Discover Music of the Baroque Era

Terrific Introduction to Baroque Music

I really love this collection of Baroque music! Back in the 1990s, when Naxos was a new company, there was a lot of talk about their recordings not being as good as those of some other music labels, but I believe that Naxos has much improved, and terrific collections like this are testimony to the fact. There's a very nice balance on these CDs in terms of style, types of performers, and in presenting pieces that span the entire Baroque era from about 1600 to 1750. The tempos also balance nicely, though perhaps there's a slight emphasis on slower pieces, so the overall effect on me of hearing this music is peacefulness and serenity, while the etherial choral works add to that sense.

So much of the Baroque music that is performed often - mainly J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi - is actually from the end of that era, so Naxos has wisely included many pieces by earlier and also lesser-known but still excellent composers such as Allegri, Gabrielli, Schutz, Charpentier, Lawes, Monteverdi, Lully, Corelli, and others. And Naxos has avoided repeating most of those Baroque chestnuts that have been played to death. For instance, instead of Pachelbel's "Canon" (which is heard so much it's as though that was all he wrote), we get instead his "Toccata in C major" for organ. Likewise, there's nothing here from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," but we hear movements from one of his flute concertos and the choral work "Beatus Vir." And nothing from Handel's "Water Music" either, though we do have a movement from Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto Number 2" and "For Unto Us a Child is Born" from Handel's "Messiah." Wouldn't want to avoid ALL the most famous pieces!

Furthermore, all the music on these discs is performed with much finesse, and recorded well, although there does seem to me that there is some inconsistency of sound level such that I sometimes turn the volume up or down, though much of that is due to the nature of the music itself. Also, Naxos has been very generous in providing about 79 minutes of music per CD, and the booklet too is an unusually generous offering at about 130 pages. Some other reviewers have gone into detail about the booklet, so I won't repeat them, but will concur that Clive Unger-Hamilton has written very helpful background information on the Baroque era, and in a manner that is neither overly dry and scholarly nor overly superficial. This set is also an incredible value at less than $10. In short, it is not possible to praise DISCOVER MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE ERA too highly! Get it and enjoy! June 22, 2008

A nice collection

A good, diverse selection of songs. On a few, the quality is not the greatest (i.e. some slight vibration, echo, background noise) but overall the selection is of good quality. December 17, 2007

Fulfilling Overview of the Baroque Era in Music and Words

Yet another great bargain-priced package from Naxos effectively provides an overview of the rich Baroque period with two discs containing more than 2 ½ hours of music and a comprehensive, 140-page primer booklet. Compiled by music historian Clive Unger-Hamilton, the collection is well-chosen to represent the many different facets of the era without recycling the more obvious candidates like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". The quality of the playing and singing is top-notch throughout, and the program contains quite a smorgasbord of pieces from dramatic opera arias to harpsichord pieces (sometimes played on authentic instruments, other times on modern grands) to full-blown choruses. Standout tracks include Allegri's "Miserere mei" with an ethereal boy treble soloist; two arias sung by soprano Ingrid Kertesi, in particular, Almirena's lament, "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Handel's "Rinaldo"; and a lovely "When I am laid in earth" from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" performed by soprano Kym Amps. The choral pieces can be astounding from Bach's "St Matthew Passion (BWV 244)" performed by the large Hungarian Festival Chorus and full symphony orchestra to the eight voices that wrap themselves around "For unto us a child is born" from Handel's "Messiah".

The booklet itself provides great value as you listen to the selections. There is a well written 85-page essay by Unger-Hamilton, who manages to encapsulate an enormous amount of information about this period which leaves a novice like me with a more solid basis of understanding the music of the Baroque era. In fact, what is quite valuable is that Unger-Hamilton provides a specific historical reference for each piece on the recording in his essay. There is also a very helpful glossary and an intriguing timeline which covers musical milestones relative to similar milestones in history, arts and architecture and literature. Moreover, there is an alphabetical list of the key Baroque composers and an accompanying map of Europe with important music centers and the composers associated with these cities. The thoughtful presentation of this package really makes the $8.98 price tag one of the great bargains here. May 8, 2005

An Excellent Introduction to the Music of the Baroque Era

This is one of a series of the 'Discover ...' 2 CD sets -- at super-budget price -- from Naxos that makes use of complete movements of music from the era in question. It is accompanied by an excellent booklet - a thick one! - with an explanatory essay that gives background on the music as well as blow-by-blow descriptions of the music being presented. All the selections (from such composers as Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Schütz, Purcell, Corelli, Pachelbel, Charpentier, et al.) are from Naxos's extensive library of recorded music and as far as I can tell all the performances are top-notch.

In addition there is a Timeline of the Baroque Era that includes material about the music, history, art, architecture and literature of the times. There is a map of Europe that shows where various composers lived and worked. There is a list of composers (more than just those whose music provides the audio examples) with their dates and locations. There is a glossary of common musical terms. There is also an extensive list of music suggested for further listening. I can easily imagine this set being the springboard for a newcomer to baroque music to begin a lifetime of enjoyment of these and similar works.

The presentation is thoughtfully done and the whole thing is in a slipcase that will preserve the CDs as well as the booklet for years to come.

Scott Morrison April 4, 2005

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