Baroque

Nils Mönkemeyer takes Bach’s love of the viola as his starting point for a daring, inventive and colourful album. The viola is shown to be the cello’s equal in an elegantly shaped performance of the composer’s Suite No. 5—Mönkemeyer juxtaposes each movement with a hybrid viola and theorbo arrangement which, if not authentic, is nevertheless stunning. Elsewhere, French music is explored through a world premiere recording of an 18th-century Suite by Robert de Visée and a beautiful ensemble piece by the 17th-century Michel Lambert. An exquisite version of one of Bach’s chorale preludes “Nun Komm” finishes this album in style.