OPERA AUSTRALIA - DER ROSENKAVALIER STARRING CHERYL BARKER
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier CD
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier CD Cheryl Barker, Catherine Carby, Manfred Hemm, Emma Pearson, Andrew Brunsdon, Jacqueline Dark, Henry Choo, Warwick Fyfe, Opera Australia Chorus, Children's Chorus, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Andrew Litton (conductor) OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56028CD | 5060266600371 | CD3
Der Rosenkavalier, the most successful opera of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's partnership, is a story of love, lust and human frailty. The story is not complicated but it soars and dips on Strauss' music with Hofmannsthal's expressive libretto. With Cheryl Barker in the role of the Marschallin, who can fail to be moved by her poignant portrayal of facing the final loss of youth and her young lover? Count Octavian, Catherine Carby, has the vibrant voice of a young man who has his life to enjoy with no thought of anything but pleasure and the Marschallin's company - until he meets the beautiful and innocent Sophie von Faninal, sung by Emma Pearson. The boorish Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau is superbly exposed by Manfred Hemm, his Viennese accent lending authenticity. With all the outstanding artists completing the cast and the Opera Australia and Ballet Orchestra this production is led by conductor Andrew Litton to create a truly stunning operatic experience. Recorded in the Sydney Opera House, 2010.
'The chorus, supporting cast and principal cast members in this revival are terrific, combining fine voices with seriously decent acting skills.' (Stagenoise)
'In Catherine Carby, Cheryl Barker and Emma Pearson, Opera Australia has three of the country's loveliest female singers; flanked by Manfred Hemm's echt-Austrian Ochs and a fine supporting cast, they give performances whose splendour transports this Rosenkavalier beyond the bounds of a dull production, into the realm of the sublime.' (The Opera Critic)
Also on DVD OPOZ56026DVD
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier DVD
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier DVD Cheryl Barker, Catherine Carby, Manfred Hemm, Emma Pearson, Andrew Brunsdon, Jacqueline Dark, Henry Choo, Warwick Fyfe, Opera Australia Chorus, Children's Chorus, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Andrew Litton (conductor) OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56026DVD | 5060266600357 | DVD
Der Rosenkavalier, the most successful opera of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's partnership, is a story of love, lust and human frailty. The story is not complicated but it soars and dips on Strauss' music with Hofmannsthal's expressive libretto. With Cheryl Barker in the role of the Marschallin, who can fail to be moved by her poignant portrayal of facing the final loss of youth and her young lover? Count Octavian, Catherine Carby, has the vibrant voice of a young man who has his life to enjoy with no thought of anything but pleasure and the Marschallin's company - until he meets the beautiful and innocent Sophie von Faninal, sung by Emma Pearson. The boorish Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau is superbly exposed by Manfred Hemm, his Viennese accent lending authenticity. With all the outstanding artists completing the cast and the Opera Australia and Ballet Orchestra this production is led by conductor Andrew Litton to create a truly stunning operatic experience. Recorded in the Sydney Opera House, 2010.
'The chorus, supporting cast and principal cast members in this revival are terrific, combining fine voices with seriously decent acting skills.' (Stagenoise)
'In Catherine Carby, Cheryl Barker and Emma Pearson, Opera Australia has three of the country's loveliest female singers; flanked by Manfred Hemm's echt-Austrian Ochs and a fine supporting cast, they give performances whose splendour transports this Rosenkavalier beyond the bounds of a dull production, into the realm of the sublime.' (The Opera Critic)
Also on CD OPOZ56028CD
OPERA AUSTRALIA - DON GIOVANNI STARRING TEDDY TAHU RHODES
Mozart Don Giovanni Blu-Ray
Mozart Don Giovanni Blu-Ray Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Conal Coad, Rachelle Durkin, Daniel Sumegi, Henry Choo, Jacqueline Dark, Taryn Fiebig, Andrew Jones, Opera Australia, Mark Wigglesworth (conductor), Goran Jarvefelt (director) OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56024BD | 5060266600333 | BR
ARIA and Helpmann Award-winning baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes plays the rakish Don Giovanni in this thrilling production from Opera Australia. The cast includes some of Australia’s favourite opera singers, including award-winning bass Daniel Sumegi as Il Commendatore and mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark as Don Giovanni’s jilted lover, Donna Elvira. Conductor Mark Wigglesworth and the AOBO produce a masterful rendition of Mozart’s score and this gripping production is the work of the late Swedish director Göran Järvefelt, whose productions have been staged to critical acclaim in numerous opera houses around the world.
“Rhodes’ acting was in another world. He was absolutely convincing...His seduction songs...were sung with melting charm. He stole the show, as a good Don Giovanni should.” (Australian Stage)
“The cast is to die for and, as a whole, this production might just be the finest I’ve seen...Mark Wigglesworth brings the very best out of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra...but it’s Järvefelt for whom I reserve the greatest admiration.” (CRIKEY - Curtain Call)
Recorded at the Sydney Opera House 2011
Also on CD (OPOZ56025CD) and DVD (OPOZ56023DVD)
Mozart Don Giovanni DVD
Mozart Don Giovanni DVD Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Conal Coad, Rachelle Durkin, Daniel Sumegi, Henry Choo, Jacqueline Dark, Taryn Fiebig, Andrew Jones, Opera Australia, Mark Wigglesworth (conductor), Goran Jarvefelt (director) OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56023DVD | 5060266600326 | DVD2
ARIA and Helpmann Awar-winning baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes plays the rakish Don Giovanni in this thrilling production from Opera Australia. The cast includes some of Australia’s favourite opera singers, including award-winning bass Daniel Sumegi as Il Commendatore and mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark as Don Giovanni’s jilted lover, Donna Elvira. Conductor Mark Wigglesworth and the AOBO produce a masterful rendition of Mozart’s score and this gripping production is the work of the late Swedish director Göran Järvefelt, whose productions have been staged to critical acclaim in numerous opera houses around the world.
“Rhodes’ acting was in another world. He was absolutely convincing...His seduction songs...were sung with melting charm. He stole the show, as a good Don Giovanni should.” (Australian Stage)
“The cast is to die for and, as a whole, this production might just be the finest I’ve seen...Mark Wigglesworth brings the very best out of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra...but it’s Järvefelt for whom I reserve the greatest admiration.” (CRIKEY - Curtain Call)
Recorded at the Sydney Opera House 2011
Also on CD (OPOZ56025CD) and Blu-ray (OPOZ56024BD)
Mozart Don Giovanni CD
Mozart Don Giovanni CD Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Conal Coad, Rachelle Durkin, Daniel Sumegi, Henry Choo, Jacqueline Dark, Taryn Fiebig, Andrew Jones, Opera Australia, Mark Wigglesworth (conductor), Goran Jarvefelt (director) OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56025CD | 5060266600340 | CD3
ARIA and Helpmann Award-winning baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes plays the rakish Don Giovanni in this thrilling production from Opera Australia. The cast includes some of Australia’s favourite opera singers, including award-winning bass Daniel Sumegi as Il Commendatore and mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark as Don Giovanni’s jilted lover, Donna Elvira. Conductor Mark Wigglesworth and the AOBO produce a masterful rendition of Mozart’s score and this gripping production is the work of the late Swedish director Göran Järvefelt, whose productions have been staged to critical acclaim in numerous opera houses around the world.
“Rhodes’ acting was in another world. He was absolutely convincing...His seduction songs...were sung with melting charm. He stole the show, as a good Don Giovanni should.” (Australian Stage)
“The cast is to die for and, as a whole, this production might just be the finest I’ve seen...Mark Wigglesworth brings the very best out of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra...but it’s Järvefelt for whom I reserve the greatest admiration.” (CRIKEY - Curtain Call)
Recorded at the Sydney Opera House 2011
Also on Blu-ray (OPOZ56024BD) and DVD (OPOZ56023DVD)
ANGELA HEWITT PLAYS SCHUMANN
Schumann Piano Concerto Angela Hewitt (piano), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Hannu Lintu (conductor) HYPERION | CDA67885 | 034571178851 | CD
Angela Hewitt’s recordings of Schumann’s solo piano works for Hyperion have been described as ‘revelatory … something to cherish’ (Gramophone) and ‘unreservedly superb’ (The Guardian). Now she turns her attention to the works for piano and orchestra in a magnificent release which includes the beloved Piano Concerto in A minor—one of the most treasured concertos in the repertoire—and two other works also written for Clara Schumann. Hewitt’s trademark clarity of line, and her technical control which never limits the expression of passion, are clearly in evidence. She is supported by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the brilliant Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu. A fascinating commentary by Hewitt herself completes this album which is sure to delight her ever-increasing legion of fans.
Piano Concerto in A minor, Introduction and Allegro appassionato, Introduction and Concert-Allegro
JAMES RHODES LIVE IN BRIGHTON
James Rhodes Live in Brighton James Rhodes (piano) SIGNUM | SIGCD308 | 635212030820 | CD2
In 2008/2009 James Rhodes saw his profile go from complete unknown to rising star, attracting celebrity followers including Stephen Fry and Sir David Tang. He swiftly went on to headline London's historical Roundhouse, where he was the first classical pianist to perform since its re-opening. In 2010 he made his television debut in the BBC Four documentary 'Chopin: The Women Behind the Music' and in 2011 James went on to present and perform in his very own television series 'James Rhodes: Piano Man' on Sky Arts. This new disc - recorded live at The Old Market theatre in Brighton - captures the energy of Rhodes in concert as he performs and entertainingly discusses works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov and more in this 85-minute programme.
"Performances of such natural ease and brilliance that no one can resist." - Geoff Brown, The Times (concert review)
"This is impressive, conveyed with conviction and dazzling technique." - Ivan Hewett, Daily Telegraph (UK)
"From the outset, it is evident that Rhodes is a thoughtful and attentive pianist." - Richard Whitehouse, International Piano Magazine
Caution - Explicit Language
CD 1 - Marcello (trans. Bach) Adagio from Concerto No 3 in D minor BWV974, Jimmy on classical music and Beethoven, Beethoven Piano Sonata No 21 in C major Op 53 'Waldstein', Jimmy on Moszkowski, Moszkowski Etude in F major Op 72 No 6
CD 2 - Rachmaninov Prelude in C-sharp minor Op 3 No 2, Jimmy on Chopin, Chopin (trans. Balakirev) Romanza from Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor Op 11, Jimmy on Bach, Bach (trans. Busoni) Chaconne from Violin Partita No 2 in D minor BWV1004, Jimmy on encores and Schumann, Jimmy on Grieg, Grieg (trans. Ginzburg) In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Op 23
SIMONE YOUNG AUSTRALIAN CONCERTS
Mahler Symphony No 2 'Resurrection' Michaela Kaune (soprano), Dagmar Peckova (contralto), Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Simone Young (conductor) OEHMS CLASSIC | OC412 | 4260034864122 | CD
The 100th anniversary of the Hamburg premiere of Mahler‘s Second Symphony took place in October 2011. Now, Oehms Classics is issuing a concert recording from October 2010 from the Laeiszhalle with the Hamburg Philharmonic under the direction of Simone Young. Michaela Kaune and Dagmar Pecková are the outstanding soloists and the NDR Choir together with the Latvia State Choir interpret the great choral scenes most impressively. Altogether in invaluable contribution to the Mahler Year 2011.
Simone Young conducts the Hamburg Philharmonic in Brisbane on 23, 24 and 25 August 2012.
Wagner Das Rheingold Falk Struckmann, Jan Buchwald, Ladislav Elgr, Peter Galliard, Wolfgang Koch, Jurgen Sacher, Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Simone Young (conductor) OEHMS CLASSIC | OC925 | 4260034869257 | CD2
This Rheingold production, directed by Claus Guth, opened the Ring Cycle in Hamburg and was acquitted by the audience with waves of applause. This recording, with Falk Struckmann in the role of Wotan, was released just in time for the premiere of the second evening of Wagner‘s tetralogy in the Hamburg Opera House (Die Walküre, 10/19/08). The extensive booklet also includes colour photos of various scenes to give the listener a visual impression of the Hamburg production. In addition, the complete libretto is provided in German and English.
Simone Young conducts the Hamburg Philharmonic in Brisbane on 23, 24 and 25 August 2012.
THE KINGS SINGERS
Royal Rhymes And Rounds The King's Singers SIGNUM | SIGCD307 |635212030721 | CD
On a new disc to celebrate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee, The King's Singers present a selection of works from the past 500 years written in honour of the great Monarchs of Britain. Starting with works for (and in some cases by) Henry VIII, the program covers the Elizabethan 'Triumphs of Oriana' by composers such as Gibbons, Mundy and Dowland; a very Victorian selection of dedicatory works by Elgar, Parry and Parratt; choral arrangements from the opera 'Glorianna' by Benjamin Britten; and a new piece by Paul Drayton that comically pens 'A Rough Guide to the Royal Succession'. (Drayton is perhaps best known to fans of The King's Singers as the composer of their much-loved encore work Masterpiece.)
UTE LEMPER
Ute Lemper - Paris Days Berlin Nights Ute Lemper (vocals), Stefan Malzew (piano, accordion, clarinet), Vogler Quartet STEINWAY AND SONS | 30009 | 034062300099 | CD
Renowned German chanteuse Ute Lemper joins her countrymen the Vogler Quartet and Stefan Malzew for a collection of songs that take the listener on a journey through time, via Europe and Argentina. Bookended by post-war tales of love and despair from the French songbook by Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf, Paris Days, Berlin Nights hearkens back to the years of the revolutionary and decadent Weimar Republic, rooted in music and stories by Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht. Stepping into the darker world embodied in the songs of Hanns Eisler, reflections of political revolt composed during his exile from Nazi Germany, Lemper guides us through glimpses of a world shattered by war. Like a great love story, the listener is then led into the passionate world of the Latin American musical adventurer Astor Piazzolla, the composer of decadent songs of Argentina's nuevo tango, before venturing to Eastern Europe with repertoire of love and war in Yiddish and in Russian, including two chansons by the Polish-born Israeli singer Chava Alberstein. The Vogler Quartet lends these chansons a sound that is by turns delicate and powerful in thoughtful arrangements by Stefan Malzew, who infuses Lemper's cunning interpretations with complementary flavourings of piano, clarinet, and accordion. In speaking about her commitment to the root repertoire she presents on this recording, Lemper calls herself "an ambassador to the European songbook of the Weimar years - the Brecht, the Weill, the Piaf, the Brel, the Kabarett... It's a great responsibility and I'm proud to bring this music out into our millennium and into the world."
Chansons of Edith Piaf, Kurt Weill, Hans Eisler, Astor Piazzolla, Chava Alberstein and Jacques Brel arranged by Stefan Malzew
Elle Frequentait la Rue Pigalle, L'Accordeoniste, Surabaya Johnny/Die Moritat von Mackie Messer, Der Graben, Uber den Selbstmord, Ballade vom Wasserrad, La ultima grela, Oblivion, Yo Soy Maria, Temnaya Noch, Ikh shtey unter a Bokserboym, Stiller Abend, Ne me quitte pas
classical corner
Adam Giselle Highlights Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner BRILLIANT CLASSICS | 94354 | 5028421943541 | CD
Premiered in 1841, Adolphe Adam’s Giselle stands as one of the most important French dance creations – a rare masterpiece of lyric theatre that is particularly renowned for the extraordinary beauty of its music. This compilation is dedicated to highlights of the fantastical ballet, performed by one of music’s most iconic conductor-orchestra partnerships: Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Set in Rhineland in the Middle Ages, the work takes its name from the peasant girl Giselle, who falls in love with a young Duke as he wanders the German landscape. Adam was a prolific ballet writer at the height of his powers when composing Giselle, and his innate feeling for dramatic progression is perfectly mirrored in the work’s wealth of orchestral colour – which ranges from brilliantly sparkling to darkly dynamic, according to the developments on stage. Paying close attention to the ballet’s individual instrumental sonorities, Marriner brilliantly evokes the dichotomy between everyday life and the otherworldliness of the second act to deliver a first-rate performance of this iconic work.
Introduction, Les vendangeurs, Entree du Prince, Loys seul et entree de Giselle, Retour de vendangeurs, Pas de deux, La Chasse, Marche des vignerons, Variation de Giselle, Final, Apparition des faux follets, Apparition et scene de Myrthe, Apparition de Giselle, Entree de Loys - Pas de deux, Scene des Wilis, Grand pas de deux, Variation de Loys, Variation de Giselle, Final
JS Bach Complete Orchestral Suites Consort of London, Robert Haydon Clark (conductor) BRILLIANT CLASSICS | 94413 | 5028421944135 | CD
The most successful of Baroque composers were highly sensitive to the prevailing musical fashions of their day, effortlessly moving from style to style to satisfy listeners, performers and patrons. In his four orchestral suites, Bach turned his hand to one of the two main musical genres in 18th-century Europe - the suite, the French counterpart to the Italian Concerto. Beyond mere commercial awareness, however, Bach's suites convey a deep understanding of musical character and instrumental colour. An abundance of different moods and forms are explored: in addition to the grand French overtures that open each suite, the traditional dance movements that follow display great variety, with the Gavotte, Bourrée, Sarabande, Menuet and the more unusual Polonaise and Forlane all making an appearance. Bach's rich and varied approach to orchestration also comes to the fore, contributing to each work's individual charm: Suite No.2, for instance, is characterised by its prominent and often virtuosic solo flute part, while Nos. 3 and 4 owe their festive mood to the three trumpets and timpani. Although Bach wrote just four works in this genre, his contributions reveal the full extent of his compositional skill, and are an essential part of his oeuvre. Here, they are performed by the Consort of London, an ensemble who have received much critical praise for their interpretations of Bach's music.
Ouvertures (Orchestral Suites) No 1 in C major BWV1066, No 2 in B minor BWV1067, No 3 in D major BWV1068, No 4 in D major BWV1069
Lambert Piano Concerto and Other Works Nigel Hawthorne (narrator), Ian Brown (piano), Philip Langridge (tenor), The Nash Ensemble, Lionel Friend (conductor) HELIOS | CDH55397 | 034571153971 | CD
A fascinating selection of pieces by one of the twentieth century's most original and perplexing figures. Constant Lambert is perhaps better known today for his strident views on his contemporaries, but he was also a composer of delightful, anarchic music, influenced particularly by Stravinsky and Ravel. A distinguished line up of performers presents these works in the clearest light. This recording is a must for anyone interested in twentieth-century music. Many of Lambert's other works are also available on Hyperion.
From CDA66754
Concerto for piano and nine players, Eight Poems of Li-Po, Eight Poems of Li-Po, Mr Bear Squash-you-all-flat
Vivaldi Six Violin Sonatas Op 2 Nos 1-6 Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin), Richard Tunnicliffe (cello), Malcolm Proud (harpsichord) HELIOS | CDH55404 | 034571154046 | CD
Vivaldi's highly attractive Opus 2 Violin Sonatas were extremely popular in their day and much published and arranged for other combinations of instruments. The first six are performed here in their original form by one of the most celebrated early music violinists in the business, Elizabeth Wallfisch, stylishly supported by her wingmen Richard Tunnicliffe and Malcolm Proud.
From CDA67467
Prokofiev Romeo And Juliet Highlights National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Andrew Mogrelia (conductor) NAXOS | 8572928 | 747313292875 | CD
Living people can dance, the dying cannot', Prokofiev wrote to explain the problems he faced when writing music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. His original score was rejected as 'undanceable' by the Bolshoy Theatre and his initial scheme for a happy ending for the lovers was, fortunately, vetoed. The revised score, however, proved a masterpiece of expressive beauty and drama, with melting love music and huge bravura, and it remains one of the most loved ballet scores of the twentieth century.
Schumann Manfred Overture, Piano Concerto Bella Davidovich (piano), Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz (conductor) NAXOS | 8571214 | 747313121472 | CD
Seattle Symphony Collection
Robert Schumann drew inspiration from other leading Romantic voices of his day, and Manfred is the dramatic overture to a work based on verses by Lord Byron. Schumann's wife Clara was an extremely accomplished musician, and the Piano Concerto in A minor is one of the most eloquent and highly regarded legacies of their relationship. Lacking only a slow movement, the Overture, Scherzo and Finale is a symphony in all but name. Gramophone described these performances as 'extremely fine'.
Manfred Overture Op 115, Piano Concerto in A minor Op 54, Overture Scherzo and Finale Op 52
Schumann Symphonies Nos 1 and 2 Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz (conductor) NAXOS | 8571212 | 747313121274 | CD
Seattle Symphony Collection
Faced with the challenge of following in Beethoven's giant symphonic footsteps, Robert Schumann acknowledged this musical predecessor, but expanded his forms and structures into new and impassioned utterances. Inspired 'by the spirit of spring', the Symphony No 1 was swiftly composed and was a huge success at its premiere in 1841. The Symphony No 2 had a longer gestation, but for many has become a symphonic song of praise and rejoicing for which 'Gerard Schwarz and his Seattle Symphony Orchestra serve as excellent guides' (Gramophone).
Symphony No 1 in B-flat major Op 38 'Spring', Symphony No 2 in C major Op 61
Schumann Symphonies Nos 3 and 4 Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz (conductor) NAXOS | 8571213 | 747313121373 | CD
Seattle Symphony Collection
The last of Schumann's Symphonies to be composed, Symphony No 3 'Rhenish' was most likely inspired by a cruise taken by the composer and his wife down the river Rhine. Alternating between austere splendour, great rhythmic suppleness and soaring lines, the work is an aural depiction of rural life by the river and the majestic cathedral in Cologne, and one that dares to reflect tensions between Classical form and Romantic innovation. So too does Symphony No 4, cast in four seamless movements that show Schumann's masterly command of interrelated material and of symphonic unity.
Symphony No 3 in E-flat major Op 97 'Rhenish', Symphony No 4 in D minor Op 120
This selection of some of Wagner's finest orchestral excerpts opens with the 'storm-swept ballad' of Der fliegende Hollander, the opera which launched his epoch-defining later masterpieces. The entire span of Der Ring des Nibelungen is represented in this program, from the luminous rainbow bridge which leads the gods to Valhalla in Das Rheingold, the urgent drama of Die Walkure, and the atmospheric repose of the Forest Murmurs in Siegfried, to the tragic depths of Siegfried's Funeral March. This recording has been praised for its 'radiant sensuousness' (Gramophone). Volumes 2 and 3 in this series are available on 8572768 and 8572769.
Der fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) Overture, Das Rheingold - Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla (arr. Zumpe), Die Walkure - Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music, Siegfried - Forest Murmurs (arr. Hutschenruyter), Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods) - Dawn/Siegfried's Rhine Journey/Siegfried's Death/Funeral Music
Alessandra Marc (soprano), Seattle Symphony Collection
Under the dual influences of Goethe and Berlioz, Wagner wrote A Faust Overture in Paris. Years later, in 1855, he returned to the work, revising it to create an even greater sense of drama and narrative conviction. In the excerpts from his romantic opera Lohengrin we hear the visionary Prelude to Act I and the Act III Prelude, which includes the well-known Wedding March. Elsa's Dream is sung by the internationally acclaimed soprano, Alessandra Marc. The orchestral music from Parsifal contains some of the most transcendent music Wagner ever wrote. Volumes 1 and 3 in this series are available on 8572767 and 8572769.
A Faust Overture, Lohengrin - Preludes to Acts I and III and Elsa's Dream, Parsifal - Preludes to Acts I and III and Good Friday Spell
collectors corner august 2012
Pipe Dreams Sharon Bezaly (flute), Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti (artistic director, lead violin) BIS | BISCD1789 | 7318590017890 | CD
On a wide selection of recordings – solo, with orchestra, and in chamber music – Sharon Bezaly has demonstrated not only ‘utter commitment to the works’ but also ‘the most technically assured, breathtakingly brilliant flute-playing around’ (Fanfare). On Pipe Dreams, she appears with the eminent Australian Chamber Orchestra and their leader Richard Tognetti in a programme which takes its name from the Australian composer Carl Vine’s work for flute and orchestra. As the composer writes, a basic idea for the work is ‘the folly that a flute – the instrument itself – might harbour its own secret wishes. In a universe where all is possible, what might a flute dream?’ Intriguingly this also offers a key for possible interpretations of the other works on the disc. The Pitangus Sulphuratus of the Venzuelan composer Adina Izarra’s concerto – composed in 1987, but with a new cadenza written especially for Bezaly – is a yellow and brown bird found in great numbers in the Caracas valley. Its call appears throughout the piece, especially in evocations (or dreams?) of moods typical of Caracas: a lazy and hot March afternoon, or the gentle swinging of a hammock. Such episodes are interspersed with fast and rhythmically intricate variations on the merengue. Another dance, the tango, makes a fleeting and inconclusive, almost dreamlike appearance in Flute Concerto with Tango, which the Uruguayan composer and celebrated conductor José Serebrier has dedicated to Sharon Bezaly. Impresiones de la Puna, finally, embodies the dream of an eighteen-year-old Alberto Ginastera of finding a truly Argentinean musical language, tracing it back to the indigenous music of the high plateaus of the central Andes, the puna.
Serebrier Flute Concerto with Tango (2008), Izarra Pitangus Sulphuratus (1987, rev. 2007), Vine Pipe Dreams (2003), Ginastera Impresiones de la Puna (1934)
Koshkin Megaron Concerto Elena Papandreou (guitar), Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Lan Shui (conductor), New Hellenic Quartet, Angelos Liakakis (cello) BIS | BISCD1846 | 7318590018460 | CD
For some fifteen years, the Russian composer Nikita Koshkin and the Greek guitarist Elena Papandreou have enjoyed a rewarding collaboration, with solo pieces such as the Guitar Sonata and Kyparissous, both from 1998, among the earliest fruits. Dedicated to Elena Papandreou, these works formed part of a solo recital released by her in 2003, along with what probably remains the composer's most famous piece: Usher Waltz. Koshkin's music typically combines drama with humour and parody, and regularly includes references to legends and fairy-tales, as well as to music of other periods or genres. He often uses extended playing techniques achieving avant-garde effects, but is also inspired by popular music. On the present disc, all four works are world premiere recordings, and three of them were written with Elena Papandreou in mind. The Megaron Concerto was the result of a commission from the Athens concert hall which has given its name to the concerto - a commission which inspired Koshkin to explore the concept of a dialogue between ancient Greek music and later Western music. But as the composer himself willingly concedes, his Russian roots are also discernible, in a certain depth and dramatic development which in this piece, and in the large-scale Quintet, is reinforced through the use of a string ensemble. The most recent composition in the programme is the duo L'istesso tempo from 2010, commissioned in order to supplement the limited repertoire for cello and guitar and also to accompany the other works on this recording. Its title translates as 'the same tempo', reflecting the circumstance that despite the changes of metre and perceived changes of tempo, the duration of a quaver remains constant throughout the piece. The disc closes with Polka Papandreou, a brief and light-hearted piece performed here in a version for guitar and string orchestra.
Megaron Concerto for guitar and string orchestra (2005), Guitar Quintet (2004), L'istesso tempo for cello and guitar (2010), Polka Papandreou for guitar and string orchestra (2006)
The Trio Sonata in 18th-Century France London Baroque BIS | BISCD1855 | 7318590018552 | CD
With the previous instalment of their survey of the trio sonata during the 17th and 18th centuries, the four members of London Baroque offered up what the website klassik-heute.de described as ‘a delightful palette full of grace and esprit’, presenting music by composers active in 18th-century England. Crossing the Channel, they have now arrived in France, and a musical environment undergoing rapid changes following the death of Louis XIV in 1715. The rigours of the Grand Siècle were relaxing and the stiff resistance against the Italian influences of Corelli was weakening. In 1725 François Couperin published his famous Apothéose de Lulli, in which he advocated a fusion of the Italian and French styles, and the following year saw the collection Les Nations, which included L’Impériale recorded here. In it Couperin continued his mission, combining an Italian-style sonata with a sequence of dances in the French manner. Jean-Marie Leclair and his colleague (and great rival) Jean-Pierre Guignon took this one step further – Leclair studied and worked in Turin before making his mark in France, and Guignon was in fact born in Italy, as Giovanni Pietro Ghignone, and only arrived in France when he was in his twenties. Both of these rather extravagant characters were fêted violinists as well as composers, and wrote music mainly for their own instrument in an often virtuosic style. Their complete opposite, at least in terms of life-style, was Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, who was not known as a performer, and instead managed to make a very good living by composing a large number of small-scale works aimed at wealthy amateurs.
F Couperin L'Imperiale (from Les Nations), Dolle Sonata in G minor Op 1 No 6, Leclair Sonata No 3 in G minor Op 13 No 6, Boismortier Trio in E minor Op 37 No 2, Guignon Sonata in D major Op 4 No 2
Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 'Pathetique' Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (conductor) BIS | BISSACD1959 | 7318599919591 | SACD
These two works from either end of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s career are linked by their tragic endings – the Sixth Symphony with its concluding Adagio lamentoso descending into the deep and gloomy catacombs of a low string sound, and the ‘Fantasy Overture’ Romeo and Juliet closing with a funeral march. Both of them much-loved staples in the concert halls of the world, they appear here in ‘Opening Doors’ – the series conceived by Thomas Dausgaard and his Swedish Chamber Orchestra in order to provide the opportunity of hearing large-scale Romantic symphonic works in a new way, with the clarity that a chamber orchestra can offer. Begun in 2006, the Opening Doors project includes a full cycle of Schumann’s symphonies (‘the most perceptive Schumann cycle in over three decades’, International Record Review), Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony’ (‘yet another orchestral gem’, klassik.com), and Symphony No. 2 by Bruckner (‘perfectly paced and balanced – and the small orchestra is all to the good in making Bruckner's stark originality clear’, BBC Music Magazine). These are now joined by Tchaikovsky’s last symphony – completed only a couple of months before the composer’s death in 1893 – a work which to many is the archetype of a true Romantic symphony.
Symphony No 6 in B minor Op 74 'Pathetique', Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
JS Bach Cantatas Vol 51 Hana Blazikova (soprano), Damien Guillon (countertenor), Christoph Genz (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki (conductor) BIS | BISSACD1961 | 7318599919614 | SACD
The four cantatas gathered here were all composed for specific events such as funerals and weddings. Like all the sacred cantatas, they contain biblical references and include chorales, but Bach’s sacred occasional pieces are independent works and did not form part of his cantata cycles for the Sundays and feast days of the church year. This makes it to some extent difficult to place the individual works in context: for instance two of cantatas included here were intended for wedding ceremonies, and one for a funeral, but we do not know the circumstances regarding the fourth piece, Nun danket alle Gott, BWV 192. Similarly, we do know the identity of the person whose death was mourned to the music of Ich lasse dich nicht… BWV 157, but the names of the couples whose weddings were accompanied by BWV 195 and BWV 120a respectively are unknown. Nevertheless the music speaks for itself – BWV 195 suitably joyous with timpani and trumpets, and BWV 157 expressing a mellowness and quiet confidence in eternal life through its exquisite chamber-musical combination of solo instruments: transverse flute, oboe d’amore and viola d’amore. As elsewhere in his production, Bach would at times reuse material from other compositions, and a striking example is the Sinfonia in BWV 120a, a reworking for organ solo and orchestra of the famous prelude from the E major violin partita. With another four volumes yet to come, the cycle of cantatas initiated by Masaaki Suzuki and his Bach Collegium Japan in 1995 is nearing completion, without any signs of flagging, as witness the warm welcome extended to Volume 50 by reviewers remarking upon the consistently high quality of both interpretations and performances throughout the series.
Dem Gerechten muss das Licht immer wieder aufgehen BWV195, Nun danket alle Gott BWV192, Ich lasse dich nicht du segnest mich denn BWV157, Herr Gott Beherrscher aller Dinge BWV120a
Pettersson Symphony No 6 Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, Christian Lindberg (conductor) BIS | BISSACD1980 | 7318599919805 | SACD
Among the symphonies by Allan Pettersson, the Seventh is often accorded a special importance, partly because of the immediate success it enjoyed at its first performance, in 1968, but also because it has come to be perceived as more closely associated than other works with the personal life of its composer. As a result, Symphony No.6, which was premièred less than a year before the seventh, has come to be overshadowed by its successor. It is nevertheless an imposing work: an almost hour-long single-movement symphony in which the composer established a specific, self-contained musical style which would serve as a basis for the three symphonies that followed in quick succession. Allan Pettersson’s Sixth forms a compelling and singular edifice, with its slow introduction, a first part characterised by intense activity on a motivic level and a slower second part reminiscent of an immense coda and remarkable for Pettersson’s extensive use of the melody from Han ska släcka min lykta (‘He will extinguish my light’), the last of his own Barefoot Songs. Christian Lindberg – ‘whose affinity with Pettersson’s idiom is manifest’ (Gramophone) – has previously conducted the three Concertos for String Orchestra on BIS, as well as the first ever performance and recording of the First Symphony. This work was begun in the late 1940s, but although the composer never completed it, he never abandoned it either. Christian Lindberg oversaw the preparation of a performance edition based on Pettersson’s sketches, and his recording of the results was received with great interest at its release in 2011, with critical accolades including the seal of approval from International Record Review (‘Outstanding’), klassik-heute.de (‘10/10/10’) and Scherzo magazine (‘Disco excepcional’), and praise for both Christian Lindberg and the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra.
The wealth of secular and sacred music Bach produced in his lifetime belies the fact that very few bona fide works for chamber ensemble exist (or survive). This prompted us, with a great sense of humility and deference towards the master, to increase our chamber repertoire with these beguiling gems. Our task of adapting these pieces for varying combinations of instruments can also be seen as harking back to Bach’s own interest in transferring styles and idioms from other works to a solo or group of instruments, and vice-versa, something which he explored particularly during his years of employment at the ducal court in Weimar (1708-1717). Regular performances in some of the world’s most prestigious venues have confirmed Florilegium’s status as one of Britain’s most outstanding period instrument ensemble. Since their formation in 1991 they have established a reputation for stylish and exciting interpretations, from intimate chamber works to large-scale orchestral and choral repertoire.
Trio Sonata in G major BWV525 (originally in E-flat major) arranged for flute, violin, cello, harpsichord; Trio Sonata in G major BWV530 arranged for violin, viola da gamba, harpsichord; Trio Sonata in D major BWV529 (originally in C major) arranged for flute, harpsichord; Trio Sonata in E minor BWV528 arranged for viola/violin, viola da gamba, cello, lute; Trio Sonata in G minor BWV527 (originally in D minor) arranged for piccolo cello, harpsichord; Trio Sonata in E minor BWV526 (originally in C minor) arranged for flute, violin, viola da gamba, lute, harpsichord
Nordic Sounds 2 Swedish Radio Choir, Peter Dijkstra (conductor) CHANNEL CLASSICS | CCSSA32812 | 723385328124 | SACD
In the mid-nineteenth century, Europe appeared to be on the verge of a Golden Age of choral music. There was an astonishing resurgence everywhere of music for men’s and women’s voices and for mixed choirs. From as early as 1810, singing clubs, choral societies and Liedertafel (song-tables) shot up like mushrooms in Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Cologne and Vienna. The best-known was the Liedertafel started up in 1808 by Mendelssohn’s teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, who was leader of thechoral tradition that flourished in the nineteenth century has lost none of its strength. According to statistics, no less than ten percent of its nine million inhabitants sing in a choir. Värmland, the western province of Sweden, even has a reputation for its astronomical number of five hundred choirs! A large part of the repertoire consists of old Swedish folk songs, a cultural heritage that came to enjoy renewed and strong interest in the nineteenth century. Composers have since arranged them for choir, often in an accessible, neo-Romantic folk-song style and in strophic form. But songs were also adapted in a contemporary style and for all sorts of ensembles. One of the most familiar names in this respect is that of Hugo Alfvén, the foremost Swedish composer of the twentieth century. He became known for his furtherance of Swedish choral music and folk songs in Europe, and for his five post-Romantic symphonies and the Swedish rhapsody Midsommarvaka (1904). On the present recording, traditional Swedish folk songs are combined with contemporary choral music. Most of the pieces are Swedish, but Denmark (Jörgen Jersild) and Finland (Jaakko Mäntyjärvi) are also represented.
Sandstrom Sloabbme-njunnje, Biegga Njunnji, Biegga Luothe; Wikander Kung Liljekonvalje, Forvarskvall; Jersild Min yndlingsdal; Mantyjarvi Kosijat; Alfven Och jungfrun hon gar i ringen, Aftonen; Traditional Gjendines Badnlat, Kristallen den fina; Hillborg Muoayiayaoum
Mahler Symphony No 1 Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (conductor) CHANNEL CLASSICS | CCSSA33112 | 723385331124 | SACD
In full sail' (his original title for the second movement) could be a motto for the whole symphony. Here is the young Mahler, full of optimism. We hear his love of nature and beauty, and his childhood memories. Fragments of distant military music, birdsong and Yiddish folk tunes come to his yet untormented mind. These episodes are real jewels, especially the Viennese trio in the second movement, the brief Klezmer music, then the Schubert-like Lied (did he have the Lindenbaum in mind?) in the third; and the poetic, gentle melody that interrupts the stormy final movement. Admirable too is the architecture, as the composer completes his journey from hell to paradise - dall’inferno al paradiso - in the footsteps of his idol Beethoven. Mahler was in his late twenties when the world made acquaintance with his first symphony. It was in the Hungarian capital Budapest, and circumstances were difficult. In the diffuse acoustics of the Vigadó Hall, surrounded by hatred and mistrust, Mahler experienced his first major flop. Since then, at each performance I feel that we Hungarians have a moral duty to convince audiences that this is a perfect and exceptionally beautiful masterpiece.
Iván Fischer (from liner notes)
Symphony No 1 in D major 'Titan' (1884-88)
Ingenious Opposites CD Roman Zaslavsky (piano) EUROARTS | EA3002 | 880242030023 | CD
Russian-Israeli pianist Roman Zaslavsky is a master of piano technique that espouses nuance without resorting to arbitrary mannerisms. He first gained recognition by taking 1st prize—the Primer Gran Premio—at the José Iturbi International Music Competition in Valencia, Spain and concert tours brought him around the globe with rave reviews after performances in Israel, Germany, Netherlands, France, Japan, Canada and Latin America. In presenting the historic and artistic connections of “Ingenious Opposites,” he gives the listener the chance to experience these masterpieces in a whole new light. Starting with Volume 1 there will be more Ingenious Opposites coming up in the near future.
Schumann Symphonic Etudes Op 13; Liszt Annees de pelerinage - Deuxieme annee Italie, Etudes d'execution transcendante
Dai Asai Plays Chopin CD Dai Asai (piano) EUROARTS | EA3012 | 880242030122 | CD
Outstanding young pianist Dai Asai plays solo works by Frederic Chopin, one of the greatest piano composers in Western music.
Nocturnes No 1 in B-flat minor Op 9 No 1, No 2 in E-flat major Op 9 No 2, No 3 in B major Op 9 No 3, No 4 in F major Op 15 No 1, Barcarolle in F-sharp major Op 60, Nocturnes No 20 in C-sharp minor Op Posth, No 21 in C minor Op Posth, No 13 in C minor Op 48 No 1, Ballade No 4 in F minor Op 52, Impromptu No 1 in A-flat major Op 29, Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor Op 66, Polonaise No 6 in A-flat major Op 53 'Heroic', Valse (Waltz) No 9 in A-flat major 'L'adieu' Op 69 No 1
Schubert String Quartets Casals Quartet HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC902121 | 3149020212127 | CD
For their first incursion into the works of Schubert on disc, the members of the Cuarteto Casals invite us to discover two quartets situated at the two extremes of the composer's life. Wrongly dated much later on its publication in 1830, the Quartet in E Flat is in fact the work of a 16-year-old musician who had just entered teacher training college...whereas its companion here was to be Schubert's very last quartet. Only 13 years separate the two pieces! But in the meantime a whole world had invaded his musical consciousness, and here the naivety of G major throws a deceptive veil over inner upheavals. "The best quartet to have come out of Spain for many a year." (The Strad) "A vivacious and technically superb outfit." (BBC Music Magazine)
String Quartet No 10 in E-flat major Op 125, String Quartet No 15 in G major Op 161
Schumann Piano Quartet, Piano Quintet Jerusalem Quartet, Alexander Melnikov (piano) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC902122 | 3149020212226 | CD
The Piano Quintet Op 44 and Piano Quartet Op 47 date from a brief period during which Schumann focused his attention intensively on chamber music (between June 1842 and January 1843). These works underline his wish to escape from the solo piano, now 'too restricted' for his overflowing imagination, as he told Clara. The Quintet, which made a powerful impression on Wagner, is probably one of his most sophisticated works, into which Schumann poured all the creative energy he derived from meticulous examiation of similar works by his predecessors, especially Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.
Piano Quartet Op 47, Piano Quintet Op 44
Howard Shore Collector's Edition Vol 2 National Philharmonic of Russia, Academy of Choral Arts, Irina Komarova, Ecaterina Popova (vocalists), Lydia Kavina (theremin), Vera Volnukhina (shakuhachi), Ludmila Golub (organ) HOWE RECORDS | HWR1006 | 899158002062 | CD
Howard Shore began writing the score for the massive multiplayer online role-playing game Soul of the Ultimate Nation (SUN) in the summer of 2004. In November of that year, Shore was in Moscow conducting The Lord of the Rings Symphony at the Kremlin with the National Philharmonic of Russia and Victor Popov's Academy of Choral Arts. Following the Moscow concerts he travelled with the orchestra and chorus for another three concerts in Tokyo. "I was still composing the music for SUN at this time and while in Japan I decided I wanted to write the piece specifically for this orchestra and chorus," said Shore. "I wanted the chorus to sing in ancient Korean as a way to express the world of SUN. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring together the western and eastern concepts at play. The pieces were composed as tone poems to express the different characters, cultures and the world of this wonderfully detailed game." The game SUN has gradually made its way around the world although the music has only been released in parts of Asia. Now for the first time, as the second Collector's Edition series of the composer's work, Howard Shore's original score for SUN is available to a worldwide audience.
Music from the multi-player game Soul of the Ultimate Nation.
Sanctuary of Ether, A Prelude To Revolt, Tides Of Hope, Helron's Castle, The Triumph, The Valley Of Dragons, Forest Of The Beasts, Empire Geist, The Epitaph, Night Of The Crescent Moon, Hymns Of Battlefields, Immortal Emperor, March To Victory, A Poem For Nemesis, Soul Of The Ultimate Nation, Requiem For The Dead, Ethereal Life, A Pernicious Plot, Graveyard Of Aiort, Menace Of The Army Wings
Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie Steven Osborne (piano), Cynthia Millar (ondes martenot), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor) HYPERION | CDA67816 | 034571178165 | CD
The 'Messiaen Monster', ridiculed by critics at its premiere - in the best tradition of works of genius - is now 'established as one of the most astonishing classics of the twentieth century', as Nigel Simeone writes in the booklet of this brilliant new release. The joyful generosity of the orchestral writing and kaleidoscopic nature of the musical invention make Turangalila one of Messiaen's most characteristic and appealing works, considered by many to be his masterpiece. As well as the distinctive sound of the ondes martenot, the other striking feature is the virtuoso piano part - it is in some ways a concerto, although the sheer scale of the orchestral contribution belies that specific title. Rarely has it been more explosively performed than here, with an acknowledged living master of Messiaen's piano music, Steven Osborne, at the keyboard.
Bloch Voice In The Wilderness, Schelomo Natalie Clein (cello), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov (conductor) HYPERION | CDA67910 | 034571179100 | CD
A dazzling orchestral disc of music from the Jewish tradition of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Bruch's Kol Nidrei is one of the most well-loved works in the cello repertoire. The descending opening phrase of the cello line is instantly recognisable: a universal, extraordinarily expressive utterance.
The main part of the disc comprises the works for cello and orchestra by Ernest Bloch, all part of his 'Jewish cycle'. The most famous is Schelomo, a work inspired by passages from Ecclesiastes, where the cello, playing a deeply lyric and speaking line of prodigious technical difficulty, can be seen as 'the incarnation of King Solomon', as Bloch himself wrote. The other large-scale work for cello and orchestra, Voice in the Wilderness, is of a darker hue. Both works reveal a composer whose works should be firmly in the canon of twentieth-century symphonic writing.
The cellist here is Natalie Clein, a celebrated figure in British musical life since winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year award in 1995 and now a formidable artist, possessed of great musical, technical and intellectual gifts.
Bloch Schelomo, From Jewish Life arranged for cello, strings and harp by Christopher Palmer, Voice in the Wilderness; Bruch Kol Nidrei
Richafort Requiem Cinquento HYPERION | CDA67959 | 034571179599 | CD
This release presents music associated with the Renaissance master Josquin Des Prez, a composer who towers above all others in the first part of the sixteenth century. Numerous works were attributed to him that have now been proved to be by his contemporaries and successors, including the central work on this recording, Jean Richafort's expansive and beautiful Requiem. It is performed with affecting clarity by the all-male vocal group Cinquecento, whose many previous discs of Renaissance repertoire for Hyperion have garnered the highest critical praise. Booklet notes by Stephen Rice, an acknowledged authority on this repertoire, place the music in its historical context and unpick the mysteries of its composition.
Desprez Nymphes nappes/Circumdederunt me, Faulte d'argent; Richafort Missa pro defunctis 'Requiem'; Desprez Nymphes des bois/Requiem aeternam; Appenzeller Musae Jovis; Desprez Miserere mei Deus; Gombert Musae Jovis; Vinders O mors inevitabilis
Dimitri Tiomkin - The Greatest Film Scores Whitney Claire Kaufman, Andrew Playfoot, London Voices, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Kaufman (conductor) LSO LIVE | LSO0720 | 822231172024 | SACD
Russian-born Dimitri Tiomkin is one of Hollywood's most highly regarded composers. Receiving a staggering 22 Oscar nominations, he is most well-known for his soundtracks to Westerns and Hitchcock movies, including High Noon, The Alamo, Rawhide and Dial M for Murder. He was also a gifted songwriter, writing standards such as the theme from Wild is the Wind.
Music from Rawhide, The Alamo, Wild Is The Wind, High Noon, Dial M For Murder, Giant, The High And The Mighty
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 Daniil Trifonov (piano), Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor) MARIINSKY | MAR0530 | 822231853022 | SACD
Daniil Trifonov, XIVth annual Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Award winer, joins forces with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra for a thrilling recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1. Trifonov has had an astonishing year since winning the competition and has performed with many renowned orchestras such as the Mariinsky and the LSO. He has also toured with the Vienna Philharmonic. Hotly tipped as the next big Russian star, Trifonov is certainly one to watch.
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, plus solo repertoire by Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Liszt
Bononcini Messa a cinque concertata, Stabat Mater Silvia Frigato, Raffaella Milanesi (soprano), Andrea Arrivabene (countertenor), Elena Biscuola, Sara Mingardo (contralto), Valerio Contaldo, Raffaele Giordani (tenor), Salvo Vitale (bass), Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini (conductor) NAÏVE | OP30537 | 70986135377 | CD
"Fifty years of 'rediscovery' of early music have led…above all to the rediscovery of the inexhaustible musical treasure trove conserved in libraries all over the world. And these two pieces by Antonio Bononcini might be seen as a perfect example of the phenomenon. In fact, the Stabat Mater (held in the Biblioteca Estense in Modena) is already known, having been published a few years ago and enjoyed a very occasional concert performance. By contrast, the Monumental Mass (now in the Library of the Florence Conservatory) has not yet been published and has never before been performed in public or recorded. We are dealing here with two outstanding specimens of an individual and vigorous contrapuntal style, combined with a typically Italian melodic line: a mixture that is quite certainly unprecedented, at least at the level of technical skill shown by Bononcini." - Rinaldo Alessandrini
French mezzo-soprano Nora Gubish and her husband, pianist-conductor Alain Altinogly, present a recital devoted to one of the major fields in which Maurice Ravel developed a major and pioneering output: the melodie. The melodies presented here, enhanced by the beautiful warm tone of Nora Gubish, were composed between 1903 and 1927. They display in exemplary fashion the different facets of the art of Ravelian song. The song texts reflect Ravel's literary culture, and his interest in and respect for literature, which had been as integral a part of his life as music ever since his adolescence. Nora Gubish has an extremely strong personal connection with Ravel, as her great-great-uncle Ricardo Vines, a famous pianist, was one of Ravel's closest friends - he even premiered Gaspard de la Nuit!
Histoires naturelles (1906) - Le Paon, Le Grillon, Le Cygne, Le Martin-Pecheur, La Pintade; Trois chansons madecasses (1925-1926) - Nahandove, Aoua!, Il est doux; Manteau de fleurs (1903); Noel des jouets (1905), Cinq Melodies populaires grecques (1904-1906) - Chanson de la mariee, La-bas vers l'eglise, Quel galant m'est comparable, Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques, Tout gai!; Tripatos (1909); Les Grands Vents venus d'outre-mer (1906); Sur l'herbe (1907); Ronsard a son ame (1924), Deux melodies hebraiques (1914) - Kaddisch, L'enigme eternelle
Royal Handel Sandrine Piau, Sara Mingardo, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Lucy Crowe, Patricia Petibon, Topi Lehtipuu, Marc Minkowski, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Christophe Rousset, Alan Curtis, and other artists NAÏVE | V5307 | 822186053072 | CD2
Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, anointed Solomon King. And all the people rejoiced and said: God save the King! Long live the King! May the King live for ever! Alleluia! Amen.' These words were sung by the combined choirs of the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey at the coronation of King George II of England on 11 October 1727. The impact of the first choral entry after a long instrumental introduction is so unforgettable that since then the anthem 'Zadok the Priest' has been sung at the Unction of each new British sovereign ever since.
The event thus marked a consecration of sorts for its composer, born Georg Friedrich Händel in 1685 at Halle in Saxony and transformed into George Frideric Handel, British subject, by Act of Parliament dated 20 February of that same year 1727. He was to enjoy his most lasting success with a work devoid of action and dramatic protagonists, which set out the very basis of Christian doctrine in words drawn entirely from the Bible: Messiah, given its first performance in Dublin in 1742. The grandeur and sublime simplicity of the 'Hallelujah Chorus' so moved King George II that he rose from his seat; ever since then, it has been the tradition in Britain for the audience to stand for this movement. Handel's 'Largo' is now synonymous with Harrods' adverts, 'Zadok' has prefaced many a Royal or sporting ceremony and, most recently, millians watched the Royal Jubilee Pageant flotilla sail down theThames to the 'Water Music' in an inglorious downpour!
CD 1 - Zadok The Priest (Thomas Tallis Chamber Choir, Royal Academy Consort, Jeremy Summerly), Rodelinda - Io t'abbraccio (Patricia Petibon, soprano, Robert Expert, countertenor), Flute Sonata in F Major (Heloise Gaillard, flute, Amarillis), A Song for St Cecilia's Day - The Trumpet's Loud Clangor, March, The Soft Complaining Flute (Lucy Crowe, soprano, Richard Croft, tenor, Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Marc Minkowski), Joseph And His Brethren - Prophetic Raptures (Sandrine Piau, soprano, Accademia Bizantina, Stefano Montanari), L'Allegro il Penseroso ed il Moderato - As steals the morn upon the night (Sandrine Piau, soprano, Topi Lehtipuu, tenor, Accademia Bizantina, Stefano Montanari), Belshazzar - Great Victor at your feet I bow (Karina Gauvin, soprano, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis), Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno - Fido specchio (Deborah York, soprano, Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini), Messiah - Er war verschmahet und verachtet (Bernarda Fink, contralto, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy, Jean-Claude Malgoire), A Song for St Cecilia's Day - From Harmony (Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Marc Minkowski)
CD 2 - Great Sarabande (Orchestre de chambre Leopoldinum), Rinaldo - Lascia ch'io pianga (Maria Bayo, soprano, Capriccio Stravagante, Skip Sempe), Alcina - Overture (Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini), Deidamia - M'ai resa infelice (Sandrine Piau, soprano, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset), Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno - Se la bellezza perde vaghezza (Sara Mingardo, contralto, Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini), Water Music - Overture (Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Marc Minkowski), Theodora - Streams of pleasure ever flowing (Karina Gauvin, soprano, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis), Giulio Cesare - Da Tempeste (Maria Bayo, soprano, Capriccio Stravagante, Skip Sempe), Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno - Crede l'uom ch'egli riposi (Sara Mingardo, contralto, Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini), Alessandro - Brilla nell'alma un non inteso ancor (Sandrine Piau, soprano, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset), Messiah - Hallelujah (Concerto Koln, Accentus, Laurence Equilbey)
Dove There Was A Child Joan Rodgers (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), CBSO Chorus, CBSO Youth Chorus, CBSO Junior Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Hasley (conductor) SIGNUM | SIGCD285 | 635212028520 | CD
Jonathan Dove wrote There Was a Child as a tribute to a friend's son who died tragically young. Filled with both joyous celebration and heartfelt emotion, it's a big, warm-hearted modern masterpiece in the spirit of Britten and vaughan Williams - following in an evergreen English tradition. 'Jonathan Dove's There Was a Child is a major addition to the choral repertoire, and will surely be taken up by societies up and down the country...Emotionally soul-baring, sharing an umbilical cord with Finzi's Intimations of Immortality and even Dies Natalis, this panorama of a young life draws texts from so many fine poets and therefore demands consummate clarity of presentation.' (Birmingham Post review of the concert from which this recording was taken)
A Tribute to Benny Goodman The Julian Bliss Septet SIGNUM | SIGCD288 | 635212028827 | CD
Recreating the exciting sound of swing from the 30s and 40s, Julian Bliss's dynamic virtuosity leads his septet through some of the great tunes of the swing era, staying true to the authentic feel but naturally with a modern twist.
Goodman and Sampson Don't be that way/Stompin' at the Savoy; Paganini arr. Martin Caprice No 24; Carmichael and Arodin Up a Lazy River; Seitz and Lockhart The World is Waiting for the Sunrise; De Lange, Hudson and Mills Moonglow; Gershwin Lady be Good (Rifftide); Goodman and Christian Seven Come Eleven; Van Heusen and Burke Here's that Rainy Day; Synder, Smith andWheeler Sheik of Araby; Jenkins Goodbye; Jolson, De Sylva and Rose Avalon; Goodman and Royal Soft Winds; Creamer and Laytron After you've gone
Music In The Air - A History of Classical Music on TV Glenn Gould, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Anna Netrebko, Igor Stravinsky, Arturo Toscanini, Pierre Boulez, Sergiu Celibidache, Francis Poulenc, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Jonas Kaufmann, Franz Welser-Most, Reiner E Morit ARTHAUS | K101640 | 807280164091 | DVD
Music on television has come in various guises over the last 50 years. It was already part of the program mix at the very beginning and is still around, more sophisticated than ever, live and event driven and at its best reaching millions - more people than those experiencing music in opera houses, concert halls or other venues. Television has been instrumental in popularizing music, preserving precious moments of music making and helping to create music and performances which would not exist without it. Includes the first television images ever of a regular service by the BBC in 1936.
Verdi Otello Renata Tebaldi, Hans Beirer, William dooley, Maria Ferrara, Sieglinde Wagner, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Giuseppe Patane (conductor) ARTHAUS | K101644 | 807280164497 | DVD
Among operas devoted to the subject of jealousy, Giuseppi Verdi’s Otello (1887), based on Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, The Moor of Venice (1604), is surely the best known and loved. Almost 300 years after Shakespeare, Verdi interpreted the feelings of the protagonists in his music, in a way that reveals for all times his great love of humanity and his modern psychological understanding of its problems.
Live from Deutsche Oper Berlin 1962
Monteverdi Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria Vesslina Kasarova, Dietrich Henschel, Malin Hartelius, Jonas Kaufmann, Rudolf Schasching, Isabel Rey, Martina Jankova, Zurich Opera House La Scintilla Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor) ARTHAUS | K101660 | 807280166095 | DVD
Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria is based closely on the final 10 books of Homer’s Odyssey and is hailed as the key work marking the threshold between the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Klaus Michael Gruber's new production (assisted by Ellen Hammer) supports Monteverdi's aim to put the human drama in the foreground and individualise characters through musical forms. The sets have an apt simplicity, eschewing fussy detail and spectacular effects. The colours are cool, predominantly white, blue and black, transporting us to a modern day. This stunning production stars Vesslina Kasarova and Dietrich Henschel and was recorded live at the Zurich Opera House in 2002.
Live from Zurich Opera House 2002
A Tribute To Frederick The Great DVD Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord), Kammerakademie Potsdam C MAJOR | 711308 | 814337011130 | DVD
Emmanuel Pahud, principal flautist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, honors the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great with a concert recorded in the Royal Theater of the Neues Palais Potsdam, part of the Sanssouci ensemble. Frederick was not only a great ruler but also a passionate flutist and music patron who hired the most renowned musicians and composers of his day such as J. J. Quantz, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Franz Benda. Pahud plays works of these composers accompanied by the Kammerakademie Potsdam directed by Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord. The concert is complemented by a documentary.
Frederick the Great Flute Concerto No 3 in C major; Quantz Capriccio in G major, Capriccio in B major, Flute Concerto in G major, Preludio in D major; Benda Flute Concerto in E minor; CPE Bach Flute Sonata in A minor
Also on Blu-ray 711404
Leonard Berstein Conducts Beethoven And Haydn DVD Judith Blegen (soprano), Brigitte Fassbaender (contralto), Claes Ahnsjo (tenor), Hans Sotin (bass), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Choir and Symphony Orchestra of Bavarian Radio, Leonard Bernstein (conductor) C MAJOR | 711508 | 814337011154 | DVD
A light and transparent work, Beethoven’s opus 135 is particularly well suited to a performance with a full string orchestra. Bernstein’s interpretation can be seen as an homage to his revered mentor Dimitri Mitropoulos, who was the first to conduct a string orchestra version of Beethoven string quartet (op. 131). Composed in 1826, about half a year before Beethoven’s death, opus 135 is the last work Beethoven completed. Following the profundity of the preceding Quartet op. 131, the buoyancy and humor of this piece are surprising. The work seems to long for the ideals of Classicism, which were now irretrievably lost, and aims for an accessibility which is often missing in Beethoven’s late works. Leonard Bernstein said that only the strings of the Vienna Philharmonic could carry off the orchestral rendition of this work with bravura, since each player is a true soloist. The public performance of opus 135 was acclaimed by the press. “Since Leonard Bernstein is the number one conductor today, the only one who can let the Vienna Philharmonic play the way they would love to sound all the time, he and the orchestra wanted to play a difficult Beethoven Quartet in a monster setting. They succeeded, and it was an exciting work, unlike anything one ever hears.”
The title of the work “Missa in tempore belli” (Mass in Time of War) recalls the war conducted by the Austrian Emperor Franz against France, whose young general Bonaparte was then rushing from one victory to the next. In August 1796 Vienna had to mobilize its troops. The subtitle “Paukenmesse” or Kettledrum Mass, comes from the prominent timpani and brass instruments in the last section of the Mass. The dramatic military sounds are made all the more striking as Haydn transforms the music into a fervent prayer for peace. Leonard Bernstein led this performance of the Mass at the Basilica of Ottobeuren on 30 September 1984 with the Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio. The soloists were Judith Blegen (soprano), Brigitte Fassbaender (alto), Claes H. Ahnsjö (tenor) and Hans Sotin (bass). Bernstein said: “How does it feel to conduct a Haydn mass in this extraordinary, deeply impressive setting of the Ottobeuren Basilica? It feels perfect. If I had to imagine this mass visually and translate it into architectural terms, from one art to another, or in decorative terms – this is what I would imagine. It is the Haydn Mass.”
Beethoven String Quartet No 16 (version for string orchestra), Haydn Missa in tempore belli (Mass in Time of War)
Also on Blu-ray 711604
Andras Schiff Plays Bach Andras Schiff (piano) EUROARTS | 2066768 | 880242667687 | DVD
This selection of some of Bach’s most perennially popular keyboard music admirably demonstrates the many varied facets of the composer’s fertile imagination. Deep pathos is contrasted with witty humour, serenity is paired with fleetness of foot, and all these emotions prove that this brilliantly expressive musician is as ‘unique and unequalled’ today as he was when his first biographer, J.N. Forkel, wrote so eloquently about him more than two centuries ago. These performances exemplify perfectly the thoughtful and persuasive approach that András Schiff adopts when playing Bach. Recorded in 1989, directed by Bruno Monsaingeon.
Italian Concerto BWV971, Capriccio in B-flat major BWV992, Suite No 5 in G major BWV816, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue BWV903
new on naxos august 2012
Music from The Eton Choirbook Tonus Peregrinus, Antony Pitts (conductor) NAXOS | 8572840 | 747313284078 | CD
The Eton Choirbook is a giant 500 year-old manuscript from Eton College Chapel, and one of the greatest surviving glories of pre-Reformation England. This recording features the earliest polyphonic Passion by a named composer, two heartrending motets for five and six voices, two thrilling settings of the Magnificat, and an extraordinary canon in 13 parts, Jesus autem transiens. The ensemble Tonus Peregrinus has been widely acclaimed, not least for its 'richly sung and very well recorded' program of Orlando Gibbons, L'Estrange and Pitts (The Penguin Guide on 8557681).
Lambe Nesciens mater a 5, William Monk of Stratford Magnificat a 4, Nesciens mater (plainchant), Davy St Matthew Passion a 4, Browne Stabat mater a 6, Kellyk Magnificat a 5 (first recording), Wylkynson Jesus autem transiens/Credo in Deum canon a 13
Fuchs Atlantic Riband, Divinum Mysterium, American Rhapsody Michael Ludwig (violin), Paul Silverthorne (viola), London Symphony Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta (conductor) NAXOS | 8559723 | 636943972328 | CD
Kenneth Fuchs is one of America's leading composers and his latest collaboration with award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta and the London Symphony Orchestra - the first volume of which (8559224) was nominated for two Grammy awards - reveals the breadth of his achievement. Atlantic Riband evokes the struggle and ultimate victory of ocean-crossing immigrants to America in an orchestral showpiece of power and splendour. American Rhapsody is a lyrical romance for violin and orchestra, and Divinum Mysterium a single-movement viola concerto rich in expressive tapestry. Concerto Grosso shows Fuchs's sheer energy, and Discover the Wild is an orchestral overture of lyricism and color.
Atlantic Riband, Divinum Mysterium, American Rhapsody, Concerto Grosso, Discover the Wild
Taylor Through The Looking Glass, Griffes Poem Scott Goff (flute), Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz (conductor) NAXOS | 8559724 | 636943972427 | CD
Seattle Symphony Collection
The opulent and sensual expressiveness in these composers' works has long been obscured by more turbulent developments in music of the 20th century. One of Deems Taylor's most successful compositions, Through the Looking Glass celebrates Alice in Wonderland, each of its five sections corresponding to passages or episodes from this enchanting tale. Influenced by the German Romantics and French Impressionists, Charles Tomlinson Griffes' rich harmonic palette and orchestral colors can be heard in the Poem written for flutist Georges Barrere, the landscapes of the Three Tone Pictures and poetry of The White Peacock, while Kubla Khan and the Bacchanale share exotic oriental inspiration.
Taylor Through the Looking Glass Op 12, Griffes Poem for Flute and Orchestra, The White Peacock, The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan Op 8, Three Tone Pictures, Bacchanale
Motsalvatge Piano Music Vol 3 Jordi Maso (piano I), Miquel Villalba (piano II, celeste), Pia Freund (soprano), Ferran Carceller, Miquel Angel Martinez (percussion), Ensemble Barcelona 216, Ernest Martinez Izquierdo (conductor) NAXOS | 8572636 | 747313263677 | CD
Xavier Montsalvatge was a major contributor to Catalonian culture in the 20th century. His works for two pianos collect most of his musical preoccupations into a single programme. The jazz-tinted Barcelona Blues reflects his 'passion for the ballet', and the Tres divertimentos his fascination with Les Six. Borrowing the sonorities of Bartok, Sum Vermis expresses the 'tortured symbolism' of Jacint Verdaguer's poetry. One of Montsalvatge's own favourites, the rarely performed Cinco Invocaciones al Crucificado evokes biblical dramatic intensity, and the self-paraphrasing Calidoscopio looks back over the composer's own creative past. Jordi Maso's complete recordings of Montsalvatge's solo piano music can be found on 8570744 and 8570756.
Music for Two Pianos - Barcelona Blues, Calidoscopio, Homenatge, Tres Divertimentos sobre temas de autores olvidados, Sum Vermis, Cinco invocaciones al Crucificado
Old Wine In New Bottles Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble, Dana Chamber Winds, Stephen L Gage (conductor) NAXOS | 8572762 | 747313276271 | CD
The wind ensemble repertory has a rich history and a vibrant contemporary presence. Donald Grantham, for example, evokes gospel music of the 1920s and '30s in Starry Crown, which draws on the earthy vitality of call-and-response sermons. Steven Bryant's Ecstatic Waters reaches forward to present a pulsating narrative of exuberance, contradiction and subtle dialogue. Gordon Jacob wrote two series of settings of Old Wine In New Bottles in which he took old English settings and clothed them in his zesty and witty colours. To end, we have the songful lyricism of Carter Penn's Hold This Boy and Listen.
Grantham Starry Crown; Jacob Old Wine in New Bottles, More Old Wine in New Bottles; Bryant Ecstatic Waters; Pann Hold This Boy and Listen
WF Bach Keyboard Works Vol 3 Julia Brown (harpsichord) NAXOS | 8572814 | 747313281473 | CD
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was renowned as a brilliant improviser and keyboard performer. His keyboard sonatas, filled with quirky contrasts and a more adventurously chromatic and exploratory style than that of his contemporaries, attest to his individualism and virtuoso technical skill. His only Suite reworks and expands his father, JS Bach's models, turning conventional dance movements into character pieces. WF Bach's enthralling and unexpected twists and turns create an expressive and unique musical language, performed by the 'wonderful' Julia Brown (Fanfare on 8570530 WF Bach Keyboard Works Vol 2).
Sonatas in E-flat major F5/BRA7, in B-flat major F9 BRA16, Suite in G minor F24/BRA39, Sonatas in C major F2/BRA3, in D major F4/BRA5
Reger Organ Works Vol 12 Kirsten Sturm (organ) NAXOS | 8572821 | 747313282173 | CD
In both volume and artistic distinction there is little doubt that Reger was the greatest German composer for the organ since Bach. He relished Lutheran chorales and employed them freely, a sense of grandeur and gravity permeating his music for the instrument. The Suite No 1 in E minor was completed in 1895, and admired by Brahms. Its four movements offer a compendium of Reger's genius for both complexity and transparency. His later Suite No 2 in G minor, cast in seven taut movements, similarly employs contrast, imitation and variety whilst ending in a glorious and triumphant Fugue.
Organ Suites No 1 in E minor Op 16, No 2 in G minor Op 92
The Guerra Manuscript Vol 2 Juan Sancho (tenor), Ars Atlantica, Eligio Luis Quinteiro, Manuel Vilas (director) NAXOS | 8572876 | 747313287673 | CD
17th Century Secular Spanish Vocal Music
Named after an eminent scribe at the court in Madrid, the Guerra Manuscript contains over one hundred secular songs from the second half of the seventeenth century. The anthology is a valuable repository of music from anonymous sources but also from Spain's very finest Baroque composers, such as Juan Hidalgo and Jose Marin. These expressive songs, largely on poetic and mythological themes, are performed by some of the world's leading interpreters of the genre, whose first volume in this series (8570135) received great acclaim.
Wolf-Ferrari Wind Concertinos Andrea Tenaglia (oboe), William Moriconi (cor anglais), Giuseppe Ciabocchi (bassoon), Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Francesco La Vecchia (conductor) NAXOS | 8572921 | 747313292172 | CD
Although Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari is known mainly for his operatic compositions (La vedova scaltra is available on Naxos CD 866022526 and DVD 2110234-35), he wrote a number of sublimely expressive and lyrical orchestral works, devoting the majority of his time in later life to composing instrumental music. The three delightfully melodic, rhythmically buoyant and, at times elegiac works featured on this recording represent his complete wind concerto output.
Idillio-concertino in A major Op 15, Concertino in A-flat majo, Op 34, Suite-concertino in F major Op 16
This selection ranges from the romanticism of Francisco Tarrega, the Spanish impressionism of Albeniz's Mallorca and the neo-romanticism of the contemporary Croatian composer, Stjepan Sulek, to Rodrigo's masterly evocation of the gardens of the Alhambra Palace in Granada and Britten's revolutionary Nocturnal after John Dowland. Croatian guitarist Srdjan Bulat has won numerous prestigious awards, and was winner of the Certamen Tarrega 2011 which included a special award for his performance of the work of Francisco Tarrega.
Rodrigo Junto al Generalife; Regondi Etude No 8 in G major; Tarrega Preludio No 1, Endecha, Oremus, Rosita - Polka, Capricho arabe; Sulek The Troubadours Three; Albeniz Mallorca; Britten Nocturnal after John Dowland Op 70
Piano Laureate - Marianna Prjevalskaya Marianna Prjevalskaya (2011 Winner Jaen Prize International Piano Competition) NAXOS | 8573031 | 747313303175 | CD
Haydn's Andante con variazioni is a masterpiece of fantasy and expression in which the alternation of themes provides ever-changing variety. Domenico Scarlatti's Sonatas revel in colour and rhythmic vivacity with the G minor K450 luxuriating in a 'Spanish Tango' of great originality. Robert Schumann told his wife-to-be, Clara, that the Sonata in F-sharp minor, so rich in poetry and passion, was 'a cry from my heart to yours'. Marianna Prjevalskaya is a laureate of numerous international piano competitions, including the Paderewski (2007), Seoul (2008), Jose Iturbi (2008), Sendai (2010) and Maria Canals (2011).
Haydn Andante con variazioni in F minor Hob.XVII:6; Scarlatti Sonatas in A minor K175/L429/P136, in G major K125/L487/P152, in G minor K450/L338/P422, in D minor K213/L108/P288, in F minor K365/L480/P112; Schumann Piano Sonata No 1 in F-sharp minor Op 11; Zarate Aurgitana
Composed by the young Gioachino Rossini in eleven days to comply with a contractual commitment, L'occasione fa il ladro (Opportunity Makes A Thief) is a comedy of multiple confusions. Count Alberto, travelling to be wed to a fiancee he has yet to meet, leaves an inn with the wrong suitcase. Don Parmenione audaciously adopts the Count's identity, determined to take the bride for himself. This single-act burletta is a swift and deftly plotted moral drama, Rossini's exuberant inspiration poured into interactions both tender and hilariously bewildering.
A Musical Journey - Spain Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Keith Clark (conductor) NAXOS DVD | 2110308 | 747313530854 | DVD
A Musical Visit to Madrid, La Mancha and Cordoba
The Places - The musical tour of Spain starts at the present capital, Madrid, the principal city of Castile. From Madrid it is not too far to the plains of La Mancha, a region always remembered for its association with the great hero of Miguel Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha, whose windmills, mistaken by him for giants, form a characteristic element in the landscape. The varied history of Spain is seen in the city of Cordoba, once capital of a Moorish kingdom, and the gardens of the Alcazar of the Christian Kings.
The Music - The music chosen for the tour of Spain may be characteristically Spanish in its rhythms and turns of melody, but is all the work of foreigners, two of the composers, Chabrier and Massenet, French, and two of them, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian. For France, geographically adjacent to Spain, there was an obvious connection with Spain, which continued to exercise a certain fascination over its neighbour. Russian composers in the 19th century embarked on the creation of a new national music, but at the same time drew on remoter countries for inspiration, whether on the different regions of the vast Russian Empire or still further afield.
A Musical Journey - Czech Republic Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth (conductor) NAXOS DVD | 2110309 | 747313530953 | DVD
A Musical Visit to Prague and Lednice Castle
The Places - The churches and palaces of Prague are seen, with the great River Vltava (the Moldau), which flows through the city, the outline of city buildings reflected in its waters. The Strahov Monastery and the Villa Bertramka are practical examples of Mozart's contact with Prague. On a visit to the monastery he improvised on the organ, and at the Villa Bertramka he and his wife Constanze were guests of the Czech composer Dusek. There is also a visit to Southern Moravia and Lednice, with its Neo-Gothic castle, its folly, a slender minaret, in its English gardens, with its trees and artificial lakes.
The Music - Mozart had happy memories of Prague. When, during the last ten years of his life, circumstances in Vienna proved increasingly difficult, he was always welcome in the Bohemian capital. It was for Prague that he wrote his opera Don Giovanni in 1787 and for Prague that he wrote one of his last operas, La clemenza di Tito, commissioned for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, and for his unappreciative wife, who described the work as 'porcheria tedesca', German pig-swill. Prague continues to honour Mozart in various festivals, concerts and memorabilia.
A Musical Journey - Austria and Belgium Magdelena Hajossyova, Jaroslava Horska, Jozef Kundlak, Peter Mikulas, Vladimir Ruso, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Zdenek Kosler NAXOS DVD | 2110333 | 747313533350 | DVD
A Musical Visit to Salzburg and Vienna, Brussels and Tournai
The Places - The tour relates to the life of Mozart, from his native Salzburg to his final precarious independence in Vienna. There are glimpses of the Salzburg Church of St Peter and of the Cathedral, with which Mozart and his father, members of the musical establishment of the ruling Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, were closely concerned. Memorials of Mozart and other composers are seen in Vienna, while a brief detour to Belgium to the idiosyncratic Musee Wiertz and to the Tournai Musee des Beaux Arts, brings another aspect to the journey.
The Music - Mozart's Requiem Mass was commissioned anonymously in July 1791 by Count Franz Walsegg zu Stuppach, who sought to commemorate the recent death of his wife by the performance of a work of this kind that he might, at least by implication, claim as his own. An initial fee of sixty ducats was paid, with promise of a further sum when the Requiem was completed. But in November Mozart was taken ill and within a fortnight he was dead. His widow, Constanze, who needed the rest of the fee for the work, asked Joseph Eybler, who had assisted Mozart in rehearsals for Cosi fan tutte, to finish the composition and the scoring. He later gave up the task and the unfinished score finally came into the hands of Franz Xaver Sussmayr, so that the best known form of the Requiem is that started by Mozart, continued briefly by Eybler and completed by Sussmayr.
Australian Guitar Music Aleksandr Tsiboulski (guitar) NAXOS | 8570949 | CD | 747313094974
‘Add another name to Australia’s thriving classical guitar scene…Tsiboulski is the complete guitarist. His playing possesses a highly controlled, honed refinement, but he rises above the technical demands to reach a new level of concentrated, inner thought…The standout is Koehne’s rhapsodic A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design, which Tsiboulski plays with exquisite, perfectly judged phrases and aching tenderness. He is excellent, too, with Edwards’ Guitar Dances and Blackwattle Caprices…Sculthorpe’s ruminative From Kakadu and Djilile acquire an almost spiritual power.’ (The Australian, 5-star review)
Mozart Violin Concertos Richard Tognetti, Christopher Moore, ACO BIS | BISSACD1754 | SACD | 7318599917542
Undoubtedly one of the most popular and accessible classical albums by any Australian artist this year, this is the Australian Chamber Orchestra's much-anticipated first release dedicated solely to Mozart following a national tour featuring one of his violin concertos. It's set to rival Tognetti’s recordings of Bach which won three consecutive ARIA awards. Watch footage from the recording sessions, interviews with Tognetti and more on the dedicated mini-site: www.savd.com.au/aco
18-24 June 2012 Stéphane Denève conducts Debussy Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stéphane Denève (conductor) CHANDOS | CHSA51022 | 095115510223 |SACD2
Recognised internationally as a conductor of the highest calibre, Stéphane Denève took up the post of Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2005, and has since attracted attention from audiences and critics alike. This May, the conductor bids a fond farewell to Scotland and the RSNO with a series of ‘Au Revoir’ concerts, and of course, this disc of orchestral works by Debussy.
After the impact made by the production of Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902, the next orchestral work by Debussy was awaited with intense interest. La Mer did not disappoint, and is today widely considered to have been crucial in its influence on twentieth-century music. After completing this work, Debussy spent no fewer than seven years wrestling with what were to become Images for orchestra. With a sultry flute solo, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune opened an astonishing new world for western music. Debussy based this composition on a poem by Mallarmé, who wrote to the composer: ‘I have come from the concert, deeply moved: A miracle! that your illustration of L’Après-midi d’un faune should present no dissonance with my text, other than to venture further, truly, into nostalgia and light…’ The three Nocturnes feature some of Debussy’s most imaginative orchestral writing. In the words of the composer, ‘the title Nocturnes is… not meant to designate the usual form of a nocturne, but rather all the various impressions and the special effects of light that the word would suggest’. Debussy provided descriptions of the three movements. ‘Nuages’, for example, depicts ‘the slow, melancholy procession of the clouds, ending in a grey agony tinged with white’, and also the experience of standing ‘on the Pont de Solférino very late at night. Total silence. The Seine without a ripple, like a tarnished mirror’.
28 May – 3 June 2012 Turina Chamber Music The Nash Ensemble HYPERION RECORDS | CDA67889 | 034571178899 | CD
The colourful folk melodies and rhythms of Spain knit seamlessly with twentieth-century French compositional sophistication in Joaquín Turina’s chamber works. Born in Seville, Andalucia, the young composer went to study in Paris in 1905, where he was greatly attracted to the forward-looking style of the likes of Debussy—however, his musical course was altered when he encountered countrymen Falla and Albéniz, who encouraged him to write in a style that fully embraced his Andalucian musical heritage. Later in life the composer himself explained ‘my music is the expression of the feeling of a true Sevillian who did not know Seville until he left it’. The acclaimed Nash Ensemble here demonstrate what a satisfying artistic homecoming he made.
Piano Quartet in A minor Op 67, Violin Sonata No 2 in G major Op 82 ‘Sonata espagnola’, Escena andaluza Op 7, Piano Trio No 1 Op 35
7-13 MAY 2012 Beethoven Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra Tasmin Little (violin), Tim Hugh (cello), Howard Shelley (piano, conductor), Opera North Chorus and Orchestra CHANDOS | CHAN106954 | 095115169520 | CD4
4 CDs for the price of 3! Alongside his much-loved five piano concertos and the stirring Choral Fantasia, this magnificent set includes two exciting rarities: Beethoven’s own arrangement of his Violin Concerto and the world premiere recording of Howard Shelley’s reconstruction of one of Beethoven’s earliest works, a piano concerto written in 1784 when he was only 13 years old for which the piano part alone has survived.
CD 1 - Piano Concerto No 1 Op 15, Piano Concerto No 4 Op 58, Rondo in B flat major WoO 6
CD 2 - Piano Concerto No 2 Op 19, Piano Concerto No 5 Op 73 'Emperor', Beethoven and Mozart: An Obsession? – A talk by Howard Shelley
CD 3 - Piano Concerto No 3 Op 37, Piano Concerto Op 61 (Beethoven’s own arrangement of his Violin Concerto)
CD 4 – Choral Fantasia Op 80, Piano Concerto ‘No 0’ WoO4 (world premiere recording, orchestration and accompaniment reconstructed and recreated by Howard Shelley), Triple Concerto Op 56
14-20 MAY 2012 Time Thy Musicke To Thy Hart Stile Antico, Fretwork HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU807554 | 093046755461 | SACD
Tudor and Jacobean music by Tomkins, Campion, Byrd, Tallis, Dowland, Gibbons and others from the Golden Age of early English music. Described as 'an ensemble of breathtaking freshness, vitality and balance (The New York Times), Stile Antico joins the equally renowned ensemble Fretwork on this ravishing selection of Renaissance music composed for domestic devotion drawn from collections prepared for that purpose.
Tomkins O praise the Lord, Amner O ye little flock, Taverner In Nomine (Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas), Ramsey How Are The Mighty Fall'n, Tallis Purge Me O Lord, Amner A Stranger Here, Parsons In Nomine a 4 No 1, Browne Jesu Mercy How May This Be?, Parsons In Nomine a 4 No 2, Croce From Profound Centre Of My Heart, Dowland I Shame At My Unworthiness, Campion Never Weather-beaten Sail, Byrd Why Do I Use My Paper Ink And Pen?, Thomas Tomkins When David Heard, Gibbons See See The Word Is Incarnate