Daily thread of some absolutely remarkable classical albums:

Starting with fantastic sacred music by Monteverdi, one of the defining figures of early Baroque music. This rendition is perfectly paced and contains all of the work, not just selections. https://open.spotify.com/album/3QWggxWlbcjf0MnSlEj0eT?si=5hvI3qLJSwmQ2fkGSxmrWw

More Italian Baroque music, this album contains a lot of pieces by lesser known composers such as Tarquinio Merula and Maurizio Cazzati. Very good for painting a much fuller picture of the musical styles present in Italy at the time. https://open.spotify.com/album/3DaXL3cArgzqLNTKIzNpxG?si=OeQSKBF9RZiz4DWGjZXejQ

Somewhat underappreciated in certain circles, A. Scarlatti stands as one of the greatest operatists of all time, with deeply resonant emotive works, such as his last opera 'Griselda', performed flawlessly here by Jacobs https://open.spotify.com/album/1h7GIDrDktGGI5yO0vBmly?si=5w1Fer8qRyqbAxYeI2Jb8Q

D. Scarlatti followed in his father's footsteps to become one of the more accomplished composers of the late Baroque, renowned in particular for his keyboard sonatas, which Hantaï performs here marvellously https://open.spotify.com/album/7dYDZDGWBToS7UpUVBb3CG?si=3cXU1lAASfyrA4Me2j534w

A master of the concerto, Vivaldi, known for his stylistic flamboyance is found at his best here with a wonderful performance by Podger on violin https://open.spotify.com/album/1HKNr41njC6Gi80h78e89n?si=RjQ6g4WMSamCVuRYests2w

A contemporary of Monteverdi, Schütz was formative in the early development of German Baroque music. Criminally underrated, Schütz is seeing an upturn in interest due to some remarkable renditions, such as those by Rademann, with one such album here https://open.spotify.com/album/0Nf5e6gXninpxkZWhofUlu?si=N4iJuac3Q3CG5E4pPyskAQ

A renowned German organist, Bach loved Buxtehude so much he is supposed to have walked 400km to see him perform. Often Buxtehude's other work is neglected for his Orgelwerk, but he has other remarkable pieces, such as these sublime Cantatas, rend. Pierlot https://open.spotify.com/album/0MVOe24oItnvnzVzfjk35H?si=yiNNlrq9SouAvYaInBXgZw

Another master of the German baroque, Pachelbel stands as one of the greatest instrumental composers of his time, with a wide array showpieces in a plethora of different styles, this album highlights some of his greatest chamber pieces https://open.spotify.com/album/43vbvae4ikY0k3CNqzWTZ5?si=4TtLGpN9R1OBBNrRZpt1TA

Almost entirely self taught, Telemann can be spoken of as a sort of amalgamation of the Baroque styles present all over Europe at the time. This album is one of the most thoughtful collections of his works and truly shows him at the height of composition https://open.spotify.com/album/07F812RH4SGng5C9bQtoEE?si=HAumOEmHTMqjW3tSa2IIPQ

BACH.
Often (rightly) considered to be the greatest composer of all time, Bach is too significant to be contained to just a single album.
As a result, I'll be making a short sub-thread of some of his most important works instead:

One of the most remarkable instrumental pieces of all time, Musikalisches Opfer is Bach's love letter to the divine science of the counterpoint he perfected. This rendition is to me, flawless, performed remarkably by the aptly named Ricercar consort https://open.spotify.com/album/1x4ZMf6zu9vpHwAZyTkoGB?si=QGOrQGMfRmKoT02JpTX1PQ

A master of all instruments, Bach's keyboard work's are often considered to the height of his body of work. Few works highly the sheer joy present in the Baroque spirit more than the Goldberg Variations. Hantaï on harpsichord is as fantastic as ever. https://open.spotify.com/album/3vB36W1n80zbJioYvqTFYc?si=FKPbHAGQSSGazlzudEG9Ow

Bach's Cello Suites are some of the most popular pieces made for solo cello and also undoubtedly some of the best. Bylsma's pacing is perfect and completely captures the emotive majesty of Bach https://open.spotify.com/album/34rMJitNldIJBLxFdDNU8Q?si=QlAb3N3yT_ac2PZTHQiW7g

Some of the most revolutionary music of the Baroque era, Bach's work for solo violin pushed instrument previously considered primarily accompaniment into the limelight. Busch's rendition, although somewhat harsh shows the essence of the piece best. https://open.spotify.com/album/3KRYsWipPhjPMaDQt7yiT6?si=wSY72DzYR4u5L248PsDFmQ

The brazen joviality of Bach's music really shows itself in his vocal works however, especially in his Magnificat. Kuijken is, for me, the master of Bach and thus handles this rendition (which includes cantata 21) exceptionally. https://open.spotify.com/album/71iNDVniATZH7nzRQxUs2J?si=61Z1fySlT_6jsyXcOSdJ7Q

Bach's Mass is, in my opinion, absolutely extraordinary music, art close to the peak of human imagination, a pure work of true divine inspiration. Essential listening. Herreweghe again shows why he's one of the greatest conductors ever. https://open.spotify.com/album/5v5OqOvBpaM2cTgINiP7Sr?si=-xNwKetZSV6RTwlyCuKjEA

And finally, for me, the greatest rendition of the greatest piece of music by the greatest composer with a rendition from his greatest performer. I lack the superlatives to fully describe this work. Essential listening. https://open.spotify.com/album/2ccxnmb2yU8VppOF5pBZNc?si=55jg5JwqS3GmgNwRmf8gvw