THE HANOVERIAN ENSEMBLE

• Johann Joachim Quantz: Trio Sonata

"well-played, technically and musically..."

Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International [April 2012]

“This delightful disc features several German baroque composers of note combined with some unfamiliar names, although the general gist is towards Bach. Quantz's Trio Sonata is particularly enjoyable especially with John Solum's magical playing. Telemann’s Trio Sonata is also very intriguing, especially the parts for the transverse flutes, whilst the organ pieces by Lübeck and Pachelbel are also extremely beautiful in their short yet peaceful conclusions. The same goes for J S Bach's An Wasserflüssen Babylon BWV 653 which features a lovely solo organ part exquisitely played by Kent Tritle. The music is recorded in an excellent acoustic and the period instruments lend great character to the performances concerned. Copious notes also accompany this MSR Classics release, which is another treasure trove of wonderful music”.

Gerald Fenech, Music & Vision [February 2012]

“A Treasury,” indeed! This engaging program by the Hanoverian Ensemble gives us a glimpse into what an actual concert might have been like in Baroque-era Germany...  These dedicated musicians communicate to us the joy of making music... When we encounter the marking Affettuoso in any of these works, expect music of exalted beauty! The one Bach selection on the program, the chorale prelude An Wasserflüssen Babylon sounds irresistible in Tritle’s performance on the instrument used here, the Paul Fritts Organ... This wonderful instrument complements the golden warmth of the period sound we hear all through the program."

Phil Muse, Audio Club of Atlanta [January 2012]

"The [ensemble] plays in a compelling and exciting manner... The sound of the organ is thoroughly balanced, majestic, powerful, expressive and colorful. I highly recommend this CD and indeed the entire set of seven CDs released by the acclaimed Hanoverian Ensemble".

Andrea Loewy, Flutist Quarterly [Fall 2011]

"... the seventh in a series of acclaimed recordings ...provides a rare opportunity to hear a broad sampling of this previously underrepresented repertoire"

Flutist Quarterly [Summer 2011]

"Flutist John Solum evidently delved into the archives to find these pieces, for I’m not sure whether many have actually been recorded before. As performances go...the Hanoverian ensemble does well. The renditions are musically interesting and the tempos quite nice. Tritle’s organ playing also displays the capabilities of the Vassar tracker organ well. [Flutist Richard Wyton's] sound blends nicely with that of Solum. The continuo of Arthur Fiacco and Tritle is never obtrusive and is so well integrated that...one misses it when it is lacking. The disc is to be recommended."

Bertil van Boer, Fanfare [July/August 2011]

“...the organ pieces are very well played by Tritle on the Paul Fritts & Company tracker organ at Vassar College, a lovely-sounding instrument based on German Baroque models. The Mary Ann Fox Martel Recital Hall, where this and all the pieces were recorded, must have nigh-perfect acoustics, because the organ registers cleanly, with a firm bass and no acoustic overhang—just a pleasing brief decay... the Hanoverian Ensemble manages to feature works that have been rarely, if ever, recorded before... most of the works performed here have no current alternatives no disc... the Hanoverian Ensemble plays quite beautifully on period-authentic instruments; the charming Telemann Sonata for Two Flutes, which I’ve heard only in modern-instrument performances, is a revelation in its dulcet and very intimate sound here. As expected, more challenges in the Quantz Sonata for Two Flutes, beautifully handled by Solum and Wyton... there are lots of pleasures to enjoy here, both from the King of Instruments and its sweet-voiced woodwind cousins."

Lee Passarella, Audiophile Audition [September 2011]

 
  In selecting the music for this recording, our great interest was to choose works which would provide an hour or so of pleasurable listening. While many classical recordings are encyclopedic, consisting of one genre by a single composer, this one is notably different, consisting of a variety of works by seven different composers. The selection is also based upon the instrumentation of our chamber group, including the versatility of Kent Tritle as both an organist and harpsichordist. The inclusion of a number of solo organ works was also influenced by the fact that the hall in which we record – Mary Anna Fox Martel Recital Hall in Skinner Hall of Music at Vassar College – happens to have a superb tracker organ by Paul Fritts, the design of which is based upon historic German Baroque models. We also have chosen to include two of the handful of existing chamber works which combine the transverse flute (Querflöte) with the recorder (Blockflöte).
In this recording chamber works alternate with solo organ works. All of the chamber works involve wind-blown flute-type instruments. The organ, too, is a wind-blown instrument, the source of the wind coming from a set of bellows rather than the lungs of a wind player. Listeners will therefore be able to compare the organ’s wide variety of tonal effects and power with the nuanced expressive palette of the transverse flutes and recorders.
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THE HANOVERIAN ENSEMBLE is a group of distinguished musicians who specialize in historical performance on period instruments. The repertoire features the great music of the Baroque and Classical eras, performed with an expertise garnered from many decades of concert and recording experience. Programs involve from four to ten players, depending upon the repertoire. The ensemble’s name evokes the time of the Hanoverian kings of England.
John Solum, transverse flute, made his debut as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra and has since appeared as soloist and chamber music player in 37 countries. Internationally known for his recordings of more than 100 works on both modern and historical flutes, he has appeared at major music festivals throughout the world. Solum’s many editions of music and his book, The Early Flute, are published by Oxford University Press.
Richard Wyton, transverse flute and recorder, made his professional debut at age twelve, singing an opera role with the New York City Opera. As a flutist and recorder player, he has performed coast-to-coast on both modern and historical instruments at universities and concert societies. Wyton has appeared as soloist on National Public Radio and has recorded for Arabesque, Centaur, CRI, Epiphany, Innova, MSR Classics and MMO.
Nina Stern, recorder, also performs on Classical clarinet. She appears regularly as soloist or principal player with many period instrument groups and has played with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala (Milan), I Soloisti Veneti, Hesperion XX and Tafelmusik. Stern has recorded for Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Sony Classics, Newport Classics, Wildboar, Telarc and Smithsonian labels.
Arthur Fiacco, cello, maintains an active career on both historical and modern instruments. His period-instrument performances include Mostly Mozart, Concert Royal, Four Nations Ensemble, Grande Bande and Helicon Foundation. He has recorded for Columbia, ECM, EMI, MGM, MSR Classics, Newport Classics, RCA and Sony. In 2001, Fiacco played the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s cello concerto, Monserrat. In 2009 he was cello soloist for the U.S. premiere of Sir John Tavener’s “Requiem”.
Kent Tritle, organ and harpsichord, is music director of the Oratorio Society of New York and Musica Sacra. He is organist of the New York Philharmonic, Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music and a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Music. He is also Director of Music Ministries at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York, where he also presents the highly-acclaimed series “Sacred Music in a Sacred Space”.
ABOUT THE ORGAN
The organ heard on this recording was made by Paul Fritts & Company of Tacoma, Washington, in 2002 for Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the 23rd organ which Fritts has created and is called his “Opus 23”. It is tuned to a temperament called Kellner, named for the late Herbert Anton Kellner who published this temperament in 1980. It is believed that this is close to the temperament to which Bach himself tuned his instruments. JOHANN JOACHIM QUANTZ (1697-1773)
Trio Sonata in C major for recorder, transverse flute and continuo

DIETERICH BUXTEHUDE (c.1637-1707)
Praeludium in C major, BuxWV 137 for organ

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Trio Sonata in A major, TWV 42:A2 for two transverse flutes and continuo

JOHANN PACHELBEL (1653-1706)
Fantasia in D minor for organ

JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH (1688-1758)
Sonata in G major for transverse flute, two recorders and continuo

VINCENT LÜBECK (1654-1740)
Preambulum in C minor, No. 2 for organ

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN
Sonata in E minor, TWV 40:146 for two transverse flutes

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653 for organ

JOHANN JOACHIM QUANTZ
Duet in A minor, Op.2, No.2 for 2 transverse flutes

JOHANN PACHELBEL
Arietta with Variations in F major for organ
 



MSR Classics