The Muses Restor'd

I eagerly await each new recording Rachel Podger releases for two simple reasons: they will be musically superb and they will be exceptionally well recorded. Plus, I really enjoy music of the Baroque performed on period instruments.

No one has been doing this better over the past two decades (and more) than Rachel Podger. The Brecon Baroque group that she founded is similarly outstanding, and all performing on period instruments or reproductions. But more than this, Rachel plays with emotional intelligence—never indulgent, but filled with feeling and the simple joy of making music. Her music making is infectious.

Traversing nearly a century of English and Scottish music from the 17th to early 18th centuries, this album is a scrumptious banquet of musical sounds, moods, and texture... This music is certainly "led" by the violin, but it is enriched by the timbre of various combinations of theorbo, archlute, guitar, harpsichord, organ, bass viol, baroque cello, and lute. For the listener who simply luxuriates in sonic textures, this album is a pure delight. For the music historian, it is a masters class in the history of English chamber music. For the simple music lover, it is pure magic.

The British goddess of the gut-stringed violin (...)

(...) Podger’s playing lacks nothing in expressivity. The Jenkins and Locke prove wonderfully bouncy, and the album’s selection of adapted folk tunes couldn’t be more charming if they tried. Above all, Podger and her Brecon colleagues radiate infectious delight in the music they perform.

… this exploration of post-1660 English music and its influences from Rachel Podger plays out as a veritable cornucopia of musical shapes and languages. Also as a very intimate offering, given this is a body of repertoire which, for all its variety, rarely expands beyond three parts – meaning Podger is joined by just four of her Brecon Baroque colleagues: Reiko Ichise (six-string bass viol), Felix Knecht (violoncello), Elizabeth Kenny (archlute, theorbo, lutes, Baroque guitar) and Marcin Świątkiewicz (harpsichord, organ).

violin-first works are of course flawlessly performed and often thrilling, the most fascinating music on the album remains the intimate ‘chamber polyphony’ of the three great consort composers, and the beautiful folksong adaptations.

Music that explores and surprises (...)  the first movement of the sonata with which Podger opens the album is beautiful : a delicate, pensive Affettuoso that bridges the centuries with ease.

This listening feast is also a journey through decidedly captivating, violin-led chamber music, in which the transition from the elegant intimacy of the consort idiom to the more exuberant instrumental brilliance of the Baroque can also unfold in a beautifully stylised way. The sophistication that is evident in these interpretations does not stand in the way of the expressive sparkle for a second, nor does there be a moment in which the musician's character fades in the slightest. Jared Sacks captured this great game sublimely. A gem of an album!

Rachel Podger shows how exquisitely one can sing on an Italian violin from 1738 in the opening sonata in D major by Handel from Halle. The finale, however, belongs to a giga by a certain Richard Jones, bursting with vitality and virtuosity. It is easy to imagine that this piece would have caused a great deal of amazement and great atmosphere even in the pubs of yesteryear

I have yet to come across an album from violinist Rachel Podger that disappoints, which in itself is quite special. It is also special that she has been closely associated with the Channel Classics label for many years.

Her choice of repertoire is also special, often with the prospect of a fascinating listening adventure. Podger has founded an ensemble that plays on 'authentic' (usually replicas) instruments - Brecon Baroque.

On Podger's latest album, The Muses Restor'd, the star is English and Scottish music from the seventeenth century, with a few excursions into the eighteenth century. What is particularly striking is that most (instrumental) music from that period is predominantly limited to no more than three parts. Although there are exceptions, such as the earlier consort suites by Jenkins and Lawes, with the addition of the harpsichord.

This listening party is also a journey through truly fascinating chamber music led by the violin, in which the transition from the elegant intimacy of the consort idiom to the more exuberant instrumental brilliance of the Baroque can unfold in a beautifully stylized manner. The refinement evident in these performances does not hinder the expressive sparkle for a second, nor does there appear to be a moment in which the musicianship character fades in the slightest.

Jared Sacks captured this great game again sublimely. A gem of an album!

One of The Best Classical Albums of 2024

There’s a novel feature about the latest album by Rachel Podger, the British goddess of the gut-stringed violin, supported by a quartet from her period instrument band, Brecon Baroque.

The repertoire remains centered on the 17th and 18th century, but after more than 30 releases she has finally put mainland Europe aside and turned to the wonderful instrumental output of the British Isles.

A sonata by that famous German visitor Handel may start us off, but the heart of the matter lies in English consort suites by three quirky genre masters (William Lawes, Matthew Locke, John Jenkins), with the adventurous and relatively unknown Richard Jones thrown in for good measure.

Podger’s playing lacks nothing in expressivity. The Jenkins and Locke prove wonderfully bouncy, and the album’s selection of adapted folk tunes couldn’t be more charming if they tried.

Above all, Podger and her Brecon colleagues radiate infectious delight in the music they perform.