Thanks for the hint, I will try to listen to it.
Sometimes the original instruments versions sound too sharp and thin for my taste, but sometimes just fine.
When listening to original instruments I often feel profoundly grateful for the subsequent centuries of development. As to medieval instruments …!
From last week’s Messiah, as was usual for centuries the director of the band plays a keyboard, I suspect more to keep time than to add much to the performance as to most it is inaudible. A piano would not be appropriate at all. The band included two oboes, original instruments, totally inaudible, even when they had a sort of solo moment in Part 1.
My experience echoes yours. If there is a busy string section then woodwinds are scarcely audible and a harpsichord doesn’t stand a chance, A recording of the performance with multiple microphones and good mixing will be musically more satisfactory, but will not sound very real.
I have been to keyboard concerto recitals and barely heard the keyboard. Bach had the sense to write concertos for multiple keyboards. This will be spinning tonight (1060-1065).
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St Martin in the field / Marriner’s four system is always my favorite, glad to see the LP version, I bet it sounds great!
In case you should ever hear of that performance taking place again early, please give a short note…I’d travel to most countries for that!
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There’s a name from the past. I was at school with Richard Watkins. A really nice bloke who did very well very young. I seem to remember we played in the same rugby group where by mutual agreement we decided to redefine it as a non-contact sport. We were obliged to “play”, so reduced it to running about in the rain for 20 minutes during the autumn term.
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A bit of a mixed bag, some of these songs seem over-instrumented, although that was part of the purpose of the recording. A favourite Monteverdi madrigal listed here as “Si Dolce e 'l Martire”, doesn’t compare to a fabulous version by Montserrat Figures listed here as “Si Dolce e 'l Tormento”.
I’m hoping it will be in London in the next year or two. I’ll keep you posted.
I have a ticket for a new Crystal Pite show in March (the wife is away)
https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2020/crystal-pite-and-jonathon-young-kidd-pivot-revisor/
which is a completely different style (Pite was heavily influenced by William Forsythe)
We also have tickets for an NDT retrospective in Paris June, to which Pite is contributing.
https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-19-20/ballet/nederlands-dans-theater
Bit odd to go to Paris to see NDT, who are based in The Hague, especially as next year our younger son is studying at Erasmus in Rotterdam, which is next door, so a good reason to visit. Crystal Pite is global these days, not to be missed.
Thanks Steven, all this really drew my kind of sleeping interest in ballet…I have to care more for this fantastic form of art!
35 years and a few thousand dance shows and can 't wait for the next one. Marrying a dancer helped.