Arts
in residence Great Music in Wonderful Surroundings
with Arts in Residence
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1st – 3rd 2002
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NEW and RECENT ARTICLES
TRANSLATIONS AND
ARRANGEMENTS (PGW)
Who needs translations of Lieder texts including with a CD?
DIATRIBES AND DIGRESSIONS New Formats and
the Real World by David Dyer
TOSCA:
a film by Benoît Jacquot, Axiom Films, Institute of Contemporary
Arts, 5 December 2001 (MB)
We welcome the Arnold
Cooke website to MusicWeb
Report from the Lucerne
Piano Festival by Peter Grahame Woolf
Arthur Butterworth Writes: Organ
Recitals
One
of the 76 Smartest Philadelphians: Lang Lang in Interview with Marc
Bridle
On-Line
help sites: How do I do this, Where do I find this. Some free, some
not
Did
you know you could help sponsor a
new recording for as little as £10 - a symphony for £25? Read
on such as this one now reviewed here:
GRAHAM
WHETTAM
Sinfonia Intrepida
BBCSO/Sir Charles Mackerras.
Redcliffe Recordings RR016 (44' 11'') [PC]
ENTER
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The
Hoffnung little books
The
Maestro, Symphony Orchestra, Music Festival,Companion to Music,
Musical Chairs, Acoustics
Get
SIX for the price of FIVE
£7.69
each or 6 books £36 .79 incl P&P
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Recording of the Hoffnung Music Festivals:
CDs
The Hoffnung Music Festival Concert 1956,The Hoffnung Interplanetary
Music Festival 1958,The Hoffnung Astronautical Music Festival 1961
A Last Encore
cassette
BBC recordings of Speech Day, Oxford Union, December 1958 "Life
begins at 38" with the famous Bricklayer story and the hotelier
offering French widows in every bedroom.
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LATEST
CD REVIEWS (last two days)
Over 200 CD reviews for January are available on the next five pages
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]
BOOK REVIEW
J.
S. BACH - THE COMPLETE CANTATAS
In German-English translation by Richard Stokes Introduction by Martin
Neary 381 pages Scarecrow Press, 2000 0-8108-3933-4
An
admirable project, and one that is indeed useful for fans of Bach’s
cantatas. Having all these translations in one book is very practical
.. see Full Review
The
Unknown Callas, the Greek years.
Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis. Amadeus Press. ISBN 1-57467-059-X [LKD]
Buy
the book which also includes details of Callas’s life after the Greek
years. …see Full Review
CHANGING
PLATFORMS (30 years
of the Contemporary Music Network)
CMN & Unknown Public, 2001. (PGW)
The
Music of John Ireland By
Fiona Richards 282 pages; hardback. Ashgate Publishing 2002. ISBN 0-7546-0111-0
[IL]
This
is a meritorious and long overdue assessment of the music of John Ireland.
It is to be hoped that it will spur more performances and recordings
of this important and relatively neglected English composer. … see Full
Review
FANNY
MENDELSSOHN by Francoise Tillard.
Amadeus Press ISBN 0-931340-96-9 [LKD]
One
detects that the writer is saying that Fanny Mendelssohn was a better
composer than her brother Felix …. The book is handsomely produced with
fine pictures. .. see Full Review
Olivier
Messiaen – Music and Colour
Conversations with Claude Samuel
Amadeus Press, 296 pages Hardback ISBN 0-931340-67-5 [IL]
An
absolutely fascinating thought-provoking book … Not an easy read in
parts – it is quite technical in its musical language. A book that satisfies
and one that you can dip into and return to time and again. … see Full
Review
LILY
PONS. A Centennial Portrait, edited by James
A. Drake and Kristin Beall Ludecke. Amadeus Press ISBN 1-57467-047-6
[LKD]
Another
handsome publication with some gorgeous photographs which ooze glamour.
Did Lily Pons want to be a great opera singer or a glamour puss? ...see
Full Review
SCORE REVIEWS
RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Piano Sonatas – No. 13 in E flat,
Op. 27 No. 1; No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, ‘Moonlight’; No.
30 in E, Op. 109.
Maria João Pires (piano). Recorded at Granja de Belgais, Portugal
in June 2000 and May 2001 [DDD]
DG 453 457-2 [51.16]
[CC]
This
is a truly awe-inspiring offering from Pires which acts as a reminder
of what a truly unique and inspiring musician she is. … see Full
Listing
Hector
BERLIOZ
(1803-69) Les nuits d’été. La mort
de Cléopâtre. La captive. La belle voyageuse. Zaïde.
Véronique Gens (soprano); Lyon National Opera Orchestra/Louis
Langrée. Recorded in Opéra National, Lyon on January 28th-29th,
2000 (Cléopâtre) and in Auditorium Maurice Ravel on February
1st-3rd, 2001 (other works). [DDD]
VIRGIN CLASSICS VC5 45422-2 [61.17] [CC]
Véronique
Gens joins the exalted ranks of Crespin and Baker for top placing in
Les nuits dété, and comes top of the list for modern recordings.
A truly beautiful record. ...see
Full Review
Frank
BRIDGE (1879
– 1941) Enter
Spring (1927) Isabella (1906) Two Poems for Orchestra (1915) Mid of
the Night (1903) BBC
National Orchestra of Wales/Richard Hickox Recorded: Brangwyn Hall,
Swansea, November 2000
CHANDOS CHAN 9950 [75:48] [HC]
Hickox
conducts finely paced performances of all these pieces and the BBC National
Orchestra of Wales respond with wholehearted enthusiasm and dedication.
Warmly recommended. .. see Full Listing
Lyell
CRESSWELL (born
1944) Whira
(1996) Atta (1993) Anake (1998) Acquerello (1998) Variations on a Theme
by Charles Ives (1987)
The Hebrides Ensemble (Daniel Bell, violin; William Conway, cello; Rosemary
Eliot, flute; Peter Evans, piano) Recorded : Reid Hall, Edinburgh University,
December 2000 NMC D
077 [73:20] [HC]
This
is a really superb release: wonderful music, of great communicative
power, in carefully and lovingly prepared performances by dedicated
players who all have the full measure of the music. … see Full
Review
Christoph
Willibald GLUCK (1714-1787)
Italian Arias
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo soprano), Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin,
Bernhard Forck (leader) Recorded in the Studios of the Deutsches Filmorchester
Babelsberg, Berlin, 8 & 11-16.1.2001
DECCA 467 248-2 [67.34] [CH]
I
think no one will remain indifferent to this disc. It is an absolutely
involving experience by one of the phenomena of our times. …. See
Full Review
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Songs
Volume 2: Hymn to Thais. Five Christmas Songs op.1. Eight Josephson
Songs op.57. Sangen om korsspindeln (King Christian II) op.27 no.4.
Four Songs op.72 nos.3-6. Six Songs op.86. Sma flickorna. Recorded
January 1994 in Stockholm. (DDD)
Monica Groop (mezzo) Love Derwinger (piano)
BIS-CD-657 [65.35] [DW]
A
marvellous CD. Agreed not all the songs are gems but the singer is!
Definitely one of my desert island discs. ...see Full
Review
James
WHITBOURN
(b. 1963) A
Finer Truth, Crown my heart, Glory to thee , Son of God Mass, For
choir, saxophone† and organ Of one that is so fair, Hodie, Come to
the wedding, Song of Hannah, Venite, Blessings on you
This is my commandment, The Mystery of Love, For tenor*, choir and
chamber ensemble A finer truth, Come with me, The wide world sings,
I saw a plant, Go so gently *
Robert Tear (tenor); † John Harle (saxophone); Joby Burgess (percussion)
and John Reid (organ) with the Choir of Clare College Cambridge directed
by Timothy Brown Recorded in Chapel of St John’s College, Cambridge
on 25th and 26th June 2001
ETCETERA KTC 1248 [70:33] [GL]
This
is inspired new sacred music, a joy to listen to and a very welcome
contrast to accustomed devotional pieces. ...see Full
Review
BARGAIN OF THE
MONTH
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750) Goldberg
Variations, BWV 988
Ekaterina Dershavina, piano Rec: November 1994, Musikstudio 1 of the
Saarländischer Rundfunk.
ARTE NOVA 74321 34011 2 [77.13] [KM]
A
brilliant recording, and at a budget price as well! Snap it up for a
rare example of pianistic excellence. …see Full
Review
Gustav
HOLST (1874-1934)
Choral
Hymns from the Rig Veda, Savitri, Seven Partsongs, The Evening Watch,
Fugal Concerto, St Paul's Suite
Ballet Music: The Perfect Fool, Egdon Heath, The Hymn of Jesus, Moorside
Suite DECCA 470 191
2 [2CDs: 149.30] [TB]
This
collection must assume a proud position as one of the best issues of
English music in the catalogue. …see Full
Listing
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART
(1756
- 1791) Serenades & Divertimenti for
Wind Instruments Mozart Edition vol. 3
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 7CDs 99715 [approx. 6 hours 10 min.] Superbudget
This
is another set which, for its price, is truly a bargain. While not all
of the works are truly interesting, the performances are excellent.
… see Full Listing
Giuseppe
VERDI
(1813-1901) Opera Choruses
Choir and Orchestra of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia / Carlo
Rizzi Recorded: Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia, Rome, September
1992 DDD WARNER CLASSICS
APEX 0927 40836 2 [61.09] [RMK]
At
£4.99 this is a bargain and a half: not to be missed. ... see
Full Review
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]
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expressed in reviews or articles on this site are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of the
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