Concerti Virtuosi.(Sound recording review)

Concerti Virtuosi. Jeanne Lamon, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Analekta AN 2 9815.

The Canadian period-instruments Tafelmusik is one of today's leading Baroque orchestras, the group as refined yet as exciting playing period instruments as, say, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is playing modern instruments. The only trouble is finding enough good Baroque music to make the ensemble worth hearing.

I know that might sound a bit harsh, and it probably says more about me and my attitudes toward Baroque music than anything else. The fact is, music of the Baroque and early Classical periods make up the majority of air time on most classical radio stations; it's that popular. Apparently, radio listeners love it as a sort of background to whatever else they're doing during the day or night Perhaps I'm being unfair suggesting that Baroque music takes less concentration to enjoy than other types of music, but there is a fairly static quality about most of it that makes it akin to radio's "easy listening."

In any case, the Baroque music on this latest disc from Tafelmusik consists of various concerti, which the booklet note explains got its meaning in part from the Latin word concertare, meaning "to contend, dispute, debate," and from the Italian, meaning "to agree, arrange, get together." The definitions would seem to be contradictory, and in a way so is the music, with the trio sections contending with and blending with the rest of the orchestra.

All of the ...