Reichenauer: Concertos

Azzolini, Sergio, Collegium 1704, Löffler, Xenia, Luks, Václav, Torgersen, Lenka

SU 4035-2

The baroque ensemble Collegium 1704 offers a unique recording of works by the Czech composer Anton Reichenauer (1694-1730). A violin concerto as well as wind concertos with baroque bassoon and one or two oboes pay tribute to Reichenauer's brilliant virtuosity and mastery. The soloists include Sergio Azzolini (baroque bassoon), Xenie Löffler (baroque oboe) and Lenka Torgersen (baroque violin).

Unlike the copiously preserved sacred music, instrumental works by Czech composers in the Prague of the first third of the 18th century are as scarce as hen's teeth. The twenty or so instrumental pieces by Antonín Reichenauer are among the most significant. Reichenauer was a musician in Count Morzin's chapel, in which he assumed the role of in-house composer after Johann Friedrich Fasch. The ensemble's superb quality is documented by the Count's regular contacts with Antonio Vivaldi, whom he engaged as his "maestro di musica in Italia". Among other pieces, Vivaldi dedicated to Morzin his Opus 8, containing the celebrated The Four Seasons.
The rarity of Reichenauer's virtuoso concertos is emphasised by their being extremely challenging in technical terms, which serves as evidence of the skills of the chapel's members - even Vivaldi himself lauded them! Many a contemporary musician would find these concertos extremely difficult. This, however, is certainly not the case of the "wizard" Sergio Azzolini and the other soloists featured on this recording. Together with Collegium 1704, an ensemble that gained renown with albums of Jan Dismas Zelenka's paramount compositions, they perform Reichenauer's concertos with a vivacity and energy this music requires.

CD x 1

Supraphon

15.01.11

099925403522

Diapason d’Or (2011)