Moody / Cappella Nova - Tavener Conducts Tavener - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

We know next to nothing about Jean-Daniel Braun, beyond snippets of memoir and the introduction to his published works. He worked for the Duc d'Épernon; he was known as a virtuoso performer on the transverse flute in Paris during the first half of the 18th century; he composed music for transverse flute, bassoon, recorder, musettes and hurdy-gurdy; his Opus 1 collection of sonatas was published in 1728; and he died before 1740. This obscurity has led to a lack of interest in the music itself, which deserves modern attention and revival. Step forward Jed Wentz, who has spent his career turning up corners of Baroque repertoire from across Europe, and making acclaimed recordings with his Dutch-based Musica ad Rhenum ensemble. A comparison of Braun's sonatas with those of his renowned Parisian contemporary Blavet reveals a similarity in general approach, with French and Italian elements mixed together in sonatas sometimes structurally reminiscent of suites. The final movement of Braun's Op. 7 No. 2 (in E Minor) so closely resembles the final movement of Blavet's Op. 2 No. 2 (in D Minor) as to suggest that one must have served as a model for the other.

Cappella Nova has a longstanding reputation of championing contemporary music, and it's latest album Consecration is no exception. Comprising world premiere recordings in a program specially curated by Sir James MacMillan, it includes a very personal selection of the composer's recent choral works. The sequence of five Culham Motets, written for the consecration of the Chapel of Christ the Redeemer at Culham Court on 9 December 2015, show MacMillan at his transcendently numinous best in an emotional and technical tour de force, setting texts of visionary and mystic ceremonial power. Consecration also includes MacMillan's well-beloved St Anne's Mass along with a fascinating collection of works written for family occasions the weddings of two of his children and his father's Requiem Mass. This is the fourth instalment of Cappella Nova's celebrated MacMillan series on Linn.

Tavener,J. / Wells Cathedral Choir / Owens,Matthew - Tavener Missa Wellensis [COMPACT DISCS] date 07/08/2016