#08-23: 05/26/08—New York Early Music Celebration, Part 1--The Early Music Foundation presented 60 events in the fall of 2007. This week and next, we celebrate some of the performances given at this festival. In part 1: Galileo's Daughters, Anima, the Guildsingers.

#08-24: 06/02/08--New York Early Music Celebration, Part 2--The Early Music Foundation presented 60 events in the fall of 2007. This week and next, we celebrate some of the performances given at this festival. In part 2: Music Divine, Traverse Music, Brooklyn Baroque.

#08-25: 06/09/08—Vivat rex! Sacred Choral Music of Jean Mouton--Our friends the Suspicious Cheese Lords bring us the third album of previously-unrecorded material from the High Renaissance (following their work with Carpentras and Ludwig Senfl), celebrating the French master who served the court during the eventful first 20 years of the 16th century.

#08-26: 06/16/08—New Releases from Harmonia Mundi--Before the summer break we had to look at six superb new releases from this label and its family of labels, including CDs dedicated to Ludford, de Monte, Ockeghem, and Thibaut de Navarre.

#08-27: 06/23/08 (repeat of 08-01)--Il Vespro della Beata Vergine, Part 1--The Currende Ensemble and conductor Eric van Nevel begin a vast interpretation of Monteverdi's masterpiece of sacred music, the 1610 Marian Vespers. Instrumental interludes by Frescobaldi and Andrea Gabrieli are included.

#08-28: 06/30/08 (repeat of 08-02)--Il Vespro della Beata Vergine, Part 2--We continue this great reconstruction of the Monteverdi Marian Vespers, with soloists Johanette Zomer and Amaryllis Dieltiens, sopranos; and Andreas Weller and Julian Podger, tenors.

#08-29: 07/07/08 (repeat of 08-03)-- German Sacred Cantatas 1--The Netherlands Bach Society conducted by Jos van Veldhoven looks at the cantata form from the time of Schutz (1585-1672) to Johann Christoph Bach (1637-1707).

#08-30: 07/14/08 (repeat of 08-04)-- German Sacred Cantatas 2--This time, the wonderful Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Chorus guide us through the genius of Dietrich Buxtehude (c.1637-1707).


#08-31: 07/21/08 (repeat 08-05)-- Polyphony for Francois I--Paul van Nevel (in typical fashion) has found for his Huelgas Ensemble a stunning body of work--settings by many of the greatest composers of 16th century France (Mouton, Sermisy, Sandrin) in most cases with words by Francis I himself!

#08-32: 07/28/08 (repeat of 08-06)-- Springtime in Renaissance Prague--Eric van Nevel directs the Cappella Amsterdam in a program of late 16th century music from Prague, with some familiar composers (Gallus, Kerle, Monte), and some rarely-heard works by Karel Luython (1557-1620) and Lambert de Sayve (1549-1614).

#08-33: 08/04/08 (repeat of 08-07)-- Muffat, Corelli, Lully--Lully was a contemporary of Buxtehude; Muffat and Corelli born a generation later--the Holland Baroque Society gives us the German, Italian and French Baroque sound in the time of the birth of Bach and Handel.

#08-34: 08/11/08 (repeat of 08-08)--Requiem for...Part 1--The Cappella Amsterdam is back with a vast memorial tribute using the great Requiem of Tomas Luis de Victoria as a framework, with laments from the middles ages interlaced throughout.

#08-35: 08/18/08 (repeat of 08-09)--Requiem for...Part 2--In addition to the Victoria Requiem, Eric van Nevel directs the Capella Amsterdam in laments by Peter Abelard, Gombert, and the Fleury Manscript.

#08-36: 08/25/08 (repeat of 08-10)--Johann Sebastian Bach--Both the Netherlands Bach Society and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Chorus performed Bach cantatas at the Festival--we save these masterpieces for last.