Heinichen, Zelenka, Telemann, Quantz, Pisendel, Fasch
Alexis Kossenko / Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Ecurie (Aparté)
(scroll down for English review)
新年就當然聽精神爽利的音樂，巴洛克音樂是好選擇。碟名解做「為德累斯頓的樂團而寫」，是韋華第一首協奏曲的題獻，不過這碟沒有收錄那首協奏曲，這也只是系列第一輯。巴哈在萊比鍚，離它不遠的德累斯頓其實也有精彩的音樂，這系列就是選取1709至1760年之間，德累斯頓宮廷樂隊演奏的音樂。大約30年前戈貝爾有一套雙碟的Heinichen《德累斯頓協奏曲》，這套錄音除了Heinichen（1716至1729的德累斯頓宮廷作曲家），也有其他作曲家的樂曲。
1709年是樂隊的轉捩點，因為薩克遜選帝候去過法國後，決定把樂隊以法國模式改造。音樂的風格先是法國，再逐漸向意大利傾斜，集前者的氣派及後者的活力。巴哈以《B小調彌撒曲》向德累斯頓求職時，亦為樂隊的小提琴、橫笛、柔雙簧管的樂手寫了有獨奏的詠嘆調。
這張第一集，大約三分一是聖樂，其餘是管弦樂或協奏曲，指揮Kossenko本身是橫笛／長笛獨奏家，Quantz《G小調雙橫笛協奏曲》是他的表演時間。德累斯頓宮廷樂隊另一特色，是木管樂手特多，這個錄音慷慨使用，所以管樂聲響非常重，甚至凌駕弦樂，而這個錄音在殘響很強的教堂灌錄，也是一般巴洛克音樂唱片很少聽到。
Let’s start 2022 with very uplifting music, and Baroque is my preference for that end. As the title suggests the repertoire is related to the Dresden court orchestra, that dedication was from a certain Vivaldi concerto written for Dresden. Although that concerto wasn’t included here I suppose it would be in subsequent volumes.
Alexis Kossenko focused on the period of 1709-1760, the former date was when the Saxon Elector, after a trip to France, decided to reform the orchestra after the French model. But eventually Italianate music dominated the repertoire, so we have French grandeur and Italian ebullience rolled into one. Even Bach, when he compiled the B Minor Mass with the objective of gaining employment in Dresden, wrote solos for the virtuosos of the orchestra.
One third of this volume is sacred music and orchestral and concertante music make up for the rest. As Kossenko is himself a flute or traverso soloist it was hardly a surprise to feature himself in a double flute concerto by Quantz. Another signature of the Dresden orchestra was the oversized woodwind section. Kossenko allowed himself that luxury, so the orchestral sound was endowed with a massive wind sound. Also the recording was made in a very reverberant church that you don’t really get to hear often on baroque recordings.