Reviews

This definitely is a most interesting and intriguing disc. It sheds light on a little-known aspect of German music history which is hardly explored as yet. It deserves to be, and one has to hope that more of this kind of music is going to be recorded. Most composers in the programme are unknown quantities; no fewer than five of the pieces played here are recorded for the first time. That makes this disc a major addition to the discography. Juliane Laake delivers impressive performances in the solo pieces which reflect the skills of their respective composers. The ensemble pieces are just as good and nicely played by the Ensemble Art d’Echo. This is excellent stuff; the liner-notes put the music in its historical perspective. Johan van Veen, © 2017 www.musica-dei-donum.org

»Following the success of her album “Golden Age in Brandenburg”, the viola da gamba player Juliane Laake has just released her second for the Querstand label.

The biting, buoyant rhythms of Pasquini’s “Follia”, in an arrangement by the ensemble themselves, provides a perfect curtain-raiser to this splendid disc. The melancholic strains of Falconieri’s “Canzone La Suave Melodia”, eloquently traced by Laake, are aptly  counterbalanced by the genial and sprightly “Corrente”…

This programme has great variety in terms of mood, emotion and instrumental focus. It’s a most enjoyable release.«

Stephen Greenbank, musicweb, February 2018 www.musicweb-international.com

»This is a beautifully realised programme, superbly recorded and expertly balanced. The players deliver these works with expressive warmth and rhythmic freedom. The accompanying booklet notes are exemplary, placing the composers and their music in a historical context. It all makes for a fascinating collection, and for those who admire the viola da gamba, I wouldn’t hesitate.«

Stephen Greenbank, musicweb, April 2017 www.musicweb-international.com

Die renommierte Gambistin Juliane Laake präsentiert mit zwei Mitgliedern des Potsdamer Ensembles »Art dÉcho«, der Gambistin Julia Vetö und der Cembalistin Sabine Erdmann, Suitensätze, wie sie so am Hofe des Sonnenkönigs in Versailles erklangen..Begeisterter Beifall …«  Wolfgang Zimmermann: Fränkische Landeszeitung vom 27 .07 .2015