Petersen: Speelstukken (VRT Muziek Edition) B'Rock

• David Petersen (b. 1968): Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683:
• 1Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata I in D / Speelstuk No. 1 (VRT Muziek Edition)09:25
• 2Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata VII in G / Speelstuk No. 7 (VRT Muziek Edition)08:00
• Gisbert Steenwick (1642 - 1679): Klavierboek van Anna Maria van Eyl - 1671:
• 3Klavierboek van Anna Maria van Eyl - 1671: Tricabylie (VRT Muziek Edition)03:51
• David Petersen: Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683:
• 4Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata V in G / Speelstuk No. 5 (VRT Muziek Edition)05:45
• Anonymous: Klavierboek van Anna Maria van Eyl - 1671:
• 5Klavierboek van Anna Maria van Eyl - 1671: Amarillis (VRT Muziek Edition)03:21
• David Petersen: Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683:
• 6Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata II in A / Speelstuk No. 2 (VRT Muziek Edition)09:12
• Anonymous: Camphuysen Ms. Daphne (VRT Muziek Edition):
• 7Camphuysen Ms. Daphne (VRT Muziek Edition)04:51
• David Petersen: Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683:
• 8Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata IV in D / Speelstuk No. 4 (VRT Muziek Edition)07:39
• 9Speelstukken Amsterdam 1683: Sonata X in E / Speelstuk No. 4 (VRT Muziek Edition)05:32
• Total Runtime57:36

Info for Petersen: Speelstukken (VRT Muziek Edition)

B’Rock appears here for the first time as an extra small ensemble, hence the XS! Their previous releases have been very well received and here they concentrate on rarely recorded repertoire for violin and basso continuo from 17th century Amsterdam.

"The Speelstukken by David Petersen, as he euphemistically called his collection, are in reality virtuoso violin literature. Petersen, who lived in Amsterdam at the turn of the 18th century, came from Lübeck, at least according to his marriage certificate. He held minor - probably lucrative - offices in the city administration of Amsterdam. It is assumed that he obtained such offices because he dedicated his Speelstukken to the mayor of Amsterdam. There is no record of Petersen's musical activities, but he must have been a professional musician if you listen to his music. The Speelstukken are the most modern music available in Amsterdam at the time and are of excellent quality, most comparable to Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.

The ensemble B'Rock XS has now presented its version of the music favoured by all baroque violinists on the Et'cetera label and the Belgian radio station Klara. B'Rock is a young, unconventional Belgian baroque orchestra. Unconventional because they always invite different guest musicians for each project. XS refers to the diminutive form, in this case a five-piece chamber ensemble. Rodolfo Richter has taken on the violin solo part, and he plays Petersen with a virtuoso entertainingness that never seems strained and without pushing his fellow musicians into the background. Compositionally elaborated fugue movements have a dance-like effect and dance movements such as the concluding Gigue from the first Speelstukken are ennobled by chamber music. The collection is complemented by several harpsichord works performed by ensemble founder Frank Agsteribbe. The whole thing is wrapped in a soft, full-bodied sound that doesn't swallow up anything. A listening pleasure!" (Fono Forum, Richard Lorber)

B’Rock XS
Carl Van Eyndhoven, direction

The baroque orchestra B'Rock
was founded in 2005 on the initiative of harpsichordist, composer and conductor Frank Agsteribbe and double bassist Tom Devaere. The ensemble was born out of the idea of renewing and rejuvenating the early music scene. The core of B'Rock consists of twenty musicians who have specialised in historically informed performance practice. B'Rock's interpretations combine practical performance aspects and historical stylistic awareness, whereby great emphasis is placed on intensity and expressive variety.

The baroque orchestra regularly works with leading soloists and guest conductors, including René Jacobs, Jérémie Rhorer, Peter Dijkstra, Bejun Mehta, Alexander Melnikov, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Philippe Jaroussky and Dmitry Sinkovsky. Opera and contemporary music theatre form an important part of B'Rock's artistic activities. It performs at the KlaraFestival in its home town, the Oude Muziek Festival in Utrecht, the Operadagen Rotterdam, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, the Holland Festival, the Styriarte in Graz, Wratislavia Cantans and the Telemann Festival in Magdeburg, among others. Throughout Europe, B'Rock has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Cité de la Musique Paris, the Cologne Philharmonie and London's Wigmore Hall. Since 2013, the baroque orchestra has been artist in residence at the Flagey cultural centre in Brussels.

This album contains no booklet.