Search - Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Anonymous, Franz Joseph Haydn :: Flourish

Rare and wonderful music, beautifully performed!

M.Morgan@mailbox.gu.edu.au | Brisbane, Australia | 07/27/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We all are familiar with Haydn, Hummel, and Johann Strauss, Sr., but how often do we encounter the fascinating and delightful music of the 19th century double bass virtuoso/composer Frantisek Gergora? There are also rarities here by Ignaz Michael Pamer and Franz Alexander Possinger--music lovingly rescued from the dark and dusty shelves of European libraries by researcher/musician Gregory Sarchet for his Chicago-based Vienna Waltz Ensemble. This ensemble is in the old tradition, made up of two violins and one double bass, and they play with precision and verve, making this CD (as well as their previously released debut album) irresistible. The performances are flawless, recorded with a warm, delicious sonority. The VWE make you want to dance. A must for your collection."

A lightweight delight

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 03/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of those programs with pieces you might never get to hear in this lifetime, played with tender loving care by the VWE. None of this is earthshaking, all of it is pleasant to a high degree and just right for background music to that candlelight supper (without the Bucket woman, of course), lounging on the porch, or otherwise engaged. I got to like Hummel from an old Vox recording, and his German Dances do not disappoint. Whether or not any of this conjures up Vienna is up to your associations. I simply find this program very listenable and--as I summed up above--a lightweight delight. I would like to hear more of this group's output."