Search - Johann Friedrich Fasch, Ludwig Güttler, Virtuosi Saxoniae :: Fasch: Ouverture/Concertos for corni du caccia

Baroque music with a galant twist

Steven | Cambridge, MA | 06/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All of Fasch's music that I've heard is extremely attractive and pleasurable to listen to without being shallow. Many have said that he sounds similar to Telemann. I disagree. His harmonies are richer and more masculine without sounding plodding, and he has an excellent command of melody. He uses the woodwinds in these suites very cleverly, inserting very rich sounding interjections between the tutti sections. The suite for double orchestra is a wonderful example of his lushness of sound. He also excels at wonderful slow movements, that sound almost classical at times without having that unsuave and unsteady artificiality that characterize much mid-18th century transition music. The horn concerto is pure enjoyment--tally ho on the hunt! Guttler directs his modern instrument ensemble with precision, taking a more polished and aristocratic approach than the deliberatly rough sounding Musica Antiqua Koln would use."