Reviews

“Rottsolk's voice is supple and stylish...the performances are unflaggingly attractive and reveal one beautifully crafted aria after another.” Gramophone, July 2010

“A splendid showcase for these eloquent and committed musicians.” International Record Review, May 2010

“After some 290 years of existence, J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos would be expected to have found some sort of optimum manner of performance. And they seemed to until the last decade, when this music became a repertoire crossroads in the early music world. Each new group built on the strengths of the last, rendering once-classic recordings obsolete. Into this fray came the season finale of Tempesta di Mare’s Brandenburg year, in which all six of the concertos were played in juxtaposition with the composer’s like-minded contemporaries. One does need to be seriously grateful for the chance to be in the same room with the sort of intelligent, authentic-instrument performances heard Saturday at St. Mark's Church. Take the small, strange sixth Brandenburg, for example. Without violins, winds, or catchy tunes (at least until the final movement), the concerto can seem startlingly gray. Tempesta di Mare achieved a lean, cutting sonority with a wiry string tone that more readily drew your ear into the piece’s inner workings. The scintillating Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 ended the concert with generously full sonority — and a happy audience. Though programming alongside Bach always risks unflattering comparison, Georg Philipp Telemann and the little-known Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco more than held their own, that last composer having a Vivaldi-esque taste for emphatic musical ideas. Though Tempesta di Mare has championed little-known baroque composers, the greater rehabilitation achievement has been with Telemann, thanks to often revelatory choices from the composer's vast output. Suite in G, for example, has seven movements that seem to hail from completely different pieces — all of them leaving you wanting more. Double Concerto in E minor has a lovely pizzicato movement that showed soloists Emlyn Ngai (violin) and Gwyn Roberts (flute) making the most of their musical spotlights.” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2010.

“Tempesta di Mare performed Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Lamentations of Jeremiah Friday night, March 26, in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. Tempesta’s directors Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone divided the six [cantatas] to make two equal halves of an intriguing and enlightening program. The six sets of specific “Lamentations” themselves throb with heart-breaking melancholy and despair while the closing text of each individual cantata—“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God”—burst forth with the joy of the eternal hope that characterizes both Judaism and Christianity. Tempesta di Mare fielded a roster of musicians that included 13 instrumentalists and three vocalists. Best of the latter group was tenor Aaron Sheehan. He invested his singing with an appreciation of and identification with the external denotation and internal connotation of the text, and proffered a tone of mellow beauty and impassioned phrasing. Among the players, Gwyn Roberts and Eve Friedman on flutes and recorder, Debra Nagy and Stephen Bard on oboes, and Marilyn Boenau on bassoon were especially deserving of praise.” Chestnut Hill Local, March 2010.

“Tempesta di Mare, the baroque big band, aimed at polar exploration in its Holy Week concerts last weekend, performing Zelenka’s Lamentations of Jeremiah at Protestant and Catholic churches (Chestnut Hill Presbyterian and Old St. Joseph’s). Zelenka probes all this seriousness with a heightened sense of instrumental expressiveness. Oboes, flutes, and bassoon infuse the rich writing for strings to wreathe the vocal lines with subtle and bold comment on the text. Zelenka sounds new. His turn of phrase, his harmonic forthrightness and his elegant architecture lead listeners around some intriguing corners. Should lamenting offer that much pleasure? How to atone for the glow felt at the end of each work? The singers exemplified flexibility, clarity and minimal vibrato, virtues that heightened expressive range. Cool voices with searing messages. The ensemble is a marvel of shared leadership. The violin may lead for a moment, then an oboist guides a shift until theorbo guru and co-director Richard Stone mounts a rhythmic and color charge into new territory in music’s polar divide. Zelenka could not help winning new friends here.” Philadelphia Inquirer, March, 2010.

“Independent Presbyterian Church concluded its annual Religious Arts Festival with a fiery performance by Tempesta di Mare. Titled “Venice to Leipzig,” the program featured high Baroque selections by Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi, and a couple of surprises from Johann Jacob Walther and Francesco Maria Veracini. Tempesta di Mare performed with precision and passion. The undisputed musical and spiritual force behind their success was recorder player and flutist Gwyn Roberts. Her intricate ornaments were textbook early music practice, but her passionate style perhaps broke with early music code. So much of the sheer joy of Tempesta di Mare is listening to Roberts’ beautiful, rich tone and brilliant passage work, and the manner in which those and every other weapon in her arsenal are put in musical service. Roberts had plenty of help from the four other members of the consort, and all of it on her par. Violinist Emlyn Ngai deserves high praise for his tender, nuanced performance of Walther's Aria XIV. Lutenist Richard Stone and harpsichordist Adam Pearl turned in a light and breezy performance of Suite in A Major, a piece Bach adapted from a work by Sylvius Leopold Weiss. Stone and Pearl also deserve recognition for their artistry in realizing the continuo parts. Eve Miller anchored the ensemble and helped keep the composite sound light and athletic.” The Birmingham News, February, 2010.

“The first nice thing was the turnout. It was encouraging to see so many folks on hand in Towson University’s large concert hall. (Pro Musica usually holds forth in the center's more intimate venue.) The second nice thing was having Philadelphia’s excellent Tempesta di Mare participate on this occasion with Pro Music Rara members, which resulted in a hefty sound and some hot music-making. Highlights included Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, with a finale at a presto speed that found the players maintaining admirable transparency and producing a good deal of color. A similar application of zip and expressive bite characterized the G minor Concerto da chiesa by Johann Georg Pisendel, one of the many gifted baroque composers who have been largely obscured by Bach and other other big guys. Violinist Emlyn Ngai gave a terrific account of the solo part in that piece, his tone sure and his phrasing animated by dynamic nuance. The afternoon also featured stylish solo contributions from Gwyn Roberts (recorder) and Stephen Bard (oboe). Throughout the concert, lutenist Richard Stone and harpsichordist Adam Pearl provided supple support. Given Tempesta di Mare’s Baltimore connections—Roberts and Stone teach at Peabody, for example—it would be cool if the group could team up with Pro Musica for a program each season.” Baltimore Sun, January, 2009.

“Overflow audience thrills to Bach concert — Tempesta di Mare continued its season-long survey of Bach’s six “Brandenburg” Concerti Friday night in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. The concert drew an audience that packed the church’s main sanctuary – as well as overflowed its parking lot. Tempesta was joined by Baltimore’s Pro Musica Rara. People throughout the church swayed and bounced along with the music, obviously enjoying its every note, phrase and rhythm. Not at all surprising considering the energetic aplomb with which it was played. Texture was admirably transparent and phrasing was enhanced by a gentle rubato.” Chestnut Hill Local, January, 2009.

“Not one just to play Bach’s masterpieces, Tempesta in its Brandenburg series contextualizes the music within like-minded works from Bach's time—a great practice with any repertoire. Even minor figures show how differently creative minds reflected their time. In fact, Bach’s already considerable stature, as represented by Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, was emphasized in the program’s context. What amazingly lean, dense music it is, with many potentially ill-fitting elements incorporated into logic that lets everything be all it can be. The first movement’s famously long harpsichord episode seemed wildly extravagant—and was played by Adam Pearl with virtuosity and daringly original tempo changes that felt fresh and right. Besides being fully polished, the Bach performance had an exceptional sense of chamber-music interplay between violinist Emlyn Ngai and flutist Gwyn Roberts (Tempesta co-founder). Both outdid themselves, Roberts playing with great security (especially in Graupner’s Suite in F) and Ngai handling the dance rhythms not as a restrictive means of order, but more lightly, as an emphatic highlight in a continuous musical line, particularly in Pachelbel’s Partie a 4. If you squinted a bit, you could imagine yourself in New York City’s Corpus Christi Church, home of the Music Before 1800 series—one of that city’s great musical assets and one in which an enterprising New York-caliber concert like this would be just one in a wide range of ensembles that encompass great musical centuries rarely represented in Philadelphia.” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2009.

“You knew you were hearing Bach as soon as Tempesta launched into the bounce and drive of the first movement of the Fifth Brandenburg. Tempesta produced one of the best performances of the Fifth Brandenburg that any Baroque enthusiast will ever hear. The flute, violin, and harpsichord occupy the center of the stage in the Fifth, and Roberts, Ngai and harpsichordist Adam Pearl all delivered stellar performances. The harpsichord solo in the first movement is a wonderful example of 18th-Century schmaltz, with flashy runs and fancy embellishments, and Pearl had a great time with a part that Bach must have written so he could indulge in some good natured showing-off. The second half made a nice postlude to the first-half fireworks, with concertos that featured both of Tempesta di Mare’s directors. Richard Stone’s instrument, the lute, speaks with a soft voice that puts it at a disadvantage when it plays the solo role in a concerto, but if you listened a little more closely than you normally would, you heard flawless finger work, rolling lute melodies and the distinctive mood created by one of the most refined instruments human beings have fabricated. Gwyn Roberts switched to her other instrument, the recorder, for a suite for soloist and strings by Christoph Graupner. His Suite in F received a first-class performance that added a perfect final touch to one of Tempesta’s best concerts.” Broad Street Review, December, 2009.

“Performances were imposing and forthright, eschewing the polite tidiness of many baroque groups. Tempesta maintained a bit of unruliness that was more than an attractive counterweight to the music's innate formality. The horns came through with the magnetic tension that comes from doing so much with a seemingly primitive set of circular pipes.” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 2009.

“The ensemble Tempesta di Mare from Philadelphia/USA demonstrated how wonderful such dusted-off scores can sound to a virtually sold-out audience in the Muthaus at Burg Hardegsen. From the onset the crisp-playing musicians whisked away any preconceptions that the eighteenth century can only offer dry-sounding fodder on which only moths would be happy to feed. There was, rather, the joy of discovery. Gwyn Roberts (flute), Emlyn Ngai (violin), Karina Fox (violin, viola) Eve Miller (cello), Richard Stone (theorbo) and Adam Pearl (harpsichord) set a highlight through their tight ensemble playing, technical virtuosity and interpretively lucid music making. The American ensemble also demonstrated masterful creative will.” Göttinger Tageblatt (Germany), May 2009.

“In Madame Levy’s Salon, the captivated audience was treated to a ravishing aural glimpse into the distinctive formal language and cheerful melodicism of the High Baroque’s ‘Berlin School.’ In [Tempesta di Mare’s] hands, the music stormed and roared, laughed and bubbled over. Music became the very language of the sensitive heart and of the budding Rococo style. [The performers] cheefully balanced their scintillating music making on that eccentric ridge dividing the High Baroque and early Classical periods. They served up the shaded elegies of the Grave and Andante movements pleasurably and without sentimentality, at other times playing out the musical caprices like a ‘stadium wave’ and enjoying the ever-changing passions of this music to the full. With a twinkle in the eye and a mischievous smile, the musicians seemingly led the listener by the nose to expectation-defying outcomes. A downright captivating concert experience." Cellesche Zeitung (Germany), May, 2009.

“Friday night heard the East Coast premiere of the complete Italian-language version of George Frideric Handel’s cantata, Aci, Galatea & Polifemo. Tempesta di Mare, with an 18-member period instrument orchestra and three vocal soloists, glittered with baroque ornamentation, shimmered with imaginative scoring, sparkled with vocal pyrotechnics, bristled with pulsating rhythmic vitality, and throbbed with heightened emotional expressivity. The orchestra played with technical polish and theatrical intensity, taking on a directly-involved role in the drama by sonically setting the stage and propelling the narrative through highly colored tones and lusciously phrased melodies. Soprano Clara Rottsolk was a romantic yet defiant Aci, faithful in his love for Galatea. In a role originally cast for a high castrato, Rottsolk sang with both fierce determination and eloquent lyricism. Mezzo Lorie Gratis was a forceful Galatea, unswerving in both her love for Aci and rejection of the monster Polifemo. Her voice resonated with secure projection and glowed with a lustrous warmth of tone. Baritone David Newman sang the role of the malevolent Polifemo with passion.” Chestnut Hill Local, May 2009.

“Amid the graciousness-from-centuries-past environs of the Frick Collection on the Upper East Side, Philadelphia baroque music group Tempesta di Mare was having its New York debut Sunday in a prestigious, mainstream concert series, and playing in top form. It was time. Individual members surface periodically in early-music concerts and even opera productions here. Also, Time Out New York has been extravagantly receptive to Tempesta recordings. Co-founders Gwyn Roberts (recorder and flute) and Richard Stone (theorbo and archlute) weren’t above showing off their technical prowess on Sunday. And why not? I’d forgotten just how good they are. The Sunday program of Handel and Vivaldi represented, to these ears, such a consolidation in terms of what was played and the level at which it was played that future performances (most immediately, Handel's Aci, Galatea & Polifemo May 15-16 in Philadelphia) can only benefit. Elsewhere, the program had strong compositional personalities such as Barbara Strozzi, represented by L'Amante segreto, and the short Handel cantata ‘Menzognere speranze,’ a 1707 piece that gives credence to the opinion that Handel’s Rome period was his best. Soprano Clara Rottsolk isn't the typical early-music singer; her opulent tone can overwhelm a good, intricate trill. But is that so important when every phrase has such a communicative emotional presence? In the full auditorium (which is round, with fabric-covered walls), the seemingly non-specialist audience seemed perfectly happy with what it heard — as well it should’ve been.” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2009.

“The [Handel] B minor trio sonata (Opus 2, No. 1) has a melancholy beauty that is immediately memorable, but more importantly, the fabric of the music—its counterpoint, its melodies, its harmonic structure—breathes with an irresistible inner life. In their performance of this sonata, the four Tempesta players breathed, too; there was a richness and expansiveness to their reading that showcased their considerable individual abilities, as well as their excellence as an ensemble. The same feeling of strength and confidence was evident in another trio sonata from the Handel Opus 2 set (No. 4 in F). There were some nice detail touches, such as a brief, uniform pianissimo moment toward the end of the second movement, that added wit to the group’s overall concentration on giving each movement a distinct character. Perhaps best of all was the final Handel selection, a contemporary arrangement of four numbers from Rinaldo, the composer’s first opera for the English stage. The fugue in the second half of the Overture, begun by Ngai, was admirable for its clarity and precision, and Roberts and Ngai played the well-known tune of “Lascia ch’io pianga” with real warmth. What was remarkable here was how much sound and sheer power could be generated by four people playing music of such bare-bones texture. The answer, probably, is that these are people who know how to make Baroque-era instruments sound their best, but also for whom Baroque music is a source of unending interest and delight. And their skill—displayed again during the encore—is such that they can make us appreciate their commitment at the same time as they enchant us with the sheer loveliness of the music they make.” Palm Beach Daily News, March 2009.

“What chance does a composer like Johann Friedrich Fasch have in a world like ours? It turns out that he has a pretty good one. What makes Fasch’s music most enjoyable is his willingness to dance. Try the final movement of the Concerto in D and see if its bubbling nature doesn't make you want to move. While Tempesta di Mare gives Fasch’s grander moments their due, its members also seem to be inspired by Terpsichore, so a good time is had by all. The playing is suave and, while it is solid, it is not at all heavy. Tempesta di Mare is a Philadelphia-based ensemble. This is the first time I’ve encountered this group’s work. Tempesta di Mare is definitely at least as good a reason as the Liberty Bell to visit the City of Brotherly Love!” Classical.net, 2008.

“In this magnificent live recording, the musicians of Tempesta di Mare and concertmaster Emlyn Ngai offer an impeccable orchestral palette for restoring this long-forgotten music to life.” Early Music America Magazine (US), September-October 2008.

“The concert performances [on Fasch Orchestral Music] are fresh, vibrant, and spontaneous, representing the perfect marriage between musical instinct and meticulous scholarship. I don’t know what waits for us in terms of future recordings by Tempesta di Mare, but I’m certainly willing to be patient, especially if content and commitment are even half this good.” Fanfare (US), September-October 2008.

“The American group, Tempesta di Mare from Philadelphia, keeps an easy dance character in this music that strikes an attractive balance between free interpretation and strict baroque dance rhythms. Therefore the bourée from the concerto in B-flat, FWV L:B3 sounds unrestrained, and the polonaise with which the overture closes is fluidly and supply performed. Fasch's music is clearly beautiful enough to merit rediscovery.” Kwadratuur (Belgium), September 2008.

5 Stars: “The live concert recording [Fasch Orchestral Music] radiates a tangible sense of joy and civilized charm. Dance-like movements that feature graceful string passages, mellow horns, sweet oboes and soft flutes, create an appealing courtly atmosphere. Tempesta di Mare’s playing is never less than lovely, and I particularly enjoyed the flutes and oboes in the opening Allegro of the Concerto in D. The “Aria en Pologneise” that concludes the Ouverture Grosso in D epitomises these good-natured and lovingly crafted performances.” Goldberg Magazine (Pamplona), August 5, 2008.

“Tempesta di Mare is at the cutting edge of the re-discovery of Fasch’s output—this excellent and thoroughly enjoyable recording [Fasch Orchestral Music] is based largely on their second concert of repertoire from Dresden. Tempesta di Mare really brings the glorious sound of Heinichen and Pisendel’s famous orchestra (which Fasch knew first hand) to life.” Early Music Review (UK).

“J.F. Fasch would be a much more famous composer today if a large number of his manuscripts hadn't been destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during WWII. However, some of them did survive, and this wonderful disc of four never-before-recorded orchestral works is one result. The Philadelphia-based Tempesta di Mare orchestra (on period instruments) plays with both accuracy and passionate excitement. Very highly recommended.” CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries, June, 2008.

“The Philadelphia based period instrument band Tempesta di Mare eschews the driven, highly rhetorical style of some European ensembles, and instead prefers a more relaxed and elegant approach. It sustains Fasch’s longer movements well by listening to what the composer has to say rather than overlaying a strong interpretative varnish of its own.” International Record Review (UK).

“These concertos and overture [on Fasch—Orchestral Music] are performed by the very fine baroque ensemble Tempesta di Mare, which has already released a beautiful Handel disc. They have chosen only world premieres for what is an ideal disc to celebrate the composer's 250th anniversary, for which the imagination of this orchestra is extremely well equipped. The musicians of Tempesta di Mare show all of their colors in this vital and brilliant music.” Abeille Musique (Paris), May 1, 2008.

“Crisp, foot-tapping rhythms; clear-cut tunes; and occasionally weird-sounding harmonic shifts are all terms that well describe the four works on Chandos' Johann Friedrich Fasch: Orchestral Music, featuring Philadelphia-based Baroque ensemble Tempesta di Mare. For a group that consists of only 26 musicians, Tempesta di Mare has a huge, solid sound and this recording has more presence than anything that has come from this label in quite some time. Chandos' Johann Friedrich Fasch: Orchestral Music could be a harbinger of exciting things to come.” allmusic.com, May 2008.

“A great baroque concert in Philadelphia.” American Public Media’s Performance Today, November 30, 2007.

“This seriously addictive disc should make New Yorkers envy Philadelphia for its sparkling early-music orchestra, Tempesta di Mare. Here, the group's five expert core players pay handsome tribute to Handel. Soprano Julianne Baird joins them for the Nine German Arias. Highly recommended for lazy Sunday mornings. Four Stars.” Time Out New York, October 4, 2007.

“Several other leading lights of the early music vocal scene have offered strong recordings of these [Handel's German] arias, but this American version, featuring soprano Julianne Baird with Tempesta di Mare, is ideal. In fact it sets a new standard for historically informed Baroque recordings in the U.S., a country not currently in the forefront of developments in the field. It is respect for the intimate quality of the music that sets this recording apart: Baird has the agility to execute Handel's ornate vocal lines at a low volume, and the entire group exudes a quiet intensity that's a perfect match for the nature imagery of the texts. Group co-founder Gwyn Roberts, who has recorded the technically brutal recorder sonatas of Francesco Veracini in the past, is especially noteworthy on recorder and transverse flute, and the sound, recorded in a small college auditorium, effectively conveys the close quarters in which this music would originally have been played; a church recording would tend to lose the directness and inward ecstasy so effectively communicated by Baird and the instrumentalists. Highly recommended all around as a superb examination of Handel's quieter side. allmusic.com, September, 2007.

Classical CD of the Week: “Baird—a fine American soprano prized for her outstanding contribution to recordings of Handel operas—sings with a delicate timbre. The singing is exquisitely stylish, as is the playing of Tempesta di Mare, who shine in the F major and B minor trio sonatas.” The Sunday Times (London), August 12, 2007.

“For the label Chandos, the very fine baroque ensemble Tempesta di Mare and soprano Julianne Baird offer a program dedicated to the last works that Handel wrote in German, which were never published in his lifetime. Tempesta di Mare is renowned as one of the best in this repertoire, and they play with a flair that justifies their name. With Julianne Baird, who possesses a natural sound and an exceptional musicality, they serve this hedonistic music magnificently.” Abeille Musique (Paris), July 2007.

“The ensemble Tempesta di Mare performed an all Vivaldi concert last Saturday evening, presented by Early Music Now. The five-member ensemble of two violins, recorder, cello and lute plays with wonderfully tight ensemble, divining one another’s direction in changes of tempo, an important feature of Vivaldi’s style. I appreciated the attentive avoidance of the Baroque auto-gyro syndrome, where a piece is launched and propels itself to an inevitable but dull conclusion. Four of the seven pieces on the program featured solo recorder, played by Gwyn Roberts, who made the best possible case for the instrument, with an even tone and agile ornamentation.” Shepard Express (Milwaukee), March 15, 2007.

“Early Music Now presented Tempesta di Mare in an all-Vivaldi program Saturday. Played indifferently, Vivaldi can sound like a melodious sewing machine. Tempesta was having none of that. They shaped and interpreted the music freely and attractively. In the "La Folia" Variations RV63, they weighted and timed each note of the theme to feel the solemn tread of the dance and its hesitation steps. Humphrey made phrases of the bass lines. Ngai declaimed the Adagio of the Sonata in D RV10 on his violin as if it were an elaborate, ornamented recitative from one of Vivaldi's operas. Ngai came off as the concert's star. Vivaldi was one of the greatest violinists of his day and invented all sorts of new techniques. The speed, rhythmic precision and infinitely varied touch of Ngai's bowing did the master justice.” Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee), March 10, 2007.

“Sunday's concert at the National Gallery of Art was a survey of 16th- and 17th-century Italian music, allowing Drew Minter and the accomplished musicians of Tempesta di Mare to showcase the style, ornamentation and improvisation of that era. Minter's performance of Sigismondo d'India's "Listen to the Nightingale" was a tour de force, the melody perfectly painting the text, which describes the bird's song ("now full, now solemn, now subtle, now soft"). Richard Stone's performance of Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger's Toccata No. 1 on theorbo (a lute with a stupendously long neck) had the energy of a rock solo and the craft of a classical cadenza. A sonata by Dario Castello was a virtuoso vehicle for recorder player Gwyn Roberts. With her sparkling technique and sensitive attention to musicality, Roberts infused the piece with operatic drama.” Washington Post, June 27, 2006.

“Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, closed out its 2005-06 season with the third and final installment of its series entitled "The Grand Orchestra" in Swarthmore College's Lang Concert Hall. The most impressive and memorable aspect of Tempesta's performances of all five scores was the fullness of its overall orchestral tone. Like it or not, even those of us most fond of the sound of baroque instruments must admit that most local period instruments ensembles fail to muster a full-bodied sound. The final result of these limitations is the notion that baroque music, while brightly decorative, remains substantially inexpressive. Under the artistic directorship of Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone and the leadership in performance of concertmaster Emlyn Ngai, Tempesta di Mare disabused the listener of this nonsense.” News of Delaware County, June 9, 2006.

“In a time when all good things seem to be contracting, Tempesta di Mare, the Philadelphia baroque-music orchestra, swelled to a record-high 22 players on Friday at Lang Concert Hall in Swarthmore, and will stay that way for two future programs, collectively titled The Grand Orchestra. That’s six more players than in the past. “It’s about the power of ‘more,’” the program notes proclaimed. Tempesta di Mare didn’t let itself off easy, in a sophisticated program of strong-minded French baroque composers and volatile Italian eccentrics who wrote some of the trickiest rhythms before Stravinsky. The performances honored this great music, much of which has probably never been heard here before. The major revelation was Jean-Marie Leclair’s suite from the opera Scylla et Glaucus. It’s highly original stuff, with individual sections of the orchestra often marching their separate ways and enjoying a near-choreographic sense of interplay. Is a concert performance of the entire opera too much to hope for?” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 17, 2005

“In Tempesta di Mare's program, you glimpsed Handel in one of his few creative outings with his native language. And with musicians like those in this Philadelphia-based baroque orchestra, not to mention soprano Julianne Baird, you're going to be able to hear the difference of Handel in his most comfortable zone. All elements, vocal and instrumental, had a particularly sublime convergence in "Süsse Stille, sanfte Quelle." Is it possible to convey how magical the experience was?” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 21, 2006.

“The musicians of Tempesta di Mare brought the nearly 300-year-old score to life with a zest and virtuosity that transcended issues of style and instrumentation. At the close of this performance of Clori, Tirsi and Fileno, there was that sublime sensation of the suspension of time that great theater can convey. If this production by Tempesta di Mare was a way of testing the baroque operatic waters, then one can only hope that they dive all the way in for future seasons.” Philadelphia CityPaper May 26, 2005
click here to read the full review

“Following considerable research and reconstruction, Richard Stone and Tempesta di Mare have released a remarkable and plausible rendition of how the Weiss concerti for lute and diverse instruments may have sounded. The works are vibrant, engaging and joyful in character. Stone’s lute work is of such a memorable quality, as agile and effortless as it is engaging, as enjoyable as technically superb. The playing is vital, elegant and nuanced.” La Folia: Online Music Review. July 2005.

“Right out of the starting gate, the group has delighted audiences with a bright and engaging period instrument sound. It is hard to imagine this music played any other way: the variety of color and timbral shading that the period string instruments impart makes the scores spring to life. Stone's playing is lucid, yet surprisingly robust, and pleasantly paced. Special credit is also due to concertmaster Emlyn Ngai, whose silvery, soaring tone often engages the solo instruments in spirited dialogue. It is consistenly delightful, a real find for baroque music fans, especially in these brilliant performances.” Philadelphia Music Makers, Winter 2005.

“The off-the-grid chic factor made the concert one of the season’s irresistable events. A celebratory sense of discovery. Meticulously prepared.” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 22, 2005

“Performances were technically impeccable, relaxed and confident. But those were only subsidiary factors in performances that show how this relatively short-winded music can engage ears used to being invaded by Mahler. On recorder, Roberts achieved such an ease of expression that her phasing was almost vocal in its nuance. Lutenist Richard Stone ever-so-slightly broadened the rhythm of Concerto in D major (RV 93), opening the door to a richer emotional world than what's usually found in this music. There was a near-complete merging of repertoire and performer, in an interpretive equation not unlike that of bel canto opera.” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 25, 2005

“This enterprising group of superb musicians always rewards its audiences with excellent interpretive playing.” Philadelphia Daily News, January 21, 2005

“Both Richard Stone and Gwyn Roberts, who play the central role on this disc, do an excellent job; and so do their colleagues. One of the highlights is the Concerto in d minor, which is played with verve and passion. The first movement (largo) is very expressive. The allegro which follows it is brisk and sprightly, played with a very differentiated articulation and a nice forward drive from the cello.” MusicWeb International, January 2005

“This recording is a magnificent achievement. Stone has lots of technique and shines in the soloist's role. The players tuck into it with gusto and panache, the buzzy string sound and the woody tone of the baroque flute recorded in a spacious and expressive acoustic. Anyone with an interest in the baroque should find this recording most agreeable: players interested in broadening their understanding of Weiss should consider it obligatory listening.” Classical Guitar Magazine (UK), December 2004.

“Stone's playing is agile and confident, his sound round and full. The players of Tempesta di mare supply a lovely, understated accompaniment that is historically informed but without any ornamental gimmickry. The balance between soloist and orchestra is realistic: the lute is entirely audible but not unnaturally boosted in the mix.” American Record Guide, November/December 2004

“A feast for the ears. Tempesta di Mare delivered a colorful all-Vivaldi program. Highlights included Richard Stone's elegant ornamentation in the D major Lute Concerto and Gwyn Roberts' rapt phrasing on the recorder in the aria-like third movement of the A minor Trio, RV 86. The whole concert effectively celebrated the remarkable variety and spirit in Vivaldi's writing.” The Baltimore Sun, November 16, 2004

“They not only convince, they delight.” International Record Review (UK), November 2004

“The flautist Gwyn Roberts deserves a special mention, as does Stone himself.” Gramophone, November 2004

“I cannot imagine ever hearing these wonderful concertos and duets performed better than they are here. All involved possess an exceptional sense of vitality and elegance, and they submit these world-premiere recordings with an unerring combination of unforced grace and soft-grained beauty. This debut by Tempesta di Mare leaves me wanting more.” Fanfare, September 2004

“Serious competition for Vivaldi's Lute Concerto. The lute-flute duets are a rapturous combination of sounds.'” Classic FM Magazine (UK), September 2004

“Performed with style and panache. Congratulations to all concerned” Early Music Today (UK), August/September 2004

“Tempesta di Mare has crowned its second local season with a just-released recording on the prestigious, England-based Chandos label. Its concerts have been among the season's best. You can imagine a wide range of listeners happy to have this disc, especially since the musicians are in such sympathy with the music. Baroque specialists have a new composer personality to ponder, and casual listeners couldn't ask for a lovelier succession of sounds.” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 4, 2004

“The group breathed vibrant life into each piece. Each player was a master. Roberts played the recorder with breathtaking fluency and spirit – she is without doubt the best I have heard on this instrument. Stone is a virtuoso on the lute as well. The two played with absolute clarity and passion. Ngai's shapely phrases contrasted nicely with the crisp recorder passages.” The Reading Eagle (Reading, PA), May 16, 2004

“Superb playing and free admission — that's been a winning formula so far for the Baroque group Tempesta di Mare. These musicians play out of love, and audiences respond in kind.” Philadelphia Daily News, January 22, 2004

“A stunning concert. Extremely accomplished. Powerfully done.” Gay City News (NYC), October 16, 2003

“A major addition to the local musical landscape, Tempesta di Mare takes its inspiration from the power of the sung word. Saturday’s concert showed how effectively they can speak to a modern sensibility. Such smart programming tells you that the minds behind Tempesta di Mare are originals” The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6, 2003

“Tempesta di Mare gives concerts of grand quality.” Opéramag (France), September-October 2003

“Sizzling Baroque Music” Philadelphia Daily News, September 10, 2003

“Scintillating results. The orchestra concluded its first full season in Philadelphia with contagious conviction. A significant addition to the local scene. This performance revealed the music with great specificity: there wasn't the tiniest question what the composer was up to in any given phrase.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 8, 2003

“Distinctive profile. Great nuance, rhythmic vigor and grasp of color. The soloists found theatrical roles and made sparks fly.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6, 2002

“Tempesta di Mare spoke the music like a native language. The ensemble was always rhythmically tight but never wooden, and their variety of expression was perhaps their greatest asset. Lutenist Richard Stone's playing was most impressive. There was not a note out of place, and his almost vocal tone was clear and vibrant. Flutist and co-director Gwyn Roberts’ playing was highly expressive and sang with exceptional rhetorical grace.” American Journal of Classical Guitar, March 12, 2001

“The listener was rewarded by an experience of intimate dialogues of flute, viola da gamba and lute. Four Stars.” Lidové Noviny (Prague), June 2000

“World-class virtuosity. With fleet fingers and sweet tone, Gwyn Roberts tears into these demanding works with nothing less than breathtaking results. Tempesta di Mare offers superb support.” American Record Guide, October 1997

“Recorder soloist Gwyn Roberts obviously enjoys the unexpected and takes illuminating risks. She loves to stretch pauses to their limits, and to surprise the listener with thrilling returns. Her individual interpretations make compulsive listening. Tempesta di Mare is constantly excellent. Five Stars.” BBC Music Magazine, August, 1997