Vivaldi concertos and a Dutch soprano
This month’s round-up also features a pair of cracking string quartets
It’s an ideal time to discover the Armida’s marvellous Mozart
The Allegri String Quartet hold a special place in the hearts of British chamber music fans and, though overshadowed at times by the likes of the Amadeus Quartet, can at least stake their claim of being the longest-running British chamber ensemble. In their Complete Argo Recordings (Decca 485 3622) we can indulge in 13 discs of music originally released 1971-83. Six discs of Schubert dominate, along with a good helping of Brahms, but new-to-cd rarities such as quartets by Maconchy, Sculthorpe and Sebastian Forbes are to be lapped up.
The Armida Quartett’s 2016-22 survey of Mozart’s Complete String Quartets (Cavi-music AVI 8553523) offered listeners consistently high quality – indeed gutsy – performances of this cycle of imaginative works by the composer. The five original albums – the last three of which received largely glowing reviews in these pages – are now available to enjoy in a complete set. So if you didn’t partake in the Armida’s top-notch accounts on their original outings, it’s an ideal time to delve and discover. One of the great voices of the 1960s and ’70s, Dutch soprano Elly Ameling celebrated her
90th birthday earlier this year. Eloquence has released two sets to mark the occasion, The Bach Edition (Eloquence 484 4722) and The Philips Recitals (484 4125), both of which feature original jacket artwork and some truly magical recordings. The 20-disc Bach set includes a feast of sacred works including two rare Missa brevises, while the 29-disc Philips set showcases the versatility of ‘the Dutch Nightingale’ in everything from Monteverdi to Cole Porter.
BBC Music Magazine Award-winning violinist Rachel Podger (see p26) presides over six hours of Vivaldi Concertos (Channel Classics CCSBOX7423) in an enticing seven-disc collection. It brings together each of her recordings with Brecon Baroque, Arte dei Suonatori and Holland Baroque, which were originally released 2003-18. It’s hard not to won over by Podger’s sparkling artistry in these performances, and it’s great to have them collected together in this way. Prepare to be dazzled.