NEW & RECENT ARTICLES
[New]
Preview of the 11th Malcolm Arnold Festival by Rob Barnett
[New]
Cellist Jan Vogler in conversation with Michael Cookson
Jules Massenet: His Life and
Works - a major survey by Nick Fuller (6 Mb PDF file)
The Hickox Legacy series from Chandos
- a survey
by Rob Barnett
MWI Recommends: Unheralded
masterworks.
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Recommends; Friday: Articles.
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LATEST REVIEWS
Wednesday August 31st
Walter BRAUNFELS (1882-1954) Lieder - Marlis Petersen (soprano) Konrad Jarnot (baritone) Eric Schneider (piano) rec. 2011 CAPRICCIO C5251 [73.01] [PCG] An essential acquisition for those interested in the development of the German lied in the twentieth century.
Havergal
BRIAN (1876-1972) The Tinker’s
Wedding, Violin Concerto,
Symphony No. 13, English Suite No. 4 - Lorraine
McAslan (violin) Royal Scottish Ntl O/Martyn
Brabbins rec. 2012 DUTTON EPOCH CDLX7296
[71:57] [JQ] An excellent selection of music
by Havergal Brian in fine performances.
David CHESKY (b. 1956) The Venetian Concertos - O of the 21st Century/David Chesky rec. 2015 CHESKY JD379 [62:20]
[GH] Only occasionally arresting … once you have grasped the message there is little more to be added.
Johann Adolph HASSE (1699-1783) Johann Wilhelm HERTEL (1727-1789) & Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788) Cello Concertos - Musica Viva/Alexander Rudin (cello) rec. 2015 CHANDOS CHACONNE CHAN0813 [71:13] [DJB]
Performances could be more characterful, but this is well and truly compensated for by the presence of the Hertel concertos.
Charles
IVES (1874-1954) Complete
Violin Sonatas - Annabelle Berthomé-Reynolds
(violin) Dirk Herten (piano) rec. 2016 WH’TE
2016 [79.24] [GH] Not top-drawer
Ives.
David
Monrad JOHANSEN (1888-1974) Piano
works - Rune Alver (piano) rec. 2015 LAWO
CLASSICS LWC1101 [59:39] [DC] Magical
evocations, Norwegian melancholy and stunning
pianism.
György
LIGETI (1923-2006) Lontano
Tristan MURAIL (b. 1947)
Le Désenchantement Du Monde George
BENJAMIN (b. 1960) Palimpsests
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) Bavarian
RSO/George Benjamin rec. 2012 NEOS
SACD 11422 [62:17] [SG] A release
that pays rich dividends.
Franz
LISZT (1811-1886) Complete
Piano Music Vol. 43: Transcriptions of Symphonic
Poems - Sergio Monteiro (piano) rec.
2015 NAXOS 8.573485 [71.11]
[IL] A mixed blessing - works often uninitiated
by Liszt but polished performances.
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Grand Sonata, The Seasons - Freddy Kempf (piano) rec. 2014 BIS BIS-2140 SACD [66:28] [RWe] This ideal coupling makes a useful addition to the catalogue.
Christian Ferras (violin) Forgotten Ferras
- Pierre Barbizet, Ernest Lush, Shuku Iwasaki (piano) rec. 1948-71 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4825037 [75:46] [JW] A release of some interest to devotees of this short-lived violinist.
Tuesday August 30th
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Fidelio
- Camilla Nylund, Jonas Kaufmann, O & Ch
Zurich Opera/Nikolaus Harnoncourt rec. 2004
ARTHAUS MUSIK Blu-ray 109224
[128 mins] [ST] The various fussinesses mean
it isn’t a top choice.
Michael
FINNISSY (b. 1946)
Gershwin Arrangements - Dirk Herten (piano) WH'TE
[60:08] [DC] Fascinating, but not the last
word on this cycle.
Jan
van GILSE (1881-1944) Piano Concerto,
Variations on a Saint-Nicolas Song
- Oliver Triendl (piano) Netherlands SO/David
Porcelijn rec. 2014 CPO 777 934-2
[63:26] [RB] Sure-footed and good-hearted.
Paul HINDEMITH
(1895-1963), Karl RANKL
(1898-1968) & Norbert
SPRONGL (1892-1983) Sonatas for double
bass - Leon Bosch (double bass)
Sung-Suk Kang (piano) MERIDIAN CDE84626
[64.04] [PCG] For those curious about the
music, this disc can be heartily recommended.
John
McCABE (1939-2015) Requiem Sequence,
Visions, Irish Song Book, Siberia, Desert
IV Alan RAWSTHORNE (1905-1971)
Theme & Studies - John McCabe (piano) William Byrd
Singers, Northern CO/Nicholas
Ward rec. 1995-2015 PRIMA FACIE
PFCD044 [71:56] [JF] A splendid
survey of some treasures from McCabe’s
catalogue.
Nikolai
MEDTNER (1880-1951) Sonata-Reminiscenza,
Sonata Tragica Sergei RACHMANINOV
(1873-1943) Preludes - Yevgeny
Sudbin (piano) rec. 2009-14 BIS BIS-1848
SACD [59:23] [RWe] Sudbin’s adds further
to his stature as an interpreter of Medtner
and Rachmaninov.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) String
Quartets Nos 3 & 5 - Parker Qt rec. 2015 NIMBUS ALLIANCE
NI6327 [61.52] [MW] Inspired, energetic
playing which goes to the heart of Mendelssohn’s
genius.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Threni, Requiem Canticles - Collegium Vocale Gent, Royal Flemish
PO/Philippe Herreweghe rec. 2014 PHI
LPH020 [47:22] [SG] Comparative
rarities, stylishly performed.
Bach
and the Stile Antico Choral works by Bach, Palestrina & Bassani
- St Salvator’s Chapel Ch, Ars Eloquentiae,
Fitzwilliam String Qt/Tom Wilkinson (organ)
rec. 2015 SANCTIANDREE SAND0003
[61:44] [MR] An own label release which focuses
on academic issues but contains some excellent
music-making.
Dichter.Liebe Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Dichterliebe
Heinrich HEINE (1797-1856)
Lyrisches Intermezzo - Cornelia Horak
(soprano) Stefan Gottfried (piano) Christoph
Wagner-Trenkwitz (recitation) rec. 2014 GRAMOLA
99059 [59:22] [GF] A deeply engaging
experience.
Monday August 29th
Daniel-François-Esprit
AUBER (1782-1871) Overtures
Vol. 1 - O de Cannes/Wolfgang Dörner
rec. 2015 NAXOS 8.573553 [63:54]
[GF] You are advised to savour these overtures
by stages.
Sir Lennox BERKELEY (1903-1989)
Stabat Mater,
Batter My Heart Three-Person’d God, Magnificat
-
English CO/Norman Del Mar,
BBC Northern O & Singers, London SO/Lennox Berkeley.
rec. 1963-68
LYRITA ITTER BROADCAST COLLECTION REAM1129 [72:30] [JQ] Highly desirable.
John IRELAND (1879-1962) &
E.J. MOERAN (1892-1950)
Part-songs -
Carice Singers/George Parris,
David Owen Norris (piano)
rec. 2015
NAXOS 8.573584 [77:48] [JF] Inspired singing.
Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Julietta - Frankfurt Opera and Museum O/Sebastian Weigle rec. 2014 OEHMS CLASSICS OC966 [74.52 + 75.29] [PCG] Not the urgently needed substitute in modern sound for the 1964
Supraphon.
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) All-Night Vigil - West German Radio Ch/Nicolas Fink rec. 2013 CARUS 83.471 [51.55] [WH] Beautifully sung and recorded, this Vigil might be too disciplined and restrained for some.
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Tristan und Isolde -
Ramon Vinay (tenor), Birgit Nilsson (soprano),
Metropolitan Opera Ch & O/Karl Böhm
rec. 1960
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO135 [3 CDs: 202.30] [RMo] A highly desirable memento of a great occasion.
British Serenade
Works by Arnold, Carr, Elgar, Jenkins, Lewis & Shearman -
Chamber Ensemble London/Peter Fisher
rec. 2015
HERITAGE HTGCD204 [65:22] [JWh] A valuable collection of
premieres.
Dancer on a Tightrope Works by Bacewicz, Cage, Gubaidulina, Hindemith, Prokofiev & Schnittke -
Bartosz Woroch (violin) Mei Yi Foo (piano) rec. 2015 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD114 [73:01] [JW] For the adventurous listener with performances that are stylistically apt and technically imposing.
Herbert von Karajan: Maestro for the Screen rec. 1967/68 C MAJOR 737704 DVD [84:00] [IL] A tribute to a monumental ego.
The Story of Stravinsky's
Le Sacre du Printemps
A film by Peter Rump rec. 1999 ARTHAUS MUSIK 109211 Blu-ray [57:00] [RWe] This 1999 film feels dated, and its main value now is in seeing and hearing Gergiev’s close and enduring relationship with a great masterpiece.
Other reviews
Bach in Brazil
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
BERLIN CLASSICS 0300746BC [41:55] [DHu] Want to samba to Bach?
Friday August 26th
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Fidelio - Adrianne Pieczonka (soprano) Jonas Kaufmann (tenor)
Vienna State Opera Ch &
Vienna PO/Franz Welser-Möst
rec. 2015 SONY 88875 193519 DVD [136:00] [TB] I’d be astonished if it would ever come off the shelf again for a second
playing.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Lennox
BERKELEY (1903-1989) Stabat
Mater, Mass, Judica me
Michael BERKELEY (b. 1948)
Touch Light - Marian Consort, Berkeley
Ens/David Wordsworth rec. 2016 DELPHIAN DCD34180
[60.59] [MC] My abiding memory of this Berkeley
release is a clear sense of authenticity and
elevated reverential expression.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
String Quartets Nos 1 & 2, In stiller Nacht - Cuarteto Quiroga
rec. 2014 COBRA RECORDS COBRA0048 [73:05] [DHu] Were it within his temperament, Brahms surely would have exclaimed “Olé!”.
László LAJTHA (1892–1963) Symphonie Les Soli,
Sinfoniettas Nos 1 & 2 - Budapest Ch Symphony rec. 2012/13 BMC
RECORDS BMCCD189 [75:23] [SG] As an introduction to Lajtha’s music, this fascinating and well-recorded release is as good a place as any to start.
Sergey PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Symphony No. 6, Waltz Suite - Săo Paulo
SO/Marin Alsop rec. 2015 NAXOS 8.573518
[68:21]
[BW] With several performances available that seem to me to get to the heart of this music better, I would look elsewhere.
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Schwanengesang & other Lieder -
James Rutherford (baritone) Eugene Asti (piano)
rec. 2015 BIS BIS-2180 SACD [69:48] [RWe]
Rutherford and Asti add to the long list of the versions of Schubert’s last cycle which are well worth hearing.
British Symphonies rec. 1968-2007
LYRITA SRCD.2355 [4 CDs: 315:45] [GPJ]
An issue of major importance in the discography
of British music. Fine performances of magnificent
music, much of which is unfairly neglected.
French Composers Conduct Works by Gaubert,
Ravel, Schmitt & Tomasi rec. 1930/35 DUTTON CDBP9789
[75:28] [RB] A superb collection well worth
running to ground for the jaded yet open-minded.
Rarities
of Piano Music at Schloss von Husum 2015
rec. 2015 DANACORD
DACOCD779 [74:37] [JF] A fine CD
that introduces a number of rare piano pieces:
just as it says ‘on the tin’
Venice
to Hamburg Bach Players,
Nicolette Moonen (violin) Silas Wollston (harpsichord,
organ) rec. 2014 HYPHEN PRESS MUSIC
HPM009 [55:17] [JV] These pieces
offer the instrumentalists plenty opportunities
to show their skills, and these are impressive.
Thursday August 25th
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Cello Sonatas
- Marie-Elisabeth Hecker (cello)
Martin Helmchen (piano)
rec. 2014 ALPHA CLASSICS 223 [52:39] [DHu] Performances that go into the top echelon for these works, in ideally balanced sound.
Lars GRAUGAARD (b.1957) Venus, Book of Throws, Layers of Earth, Three Places - NYU Contemporary Music
& Percussion Ensembles, NYU SO/Jens Georg Bachmann, Jonathan Haas rec. 2011/13 DACAPO 6.220628 SACD [59:00] [RB] Superbly done but for avant-garde savants only.
Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Années de pèlerinage: Italie, Deux Légendes - Wilhelm Kempff (piano) rec. 1974. PENTATONE PTC5186220 SACD [57:05] [RWe] Kempff’s patrician playing is from another age, and this is still among the best Liszt recordings of all.
Henry PURCELL (1659-1695) Theatre Music
Vol. 2
-
Aradia Ens/Kevin Mallon
rec. 2013 NAXOS 8.573280 [63:01] [MG] The instrumental
pieces are consistently well done; the songs aren’t always as effective.
Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Sinfonia drammatica, Belfagor - Liège
RPO/John Neschling rec. 2015 BIS BIS-2210 SACD [70:03] [NB] Collectors of Neschling's ongoing Respighi survey can buy with confidence.
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Violin Sonata Toru TAKEMITSU (1930-1996) Hika César FRANCK (1822-1890) Violin Sonata - Akiko Suwanai (violin) Enrico Pace (piano) rec. 2016 DECCA UCCD-1427 [62:44] [SG] Beautifully etched readings.
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) The Oboe Album - Marcel Ponseele (oboe, oboe d'amore), Il Gardellino rec. 1995/2005 ACCENT ACC24314 [69:48 + 64:32] [JV] This set of discs is a feast for the ear.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) I Due Foscari -
Plácido Domingo (baritone) Francesco Meli (tenor) Maria Agresta
(soprano) Royal Opera House Ch & O/Antonio Pappano rec. 2015
OPUS ARTE OA1207D DVD [122:00] [PSt]
The production is a curate’s egg, but in purely musical terms there is much to enjoy.
Grand Tour
Works by Cardew, Riley, Sikorski, Wolff & Krauze -
John Tilbury, Zygmunt Krauze (pianos) rec. 2015 DUX 1288 [63:14] [DC] Reaffirmation of the significance of Poland to contemporary music.
José Iturbi (piano)
Victor & HMV Solo Recordings -
rec. 1933-1952 APR 7307 [3 CDs: 211:46] [JW] A mixed bag; overly flashy in places, but his vitality and rhythmic verve are strongly alluring.