Andreas Staier & Orquestra barroca Casa da Musica – A Portuguesa (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

For a long, long time, the Iberian Peninsula remained separate from the mainstream currents of European music, and most of the musicians and composers active in Spain and Portugal in the 18th century came from Italy or other countries. The new Spanish royal family – The House of Bourbon, established by Louis XIV of France who allowed his grandson Philip V to take to the throne – had adopted Versailles’ splendour. However, they still had to reckon with the Grandees of Spain with their aristocratic tradition, privileges, morgue, precedence, freezing austerity and extreme religious faith… And so, once the succession war was over, the arts found that they had been left somewhat neglected. It was therefore down to Italy and England to lead the musical dance in Spain for a while. Scarlatti and Boccherini, of course, are the most representative names of this influence, so it is normal that this album, “Á Portuguesa” (extended to Spain, it is true), gives prominence to these two composers.

The masterpiece here is, and forever shall be, Boccherini’s extraordinary Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid. The work was initially conceived for a string quintet, though is redistributed here to a string orchestra with Andreas Staier’s harpsichord. Staier remains on the harpsichord for two concertos by José António Carlos de Seixas (1704-1742), a Portuguese composer who wrote an impressive corpus of some seven hundred toccatas, as well as some beautiful concertos. England offered up some Iberian works too, including William Corbett’s amusing concerto Alla Portuguesa from his collection Le Bizzarie Universali, proof that the Iberian Peninsula was still considered to be some strange place at world’s end. Charles Avison transcribed Scarlatti’s sonatas into concerto grossos, of which this is one of the most striking examples. Staier is accompanied by the excellent Baroque Orchestra of Porto.

Tracklist:
1. Concerto No. 7 “Alla Portugesa” in B-Flat Major, Op. 7 : I. Allegro 03:09
2. Concerto No. 7 “Alla Portugesa” in B-Flat Major, Op. 7 : II. Largo e pia[no] 04:16
3. Harpsichord Sonata in G Minor, K. 8: Allegro 02:33
4. Harpsichord Sonata in G Major, K. 13: Presto 04:09
5. Harpsichord Sonata in B Minor, K. 173: Allegro 04:44
6. Concerto No. 7 “Alla Portugesa” in B-Flat Major, Op. 7 : III. Allegro 02:03
7. Harpsichord Concerto in G minor : I. Allegro 05:25
8. Harpsichord Concerto in G minor : II. Adagio 02:39
9. Harpsichord Concerto in G minor : III. Allegro assai 06:15
10. Harpsichord Concerto in A major : I. Allegro 01:52
11. Harpsichord Concerto in A major : II. Adagio 01:07
12. Harpsichord Concerto in A major : III. Giga. Allegro 02:16
13. Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor : I. Largo 02:44
14. Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor : II. Allegro 01:40
15. Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor : III. Andante moderato 01:40
16. Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor : IV. Allegro 02:02
17. Quintet No. 60 in C Major, G. 324 “La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid” : I. Ave Maria. Imitando il tocco dell’Ave Maria della Parrochia (transcription for String Orchestra and Harpsichords by ) 01:01
18. Quintet No. 60 in C Major, G. 324 “La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid” : II. Minuetto (transcription for String Orchestra and Harpsichords by ) 02:09
19. Quintet No. 60 in C Major, G. 324 “La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid” : III. Rosario. Largo assai (transcription for String Orchestra and Harpsichords by ) 04:37
20. Quintet No. 60 in C Major, G. 324 “La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid” : IV. Los manolos. Passa Calle. Allegro (transcription for String Orchestra and Harpsichords by ) 02:00
21. Quintet No. 60 in C Major, G. 324 “La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid” : V. Ritirata con variazioni. Tempo di Marcia (transcription for String Orchestra and Harpsichords by ) 06:20