Solo CDs

She's sweetest when she's naked - 2005

Music for traverso & recorder from 18th-century Scotland: sonatas by Oswald, Macklean & Munro; traditional airs & dances  by Oswald, Barsanti, Gow, Anonymous, and from the Fraser and Bewick collections. With:

Mary-Katherine Finch, baroque cello
Michael Jarvis, harpsichord
Paul Jenkins, harpsichord
Charlotte Nediger, harpsichord
Kirk Elliott, harp and guitar
Ben Grossman, bodhrán, tambourine and snare drums

"The solo pieces played on the flute all have an especially haunting quality to them and Ms. Melville plays them with great passion and sensitivity, without falling into the maudlin or cloying…this recording is a charmer."

—San Diego Harpsichord Society Review

"…she has a beguiling way with a Scots melody."

—Early Music Forum of Scotland Newsletter, 2006

 

Available at www.early-music.com

Archipelago - Independent, 2003

Corelli & Bach for recorder; Hotteterre, Stanley & Boismortier for traverso; and Telemann’s charming little trio for recorder, natural horn and b.c., with with:

Michael Jarvis, Charlotte Nediger & Borys Medicky, harpsichord
Derek Conrod, natural horn
Mary Cyr, bass viol

"A quote contained in the notes of this recording: "The bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song" is very appropriate. For Alison Melville, like the bird, the graceful simplicty of musicality is second nature. She so delicately ornaments her phrases, they appear as natural as breath itself."

—Wholenote

Available at cdbaby.com

Fruit of a Different Vine - Atma AC02 2206, 1999

Sonatas for alto recorder & piano, recorder trios and duets by Berkeley, Leigh, Hindemith,Genzmer, Staeps & Angerer, with:

Colin Savage, Natalie Michaud, recorders
Alayne Hall, piano

“ What a very welcome CD this is…Walter Leigh’s beautiful Sonatina receives the sensitive performance its recorder idiomatic lyricism deserves.” 

—The Recorder (UK)

Available at www.arkivmusic.com

A Curious Collection for the Common Flute - ebs 6016, 1991

Works for recorder by Philidor, Telemann, Bassano, Corelli, Finger, Croft & others, with:

Valerie Weeks, harpsichord
Margaret Gay, baroque 'cello
Colin Savage, recorder
Terry McKenna, lute
Peter Lehman, theorbo

"Melville is a capable instrumentalist, articulating the music cleanly yet expressively...It is a measure of her musicianship that she manages to find all the music in the less ambitious works as well."

—Fanfare

Available at www.amazon.de

Recordings with the Toronto Consort

Visit the Toronto Consort web site

The Da Vinci Collection: Music from the Time of Leonardo -
Marquis 81357, 2006

Music from 16th-century Italy, including dance tunes, diminutions, madrigals, frottolas and more, using recorder and renaissance flute.

Available at Marquis Music

Praetorius Christmas Vespers - Marquis Music MAR 335, 2005

A festive recreation of a Christmas Vespers service as it might have sounded in a 17th-century German Church under the direction of Michael Praetorius.

Available at Marquis Music

Mariners and Milkmaids: Ballads and Dances from 17th-c. England - Dorian 93247, 2001

The Consort, with guest violinist David Greenberg. The newest Toronto Consort recording featuring ballads, madrigals and dances from 16th and 17th-century England.

"This delightful recording is a must for Toronto Consort fans... David Greenberg's engaging fiddling and Alison Melville's playful tootling drive the rollicking swing and swagger."

—Wholenote

Available at amazon.ca

The Way of the Pilgrim: Medieval Songs of Travel - Dorian 93214, 2001

The Consort, with guest Alison Mackay, vielle.

Available at amazon.ca

The Little Barleycorn: Winter Revels from the Renaissance - Dorian 93186, 1991

Featuring Christmas, New Year’s and Candlemas ballads and dances from England and France.

"...[The Toronto Consort] brings a toe-tapping sensibility to Renaissance repertoire...the group whoops it up with infectious songs relating to the ale-soaked winter revels..."

—Discography

Available at amazon.ca

O Lusty May - Dorian 93172, 1991

"The virtuoso talents of Alison Melville are featured on several solo tracks...and also contribute tasteful flourishes and ornamentation throughout. One solo in particular...accompanied by Paul Jenkins, is filled with ear-tickling impulsiveness and musical caresses."

—Toronto Early Music News

Available at amazon.ca

Orlando di Lasso - Chansons & Madrigals - Dorian Discovery DIS-80149, 1996

Available at amazon.ca

Full Well She Sang - SRI, 1993

Nowell Sing We - SRI, 1992

The Sweet Hereafter - (movie soundtrack, music by Mychael Danna) Virgin, 1998

Available at amazon.ca

Recordings with Ensemble Polaris

Visit the Ensemble Polaris web site

Not Much is Worse than a Troll - 2005

Polaris' 2nd CD continues where the first left off, using the wide variety of instruments and arrangements that they have become known for. From squeaky toys to palimpsests, duo to full ensemble works, Not Much is Worse Than a Troll will surprise and delight old and new fans alike.

"hard to resist... full of life, well executed and enjoyable."

—The WholeNote

Available at www.ensemblepolaris.com

Midnight Sun - Dorian 93195, 2000

Traditional tunes from Scandinavia, the Baltic and Scotland,
with a Canadian twist.
Kirk Elliott, harp/guitar/mandolin/dulcimer/pipes
Margaret Gay, cello/button accordion
Ben Grossman, percussion/santur/jew's harp
Catherine Keenan, hurdy gurdy
Terry McKenna, lute/guitar/bouzouki
Alison Melville, recorders/traverso
Colin Savage, recorders, clarinet
with guest vocalists Sarah Granskou and Tiina Orpana

" Listening to this wonderful music from Ensemble Polaris, I cannot help but think that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would have loved it. This is "Northernness" personified in music. This is musical greatness. I hope that Ensemble Polaris makes more music, and soon. If nothing else, this disc deserves to be heard by as many people as possible."

—Amazon.ca

Available at amazon.ca

Recordings with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra

Visit the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra web site

Bach, Mondonville and Vivaldi with the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir (release on CBC Records pending, 2007)

Jean-Philippe Rameau: Dardanus/Le Temple de la Gloire - CBC Records, 2003 (JUNO Award)

Le Mozart Noir: Music of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St. George - CBC Records, 2003

A Baroque Feast/Festin Baroque - Analekta, 2002

Handel: Water Music - Sony Vivarte, 1996 (JUNO Award)

J.S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos - Sony Vivarte, 1994 (JUNO Award)

Handel: Concerti Grossi, op. 3 - Sony Vivarte, 1993

Schmelzer: Chamber Music - Sony Vivarte, 1993 (JUNO Award)

Recordings with Aradia

Händel: Rinaldo, Naxos, 2006

Purcell Theatre Music, release on Naxos pending, fall 2007

M-A. Charpentier: Noëls and Motets, vol. II - Aradia Ensemble, dir. Kevin Mallon Naxos, ebs, 2002

M-A. Charpentier: Noëls and Motets, vol. I - Aradia Ensemble, dir. Kevin Mallon, Naxos, ebs, 1999

Miscellaneous additional recordings on Narada, Avalon, and independent labels

Banner photos: Paul Orenstein