Ars Antiqua Austria/Letzbor
(Challenge Classics)
Christoph Graupner has the melancholy distinction of being known as the composer who in 1723 turned down a job in Leipzig which then went to JS Bach. Graupner earned far more money by staying in Darmstadt and enjoyed a secure existence. He had a special liking for the chalumeau, a sort of early clarinet which makes a low, lyrical, reedy sound heard to great advantage on this well-recorded disc – the Overtures involving two and three chalumeaux are a delight, especially when they are combined with pizzicato strings. The music is scarcely deep, but the buzzy Air for three chalumeaux could surely be a new Classic FM hit.
Nicholas Kenyon
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