Gainsborough's Furniture ? your first choice in elegant furnishings and accessories... Read review

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