Search - Pastime With Good Company-5th Anniversary Collecti :: Pastime With Good Company: 5TH Anniversary/Var

A sampler - but all unreleased material

Demantius | Nuneaton, UK | 01/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Reviewing this CD is something like reviewing Jean-Paul Combet and the Alpha label itself. The CD is a celebration of the cottage enterprise launched in 1998 with two CDs by Guillemette Laurens and Vincent Dumestre - of music first by Castaldi then by Belli - which established Alpha as one of the most creative and attractive independent classical labels in France.



This CD is made of session extras or special recordings by the mainstay artists of the Alpha label; primarily the early music ensembles L'Arpeggiata, Diabolus in Musica, Le Poeme Harmonique, Les Witches, Cafe Zimmerman, violinist Helene Schmitt, viola player Nima Ben David, cellist Bruno Cocset, organist Frederic Desenclos, harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt (yes, THE Leonhardt), fortepianist Arthur Schoonderwoerd, recitant Eugene Green, troubador Brice Duisit, and two contemporary artists percussionist Joel Grare and the saxophone quarter Quatuor Habanera.



These last two are something of exceptions on what is otherwise a 55 minute survey of the second generation of early music movement. Many of Alpha's customers will probably (like myself) be hearing a saxophone quartet for the first time. Anyway, no bad thing to have a couple of contemporary artists on an early music sampler. Again the real tribute here is to the Alpha company, and the story of the company, told by Combet in the booklet, makes the disc much more attractive than even well done compilation samplers. The CD is a bit self indulgent, and probably should be priced a bit cheaper, but Alpha can be allowed to pat themselves on the back after 5 years of exemplary recordings. Uniquely for a sampler, the booklet includes lyrics and translations to the four vocal pieces and the poem read by Eugene Green. 55 minutes, DDD. Note that the disc does not actually include the famous song by Henry VIII "Pastime with good company"."