Buxtehude’s Op. 1 sonatas have received expert (and deserved) attention on disc, both in trio form–violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord–and with an added violin. This reissue, important because of the baroque-period credentials of its three performers, is part of Naxos’ Buxtehude “complete chamber music” series (previously on Marco Polo), and it offers solid, well-considered if rather conservative renditions of these very fine pieces. Colleague John Greene has thoroughly discussed the various recordings available, citing differences in approach and performing style, and his brief assessment of this Holloway/Linden/Mortensen effort appears in the context of his review of the reference version on Harmonia Mundi with violinist Manfredo Kraemer. (Please refer to his comments by typing Q4867 and Q5204 in Search Reviews.)
Although the Kraemer recording features a second violinist and thus has somewhat of an advantage in the many improvisational, interactive passages, the one considered here uses its material well, not forcing the scale or inhibiting the flow with over-ornamentation. The wild and wonderful D minor sonata (No. 6) is especially exciting–particularly in the way the players relish the echo effects and dramatize the dynamic and tempo shifts–and it’s certainly the highlight of the recording. That said, the quartet on the Harmonia Mundi disc really shows these sonatas’ full expressive possibilities–and the sound is exemplary, unlike here, where the lower registers dominate and inner textures are somewhat cloudy.
