Harnoncourt, Nikolaus

I owe my interest in early music almost entirely to Harnoncourt. It is difficult to believe that he is over seventy. Today, lovers of baroque music are spoilt for choice. There are numerous period instrument groups, many outstanding, often several recordings of very obscure pieces, and as many approaches to that music as there are performers. This was not the case thirty to forty years ago. Instead of being played on subtle gut strings, and delicate wooden flutes, at historcially informed tempi and pitches, in numbers corresponding to the original performances, what little baroque music that was performed was performed by ensembles and orchestra that ...  Read the complete review