Hoffmeister / Pensola / Groot - Sonata for Strings - SUPER-AUDIO CD [Super Audio CD (SACD)]

Mcencroe / Janacek Philharmonic Orch / Armore - Symphonic Suites 1 & 2 Medieval Saga [COMPACT DISCS] 2 Pack date 08/11/2017

In Chile, a stray dog ??dreams of another life... One day, he meets the lady with candy, a French tourist who decides to adopt it. Unfortunately, the stay of the holiday comes to an end, and when he wants to go with him to Paris, the Chilean dog without pedigree, no collar, was refused access to the plane. This is the beginning of an incredible pursuit of happiness during which the Chilean dog will be helped by a secretly in love chip, a German shepherd - and Chile - Customs in Santiago and other characters just as unlikely. Following the thread of InchAdventures of a Chilean DogInch, the songs of the tale of traveling in style style (cueca chilena, cumbia, waltz, funky influences or walking burlesque). They are carried by melodies easy to hum and original arrangements giving pride of place to wind instruments and percussion.

This second and last volume completes two different sets of string quartets the four so-called Solo Quartets by Franz Anton Hoffmeister and Gioachino Rossini's six String Sonatas (or Sonate a quattro). Both sets differ from the 'normal' configuration in that they allow a double bass to take part, albeit in different roles. Rossini, who composed his sonatas at the age of 12 (!), left out the viola and gave the double bass a more or less conventional bass role - apart from the occasional virtuosic outburst. The sonatas were first published in an arrangement for traditional string quartet and are often heard performed by string orchestras. In Vienna, where he was active as a composer and music , Hoffmeister (1754-1812) chose a different solution than Rossini and gave his double bass player a leading role in the ensemble, letting it replace the first violin. It was no coincidence that this happened in Vienna - considering the amount of solo works for the double bass composed there, the standard of playing must have been exceptional. On the present recording, it is the Dutch player Niek de Groot who takes up Hoffmeister's challenge in the company of a Finnish trio consisting of Minna Pensola, Antti Tikkanen and Tuomas Lehto. Featuring the same team, Volume 1 (BIS-2317) was as described by a reviewer in Gramophone as 'entertaining, effortlessly enjoyable and beautifully performed' upon it's in 2017.