Handel's famous «Sarabande» performed on a virtual Spanish Baroque organ using simply the Flautado (Principal) stop. ("Spanish Organ" freely available from: jlmonsite.chez.com/MonSite/Spanish%20Organ.htm).

Handel: Sarabande from Keyboard Suite in D minor, HWV 437 - Organ version (2016.05.09)

Boys and brass perform Giovanni Gabrieli's glorious «O magnum mysterium» (O great mystery) for double choir. Boys sing the top three parts of each choir; two sackbutts (early trombones) play the lowest parts, one for each choir; plus one trumpet with the first choir, and an alto sackbutt with the second. Boys: Mercury Symphonic Boychoir by Soundiron; Brass: The Trombone and The Trumpet from Samplemodeling.
Lyrics:
O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, iacentem in praesepio.
Beata virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Christum, Alleluia!

Giovanni Gabrieli: O magnum mysterium (2016.05.21)

Second movement of Bach's second Brandenburg Concerto, featuring a trio of recorder, oboe and violin with continuo. Performed on virtual instruments: recorder and oboe (Wallander instruments), violin and cello (Samplemodeling), and harpsichord (Soniccouture), using a wind controller (Akai EWI USB).

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047 - 2. Andante - 2017.01.13

First movement of Joseph Bodin Boismortier's Concerto à Cinq, Opus 37, Number 6, performed on virtual instruments: flute, oboe, violin, bassoon, and organ. All parts played on a wind controller (Akai EWI USB). Flute and violin by Samplemodeling; Baroque oboe and Baroque bassoon by Wallander Instruments.

2017.03.19 - First release.
2017.04.01 - Changed reverb (from Spaces) to Reverberate 2. More ambience, aliveness.

Boismortier: Concerto à 5 in E minor, Op. 37, No. 6 - 1. Allegro (2017.04.01)

First movement of J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 35, featuring pipe organ with orchestra: 4 first violins, 3 second violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, bass, 2 Baroque oboes, oboe da caccia (cor anglais), Baroque bassoon.

Bach: Cantata "Geist und Seele wird verwirret”, BWV 35 - 1. Sinfonia (2017.04.30)

The delightful first movement to Telemann's Concerto for Recorder and Viola da gamba in A minor, performed on virtual instruments: violin, viola, recorder, gamba, cello and organ. Strings by Samplemodeling; alto recorder by Wallander Instruments. 
I first heard this while sitting in on a master class for lower Baroque strings (gamba, cello). Wonderful performance! But, considering that it is marked 'grave', I thought the students were taking it a bit fast (more 'allegro'). Anyway, I was glad that one of the faculty members (from American Bach Soloists) suggested the students take it at a more relaxed tempo. They then performed it again closer to the tempo I've used here, although my version is a bit slower still. Nonetheless, a friend commented: 'I listened to the piece before I read your notes and immediately thought this is the liveliest and most cheerful “grave” ever written!' In all fairness to the students, their original tempo was close to that of most recordings, which are a bit too fast, in my opinion (except for the recording by Collegium Pro Musicum, which is about the same tempo as my version).

Castle Consort plays Telemann

Telemann: Concerto for Recorder and Viola da Gamba in A minor, TWV 52:a1 - 1. Grave (2017.08.20)

Bach's famous Passacaglia (and Fugue) in C minor, featuring the Toccata virtual pipe organ from Sonokinetic (https://www.sonokinetic.net/products/classical/toccata/). A very relaxing snippet of classical music performed on piano caught my attention while watching a dystopian sci-fi movie the other night; it turns out it was an excerpt from this Passacaglia. I wanted to replicate that feel, but it was originally written for pipe organ, and I felt that only an organ could do it justice. (I tried a couple other possibilities, but wasn't satisfied with them.) Nonetheless, I wanted to maintain as much gentleness as possible, and not resort to pulling out all sorts of stops, as many modern pipe organ players are prone to do. Actually, the score hinted that the drama would build up just fine without adding anything to it (except for some careful interpretation, of course). So, I used a very simple flute registration, and maintained it throughout the piece. Although some judicious registration could enhance the piece, I wanted the composition to speak for itself, and I think it works just fine "as is". For a very tasteful interpretation, with delightful registration, check out organist Ulf Norberg on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfAzR2Ut-jM; and at the other extreme, pipe organ superstar Cameron Carpenter does his fast and highly registrated take at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UxIcKJyZZE

Castle Consort plays Bach

Bach: Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 (2018.01.20)

This upbeat piece, from Jean-Baptiste Lully's « Le bourgeois gentilhomme», caught my ear while watching a movie about a serial killer who left behind a CD with this music on it at the crime scenes. I’ll spare you the details of how this music relates to the murders; but will say that one of the detectives googled the composer's name, and learned that when he conducted his music, he used a staff («baton») to pound out the beat on the floor. During one performance, Lully missed the floor and rammed the staff into his foot instead, which became infected, and he eventually died of gangrene. Ok, gruesome; but, the music is delightful, I think. Performed here on virtual instruments: strings for the first time through, woodwinds (recorders, oboes, and bassoon) the second time, and tutti the third time (with continuo and percussion throughout). Played on a wind controller (Akai EWI USB).

Castle Consort

Lully: Marche pour la Cérémonie des Turcs (2018.01.27)

Fourth movement from Jean-Marie Leclaire's Flute Sonata No. 6 in E minor (from Opus 1), performed on virtual flute, harpsichord and cello, using a wind controller (Akai EWI USB). Heard this sonata played by Janet See (“The flutist of choice in baroque repertoire”) on Baroque flute at a recent master class at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Was inspired to try my own interpretation; really a delight to play!

Leclaire: Sonata No. 6 in E Minor - 4. Allegro (2018.04.29)

Georg Böhm's organ masterpiece, "Vater unser im Himmelreich," performed on the just-released Organteq virtual pipe organ.  I am not a keyboard player; all parts were layered in real time on a wind controller (Akai EWI USB), starting with the pedal part and working up. Pitch: A=465; Temperament: Werkmeister III. Registration:

Récit: Cornet V
Grand Orgue: Principal 8', Prestant 4', Doublette 2'
Pédal: Principal 16', Principal 8', Flute 8', Flute 4'

To hear and see a master organist play this (with the same tuning and with similar registration), check out Arjan Breukhoven on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGm9ABAfP8 Of course, there are many other renditions on YouTube, including some at a slower tempo, preferred by some. To get the full effect of this (and any pipe organ music), I recommend listening through the largest speakers you have, preferably with a subwoofer, or through quality headphones.

Böhm: Vater unser im Himmelreich — Organteq version (2019.11.30)

Exploring the potential for using virtual instruments to create a realistic early music sound, with an emphasis on Baroque music. ¶ Esplorante la eblecon por uzi virtualajn instrumentojn por krei realisman fru-muzikan sonon, kun emfazo je baroka muziko.

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