Ensemble Notturna
CALCUTTA 1789
About
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Winner: Opus Prize - CD of the Year 2024
Conseil québécois de la musique
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Calcutta 1789 is a fascinating portrait of 18th century musical life in India during the British colonial period. Under the direction of Christopher Palameta, the program combines traditional Indian music with works by Purcell, Handel, J.C. Bach, and other European composers. Notturna’s period instrumentalists are joined by the voluptuous sounds of the sitar and tabla.
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Inspired by a 1789 concert program discovered in the archives of Calcutta, the recording reconstructs the rich cultural exchange that developed between Indian and English musicians who were brought to India as part of The British East India Company’s entourage.
Musicians​
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Christopher Palameta, oboe and direction
Mika Putterman, traverso
Olivier Brault, violin
Dorian Bandy, violin and viola
Susie Napper, cello
Brice Sailly, harpsichord
Shawn Mativetsky, tabla
Uwe Neumann, sitar
La Presse (Montréal)
Emmanuel Bernier, 16 Juin 2023
"Un ajout autant singulier que fascinant au catalogue d’ATMA.
Palameta mélange avec maestria ces différents éléments dans une suite de pièces brèves allant du sublime (certains airs transcrits de Purcell ou Haendel) au simplement agréable. Le hautbois de Palameta, mais aussi le traverso de Mika Putterman et même à l’occasion le sitar d’Uwe Neumann brillent de mille feux. Un vrai plaisir d’écoute !"
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Note : 9/10
Le Devoir (Montréal)
Christophe Huss, 22 Juin 2023
"Voici un CD inattendu, plaisant, voire fascinant."
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**** (4 étoiles)
The Whole Note (Canada)
Stephanie Conn, 11 September 2023
"Notturna shows sensitivity and great musicality in their performance."
Eighteenth-Century Music (Cambridge University Press)
Matthew Pritchard (School of Music, University of Leeds, UK), 5 March 2025
"The more substantial Bach and Abel movements are likely to be the highlight for most listeners, but the tightness of ensemble and Palameta’s smooth, rounded tone are a pleasure throughout...eighteenth-century styles of ornamentation are so beautifully exemplified in their pure form by Palameta in the da capo of ‘Falsa immagine’."
La Scena Musicale (Montréal)
Hassan Laghcha, 31 Juillet 2023
"Portrait de la vie musicale en Inde pendant la période coloniale, cette œuvre propose des associations originales entre la musique classique indienne et ses mélodies voluptueuses et envoûtantes et des compositions de Purcell, Haendel et J. C. Bach, entre autres compositeurs européens"​
**** (4 étoiles)
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