MUSIKK EN DRONNING VERDIG

«Music for a Queen» er en hyllest til en av 1600-tallets store, men så godt som glemte, gitarhelter. Angelo Michele Bartolotti var gitaristen som spilte for, og skrev musikk til, den svenske dronning Kristina. Bartolottis musikk blir sjelden spilt i vår tid og en stor del av musikken på CD-en er nå spilt inn for første gang.

Fredrik Bock er en av få gitarister i Skandinavia som har spesialisert seg på barokkgitar.  På «Music for a Queen» har han satt sammen suiter av Bartolottis musikk som består av poetiske preludier, danser og lange variasjonssatser. 

Fredrik Bock har de siste 10 årene arbeidet som luttenist og gitarist med base i København og Malmö. Han spiller regelmessig med flere av Europas ledende ensembler og orkestre, bl.a. Barokksolistene, Concerto Copenhagen, Theatre of Voices og Atalante. Fredriks kompromissløse arbeid med barokkgitaren har gitt ham flere stipender og priser. Han har også medvirket i adskillige radio- og TV-innspillinger samt CD- og DVD-produksjoner.

MUSIC WORTHY OF A QUEEN

 “Music for a Queen” is a tribute to one of the 17th century’s great but virtually forgotten guitar heroes. Angelo Michele Bartolotti was the guitarist who composed and performed for Queen Christina of Sweden. His compositions are seldom played today, and a large portion of the music heard here has been recorded for the first time. Bock has selected suites of Bartolotti’s music consisting of poetic preludes, dances, and long movements of variations.

Fredrik Bock is one of few guitarists in Scandinavia to have become a specialist on Baroque guitar. Over the past ten years he has worked as lutenist and guitarist while based in Malmö and Copenhagen. He performs regularly with some of Europe’s leading ensembles and orchestras, including The Baroque Soloists, Concerto Copenhagen, Theatre of Voices, and Atalante.

Fredrik Bock’s uncompromising pursuit of artistic excellence has garnered him a number of grants and prizes. He has, moreover, contributed to a good many radio and television recordings, as well as CD and DVD productions.

ANMELDELSER/REVIEWS

«Men det er ikke virtuositeten eller kompleksiteten som treffer øret, uansett hvor krevende dette er for utøveren: det er musikkens rene og skjære eleganse og tiltrekningskraft – den faller rett inn i øret.» Klassisk musikkmagasin  anmeldelse_LWC1065_klassiskmusikkmagasin.pdf

Fredrik Bock: «Ukjente» gitarperler
«At Bock har en inngående kunnskap til 1600-tallets musikk høres godt på denne platen. Hans behandling av strengene på sitt instrument får gitaren til synge på en var og vakker måte. Når han i tillegg legger en god dose følelser i sine tolkninger, blir møtet med den italienske komponisten både spennende og inspirerende. Nyskjerrig på spennende gitarmusikk av det gamle slaget? - da kan denne trygt anskaffes.»
Trond Eriksson – Den klassiske CD-bloggen  http://klassiskcd.blogspot.no/2015/07/vakkert-pa-barokkgitar.html

«Contemporary accounts reveal the composer to be a very talented guitar and theorbo player, and his guitar music criticized as “too” difficult, though an apology he issued defends his goals in producing the books—not for beginners. And apparently, according to Mr. Bock, the musical notation is not the easiest and most beautiful of the era. But the music itself I find to be quite contemplative, reflective, and relaxing, not on the level on some other more noted masters of the age that wrote for the instrument, but intricate, logical, and beautifully constructed. My interest never waned during the entire disc, and Fredrik Bock’s subtle and quite engaging performances only add to the attraction, all caught in fine, colorful and clear sound.»
Steven Ritter – Audiophile Audition  review_LWC1065_audiophile_audition.pdf

«the results are really delightful. The music is more lute-like than most of the Baroque guitar repertory—there are few rasgueado effects, and it is richer and more harmonically complex than Sanz or Murcia, and thus less dependent on improvisation for its realization. [...] [Fredrik Bock] clearly loves his discovery of this lost music and plays with grace and affection. Fans of Baroque guitar shouldn’t miss this.»
Keaton – American Record Guide  reviews_LWC1065_american_record_guide.pdf

«Opening with a beautiful G major Passacaglie, het hen proceeds to serve up three dance suites, each of which is prefaced by a prelude and concluded with a passacaglia or chaccone; a standalone G minor Folia is a bonus. [...] The result is playing of real depth and distinction.»
William Yeoman – Gramophone  reviews_LWC1065_gramophone.pdf

«While the music on this disc may indeed have been written as 'Music for a Queen', one doesn't need to be of royal blood to appreciate and enjoy it. In its contemplative and virtuosic elements alike, in its subtlety and its seeming spontaneity of feeling and shape, it rewards the listener both intellectually and emotionally. The taste for the baroque guitar is, I suppose, what it is now described as a 'niche' market. However, Bock's playing of Bartolotti should appeal either to the listener who comes to it from an interest in the music of the Renaissance lute or to someone who approaches it from the opposite direction - from a fondness for the modern guitar repertoire.»
Glyn Pursglove – MusicWeb International  reviews_LWC1065_musicweb_international.pdf