the original Brandenburg Concertos

"The concertos make constantly pleasing listening, particularly when enhanced by the wind instruments - oboes, recorder, bassoon. Kah-Ming Ng and the accomplished Charivari Agréable give warm, sweet-toned performances." Sunday Times, 8th February 2009 ***

"The excellent playing by this Oxford-based group is plangent and expressive, quite hard-edged, and added wind give an extra lift to the textures." The Observer, 8th February 2009

"Charivari Agréable's accomplished performances prove that Torelli's music doesn't deserve to remain neglected. The Oxford-based ensemble has a distinctly international make-up. And expertly conjures the appropriate tautness, melancholic depth, athleticism and amiableness of the mostly short movements." Gramophone Magazine, June 2009

"Kah-Ming Ng has added wind, a move both arguable and effective, to these 12 string concertos. ..although these 40 movements are brief, only two over two minutes, they are refreshingly varied in density and tone-colours." BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 ****

Composed nearly a quarter of a century before the Brandenburg Concertos, Torelli's Concerti musicali are true landmarks in the development of the concerto. Brought to life in the expert hands of Charivari Agréable, in their 14th disc for Signum, these performances capture the inventive and melodic genius of a composer who is often overlooked in the pantheon of concerto composers.