Alison Balsom : Jubilo Bach, Corelli, Torelli & Fasch

 

96kHz/24-bit, FLAC; Warner Classics 9029592511 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Jubilo is, says Balsom, ‘a celebration’ of early music by Bach, Corelli (a concerto grosso), Fasch (a concerto) and Torelli (a trumpet sonata with strings and continuo), where she plays both a natural and a modern trumpet. The Corelli is a new arrangement of the ‘Christmas Concerto’ (to which purists might take exception, though somehow the baroque trumpet seems to ‘fit’), while the eight Bach tracks include pieces with organ – ‘In dulci jubilo’, ‘Wachet auf’, ‘Kommst du nun’, etc, from the Schübler Chorales – and with the Cambridge Choir, ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’, sounding a bit rushed here. About half of the programme was recorded at King’s College, and half in the more intimate acoustic of St Jude on the Hill, London. Alison Balsom’s legato lines, varied dynamics and overall technique make this a really enjoyable issue, and one that’s been well produced too. CB

Sound Quality: 90%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

With modern trumpet recorded close to but not exceeding 0dBFs, its harmonics occupy the full ~40kHz bandwidth of this true 96kHz file. Natural trumpet is less extreme! Bach (organ) tracks have spurious tones at 15.6kHz/31.2kHz. PM

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