Pieter HellendaalSix Grand Concertos for Violins etc. in Eight Parts Opus 3
Conbattiment Cosort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend
NM Classics 92019
Dutch composer, Dutch orchestra, Dutch conductor.
It just feels so right doesn't it? Enjoy!
Dutch composers are generally a closed book outside of the Netherlands, with a very few exceptions. Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799) is not one of those exceptions, but on the basis of this CD, he may well deserve to be. All of these concertos make for very pleasant and diverting listening, best listened to one at a time, IMHO with baroque music in general. Hellendaal tweaked the traditional 4-movement 'sonata da chiesa' structure by adding a 5th movement in each of these concerti grossi. The Combattimento Consort Amsterdam use "historically informed practices" on modern instruments, and thus give the modern instruments a light and sprightly spirit in these performances, with Jan Willem de Vriend at the helm.
Recordings of Hellendaal's music are not common, so consider yourself fortunate if you come across this CD. You should spare a thought for the fact that the NM Classics label shut down operations some years back, but then be grateful that they got to record what they did, such as this issue.
G.C. - Amazon customer
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