Various Artists, Baroque Music in the 21st Century (Winter & Winter)

This splendid compilation anthologises some of the varied approaches to baroque music recorded by Stefan Winter's groundbreaking label over the last dozen or so years, from Aitor Hevia's blend of virtuosity and rough bowing on part of The Four Seasons' "Winter", to the mix of harpsichord, theorbo and baroque guitar used by Forma Antiqva on a Kapsberger "Passacaglia". Some idea of the album's breadth can best be gained from the diverse approaches to "The Goldberg Variations" alone, which range from the furtive, stalking pizzicato cello of Ernst Reijseger, to the accordion of Teodoro Anzellotti, and the semi-improvised jazz piano over viol quartet conjured up by pianist Uri Caine without unduly trangressing the piece's essence.

Download: Variatio 1 à 1 Clav; Variation 18, Canon; Allegro con Molto from "Winter"