Ortiz, D: Recercada primera

The title ‘Jazz and Pavane’ reveals the happy marriage between these two ebullient styles of music and on this recording, the musicians have chosen to highlight the two musical styles by featuring complementary couples: the two pairs of early instruments (cornetto, sackbut), and modern (trumpet, trombone). The early music is supported by organ/harpsichord,and the modern by percussion, bass and drums.

A lifetime’s affection for the double bass, its sound and character, has resulted in this solo disc by Klaus Stoll, principal double bass of the Berlin Phil. In addition to solo pieces for double bass from the last five centuries, Stoll and the Equadorian guitarist José Vítores have recorded ‘Intermezzo’ from Granados's Goyescas, ‘Poema en gris’ by Horacio Cabarcos (1923-1978) and one original composition of Vítores’s own: ‘Cancion sin Palabras’.

The three brothers Aarón Zapico, Daniel Zapico and Pablo Zapico play Baroque dances as their private music at home. Modelled after the Concerto delle Donne of famous Italian composer Francesca Caccini, the three Zapicos name this programme Concerto Zapico (keyboard and plucked instruments). Their main interest is it to revive 17th and 18th century (not only Spanish) dance repertoire. Their programme combines rarities with well known pieces and presents a range of spirited Fandangos, Pavans, Caponas (the Spanish Chacony) and Españoletas by Domenico Scarlatti, Diego Ortiz, José de Nebra, Santiago de Murcia, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger.

Recorded at Sala de Cambra, Fundació Auditori Palau de Congressos, Girona, Spain, June 2010

A glorious baroque collection, full of famous melodies in their original form with virtuoso variations. The famous composition of John Dowland Flow my Tears forms the main theme from this recording. Also featured are composers such as Gibbons, Ortiz and Falconieri, making a delightfully varied and coherent programme.

Scottish early music ensemble Fires of Love serve up a feast of songs and ballads from the Spanish Renaissance and early Baroque, with a freshness critic Norman Lebrecht calls simply ‘beautiful’. Repertoire includes works by Luys de Narváez, Miguel de Fuenllana, Luis Milán, Alonso Mudarra and Juan del Encina.