By putting together a program that is balanced with familiar hits as well as less frequently played but no less worthy pieces, Virgin Classics has produced a satisfying compilation in A Baroque Festival; by getting top-notch performances from the Taverner Players and the Taverner Consort, directed by Andrew Parrott, the label is able to present the music in the best period style. One is never bored with the performances because these brilliant musicians are quite fleet in their Allegros and forward moving in their Andantes, ...
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By putting together a program that is balanced with familiar hits as well as less frequently played but no less worthy pieces, Virgin Classics has produced a satisfying compilation in A Baroque Festival; by getting top-notch performances from the Taverner Players and the Taverner Consort, directed by Andrew Parrott, the label is able to present the music in the best period style. One is never bored with the performances because these brilliant musicians are quite fleet in their Allegros and forward moving in their Andantes, and there is nothing sluggish in their Adagios -- connoisseurs of Baroque music will note with pleasure that Parrott's pacing and the group's energy never flag, so the pieces are as crisp and lively as any authentic practice ensemble could play them. Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue is perhaps the least necessary offering here, but it is at least played as it was written -- for three violins and continuo -- and taken at a fairly brisk clip, so there is not a trace of modern...
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