Search - Klaus Stoll, Klaus Thunemann, Thomas Zehetmair :: Zelenka: Trio Sonatas

One of the best ever!

Gene Herron | 12/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am still waiting for the CD to arrive, but it was featured recently on National Public Radio. The little bit I heard was as fine as a classical performance can possibly be. The players play with an intensity and feeling that is truly uncommon in today's world of mass produdced, get it out the door now attitudes, with little real concern for quality.This CD will amaze you with the sheer brilliance and and quality of the performance and to serve as an outstanding introduction to a little known composer. This is a MUST HAVE for any classical music lover."

A forgotten work of genius until recently

Gene Herron | Pennsylvania, USA | 09/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Heinz Holliger in the liner note of this work expressed regret that the "Zelenka Renaissance continues to proceed far too hesitantly". Perhaps this recording will lead the way to Jan Dismas Zelenka being given the due he was denied in his own lifetime and beyond. Wonderfully well performed, on modern instruments, of a suite of six trio sonatas which deserve to be played and played often.Zelenka was the "unbaroque" baroque composer. Every device of the genre can be found here on these Trio Sonatas, and yet, there is a depth of feeling and expression, from the sublime to the witty to an almost palpable cry of dispair answered with a succor of relief which is not often encountered in most baroque works. Every bit of the composition is polished and yet a sense of spontaneity, of wit and whimsy and deep emotion, affekt, appears just under the surface and sometimes, when you don't expect it, it leaps out and grabs you by the throat as if to say "This is as obvious as a snowflake and just as complex!". Heinz Holliger states that these works are a "...challenge to every musician and adventurous listener".The "challenge" appears in an understated grey case with enclosed liner notes. The composer a mysterious man who left very little, not even his portrait, to posterity save a handful of works which frighten, perplex, gratify and endear what he was to us. The performers, reserved men and women who have let their work speak for itself. You will wonder why this composition has languished in obscurity and you will agree with me that its time has finally arrived. I recommend this recording without reservation. Anyone who listens to and enjoys baroque music must have it."

Surprised by joy

Gene Herron | 01/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The listener from NY gets it half right -- this music is marvelous. Anyone who goes to Zelenka expecting to encounter the generic baroque trio sonata is in for a bracing shock. On the other hand, NY's assessment of the performances is less pleasantly shocking. To describe Holliger et. al. as "dull as dishwater" is like complaining that Toscanini's pacing of Beethoven's symphonies is "inert as molasses." To take one example, just listen to the two oboes squealing like puppies above a deadpan harpsichord continuo! No mistake about it -- Zelenkas's trio sonatas are both wonderful music and wonderfully performed on this desert island disc."