Search - Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco (Composer), Concerto Köln :: Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco: Concerti - Concerto Köln

Incredibly evocative

09/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd blew me away when I first heard it in the autumn of 1998. I had never heard of Dall'abaco, but bought it on faith, knowing that given Concerto Koln's integrity, the album would not fail to please. I have played this cd numerous times, and am always amazed that Dall'abaco is not given the recognition he deserves. He surely ranks up there with all the great baroque composers. The breadth of tonal colors is what contributes to the sheer beauty of the concerti, especially the ones in minor keys. Track 17 ( part of no. 3 in E minor, op. 5) is the one that really makes me sit up; it is incredible, especially the string "fanfare" effect. This cd really would change anyone's mind from thinking that baroque music is just predictably like the Masterpiece Theater theme. The ensemble and sound quality are superb also."

A welcome companion to Corelli in your baroque collection

R J S Secret | 11/20/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Classical listeners excited about the "discovery" several years ago of Johann Heinichen's Dresden Concerti will welcome this recording of Evariso Felice Dall'Abaco's Concerti by the Concerto Koln. Born in Verona in 1675, Dell'Abaco rose to the position of Konzertmeister to the Bavarian elector Maximillian II Emanuel in Munich. Dell'Abaco achieved a "mixed" style of French and Italian baroque elements. If composers such as Corelli and Geminiani are important to your CD collection, then this new release will be an important addition. The playing by the Concerto Koln is clean and crisp. Although I found a slight hesitancy in the transition at 2:27 on track 6 this is almost not worth mentioning given the beautiful playing throughout this recording."

A great disc from a little-known Baroque composer . . .

Johnny Bard | Orlando, FL | 02/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a disc! I purchased this cd through a music club on a whim, and I was quite pleasently surprised upon hearing it. I had never heard of Dall 'Abaco, and this recording demonstrates just how talented he was. The Cologne Concerto is an excellent Baroque ensemble whose interpretation of Dall 'Abaco's compositions is beautiful. Regrettably, I'm not aware of any discs (either in- our out-of-print) featuring the work of this composer. If that's the case, then this disc is a real treasure. Unfortunately, it's also a full-priced cd, and since there's no real competition out there (even on the Naxos label), you'll have to pay full price to own it. My collection consists almost exclusively of used or bargain discs (the vast majority from major labels), so I would have a hard time paying full price for any cd (even one as good as this one). But if you don't mind spending the money, and you're interested in hearing Baroque music other than from Bach, Vivaldi, and the other better-known composers, then you should definitely check out this cd. It's pricey, but worth the investment."