English Renaissance Music

Byrd, Tobias Hume, William Lawes, John Jenkins

Trio Settecento: Rachel Barton Pine, John Mark Rozendaal and David Schrader

Cedille: CDR CDR 90000 135

A fabulous completion of their European tour by a brilliant trio from Chicago's Cedille, with a disc which has nothing to fear from comparison with British early music experts.

The notes by Rozendaal are learned and characterise the individual composers, and Rachel Barton Pine explains the subtleties of the Renaissance violin, which is held on the arm in a manner which makes it possible for her to "wear necklace & dangling ear-rings whilst playing" !
[Sadly no image thus, but searching discovered many videos of Rachel on You-Tube, master classes as well as concerts, which broaden our appreciation of this remarkable musician and indeed make you feel you know her.]

Peter Grahame Woolf

French Baroque Music

Couperin, F: Allemande Sarabande Sicilienne Gavotte Concert No. 3 (Concert Royal) in A major
Leclair, J-M: Sonata en Sol majeur
Lully: Entrée pour Vertumne (from Ballet Royale de Flore) Entrée pour les Jardiniers et quatre Galants (from Ballet Royal de Flore) Entreé pour les Galants et les Dames (from Ballet Royal de Flore) Menuet pour les mêmes from Ballet Royal de Flore
Marais, M: La guitare from “Le troisième livre de pièces de viole” Prelude Chaconne
Rameau: Concert No. 4 in B flat major
Rebel, J-F: Sonata for violin & basso continuo in D minor

Trio Settecento: Rachel Barton Pine (violin), John Mark Rozendaal (viola da gamba) & David Schrader (harpsichord)

Cedille: CDR90000129 [78 mins]

An excellent new disc from the very reliable Cedille of Chicago. In Rachel Barton Pine they have a marvellously accomplished violinist who has been admired by Musical Pointers in various genres.

For early music, her credentials are impressive - involved with the Historically Informed movement back to her early teens.

French baroque music has long been the less accessible, and requires special immersion in its conventions. This is all covered in the full and valuable notes by Pine herself and by their gambist John Mark Rozendaal.

Rachel makes a rare allusion to the problems of baroque pitch (A=392) for a musician gifted (or plagued) with absolute pitch - my son, as a young treble soloist, had to withdraw from a radio recording session in the '60s (of Tallis, as I recall) when the director decided, only during the session, to help the basses by raising the pitch...

Warmly welcomed; there isn't too much of this repertoire in the catalogues.

Peter Grahame Woolf

See other Musical Pointers reviews of Rachel Barton Pine

and a fuller review of this French soirée