My music collection

• Various, Dulcis Melancholia. Capilla Flamenca. (5/5)
• Schütz, Symphoniae Sacrae III. Cantus Cölln & Concerto Palatino. (5/5)
• Mozart, Mitridate. Les Talens Lyriques. Decca. (5/5)
• Soler, La Capricciosa Corretta. Les Talens Lyriques. (4/5)
• Salieri, La Grotta di Trofonio. Les Talens Lyriques. (5/5: despite what Milos Forman tried to tell us, Salieri is a very gifted composer. The comic opera La Grotta di Trofonio is a true delight and an excellent start to the Mozart Year 2006)
• Haydn, Comple fortepianotrios. Van Swieten Trio. Brilliant Classics. (4/5)
• Vivaldi, Complete Sacred Music. The King's Consort. Hyperion. (5/5)
• Various, Noël. Anonymous 4. (set with 4 CDs). Harmonia Mundi. (4/5)
• Various, Hamburg 1734. Andreas Staier, harpsichord (a spectacular copy after Hass 1734). Harmonia Mundi (5/5)
• Boccherini, Complete Symphonies. Kammerakademie Neuss. CPO. (4/5)
• Monteverdi, Madrigals Book VIII. La Venexiana. Glossa (4/5)
• Monteverdi, Sacred Music. Ensemble Concerto. Dynamic. (4/5; nice recording, well sung, but probably only for real Monteverdi lovers and completists -contains two world premiere recordings).
• Scarlatti, Sonatas (vol. 1). Pierre Hantai. Mirare. (5/5)
• Vivaldi, Concerti a liuto solo. Paolo Cherici, lute. (5/5; in these (modern) lute transcriptions of several of Vivaldi's concerti, Cherici succeeds on creating a unique atmosphere of happiness and melancholy)
• Various, Don Quijote de la Mancha - Romances y Musicas. Jordi Savall. (2 hybrid SACD + splendid book). Alia Vox. (5/5)
• [... several CDs by Mozart, Gluck, Monteverdi, Haydn, etc; also: Campra, Couperin, Clemens non Papa, Cherubini, Albinoni, Graun, Manfredini, Handel,...]
• Mozart, Idomeneo. English Baroque Soloists. (5/5)
• The Dark is my delight. Ensemble Mikado. ORF. (3/5)
• Mastery and Admiration. Halcyon ensemble. Eufoda. (3/5)
• Lusty Gallant. Paul O'Dette. Harmonia Mundi. (4/5)
• Contredanses au temps du prince de Ligne. Le Concert Bourgeois. Cyprès. 
• CPE Bach, Sola a viola da gamba col Basso. Friederike Heumann & ensemble. Alpha. (5/5)
• Cyrano de Bergerac, L'Autre Monde. Alpha. (5/5)

my (highly personal and illogical) rating system:

5/5 = exceptional

5/5 = highly recommended

4/5 = very good, but lacking that little extra

3/5 = a nice, well-made recording, but nothing special

2/5 = a mediocre recording (which I don't regret having bought)

1/5 = a recording I regret having bought

e Some Recommended Links:

General:

• NewOlde.com (Promoting Historically-Inspired Performances of Early Music and Baroque Opera): http://www.newolde.com/index.htm (includes reviews, essays, discographies, etc.)
• Medieval Arts & Music Foundation: info on early music (... - +/-1680) http://www.medieval.org/ (extensive info on recordings, with tracklistings and performers)
• AllClassical: http://www.allclassical.com 
• Dutch Classical Music Store "Prelude": http://www.prelude-klassiekemuziek.nl/  

Review sites: (also see "Composers")

• Classical Digest: http://www.classicaldigest.com/ 
• Musicweb.uk.net: http://www.musicweb-international.com/ 
• Gramophone Magazine: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/cdreviews.asp
• Classical budget CDs in Holland: http://home.wanadoo.nl/jdpt/index.htm#http://home.wanadoo.nl/jdpt/Comp/cl_Brilliant.htm (contains reviews of Brilliant Classics recordings)
• Johan van Veen: http://www.geocities.com/johan_van_veen/ 
• Classical Net (the review page): http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/ 
• ClassicsToday.com: http://www.classicstoday.com/index.asp 

Composers:

• General composer catalogues: http://infopuq.uquebec.ca/~uss1010/oeuvres.html 
• G. Gabrieli: http://www.personal-copy.com/gabrieli/index.cfm 
• J.S. Bach: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/ and http://www.jsbach.org/ (both with reviews)
• G. F. Handel: http://www.gfhandel.org (with reviews)
• W. A. Mozart: http://www.angelfire.com/music5/wamozart/ (in Dutch) 
• Mozart and the keyboard culture of his time: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/mozart/ 

(HIP/period) Ensembles & musicians:

• Andreas Staier (harpsichord & fortepiano): http://www.andreas-staier.de/ 
• Bart van Oort (harpsichord, fortepiano & piano): http://www.bartvanoort.nl/ 
• Pieter-Jan Belder (harpsichord & fortepiano): http://www.ibizweb.nl/belder/
• Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano & piano): http://www.ronaldbrautigam.com/ 
• Frank Wakelkamp (cello & violoncello piccolo): http://zonnevogel.a2000.nl/
• Il Giardino Armonico: http://www.ilgiardinoarmonico.com/ & http://www.ilgiardinoarmonico.net
• Cappella Augustana: http://www.cappella-augustana.org/ 
• Concerto Köln: http://www.concerto-koeln.de/ 
• Capilla Flamenca: http://www.capilla.be 
• Cantus Cölln: http://www.cantuscoelln.com/ 
• Concerto Palatino: http://www.concertopalatino.com/
• Anima Aeterna & Jos van Immerseel: http://www.animaeterna.be/ 
• Camerata Trajectina: http://www.camerata-trajectina.nl/ 
• Doulce Mémoire: http://www.doulcememoire.com/ 
• L'Arpeggiata: http://www.arpeggiata.com/ 
• Menno van Delft: http://www.mennovandelft.com/ 
• Les Talens Lyriques: http://www.lestalenslyriques.com/welcome.htm 
• The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: http://www.oae.co.uk/ 
• The New Queen's Hall Orchestra: http://www.nqho.com/ 

Period Instruments:

• Jan van de Hemel (fortepianobuilder and -restorer): http://www.pianoforte-vdh.com/ 
• Edwin Beunk & Johan Wennink Early Pianos: http://www.fortepiano.nl/
• Paul McNulty Fortepianos: http://www.fortepiano.cz/ 
• The Period instruments & Instrument profiles section of The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: http://www.oae.co.uk/ 
• The Orchestra > Instruments section of The New Queen's Hall Orchestra: http://www.nqho.com/ 

Labels & distributors:

• Joan Records/Brilliant Classics: http://www.joanrecords.com 
• Alpha Records: http://www.alpha-prod.com/ 
• Abeille Musique: http://www.abeillemusique.com 
• Naxos: http://www.naxos.com/ (with reviews)
• Globe Records: http://www.globerecords.nl/ 

Miscellaneous links:

• Brad Leissa's Homepage: info on Period Instrument Performance Ensembles (PIPE), Early Music Vocal Ensembles (EMVE) & Authentic Performance Recording Labels: http://www.gfhandel.org/bleissa/ 
• The Search for Authenticity: http://www.classical.net/music/rep/hip.html 
• Les Amis du Clavecin (festival): http://www.amisduclavecin.be/ 
• Festival van Vlaanderen-Antwerpen - Laus Polyphoniae: http://www.festival.be/antwerpen/ 
• Augustinus Muziekcentrum, Antwerp: http://www.amuz.be/index.php 
• Het Onze Lieve Vrouwekoor Mechelen: http://www.olvkoor.be/ 
• Museum van Muziek Vleeshuis, Antwerp: (tba)

YahooGroups (discussion lists):

• Antonio Vivaldi: Click to join viva-vivaldi
• Heinrich Schütz: Click to join Heinrich_Schuetz
• Claudio Monteverdi: Click to join claudiomonteverdi
• Cornetto/Zink: Click to join cornettozink
• Giovanni Gabrieli: Click to join GiovanniGabrieli
• Renaissance Music: Click to join renaissancemusic