Founded in 1988, Il Gardellino is a Flemish Baroque orchestra whose name is taken from the virtuosic goldfinch in Vivaldi’s eponymous concerto. What was applied as a playful metaphor almost 40 years ago, now encapsulates the identity of this internationally acclaimed Belgian period instrument ensemble acclaimed for their focus on works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries Johann Friedrich …

The third solo album from German pianist Esther Birringer surveys music by 15 different composers, bringing the masters such as Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and others into dialogue with modern voices like Lera Auerbach, Ludovico Einaudi, and Valentin Silvestrov. “The term spectrum is usually associated with physics: when white light passes through a prism, it breaks into a full rainbow of …

The latest album from countertenor Randall Scotting celebrates Nicolò Grimaldi, the castrato who conquered the opera world under the stage name Nicolini (1673 – 1732). The repertoire features rarely performed arias and duets from the early 18th century, nine of which have never been recorded before and have not been heard since Nicolini’s lifetime. While Nicolini is best remembered today …

Soprano Hannah De Priest, who is on an upward trajectory as a leading interpreter of 17th and 18th century repertoire, caps a breakout season (including performances with Haymarket Opera and Bella Voce, leading roles with Boston Early Music Festival, and debuts with Music of the Baroque and Bach in the City) with her debut solo album. Referencing both Greek mythology …

In her new EP commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, rising star pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason ponders “with what music may Jane Austen have been familiar? Which pieces might she have performed privately?” The original Austen family music book collection dating from Jane Austen’s lifetime is extant and was able to provide some direction. Furthermore, Jane Austen is also …

In the summer of 1717, after performing his Water Music during a royal cruise on the Thames, Handel began composing for James Brydges (1674-1744), who became the first Duke of Chandos and created the Cannons Concert at his estate in Cannons. Handel composed eleven anthems and a Te Deum for him, as well as transposing and revising As pants the …

Opera Prima’s second album with soprano Amanda Forsythe features two early works by a young Handel—Armida abbandonata (1707) and Agrippina condotta a morire (1708)—as well as a trio sonata, sinfonia, and selections from his oratorio Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. Highly sought-after for her interpretations of Handel, Forsythe is acclaimed for her agile coloratura, exquisite breath control, and …

Quartetto Vanvitelli is an Italian ensemble (violinist Gian Andrea Guerra, lutenist Mauro Pinciaroli, cellist Nicola Brovelli, and keyboardist Luigi Accardo) specializing in baroque repertoire with a particular focus on Handel’s works. In Se in fiorito ameno prato, the period instrument ensemble explores Handel’s violin sonatas, connecting them to other pieces, including misattributions, opera excerpts, and keyboard pieces. The program invites …

The world music-leaning period instrument band L’Arpeggiata, led by theorbo player Christina Pluhar, celebrates nature in a mostly Baroque program (Monteverdi, Bononcini, Biber and Handel) coupled with traditional songs and ballads including eden ahbez’s “Nature Boy.” In Terra Mater (meaning Mother Nature), Pluhar writes, “You will hear the chirping of the nightingales, sweet birds, cuckoos, frogs and chicken, the whispers of the winds, …

Founder and artistic director of the pioneering Les Arts Florissants, American conductor William Christie is an icon of historically informed performance practice, a flamboyantly skilled harpsichordist, and one the critical figures in reviving 17th and 18th century French repertoire. This album gathers a host of young artists who are dear to him (gambist Myriam Rignol, harpsichordist Justin Taylor, lutenist Thomas …

Trevor Pinnock, a pioneer in the historically informed performance practice, has convened a bespoke ensemble, dubbed Pinnock’s Players, to partner with star trumpeter Alison Balsom on her new album of Baroque concertos. All six of the concertos recorded here – by Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann, Albinoni and Marcello – are transcriptions of virtuoso works for violin or oboe, performed by Balsom …

Music of the Baroque presents the sublime oratorio Jephtha, Handel’s final masterpiece, recorded live conducted by Dame Jane Glover. Tenor David Portillo, a Ryan Opera Center alum, leads the cast that includes sopranos Lauren Snouffer and Katelyn Lee, mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, and bass-baritone Neal Davies. The performance from September 2022 marked Jane Glover’s 20th season leading …