Their tenth album with Signum Classics, the Armonico Consort directed by Christopher Monks return with two works by Francesco Scarlatti. This recording has been made using new editions of the works, (made especially for this recording) that follow only the autograph scores.
Armonico Consort began life in 2001, set up by Christopher Monks and a group of university colleagues with a shared passion for music from the Renaissance to Baroque, coupled with the imagination to find new and unusual ways to present concerts. Audiences seemed to love their engaging and imaginative approach, and most concerts in the first years sold out.
The founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort and its ground-breaking education programme AC Academy, Christopher Monks has established himself as a versatile and prolific conductor and keyboard player. Specialising in the performance of music from the Baroque and late Renaissance, Christopher is equally at home with major and modern choral repertoire.
★★★★★ “This extraordinarily successful release has a musical significance of the highest order. The performances throughout betoken both care in preparation and total commitment in the realisation of these neglected masterworks…This release is a shining example of what the gramophone can achieve” – The Organ
★★★★ “The sparkling setting of Dixit Dominus features dramatic word painting and a lavish use of a high trumpet; this performance is full of high energy” – Choir and Organ
“It’s fresh and invigorating music and performances” – BBC Radio 3—Record Review