A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

The last movement of Beethoven's immortal 30th piano sonata (played by me).

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30 In E Major, Op. 109  final movement

David Loebel conducts the New England Conservatory Philharmonia in a performance of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony no 3 in A minor. Recorded live in Jordan Hall December 4, 2013 by Alex Hug.

Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3 in A minor- Allegro vivacissimo   Allegro maestoso assai

Please visit us at http://www.reverbnation.com/thesydneyconsort for concert info, tickets, music and more. 
All comments appreciated :)

ARTIST BIO

The Sydney Consort is one of Australia’s most energetic music ensembles devoted to early music of the 17th and 18th Century. 
Originally consisting of three members the group brings together Australia’s finest musicians and singers to a small chamber orchestra of up to fifteen performers. Formed in 1997 and led by artistic directors Monika and Stan Kornel, the Sydney Consort is an ensemble dedicated to bringing beauty and wisdom of Baroque music to a rapidly growing audience. The ensemble has performed music ranging from the 16th to 18th Century, as well as contemporary Australian music, and with concert themes such as English, French, German and Italian Baroque, Music and Poetry, and the Johann Sebastian Bach concertos. 

In the year 2000, the Sydney Consort celebrated the vocal and instrumental music of Bach, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death with spectacular concerts at the St James’ Church. Frequently, the ensemble invites other well known and talented Australian artists, instrumentalists, and vocalists to further enrich performances and broaden the repertoire. The Sydney Consort performs regularly with Sydney actors and poets as a consequence of an ongoing relationship with the Poets and Writers Society. A concert of 17th Century English music and Shakespearian sonnets was a particularly successful product of this union of arts. 

The ensemble appears regularly on classical radio programs and on Sunday Live ABC Classic FM. From 2004 the group appeared for Musica Viva Australia with concerts in Sydney and NSW (countrywide program), and in June/July 2005 and 2007, the Sydney Consort performed on their European concert tour in Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark and Poland. The ensemble has been invited to return to Europe in 2009 and will perform in Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark, Prague and Poland

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH - Sonata for harpsichord & violin in C minor (Siciliano)

Stürmisch bewegt - dalla Sinfonia n.1 "Titano" di Gustav Mahler diretta da Zubin Mehta con l'Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino al Teatro Comunale di Firenze il 4 febbraio 2000

Stürmisch bewegt - dalla Sinfonia n.1 "Titano" di Gustav Mahler - Zubin Mehta

String Quartet in A - 1

"Through its dynamic co-operation TrondheimSolistene (the Trondheim Soloists) and 2L has always sort to stretch the boundaries of what is possible to convey to the listener, aiming for the ultimate recorded listening experience. With the Serenade the team has taken things one step further with the TrondheimSolistene truly justifying their name. By placing each individual next to someone from a different voice rather than sitting in conventional sections we are working at the very outer limits of what is possible and creating chamber music at the highest level" - Øyvind Gimse, 2012.

http://www.2l.no/pages/album/090.html

We allocated two weeks in 2011 to record this new album. Artistic director Øyvind Gimse and his associate Geir Inge Lotsberg initially chose two pieces that represent, in their estimation, "the most beautiful music ever composer for the string orchestra": Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and his Serenade for Strings. Aiming for a 90 minutes program left 30 more minutes to record. So the orchestra and 2L logged on to Facebook and asked the listeners worldwide what they'd like to hear. And the audience responded: Nielsen's Suite Opus 1. A little gem that would exploit the Trondheim Soloists' singular way with Nordic repertoire.

Inspired by Morten Lindberg's extensive work with choral music, the Tchaikovsky's SERENADE was recorded with the ensemble placed in mixed voices, meaning no one is sitting beside anyone playing the same part, creating a totally new soundscape to the music. Carl Nielsen's SUITE opus 1 is recorded in a more "traditional" way in these sessions: Facebook Photo Album - Recording Sessions Part I

What we recorded in May 2011 is now published exclusively as high resolution audio files, by streaming and on vinyl. Then our recordings from October will add up to a full release on Pure Audio Blu-ray in May 2012.

DXD (352.8kHz/24bit) DMM (Direct Metal Master)
180g audiophile grade vinyl

TrondheimSolistene (The Trondheim Soloists) are regarded as one of the top chamber orchestras in the world. Their DIVERTIMENTI and FOLK STYLE were both nominated for a total of five American GRAMMY Awards in categories "Best Small Ensemble", "Best Engineered Album" and "Best Surround Sound Album".

The music captured by 2L features Norwegian composers and performers, and an international repertoire reflected in the Nordic atmosphere. The surround sound recordings of Lindberg Lyd not only transforms the entire listening experience, more radically, these innovative recordings overturn some very basic concepts regarding how music is played and even composed. 2L emphasizes surround sound with Pure Audio Blu-ray and HiRes file distribution, and have garnered no less than 12 American GRAMMY nominations over the past six years.

Tchaikovsky - Souvenir de Florence: I. Allegro

J.S. Bach - Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude

A. Vivaldi - Concerto for Two violins, Cello and String Orchestra: First Movement

New England Conservatory students Zenas Hsu, Yina Tong, Livan perform Tchaikovsky's Trio for Piano and Strings in A minor, Op. 50. Recroded live in Jordan Hall, Boston, February 14, 2013

A. Vivaldi - Concerto for Two violins, Cello and String Orchestra: First Movement

Stradivari Ensemble