Yiddish Rhapsody Sirba Octet, Isabelle Georges, Orchestra de Pau NAÏVE | AM191 | CD | 822186001912
From lullabies to jazz standards, from Yiddish theatre to musicals, Jewish migration during the Second World War yielded a flourishing, diverse musical culture like no other. Following the success of ABC Classic FM CD Of The Week, From the Shtetl to New York (AM173), the musicians of the Sirba Octet once again join forces with the all-singing, all-dancing Isabelle Georges and this time welcome a symphony orchestra into the fold. The result is a dazzling program of traditional Yiddish song enriched by the Broadway and modern orchestral textures.
Watch Sirba Octet & Isabelle Georges:
Elgar The Crown Of India Gerald Finley (baritone), Clare Shearer (mezzo), Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, BBC Philharmonic, Andrew Davis (conductor) CHANDOS | CHAN10570 | CD2 | 095115157022
Imperial March, Coronation March, Empire March
An elaborate pageant and theatrical presentation, The Crown of India was first staged in 1912 to celebrate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Delhi for their coronation as Emperor and Empress of India. Chandos presents the first complete recording of the masque (completed by Anthony Payne in 2008) with Clare Shearer and the 2009 Gramophone Award-winning Gerald Finley conducted by Sir Andrew Davis (newly signed to Chandos). The recording captures all the pomp and pageantry with which Elgar is associated. The work is presented on 2 CDs (for the price of a single CD): Disc 1 includes the entire masque with narration, whilst Disc 2 contains only the music and Marches. Sir Andrew’s fascination with Elgar runs deep: ‘This is from Elgar’s mature period, the time of the Violin Concerto and Sospiri. There’s a ‘March of the Moguls’ which is the only march I know in three time and an exquisite interlude with solo violin.’
Schumann Lieder Bernarda Fink (mezzo), Anthony Spiri (piano) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC902031 | CD | 794881925025
Gedichte der Konigin Maria Stuart Op 135
‘I would like to sing myself to death like a nightingale’, wrote Schumann in 1840, revealing a sudden passion for the lied, a genre he had hitherto disdained. His deeply Romantic cycles disclose in the piano part what the words do not express, to the point where he completely dissolves the traditional forms of versification. Written in 1852 in a period of intense nervous suffering, the cycle of Poems of Queen Mary Stuart stands out for its austerity and exceptional concentration of resources; it might be seen as its composer’s testament. Bernarda Fink is one of the world’s most celebrated mezzo-sopranos, often compared with the legendary Janet Baker for her rich, focused tone. Her previous 2009 release for Harmonia Mundi (Bach Cantatas HMC902016) was an ABC Classic FM CD of the Week.
Handel The Messiah Soloists, Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Layton HYPERION | CDA67800 | CD2 | 034571178004
“No-one, but no-one performs Messiah better every year than the choir Polyphony under the conductor Stephen Layton”
– Evening Standard
Polyphony and Stephen Layton’s live Messiah at St John’s Smith Square has become one of the highlights of the London musical season. The joyful sincerity and urgent brilliance of the performers has brought the familiar story to life again and again. Now this wonderful experience is available on disc, recorded in 2008 for a new release that will surely prove a strong competitor in a necessarily crowded market. Polyphony is joined by the Britten Sinfonia and a quartet of magnificent young soloists, all variously acclaimed as the premier Handel singers of the new generation. Stephen Layton visits Australia in December 2009 to conduct The Messiah – a real Christmas treat.
Schumann String Quartet, Piano Quintet Takacs Quartet, Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) HYPERION | CDA67631 | CD | 034571176314
String Quartet in A Major Op 41 No 3, Piano Quintet in E Flat Major Op 44
The peerless Takács Quartet, recently nominated for a Gramophone award for their second disc of Brahms’s string quartets, continue their fêted exploration of the Romantic chamber music tradition with this disc of Schumann.
The Piano Quintet in E flat major is by far Schumann’s most popular chamber work and one of the most beloved works in the genre. Schumann was the first romantic composer to pair the piano with the string quartet. It was written during the composer’s ‘chamber music year’ (1842) when, ‘in the first happiness of reunion with the piano, his creative imagination took on a new lease of life’ (Joan Chisell, Robert Schumann). Schumann had been studying the string quartets of Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, and the String Quartet in A major Op 41 No 3 demonstrates these influences, but is written in a characteristic musical language and contains many highly original strokes, particularly the casting of the Scherzo as a set of variations.
The Takács Quartet are joined by Marc-André Hamelin in an invigorating partnership that has already been widely acclaimed on the concert platform.
Sacred Music – Cornerstone Works Various Artists HARMONIA MUNDI | HMX290830433 | CD30 | 794881933501
30 CDs for the price of 4
Harmonia Mundi boasts the world’s richest catalogue of exquisitely performed sacred music, from early masters Josquin Desprez and Guillaume Machaut to key Baroque works – Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – to the Bernstein Mass and beyond. This 30-CD set (including a disc of complete sung texts) follows the staggering success of the label’s 50th Anniversary Box in 2007 (HMX290825079) and gathers together definitive recordings from some of today’s finest artists. William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, René Jacobs, Philippe Herreweghe, Ensemble 415 & Chiara Banchini, The Hilliard Ensemble and many other luminaries jostle each other inside this lavish musical treasure chest!
Four lavish, limited edition boxed sets of Bach’s glorious choral cantatas in definitive performances by the acclaimed Bach Collegium Japan. Each box is incredible value at 10 CDs for the price of 3!
The Golden Age of English Polyphony The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (2009 Gramophone Artist of the Year) HYPERION | CDS4440110 | CD10 | 034571144016
10 CDs for the price of 3
Sacred music and Masses by Taverner, Sheppard, Mundy, Fayrfax
When The Sixteen embarked upon their recording career back in 1982, few would have been able to predict quite how successful they would become, or how far they would go towards rehabilitating the little-known and barely recorded music of these four master composers of the sixteenth century. In this their 30th anniversary year, we join them in celebrating a Golden Age of Polyphony, and of music-making, by presenting their twelve discs of this repertoire in an attractively packaged (and priced) 10-CD re-mastered set.
The Tallis Scholars Sing Flemish Masters The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (direction) GIMELL | CDGIM211 | CD2 | 755138121126
2 CDs for the price of 1
‘The Flemish masters have been at the heart of our work from the beginning, just as they were at the heart of the whole Renaissance musical scene – and their Masses were the showcase in which they displayed their most sophisticated achievements. Here are five of the greatest, from five of the greatest masters.' – Peter Phillips, The Tallis Scholars
Eternal Fire - Bach Cantata Choruses Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (conductor) SOLI DEO GLORIA | SDG177 | CD | 843183017720
A superb collection of the greatest choruses from the award-winning Bach Cantatas series, at a special price! The first highly anticipated compilation featuring the most glorious moments from John Eliot Gardiner's acclaimed Bach Pilgrimage. The fourteen choruses heard here – many of them from Christmas Cantatas – were recorded during the course of the Pilgrimage and each exhibits clearly Bach's depth, originality and incomparable genius. This collection is the ideal Christmas gift for music lovers, an essential introduction to the grandeur and beauty of Bach's wondrous choral universe.
November 2009 To Saint Cecilia Anders Dahlin (tenor), Lucy Crowe (soprano), Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto), Richard Croft (tenor), Lucas Tittoto (bass), Choir and Orchestra of Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor) NAIVE | V5183 | CD2 | 822186051832
Purcell Hail Bright Cecilia, Handel A Song For Saint Cecilia's Day, Haydn Cecilia Mass
Three great works by three great composers (each of whom has an important anniversary in 2009) linked by associations with the patron saint of music, St Cecilia.
Minkowski, the Choir and Musiciens du Louvre are in fine form here, as are the excellent soloists Lucy Crowe (soprano), Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto), and Anders J. Dahlin (tenor). Purcell’s Hail! Bright Cecilia, Handel’s A Song for St Cecilia’s Day and Haydn’s St Cecilia Mass are justifiably regarded as masterpieces, each inspiring its composer to ravishing evocations of the power of music. As Minkowski writes in the extensive booklet of this beautifully packaged edition, ‘Richness of timbres, sonic invention and intensity of expression are the outstanding features of these three sumptuous works, Baroque in character but timeless in their content’. Let St Cecilia brighten your day.
November 2009 The Baroque Trombone Members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra - Richard Tognetti (violin), Helena Rathbone (violin), Maxime Bibeau (double bass), Neal Peres Da Costa (harpsichord, organ), Christian Lindberg (trombone) BIS RECORDS | BISCD1688 | CD | 7318590016886
Frescobaldi Four Canzonas, Biber Trio Sonata, Castello Three Sonatas
Christian Lindberg, who has done more than anyone to establish the modern trombone as a solo instrument, bought his first sackbut 30 years ago with the hope of one day recording a baroque programme. Now the opportunity to do so has arrived – largely due to Lindberg’s encounter with Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. On this recording Lindberg and a handful of the ACO players in ‘sweet harmony’ (including Helena Rathbone, Maxime Bibeauand Neal Peres Da Costa)present a programme of sonatas and canzonas by Biber, Frescobaldi and Dario Castello.
In 1999 Chandos released an album featuring music from the novels of Louis de Bernières (CHAN9780) to great acclaim, and it launched the ingenious partnership of Australian guitarist Craig Ogden and Alison Stephens, the celebrated mandolinist who played on the motion picture soundtrack to Captain Corelli's Mandolin. The pair have been performing together internationally ever since and this new disc celebrates their decade-long musical partnership. During this time, they have amassed an eclectic repertoire of vibrant music from Columbia, Mexico, Greece and other regions. The result is a wildly colourful album of fresh works bound to appeal to lovers of classical and world music alike, as well as plucked instrument enthusiasts. Alison will donate her royalties from the sale of this disc to Macmillan Cancer Support.
In Terra Pax A Christmas Anthology Julia Doyle (soprano), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Hilary Davan Wetton (conductor) NAXOS | 8572102 | CD | 747313210275
Holst Christmas Day, Rutter What Sweeter Music, Vaughan Williams Folk Songs of the Four Seasons 'Winter', Finzi In Terra Pax Christmas Scene, Howells Here Is The Little Door, A Spotless Rose, Warlock Three Carols, Leighton A Hymn of the Nativity, Gardner Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Mathias A Babe Is Born
Performances of carols both ancient and modern have become central to the celebration of Christmas. The choral music on this disc includes Holst’s surprisingly neglected Christmas Day, as well as music by Leighton, Joubert, Mathias, Gardner and Rutter. The nostalgic mood of Howells’s evergreen carol anthems is echoed in Finzi’s In terra pax, which recalls the pealing of bells at midnight on a frosty Christmas Eve. The City of London Choir, which enjoys an enviable reputation as a ‘leader among nonprofessional choruses’ (The Times), makes its Naxos début with this delightful recording.
Vaughan Williams Piano Concerto Ashley Wass (piano), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, James Judd (conductor) NAXOS | 8572304 | CD | 747313230471
The popular overture from Vaughan Williams’s incidental music for Aristophanes’s The Wasps introduces a suite whose mischievously witty, noble and farcical movements underline the play’s satire of the Athenian legal system. A similar vivacity characterises his English Folksong Suite and The Running Set, where Vaughan Williams relishes setting tunes such as Barrack Hill, Irish Reel, The Blackthorn Stick and Cock o’ the North. Folksong-like melodies also feature in his magnificent Piano Concerto, in which the magisterial influence of Bach and Busoni may also be heard.
25 blissful, easy-listening classical pieces, including beautiful selections of music by Albinoni, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Hummel and more. Like the best-selling Adagio Volume 1 (857001516), this new compilation offers almost 2 ½ hours of music specially programmed to create a relaxing atmosphere and soothe your soul.
audiobooks
No Country For Old Men Abridged Cormac McCarthy (author), Sean Barrett (reader) NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 498012 | CD4 | 9789626349809
Cormac McCarthy is considered one of America's greatest living writers. His epic novel No Country for Old Men, released in 2005, traces the violent consequences of a single decision which soon spiral horribly out of control. This is the dark but striking story of Llewelyn Moss, who goes on the run after being tempted by the bounty of a drug deal gone awry. A thrilling sequence of events ensues as a ruthless hitman and benevolent sheriff trail him in a nail-biting and suspenseful chase that will decide Moss's fate. It was recently made into a critically acclaimed film by the Coen brothers, picking up four Academy Awards. This is the third Cormac McCarthy novel to be released on Naxos AudioBooks this year: 'A profoundly disturbing and gorgeously rendered novel' – New York Times
dvd
El Sistema - Music to Change Life Paul Smaczny, Maria Stodtmeier (film director), Jose Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel, Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra EUROARTS DVD | 2056958 | DVD | 880242569585
Venezuela's unique system of music education takes children from violent slums and turns some of them into world-class musicians. "El Sistema" shows how Venezuelan visionary Jose Antonio Abreu has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children over the past three decades. This lyrical and moving documentary takes us from the rubbish dumps and barrios of Caracas to the world's finest concert halls. Children from streets dominated by the gun battles of gang warfare are taken into music schools, given access to music, and taught through the model of the symphony orchestra how to build a better society. Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier's film finds hope and joy in unlikely places.
Watch the preview:
coming soon
Elgar Pomp and Circumstance, Serenade for Strings Sydney Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor) EXTON | EXCL00030 | SACD
The fourth and final volume in the much-anticipated series celebrating a milestone in Australian music history: Vladimir Ashkenazy’s first festival as Principal Conductor of Sydney Symphony.
Recorded live at Sydney Opera House during the Maestro’s triumphant Elgar Festival, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches are among the composer’s most enduringly popular works, while the Serenade is a charming work of sweeping Romanticism for string orchestra. As with Exton's acclaimed Rachmaninov boxed set (EXCL00017), also featuring Ashkenazy and the Sydney Symphony, the Elgar discs are superbly mastered to the highest audiophile standards. Relive one of the most thrilling Australian orchestral concerts of recent years!
