Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2004

hcn·s Yiddish an song seuing of a
poem by .. lhe pool of lhe swealshop.
·· Morris Rosenfeld.
On ·Jewish Voices". Levin conducts
the 17-18lh cemury Wes1ern
Sephardic Jiturg} lhal was sung at
Ne" York's Spanish and Portuguese
S}nagogue, the continent's
oldest. Identical music resonated in
Canada's first synagogue. also a
Spanish and Portuguese congrega-
11on. founded in Montreal in 1768.
Hanukkah geld indt!Cd.
Phil Eltrensaft
EARLY MUSIC AND
PERIOD INSTRUMENT
Also included in 1he program are
1wo Baroque offerings by B.oismonier
and Dorne I. which are somewhat
incongruous and have a less
beau1iful recorded sound. Bui these
questions aside. this is still a most
pleasant listening experience. and
1 look forward to funher recordings
of this group.
Alison Melville
Les Sept Sauts - Baroque
Chamber Music at the
Stuttgart Court
Ensemble Caprice;
Matthias Maute
ATMA Baroque ACD2 2344
Proporcions to the minim
Trio Viaggio
Coviello Classics 20204
Founded in 1999. Trio Viaggioconsists
of three young women who
studied lhe recorder toge1her in
Bremen. Their goal in founding
their ensemble was 10 rediscover
ensemhlt: music for lhe ins1rument
and ··to revive it in a colourful, lively
way. Their program on lhis.
1hc:ir debul CD, fealures a dc:ligh1-
ful program of c:arlier repertoire,
- including music by Du fay, Dunstable,
Baldwin, lkvin, Tye, Ruffo,
Isaac and others, mos1 of which is
performed wilh a well-balanced,
well-in-LUne and beautiful instrumental
sound, and with obvious
enthusiasm. Particularly enjoyable
are the works by Bononia and Tye,
and the two versions each of la
Martinelfa and Browning make for
in1eres1ing comparisons. Trio Viaggio
's interpretation of their chosen
program is musical, thoughtful and
impressively auentive to detail. and
they play very well as an ensemble.
However, I would rather that
the rhythmic and metric nexibili1y
of this music were 1reated as such,
rather than as syncopation, and that
the phrasing and articulation more
closely resembled lhe vocal nature
of pieces such as Dufay's splendid
Vergi11e be/la and lhe Benedictus
by Isaac.
This new CD recording caprures
the atmosphere of chamber music
making at the Sruugart Court. Srudy
has shown that the music here was
significantly influenced by the notable
art and cullure of France and
Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The original two-voice sketches
of the eigh, Co11trada11se parisie1111es
and the Balleni di Venezia,
provide ample material for this ensemble's
creative talents. In particular,
the "piccolo" rwitterings of
nimble-fingered virtuoso Mauhias
Maute cheerfully animate Le
Poivre and Les Sep1 Saws of the
contradanses. As to be expected,
lhe more formal Balleui. intended
for professional dancers, were not
always toe-rapping settings. but
throughout these dances, there
were both elements of courtly elegance
and bacchanalian revelry.
The five movements of Sebastiano
Bodino's Trio Sonata E flat
major are miniature gems. Theodor
Schwanzkopffs Chaco1111e, an
ever-popular form, kindly does not
strain one's endurance of repetitions,
particularly with Lhe added
embellishments.
At times, Maute's expressive
pitch-bending solo recorder work
challenges the ear's tolerance for
tuning, but still his musical intentions
are clear, and one can be truly
thankful for having been introduced
to a previously long-lost repertoire.
Matthias Maute, who founded
the ensemble in.Germany in 1986,
DECEMBER i 2004 - FURUARY 7 2005