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Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Fidelio
(1814) Leonore (mezzo) – Angela Denoke Florestan
(tenor) – Jon Villars Don Pizarro (baritone)
– Alan Held Rocco (bass) – Laszlo Polgar Marzelline
(soprano) – Juliane Banse Jaquino (tenor)
– Rainer Trost Don Fernando (bass-baritone)
– Thomas Quasthoff Arnold Schoenberg Choir
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Simon Rattle
Recorded in concert at the Philharmonie, Berlin,
25-28 April, 2003
EMI CLASSICS 7243 5 57555-2 (2CDs: 65’58+44’17)
[TH]
Difficult
to see this version toppling existing recommendations.
… see
Full Review
Giles FARNABY (c1563-1640)
"Farnaby’s Dreame" For
two Virginals */*** [01:14] Muscadin * [01:16]
Fantasia * (M.B., No. 5) [05:06] Meridian
Alman * [01:42] Mal Sims * [01:28] Alman *
(M.B., No. 22) [01:02] Rosseter’s Galliard
* [02:16] Wooddy-Cock * [06:09] A maske *
(M.B., No. 33) [01:49] Pawles Wharfe * [02:08]
The Old Spagnioletta * [00:56] Fantasia *
(M.B., No. 12) [03:52] His Humour * [01:28]
A Maske * (M.B., No. 31) [02:11] The King’s
Hunt * [02:06] Fantasia * (M.B., No. 7) [03:46]
A Gigge * [01:17] Gallarda * [01:34] Tell
mee Daphne * [01:54] Spagnioletta * [02:00]
Fantasia * (M.B., No. 10) [03:42] A Maske
** (M.B., No. 32) [01:07] Alman (Johnson,
set by Farnaby) ** (M.B., No. 23) [00:43]
Fantasia ** (M.B., No. 6) [03:31] Pavana (Johnson,
set by Farnaby) ** [05:45] Why aske you **
[01:59] Giles Farnaby’s Dreame ** [00:57]
Quodling’s Delight ** [02:52] Lachrymae Pavan
(Dowland, set by Farnaby) ** [08:01] A Toy
** [01:11] (M.B. refers to the series Musica
Brittannica, in which a number of Farnaby’s
compositions have been published)
Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord (Italian
harpsichord by F.A, 1677 *; Flemish harpsichord
by Ruckers, Antwerp 1624 **); Elisabeth Joyé,
spinet (French, 17th century ***) Recorded
in February and March 1990 in the Museum of
Chartres (*) and the Unterlinden Museum at
Colmar (**), France DDD
ACCORD 476 057-2 [76:27] [JV]
Farnaby
may be a rather obscure composer of the Elizabethan
era, his music is imaginative and often virtuosic
– well worth hearing … see Full
Review
Nicholas Zumbro plays de Falla and Granados
Enrique
GRANADOS (1867-1916)
Goyescas
Book I El Pelele, Crepusculo, Los requiebros,
Coloquio en la reja, El fandango de candil,
Quejas ó la maja y el ruiseñor,
Intermezzo Goyescas Book II El amor
y la muerte; Balada, Epilogo; Serenata del
espectro Manuel de
FALLA (1876-1946) El Amor Brujo,
Pantomine, Scene-Chanson du feu-follet,
Nicholas Zumbro (piano) Recorded at St
Silas Church, London (1994?)
CONCERT ARTIST/FIDELIO RECORDINGS CACD 9004
[72.24] [JW]
Zumbro
shows fine affinities with Spanish music –
its colour and rhythm … see Full
Review
Leoš
JANÁČEK (1854-1928) Violin
Sonata (1914-21) [16’03] Sergei
PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Violin Sonata
No.1 in F minor, Op.80 (1946) [27’05]
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) 19 Preludes, from Op.34,
transcribed for violin by Dmitri Tsiganov
[23’19]
Kai Gleusteen (violin) Catherine Ordronneau
(piano) Recorded at Crear Studios, Scotland,
2-4 September 2002. DDD
AVIE AV 0023 [67’00] [TH][JW]
Works
well on its own terms as an enjoyable recital
[TH]
This is an attractively programmed disc but
it’s been badly recorded. [JW]… see Full
Review
Lars-Erik LARSSON
(1908-1986) God
in Disguise (Förklädd Gud)
Op. 24 (1940) [29.12] A Winter's Tale (En
vintersaga) - four vignettes to Shakespeare's
play Op. 18 (1937) [9.53] Little Serenade
(Liten serenad) Op. 12 (1934) [10.34]
Pastoral Suite (Pastoralsvit)
Op. 19 (1938) [13.30] Sven Wollter (narrator)
Jeanette Kohn (sop) Thomas Lander (bar)
Jönköping Chamber Choir Jönköping
Sinfonietta/Christopher Warren-Green rec.
Dec 2001, Feb 2002, Jönköpings konserthuset,
Sweden. DDD
INTIM MUSIK IMCD 082 [63.00] [RB]
Confident
feel-good music not afflicted with blandness
or facile emotion. ... see Full
Review
Sergei
PROKOFIEV
(1891 - 1953) Ivan
the Terrible: Oratorio from the film
score, Op. 116 (1942-5) (arr. 1960 Stasevich/Slatkin)
[65.27] Claudine Carlson, Mezzo-soprano. Baritone
soloist uncredited.
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Leonard
Slatkin Recorded March 1979. Location not
given. Notes and technical information in
English. Photos of Prokfiev and from the film.
Digitally remastered by Paul Stublebine. Originally
on Vox/Turnabout QS LP CD tracks 2.0 track
stereo. SACD tracks 2.0 track stereo and 4.0
track surround. All tracks have index points
when appropriate. Hybrid
SACD playable on SACD players and CD
players.
MOBILE FIDELITY UDSACD 4003 [65.27] [PSh]
A
very well played, fine sounding version of
what may soon become a high resolution, surround
sound war-horse ... see Full
Review
Sergei RACHMANINOV
(1873-1943)
Piano
Concerto No. 1 in F# minor Op.1 (1891) Piano
Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op.18 (1901) Piano
Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30 (1909) Piano
Concerto No. 4 in G minor Op.40 (1927) Rhapsody
on a Theme of Paganini in A minor (1934)
Oleg Marshev (piano)Aarhus
Symphony Orchestra/James Loughran Rec. Frichsparken,
Aarhus, May/Oct 2001 DDD
DANACORD DACOCD 582-583 [3CDs: 165.38]
[JF]
A
fine version of the famous Rachmaninov Concerti.
Certainly one to consider owning beside Ashkenazy,
Shelley and Argerich. Well presented. … see
Full Review
Robert SCHUMANN
(1810-1856)
Carnaval,
Op. 9 Papillons, Op. 2 Kinderszenen,
Op. 15 Arabeske, Op. 18
Nelson Freire, piano Recorded at Auditorio
Massimo, Lugano, December 2002
DECCA 4739022 [59:57] [DS]
Freire
enthusiasts should love the performances,
sound deficiencies or not. … see Full
Review
Karol SZYMANOWSKI
(1882-1937) String
Quartet No. 1 in C major Op. 37 (1917) String
Quartet No. 2 Op. 56 (1927)
Camerata Quartet Rec. Concert Hall, Karol
Szymanowski State Music School, Warsaw, April
2000
DUX 0366 [35.34] [JW]
I
admired the Camerata’s playing – if timing
considerations are against them I don’t think
you’ll be disappointed by the performances.
… see Full
Review
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901)
Don
Carlos. Opera in Five Acts (sung in
Italian) (1886 Modena and 1867 Paris versions)
Philip (King of Spain), Jaakko Ryhänen
(bass); Don Carlos (Infante of Spain), Lars
Cleveman (ten); Rodrigo (Marquis of Posa),
Peter Mattei (bar); The Grand Inquisitor,
Bengt Rundgren (bass); Elisabeth de Valois
(Philip's Queen), Hillevi Martinpelto (sop);
Princess Eboli (Elisabeth's lady-in-waiting),
Ingrid Tobiasson (m.sop); Tebaldo (Elisabeth's
page), Iwa Sörenson, (sop); The Count
of Lerma (A Royal Herald), Klas Hedlund (ten);
An Old Monk, Martti Wallén (bass);
A Voice from Heaven, Hilda Leidland (sop)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Swedish
Opera, Stockholm/Alberto Hold-Garrido Recorded
at the Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm on 18th
December 1999 and 22nd and 27th
January 2000 Bargain Price
NAXOS OPERA CLASSICS 8.660096-98 [3CDs:
78.51+70.18+45.40] [RF]
Other
than Mattei’s singing, I regrettably find
little to recommend in this issue, particularly
now the price is matched by better sung versions
elsewhere. … see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano
Sonatas: No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No.
2 (1801) [13’38]; No. 15 in D, Op. 28, ‘Pastorale’
(1801) [21’15]; No. 16 in G, Op. 31 No. 1
(1802) [24’01].
Artur Schnabel (piano) Rec. Abbey Road
Studio No. 3, London, on April 10th-11th,
1933 (No. 14), February 3rd and
17th, 1933 (No. 15) and November
1935 and January 15th, 1937 (No.
16). ADD Complete Beethoven Sonata Society
recordings vol. 5
NAXOS GREAT PIANISTS 8.110759 [58’54]
[CC]
There
is a wealth of experience on display here.
… see Full
Review
Sir Lennox BERKELEY
(1903-1989) Symphony
No. 4 (1977-78) Michael
BERKELEY (b. 1948) The Garden
of Earthly Delights (1998) Cello Concerto
(1983)
Alban Gerhardt (cello) BBC National Orchestra
of Wales/Richard Hickox Recorded Brangwyn
Hall, Swansea; 17 and 18 December 2002 DDD
Berkeley Edition: Volume Three
CHANDOS CHAN 10080 [65:09] [CT]
Another
fine instalment in Chandos’s Berkeley Edition,
with the promise of more to come. … see Full
Review
Umberto GIORDANO
(1867 – 1948) Andrea
Chenier (1896) Maddalena di Coigny
– Maria Caniglia (soprano) Andrea Chenier
– Beniamino Gigli (tenor) Garlo Gerard – Gino
Bechi (baritone) Countess di Coigny – Giulietta
Simonato (mezzo-soprano) Madelon – Vittoria
Palombini Bersi – Maria Huder Roucher – Italo
Tajo Fouquier –Tinville – Giuseppe Taddei
Mathieu – Leoni Paci Fleville - Giuseppe Taddei
The Abbe – Adelio Zagonara L’Incredibile -
Adelio Zagonara Majordomo – Gino Conti Dumas
– Gino Conti Schmidt – Gino Conti
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Opera
House, Milan/Olivero de Fabritiis Recorded
Milan November 1941 by La voce del padrone
Umberto GIORDANO
(1867 – 1948) Andrea Chenier
(excerpts) Giacomo Lauri Volpi (tenor) Recorded
1941 Antonio Cortis
Recorded 1930 Cesare Formichi (baritone) Recorded
1927 Claudia Muzio (soprano) Recorded 1935
Francesco Merli (tenor) Recorded 1928 Aureliano
Pertile (tenor) Recorded 1930
NAXOS 8.110275-76 [2CDs: 53.41+74.53]
[RH]
A
fine, dramatic performance with a superlative
cast. … see Full
Review
George Frederic
HANDEL (1685-1759)
Ballet music Alcina (HWV 34) [25:47] Terpsichore
(HWV 8b) [11:10] Il Pastor fido (HWV 8c) [10:22]
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner
Recorded in March 1984 at St Luke’s Church,
London DDD
WARNER ELATUS 2564-60335-2 [47:21] [JV]
A
recording of ballet music by Handel which
isn’t often performed – almost 20 years old,
it still sounds quite good, despite some shortcomings
… see Full Review
Joseph Martin KRAUS
(1756-1792)
"Complete Piano Music" Rondo
in F (VB 191) [09:00] Sonata in E flat (VB
195) [19:52] Scherzo con variazioni (VB 193)
[11:59] Larghetto (VB 194) [00:42] Sonata
in E (VB 196) [32:07] Swedish Dance (VB 192)
[03:47] Zwei neue kuriose Minuetten (VB 190)
[01:51] Jacques Després, piano (Steinway)
Recorded in October 2000 in Convocation
Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
DDD
NAXOS 8.555771 [79:19] [JV]
This
first recording of the keyboard music by Kraus
is a missed opportunity because of a bad choice
of instrument … see Full
Review
Jacob OBRECHT (1450-1505)
Missa
Sub Tuum Presidium Confugimus; Benedicamus
In Laude; Salve Crux; Beata es Maria; Salve
Regina a 3; Mille Quingentis;
Factor Orbis.
The Clerks’ Group/ Edward Wickham Recorded
at St. Andrew’s Church, West Wratting, February
2003
ASV GAUDEAMUS 341 [69.41] [GH]
For
all that I might have preferred more flamboyance
and passion in these chaste performances The
Clerks’ Group is the best companion in this
repertoire. … see Full
Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Ethyl
SMYTH (1858-1944)
String
Quartet in E Minor: Allegretto lirico [12:10];
Allegro molto leggiero [5:48]; Andante [12:51];
Allegro energico [10:26] Amy
Marcey BEACH (1867-1944) Quartet
in one movement [14:57]: Grave - Piu animato
- Allegro molto - Grave Susan
SPAIN-DUNK (1880-1962) Phantasy
Quartet in D Minor [13:11]: Allegro con fuoco
- Andante moderato – Allegro con fuoco – Piu
tranquillo Archaeus
Quartet: Anne Hooley: Violin, Bridget Davey:
Violin, Elizabeth Turnbull: Viola, Martin
Thomas: Cello Recording location and dates
not given.
LONTANO RECORDS LORELT LNT 114 [69:23]
[SA]
I
cannot remember a record I’ve enjoyed more
this year or one I felt compelled to listen
to time after time – a fabulous disc! … see
Full Review
Siegfried WAGNER
(1869 – 1930) Die
Heilige Linde op. 15 (1927) Arbogast,
king of a German tribe – John Wegner (baritone)
Hildegard, his wife – Dagmar Schellenberger
(soprano) Sigrun, his sister – Ksenija Lukic
(soprano) Gundelind, his cousin – Mechthild
Georg (mezzo-soprano) Fritigern, a king’s
son from a neighbouring tribe – Thorsten Scharnke
(tenor) Ekhart, a count – Adam Kruzel (baritone)
Philo, a minion of the Roman emperor - Volker
Horn (tenor) Caius, his messenger - Hein Heibuchel
(tenor) Autonoe - Katalin Ilalmai (mezzo-soprano)
Antenor – Roman Trekel (baritone) A soldier
– Soon-Dong Kwon (bass) Knight – Josef Otten
(bass)
WDR Rundfunkchor Köln WDR Sinfonieorchester
Köln/Werner Andreas Albert Recorded October
8-19, 2001, Philharmonie Köln
CPO 999 844-2 [3CDs: 50.01 + 50.53 + 48.13]
[RH]
The
first recording of the 14th opera
by the son of the more famous Richard; this
story of sparring Saxons and Romans is well
performed but opera itself rarely grips. …
see Full Review
American Women
Composers Ursula
MAMLOK From
My Garden (1983) Designs (1962) Sonata (1988)
Ruth CRAWFORD
(1901-1953) Sonata (1926) Louise
TALMA (b 1906) Sonata (1962) Ellen
Taaffe ZWILICH (b 1939) Sonata
in Three Movements (1974)
Catherine Tait (violin) Barry Snyder (piano)
Recorded Eastman Theatre of the University
of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music 1995
GASPARO GSCD-300 [59.41] [JW]
Committed
and understanding performances of this bracing
music … see Full
Review
Andrew GRIFFITHS
- baritone WILLIAMS:
‘My Little Welsh Home’; ‘Llanfihangel Bachellaeth’;
‘Gwynfyd’; ’Crwys’Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Don
Giovanni, ‘Madamina! Il catalogo é
questo’ George Frideric
HANDEL (1685-1759) ‘Thou Art Gone
Up On High’ TRADITIONAL
‘Dafydd y Garreg Wen’ (David of the White
Rock) LEWIS
‘Cân Yr Arad Goch’ SCHÖNBERG
‘Stars’; ‘Empty Chairs At Empty Tables’
(Sir) Arthur
SULLIVAN ‘The
Lost Chord’ Mitch
LEIGH ‘Man of La Mancha’ Vaughan
THOMAS ‘Berwyn’Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Tannhäuser,
‘O du Mein Holder Abendstern’(Sir)
William Sterndale BENNETT
(1816-1875) ‘The Carol Singers’
Andrew Griffiths (baritone) (b.1968) Accompanist.
Annette Brynn Parry (piano) Recorded at the
Tabernacl, Machynlleth, Wales. 2003
BERSE RECORDS BECD 1 [50.07] [RF]
The
virtue of this disc lies in its variety. While
never scaling the operatic heights Griffiths’
singing will give pleasure in the lighter
repertoire and, to his compatriots, in the
Welsh language songs. … see Full
Review
BOOK
REVIEWS
Suzanne Rhodes DRAYER A
Singer’s Guide to the Songs of JOAQUÍN RODRIGO Scarecrow
Press Inc., 266 pages, ISBN 0-8108-4408-7
A
useful little book intended to introduce Rodrigo’s
songs to potential performers. … see
Full Review
Luca Marenzio
The Career of a Musician between the Renaissance
and the Counter-Reformation by Marco Bizzarini
Translated by James Chater Published September
2003
Ashgate; ISBN 0 7546 0516 7; 370 pages, 10
b/w illustrations, 40 musical examples £49.50
MusicWeb price £42.50
This
is a book containing much important information
about a significant 16th century
composer and it sheds fascinating light on
the mechanisms by which a Roman composer in
the period might construct a career in music.
It is unfortunate that the book’s structure
and editing mean that it could be rather off-putting
for the casual reader. … see Full
Review
OPERETTA
by Richard TRAUBNER (1897-1951) 2nd edition, Routledge,
(Taylor & Francis Bks Ltd) 2003 ISBN 0-415-96641-8. pp.498. £20
One
of the best reference books of the Musical Theatre is Richard Traubner's
book, ‘Operetta’. Originally published in 1983 it is now reprinted in
a second edition. … see Full Review
THE PENGUIN GUIDE
TO COMPACT DISCS & DVDs 2003/4 Edition:
The Key Classical recordings on CD, DVD
& SACD 2004 Edition Edited
by Ivan March
Reviews by: Ivan March; Edward Greenfield;
Robert Layton Assistant Editor: Paul Czajkowski
Paperback 1566 pp. ISBN 0141013842 £24.99
[RB]
The
most wide-ranging and satisfying classical
review print source on the market. ... see
Full Review
Rudolf Serkin: A
Life By Stephen Lehmann
Humanities Bibliographer, Van Pelt-Dietrich
Library Center, University of Pennsylvania,
USA; and Marion Faber, Professor
of Modern Languages and Literatures, Swarthmore
College, Pennsylvania, USA.Published by Oxford
University Press, USA, 27 February 2003 ISBN:
0-19-513046-4 £20 [US$35.00] Hardcover 234mm
x 156mm [6-1/8" x 9-1/4"]360 pp.;
53 illustrations. Discography by Paul Farber.
[PSh]
An
interesting story about a very interesting
man, interesting even if he isn’t your favourite
pianist. … see Full
Review