The complete title of this recording is “Musicke from the Ayre and Back to the Ground”. It relates to the double meanings of the words “Ayre” and “Ground” and their symbolism -air as opposed to the ground, and the freedom to improvise and the foundation on which a piece is based. Thus, from the “Ayre” to the “Ground”, almost all possibilities are to be found, and we can fly high with the powerful inventions of Matthew Locke and then descend to Purcell’s ground, where the bass provides the foundation of the upper parts. The aim of this recording is to present the diverse instrumental forms of the period, from the old-styled fancies and pavans to more modern suites including dances such as the courant and the saraband.

Tripla Concordia is a young Italian group formed by four renowned virtuosos who combine a highly accomplished technical level with an enormous degree of fantasy and imagination. The group performs here, for the first time on disc, this difficult repertoire with recorders and basso continuo, transposing and adapting the music for their instruments when required (much of this music was originally intended for violins and continuo, but composers usually left the door open for other combinations, as this CD suggests). The music gains in vitality and individuality, and the most demanding passages of Purcell’s big Chacony, with its vertiginous scales, and the folk-like dances of Locke sound fresh and alive thanks to the distinctive colour of the pair of recorders, stunningly played by Lorenzo Cavasanti and Giulio Capocaccia, undisputed masters of the instrument.