reVisions
Ravel arr Richard Tognetti Two Hebrew Melodies, Debussy arr Sally Beamish Suite for Cello and Orchestra, Prokofiev arr Vladimir Blok Concertino for Cello and Orchestra Op 132, Bloch arr Christopher Palmer From Jewish Life Steven Isserlis, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Gábor Takács-Nagy (conductor) BIS | BISSACD11782 | SACD | 7318599917825
Steven Isserlis has earned a reputation as one of the foremost cellists of our day. At the same time he has become known for his ingenuity and innovation in programming, of which this disc is the perfect example. It combines four works for cello and orchestra that wouldn’t even exist without Isserlis – all arrangements made at his personal request, and each of them by the arranger of his personal choice. reVisions includes two Ravel songs arranged by Isserlis’ friend, Australian violinist Richard Tognetti, in order to supplement the concert programme of Isserlis’ 2008 ‘Intense’ tour with Tognetti’s own Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Prokofiev Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’, No 5 Sydney Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor) EXTON | EXCL00042 | SACD | 4526977050429
Sydney Symphony’s much-anticipated recordings from Maestro Ashkenazy’s 2009 Prokofiev Festival are finally here! The third collection of live and session recordings in Ashkenazy’s series of Sydney Symphony composer festivals, this set of four albums follows recorded festivals of Rachmaninov in 2007 and Elgar in 2008. This first Prokofiev disc includes the accessible ‘Classical’ First Symphony and the popular fifth. Internationally renowned as one of the finest interpreters of Russian composers, Sydney Symphony’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor returns to Australia for concerts in August.
Schubert Die Schöne Müllerin Mark Padmore (tenor), Paul Lewis (piano) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU907519 | CD | 093046751920
Following their much lauded recording of Winterreise (HMU907484), Mark Padmore and Paul Lewis turn to Schubert’s first song-cycle, Die schöne Müllerin, which follows a lovelorn young man on a melancholy journey of false hope. Two great artists at the zenith of their careers. ‘Padmore sets out on a searing journey of self-revelation…A recording to live with’ –Gramophone
Romantic Piano Concertos Vol.51
Taubert, Rosenhain Piano Concertos Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Howard Shelley (piano, conductor)
The 51st volume of Hyperion’s iconic Romantic Piano Concerto collection follows the recent success and rave reviews of Stephen Hough’s Volume 50 (Tchaikovsky CDA677112). The series continues to surprise and delight with a new disc of 19th-century pianistic splendor: two piano concertos by Wilhelm Taubert as well as one of the two works for piano and orchestra by Jacob Rosenhain. Schumann described Taubert’s A major Concerto as ‘one of the best’ and compared it favourably to Mendelssohn’s Op 25. Howard Shelley directs the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from the piano; a partnership that has been praised with a 5-star review in The Australian (Volume 48, CDA67720)
The great Australian conductor Sir Charles Mackerras passed away on 14 July 2010, aged 84. Select pays tribute to a remarkable life of music.
read more » In April 2010, the Czech Minister of Culture awarded Sir Charles the Artis Bohemiae Amicis medal for his extraordinary contribution to Czech orchestral music and opera: his deep and abiding passion. Over thirty years he recorded countless gems for Czech label Supraphon, most recently garnering a Gramophone Award for Martinů’s Juliette and a 4½ star review in The Australian for Dvořák Symphonic Poems. Dozens of his superb recordings are available on Chandos, Hyperion and Signum in addition to Supraphon.
Charles Mackerras Conducts Eric Coates and Sullivan DUTTON | CDVS1964 | CD | 765387196424 London Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonia, Charles Mackerras (conductor)
Dvořák Symphonic Poems Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) SUPRAPHON | SU4012 | CD | 099925401221 4 ½ stars, The Australian
Martinů Juliette SUPRAPHON | SU3994 | CD | 099925399429 Magdalena Kožená, Steve Davislim, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)
Gramophone Award: Best Recital Recording
Mozart Cosi fan tutte CHANDOS | CHAN3152 | CD3 | 095115315224 Lesley Garrett (soprano), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)
Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 HYPERION | CDS443015 | CD5 | 034571143019 Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)
Born in Sarajevo at a time when the folk music of Yugoslavia enjoyed widespread popularity, Amira learned traditional sevdalinke (songs of yearning) from her mother. Her big break came performing with the gypsy ensemble Mostar Sevdah Reunion, her 2005 debut solo album finding its way onto several Album of the Year lists. Accompanied by Merima Ključo, one of the world's finest classical accordionists, Amira looks at these traditional songs in a new light, rediscovering them and presenting them as the true gems they are. These are hauntingly beautiful examples of the highly complex musical cultures of Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia. 'Where Amira goes, follow...Zumra is in the ballpark for one of this year's best.' –Froots
August 9, 2010 Dances Aquarelle Guitar Quartet CHANDOS | CHAN10609 | CD | 095115160923
Dances is the second release for Chandos by the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet. The percussive capability of the guitar lends itself extremely well to the rhythmic energies of many dance forms.
This collection highlights the versatility of the classical guitar and the manner in which it can be used to interpret such vibrant dances, from classics such as Boccherini’s Introduction and Fandango to original arrangements of the music of Piazzolla and Biréli Lagrène. The Aquarelle Quartet formed and studied under Australian guitarist Craig Ogden. Praise for their previous album, Spirit of Brazil (CHAN10512): ‘...outstanding playing and infectious spirit. This is no mere niche guitar CD, but a luscious and lively general-appeal winner.’ –BBC Music *****
August 2, 2010 Mozart Violin Concertos Nos 3, 5 Richard Tognetti, Australian Chamber Orchestra BIS | BISSACD1754 | SACD | 7318599917542
Destined to be 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 album dedicated solely to Mozart following a national tour featuring one of the composer’s violin concertos.
It's set to rival Tognetti’s recordings of Bach which won three consecutive ARIA awards. Mozart's violin concertante works are amongst his most beautiful, and Richard Tognetti as soloist plays them on one of the world's finest violins (the extraordinary 10-million-dollar Carrodus crafted by Guarneri in 1743) with rare insight, passion and poetry. This is surely the must-have classical album of 2010. Watch footage from the recording sessions, interviews with Tognetti and more
July 5, 2010 Gershwin by Grofé - Symphonic Jazz Lincoln Mayorga (piano), Al Gallodoro (clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone), Harmonie Ensemble, Steven Richman HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU907492 | CD | 093046749224
In this swinging collection of ‘symphonic jazz’, Steve Richman and the Harmonie Ensemble New York recreate the original Gershwin orchestrations made by Ferde Grofé for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
The programme features Gershwin’s immortal Rhapsody in Blue (with legendary clarinettist Al Gallodoro, an original member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in the 1930s!), the I Got Rhythm Variations, and a selection of George’s Broadway tunes, including 'Summertime'.
Chopin Piano Concerto No 1
Krakowiak, Fantasia on Polish Airs Eldar Nebolsin (piano), Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Antoni Wit (conductor) NAXOS | 8572335 | CD | 747313233571
Chopin’s youthful Piano Concerto No. 1 is dominated by the brilliant piano part that the teenage performer-composer wrote to showcase his extraordinary virtuosity.
The Fantasy on Polish Airs, Op. 13 and the Rondo à la Krakowiak are similarly vehicles for Romantic reverie and bravura which pay tribute to the music of his homeland. Eldar Nebolsin’s recording of Liszt’s piano concertos (8570517) was ranked ‘among the finest’ by Gramophone.
Although temperamentally quite different and born a century apart, both Nicolò Paganini and Fritz Kreisler enjoyed stellar careers as violin virtuosos, touring widely and thrilling audiences with their astonishing virtuosity and innate showmanship.
Kreisler’s arrangements of Paganini’s music, including two large-scale sets of variations based on themes from Rossini operas, the famous La Campanella and several Caprices, brought these charming and demanding pieces to an enthusiastic public. ‘A wonderfully accomplished soloist’ (Gramophone), Russian-born, American-based violinist Philippe Quint follows the path of his illustrious forebears with equal measures of stunning technique and immense sensitivity.
The art of variation lies at the heart of much music, including that of Beethoven, who practiced this demanding technique as both performer and composer at many stages throughout his career.
For his ‘Eroica’ Variations Beethoven used a theme originally written for his ballet music from The Creatures of Prometheus which he later incorporated into his Third Symphony. Other variations, whether based on the music of his contemporaries or of his own invention, such as the famous Turkish March from The Ruins of Athens, provide considerable insights to Beethoven’s much vaunted virtuosity and profound creativity.
Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost Globe Theatre OPUS ARTE | OA1035D | DVD | 809478010272
Using every kind of verbal gymnastics to poke fun, Shakespeare’s most intellectual comedy is brought to hilarious life in Dominic Dromgoole’s highly entertaining production, rich in visual humour and sexual innuendo. Direct from the bard’s own Globe Theatre for an authentic Shakespearean experience! View the trailer
coming soon
September 2010 Mozart The Magic Flute Daniel Behle, Marlis Petersen, Sunhae Im, Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC90206870 | CD3 | 794881966721
Following his critically acclaimed landmark recordings of Don Giovanni and Idomeneo, René Jacobs and his winning team join forces again for Mozart’s most enchanting and popular opera, The Magic Flute. The opera release of the year!
reVisions
Prokofiev Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’, No 5
Schubert Die Schöne Müllerin
Romantic Piano Concertos Vol.51
