Heinichen: Dresden Concerti

One of the many achievements of Musica Antiqua Köln, a baroque-specialist period-instrument ensemble that has been active for over 50 years, was bringing to public attention the magnificent music of a little-known Dresden composer named Johann David Heinichen. This 1992 album represents the world premiere recording of twelve concerti grossi plus a serenade and a sinfonia written while he was a court composer to Augustus II the Strong. The pieces are gorgeous, and Musica Antiqua Köln play them with all the confidence of decades of experience – even the natural horns (almost always the weak link in a period-instrument orchestral recording) sound good.