La Bella Noeva (17th and 18th Century Italian Music) – Tenor: Marco Beasley

Accompanied by the period-instrument ensemble Accordone, Italian tenor Marco Beasley performs 17th and 18th-century Italian arias, primarily late-Renaissance works from various composers. They were popular songs of the time that often competed with opera in terms of popularity and success. From La Bella Noeva (English: The Good One), an album published in 2003. During the seventeenth …

José Miguel Moreno: The Spanish Guitar in the Renaissance and Baroque

Spanish Guitar in the Renaissance and Baroque: the Spanish specialist in historical plucked string instruments, such as the vihuela, lute, theorbo, and guitars; José Miguel Moreno plays pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque era composers.

Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata: Via Crucis [2010 album]

Clips from Via Crucis, the 2010 album of L’Arpeggiata, a European early music ensemble led by Christina Pluhar, the Austrian theorbist and conductor. Guest singers are Nuria Rial, Philippe Jaroussky, Marco Beasley, The King’s Singers, and Barbara Furtuna Corsican male voice quartet. Published by Virgin Classics.

Orphénica Lyra: Music in the Court of Carlos V

A beautiful concert titled “Music in the Court of Carlos V”, by the early music ensemble Orphénica Lyra (focused on the Spanish repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque). Conductor: José Miguel Moreno, the Spanish specialist in historically plucked string instruments, such as the vihuela, lute, theorbo, and guitars. The concert was recorded on September 20, …

Shakespeare: Take, O take those lips away [Voices of Music, Anna Dennis]

Accompanied by the award-winning Early music ensemble Voices of Music, the American soprano Anna Dennis sings John Wilson’s setting of the song, “Take, O take those lips away,” from Shakespeare’s play “Measure for Measure”. The second verse, which is not in Shakespeare’s play, is possibly by John Fletcher, although both authors may have used a …

L’Arpeggiata and Barbara Furtuna: Maria

European early music ensemble led by the Austrian theorbist and conductor Christina Pluhar, L’Arpeggiata and Barbara Furtuna perform “Maria”, a creation of the Corsican male vocal ensemble Barbara Furtuna and is based on the melody of La Carpinese, a traditional shepherds’ song from Carpino. The text of the song hints at the sorrows of the …

Jordi Savall: Lachrimae Caravaggio

A strikingly beautiful performance by Jordi Savall and his ensemble “Le Concert des Nations”, an orchestra with period instruments. Lachrimae Caravaggio – “Caravaggio’s tears”. Pieces from Musical Europe in the time of the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Recorded during Festival de Maguelone, 2012. It is a project by Jordi Savall involving musical …