La Sfera Armoniosa, Mike Fentross, Lidewij Van Der Voort
Release Date: 02 September 2022
Label: Challenge Classics
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 608917291124
Description
A live recording of the complete set of Concerti Grossi in the Handelian style by the foremost Dutch composer of the late Baroque. Following on from the great examples of and Handel's works, Hellendaal develops his own proper approach to the Concertos for string orchestra. This is the fourth recording by Dutch leading Baroque group La Sfera Armoniosa and its leader Mike Fentross for Challenge Classics.
Eighteenth-century London musical life was strongly oriented towards Italian music, with Arcangelo Corelli as the prime example. Corelli never visited England, but his music was heard everywhere, at home and on the concert stage. Handel and Geminiani, who composed in a style based on Corelli's work, took full advantage of this 'Corellimania'. No wonder, then, that also foreign composers living in England were inspired by the work of the big three and continued their formula for success. Among these continuators (which sounds better than followers) Pieter Hellendaal must be counted.
Hellendaal was born in 1721 in Rotterdam as the son of a candle maker. Around 1740 he was in Padua for a while to be trained as a violinist and composer with Giuseppe Tartini, Europe's most famous violin teacher. Hellendaal then settled in Amsterdam, nevertheless chose to leave for London in 1751, presumably with the hope of greater fame and income. The London period lasted from 1751 to 1760. His Six Grand Concertos were issued in 1758 by the London music publisher John Walsh. Later, in Cambridge, Hellendaal was appointed organist of Pembroke Hall Chapel in 1762 and he would spend the rest of his life, a time span of almost forty years, in the city. He died in 1799, aged 78.
The Six Grand Concertos of 1758 are his only known works for orchestra. The characteristic of such a 'grand concerto' – a translation of the Italian concerto grosso – is the distinction between solo and tutti parts. In Hellendaal's Grand Concertos there are four soloists, two violinists, an alto player, and a cellist, who together form the concertino. Hellendaal certainly took the work of his three illustrious predecessors Corelli, Handel and Geminiani as a starting point, but he added a completely individual interpretation to it. The result is a set of six masterpieces.
Conductor/lutenist Mike Fentross has largely earned his credits as an early music specialist. He is working all over Europe as a conductor, soloist and basso continuo player and he is professor of lute and basso continuo at the Royal Conservatory The Hague. In 2006 he founded the baroque orchestra La Sfera Armoniosa.
"the commendable esprit demonstrated by the ensemble, and an excellent accompanying essay should encourage readers in explorative mode to proceed [..] La Sfera Armoniosa under the direction of Mike Fentross conveys the contrasting effects of the music with expressive warmth and stylistic assurance." - BBC Music Magazine (Performance 3 STARS, Recording 4 STARS)
"superb accuracy and period precision of the performance by Le Sfera Armoniosa and Mike Fentross. […] The sheer perfection of ensemble and intonation implies a studio recording, yet the spirit and verve are those of live provenance." – Classical Explorer
"This incredible bass sound underpins, for the most part, excellent playing. Well-judged direction from Mike Fentross capture's the music's necessary contrasts […] The sound is extremely enjoyable" - Gramophone
"I am very impressed by La Sfera Armoniosa; […] It is very stylish playing that is perfect for this music." – MusicWeb International
Tracklisting
The Counterpoints
Narratio Quartet
Aart Bergwerff
Roberto Prosseda
Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Dejan Lazic, Jan Willem de Vriend
Ton Koopman
Duo Saraswati
La Sfera Armoniosa, Mike Fentross & Lidewij Van Der Voort
