Search - Red Priest, Vivaldi, Handel :: Priest on the Run

Priest on the Run
Red Priest, Vivaldi, Handel
Priest on the Run
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Special Interest, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (19) - Disc #1


     
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CD Reviews

Red Priest
Ronn McFarlane | Austin, Texas | 09/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Red Priest is a group that has it all: incredible virtuosity, a fearless, fiery, improvisatory approach and a rare lyrical sensitivity. The enormous liberties taken in these performances are the freedoms one takes when one is completely at home with the style of music. They never go too far. In fact, going too far is beside the point in a style of music that so encourages passion and extravagance. That is the very lifeblood of this music. What matters is whether the extravagant musical gestures ring true. Red Priest always amplifies the spirit that already exists in the music, and gives me a whole new interest in this music. I say goodbye to boring, polite performances of Vivaldi and his contemporaries. Along with Il Giardino Armonico, Red Priest is creating a whole new standard in Baroque music performance"
The Priest Rocks!
Ronn McFarlane | 08/30/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thank heavens we've gotten past the time when "authentic instruments" were synonymous with deadly dull, painfully studious and prissy performances. With groups like Red Priest (and others like Il Giardino Armonico, Musica Antiqua Koln, etc.), we know that those days are gone forever. In the hands of Red Priest, this music literally jumps off the page and into your face! First this group contains four of the most outrageously virtuosic players I've ever heard playing "Early Music". They make each piece crackle with excitement. Second, they manage to inject a lot of imagination, and a certain sense of saucy fun into their performances. Regardless of the little liberties they might take, I think the performances are justified in purely musical terms. After all, this is music that was meant to delight and entertain in its own time. The variety of pieces is great, and the recording as a whole is just plain fun! I loved it from start to finish. Just one question: is it really humanly possible to play the recorder that fast?I'll be on the lookout for more treats from Red Priest!"
Catch this priest!
Milt Fancher | Buffalo Grove, IL | 08/16/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this one off the New Releases shelf in a local store because I like people who like Vivaldi -- and you wouldn't name a group "Red Priest" if you didn't. Here's the deal: If you like Andrew Manze's playing, as I certainly do, than violinist Julia Bishop will knock you out. Even more exciting is recorder player Piers Adams, who is a nutcase on that instrument, bringing it to life with a vengeance. In fact, the only drawback is that I think he goes too far sometimes, but maybe that's a virtue because it contributes to the excitement. I mean, this is a group that even makes music by Telemann sound exciting, and when's the last time you got worked up over a Telemann piece?There's familiar music bere by Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell and Narvaez, and a bunch of short works like Schmelzer's Cuckoo Sonata that I haven't heard before. A wonderful recording."