Fasch: Quartets and Concertos

Ensemble Marsyas' recording of Johann Fasch's finest chamber music demonstrates why the man and his music were so appreciated in his own lifetime.

Founding member Peter Whelan and 'the queen of the recorder' (BBC Radio 3) Pamela Thorby are the soloists challenged with meeting the virtuoso demands of this engaging music. The four-movement Quartet in B-flat Major for recorder, oboe, violin and continuo is among one of Fasch's most popular works; full of catchy tunes and contrapuntal ingenuity in equal measure, virtuosity is demanded from all concerned.

The Concerto in F Major for recorder and strings was only recently attributed to Fasch. It is full of characteristic Fasch-isms and of the same dramatic quasi-recitative style as his Bassoon Concerto. Ensemble Marsyas' debut 'Zelenka: Sonatas', featuring some of the most spectacularly challenging music ever written for wind instruments, was named 'Chamber Choice' by BBC Music Magazine.

Ensemble Marsyas was awarded both first prize and the audience prize at the 2007 Brugge International Competition. Each member has since established themselves at the forefront of their profession and individually they have been awarded accolades by both critics and the recording industry alike. The Edinburgh based chamber group comprises the best of a new generation of musicians specialising in early music from across Europe.