Palladian Ensemble - An Excess of Pleasure

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These four players (recorders, violin, various string bassas and theorbo/guitar) met as students, won two Young Artist's awards and, three years ago, presented their stunning debut recording. Don't be put off by lesser-known composers, all seriously under-represented on disc (Uccellini, Matteis, Marini) among the more familiar are Locke, Blow and Purcell. They are all treated to sparkling playing with the sense of uninhibited joy which only technical mastery and unbridled imagination can generate. There's a strong folk influence: one of their composers, Geminiani, knew the Irish folk harpist O'Carolan, and they play an air on the traditional bergamasque, and Scots airs set by Geminiani himself with positively folk-like exuberance. Some of the disc though is art music of the highest order, with an exquisite broken-consort dance suite by Locke, a deliciously languid slow air in a sonata by Blow, and Purcell's effortlessly fluent canon, 'Two in one upon a ground'. Repeated ('ground') basses serve to unify the whle programme, each variation capping the virtuosity of the last. The effect, from such minimal resource, is breathtaking. BBC Music Magazine

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Program:
01 - M. Uccellini (1603-1680) - Aria Sopra La Bergamasca
02 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Aria sagnuola a due corde
03 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Diverse bizzarie Sopra la Vecchia_ Sarabanda o pur Ciaconna
04 - M. Locke (1621-1677) - Broken Consort in D - 1. Pavan
05 - M. Locke (1621-1677) - Broken Consort in D - 2. Ayre
06 - M. Locke (1621-1677) - Broken Consort in D - 3. Galliard
07 - M. Locke (1621-1677) - Broken Consort in D - 4. Ayre
08 - M. Locke (1621-1677) - Broken Consort in D - 5. Saraband
09 - C. Simpson (1605-1669) - Divisions on John Come Kiss Me Now
10 - J. Blow (1649-1708) - Sonata in A - 1. Slow
11 - J. Blow (1649-1708) - Sonata in A - 2. (Untitled)
12 - J. Blow (1649-1708) - Sonata in A - 3. Brisk
13 - B. Marini (1587-1663) - Sonata
14 - Anon (c1660) - Ciaconna
15 - F. Geminiani (1687-1762) - Scots Airs - Auld Bob Morrice
16 - F. Geminiani (1687-1762) - Scots Airs - Lady Ann Bothwell's Lament
17 - F. Geminiani (1687-1762) - Scots Airs - Sleepy Body
18 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Andamento con divisione
19 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Aria
20 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Grave
21 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Ayres for Violin - Ground in D, la sol re per fa la mano
22 - H. Purcell (1659-1695) - Two in One Upon a Ground
23 - N. Matteis (dc1670) - Bizzarie All'imor Scozzeze [Ground after the Scotch Humour]