Nayler&Co Boekhandel & Modern Antiquariaat*Ramsj-on-Line

Charles-Valentin Alkan, 1813-1888, often called the Berlioz of the piano, that mysterious, reclusive genius of the Romantic epoch, will forever be linked in our imagination to Chopin and Liszt, both of whom caught the Parisian public's attention to a greater extent than did Alkan, who wrote almost exclusively for solo piano. This 3 set includes the Symphony and the Grande Sonata Les Quatre Ages.

This CD contains Fantasies and Sonatas by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach performed by Andreas Staier on harpsichord and pianoforte. Bach presented himself to the public with 2 collections of Prussian and Wurttemberg sonatas. They demonstrate exemplary features -clear formal structures, unity of affection and thematic material in each movement. The variations on the theme Folie d'Espagne are experimental, perhaps the first example of a variations cycle with ironic distance to the theme.

The 6 Brandenburg Concertos are rightfully regarded as being the most popular orchestral works of the Baroque era. This CD contains the Concertos 1-3, as well as his orchestral suite No. 4. Bach wrote only 4 known orchestral suites, each of them is festive and fun, Bach injected a bit of Italian influence in each of them. Among the 4 suites, the 4th has some of the sweetest, loveliest qualities.

The present recording of the St. Matthew Passion was made over 22 sessions between June and August 1958. It was recorded in stereo. Karl Richter engaged several outstanding soloists for this recording Ernst Haefliger sang the Evangelist and the tenor arias, Kieth Engen was Jesus, and the solo arias were entrusted to Irmgard Seefried, Hertha Topper, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

In December 1979, Glenn Gould's longstanding producer Andrew Kazdin left Columbia. Gould produced his final recordings himself, beginning with this Bach album in Januari and Februari 1980. All selections in this album with 9 Little Preludes BWV 924-938, Three Little Fugues, Preludes and Fugues and Fughettas date from the period 1720/21 when Bach was serving as Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen.

Bach's Musical Offering BWV 1079 is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music, based on a single theme given to Bach by Frederick the Great. The Ricercar a 6 -harpsichord-, a 6-voice fugue is the highpoint of the work. Here is the 1979 recording by Reinhard Goebel and the Musica Antiqua Koln as well as the Bach Sonata No. 2 , BWV 1031 for Flute and Harpsichord and No. 3, BWV 1035 for Flute and Basso continuo recorded in 1983.

These attractive and colourful concertos are all transcriptions or reconstructions by Bach of original works by him for different instruments. This collection ... features 2 wind soloists with tone warmer and less abrasive than many using baroque instruments. The recorded sound is exceptionally vivid. -Penguin-

In the 6 Suites for solo cello Bach pursued hitherto untrodden paths. He achieved the very greatest effect with the very smallest means. The suites, with their improvisational adventures, strict imitative excursions, rhythmic flair and for the time unequalled virtuosity, are in every sense the equal of Bach´s keyboard works of the same period. Here is the 2006 recording of Bach´s 6 suites for violincello solo by Jaap ter Linden, one of Europe´s most prominent interpreters of baroque music.

This CD contains Bach's harpsichord concertos BWV 1053, 1054, 1055, and 1058 as well as Concerto for 2 Harpsichords BWV 1060 perfromed in 1973 by Karl Richter and Hedwig Bilgram on harpsichord.

When listening to the 3 Partitas and 3 Sonatas, which Bach eventually completed in 1720, one must bear in mind that although Bach was himself an accomplished violinist, his natural inclinations, and indeed the very foundations of his musical style, were built upon the keyboard. The Sonatas and Partitas are supreme masterpieces ingeniously laid out for the violin, rather than classic examples of idiomatic violin writing per se.