Anthonello - Handel: 6 Complete Recorder Sonatas (2002)

The early music ensemble Anthonello is named after the 14th century composer Anthonello da Caserta, and was founded with the view to performing early music in the spirit of the period. Each of the members is a soloist in her or his own right, and also has wide experience of performing with leading musicians in various parts of the world.

Since its inception in 1994, the ensemble has gained a worldwide reputation for the excellence of its playing and for its interpretative flair. The members of the ensemble are the leader Yoshimichi Hamada (cornetto and recorder), Kaori Ishikawa (viola da gamba), and Marie Nishiyama (harpsichord and harp). Anthonello makes much of "the spirit of the period" when early music was composed, and makes clear the essential charm of music which is endowed with much animation and liveliness (that is, "spontaneity" in the jazz world). Anthonello's stage performances and recordings are full of improvisations which early music most certainly incorporated, as opposed to the traditional playing style that is often tied to the conservative viewpoints of the late-20th century's classical music. The target of Anthonello's performance is a creation of "open-hearted" early music; and to this end, the members obtain many hints from ethnic music of various countries and contemporary popular music. Anthonello's recordings to date have been highly regarded in domestic media. Anthonello has also attracted the attention of overseas eyes, and has released 2 CDs from Symphonia label (Italy) and one from BIS label (Sweden), which have all been awarded Five Stars by the "Diapason" of France. Anthonello is lauded among other European musical critics, winning such awards as the Recommended Disk (the "Repertoire*", France) and the Most Highly Recommended Album (the "CD", Italy). In 2006, Anthonello founded its own new label "Anthonello MODE", and all of the recordings are highly praised within Japanese Music Magazines, Newspapers and popularly.