RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Mischa
Maisky and Martha Argerich in concert
Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Pulcinella
(1920) – Suite italienne (arr.
Stravinsky/Piatigorsky, 1932) [17’36]. Serge
PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 119 (1949)
[23’28]. The Stone Flower (1948) –
Waltz (arr. Piatigorsky/Knushevitsky) [2’16].
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) Sonata for Cello and Piano,
Op. 40 (1934) [25’40].
Mischa Maisky (cello); Martha Argerich (piano).
Rec. Live rec. from Flagey Hall, Brussels,
in April 2003. DDD
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 5323 [72’22] [CC]
My
disc of the month ... see Full
Review
Nellie
Melba - The Complete American Recordings
- Volume 1
Nellie Melba (soprano) Enrico Caruso (tenor)
(1) Charles Gilibert (baritone) (3) Ada Sassoli
(harp) (2) Charles K. North (flute) (4) Nellie
Melba (piano) (6) Unknown Orchestra/Walther
B. Rogers (5) Recorded 5th, 24th,
27th-30th March 1907,
New York
NAXOS 8.110334 [71.49] [RH]
For
the convinced admirer. The unprepared listener
is likely to need some perseverance before
the disc reveals its riches. ... see Full
Review
Music
for Charles V, Holy
Roman Emperor Anon L'homme
armé Cristóbal
DE MORALES (1500? - 1553) Missa
L'homme armé (with Plainchant propers
for the Feast of the Holy Trinity) [40:59]
Josquin DESPREZ (c1440
- 1521) Ave Maria [05:52] Nicolas
GOMBERT (1500 - 1556) Qui colis
Ausoniam [06:47] Cristóbal
DE MORALES Jubilate Deo [04:53]
Thomas CRECQUILLON
(? - 1557) Andreas Christi famulus
[05:05] Orlandus
LASSUS (1532 - 1594) Heroum soboles
[03:07] Don Fernando
DE LAS INFANTAS (1534 - 1610?) Parce
mihi Domine [08:03]
Chapelle du Roi/Alistair Dixon Recorded in
March 2000 at St Jude's Church, Hampstead,
London. DDD
SIGNUM SIGCD019 [75:49] [JV]
This
recording shows the importance of music in
politics and society of the renaissance ...
a lot to enjoy, in particular in the more
jubilant pieces ... see Full
Review
Peace
- A Choral Album for our Times Tomas
Luis De VICTORIA (c.1548-1611) O
magnum mysterium Randall
THOMPSON (1899-1984) Alleluia
Sergei RACHMANINOV
(1873-1943) Blazen muzh, op.37
Morten LAURIDSEN
(b.1943)
O magnum mysterium Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981) Agnus Dei
John TAVENER
(b.1944) Song for Athene Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951) Friede
auf Erden, op.13 Henryk
Mikolaj GORECKI (b.1933) Totus
Tuus Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934) To be sung
of a summer night on the water Edward
ELGAR (1857-1934) Lux aeterna
(‘Nimrod’)
Handel and Haydn Society Chorus/Grant Llewellyn
Recorded at the Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut
Hill, Mass., USA 6th-10th
July 2003
AVIE AV0039 [65:15] [GPJ]
This
CD contains some truly world-class choral
singing, and is full of memorable musical
experiences. Splendid recording, too ... see
Full Review
Opera Arias sung by
Lucia Popp Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Die
Zauberflote, Ach, ich fühl's,
es ist werschwunden (Pamina) Le Nozze
di Figaro, E Susanna non vien..Dove
sono i bei momenti (Countess) Carl
Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Der
Freischutz, Wie nahte mir der Schlummer
(Agathe) Hermann
GOETZ (1840-1876) Der widerspenstigen
Zähmung, Die Kraft versagt (Katharina)
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901) Rigoletto, Caro
nome (Gilda) Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924) Gianni
Schicchi, O mio babbino caro (Lauretta)
Jules MASSENET
(1842-1912) Manon, Allons!
Il le faut!... Adieu, notre petite table (Manon)
Gustave CHARPENTIER
(1860-1956) Louise, Depuis
le jour (Louise) Bedrich
SMETANA (1824-1884) Prodanà
nevesta (The bartered Bride),
Oh! jàky zai! (Oh, what a grief!) (Maria)
Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904) Rusalka, Mesícku
nanebi hlubokém (O silver moon) (Rusalka)
Lucia Popp (soprano) Munich Radio Orchestra/Kurt
Eichorn Recorded June 1982. Munich, Germany
ARTS MUSIC 47517-2 [55.22] [RJF]
Lovers
of quality singing and of Lucia Popp’s particular
skills should add this clear and well-recorded
disc to their collection. ... see Full
Review
Organ Spectacular
- Jean Guillou CD1 J.S.
BACH Toccata
and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 [8'24] Nicolas
DE GRIGNY Recit de Tierce en Taille
[6'09] Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART Fantasy in F minor K 608
[9'56] Jean GUILLOU
Hyperion or The Rhetoric of Fire;
Hermes [4'23], The Fires of Silence [4'56],
The Inflamed Soul [10'54], Agni-Ignis [5'13]
Charles-Marie WIDOR
Allegro Vivace from Symphony No
5 [10'35] Franz LISZT
Fantasy and Fugue on BACH [13'32]
CD2 J.S. BACH Sinfonia
from Cantata 29 "Wir danken dir Gott, wir
danken dir" [3'51] Choral, "Wachet auf, ruft
uns die Stimme" BWV645 [4'25] Badinerie, from
Suite No 2 in B minor BWV 1067 [1'27] John
STANLEY Voluntary in A minor [4'16]
Henry PURCELL Trumpet
Tune in D major [2'21] Frei
JACINTO Toccata in D minor [2'07]
Carlos SEIXAS Toccata
in F minor [2'05]; Toccata in G minor [3'10]
George Frideric HANDEL
Allegro from Organ Concerto op7/10
in D minor [5'30] J.S.
BACH Sarabande BWV 977 [2'56] Louis-Nicolas
CLERAMBAULT Basse et dessus de
Trompette [2'01] J.S.
BACH Fugue in G major BWV 577 [2'58]
G.F. HANDEL Hornpipe
from Water Music [4'10] Joseph
HAYDN Flotenuhrstucke in D major
[0'58] Flotenuhrstucke in G major [1'42] Robert
SCHUMANN Canon in A-flat major
[3'41]; Canon in B minor [2'45] Franz
LISZT Valse Oubliée No 1
[3'47] Serge PROKOFIEV
March from "Love of the 3 Oranges" [1'43]
Jean GUILLOU Hautbois
d'Amour from "Jeux d'Orgue" [1'58]; Tutti
Ostinati from "Jeux d'Orgue" [2'34]; Improvisation
on 'Greensleeves' [6'30] CD3 Joseph
JONGEN Symphonie Concertante for
Organ and Orchestra op 81; Allegro, molto
moderato (in the Dorian mode) [7'35], Divertimento,
molto vivo [8'18], Molto Lento, misterioso
[12'00], Toccata (moto perpetuo), allegro
moderato [5'09] Camille
SAINT-SAENS Symphony No 3 in C
Minor ‘Organ’ (Adagio [9'37], Poco Adagio
[9'53], Allegro Moderato [7'38], Maestoso
[7'18])
Jean Guillou, organ Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Eduardo
Mata (CD 3) Rec: St Eustache, Paris (CD 1),
Notre Dame des Neiges, Alpe D'Huez, France,
(CD 2), Meyerson Center, Dallas (CD 3) between
1987 and 1994. DDD
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92386 [75'11 + 70'04
+ 68'44] [CB]
The
saddest element of this gruesome Guillou box
is that it will be very inexpensive. Presumably
it was intended to find new followers for
our instrument. I can barely think of a more
inappropriate introduction. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Prometheus:
Musical Variations on a Myth
A
film by Christopher Swann. Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Die
Geschöpfe des Prometheus (1801) -
Introduction, ‘La Tempesta’ [1’55];
No. 1, Poco Adagio - Allegro con brio [2’59];
No. 9, Adagio - Allegro molto [3’41];
No. 10, Pastorale: Allegro [2’56].
Franz LISZT
(1811-1886) Prometheus, S99 (1850,
rev. 1855) [13’42]. Alexander
SCRIABIN (1872-1915) Prometheus.
‘Le poème de feu’, Op. 60a
(1908-10) [19’26]. Luigi
NONO (1924-1990) Prometeo, Suite
(1992) - Isola seconda, ‘Hölderlin’b
[9’42].
aMartha Argerich (piano); aBerliner
Singakademie; bSolistenchor Freiburg
(Ingrid Ade-Jesemann, Monika Bair-Ivenz, Ulrike
Krumbiegel, Matthias Schadock) Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio
Abbado. PCM Stereo. 4:3. Region Code: 0 Worldwide.
No rec. info.
ARTHAUS
101717 [57’00] [CC]
Argerich
might be the initial pulling power of this
DVD, but as viewing goes on it becomes clear
that as a package this DVD is fascinating
... something really special. One of the best
DVD films I have seen so far and one I will
return to often. ... see Full
Review
Louis Robilliard
(organ)
Marcel DUPRÉ
(1886-1971) Symphonie-Passion
Op 23: Le Monde dans
l'attend du Sauveur [6'59], Nativité
[7'39], Crucifixion, [8'28], Résurrection
[6'02] Gabriel FAURÉ
(1845-1924) trans Louis Robilliard Suite
"Pelléas et Mélisande"
op. 80: Prélude [5'37], Fileuse [3'07],
Sicilienne [3'41], Molto Adagio [4'32] Maurice
DURUFLÉ (1902-1986) Suite
op. 5: Prélude [9'21], Sicilienne
[6'25], Toccata [8'19]
Louis Robilliard organ Rec. St Sernin,
Toulouse and St François-de-Sales,
Lyon, April 2003. DDD
FESTIVO 6961.942 [70'16] [CB]
Don't
miss this one, it really is fantastic. ...
see Full Review
Romantic
Songs Carl Maria
von WEBER (1786-1826) Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Hugo WOLF (1860-1903) Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) Hartmut
Höll (piano) Licensed from Claves and
recorded between 1986 and 1991
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92439 [5 CDs: 51.52
+ 54.48 + 54.47 + 44.04 + 54.33] [JW]
Imperfect
though some may be, these recordings bear the imprint of Fischer-Dieskau’s
intensely personalised response to text, nuance and repertoire ... see
Full Review
Andrew Sparling Nick HAYES (b. 1963) Tongue-Dog
Roger REDGATE (b. 1958) +R Timothy
SALTER Mondrian
Pictures Michael PARSONS (b. 1938) Two
Macedonian Songs Diana
BURRELL (b. 1948) Double
Image Chris SANSOM (b. 1950) Music
from the Heart of a Dog Gabriel
JACKSON (b. 1962) The
White Bird Howard SKEMPTON (b. 1947) Air Melody; Kettle’s Yard
Canon Michael FINNISSY (b. 1946) Uzundara
Laurence CRANE (b. 1961) Sparling
Andrew Sparling (clarinet); Chris Brannick (percussion); Thalia Myers
(piano); Nancy Ruffer (flute); Alan Thomas (guitar); Double Image Uzundara (Finnissy) and Sparling (Crane) were recorded on 27th
January 2003 at Holy Trinity Church, Weston, Herts. Kettle’s Yard
Canon (Skempton) and +R (Redgate) were recorded at the same
venue on 10th April 2003. The White Bird (Jackson)
and Mondrian Pictures (Salter) were recorded at the Church of
St. John the Baptist, Loughton, Essex on 23rd June 2003.
Double Image (Burrell), Air Melody (Skempton) and Tongue-Dog
(Hayes) were recorded on 11th December 2003 at Rosslyn Hill
Unitarian Chapel, Hampstead; Music from the Heart of a Dog (Sansom)
was recorded on 3rd February 2004 at Holy Trinity Church,
Weston, Herts. Two Macedonian Songs (Parsons) were recorded on
24th June 2004 at St. Mary’s Church, Walthamstow. DDD
NMC ARTISTS SERIES NMC D092 [75:21][CT]
An
interesting collection of new music for clarinet
showcasing Andrew Sparling ... see Full
Review
Leopold
Stokowski Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) Symphony
No. 5 in D minor (1937) [40:51] Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Symphony
No. 8 in D minor (1953-5) [30:15]
London Symphony Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski
Rec. live, Royal Albert Hall, London, 15 (8)
17 (4) September 1964.
BBC LEGENDS BBCL 4165-2 [71:40] [IL]
A
blisteringly powerful Shostakovich 5 and a
zestful RVW 8 make this a compelling CD that
will appeal to all Stokowski fans and admirers
of both composers. ... see Full
Review
Arturo Toscanini – Great Conductors Joseph
HAYDN (1732-1809) Symphony
No. 88 in G major Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Symphony
No. 40 in G minor K550 Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) String
Quartet in F major Op.135 – Lento assai and
Vivace (arranged for string orchestra) Nicolo
PAGANINI (1782-1840) Moto Perpetuo
(arranged TOSCANINI)
Giacomo ROSSINI (1792-1868)
William Tell Overture
NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini Recorded
1938-39
NAXOS 8.110895 [71.56] [JW]
An
air of geniality and easy-going lyricism runs
throughout ... see Full
Review
Music for Trumpet and
Corno da Caccia
Theodore SCHWARTZKOPFF
(1659-1732) Ouverture in C for
trumpet, strings and continuo. Johann
MOLTER (1695-1765) Concerto in
D for trumpet, strings and continuo Johann
HEINICHEN ( 1683-1729) Concerto
in F major for two Corni da caccia, flutes,
oboes, bassoons and strings. Johann
SPERGEN (1750-1802) Concerto in
D for trumpet, oboes, horns, strings and continuo
Johann NERUDA
( c.1707-1776) Concerto in E flat for
corno da caccia, strings and continuo; Johann
Nepomuk HUMMEL (1778-1837) Concerto
in E major for trumpet and orchestra
Ludwig Guttler (trumpet and corno da caccia)
Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum Leipzig/Max
Pommer Recorded Leipzig 1982 (Schwartzopff);
June 1986 (Heinichen; Sperger); May 1986 (Molter;
Neruda; Hummel) CAPRICCIO
SACD 71019 [66.34] [GH]
The
music eases itself gracefully from phrase
to phrase. ... see Full
Review
Violin
Encounters Brian FERNEYHOUGH
(b.1943) Intermedio
alla Ciaccona (1986) Unsichtbare Farben (1997/8) Keiko
HARADA (b.1968) Labyrinth X (1997/9) David
YOUNG Animali (2002) Patrick DE
CLERCK (b.1958) Ai Morti (2001) Luciano
BERIO (1925 – 2003) Sequenza VIII (1976) Michael
MAIERHOF (b.1956) Splitting 5 (2001)
Yasutaka Hemmi (violin) rec. Studio Sphere, Matsue, Japan (no date)
MEGADISC MDC 7813
[70:13] [HC]
Hemmi
is a very fine player with a remarkable technique.
Well worth investigating. ... see
Full Review
Virtuoso Trumpet
- Rolf Smedvig Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Brandenburg
Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Trumpet
Concerto in D major Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Orchestral
Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (Transcribed
for Trumpet)Leopold
MOZART (1719-1787) Trumpet Concerto
in D major
Rolf Smedvig, trumpet Scottish Chamber
Orchestra/Jahja Ling rec. City Hall, Glasgow,
Scotland, July 3-4, 1989; Masonic Auditorium,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA, June 23, 1992 DDD
TELARC CD-80227 [53:28] [MC]
Smedvig
on fine form with this reissue of mainstream trumpet repertoire. He
gives each phrase its own personality and there is a most agreeable
timbre to his playing. ... see Full Review
Voices
of Light Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Le Collier [3:46], lEscalier redit, gestes du soleil
[6:37], Amour oiseau détoile [4:16], Prière
exaucée [3:04], Résurrection [4:02] Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Chansons de Bilitis: La Flûte
de Pan [2:49], La Chevelure [3:45], Le tombeau des naïads
[2:49] Osvaldo GOLIJOV (b. 1960)
Lúa descolorida [5:37] Gabriel
FAURÉ (1845-1924) La Chanson dÈve:
I. Paradis [7:14], II. Prima verba [2:30], III.
Roses ardentes [1:16], IV. Comme Dieu rayonne [2:24],
V. LAube blanche [1:08], VI. Eau vivante [1:33],
VII. Veilles-tu, ma senteur de soleil? [1:36], VIII. Dans
un parfum de roses blanches [2:06], IX. Crépuscule
[2:36], X. Ô mort, poussière détoiles
[2:36]
Dawn Upshaw (soprano), Gilbert Kalish (piano) Recorded May 17-18, 2003
at Theater C, SUNY, Purchase, New York (Debussy, Fauré and Golijov),
December 21-22, 1997 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New
York City (Messiaen) DDD
NONESUCH 7559-79812-2 [6146][BH]
Upshaw
in effortless form and a sensitive contribution from Kalish ... a light-filled
gift indeed ... see Full Review
The Willis
Organ at Salisbury Cathedral Francis
JACKSON (b.1917) The
Archbishop’s Fanfare [1’00] John
COOK (1918-1984) Fanfare [5’43]
Louis VIERNE
(1870-1937) arr. Alexander
SCHREINER Maestoso in C sharp minor
opus 16 [5’52] Maurice
DURUFLÉ (1902-1986) Scherzo
opus 2 [6’11] Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Canon in B
minor opus 56 No. 3 [3’16] Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Lo, how a Rose
is Blooming opus 122 no. 8 [3’01] Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Sonata
No. 2 in C minor opus 65 [11’30] I Grave II
Adagio III Allegro maestoso e vivace IV Fuga:
Allegro moderato Franck
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Adagio in E
major [6’21] Marcel
DUPRÉ (186-1971) Triptyque
opus 51 [15’19] I Chaconne II Musette III
Dithyrambe
Michael Murray, organ Rec: Salisbury Cathedral,
March 20th-21st, 1990
TELARC CD-80255 [58’58] [GMS]
The
programme doesn’t hold together completely
but the presence of the Vierne and the Duruflé
make it worth hearing. ... see Full
Review
Yearning
For The Bell:
Volumes 6 and 7 Volume 6: Phoenix Crying
Volume
7: Searching
Riley Lee, shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute)
Recorded on the 24th and 26th
July 1996 in the reverberation room of the
National Acoustics Laboratory, Sydney.
TALL POPPIES TP167 [57.13]
TALL POPPIES TP168 [60.00] [NH]
The
concluding volumes of a uniquely enterprising
series of Japanese traditional music ... see
Full Review
Ruth
Ziesak (soprano) Sacred Arias Christian
GHEIST (c.1640-1711) Vater
unser, der du bist im Himmel Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE (1637-1707) Sonata
in B flat major Op.1 No.4 Samuel EBART
(1655-1684) Miserere, Christe, mei Johann
VIERDANK (c.1605-1646) Passemezzo e la sua Gagliarda Franz
TUNDER (1614-1667) Ach Herr, lass deine lieben Engelein Johann
Adam REINCKEN (1623-1722) Suite No.6 in A major Christoph
BERNHARD (1628-1692) Aus der Tiefe rufe ich zu dir Thomas
BALTZAR (c.1630/31-1663) Airs for solo violin
Ruth Ziesak (soprano) Berliner Barock-Compagney Recorded at the Andreaskirche,
Berlin, November 2003
CAPRICCIO 67 125 [71.33] [JW]
Ziesak
continues her excellent series of recordings
with one that, once more, shows off her strengths
in baroque works ... see Full
Review
Gyles BRANDRETH [writer
and deviser] Zipp!
(2001-04)
Gyles Brandreth
Andrew C Wadsworth Stefan Benarczyk Amanda
Symonds Shona White Musical direction and
arrangements by Stuart Barr Recorded live
at the Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, May 1st
2004
MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3023
[63.00 + 34.45] [JW]
A
Porter and Sondheim-rich fest of frolics,
presided über alles by the Judy Garland-loving,
pertly bosomed Gyles "Call Me Madam"
Brandreth. ... see Full
Review
Book Reviews
Elgar – Child of
Dreams By Jerrold Northrop
Moore Faber
and Faber 2004. Hardback; 212 pages ISBN 0-571-22337-0
£14.99 [IL]
...
a fascinating and remarkable feat of scholarship...
see Full Review
Detailed listing (last two
days)]
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3
C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]
[Part 5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L]
[Part 7 Misc M-Z]