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THIS IS THE END...

Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:25pm MST

The links for BACH Cantatas vol. 26 & 27 are now available.
These are the last posts of the blog.
I will post no more.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH ALL THESE YEARS WHERE 600 ALBUMS OF MUSIC WERE SHARED
It is a shame to have to leave this project but thecircumstances make me do this

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 27

Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 4:10pm MST

The Cantata Pilgrims observed the festival of Whitsun in the English county of Suffolk. Whit Sunday itself, and the Monday following, were spent at Long Melford and the concerts on those days were contained in Volume 26 of this series. The next day the pilgrimage fetched up at another church in the county, at Blythburgh. Bach left only two cantatas for Whit Tuesday. In order to complete the programme Sir John elected to begin the proceedings with the Third Brandenburg Concerto. This was a very logical choice, not least because Bach had used the first movement of the concerto as the sinfonia to cantata BWV 174, which the Pilgrims had performed just the day before. In its original scoring for three each of violins, violas and celli, it is given a sprightly performance here. The two cantatas that follow are both inspired by the gospel for the day, which is found in St. John’s Gospel, chapter 10, and which treats of Christ as the Good Shepherd. BWV 184, which is packed with pastoral imagery, opens with a wonderfully expressive and extended tenor recitativo, in which the singer is tellingly accompanied by a chirruping pair of flutes. This movement finds Christoph Genz in eloquent form. Even more engaging is the duet that follows. Here Gardiner and his players give an object lesson in the use of accents and dynamics to move the music forward with grace and purpose. The rhythms are lifted quite marvellously but it all sounds very natural. Lisa Larsson and Nathalie Stutzmann blend their voices delightfully but the eager, smiling tone of Miss Larsson ravishes the ear particularly. The text speaks of Christ’s ‘glückselige Herde’ (“happy flock”) and here the performers make what Alfred Dürr as described as a shepherd’s dance leap off the page. Later in the cantata comes a tenor aria with violin obbligato. Dürr says that this “forms rather a colourless impression” but that’s not how it comes across on this occasion. Genz, Gardiner and the violinist (Kati Debretzeni?) imbue the music with a light, airy feel. The cantata ends not with a chorale – that forms the penultimate movement – but with a choral gavotte, though I have to say that it would require fairly sprightly dancers to be able to dance to this music at the lithe pace set by Gardiner. BWV 175 is also replete with pastoral and shepherdly images. The first substantial movement is a yearning 12/8 alto aria in which the soloist, accompanied by a trio of recorders, longs for verdant pastures. Nathalie Stutzmann sings this quite beautifully, investing the music with lovely tone and just the right degree of emotional charge. Later comes a tenor aria for which Bach specifies a violoncello piccolo obbligato. Both singer and player are required to reel off almost endless passagework in a very demanding bit of writing. Christoph Genz and his cellist partner are fully equal to the challenges of this piece. Rather oddly, perhaps, Bach introduces a pair of trumpets for the bass aria. This is quite lavish scoring for just one movement but it’s a fine piece, celebrating the victory of Christ over death and the devil and it’s given full value here by Stephen Loges and the trumpet choir. A few days later Gardiner and his team had moved north. In fact they reached the most northerly point on the whole pilgrimage, arriving at Kirkwall in Orkney to mark Trinity Sunday. This was a journey that was fraught with difficulties because unexpected last minute travelling delays meant that they were unable to fly to Orkney until the very day of the concert, thereby greatly foreshortening the amount of available rehearsal time and, surely, tiring out everyone in the party. All I can say is that these extraneous problems do not seem to have affected the quality of the music making in the slightest. The opening cantata, BWV 194, was adapted by Bach from a longer cantata which was originally written for Cöthen some time between 1717 and 1723. In 1723 he employed the cantata for a service to celebrate the inauguration of a new organ at Störmthal near Leipzig and the following year he made a foreshortened version, cut down from the original twelve movements to just six, for his first Trinity Sunday in Leipzig. The cantata begins imposingly with a stately orchestral introduction in the style of a French Overture. Dotted rhythms predominate and I like Gardiner’s tempo, which accentuates the grandeur but at a sufficiently lively tempo to avoid any pomposity. Without a break a vigorous, celebratory chorus follows, superbly sung, before the orchestral material is reprised. This is a most impressive opening. The first aria, ‘Was des Höchsten Glanz erfüllt’ (‘What the Highest’s light has filled’) is given to the bass, here the ever-reliable Peter Harvey. This is in Gardiner’s words, “one of those spacious, pastoral 12/8 movements.” Harvey sings this graceful, delightful aria with dignity, understanding and a lovely, even tone. The soprano soloist, Ruth Holton, has previously been encountered in Vol. 21 (see review). She has rather a light voice and it’s well suited to the demands that Bach makes of his soloist in the aria ‘Hilf, Gott, dass es uns gelingt’ (‘Grant, O God, that we succeed’) where vocal agility is a prerequisite. When we reach BWV 176 there’s another demanding soprano aria and here I thought I detected occasional signs that Miss Holton was a bit pressed by the writing. On the other hand, the singing of the Monteverdi Choir in the opening chorus personifies assurance and conviction. This cantata is inspired by the gospel of the day (St. John, chapter 3), which relates the story of Christ’s conversation with Nicodemus. It is instructive, perhaps, that in the bass recitative (movement IV) Bach added a final line to the librettist’s text, paraphrasing a line from the gospel: “For all who but believe in You shall not be lost”. There’s a fine alto aria, accompanied by a trio of oboes, playing in unison, and Daniel Taylor does this very well. As Gardiner puts it “[Bach] signs off his second Leipzig cycle with this cantata crammed with provocative thoughts and musical exegesis.” Next comes BWV 165, a much earlier piece that dates from Bach’s time at Weimar. Watery images abound in the text for this cantata, not least in the fluid soprano aria with which the piece opens. It’s a demanding piece and I like the vocal purity that Ruth Holton brings to it. Daniel Taylor impresses once again in the aria ‘Jesu, der aus grosser Liebe’, with its spare accompaniment by continuo only. The cantata contains two important recitatives for the bass soloist and Peter Harvey despatches both eloquently. The final offering, BWV 129, is probably the best known of these cantatas. It’s another Leipzig piece, setting five stanzas from a 1665 hymn. Trinity Sunday is such an important feast in the Lutheran calendar that it’s slightly surprising, on the face of it, that this is the only surviving cantata for that day in which Bach pulls out all the celebratory stops. Here he adds three trumpets, drums, a flute and a pair of oboes to the orchestra and begins with a festive chorale fantasia. The choral sopranos have the cantus firmus around which the orchestra and the rest of the choir scurry jubilantly. There are no recitatives in this cantata but instead there are three fine arias. Those for bass and soprano are well done by Peter Harvey and Ruth Holton respectively but it’s to Daniel Taylor that the plum aria falls. He sings it beautifully and the gorgeous oboe d’amore obbligato is a perfect foil. However, for once I find myself a little unsettled by Gardiner’s tempo. It just seems a notch on the hasty side and as a result the expressive oboe line, in particular, doesn’t quite make the expressive points that I’d hoped to hear. The concluding chorale is splendidly festive, providing a joyous conclusion to what Gardiner aptly describes as “a genial, uplifting work”. He records in his notes that the Kirkwall audience ”seemed a little resistant to the music’s charms.” I can’t imagine for the life of me why this should have been the case because I concur with his view that the performance, like everything else on the disc, was “spirited.” Yet again there’s some incomparable music on both these discs and the standard of performance is uniformly high. Wherever they went on their pilgrimage Sir John and his team dispensed enlightenment and musical experiences that were as enriching as they were enjoyable. Collectors of this ever-impressive series should not hesitate to add this latest volume to their collection. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750For Whit Tuesday
Brandenburg Concerto No.3 BWV 1048 in G major
1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Allegro
Erwünschtes Freudenlicht BWV 184
1. Recitativo: Tenor Erwünschtes Freudenlicht
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Gesegnete Christen, glückselige Herde
3. Recitativo: Tenor So freuet euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen!
4. Aria: Tenor Glück und Segen sind bereit
5. Choral Herr, ich hoff je
6. Coro Guter Hirte, Trost der Deinen
Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen BWV 175
1. Recitativo: Tenor Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen
2. Aria: Alt Komm, leite mich
3. Recitativo: Tenor Wo find ich dich?
4. Aria: Tenor Es dünket mich, ich seh dich kommen
5. Recitativo: Alt, Bass Sie vernahmen aber nicht
6. Aria: Bass Öffnet euch, ihr beiden Ohren
7. Choral Nun, werter Geist, ich folg dir

For Trinity Sunday
Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest BWV 194
1. Coro Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest
2. Recitativo: Bass Unendlich großer Gott
3. Aria: Bass Was des Höchsten Glanz erfüllt
4. Recitativo: Sopran Wie könnte dir, du höchstes Angesicht
5. Aria: Sopran Hilf, Gott, dass es uns gelingt
6. Choral Heil’ger Geist ins Himmels Throne
Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding BWV 176
1. Coro Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding
2. Recitativo: Alt Ich meine, recht verzagt
3. Aria: Sopran Dein sonst hell beliebter Schein
4. Recitativo: Bass So wundre dich, o Meister, nicht
5. Aria: Alt Ermuntert euch, furchtsam und schüchterne Sinne
6. Choral Auf dass wir also allzugleich
O heil’ges Geist- und Wasserbad BWV 165
1. Aria: Sopran O heil’ges Geist- und Wasserbad
2. Recitativo: Bass Die sündige Geburt verdammter Adamserben
3. Aria: Alt Jesu, der aus großer Liebe
4. Recitativo: Bass Ich habe ja, mein Seelenbräutigam
5. Aria: Tenor Jesu, meines Todes Tod
6. Choral Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott BWV 129
1. Coro (Choral) Gelobet sei der Herr
2. Aria: Bass Gelobet sei der Herr
3. Aria: Sopran Gelobet sei der Herr
4. Aria: Alt Gelobet sei der Herr
5. Choral Dem wir das Heilig itzt

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 27 SDG 138

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE: CD ONE / CD TWO

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 26

Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 4:00pm MST

It’s a measure of the importance of Whitsun in the Lutheran calendar that, like Christmas and Easter, the feast was celebrated over three days. This latest release in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series consists of two concerts given on consecutive days in the same venue, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, in Suffolk details. This noble church, much lauded by Simon Jenkins in his book, England’s Thousand Best Churches, is one of the so-called Wool Churches and is mainly late-Perpendicular in style. Readers who have been following the reviews of this series to date will know that one of its many notable features is the booklet notes. These are taken from a journal that Sir John Eliot Gardiner compiled during the Pilgrimage. It seems to me that his notes for this present volume are the finest to date. He writes with particular eloquence about the feast of Pentecost and Bach’s music for the festival and he’s particularly adept on this occasion at pointing out resonances between the theology of the feast, Bach’s music and the venue for the concerts. The first concert – and CD – consisted of cantatas for Whit Sunday itself. Proceedings get off to a joyous start with the exuberant, trumpet-led chorus that opens BWV 172. The rhythms bounce infectiously and the trumpets ring out festively. The first aria in this cantata is one of Bach’s puissant bass and trumpet arias, ‘Heiligste Dreieinigkeit’. This is authoritatively dispatched by the German-born Greek bass, Panajotis Iconomou, a singer that I can’t recall hearing before, though he was a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2001. After this Bach provides respite and refreshment in the form of the easeful tenor aria, ‘O Seelenparadies’ This suits the light, heady voice of Christoph Genz admirably. I also relished the sensuous performance of the duet for soprano and alto, ‘Komm, lass mich nicht länger warten.’ The cantata ends with two choral movements. First comes a chorale, which is enriched by a countermelody for the orchestral violins. Then we are treated to a most welcome reprise of the opening chorus, which rounds off a very fine cantata in a splendid performance. Next we hear the first of Bach’s cantatas entitled Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten, BWV 59. The origins of this piece, which dates from 1723 or 1724, are a little uncertain and Gardiner’s note is good on this point. I enjoyed the duet for soprano and bass with which it opens. The two trumpet parts that accompany the singers are surprisingly – and very effectively – restrained in tone. It’s somewhat unusual to find a chorale as the third movement. The bass aria that follows is a fine creation. It’s a lovely, lyrical inspiration in which a graceful vocal line is complemented by an equally suave violin obbligato. I admired the velvety tone that Panajotis Iconomou deploys here. The cantata lacks a closing chorale and it seems to me that Eliot Gardiner’s solution is a sensible one. He repeats the chorale that we heard earlier, but the choir now sings a different verse of the same hymn. Bach revisited the text of Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten again in 1725. He re-worked some of the music from BWV 59 in this new cantata, BWV 74, and, apart from the opening movement, he set a different text. The opening movement of BWV 59 is transformed here into a four-part chorus. The music for BWV 59’s above-mentioned bass aria, ‘Die Welt mit allen Königreichen’, is now assigned to a soprano with an oboe da caccia obbligato. This re-worked aria, ‘Komm, komm, mein Herze steht dir offen’, is quite delightful and I share John Eliot Gardiner’s preference for this version of the music. The partnership of soprano and oboe da caccia has been encountered before, in BWV 1 (Volume 21), and I find it highly effective. Lisa Larsson is the accomplished soprano on this occasion. The dazzling tenor aria, ‘Kommt, eilet, stimmet Sait und Lieder’ is a real tour de force. Christoph Genz delivers this virtuoso piece superbly. As we shall see later, the mixture of lightness and steel in his voice is absolutely right for such music. The cantata also contains a hugely demanding aria for the alto soloist, ‘Nichts kann mich erretten’, which is distinguished in particular by the leaps that the singer is required to make from one extreme of his register to the other. It’s a dramatic piece and Derek Lee Ragin gives a graphic account of it. However, the timbre of his voice may not be to all tastes and I must admit a preference for Robin Blaze’s performance in Gardiner’s earlier account of this cantata, to which I shall come in a moment. Finally we are given the superb cantata, O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe, BWV 34. This begins with one of the most exciting choruses in all Bach. This large- scale, celebratory piece is adorned with silvery trumpets and makes a most splendid impression here. The music is like the rushing of the Pentecostal wind itself and it’s hard to imagine it done with greater fervour than in this exuberant performance. The Monteverdi Choir surpass themselves with singing that is light and effervescent yet which has the requisite weight too. It’s tremendously disciplined yet it still sounds spontaneous. I can see that some eyebrows might be raised at the strong accents in the central section of the chorus but I love it. Gardiner says of this chorus: "In performance it generates colossal energy and elation" and that’s certainly the case here. In the tenor aria that follows Christoph Genz’s singing reminded me of the splendid and sensitive work he did as the Evangelist in the performances of Christmas Oratorio with which the Pilgrimage began in December 1999. This is followed by the heavenly aria ‘Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen’. From his comments in the notes it’s clear that Nathalie Stutzmann’s performance made a deep impression on Sir John and I’m not surprised. She gives a serene account of the aria, which I find even more satisfying than Bernarda Fink’s fine performance in the earlier DG recording (see below.) The end of the cantata contains a stroke of genius, with the choir bursting in abruptly at the end of the bass recitativo. This is the prelude to "a typhoon of an orchestral finale" as Gardiner describes it, where choir and orchestra combine to bring what must have been a memorable concert to a jubilant end. Collectors should note that Gardiner has recorded these four Whit Sunday cantatas, BWV 34, 59, 74 and 172 before. They were issued by DG in 2000 as one of the series of discs issued at the time the Pilgrimage was in progress (DG 463 584-2). The disc is still available, I believe, but it contains different performances, recorded under studio conditions in April 1999 and all the soloists on the DG disc are different, with the exception of Christoph Genz. This earlier disc is by no means eclipsed by the newcomer. However, the SDG accounts seem to me to have that indefinable ‘edge’, which perhaps stems from the fact that they are live performances. I’ve highlighted above a couple of points where I have a preference for the newcomer. What clinches it for me, however, is the opening chorus of BWV 172. Here the new version has more life and buoyancy. The tempo is fractionally faster and the rhythms seem that tiny bit more urgently sprung. Though the 1999 performance is excellent its successor is even more joyous: it’s a real winner. The next day three more cantatas were given, all for Whit Monday. Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173 was a re-working of a 1717 cantata written while Bach was in Cöthen, to celebrate the birthday of Prince Leopold, his employer. In its adapted, liturgical format, as BWV 173, the cantata may well have been heard first in Leipzig in 1723 but Eliot Gardiner’s performance is of a further re-working of the score that Bach undertook in 1728. Christoph Genz’s combination of lightness of voice and steely ring, already noted in BWV 74, is again a source of pleasure in the gigue-like aria, ‘Ein geheiligtes Gemüte.’ The busy alto aria, ‘Gott will, o ihr Menschenkinder’ is not, perhaps, one of Bach’s most memorable inspirations. However, the following duet for soprano and bass is a delight. It’s something of a technical tour de force, as Bach moves through a succession of scoring, metres and keys. It’s very well done here. Also hat Gott die Welt geliebet, BWV 68 is a work that, as Eliot Gardiner comments, "almost seems as if [it] were composed back-to-front" since it begins with what he terms a "lyrical and wistful" chorale and concludes with a much more dramatic chorus of the type that one might expect to find at the start of a cantata. However, as so often, Bach’s musical inspiration fits the text perfectly and the gentle, lilting rhythm of the opening movement serves to emphasise quiet joy that God sent his son to redeem the world. In this splendid performance both the singers and the instrumentalists are alive to every nuance of rhythm and dynamics. Both the second and fourth movements of the cantata were adapted by Bach from his ‘Hunt’ Cantata, BWV 208. The first of these movements is the celebrated soprano aria, ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’. Soloist Lisa Larsson conveys appropriately breathless joy. However, the extremely fleet tempo chosen by Gardiner may disconcert some listeners. This performance is a very different conception from, say, those by Edith Mathis (for Karl Richter) or the incomparable Agnes Giebel (for Fritz Werner) and it’s noteworthy that both of those performances last for over four minutes whereas Gardiner whips through the piece in 2:55. Miss Larsson’s singing isn’t anything like as full-toned as the other two ladies I’ve mentioned and, in fairness, I don’t think the tempo gives her the chance to be. The player of the obbligato violincello piccolo also sounds somewhat pressed. The other movement taken from the ‘Hunt’ Cantata is the bass aria. Bach gives his singer an accompaniment of no less than three gambolling oboes and a bassoon and I find the effect irresistible. The strong and energetic closing chorus is an exciting affair with a cornetto and three sackbuts doubling the choral parts. The final cantata in what is a slightly short programme is Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174. The opening sinfonia is a memorable expansion of the first movement of the third Brandenburg Concerto. The expansion is to the scoring: Bach adds highly important parts for pairs of horns and oboes to the original string band and, in Gardiner’s memorable phrase unleashes a "living bombardment of instrumental sounds." Even longer than the sinfonia is the alto aria from which the cantata takes its title. This is an outstanding aria and it’s sung radiantly and expressively by Nathalie Stutzmann. I had reservations about Gardiner’s pacing of ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’ but that’s not the case here. I feel he adopts an ideal tempo for this heavenly aria. It flows with a beautiful inevitability, with two intertwining oboes enhancing the vocal line. The concluding chorale uses the same music that Bach used for the final chorale of St. John Passion and it makes for a very satisfying conclusion to another fine disc. As this series unfolds I have come to value increasingly the Sunday-by-Sunday presentation. Not only does this seem to me to afford the most logical way to order an intégrale of the cantatas, but also it allows one to appreciate the way in which Bach responded in different ways at different stages in his career to the same liturgical and scriptural themes. That, in itself, I am finding to be an enriching experience. The Pilgrim’s sojourn in Long Melford was another highly successful artistic enterprise. This pair of discs has given me enormous pleasure. The very high standards of performance, presentation and recorded sound that were set in earlier releases has been maintained and I strongly recommend this latest addition to what is fast becoming a very important and distinguished cycle of the cantatas. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750For Whit Sunday
Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172
1. Coro Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!
2. Recitativo: BassWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
3. Aria: Bass Heiligste Dreieinigkeit
4. Aria: Tenor O Seelenparadies
5. Aria (Duetto) con Choral: Sopran, Alt
Komm, lass mich nicht länger warten
6. Choral Von Gott kömmt mir ein Freudenschein
7. Coro Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!
Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten I BWV 59
1. Duetto: Sopran, BassWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
2. Recitativo: Sopran O, was sind das für Ehren
3. Choral Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
4. Aria: Bass Die Welt mit allen Königreichen
5. Choral Du heilige Brunst, süßer Trost
Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten II BWV 74
1. CoroWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
2. Aria: Sopran Komm, komm, mein Herze steht dir offen
3. Recitativo: Alt Die Wohnung ist bereit
4. Aria: Bass Ich gehe hin und komme wieder zu euch
5. Aria: Tenor Kommt, eilet, stimmet Sait und Lieder
6. Recitativo: Bass Es ist nichts Verdammliches
7. Aria: Alt Nichts kann mich erretten
8. Choral Kein Menschenkind hier auf der Erd
O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe BWV 34
1. Coro O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe
2. Recitativo: Tenor Herr, unsre Herzen halten dir
3. Aria: AltWohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen
4. Recitativo: Bass Erwählt sich Gott die heilgen Hütten
5. Coro Friede über Israel

For Whit Monday
Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut BWV 173
1. Recitativo: Tenor Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut
2. Aria: Tenor Ein geheiligtes Gemüte
3. Aria: Alt Gott will, o ihr Menschenkinder
4. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass So hat Gott die Welt geliebt
5. Recitativo (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Unendlichster, den man doch Vater nennt
6. Coro Rühre, Höchster, unsern Geist
Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt BWV 68
1. Coro (Choral) Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
2. Aria: Sopran Mein gläubiges Herze
3. Recitativo: Bass Ich bin mit Petro nicht vermessen
4. Aria: Bass Du bist geboren mir zugute
5. CoroWer an ihn gläubet
Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte BWV 174
1. Sinfonia
2. Aria: Alt Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte
3. Recitativo: Tenor O Liebe, welcher keine gleich!
4. Aria: Bass Greifet zu
5. Choral Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 26 SDG 121

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE: CD ONE / CD TWO

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 25

Posted: January 21st, 2012, 7:05am MST

The first of the two CDs in this set contains cantatas for the Fifth Sunday after Easter, recorded in what John Eliot Gardiner describes as the “unalluring” Annenkirche in Dresden. This was one of the few churches to survive the terrible bombing that the city endured in 1945. Apparently it owed its survival to an unusual architectural feature: a robust steel roof. In his notes Gardiner writes of the delicacy of the situation in which a largely British ensemble came to perform Bach in a city devastated by Allied bombs. They performed the programme on two consecutive nights and in the event, though the atmosphere at the first concert seemed somewhat tense, a more relaxed feeling pervaded the second concert. The first work we hear, BWV 86, is an optimistic cantata, the mood set in the short opening bass arioso, in which Christ’s words are set: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” In this brief but telling solo Stephen Loges makes an immediately favourable impression, singing with warmth and authority. Of especial note is the next aria, ‘Ich will doch wohl Rosen brechen’. This contains a virtuoso violin obbligato, which is splendidly played (by Kati Debretzeni?), and which is an admirable foil for the agile singing of Robin Tyson. The other aria is for tenor and here Steve Davislim has a very demanding part to put across, not least because it includes some characteristic leaps up to very short high notes. It’s an ungrateful line at times and Davislim copes well though I think he sounds more comfortable, perhaps understandably, in other solos later on in the programme. BWV 67 comes from the following year and, though the Epistle and Gospel would have been the same, this starts off in less hopeful vein than did BWV 86. As so often in Lutheran liturgy, the sinful nature of man is recalled. However, towards the end a more positive note is struck. Like BWV 86 the cantata opens with a vox Christi bass solo but this time there’s almost a note of reproach in the words, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name.” One of the highlights is a lengthy aria for alto accompanied by a pair of oboi da caccia. The aria, Gardiner says, is suffused with “a mood of sustained reverence and penitence.” Tyson makes a fine job of it. Somewhat puzzling is the bass arioso, which forms the fifth movement. The text, again Christ’s words, is: “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” One might expect comforting music here but Bach takes a different tack and the music is angular and rather severe in tone. Despite this surprise the mood of the music then alters and the following movement, a tenor aria, is heavenly. ’Ich will leiden, ich will schweigen’ is, in Alfred Dürr’s words, a siciliano of “overwhelming beauty… [that] brings the joyful affirmation that in our suffering we can rely on Jesus’ comfort.” In this number Steve Davislim, with a more grateful vocal line to spin, sounds more at ease than he did in BWV 86 and the performance is a delight. The programme is completed by BWV 97. The occasion for which this cantata was intended is unclear though Dürr suggests it may have been intended as a wedding cantata Bach sets all nine verses of a seventeenth century hymn, including two recitatives and four arias among the verse settings. The cantata opens with a ceremonial French overture, which gives way to a lively choral fantasia in which the sopranos have the original hymn tune as a cantus firmus, around which the other three parts weave vigorous passagework. This movement finds the Monteverdi Choir in fine fettle. The aria that follows, described by Gardiner as a “proto-Schubertian lied”, features warm singing by Stephen Loges as well as a splendid bassoon obbligato. Later there’s an extended tenor aria, well sung by Davislim, which features another very taxing violin obbligato. Dürr reckons that there must have been a good reason for Bach to write such a showy instrumental part. We’ve not heard much so far of Katharine Fuge, save for a brief chorale movement in BWV 86. However, she now joins Loges for what Gardiner wittily describes as “a catch-as-catch-can stretto for the two singers, part canzonet, part Rossini.” Miss Fuge acquits herself well here but we get a better chance to hear her in the lovely aria ‘Ihm hab ich mich ergeben’, which Gardiner aptly describes as “a carefree acceptance of God’s will.” A week later, after an Ascension Day concert in Salisbury Cathedral, which I hope will feature in a future volume, not least because it presumably included BWV 11, the Pilgrims fetched up at the eleventh-century Sherborne Abbey in Dorset. The works on the CD don’t appear in the order in which they were performed that evening because the concert began with BWV 150. I suspect the reordering on disc is designed to keep apart BWV 44 and BWV 183. BWV 44 is another cantata that opens with a vox Christi movement but, unusually for Bach, two singers – tenor and bass – are used. This short movement leads without a break into an animated chorus – “punchy and arresting” in Gardiner’s words - which is sung with real bite by the Monteverdi Choir. In his notes Gardiner points out that the chorus reminds one of the ‘Kreuzige’ chorus in St. John Passion, first heard only six weeks before this cantata’s first airing. Apparently it only consists of thirty-five bars, but it sounds much more substantial. The cantata also contains a wonderful, elegiac aria, ‘Christen müssen auf der Erden’. This is beautifully sung by Daniel Taylor, whose warm, round tone makes him sound almost like a female alto. He’s partnered by a most eloquent oboe obbligato player. My ear was also caught by the dramatic bass recitative in which Panajotis Iconomou displays power and resonance. After this there’s a fine, dancing soprano aria in which Joanne Lunn’s singing is bright and clear. She copes very well with what is a far from easy vocal line. BWV 183 was written one year later. It shares with BWV 44 only the text of its first verse, which is a conflation of the first two verses of the earlier cantata. The cantata is dominated by a huge, slow aria for tenor with cello piccolo obbligato. Running in this performance to 10.30, the aria accounts for nearly two thirds of the entire cantata, aptly justifying Gardiner’s epithet “epic”. Throughout it’s length the tenor’s tortured line is underpinned by what Gardiner calls the “serene and luminous course” of the obbligato. Paul Agnew’s singing is exceptionally eloquent and his performance of this hugely demanding piece, which is a real test of technique and concentration, is very accomplished. But equal praise is due, and for the same reasons, to cellist David Watkin, whose contribution is on the same high level. Mention should also be made of Joanne Lunn’s marvellously dexterous delivery of her aria ‘Höchter Tröster, Heilger Geist’. In this the oboe da caccia obbligato provides an excellent foil to her lithe, agile singing. In between these two cantatas on the disc comes BWV 150. This is another cantata for an unspecified occasion and for the first time in the series to date, I think, we find a cantata repeated. This same work appeared in Volume 23 as part of a concert given in late April 2000 (see review). Gardiner says that in reviving the work he tried to achieve a number of advances on the earlier performance and it’s interesting to compare the two to attempt to judge how successful he was, though I must say the earlier account seemed very good to me. In the chorus ‘Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn’ he says the aim was to attain a “more sensuous, mezzo-tinted sonority”. I’d say he achieved his goal here. He sought greater harmonic clarity in another chorus, ‘Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit’. I don’t find it easy to discern whether or not this was attained: both performances sound convincing. However, I don’t think there’s much doubt that this present performance of the terzetto movement for alto, tenor and bass is the more successful of the two. Gardiner aimed for more graphic musical depiction of the accompaniment and once you’ve heard the Sherborne account the earlier effort sounds a bit tame. He also aimed for a greater sense of spaciousness in the closing chorus and, once again, I find it hard to decide if the newer account, which is a fine one, represents a significant advance on the previous rendition. The programme closed with music by Bach but, on this occasion, by an ancestor of Johann Sebastian, his first cousin-once-removed, Johann Christoph Bach. The five-part motet Fürchte dich nicht is only short but it merits inclusion. Gardiner suggests that Johann Christoph might be the missing link between Schütz and J. S. Bach. He describes it as an “impressive and touching piece” and I agree. This is the first time so far in the series that we’ve heard music by another member of the very extended Bach family but it’s good to have this piece performed here with commitment and style. The performance standards are consistently high throughout this pair of CDs. The engineering is good and, as ever, John Eliot Gardiner’s notes are stimulating, informative and convey a sense of the special atmosphere of this whole project. This is another impressive issue in this important series. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)For the Fifth Sunday after Easter (Rogate)
Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch BWV 86
1. (Arioso): BassWahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch
2. Aria: Alt Ich will doch wohl Rosen brechen
3. Choral: Sopran Und was der ewig gütig Gott
4. Recitativo: Tenor Gott macht es nicht gleichwie die Welt
5. Aria: Tenor Gott hilft gewiss
6. Choral Die Hoffnung wart’ der rechten Zeit
Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen BWV 87
1. (Arioso): Bass Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen
2. Recitativo: Alt O Wort, das Geist und Seel erschreckt!
3. Aria: Alt Vergib, o Vater, unsre Schuld
4. Recitativo: TenorWenn unsre Schuld bis an den Himmel steigt
5. (Arioso): Bass In der Welt habt ihr Angst
6. Aria: Tenor Ich will leiden, ich will schweigen
7. Choral Muss ich sein betrübet?
In allen meinen Taten BWV 97
1. Versus I. Coro In allen meinen Taten
2. Versus II. Aria: Bass Nichts ist es spät und frühe
3. Versus III. Recitativo: Tenor Es kann mir nichts geschehen
4. Versus IV. Aria: Tenor Ich traue seiner Gnaden
5. Versus V. Recitativo: Alt Er wolle meiner Sünden
6. Versus VI. Aria: Alt Leg ich mich späte nieder
7. Versus VII. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Hat er es denn beschlossen
8. Versus VIII. Aria: Sopran Ihm hab ich mich ergeben
9. Versus IX. Choral So sei nun, Seele, deine

For the Sunday after Ascension Day (Exaudi)
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun I BWV 44
1. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
2. Coro Es kömmt aber die Zeit
3. Aria: Alt Christen müssen auf der Erden
4. Choral: Tenor Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
5. Recitativo: Bass Es sucht der Antichrist
6. Aria: Sopran Es ist und bleibt der Christen Trost
7. Choral So sei nun, Seele, deine
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
3. Aria: Sopran Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt
4. Coro Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
5. Aria (Terzetto): Alt, Tenor, Bass Zedern müssen von den Winden
6. Coro Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn
7. Coro Meine Tage in den Leiden
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun II BWV 183
1. Recitativo: Bass Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
2. Aria: Tenor Ich fürchte nicht des Todes Schrecken
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich bin bereit
4. Aria: Sopran Höchster Tröster, Heilger Geist
5. Choral Du bist ein Geist
Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703)
Fürchte dich nicht
Fürchte dich nicht, denn ich hab dich erlöst

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 25 SDG 144

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 24

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 6:15am MST

This set consists of cantatas for the Easter season. The superb BWV 12 is a Weimar cantata, dating from 1714 but heard here in its 1724, Leipzig, revision. Bach opens with a sinfonia, which is a profound meditation led by a keening oboe. Then he plumbs even greater depths in the succeeding extended chorus, which later became the Crucifixus of the B Minor Mass. The opening music of this chorus is performed with great feeling and exemplary control. The tempo picks up in a faster, contrapuntal central section, which puts one in mind of passages in the Motets. William Towers is in fine form for his recitative and aria, the latter being a particularly inspired invention. Julian Clarkson appears for the first time in the series to give a spirited reading of the short aria, ‘Ich folge Christo nach.’ Mark Padmore, on the other hand, is no stranger to the series. He’s a joy to hear in the musically and emotionally taxing aria, ‘Sei getreu, alle Pein’, which is decorated by a gentle trumpet chorale, marvellously voiced and placed here. Rounded off by a stirring chorale, this is a splendid performance of this profound cantata. BWV 103 (1725) starts deceptively. As Gardiner points out perceptively in his note, the vigorous fugal opening chorus sounds joyful on the surface. However, that’s deliberately somewhat at odds with the sentiments of the text. He leads his forces in a robust account of this music. It’s an astonishingly inventive movement, both in terms of the music itself and also in respect of the scoring, in which an important soprano recorder part is prominent. This chorus seems to present most effectively to the listener the antithesis between sorrow and joy. Happiness is finally attained in the splendid tenor aria, ‘Erholet euch, betrübte Sinnen’. Both Mark Padmore and trumpeter Niklas Eklund make this hugely demanding aria sound almost easy in a performance of exuberant conviction. BWV 146 is on a huge scale, lasting some 38 minutes in this performance. Bach adapted the first two movements of the D minor Harpsichord Concerto, BWV 1052a for the first two movements of this cantata. First comes a sinfonia for which, for once, the organ of the venue itself was used rather than the portable organ that was generally used throughout the Pilgrimage. As soon as we hear the mighty organ of the Schlosskirche, Altenburg it’s obvious why that choice was made. The instrument produces some wonderful sounds, especially in its lower reaches and though its action must have taxed the skills of organist Silas John Standage the results amply justify the pains he took. The sinfonia emerges here as an ambitious, grand canvass and it’s marvellously exciting – and entertaining – to hear it done like this. Bach himself is known to have played this instrument in 1739, shortly after its installation, so its use here is doubly justified. Gardiner’s marvellously apt description of it as a “Baroque ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’” is just another example of his ability to find the mot juste in his notes. After the thrills of the sinfonia Bach grafts a four-part chorus onto the music of the slow movement of the concerto to transform it into a superb, sustained and intense choral meditation. The recording captures well the fine distancing effect that was achieved by placing the choir at the rear of the church for this movement. There follows a substantial alto aria, which is well sung by William Towers and graced by what is rightly described as a “radiant” violin obbligato. Brigitte Geller, a singer new to me, has had little to do in the concert up to now but she is heard to good effect in this cantata in a dramatic recitative and an aria that is more emotionally relaxed. I enjoyed very much the vigorous performance of the arresting and joyful tenor and bass duet, ‘wie will ich mich freuen’. The following week the show moved on to Warwick, a late change of plan in the face of complications in Warsaw, which had been the intended destination for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. BWV 166, which was the first item on the programme, opens with a bass arioso. I thought that I detected a suggestion or two that Stephen Varcoe was not quite at his best here, the voice sounding just a little thin. But he’s a highly experienced singer and he still puts across words and music convincingly – and I have to say that I enjoyed his subsequent singing very much. James Gilchrist is in fine voice for the “serene meditation” of the aria ‘Ich will an den Himmel denken’. The alto aria, ‘Man nehme sich in Acht’ is an extrovert, virtuoso piece, which seems to test Robin Tyson, accomplished singer though he is. The cantata ends with a chorale, which begins most effectively, the choir hushed and a cappella. This provides a telling contrast to the outgoing alto aria that precedes it. BWV 108, which dates from 1725, has some structural similarities with BWV 166, which had been composed in the previous year. Gilchrist has another demanding aria, this time a much more spirited one than that which fell to him in BWV 166. Once again he rises fully to the occasion. There have already been several opportunities in this series for him to demonstrate his prowess as a Bach tenor and this is another. In passing it should be said that on the evidence of the discs so far issued Gardiner has chosen his tenor soloists for this whole project particularly well. Besides Gilchrist the excellence of both Paul Agnew and Mark Padmore has already been noted. At the centre of BWV 108 lies a vigorous polyphonic chorus, which the Monteverdi Choir sings with tremendous assurance and spirit, after which Robin Tyson sings the important alto aria well. Finally we hear BWV 117. The date of composition of this cantata is uncertain; it dates from between 1728 and 1731 and the occasion for which it was penned is not certain. However, it fits in well with the two companion works in this programme, not least in terms of its subject matter. Gardiner is surely right to suggest in his notes that whatever the occasion was it was a significant one. It opens with a celebratory and positive chorus, which later reappears to close the work. Though Bach eschews the use of trumpets here the music is still very festive in tone. There’s another fine tenor aria to enjoy and an equally imposing, more reflective one for the bass. Both are stylishly sung by Messrs. Gilchrist and Varcoe respectively. There’s also an engagingly perky alto aria and I found this piece, and Robin Tyson’s singing of it a delight. [This volume] in this evolving series continue[s] in every respect the extremely high standards set in the previous issues. There are currently two other significant Bach cantata cycles in progress. These are the surveys by Ton Koopman and by Masaaki Suzuki. Both series have attracted much praise and though I haven’t heard any of the Koopman discs, other than on the radio, those from the Suzuki cycle that have come my way have impressed me very much. I am not really in a position to make any detailed comparisons between these rival cycles. What I will say, however, is that this Gardiner series is so far very fine indeed and is promising much. The fact that his performances stem from live performances does give them a certain ambience and immediacy, I think. Of course, one doesn’t know how much editing has taken place (I understand that the dress rehearsals were also taped as a precaution). However, my guess would be that editing has been kept to a minimum; these performances consistently have the feel of a genuine performance and, indeed, convey a palpable sense of occasion. If you’re already collecting either the Koopman or Suzuki cycles then economic realities will probably prevent you from collecting the Gardiner discs as well. Even so I’d recommend sampling this intriguing and stimulating series. If pressed to choose from the sets that have been released to date I think I’d plump for Volume 1, which was discussed in my previous survey, and Volume 14. However, all the five sets I’ve heard to date are excellent and will give much pleasure. This is shaping up to be a series of considerable importance and, of course, if it can be completed, it will have the distinction of being the first Bach cantata cycle to be composed entirely of live performances. I recommend [this] latest [addition] to the series with great enthusiasm. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750For the Third Sunday after Easter (Jubilate)
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12
1. Sinfonia
2. CoroWeinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
3. Recitativo: Alt Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal
4. Aria: Alt Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden
5. Aria: Bass Ich folge Christo nach
6. Aria con Choral: Tenor Sei getreu, alle Pein
7. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Ihr werdet weinen und heulen BWV 103
1. Coro e Arioso: Bass Ihr werdet weinen und heulen
2. Recitativo: TenorWer sollte nicht in Klagen untergehn
3. Aria: Alt Kein Arzt ist außer dir zu finden
4. Recitativo: Alt Du wirst mich nach der Angst
5. Aria: Tenor Erholet euch, betrübte Sinnen
6. Choral Ich hab dich einen Augenblick
Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen BWV 146
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal
3. Aria: Alt Ich will nach dem Himmel zu
4. Recitativo: Sopran Ach! wer doch schon im Himmel wär!
5. Aria: Sopran Ich säe meine Zähren
6. Recitativo: Tenor Ich bin bereit
7. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Wie will ich mich freuen
8. Choral Denn wer selig dahin fähret

For the Fourth Sunday after Easter (Cantate)
Wo gehest du hin? BWV 166
1. Arioso: BassWo gehest du hin?
2. Aria: Tenor Ich will an den Himmel denken
3. Choral: Sopran Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ
4. Recitativo: Bass Gleichwie die Regenwasser bald verfließen
5. Aria: Alt Man nehme sich in Acht
6. ChoralWer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende!
Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe BWV 108
1. Aria: Bass Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe
2. Aria: Tenor Mich kann kein Zweifel stören
3. Recitativo: Tenor Dein Geist wird mich also regieren
4. CoroWenn aber jener, der Geist der Wahrheit
5. Aria: AltWas mein Herz von dir begehrt
6. Choral Dein Geist, den Gott vom Himmel gibt
Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut BWV 117
1. Coro Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut
2. Recitativo: Bass Es danken dir die Himmelsheer
3. Aria: TenorWas unser Gott geschaffen hat
4. Choral Ich rief dem Herrn in meiner Not
5. Recitativo: Alt Der Herr ist noch und nimmer nicht
6. Aria: BassWenn Trost und Hülf ermangeln muss
7. Aria: Alt Ich will dich all mein Leben lang
8. Recitativo: Tenor Ihr, die ihr Christi Namen nennt
9. Coro So kommet vor sein Angesicht

2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 24 SDG 107

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 23

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 5:15pm MST

Volume 22 of this series contained cantatas for Easter Sunday and the succeeding two days, performed at the church in Eisenach where Bach was baptised and sang as a boy chorister. For the following Sunday, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Cantata Pilgrims travelled some thirty miles to Arnstadt, where Bach served as organist between 1703 and 1707. Though cantata BWV 150 is not an Easter cantata - indeed, it’s for an unspecified occasion - its inclusion in the Arnstadt programme was appropriate since it’s now widely believed that this was Bach’s first cantata, composed around 1707/8 and, as such, probably written for this very church. The piece is rooted firmly in the seventeenth-century German cantata tradition and, unsurprisingly, one feels that the young Bach has yet fully to find his voice in this medium. Nonetheless it’s technically very assured and the musical response to the text is typically thoughtful. There aren’t too many solo opportunities but Gillian Keith impresses in the soprano aria ‘Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt’. The contribution of the Monteverdi Choir is, characteristically, first class and in particular they project strongly the chorus ‘Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit’. BWV 67 comes from 1724, the first Leipzig cycle, and shows how far Bach had travelled musically since his Arnstadt days. For a start the orchestral scoring is much fuller, reflecting the more abundant resources available to Bach in Leipzig. But the music is much finer also. The magnificent opening chorus finds the Monteverdi Choir – and Bach – in inspired form. The following tenor aria, ‘Mein Jesus ist erstanden’ is a superb creation, a real proclamation of confident faith in the Resurrection. Gardiner sets a challenging tempo but Charles Daniels negotiates the aria’s difficulties very well. The bass aria with chorale, ‘Friede sei mit euch!’ is the core of the work. There are several turbulent passages for strings and chorus, in which Gardiner really whips up a tempest, and each time calm is restored by the bass, as Jesus. Stephen Varcoe sings these pacific passages with dignity and feeling. However, to my ears his voice sounds, at this stage in his career, just a little grey and he also lacks the amplitude at the bottom of his range that we’ve heard from, say, Peter Harvey in other volumes in this series. This is a magnificent cantata and, that one reservation apart, Gardiner and his forces give a fine account of it. BWV 42, which comes from the 1725 jahrgang is on a much bigger scale and is introduced by a vigorous, eager sinfonia. At its heart – and, at 12:32, accounting for nearly half the length of the whole cantata – is the alto aria, ‘Wo zwei und drei versammlet sind’. These recordings are assembled from two performances on consecutive days and I was fascinated to read in Gardiner’s notes that he found his feelings about this aria were different at each performance. He confides “I found it almost unbearably pained and sad at our first performance and far more serene and consoling at the second.” Which account is preserved on the CD, I wonder? Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between the two poles, with Bach illustrating the bittersweet feeling of the first disciples that Christ is with them always – but no longer in this world as they have previously known him? In this performance the pair of obbligato oboes intertwine plaintively and Daniel Taylor’s singing is beautifully plangent and most eloquent. Whatever interpretation one draws from the music it’s sublime. Stephen Varcoe copes pretty well with the bass aria in this cantata though, again, I’d have liked a bit more “bottom” in the voice, well though he puts across the piece. The final cantata in this concert, BWV 158, is actually for Easter Tuesday but apart from anything else its inclusion is an appropriate link with BWV 67. Actually, as Alfred Dürr points out, Bach also used this cantata sometimes for the Feast of the Purification (February 2) since the text is apposite for that day as well. In essence it’s a cantata for solo bass. The gentle recitativo and the world-weary aria. ‘Welt, ade, ich bin dein müde’ suits Stephen Varcoe’s light-ish voice well. He makes an excellent contribution to this cantata. In the aria, the ravishing, elaborate violin obbligato is marvellously played by Alison Bury and the choir’s sopranos sing their chorale interjections beautifully. For the following week’s concert the pilgrims journeyed to Luxembourg. All three cantatas on this programme were inspired by the concept of Christ as the Good Shepherd and were founded on Psalm 23. BWV 104 opens with a fine chorus in 9/8 time. Gardiner and his musicians impart a lovely lilt to the music and the excellent choral singing allows every strand of Bach’s argument to come through. The tenor, Norbert Meyn, makes his first appearance in this series to date. In the anxious aria ‘Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange’ he just sounds a touch uncomfortable in comparison with some of his tenor colleagues that we’ve heard in earlier releases. The bass aria, ‘Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe’ is a wonderful pastoral piece in 12/8. Stephen Varcoe gives a good account of it, catching the mood of the music very well. In the alto aria of BWV 85 William Towers sings very well. Sir John rightly draws attention in his notes to the special colouring imparted by the tenor range of the obbligato ‘cello piccolo in this aria. Prepared by a charged recitativo, the tenor aria ‘Seht, was die Liebe tut’ is a wonderfully eloquent bit of writing and Meyn puts it over very well. BWV 112 is a paraphrase of Psalm 23 and its splendid opening chorus is the most obviously celebratory piece we’ve heard thus far and the addition of a pair of horns to the orchestra enriches the timbres significantly. The next two verses of the paraphrase are allocated respectively to the alto and bass soloists. Both do well, Towers singing his pastoral aria very pleasingly and Varcoe eloquently phrasing his recitativo. The soprano/tenor duet is a jubilant movement and Katharine Fuge and Norbert Meyn combine enthusiastically. This, then, is another absorbing and splendidly performed release in this very important series. The orchestral playing is consistently of a very high order. Sir John comments in his notes, which are splendid and perceptive as ever, that “One is dumbfounded by the peerless craftsmanship of [Bach’s] weekly and seasonal output.” I am no less admiring of the skill and dedication of Gardiner and his team who, week in, week out, were producing such thoughtful and superbly executed performances during their year-long pilgrimage, the fruits of which are now, thankfully, preserved on disc in this very fine cantata cycle. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Cantatas Vol 23: Arnstadt/Echternach
For the First Sunday after Easter
(Quasimodogeniti)
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
3. Aria: Sopran Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt
4. Coro Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
5. Aria (Terzetto): Alt, Tenor, Bass Zedern müssen von den Winden
6. Coro Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn
7. Coro Meine Tage in den Leiden
Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ BWV 67
1. Coro Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
2. Aria: Tenor Mein Jesus ist erstanden
3. Recitativo: Alt Mein Jesu, heißest du des Todes Gift
4. Choral Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag
5. Recitativo: Alt Doch scheinet fast
6. Aria: Bass e Coro Friede sei mit euch!
7. Choral Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats BWV 42
1. Sinfonia
2. Recitativo: Tenor Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats
3. Aria: AltWo zwei und drei versammlet sind
4. Choral (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Verzage nicht, o Häuflein klein
5. Recitativo: Bass Man kann hiervon ein schön Exempel sehen
6. Aria: Bass Jesus ist ein Schild der Seinen
7. Choral Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich
Der Friede sei mit dir BWV 158
(For Easter Tuesday)
1. Recitativo: Bass Der Friede sei mit dir
2. Aria: Bass con Choral Welt, ade, ich bin dein müde
3. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Nun, Herr, regiere meinen Sinn
4. Choral Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm

For the Second Sunday after Easter
(Misericordias Domini)
Du Hirte Israel, höre BWV 104
1. Coro Du Hirte Israel, höre
2. Recitativo: Tenor Der höchste Hirte sorgt vor mich
3. Aria: Tenor Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange
4. Recitativo: Bass Ja, dieses Wort ist meiner Seelen Speise
5. Aria: Bass Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe
6. Choral Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
Ich bin ein guter Hirt BWV 85
1. Aria: Bass Ich bin ein guter Hirt
2. Aria: Alt Jesus ist ein guter Hirt
3. Choral: Sopran Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
4. Recitativo: TenorWenn die Mietlinge schlafen
5. Aria: Tenor Seht, was die Liebe tut
6. Choral Ist Gott mein Schutz und treuer Hirt
Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt BWV 112
1. Versus I: Coro Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
2. Versus II: Alt Zum reinen Wasser er mich weist
3. Versus III: Bass Und ob ich wandelt im finstern Tal
4. Versus IV: Sopran, Tenor Du bereitest für mir einen Tisch
5. Versus V: Choral Gutes und die Barmherzigkeit

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 23 SDG 131

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 22

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:10pm MST

Easter 2000 had strong historical resonances for Sir John Eliot Gardiner's cantata pilgrims, as these outstanding works were performed in St George's, Eisenach, where Bach was baptised, and only a stone's throw from Wartburg Castle where Luther completed his New Testament translations. One can only guess what inspired an unusually visceral reading of Christ lag in Todesbanden (arguably Bach's first great creation), with a plethora of extremes from the Monteverdi Choir. One might quibble with moments where orchestral gestures are a little exaggerated but this is a performance where the sinuous lines and the momentum of liturgical ritual allow Luther's great hymn to take us tantalisingly to the brink of Christ's victory.
The Easter cantatas receive some ebullient readings. Etfreut euch boasts one of Bach's longest choral movements and the composer (and Gardiner) demands vigilance from his virtuoso ensemble, whose roulades of quicksilver scales shed all the fear of the preceding weeks. Despite a few uncertainties in the chromatic solos of the middle section, this is a powerful account whose spiritual core is found in the central recitative-duet between the allegorical characters Hope and Fear.
The presence of James Gilchrist in any Bach recording raises the stakes and his singing in the little-known pearl Ein Herz is an infectious display of the new believer's ecstatic joy, expressed disarmingly in his first aria and reinforced in the duet with alto "Wir danken and preisen".
This latest volume continues to present the riches of the Pilgrimage with admirable consistency; rough edges aside, there is a unique sense of exploration and devotion to the music which comes from the palpable adrenalin of live performance in an oeuvre which has, historically, been studio-bound. Bleib' bei tins, with its strong St John Passion undertones, is an embodiment of the best in the millennial journey and receives one of the most concentrated and telling performances on disc.
[Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Cantatas Vol 22: Eisenach
For Easter Sunday
Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 4
1. Sinfonia
2. Versus I: Coro Christ lag in Todesbanden
3. Versus II: Sopran, Alt Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt
4. Versus III: Tenor Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn
5. Versus IV: Coro Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg
6. Versus V: Bass Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm
7. Versus VI: Sopran, Tenor So feiern wir das hohe Fest
8. Versus VII: Choral Wir essen und leben wohl
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret BWV 31
1. Sonata
2. Coro Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret
3. Recitativo: Bass Erwünschter Tag! Sei, Seele, wieder froh!
4. Aria: Bass Fürst des Lebens, starker Streiter
5. Recitativo: Tenor So stehe dann, du gottergebne Seele
6. Aria: Tenor Adam muss in uns verwesen
7. Recitativo: Sopran Weil dann das Haupt sein Glied
8. Aria con Choral: Sopran Letzte Stunde, brich herein
9. Choral So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ
For Easter Monday
Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen BWV 66
1. Coro Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen
2. Recitativo: Bass Es bricht das Grab und damit unsre Not
3. Aria: Bass Lasset dem Höchsten ein Danklied erschallen
4. Recitativo (Dialogo) ed Arioso (Duetto): Tenor, Alt
Bei Jesu Leben freudig sein
5. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Ich fürchte zwar des Grabes Finsternissen
6. Choral Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!

Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden BWV 6
1. Coro Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden
2. Aria: Alt Hochgelobter Gottessohn
3. Choral: Sopran Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ
4. Recitativo: Bass Es hat die Dunkelheit
5. Aria: Tenor Jesu, lass uns auf dich sehen
For Easter Tuesday
Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß BWV 134
1. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß
2. Aria: Tenor Auf, Gläubige, singet die lieblichen Lieder
3. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Wohl dir, Gott hat an dich gedacht
4. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Wir danken und preisen dein brünstiges Lieben
5. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Doch würke selbst den Dank in unserm Munde
6. Coro Erschallet, ihr Himmel, erfreue dich, Erde
Ich lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen BWV 145
1. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Sopran Ich lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen
2. Recitativo: Tenor Nun fordre, Moses, wie du willt
3. Aria: Bass Merke, mein Herze, beständig nur dies
4. Recitativo: Sopran Mein Jesus lebt
5. Choral Drum wir auch billig fröhlich sein
6. Choral Beweis dein Macht, Herr Jesu Christ

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 22 SDG 128

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 21

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 3:55pm MST

This eclectic selection covers works for Quinquagesima, the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Oculi (the third Sunday in Lent) in arguably the least even of the seven releases so far. Yet there are significant contributions smattered throughout, not least Nathalie Stutzmann's purple-clad Widerstehe (BVVV54). This true contralto imparts a captivating resilience in the face of sin's devious tricks. Inspired by the chamber-like ecclesiastical works of Bach's Weimar period, the reduced string ensemble lends a similar intimacy to BWV182, though both works suffer from some scrappy playing that clearly could not be rectified simply by dropping in 'patches' from before or after. Stutzmann, however, projects just the right sense of involvement without forcing the issue. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV1) is the major work here — a masterpiece of understated majesty and gentle celebration (for the Annunciation) where Bach appears to alight on the morning star as a direct resonance of Epiphany; such musical connections within the cantata oeuvre, throughout the church calendar, provide listeners with endless sources of fascination. Gardiner's performance is more an example of a splendid occasion captured rather than a notable addition to a distinguished discography. BVVV22 and 23 were Bach's first cantatas to have been performed at Leipzig, audition pieces for the post of Thomascantor before his eventual appointment. Both were performed in the same service on the morning of February 7, 1723. Given the Lenten context, Bach hardly had a chance to flex his muscles in opulent displays of orchestration but he makes up for this with two pieces of subtle stylistic range. Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe (BWV22) is strikingly prescient of Passion narrative as Christ prepares for his death with melismas of distilled sadness and acceptance of destiny. Peter Harvey's is an affecting performance, as is the incrementally impressive Du wahrer Gott (BWV23), of which Gardiner completely has the measure. One special movement to bottle? 'Es ist vollbracht' from BVVV159 arguably even better than the setting of the words at the end of the St John Passion. Heartfelt singing from Harvey is adorned by playing from oboist Marcel Ponseele which is as exquisite as you'll ever hear. (Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750For Quinquagesima
Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe BWV 22
1. Arioso: Tenor, Bass e Coro Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe
2. Aria: Alt Mein Jesu, ziehe mich nach dir
3. Recitativo: Bass Mein Jesu, ziehe mich
4. Aria: Tenor Mein Alles in allem, mein ewiges Gut
5. Choral Ertöt uns durch dein Güte
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23
1. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
2. Recitativo: Tenor con Choral Ach! gehe nicht vorüber
3. Coro Aller Augen warten, Herr
4. Choral Christe, du Lamm Gottes
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott BWV 127
1. Coro (Choral) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott
2. Recitativo: Tenor Wenn alles sich zur letzten Zeit entsetzet
3. Aria: Sopran Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen
4. Recitativo ed Aria: Bass Wenn einstens die Posaunen schallen
5. Choral Ach, Herr, vergib all unsre Schuld
Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem BWV 159
1. Arioso: Bass e Recitativo: Alt Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem
2. Aria: Alt con Choral: Sopran Ich folge dir nach
3. Recitativo: Tenor Nun will ich mich
4. Aria: Bass Es ist vollbracht
5. Choral Jesu, deine Passion
BWV 127 Appendix
Coro (Choral) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott

CD 2
For the Annunciation/Palm Sunday/Oculi
Himmelskönig, sei willkommen BWV 182
(For Palm Sunday/Annunciation)
1. Sonata
2. Coro Himmelskönig, sei willkommen
3. Recitativo: Bass Siehe, ich komme
4. Aria: Bass Starkes Lieben
5. Aria: Alt Leget euch dem Heiland unter
6. Aria: Tenor Jesu, lass durch Wohl und Weh
7. Choral (Coro) Jesu, deine Passion
8. Coro So lasset uns gehen in Salem der Freuden
Widerstehe doch der Sünde BWV 54
(For the Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi))
1. Aria: Alt Widerstehe doch der Sünde
2. Recitativo: Alt Die Art verruchter Sünden
3. Aria: Alt Wer Sünde tut, der ist vom Teufel
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1
(For the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
1. Coro Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
2. Recitativo: Tenor Du wahrer Gottes und Marien Sohn
3. Aria: Sopran Erfüllet, ihr himmlischen göttlichen Flammen
4. Recitativo: Bass Ein irdscher Glanz, ein leiblich Licht
5. Aria: Tenor Unser Mund und Ton der Saiten
6. Choral Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact discs
Volume 21 SDG 118

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Eliesha Nelson - Glen Inanga RUSSIAN VIOLA SONATAS

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:32pm MST

When thinking about Russian viola sonatas, a limited list of compositions may initially spring to mind, perhaps beginning and ending with the Shostakovich sonata. Violist Eliesha Nelson is out to prove that Shostakovich was certainly not the only Russian composer who wrote duo chamber music for her instrument. Joined by pianist Glen Inanga, Nelson presents a surprising program of four works for viola and piano, each penned by Russian composers in the early half of the 20th century. Some listeners may be familiar Paul Juon, whose works are currently experiencing revitalization, but names like Varvara Gaigerova and Alexander Winkler are likely unknown. Folk idioms, rhythmic components, and sonorities that typically characterize "Russian" music are present throughout this disc, but the influence of the west is still decisively present. Each of the compositions are idiomatically written for the viola, focusing on the instrument's strengths of dark, rich, tone, and melancholy sonorities, and while none of the works are overly memorable, they are each enjoyable and certainly worthy of recognition. Nelson and Inanga do tremendous justice to their program with convincing, energized, committed playing. Nelson's sound is sensuously deep and powerful; she darts around her instrument's fingerboard with ease and accuracy. Balance between viola and piano allows Nelson's sound to be heard clearly without making the piano seem timid. This disc is a must-have for viola fans, and a great choice for anyone interested in well-executed chamber music. (Mike D. Brownell, Rovi All Music Guide)
Varvara Andrianovna Gaigerova (1903 - 1944)Suite for viola and piano, Op. 8
1. I. Allegro agitato
2. II. Andantino
3. III. Scherzo: Presto
4. IV. Moderato
Alexander Adolfovich Winkler (1865 - 1935)
Deux Morceaux (2 Pieces), Op. 31
5. No. 1. Elegicka meditacia
6. No. 2. Vl' cik
Paul Juon (1872 - 1940)
Viola Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 15
7. I. Moderato
8. II. Adagio assai e molto cantabile
9. III. Allegro moderato
Alexander Adolfovich Winkler (1865 - 1935)
Viola Sonata, Op. 10
10. I. Moderato
11. II. Allegro agitato
12. II. L'istesso tempo ma poco rubato
III Variations sur un air Breton
13. Theme: Andante
14. Variation 1: L'istesso tempo poco rubato
15. Variation 2: Allegretto
16. Variation 3: Allegreo patetico
17. Variation 4: Andante molto espressivo
18. Variation 5: Allegro con fuoco
19. Variation 6: Andante sostenuto
20. Variation 7: Fuga: Allegro moderato
21. Coda: Poco piu animato - Maestoso pesante

Eliesha Nelson, viola
Glen Inanga, piano

2011 Sono Luminus LLC
1 CD DDD
DSL- 92136

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 9:55am MST

The fifth CD of the complete piano works of Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) takes us back to the world of the composer’s student years. (Smetana wrote all the featured - and surprisingly mature - pieces before he had reached the age of twenty.) He introduces himself as a passionate dancer; the polkas, so typical of Smetana, as well as gallopades, waltzes and quadrilles, bear witness to the hectic social and musical life he led during his studies in Prague and Plzeň, where he was a sought-after pianist and was able to intensively develop his talent. The first preserved composition is the Louisen Polka, followed by the Georginen Polka and Aus dem Studentenleben (From Student Life). The three Impromptus (1841-42) and Bagatelles et Impromptus (1844) are the first attempts to create compositions of a more serious nature and reflect Smetana’s inspiration by his musical idols (Chopin, Liszt, Schumann). Even though young and a self-taught pianist, these early works reveal Smetana as a singular and inspired composer.

Bagatelles and Impromptus (Bagatelles et Impromptus)
1. Innocence (L´innocence) [2:00]
2. Dejection (L´abattement) [0:57]
3. Idyll (Idylle) [1:06]
4. Longing (Le desir) [2:25]
5. Joy (La joie) [0:44]
6. Fairy Tale (Le conte) [2:36]
7. Love (L´amour) [2:25]
8. Quarrel (La discorde) [1:35]
9. Gallopp in D major for Piano [0:53]
10. Galopp di bravoura for Piano [2:35]
11. Louisen Polka [4:06]
12. Georginen Polka in D major (Dahlia-Polka) [4:32]
13. Memory of Plzen (Erinnerung an Pilsen) [3:06]
14. From a Student´s Life (Aus dem Studentenleben) [2:26]
15. Impromptu in E flat minor [6:55]
16. Impromptu in B minor [4:58]
17. Impromptu in A flat major [3:35]
18. Mazurka Capriccio in C sharp minor for Piano [3:24]
19. Duo without Words (Duo sans mots) [5:32]
20. Waltzes (Walzer) [7:58]
21. Quadrille in F major [7:24]
22. Quadrille in B flat major [6:21]

2011 Supraphon a. s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3845-2

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 7:40pm MST

The dramaturgy of the fourth CD comprising Bedřich Smetana’s piano works also reflects the pedagogic activity that fully occupied him in the late 1840s and early 1850s. It gave rise to a host of charming compositions and cycles, rather small in proportion yet rich as regards the scale of moods, impressions, compositional techniques and expressive possibilities the composer gave rein to on these modest areas. A significant group of compositions is formed by the generally popular Album Leaves, which at the time Smetana succeeded in publishing under different titles (Stammbuchblätter, Charakterstücke or Skizzen, dedicated to Clara Schumann). The other group is formed by Polkas which, after the fashion of Chopin’s mazurkas, begin stylising and transforming into independent concertante formations of idealised dance (Trois polkas de salon, Trois polkas poétiques).
Trois Polkas de salon, op.7
1.Polka in F sharp major [5:19]
2. Polka in F minor [4:29]
3. Polka in E major [1:47]
Stammbuchblätter / Album Leaves, Op. 2
4. Prelude. Allegro [0:59]
5. Chanson. Moderato [1:37]
6. Vivace [1:14]
7. Allegro comodo, sempre marcato [2:31]
8. Moderato con anima [1:42]
9. Andante ma non troppo [2:38]
Charakterstücke / Characteristic Pieces, Op. 3
10. An Robert Shumann / To Robert Schumann [3:24]
11. Wanderlied / Wayfarer´s Song [2:24]
12. "Es siedet und brauset un sicht" / "It Boils and It Roars" [1:41]
Skizzen / Sketches , Op. 4
13. Prelude [1:36]
14. Idylle [1:44]
15. Erinnerung / Memory [2:35]
16. Beharrliches Streben / Unrelenting Endeavor [2:13]
Skizzen / Sketches, Op. 5
17. Scherzo - Polka [2:51]
18. Schwermut / Melancholy [2:08]
19. Freundliche Landschaft / Friendly Landscape [1:56]
20. Rhapsody [3:33]
Trois Polkas poetiques, op. 80
21. Polka in E flat major [2:34]
22. Polka in G minor [4:42]
23. Polka in A flat major [2:51]
Melodien Schatz / Treasury of Melodies
24. Preludium. Lento [2:12]
25. Capriccio. Vivace [3:01]
26. Finale. Allegro vivace [2:13]

2009 SupraphonMusic a. s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3844-2

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 8:05pm MST

Jitka Cechova is an energetic young pianist and member of the highly successful Smetana Trio. On her third CD of Smetana's piano works she proves how intimately familiar she is with the composer's style. The album includes Smetana's greatest piano cycle, the Czech Dances, written in the years 1877-79. The first part of the cycle consists of four polkas, while the second part contains Smetana's concert interpretations of specific Czech folk dances (including the Furiant, Skocna, Rejdovak a rejdovacka, Sousedska, Hulan and Medved). The album is rounded out with Smetana's late piano works. The Romance in G minor (1881) was the last piece he composed for piano, though at the very end of his life he revised his famous Bettina Polka (1883). Smetana's greatest piano cycle Czech Dances in an outstanding performance by Jitka Cechova.
Czech Dances 1st Series
1. Set I - Polka in F sharp minor [2:53]
2. Set I - Polka in A minor [2:36]
3.Set I - Polka in F major [3:29]
4. Set I - Polka in B flat major [3:14]
Czech Dances - 2nd Series
5. Set II - Furiant [5:37]
6. Set II - Little Hen [3:14]
7. Set II - Oats [5:31]
8. Set II - The Bear [3:39]
9. Set II - The Little Onion [5:02]
10. Set II - Stamp Dance [4:00]
11. Set II - The Lancer [4:49]
12. Set II - Obkrocak [3:14]
13. Set II - Sousedska [4:49]
14. Set II - Skocna [3:37]
15. Bettina Polka [1:47]
16. The Peasant Woman - Polka [3:47]
17. Andante in F minor for Piano [0:55]
18. Romance in G minor [1:56]

2007 Supraphon Music a. s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3843-2

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 8:08pm MST

Jitka Cechova reveals Bedrich Smetana's piano works to 21st century listeners. - Supraphon continues to issue the piano works of Czech master Bedrich Smetana (1824.1884) with this second compact disc. - Outstanding Czech pianist Jitka Cechova presents the rich palette of Smetana's piano works in this 7 CD series which will be produced through 2008. - Jitka Cechova, an artist from the young generation of Czech musicians, has devoted herself to the works of Smetana for a long time. Her recordings represent the new generation's approach to one of the foundational personalities of Czech national music. - The first volume issued met with extraordinary success both at home and abroad. Jitka Cechova's interpretation is valued not only for her extraordinary knowledge but also for her ability to discover further nuances of content in Smetana's music..Dreams (Reves.Six morceaux caracteristiques)
1. Vanished Happiness (Le Bonheur eteint) [4:22]
2. Consolation (La consolation) [4:30]
3. In Bohemia (En Boheme) [4:55]
4. In the Saloon (Au salon) [4:00]
5. In front of the Castle (Pres du chateau) [5:33]
6. Harvest Festival (La fete des paysans bohemiens) [5:01]
Album Leaves (Stammbuchblätter)
7. in B flat major [1:29]
8. in B minor [0:57]
9. Toccatina in B flat major [1:46]
10. in G major [0:52]
11. in G minor [0:50]
12. in E flat minor [3:16]
13. in B flat minor [1:11]
14. Andante in E flat major [2:16]
Polkas
15. Polka in E major [2:50]
16. Polka G minor [5:16]
17. Polka in A major [5:19]
18. Polka in F minor [2:16]
Wedding Scenes´ (Hochzeitsszenen)
19. Wedding Procession (Tempo di marcia) (Der Hochzeitszuk) [3:13]
20. Bridegroom and Bride (Duo. Allegretto ma non troppo) (Das Brautpaar) [2:57]
21. Wedding Festivity - Dance (Allegro vivo) (Das Hochzeitsfest - Der Tanz) [5:27]

2006 Supraphon a. s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3842-2

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

Posted: December 31st, 2011, 6:35pm MST

Born in Mělník near Prague, she received her basic musical training from Prof. Jan Novotný at the Prague Conservatoire and from Prof. Peter Toperczer at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. Her individual musical gifts were then developed to their full during postgraduate studies under Eugen Indjic in Paris and Vitali Berzon in Freiburg. She acquired further experience during her research studies at master classes given by R. Kehrer in Weimar, E. Indjic and L. Berman in Piesťany, and Avo Kuyumjian in Prague.Jitka Čechová has won prizes in the following international competitions: "Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte" in Ústí nad Labem (1986); the Smetana Competition in Hradec Králové (1986, 1988 and 1990); the Chopin Competition in Mariánské Lázně (1987 and 1989); and the Johann Nepomuk Hummel Competition in Bratislava, Slovakia (1991).She has made a name for herself as a soloist, both in recitals and with orchestras, on podiums across Europe (in Austria, France, Germany, Scotland, Spain, Bulgaria, England, Slovakia) and also in South Africa. She played two extremely successful concerts with a special programme by Smetana at the International Festival in Edinburgh in 1998. She performed with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, with the South-Western Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK (Prague Spring Festival), Prague Chamber Philharmonia and many others Czech orchestras. During a concert tour of Germany with the South-Western Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by P. Altrichter she premiered a piano concert that Zdeněk Lukás had composed for her, achieving spectacular success with both audiences and the critics.Chamber music is an indispensable component of Jitka Čechová's musical identity. She brings a full emotional commitment to bear to her role as pianist in the Smetana Trio, supported by the brilliant technical basis of her solo metier. Within the Smetana Trio partnership (Jana Nováková - violin, Jan Páleníček - cello) she also plays duets with violin or cello and performs solo pieces as part of the Trio's chamber music repertoire.Jitka Čechová records CDs for the Intercord, Supraphon, BMG, Koch International, Lotos and Cube companies. Her latest recording for the latter company were CDs with music by Liszt, Lukás, Shostakovich, Saint-Saëns, Dvořák, Smetana and Martinů.

Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884)1.Macbeth. Sketch to a scene Macbeth and the Witches by William Shakespeare [9:13]2.Curious. Transcription of the Song by Franz Schubert [4:16]
3.Ballvision (A Ball Scene in Polka Form) [4:06]
4.Bettina´s Polka in C major (1. version) [3:25]
5.Concerto Etude in C major [5:28]
Memories of Bohemia in Polka Form, Op. 12
6. Polka in A minor [2:39]
7.Polka in E minor [6:02]
Memories of Bohemia in Polka Form, Op. 13
8.Polka in E minor [2:09]
9.Polka in E flat major [5:40]
10.On the Seashore. Concert Etude in G sharp minor, Op. 17 [5:11]
11.Concert Fantasy on Czech folk Songs [8:56]

2005 Supraphon a.s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3841-2

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VIVA! Simone Kermes sings VIVALDI

Posted: December 26th, 2011, 7:15am MST

In recent years German soprano Simone Kermes has been the sensation of press and public with her Vivaldi recordings. Here is a single CD compilation of highlights from her two solo Vivaldi recordings on Archiv Produktion, Amor Sacro and Amor Profano. Of Amor Profano, Opera magazine wrote: "Kermes's distinctive voice has an appealing smoothness and roundedness of tone... an intensely dramatic personality at work... super-precise coloratura...Kermes's technique is something to marvel at"; and Gramophone summed up: Amor profano is a role model of how a Baroque opera arias recital disc should be put together - with proper research, affection for the composer, and top-notch artistry".Equally brilliant at Vivaldi is the Venice Baroque Orchestra directed by Andrea Marcon who also recorded a number of Vivaldi recordings for Archiv. They are a perfect accompaniment for Simone Kermes.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera
1. Larghetto "Nulla in mundo pax sincera" [7:25]
2. Recitativo "Blando colore oculos mundus decepit" [1:15]
3. Allegro (Aria) "Spirat anguis inter flores" [3:10]
4. Allegro "Alleluia" [2:02]
L'Olimpiade, RV725
adapted by Andrea Marcon
Act 2
5. Siam navi all'onde [6:46]
Semiramide (RV 733)
6. Quegl' occhi luminosi (adapted by Andrea Marcon) [5:06]
Tito Manlio
adapted by Andrea Marcon
Act 2
7. Combatta un gentil cor [4:34]
8. La farfalletta (adapted by Andrea Marcon) [6:47]
In furore, R.626
9. 1. In furore iustissimae (Allegro) [5:09]
10. 2. Miserationum Pater (Recitativo) [0:59]
11. 3. Tunc meus fletus (Largo) [7:42]
12. 4. Alleluia (Allegro) [1:33]
Vivaldi: Orlando furioso RV 728
adapted by Andrea Marcon
Act 2
13. Ah fuggi rapido [2:28]
Il Giustino
adapted by Andrea Marcon
Act 3
14. Or che cinto ho il crin d'alloro [3:36]
Griselda - dramma per musica
adapted by Andrea Marcon
15. Agitata da due venti [5:31]
Catone in Utica
adapted by Andrea Marcon
Act 1
16. Se in campo armato [6:30]

Simone Kermes
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Andrea Marcon

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 20

Posted: December 24th, 2011, 6:30am MST

Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima were marked in the Lutheran liturgy – and in the Catholic Church also - as the three Sundays before the rigours of the season of Lent began. Bach’s cantatas for Quinquagesima Sunday, also known as “Esto mihi”, were contained in Volume 21 of this series. This latest instalment includes all the surviving cantatas for the previous two Sundays. For Septuagesima Sunday the Pilgrims visited the fifteenth century church of St. Vitus in the Dutch city of Narden. This venue had particular resonances for one of the soloists, Wilke te Brummelstroete. In the booklet she writes that it was in this selfsame church that, as a young singer, she was a member of the chorus of the Dutch Bach Society in their annual performance of St. Matthew Passion - the first time she’d sung in the work - and “a dream was born to sing there one day as a soloist.” We can hear that dream come to fruition in BWV 144, a cantata from Bach’s first Leipzig cycle. After the vigorous fugal opening chorus, which is clearly and crisply delivered, the alto aria ‘Murre nicht, Liebster Christ’ allows us to enjoy Miss te Brummelstroete’s firm toned voice. This aria is like a stately minuet and she sings it with fine feeling. The other aria in the cantata falls to the soprano. The opening line of ‘Genügsamkeit ist ein Schatz in diesem Leben’ translates as “Contentedness is a jewel in this life” and Bach provides suitably beguiling, easeful music, including a flowing oboe d’amore obbligato. Miah Persson’s performance is a delight. Miss Persson is even more to the fore in BWV 84 for, apart from the concluding chorale, this is for solo soprano. It begins with an aria in E minor in which the embellishments of the oboe obbligato intertwine delectably with the solo voice, providing a perfect foil to the singer. John Eliot Gardiner describes the piece as “wistful, resigned, elegiac even?” It’s a lovely aria and it’s expressively delivered. By contrast the second aria is joyful and nimble and features a playful double obbligato of oboe and violin. The music – and the performance – bears a smiling countenance. Miss Persson also impresses with her delivery of the two recitatives in this cantata, singing them lightly but with an evident feeling for the meaning of the words. I like also the treatment of the chorale, which is sung quietly and unaccompanied, thereby achieving an appropriately understated intensity. BWV 92 is longer than the other two cantatas put together. It is based on a twelve-verse seventeenth-century hymn and is cast in no less than nine movements. Unlike the other two cantatas, the text of this piece bears no direct relation to the Gospel for the day, which related the parable of the labourers in the vineyard (Matthew 20. 1-16) Instead the text of this cantata contains what Alfred Dürr calls a “general admonition to acquiesce in whatever God sends in the way of joy or suffering.” The cantata opens with a substantial chorale fantasia to which a pair of oboi d’amore makes a pungent contribution. There follows what Gardiner refers to as “an audacious experiment” by Bach in the form of a movement for bass in which the soloist sings strophes of the hymn, interrupting himself no less than nine times with glosses on the text in the form of free recitative. The soloist is Jonathan Brown, a member of the Monteverdi Choir, and he and Gardiner weld what might be a ramshackle structure into a convincing whole. Later on, in the seventh movement, Bach repeats the experiment in a different way. This time the chorale, richly harmonised, is sung by the choir and the interpolations are entrusted to all four soloists in turn, starting with the bass and ascending to the soprano. Before that we hear one of Bach’s jagged, uncomfortable tenor arias, ‘Seht, seht! wie reisst, wie bricht, wie fällt’ (‘See, see, how all things snap, break, fall’). This is done by James Oxley, previously heard in Volume 21. He’s incisive and projects strongly music that Gardiner aptly describes as “impressive, but deliberately unlovely.” By contrast, the final aria in the cantata is a pastoral piece, the mood of which Dürr categorises as “cheerful, peaceful serenity.” It’s a bewitching piece in which the soprano soloist is accompanied by an oboe d’amore and pizzicato strings. Miah Persson’s performance is radiant. The following week the Pilgrims had crossed the North Sea, returning to England and to Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. Bach left us three cantatas for Sexagesima Sunday and, in Gardiner’s words, each of them is “characterised by his vivid pictorial imagination, an arresting sense of drama, and by music of freshness and power that lodges in the memory.” BWV 18 is a Weimar cantata, probably composed in 1713. The original scoring was unusual in that Bach dispensed with violins completely and instead wrote no fewer than four separate viola lines as well as basso continuo. A revision in 1724 saw the addition of a pair of recorders and it’s this later scoring that’s used here. In the opening sinfonia the pleasing contrast between the husky violas and the piping recorders is immediately apparent. The third movement is a most original conception. The tenor and bass soloists each have two passages of recitative, sung alternately, each one of which is followed by a short passage in which the choir sings lines from Luther’s litany known as the German Prefatory. The second recit for tenor, arrestingly delivered by James Gilchrist, is especially dramatic. There’s only one aria, which is brightly sung by Gillian Keith. The accompaniment is interesting as all the violas play in unison with the recorders doubling their line at the octave. Described like that, it doesn’t sound very interesting but in fact the contrast in timbres has a piquant fascination. The title of BWV 181 must rank as among the strangest in all the cantatas. Dürr translates it as “Frivolous flutter-spirits” but even better, I think, is the rendition by Richard Stokes, which is used in the booklet. He comes up with “Frivolous flibbertigibbets.” The Gospel for the day (Luke 8. 4-15) is the parable of the Sower and the reference in the cantata’s title is to the fickle folk who, like birds, devour the seed that falls on the ground. Dürr states that the scoring originally omitted wind instruments but that flute and oboe parts were added for a revival sometime between 1743 and 1746. Gardiner includes these instruments. The cantata opens with an admonitory bass aria, commandingly sung by Stephan Loges, which includes a reference to the fallen angel Belial. Almost every volume in this series seems to yield at least one particularly choice phrase from Gardiner’s notes. Writing of this aria, which he describes as “a witty, Hitchcockian evocation”, he says this: “It could almost serve as a soundtrack to a cartoon film; a gaggle of flighty, giggly teenage girls being bounced out of a nightclub by Belial and his henchmen.” The third movement is a tenor aria, of which Gilchrist gives a biting performance. The obbligato part, thought to be for violin, is lost and Dürr suggested that, though it might be possible to compose a replacement, “the result could not be expected to accord even approximately with Bach’s intentions” since the manuscript offers meagre clues. Well, for this performance Robert Levin composed an obbligato and I have to say that whilst I wouldn’t claim a fraction of Dürr’s scholarship, the ensuing result sounds completely convincing to me. The exuberant final chorus is something of a display piece, uniting all the forces and adding the festive touch of a trumpet part. Was this Bach permitting himself one last bit of indulgence before the austerities of Lent? I wouldn’t dissent from Gardiner’s judgement that BWV 126 is “a stunning, combative work.” The text is drawn from a variety of sources and is a real statement of how embattled are the adherents of Lutheranism in what was a turbulent world. In the very first movement, a chorus, Luther’s words translate as follows: Uphold us, Lord, in Thy Word
And fend off murderous Papists and Turks
Who wish to topple Jesus Christ,
Thy son, from his throne. Thus the tone for the whole cantata is set. In this movement Bach is at his most energetic and dynamic with the addition of a trumpet imparting a martial flavour to the music, as do the scintillating driving rhythms. The following tenor aria, ringingly sung by James Gilchrist, isn’t too hectic at the start but before long Bach introduces volleys of semi- and demisemiquavers into the vocal line. Gilchrist is equal to Bach’s demands but I do wonder if the music isn’t just too elaborate for its own good. The subsequent bass aria tests both the soloist, Stephan Loges, and also his partner, David Watkins, who has a fiendishly angry cello obbligato to play. Dürr rightly observes that “a truly Old Testament zeal against the enemies of the things of God” pervades this obbligato. Both singer and cellist project this powerful aria strongly. At the end of this fire and brimstone cantata comes a two-verse chorale, which is a heartfelt plea for peace and good governance. The Monteverdi Choir sings it with ample expression and the final Amen is glowing. This is quite an extraordinary piece. So far as I am aware there was no political or religious instability in Leipzig or its environs at this time and one wonders what impelled Bach to compose such a piece – or his anonymous librettist to compile such a text. The standards of performance and presentation are as high in this latest instalment of Gardiner’s cantata cycle as they have been in previous issues. The series continues its impressive progress. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For Septuagesima
Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin BWV 144
1. Coro Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin
2. Aria: Alt Murre nicht, lieber Christ
3. Choral Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
4. Recitativo: Tenor Wo die Genügsamkeit regiert
5. Aria: Sopran Genügsamkeit ist ein Schatz in diesem Leben
6. Choral Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit
Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke BWV 84
1. Aria: Sopran Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke
2. Recitativo: Sopran Gott ist mir ja nichts schuldig
3. Aria: Sopran Ich esse mit Freuden mein weniges Brot
4. Recitativo: Sopran Im Schweiße meines Angesichts
5. Choral Ich leb indes in dir vergnüget
Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn BWV 92
1. Coro (Choral) Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn
2. Choral e Recitativo: Bass Es kann mir fehlen nimmermehr!
3. Aria: Tenor Seht, seht! wie reißt, wie bricht, wie fällt
4. Choral: Alt Zudem ist Weisheit und Verstand
5. Recitativo: Tenor Wir wollen nun nicht länger zagen
6. Aria: Bass Das Brausen von den rauen Winden
7. Choral e Recitativo: Sopran, Alt, Tenor, Bass Ei nun, mein Gott, so fall ich dir
8. Aria: Sopran Meinem Hirten bleib ich treu
9. Choral Soll ich denn auch des Todes Weg

For Sexagesima
Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt BWV 18
1. Sinfonia
2. Recitativo: Bass Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt
3. Recitativo e Litania: Tenor, Bass Mein Gott, hier wird mein Herze sein
4. Aria: Sopran Mein Seelenschatz ist Gottes Wort
5. Choral Ich bitt, o Herr, aus Herzens Grund
Leichtgesinnte Flattergeister BWV 181
1. Aria: Bass Leichtgesinnte Flattergeister
2. Recitativo: Alt O unglücksel’ger Stand verkehrter Seelen
3. Aria: Tenor Der schädlichen Dornen unendliche Zahl
4. Recitativo: Sopran Von diesen wird die Kraft erstickt
5. Coro Lass, Höchster, uns zu allen Zeiten
Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort BWV 126
1. Coro (Choral) Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort
2. Aria: Tenor Sende deine Macht von oben
3. Recitativo e Choral: Alt, Tenor Der Menschen Gunst und Macht
wird wenig nützen
4. Aria: Bass Stürze zu Boden, schwülstige Stolze!
5. Recitativo: Tenor So wird dein Wort und Wahrheit offenbar
6. Choral Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich

2009 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 20 SDG 153

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 19

Posted: December 21st, 2011, 4:00am MST

John Eliot Gardiner's "Bach Pilgrimage" has had its rough spots and its brighter moments, this two-disc set being among the latter, owing much to its strong vocal soloists and distinctive, distinguished instrumental playing. Typically, the performances were recorded live, this time in two very fine venues--England's Old Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich, and Romsey Abbey, Hampshire. These six cantatas are primarily vocal soloist vehicles, but they also feature some of Bach's more colorful uses of instruments, including bassoon (the alto/tenor duet in BWV 155), oboe d'amore (BWV 3), recorders (BWV 81), and oboe da caccia (tenor aria in BWV 13), as well as his formidable flair for the dramatic, theatrical, and picturesque, from storms at sea to rushing, cascading water to rising mists, and of course, the matchless musical evocations of pain, grief, longing, and joy. For the most part, Gardiner eschews personalizing Bach's creations--except for the very slow bass aria in BWV 13, magnificently (and bravely) sung by Gerald Finley, and the odd, overly emphatic chorale singing--and the results are very satisfying, sensibly-paced, carefully balanced interpretations of these rarely heard (and recorded) Epiphany cantatas. As mentioned, the soloists are uniformly fine, and the orchestra, with little rehearsal time during this project, admirably demonstrates its long-standing expertise in Bach and in baroque style. Gardiner apparently felt sorry for the little-used choir, so he added to the concerts the motet Jesu, meine Freude BWV 227, the most difficult of Bach's works in this genre--and interestingly, this is the one spot where more rehearsal would have been beneficial. The "all-about-me" liner notes from Gardiner's journal offer occasional worthwhile insights into his interpretive choices, and the sound is very good, with only occasional audience noise. (David Vernier)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750For the Second Sunday after Epiphany
Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange? BWV 155
1. Recitativo: Sopran Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange?
2. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Du musst glauben, du musst hoffen
3. Recitativo: Bass So sei, o Seele, sei zufrieden!
4. Aria: Sopran Wirf, mein Herze, wirf dich noch
5. Choral Ob sich’s anließ, als wollt er nicht
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid I BWV 3
1. Coro (Choral) Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
2. Recitativo e Choral Wie schwerlich lässt sich Fleisch und Blut
3. Aria: Bass Empfind ich Höllenangst und Pein
4. Recitativo: Tenor Es mag mir Leib und Geist verschmachten
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Wenn Sorgen auf mich dringen
6. Choral Erhalt mein Herz im Glauben rein
Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen BWV 13
1. Aria: Tenor Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen
2. Recitativo: Alt Mein liebster Gott lässt mich annoch
3. Choral: Alt Der Gott, der mir hat versprochen
4. Recitativo: Sopran Mein Kummer nimmet zu
5. Aria: Bass Ächzen und erbärmlich Weinen
6. Choral So sei nun, Seele

For the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig BWV 26
(For the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity)
1. Coro Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig
2. Aria: Tenor So schnell ein rauschend Wasser schießt
3. Recitativo: Alt Die Freude wird zur Traurigkeit
4. Aria: Bass An irdische Schätze das Herze zu hängen
5. Recitativo: Sopran Die höchste Herrlichkeit und Pracht
6. Choral Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig
Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen? BWV 81
1. Aria: Alt Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?
2. Recitativo: Tenor Herr! warum trittest du so ferne?
3. Aria: Tenor Die schäumenden Wellen von Belials Bächen
4. Arioso: Bass Ihr Kleingläubigen, warum seid ihr so furchtsam?
5. Aria: Bass Schweig, aufgetürmtes Meer!
6. Recitativo: Alt Wohl mir, mein Jesus spricht ein Wort
7. Choral Unter deinen Schirmen
Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit BWV 14
1. Coro Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit
2. Aria: Sopran Unsre Stärke heißt zu schwach
3. Recitativo: Tenor Ja, hätt es Gott nur zugegeben
4. Aria: Bass Gott, bei deinem starken Schützen
5. Choral Gott Lob und Dank
Motet: Jesu, meine Freude BWV 227
Jesu, meine Freude
Es ist nun nichts Verdammliches
Unter deinem Schirmen
Denn das Gesetz des Geistes
Trotz dem alten Drachen
Ihr aber seid nicht fleischlich
Weg mit allen Schätzen!
So aber Christus in euch ist
Gute Nacht, o Wesen
So nun der Geist
Weicht, ihr Trauergeister

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 19 SDG 115

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 18

Posted: December 19th, 2011, 2:00am MST

This last pair of discs actually takes us back to the very beginning of the journey, presenting Christmas and Epiphany music given in the two cities most closely associated with Bach before we move on to Hamburg.As well as their performances of some Christmas cantatas, Gardiner and his team began the pilgrimage in Weimar with splendid performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which were captured on a DVD, which has been available for some time. Unsurprisingly the same quartet of fine soloists that featured in those performances were involved in the Christmas Day festivities that open the first disc in this present set. It would be hard to imagine a more positive start to the proceedings than the jubilant opening chorus of BWV 63, a cantata that was probably first heard in this very city of Weimar. The attack of the Monteverdi Choir is thrilling: “Christians etch this day in metal and marble” is the opening exhortation and these singers truly inspire the listener with their enthusiasm. Here Bach conveys the joy of Christmas superbly and the choir responds wholeheartedly. Bernarda Fink, who sings so beautifully in the contemporaneous account of Christmas Oratorio, produces a warm tone in a deeply expressive rendition of the recitative that follows, making one regret that this disc represents her sole contribution to the Cantata Pilgrimage. A little later she and Christoph Genz combine to excellent effect in the duet aria ‘Ruft und fleht den Himmel an’ and before that Claron McFadden and Dietrich Henschel also afford much pleasure in the duet ‘Gott, du hast es wohlgefüget’. The closing chorus, festive with trumpets, is really exciting: here Bach and the performers pull out all the stops.The Christmas Day programme also included BWV 191. Though this isn’t a cantata it more than justifies its place. It’s an adaptation of three sections from the Gloria of the B Minor Mass, which was probably arranged by Bach for a special service of thanksgiving in Leipzig on Christmas Day 1745. The first movement, ‘Gloria in excelsis’ is substantially the same as the corresponding section from the Mass. Then comes what is more familiar in the Mass as the duet ‘Domine Deus’, followed by the chorus ‘Cum Sancto Spiritu’ In these two movements Bach adapts the music from the B Minor Mass, not entirely successfully, to fit Latin words. The whole performance is a joy but the final movement, ‘Sicut erat in principio’, is especially remarkable. The music is exuberant enough but Gardiner’s singers and players deliver it with such zest that one is just swept along on the flood tide. The fugal section – ‘et nunc et semper’ – is exhilarating and one can only marvel at the articulation of Bach’s writing by the singers. What a start to the Pilgrimage! For the Feast of Epiphany the scene shifts to Leipzig. BWV 65 is a very fine cantata and it’s done really well here. The opening chorus is superbly sung and played. Later on the tenor aria, ‘Nimm mich dir zu eigen hin’, is orchestrated with great richness by Bach and James Gilchrist gives a distinguished account of the vocal line. His tone is firm and he gives a pleasing lift to the rhythms. This performance offers a foretaste of the way in which he was to become a cornerstone of the whole project along with Peter Harvey, who excels in the bass aria ‘Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht’. Gilchrist and Harvey are also to the fore in BWV 123. The tenor aria, ‘Auch die harte Kreuzesreise’, anticipating the Crucifixion, strikes a mood of “almost unbearable pathos” in Gardiner’s words. James Gilchrist’s voice is ideal for this music, which he sings with great eloquence especially in the high-lying passages at the top of so many of Bach’s phrases. The bass aria, ‘Lass, o Welt, mich aus Verachtung’, is completely different, benefiting hugely from the simple, withdrawn style that Peter Harvey brings to it.The next stop on the Pilgrimage was Hamburg where a trio of cantatas for the First Sunday after Epiphany was heard. Alfred Dürr draws attention to the “striking directness” of Bach’s writing in BWV 154. James Gilchrist was on duty again and he’s commanding and impassioned in the opening aria, though here and there I thought I detected that the playing of the EBS string players wasn’t quite unanimous. The cantata is slightly unusual in that, though it’s not in two parts, there’s a chorale in the middle, forming the third movement; this is in addition to the usual concluding chorale. Michael Chance, who made surprisingly few appearances during the project, is on hand for the alto aria, ‘Jesu, lass dich finden’, which he sings well. He then joins with Gilchrist in the penultimate movement, the optimistic duet aria, ‘Wohl mir, Jesus ist gefunden.’ There are two particularly noteworthy features in BWV 124. One is the extraordinarily ornate oboe d’amore part that courses through the opening chorus. The other is the tenor aria, ‘Und wenn der harte Todesschlag’. Here, as Sir John puts it, Bach “opens his locker to unleash a torrent of dramatic effects to portray the ‘fear and terror’ that accompanies ‘the cruel stroke of death’.” The result is a theatrical, wide ranging aria of which James Gilchrist is fully the master. He receives magnificent support from the oboe d’amore player (Marcel Ponseele?).The final offering in the programme is BWV 32, which is another of Bach’s dialogues between the Soul (soprano) and Jesus (bass). It begins with a beseeching soprano aria, enriched by a deeply felt oboe obbligato. Claron McFadden sings it most impressively. In the bass aria, ‘Hier, in meines Vaters Stätte’, Peter Harvey is completely convincing as Vox Christi while in the dialogue recitative that follows both singers offer some really characterful singing – sample Miss McFadden’s delivery of the passage beginning ‘Wie lieblich ist doch deine Wohnung’. Before the choir sings the chorale the dialogue culminates in a duet in which the Soul and Jesus are joyfully reunited. Here, as Gardiner says, Bach “seems to throw caution to the winds”. The music is life-enhancing and both singers communicate it vividly. Sir John tells us that this number had to be repeated as an encore and I’m not surprised. It’s good that there’s a concluding chorale to end what is the final disc in this series to be released, as it enables The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists to have the last word at the end of yet another excellent set of cantata performances.It’s with very mixed feelings that I contemplate the end of this series of Bach cantata discs. I’m sorry that the conclusion has been reached and I shall miss the arrival of another pair of discs in their distinctive and stylish packaging. But, putting that aside, the response must be one of celebration and admiration. There are several other good Bach cantata cycles available, not least those by Koopman and Suzuki and it’s clear from what I’ve read of those two cycles – and the limited sampling I’ve done of Suzuki’s - that both are considerable achievements in their own right. But this Gardiner series is unique, being the product of a year-long journey around Europe and featuring live performances, albeit with some editing. I’m lost in admiration for the commitment and sheer physical stamina of the musicians, to say nothing of the prodigious musicianship that produced, often under demanding conditions and tight time constraints, such consistently expert and convincing performances. And it’s important to remember that, even for seasoned performers such as these, much of the music will have been completely new to them. Each one of these releases has included in the booklet a short essay by one of the performers describing their reactions to the Pilgrimage and it’s abundantly clear that the venture made a profound impression on them and enriched them, not just musically but spiritually as well.While on the subject of the booklets it’s right to mention that the documentation has been exceptional, especially the notes. Actually, the word “notes” is almost demeaning. The essays by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, taken from the contemporaneous journal that he compiled during the pilgrimage, have been consistently illuminating and stimulating. More than that, time and again he’s proved himself adept at finding just the right phrase to describe the music. I’d say he’s done for the Bach cantatas, albeit at a shorter length, what Graham Johnson did for Schubert lieder with his notes accompanying the Hyperion Schubert song CDs. I hope Sir John’s journal will be published in book form one day. Sir John has been well served by his soloists throughout the enterprise. In what is a very much a personal and subjective choice, my favourite soprano soloists have been Katharine Fuge, Magdalena Kožená and Joanne Lunn. The alto soloists have been a little more variable but the highly contrasted voices of Nathalie Stutzmann and Robin Tyson have offered great pleasure. Several very fine tenor soloists have graced the proceedings, including Paul Agnew and Mark Padmore, though James Gilchrist has made the strongest impression of all. Among the basses Peter Harvey has been the stand-out performer, though I was glad to encounter Gotthold Schwarz, a singer I’d not heard before.The soloists tended to come and go throughout the Pilgrimage but The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists have been ever-present, albeit there have been some changes to personnel in their ranks from time to time. To them fell the task of mastering fresh material – much of it previously unknown to them – nearly every week for a full year. Given the technical difficulty of much of the music it is a colossal achievement, both individual and collective, that the standard of performance has remained so consistently high, especially when one factors in the issues of travelling and the problems inherent in rehearsing and performing in so many different venues, many of which were scarcely designed for concert-giving, even by relatively small forces.Despite the avalanche of music and the criss-cross travelling throughout Europe – and to New York at the very end – there’s never been any feeling of undue haste or superficiality about these performances. You never get the feeling “Today’s Sunday, it must be Belgium – and such-and-such a cantata”. As I said, each of the volumes has included a short essay by one of the performers, all of which have been interesting and enlightening. A sense of camaraderie has come out time and again and, even more so, a sense of their humility before Bach’s genius. It was particularly instructive, however, to read the comments by Katharine Fuge (Vol. 9) in which she related that each week the performers received not only their music for the forthcoming week’s concerts but also photocopies of the scriptural readings prescribed for that Sunday’s liturgy and “notes giving us the context of Bach’s life at the time each cantata was written. Perhaps we would learn that a particularly fine trumpeter had been in town or, more poignantly, that one of his children had recently died.” That attention to detail and the determination that these were to be much more than a series of concerts goes a long way to explaining why this series of recorded performances seems so often to penetrate to the heart of what this wonderful music is about.This isn’t quite a complete cantata cycle. Some cantatas were issued, either in live or studio performances by DG Archiv and those have been omitted from the SDG series, presumably for contractual reasons. I append a list of the cantatas concerned. There aren’t that many and I believe that the recordings can still be bought as DG Archiv issues. However, I hope that in due course it will be possible for SDG to release them under their own imprint. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
DISC 1 Christen, atzet diesen Tag, BWV 63
Recitative: O selger Tag! O ungemeines Heute! (Alto)
Aria: Gott, du hast es wohl gefuget (Soprano, Bass)
Recitative: So kehret sich nun heut das bange Leid (Tenor)
Aria: Ruft und fleht den Himmel an (Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: Verdoppelt euch demnach (Bass)
Chorale: Hochster, schau in Gnaden an (Chorus)
Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191
Gloria in excelsis Deo (Chorus)
Duet: Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto (Soprano, Tenor)
Sicut erat in principio (Chorus)
Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65
Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen (Chorus)
Chorale: Die Kon'ge aus Saba kamen dar (Chorus)
Recitative: Was dort Jesaias vorhergesehn (Bass)
Aria: Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht (Bass)
Recitative: Verschmahe nicht, du meiner Seele Licht (Tenor)
Aria: Nimm mich dir zu eigen hin (Tenor)
Chorale: Ei nun, mein Gott, so fall ich dir (Chorus)
Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123
Recitative: Die Himmelssussigkeit, der Auserwahlten Lust (Alto)
Aria: Auch die harte Kreuzesreise (Tenor)
Recitative: Kein Hollenfeind kann mich verschlingen (Bass)
Aria: Lass, o Welt, mich aus Verachtung (Bass)
Chorale: Drum fahrt nur immer hin, ihr Eitelkeiten (Chorus)

DISC 2
Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren, BWV 154
Aria: Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren (Tenor)
Recitative: Wo treff ich meinen Jesum an (Tenor)
Chorale: Jesu, mein Hort und Erretter
Aria: Jesu, lass dich finden (Alto)
Arioso: Wisset ihr nicht, dass ich sein muss (Bass)
Recitative: Dies ist die Stimme meines Freundes (Tenor)
Aria: Wohl mir, Jesus ist gefunden (Alto, Tenor)
Chorale: Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht
Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, BWV 124
Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht (Chorus)
Recitative: Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut (Tenor)
Aria: Und wenn der harte Todesschlag (Tenor)
Recitative: Doch ach! Welch schweres Ungemach (Bass)
Aria: Entziehe dich eilands, mein Herze, der Welt (Soprano, Alto)
Chorale: Jesum lass ich nicht von mir (Chorus)
Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen, BWV 32
Aria: Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen (Soprano)
Recitative: Was ist's, dass du mich gesuchet? (Bass)
Aria: Hier, in meines Vaters Statte (Bass)
Recitative: Ach! heiliger und grosser Gott (Soprano, Bass)
Aria: Nun verschwinden alle Plagen (Soprano, Bass)
Chorale: Mein Gott, offne mir die Pforten (Chorus)

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 18 SDG 174

You can buy it on Amazon
You can downloas here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 17

Posted: December 17th, 2011, 10:14am MST

Though this is Volume 17 in the cycle we are taken right back to the start of the Pilgrimage. After splendid performances of the Christmas Oratorio in the Herderkirche, Weimar immediately before and after Christmas 1999, which have been available on DVD for some time (see review), the Pilgrimage really began in earnest with these concerts in Berlin as the new year, and the new millennium, began. There are six surviving Bach cantatas for New Year’s Day, including Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben, the fourth cantata of the Christmas Oratorio. Another one, the jubilant Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied! BWV190, was given in the very last concert of the Pilgrimage and was included in Volume 16 (see review). On this CD Gardiner gives us the other four New Year cantatas. BWV 143 probably dates from 1708 and as such is a Mühlhausen cantata, though there are some doubts as to whether or not the music is actually by Bach. Alfred Dürr’s judgement is that the work is “perhaps a little colourless in invention”. It’s interesting to note that, unlike the other three New Year’s Day cantatas included here, the text bears no real relation to the Epistle or Gospel readings appointed for the day in the Lutheran liturgy. The orchestra includes timpani and three horns. The two key soloists are the tenor and the bass and it’s interesting to see that the singers here, James Gilchrist and Peter Harvey, were also involved in the very last concerts of the Pilgrimage, twelve months later. As we’re discovering with the progressive releases of the CDs, both singers were to be cornerstones of the whole venture and on their respective showings in this concert it’s not hard to see why. The tenor has two arias in BWV143. Gilchrist does well in the first of them, ‘Tausendfaches Unglück, Schrecken’, but the second aria, ‘Jesu, Retter deiner Herde’, is even better suited to his voice and he spins its long vocal lines seamlessly. The short bass aria, in which the orchestra’s three horns join, is dispatched imperiously by Harvey. The cantata concludes with a vigorous chorus, which is excitingly done by the Monteverdi Choir, though it doesn’t seem to me to represent Bach at his extrovert best. There’s nothing “colourless” about BWV41, which is a superb cantata. The orchestral scoring is even more resplendent than that for BWV143. In place of the three horns Bach employs three trumpets and he adds a trio of oboes to the mix. It begins with a huge choral fantasia, aptly described by Gardiner as having “epic sweep”. The chorale melody is in the soprano line, while below and around it Bach weaves a virtuoso display of vocal counterpoint. The Monteverdi Choir is quite superb in this movement, with the festive trumpets and drums adding great brilliance. Around the midway point Bach unexpectedly interpolates a short section of slower, more reflective music, which is a masterstroke. This is swiftly left behind in an exciting display of fugal pyrotechnics before Bach returns to his opening material to conclude this astonishing, thrilling movement. There’s no anti-climax, however, for the stream of invention continues with a delectable pastoral soprano aria, charmingly sung by Ruth Holten and decorated by the oboes. Dürr gives the translation of the first two lines of this aria as Let us, O highest God, so complete the year
That the end may be like the beginning
Bach’s wonderful music fits this lovely idea like a glove. The tenor aria ’Woferne du den edlen Frieden’, winningly sung by Gilchrist, features a fine obbligato for violoncello piccolo. . The instrumental part is splendidly done but, even so, it’s Gilchrist’s clear, expressive singing that particularly catches the ear. The bass recitative that follows is interesting on account of the brief, vehement interjection by the choir of the phrase ‘Den Satan unter unsre Füsse treten’ (“Let Satan be trodden under our feet”), which Gardiner perceptively suggests was Bach’s way of “voicing the whole congregation’s New Year resolution.” The exultant finale chorale is decorated by fanfares from the trumpets and drums. This fine cantata receives a stirring performance. BWV 16 was first heard one year later, in 1726. As Gardiner says, it is “concise and pithy” and it’s the most modestly scored of the cantatas we’ve heard thus far. Despite its relative brevity there are some notable movements. One such is the aria ‘Lasst uns Jauchzen, lasst uns freuen’, a forthright piece in which the excellent Peter Harvey and the choir combine to good effect. The tenor aria ‘Geliebter Jesu, du allein’ features an oboe da caccia obbligato and one relishes the contrasting timbres of voice and instrument. The text is a heartfelt expression of trusting faith, beautifully echoed in Bach’s music, and Gilchrist puts the aria across marvellously. To conclude we are offered BWV171. This seems to begin in media res, as Bach plunges into an energetic fugal chorus without so much as a note of instrumental introduction. Two violins weave a dancing obbligato round the tenor aria ‘Herr, so weit die Wolken gehen’. This piece provides a stern test for James Gilchrist’s breath control but he passes the examination with ease. The soprano aria ‘Jesus soll mein erstes Wort’ is a parody of a movement from Bach’s secular cantata BWV205. Gardiner isn’t quite as convinced as Alfred Dürr that the transfer works, feeling that the revised word underlay doesn’t quite fit the music. What does work, without doubt, is Ruth Holton’s light airy singing. In the closing chorale Bach reprises the fanfares with which he burnished the corresponding movement in BWV41. Gardiner suggests in his notes that this was a reminder to the Leipzig congregation of the music Bach had previously given them. I have to say I do wonder how many of the good burghers of Leipzig would have had such good memories. In the year 2000 the Sunday after New Year fell on the very next day so there was no rest for the Pilgrims. If their programme for that day looks short this is because only two cantatas for that Sunday have survived so that the audience were also treated to two cantatas from Christmas Oratorio. Gardiner points out the almost seismic shift of mood as compared with New Year’s Day but this is perhaps not surprising since the Gospel for the day relates the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt. BWV 153 is in many respects a turbulent cantata. The opening chorus is vehement – in Gardiner’s words it seems as if it “should be delivered as a collective shout or clamorous plea, upbraiding God”. Certainly the Monteverdi Choir attacks the music vigorously. Later comes a searing tenor recitativo, after which the second chorale comes as something of a respite. But the respite is short lived for the tenor aria that follows, ‘Stürmt nur, stürmt, ihr Trübsalsweter’ (“Rage then, rage, affliction’s storms”) is a fiery piece that would not have been out of place in one of Bach’s Passions. In the subsequent bass recitative, splendidly articulated by Harvey, Bach and his librettist start to change the mood to one of solace and confidence in Christ, but not before the grim reality of Herod has been confronted. The more tranquil mood continues in the dance-like alto aria ‘Soll ich meinen Lebenslauf’. This is warmly sung by Sally Bruce-Payne, a singer who I don’t think we’ve encountered in previous volumes. The cantata ends with a three-verse chorale, which is delivered in a delightfully sprightly fashion. BWV 58 is a most economic cantata, requiring only soprano and bass soloists and modest instrumental forces. This was probably a deliberate and pragmatic decision by Bach in order to give a rest to his choristers after the vocal rigours of Christmastide and before the impending celebration of Epiphany. The resulting cantata is one of those in which the bass is cast as vox Christi while the other soloist, on this occasion the soprano, represents the Soul. The cantata has the same title as BWV3, a cantata for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, encountered already in Volume 19 (see review). This is because both include some words from the same sixteenth-century Lutheran hymn by Martin Moller. It seems that BWV58, though it probably originated in 1727, only survives in a revision dating from 1733 or 1734. One of the best sections of the cantata, the aria ‘Ich bin vergnügt in meinem Leiden’ was composed as part of that revision. Ruth Holton sounds touchingly vulnerable in this aria and the plangent violin obbligato complements her singing beautifully. Both she and Peter Harvey sing excellently throughout this cantata. As will be evident from my comments, the performance standards in this latest volume are fully up to what we’ve come to expect as the standards of the house. So too are the notes by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. It’s highly stimulating to read his Pilgrimage journal on an instalment basis but I hope that sooner or later the entire journal will be published in book form to be enjoyed from start to finish. I made a particular point of listening to the first of these two discs on New Year’s Day, simply for pleasure. It’s hard to imagine a better way of greeting an incoming year than with Bach’s wonderful, uplifting music, particularly as the perfect antidote to these troubled times in which we live. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For New Year’s Day
Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele II BWV 143
1. Coro Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
2. Choral: Sopran Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
3. Recitativo: TenorWohl dem, des Hülfe der Gott Jakob ist
4. Aria: Tenor Tausendfaches Unglück, Schrecken
5. Aria: Bass Der Herr ist König ewiglich
6. Aria: Tenor con Choral Jesu, Retter deiner Herde
7. Coro (Choral) Halleluja
Jesu, nun sei gepreiset BWV 41
1. Coro (Choral) Jesu, nun sei gepreiset
2. Aria: Sopran Lass uns, o höchster Gott, das Jahr vollbringen
3. Recitativo: Alt Ach! deine Hand, dein Segen muss allein
4. Aria: Tenor Woferne du den edlen Frieden
5. Recitativo: Bass e Coro Doch weil der Feind bei Tag und Nacht
6. Choral Dein ist allein die Ehre
Herr Gott, dich loben wir BWV 16
1. Coro (Choral) Herr Gott, dich loben wir
2. Recitativo: Bass So stimmen wir
3. Aria: Bass e Coro Lasst uns jauchzen, lasst uns freuen
4. Recitativo: Alt Ach treuer Hort
5. Aria: Tenor Geliebter Jesu, du allein
6. Choral All solch dein Güt wir preisen
Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm BWV 171
1. Coro Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm
2. Aria: Tenor Herr, so weit die Wolken gehen
3. Recitativo: Alt Du süßer Jesus-Name du
4. Aria: Sopran Jesus soll mein erstes Wort
5. Recitativo: Bass Und da du, Herr, gesagt
6. Choral Lass uns das Jahr vollbringen

For the Sunday after New Year
Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind BWV 153
1. Choral Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind
2. Recitativo: Alt Mein liebster Gott, ach lass dich’s doch erbarmen
3. Arioso: Bass Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin mit dir
4. Recitativo: Tenor Du sprichst zwar, lieber Gott, zu meiner Seelen Ruh
5. Choral Und ob gleich alle Teufel
6. Aria: Tenor Stürmt nur, stürmt, ihr Trübsalswetter
7. Recitativo: Bass Getrost! mein Herz
8. Aria: Alt Soll ich meinen Lebenslauf
9. Choral Drum will ich, weil ich lebe noch
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid II BWV 58
1. Aria: Bass con Choral: Sopran Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
2. Recitativo: Bass Verfolgt dich gleich die arge Welt
3. Aria: Sopran Ich bin vergnügt in meinem Leiden
4. Recitativo: Sopran Kann es die Welt nicht lassen
5. Aria: Bass con Choral: Sopran Ich hab vor mir ein schwere Reis

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 17 SDG 150

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 16

Posted: December 14th, 2011, 5:25pm MST

This disc contains the very final concert, the fifty-ninth, of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. This was the last of three concerts given in New York to conclude the Pilgrimage. We’ve already had one disc devoted to Christmas cantatas, performed on Christmas Day itself, and its companion, recorded at a concert given just two days later. Now here’s the final Christmas instalment. It must have been quite an emotional occasion for the Pilgrims, knowing that this was the end of their journey – a journey of discovery and celebration. Gardiner makes that clear in his notes, but even if he had not done so anyone who has followed the series to date would have guessed as much from the comments that various performers have made in their own recollections, printed in earlier booklets. The concert begins not with a cantata but with a motet, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225.This was a most intelligent piece of programming since the concert was to close with the cantata that bears the same title. The motet begins with infectious joyfulness – Sir John refers to the “joyous, spirited singing” – but the Monteverdi Choir is no less alive to more reflective moments in Bach’s piece. This means that the central section is marvellously poised. In the outer stretches of the work, however, they provide singing of superb clarity, full tone and rhythmic vivaciousness. BWV 152 contrasts very strongly with the motet. This is a work from Bach’s Weimar period and it is scored for very modest forces indeed. A solo soprano and a bass are accompanied by just six instrumentalists – recorder, oboe, viola d’amore, viola da gamba and a continuo, comprising cello and organ. Alfred Dürr suggests, in his definitive study of the cantatas, that perhaps, after the other musical demands made on the Weimar musicians during the Christmas period, Bach had very limited forces available to him and made a virtue of necessity in his scoring. The result is a wonderfully intimate creation, which is sung delightfully by Gillian Keith and Peter Harvey. Harvey, one of the rocks of this whole series, is in fine voice. Gillian Keith also excels, especially in the sublime aria, ‘Stein der über alle Schätze’. Here the recorder and viola d’amore intertwine sinuously in support of her touching singing. This is a wonderfully delicate movement and the fragility of the music contrasts pointedly with the much more emphatic bass recitatives that are placed on either side of it. There’s no concluding chorale. Instead the cantata ends with a dialogue between the Soul (soprano) and Jesus (bass), which is very well done here. This wasn’t a cantata with which I was very familiar so I’m particularly delighted to find it in such an excellent performance. Next we hear BWV 122, a Leipzig piece. This is based on an old hymn, dating from 1597, which would have been familiar to the Leipzig congregations. Peter Harvey has a challenging aria, which, predictably, he puts across very well. I like Katharine Fuge’s lovely, pure tone in the following recitative and then she and James Gilchrist combine most effectively in a terzetto, in which they’re joined by the altos of the choir, who sing the chorale melody beneath the soloists’ florid lines. The first two cantatas have been predominantly reflective in tone. Now, however, the decks are cleared for some serious rejoicing, beginning with BWV 28. Against a sprightly accompaniment Joanne Lunn opens the proceedings with what Dürr calls a “joyful, dance-like song of thanksgiving.” This is an engaging, smiling piece of singing; not only is Miss Lunn characterful but she’s also technically assured. There follows a magnificent chorus, which finds the Monteverdi Choir on stunning, incisive form. Gilchrist is at his most expressive in the recitative ‘Gott ist ein Quell’ and then he and Daniel Taylor are terrific in the sprightly duet ‘Gott hat uns im heurigen Jahre gesegnet.’ But you sense that the whole concert has been building up to the performance of BWV 190. This cantata has come down to us with only a fragmentary orchestral score and Gardiner and his colleagues engaged in some well-informed reconstruction. For example, timpani and a trio of trumpets have been added to the opening chorus, to thrilling effect and, as we shall see, there’s an even more inspired piece of re-scoring later on. The piece opens with a chorus that is nothing less than an outbreak of unbridled rejoicing. On this occasion the music is invested with the sort of vital, virtuoso singing and playing for which Gardiner has become renowned. He and his performers convey a life-enhancing optimism. One senses that everyone was on their toes to provide the Big Finish to the Pilgrimage. The cantus firmus interjections from Luther’s German Te Deum are especially fervent but then so is the whole of this chorus; it’s a really spine tingling performance. Later comes a duet for tenor and bass soloists, ‘Jesus soll mein alles sein.’ In an inspired piece of scoring, Gardiner allots the obbligato to the viola d’amore. The obbligato part consists largely of “chains of wistful, gestural arabesques bouncing off a silent main beat” (Gardiner). The effect is quite ravishing. One might have feared that the delicate, husky sound of the viola d’amore would be swamped by the singers. However, without holding back, Gilchrist and Harvey sing with such exemplary control and taste that everything fits together beautifully. Gardiner chose to repeat this movement as the second and final encore at the end of the concert and it’s a nice thought that this was the last music to be heard during the Pilgrimage. The thought is all the more poignant since the violist, Katherine McGillvray, died last year aged just thirty-six; the CD is dedicated to her memory. After this luminous duet comes a tenor recitative. It was the final solo of the concert and, therefore, of the Pilgrimage and it’s fitting that this should have been entrusted to James Gilchrist, since he’s been another mainstay of the whole enterprise. He produces a marvellously weighted, nuanced piece of singing, which typifies the skill and perception of so many of his contributions to the Pilgrimage. All that remains is the final, affirmative chorale, which, as performed here, seems to be a summation and a salute to the genius of Bach. This performance anticipated by a few hours the New Year for which the cantata was written. As such, it looked back on a year of homage to Bach and celebration of his music in the 250th anniversary year of his death. But the performance also seems to look forward with confidence, perhaps because Gardiner and his team felt inspired and refreshed by their shared and individual experiences during the course of the Pilgrimage. For the Pilgrims this marked journey’s end. For those of us who are reliving their journey through the medium of CD we have many more volumes in prospect. The next instalment is keenly awaited but for now this splendid disc will sustain us. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For the Sunday after Christmas
Motet: Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied BWV 225
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied
Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn BWV 152
1. Sinfonia
2. Aria: Bass Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn
3. Recitativo: Bass Der Heiland ist gesetzt
4. Aria: Sopran Stein, der über alle Schätze
5. Recitativo: Bass Es ärgre sich die kluge Welt
6. Duetto: Soprano, Bass Wie soll ich dich, Liebster der Seelen, umfassen?
Das neugeborne Kindelein BWV 122
1. Coro (Chorale) Das neugeborne Kindelein
2. Aria: Bass O Menschen, die ihr täglich sündigt
3. Recitativo: Sopran Die Engel, welche sich zuvor
4. Terzetto con Choral Ist Gott versöhnt und unser Freund
5. Recitativo: Bass Dies ist ein Tag
6. Choral Es bringt das rechte Jubeljahr
Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende BWV 28
1. Aria: Sopran Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende
2. Coro (Chorale) Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren
3. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass So spricht der Herr
4. Recitativo: Tenor Gott ist ein Quell
5. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Gott hat uns im heurigen Jahre gesegnet
6. Choral All solch dein Güt wir preisen
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied! BWV 190
(For New Year’s Day)
1. Coro Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied!
2. Choral e Recitativo: Bass, Tenor, Alt Herr Gott, dich loben wir
3. Aria: Alt Lobe, Zion, deinen Gott
4. Recitativo: Bass Es wünsche sich die Welt
5. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Jesus soll mein alles sein
6. Recitativo: Tenor Nun, Jesus gebe
7. Choral Laß uns das Jahr vollbringen

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
1 CD DDD
Volume 16 SDG 137

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Sol Gabetta IL PROGETTO VIVALDI 2

Posted: December 11th, 2011, 10:24am MST

Sol Gabetta is the young female superstar of the cello. The Argentine-French cellist, who speaks six languages fluently, has captured the hearts of audiences in many countries with her playing and her charisma. Sol has received prestigious awards: she won three Echo Klassik prizes in Germany, received Argentina’s Gardel Prize as “artist of the year“ in three consecutive years and in 2010 won the prestigious Gramophone Award as “young artist of the year”.For her fifth recording for Sony Music and the first on the Sony Classical label, Sol Gabetta has teamed up with her own ensemble, the Cappella Gabetta, a small ensemble that plays baroque music on period instruments, which was founded by Sol Gabetta and her brother Andres Gabetta (lead violin). Sol and Andres have chosen this group of musicians so that they can make music among friends and explore works of the Baroque and Early Classical genres.On the new album, entitled Il Progetto Vivaldi 2, Sol Gabetta and Cappella Gabetta perform beautiful Italian cello concertos. Three deservedly popular concertos composed by Antonio Vivaldi are coupled with a rarely recorded sonata by Vivaldi and a charming cello concerto by Leonardo Leo, a Neapolitan composer. The CD also includes a world premiere recording, a cello concerto by Giovanni Benedetto Platti, an Italian composer who worked in Germany between 1730 and 1763. The cello concerto by Platti was recently discovered near Würzburg in the archive of a castle of Duke of Schönborn. The Vivaldi concertos which Sol Gabetta has chosen for this recording were also discovered in this archive.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, RV 4231. I. Allegro (04:02)
2. II. Largo (03:03)
3. III. Allegro (03:48)
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, RV 416 4. I. Allegro (04:00)
5. II. Adagio (03:56)
6. III. Allegro (02:52)
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, RV 4207. I. Andante (04:14)
8. II. Adagio (03:39)
9. III. Allegro (03:43)
Sonata for Violoncello and Basso continuo, RV 4210. I. Preludio. Largo (03:56)
11. II. Allemanda. Andante (02:34)
12. III. Sarabanda. Largo (03:54)
13. IV. Giga. Allegro (02:12)Leonardo Leo (1694 - 1744)
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in D major14. I. Andantino grazioso (04:00)
15. II. Con bravura (02:59)
16. III. Larghetto, con poco moto (03:55)
17. IV. Allegro di molto (01:20)
18. V. Fuga (02:30)Giovanni Benedetto Platti (c.1697 - 1763)
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 65719. I. Non tanto allegro (03:42)
20. II. Adagio (03:05)
21. III. Alla breve. Fuga (04:02)
Sol GabettaCapella GabettaAndres Gabetta
2011 Sony Music Entertainment1 CD DDDYou can buy it on Amazon.comYou can dowload here

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 15

Posted: December 6th, 2011, 4:50pm MST

Two of the cantatas date from 1725 and since BWV 57 is actually prescribed for the second Day of Christmas it’s fascinating to think that the congregation of St. Thomas’s, Leipzig heard the first performances of BWV 57 and BWV 151 on consecutive days! Sir John admits in his notes, which are superb as usual, that BWV 151 was completely new to him. It’s unusual in that it opens with an aria which accounts for over half of the work, nearly 10:00 in this performance. It’s an enchanting soprano aria with a marvellous flute obbligato. Bach enriches the scoring by having an oboe d’amore doubling the first violin part. Gardiner speculates that the outer sections of the aria may suggest Mary singing a lullaby to her newborn son. Gillian Keith gives a performance of disarmingly loveliness. What Gardiner rightly calls an “inspirational” aria inevitably dominates the whole cantata but I am not complaining. BWV 57 is a dialogue cantata in which the bass soloist takes the part of God and the soprano is the Soul. Peter Harvey, already established through previous releases as a cornerstone of the Pilgrimage project, compels attention in the opening aria, ‘Selig ist der Mann’. He is partnered by Joanne Lunn who, in the following recitative offers compelling singing. She follows this with the aria, ‘Ich wünschte mir den Tod, den Tod’. Gardiner describes this as “one of those tragic triple-time dances at which Bach excelled.” Miss Lunn gives a deeply felt performance of it, receiving fine support from the English Baroque Soloists. Gardiner is not afraid to set a generous, broad tempo and he and all the performers dig deep under the skin of this wonderful music. Peter Harvey is commanding in the “show-stopping battle aria”, ‘Ja, ja, ich kann die Feinde schlagen’. Joanne Lunn is superb in her concluding aria but what really caught my ear was her contribution to the duet recitative that comes before it. She begins with some meltingly beautiful phrases and invests the whole recitative with life. BWV 64 opens with a short chorus in which the Monteverdi Choir offers splendidly animated singing. Bach’s inspired inclusion of a trio of sackbuts in the orchestra adds marvellous depth and gravitas to the overall sound. I liked very much the silvery soprano that Gillian Keith produces for her aria, ‘Was die Welt in sich hält’ and in the penultimate movement, an alto aria, the delightful oboe d’amore obbligato contrasts with and complements the timbre of Robin Tyson’s voice. Finally, BWV 133 begins with an exuberantly festive chorus and in the aria ‘Getrost! es fast ein heil’ger Leib’ Robin Tyson puts across very well an excited joy at the meaning of the Incarnation. Throughout this concert there are disappointingly few opportunities to hear that fine tenor, James Gilchrist – there isn’t a single tenor aria to be found! In the recitative allotted to him in this cantata he makes us realise what we’ve missed. By contrast, the programme is a feast for lovers of the soprano voice and a third excellent singer, Katharine Fuge, appears in this cantata. She sings the aria, ‘Wie lieblich klingt es is den Ohren’ with wide-eyed joy. I loved the way she switches the mood to tender regret in the more reflective central section. This programme is a delight from start to finish and the music shows Bach’s skill and perspicacity at responding in different ways to differing aspects of the Lutheran interpretation of the Christmas message. As ever in this series the standard of performance is spectacular and Sir John is a superb guide to the music, whether as conductor or annotator. This unfolding series goes from strength to strength and I look forward with the keenest possible anticipation to further releases in 2007. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
For the Third Day of Christmas
Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget BWV 64
1. Coro Sehet, welch eine Liebe
2. Choral Das hat er alles uns getan
3. Recitativo: Alt Geh, Welt! behalte nur das Deine
4. ChoralWas frag ich nach der Welt
5. Aria: SopranWas die Welt
6. Recitativo: Bass Der Himmel bleibet mir gewiss
7. Aria: Alt Von der Welt verlang ich nichts
8. Choral Gute Nacht, o Wesen
Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt BWV 151
1. Aria: Sopran Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt
2. Recitativo: Bass Erfreue dich, mein Herz
3. Aria: Alt In Jesu Demut kann ich Trost
4. Recitativo: Tenor Du teurer Gottessohn
5. Choral Heut schleußt er wieder auf die Tür
Selig ist der Mann BWV 57
(For the Second Day of Christmas)
1. Aria: Bass Selig ist der Mann
2. Recitativo: Sopran Ach! dieser süße Trost
3. Aria: Sopran Ich wünschte mir den Tod
4. Recitativo (Dialogo): Bass, Sopran Ich reiche dir die Hand
5. Aria: Bass Ja, ja, ich kann die Feinde schlagen
6. Recitativo (Dialogo): Bass, Sopran In meiner Schoß liegt Ruh und Leben
7. Aria: Sopran Ich ende behende mein irdisches Leben
8. Choral Richte dich, Liebste, nach meinem Gefallen
Ich freue mich in dir BWV 133
1. Coro (Choral) Ich freue mich in dir
2. Aria: Alt Getrost! es fasst ein heil’ger Leib
3. Recitativo: Tenor Ein Adam mag sich voller Schrecken
4. Aria: Sopran Wie lieblich klingt es in den Ohren
5. Recitativo: Bass Wohlan, des Todes Furcht und Schmerz
6. Choral Wohlan, so will ich mich

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
1 CD DDD
Volume 15 SDG 127

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 14

Posted: December 4th, 2011, 7:00am MST

These days we have to be reminded that Easter, not Christmas, is the primary festival of the church year. (In Bach’s Leipzig, of course, Good Friday was the most important day of the musical year.) Nevertheless, Christmas was a major celebration at that time and place, with services on Christmas and the next two days, followed by observances on New Year’s day, the first Sunday of the New Year, and Epiphany. Consequently, Bach created considerable music for the season. The present disc, Volume 14 in the series, features two Christmas cantatas, BWV 91 (1724) and 110 (1725), and two cantatas for the day after Christmas, BWV 40 (1723) and 121 (1724).
Cantata 91, from the year of chorale cantatas, imbues Luther’s Christmas hymn, Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, with a feeling of anticipation and exhilaration unusual even for Bach. Budding excitement in the opening chorus finally erupts in striking syncopations. The final chorale is enhanced by fanfare-like expressions from the brass. Another chorale cantata is BWV 121, based on Christum wir sollen loben schon. It begins with a more subdued choral movement, but a joyful air is introduced by the subsequent tenor aria and reinforced by a jaunty aria for bass. Cantata 40 does not belong to the chorale-cantata cycle, but three of the seven movements after the opening chorale fantasia are straightforward chorale settings. Most resplendent of these four cantatas is No. 110, which opens with a choral re-make of the third movement of the Fourth Orchestral Suite.
Gardiner’s preface again reminds us that the Cantata Pilgrimage was not undertaken as a recording project; the recordings are fortuitous by-products of the Pilgrimage. The concert captured on this disc, which took place in New York City on Christmas Day, 2000, was the third-to-last in the whole enterprise. One might reasonably have excused any evidence of fatigue at that point, but there is none in evidence; rather, the energy generated by the performances is quite extraordinary. For listeners who wish to sample the series before committing themselves to it, this single disc may provide an auspicious starting point. Most enthusiastically recommended.
Incidentally, in reviewing earlier releases from the Pilgrimage, I noted the sterling attendance record of violist Colin Kitching. A letter from Clifford Bartlett of Early Music Review noted that Kitching is the Monteverdi Choir’s librarian. But, alas! He didn’t make it to the Big Apple, so Sir John will be the only person to have participated in every one of the Pilgrimage recordings. (George Chien)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
For Christmas Day
For the Second Day of Christmas
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ BWV 91
(For Christmas Day)
1. Coro (Choral) Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
2. Recitativo e Choral: Sopran Der Glanz der höchsten Herrlichkeit
3. Aria: Tenor Gott, dem der Erden Kreis zu klein
4. Recitativo: Bass O Christenheit!
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Die Armut, so Gott auf sich nimmt
6. Choral Das hat er alles uns getan
Christum wir sollen loben schon BWV 121
(For the Second Day of Christmas)
1. Coro (Choral) Christum wir sollen loben schon
2. Aria: Tenor O du von Gott erhöhte Kreatur
3. Recitativo: Alt Der Gnade unermesslich’s Wesen
4. Aria: Bass Johannis freudenvolles Springen
5. Recitativo: Sopran Doch wie erblickt es dich in deiner Krippe?
6. Choral Lob, Ehr und Dank sei dir gesagt
Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes BWV 40
(For the Second Day of Christmas)
1. Coro Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes
2. Recitativo: Tenor Das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnet in der Welt
3. Choral Die Sünd macht Leid
4. Aria: Bass Höllische Schlange
5. Recitativo: Alt Die Schlange, so im Paradies
6. Choral Schüttle deinen Kopf und sprich
7. Aria: Tenor Christenkinder, freuet euch!
8. Choral Jesu, nimm dich deiner Glieder
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens BWV 110
(For Christmas Day)
1. Coro Unser Mund sei voll Lachens
2. Aria: Tenor Ihr Gedanken und ihr Sinnen
3. Recitativo: Bass Dir, Herr, ist niemand gleich
4. Aria: Alt Ach Herr, was ist ein Menschenkind
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe
6. Aria: BassWacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder
7. Choral Halleluja! Halleluja! Gelobt sei Gott2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd1 CD DDDVolume 14 SDG 113You can buy it on Amazon.comYou can download here

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 13

Posted: December 2nd, 2011, 5:13pm MST

Liturgical observance in Leipzig forbade the use of figural music during services after the First Sunday of Advent until Christmas so, since many of his pre-Leipzig cantatas have not survived, we have very little liturgical music by Bach for the Advent season but what we have is of high quality. Sir John made studio recordings of the three cantatas for Advent Sunday as long ago as 1992 (DG Archive 437 372-2, later 463 588-2) but I’d say that collectors who already have that disc should acquire the new version also even if, like me, they don’t discard the studio versions, which still have a great deal to offer.
Luther’s great hymn, ‘Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland’, a German reworking of the medieval Advent hymn ‘Veni redemptor gentium’ is at the heart of all three of these cantatas. However, in BWV 61, a Weimar cantata from 1714, only the opening chorus uses lines from that hymn. In that first movement Bach inventively combines the old hymn chant onto the form of a French Overture with a light, fugal central episode. The performance here is strong and imposing. Tenor Jan Kobow sings well in the aria ‘Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche’ but for some reason that I can’t quite pin down I prefer the sound of Anthony Rolfe Johnson in Gardiner’s 1992 recording. On that occasion Gardiner’s tempo was marginally faster too and I think that speed is preferable. That aria is followed by a short bass recitativo, which Alfred Dürr refers to as “the true high point of the work”. The way in which Dietrich Henschel veils his tone imparts a fine sense of anticipation and mystery. In the earlier studio version Olaf Bär goes for the same effect but, well though he does it, I think Henschel is even more successful. The following soprano aria, ‘Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze’ is sung meltingly by Joanne Lunn.
BWV 62 is a Leipzig cantata, dating from 1724. Unlike BWV 61, Bach takes his entire text from Luther’s hymn. The opening chorus is a muscular composition, in which the Saviour is urgently beseeched to come. There follows a substantial tenor aria, ‘Bewundert, o Menschen, dies grosse Geheimnis’, aptly described by Dürr as “joyfully soaring”. I like Kobow in this movement and his breath control in Bach’s long phrases is admirable. However, Rolfe Johnson also excels in the 1992 recording and conveys, perhaps, in his tone a greater sense of wonder and eagerness. I think he’s helped also by the fact that in 1992 Gardiner paced the music just a fraction more swiftly. The other aria in this cantata is for the bass. It’s described by Gardiner as having a “pompous, combative character” and he speculates that it may have been a dry run for the ‘Grosser Herr’ aria in Part I of Christmas Oratorio. The aria in BWV 62 is not as memorable as that one but Dietrich Henschel projects it strongly.
BWV 36 achieved its final form in Leipzig in 1731 as an Advent cantata. However, as Dürr points out, its first movement and arias went through at least three prior incarnations in secular cantatas from1725 onwards. In 1731 Bach reworked the material into a substantial two-part cantata, divided into two parts. Unusually - perhaps uniquely - among the cantatas it contains no recitatives. Instead the arias are punctuated by chorale movements in various guises.
Gardiner describes the opening chorus as “ a spiritual madrigal - capricious, light textured and deeply satisfying once all its virtuosic technical demands have been met.” Needless to say, the Monteverdi Choir meet all those technical demands - of which there sound to be quite a number - and deliver a deft yet emphatic account of this fine movement. The third movement is a lovely, light tenor aria in which a favourite idea of the soul as the bride and Christ as the bridegroom is addressed. Kobow’s singing is appealing and the oboe d’amore obbligato complements his voice delightfully. However, the real delight of the cantata lies in the soprano aria ‘Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen’. Gardiner refers to this as “a berceuse of pure enchantment” and the performance by Joanne Lunn completely justifies that judgement. Her singing is touching and radiant and she’s partnered most delightfully by the muted violin obbligato of Maya Homburger. This delectable performances lasts for 9:32 and it’s not a second too long. I suspect that for many in the audience at Köln this may have been, as it was for me, the highlight of the whole concert.
Leaving behind them the restored Romanesque church in Köln the Pilgrims moved on to the Michaeliskirche in Luneburg, a church that traces its origins back to the late fourteenth century. This was to be their last stop at a church with a direct association with Bach. Here the fifteen-year-old Bach sang as a member of the church’s ‘Mattins Choir’ and the performers used as a changing room the choir room, where, presumably, Bach prepared for services.
BWV 70 was designated for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Trinity in Leipzig, where it was first heard in 1723. However, it more than qualifies for a place in this programme since it was originally composed in 1716, during Bach’s Weimar years, for the Second Sunday in Advent - in Weimar, unlike in Leipzig, cantatas were allowed in church services throughout Advent. Since the scriptural messages of the two Sundays were not dissimilar the cantata text sufficed for both. However, for Leipzig Bach added recitatives and a chorale. The cantata opens with an exciting, anticipatory chorus and Bach includes a trumpet in the orchestra to impart a sense of occasion. The Monteverdi Choir gives a superb account of it. A forceful bass recitativo emerges without a pause from the chorus. After such an electrifying start the more easeful alto aria, sung with poise by Michael Chance, comes as something of a relief. I enjoyed the soprano aria, ‘Lasst der Spötter Zungen schmähen’, which is a forthright piece, well dispatched by Brigitte Geller. Also worthy of note is the tenor aria, ‘Hebt euer Haupt empor’, a confidence-inspiring piece. Jan Kobow’s singing is perfectly attuned to the mood of this fine, striding aria.
After this aria come two strongly contrasted movements for the bass soloist. Dietrich Henschel is bitingly dramatic in the apocalyptic recitativo, which comes first, but then he relaxes beautifully for what Dürr rightly calls the “otherworldly, transfigured” aria, ‘Seligster Erquickungstag’, which contains a short vigorous central section between two marvellously lyrical sections. The juxtaposition of these two movements is something of a coup by Bach, one which Henschel and Gardiner bring off splendidly.
BWV 132, another Weimar piece, dating from 1715, is, I suppose, the only truly Advent piece here in the sense that it has come down to us in its original form as an Advent cantata. Its most remarkable movement is the first one, an enchanting but hugely demanding soprano aria. Brigitte Geller and the excellent oboist - Michael Niesemann, I presume - negotiate it with freshness and great skill. Kobow and Henschel both sing their solos well and Michael Chance injects drama and tonal variety into his recitativo before giving an elegant and expressive account of the aria ‘Christi Glieder, ach bedenket’. Incidentally no chorale survives for this cantata so Gardiner tacks on the chorale from another cantata, BWV 164.
To conclude, we hear one of Bach’s most popular cantatas, BWV 147.This is another Weimar Advent cantata - for the Fourth Sunday - originally composed in 1716. Bach was unable to use it in Leipzig for the same liturgy so he adapted it in 1723 for the Feast of the Visitation (2 July). In so doing he added three recitatives and, crucially, he dropped the original chorale and replaced it with a new one, which he also inserted part way through what had now become a two-part work So, perhaps the most celebrated part of the cantata was the fruit of its Leipzig revision.
It’s a work Gardiner has recorded before. He set down a studio version for DG in March 1990 (431 809-2, later 463 587-2). That earlier performance has many virtues but there is a snag in that it was recorded - along with BWV 140 - in a church in Shaftesbury, Dorset, and for some reason the microphones were placed at a distance from the performers, giving the recording a rather recessed sound.
In both recordings Gardiner and his choir impart an irrepressible energy to the opening chorus, which Bach decorated with a glorious slivery trumpet part. The new Pilgrimage account is tremendously vital though the earlier performance was taken at a pace that’s the tiniest fraction steadier; that aids articulation without compromising energy.
Jan Kobow sings the following tenor recitative, ‘Gebenedeiter Mund!’ well enough. But turn to Anthony Rolfe Johnson in the earlier recording and you hear something rather special. The thoughtfulness and sweetness of tone that he deploys is quite disarming. Dare one say he brings a touch of fantasy to the movement, which Kobow, for all his virtues, doesn’t attempt. Also, in this movement the distancing of the DG recording is rather beneficial for once. Later on in the cantata comes the aria ‘Hilf, Jesu, hilf, dass ich auch dich bekenne’. Kobow sings it well but Rolfe Johnson makes much more of the words and, in addition, in this music I prefer his more plangent tone.
Michael Chance is common to both recordings and he sings very well on both occasions. In the aria ‘Schäme dich, o Seele, nicht’ the very slightly steadier speed that Gardiner adopts in 2000 is preferable, I think, and Chance benefits also from being more immediately recorded this time round. When it comes to the bass numbers Dietrich Henschel has far more vocal presence and character than Stephen Varcoe displayed in 1992. He has more vocal amplitude as well, especially in the lower register of the voice, and that’s particularly welcome in the big aria ‘Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen’ - where he’s partnered splendidly by trumpeter Gabriele Cassone. Gardiner’s Pilgrimage soprano also has the edge over her earlier rival. The soprano aria, ‘Bereite dir, Jesu, noch itzo die Bahn’, is a beguiling piece, decorated with a lovely violin obbligato. The Pilgrimage team - Brigitte Geller and violinist Maya Homburger - give a winning account of it. Ruth Holton sings well for Gardiner in 1992 but, by comparison with Miss Geller’s fuller tones, her voice sounds rather small and piping and she’s another singer who doesn’t benefit from the recessed DG recording.
The famous chorale illustrates the care with which this 2000 performance has been approached. It would be easy to sing it in the same fashion twice - and I’m sure we’ve all heard instances of that. But Gardiner appreciates that the two stanzas of words have a different import. So, first time round the singing is reasonably forthright, though very cultured. At the end of the cantata, however, the first four lines are sung in a gentle, trusting way. For the fifth and sixth lines the singing becomes much more affirmative before the last two lines are delivered in a similar fashion to the first four. It’s a small point, perhaps, but a telling one. It goes without saying that both times the chorale appears it’s sung with fine expression. I think that this new version of the cantata eclipses Gardiner’s earlier recording but I shan’t be discarding my copy, if only for the singing of Anthony Rolfe Johnson.
So, with Advent worthily celebrated in two German cities, the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic for their own journey’s end in New York. Where we, who are collecting the CDs as they appear, will next encounter them remains to be seen. However, this latest instalment, which as usual contains excellent documentation and benefits from very good engineering, is another fine addition to Gardiner’s excellent cantata cycle on disc. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
For the First Sunday in Advent
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland I BWV 61
1. Coro (Ouverture) Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
2. Recitativo: Tenor Der Heiland ist gekommen
3. Aria: Tenor Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche
4. Recitativo: Bass Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür und klopfe an
5. Aria: Sopran Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze
6. Choral Amen, Amen!
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland II BWV 62
1. Coro Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
2. Aria: Tenor Bewundert, o Menschen, dies große Geheimnis
3. Recitativo: Bass So geht aus Gottes Herrlichkeit und Thron
4. Aria: Bass Streite, siege, starker Held!
5. Recitativo (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Wir ehren diese Herrlichkeit
6. Choral (Duetto) Lob sei Gott, dem Vater, g’ton
Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 36
Part I
1. Coro Schwingt freudig euch empor
2. Choral: Sopran, Alt Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
3. Aria: Tenor Die Liebe zieht mit sanften Schritten
4. Choral Zwingt die Saiten in Cythara
Part II
5. Aria: Bass Willkommen, werter Schatz!
6. Choral: Tenor Der du bist dem Vater gleich
7. Aria: Sopran Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen
8. Choral Lob sei Gott, dem Vater, g’ton

For the Fourth Sunday in Advent
Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! BWV 70
(For the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Trinity)
Part I
1. Coro Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
2. Recitativo: Bass Erschrecket, ihr verstockten Sünder!
3. Aria: Alt Wenn kömmt der Tag
4. Recitativo: Tenor Auch bei dem himmlischen Verlangen
5. Aria: Sopran Lasst der Spötter Zungen schmähen
6. Recitativo: Tenor Jedoch bei dem unartigen Geschlechte
7. Choral Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele
Part II
8. Aria: Tenor Hebt euer Haupt empor
9. Recitativo con Choral: Bass Ach, soll nicht dieser große Tag
10. Aria: Bass Seligster Erquickungstag
11. Choral Nicht nach Welt, nach Himmel nicht
Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn! BWV 132
1. Aria: Sopran Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn!
2. Recitativo: Tenor Willst du dich Gottes Kind
3. Aria: Bass Wer bist du?
4. Recitativo: Alt Ich will, mein Gott, dir frei heraus bekennen
5. Aria: Alt Christi Glieder, ach bedenket
6. Choral Ertöt uns durch dein Güte
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV 147
(For the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Part I
1. Coro Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
2. Recitativo: Tenor Gebenedeiter Mund!
3. Aria: Alt Schäme dich, o Seele, nicht
4. Recitativo: Bass Verstockung kann Gewaltige verblenden
5. Aria: Sopran Bereite dir, Jesu, noch itzo die Bahn
6. Choral Wohl mir, dass ich Jesum habe
Part II
7. Aria: Tenor Hilf, Jesu, hilf, dass ich auch dich bekenne
8. Recitativo: Alt Der höchsten Allmacht Wunderhand
9. Aria: Bass Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen
10. Choral Jesus bleibet meine Freude

2009 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 13 SDG 162

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 12

Posted: November 28th, 2011, 6:25pm MST

The penultimate instalment in this series brings a “first”. The cantatas on disc one are not live performances but were set down under studio conditions a couple of days before the Pilgrims performed this programme in the chapel of Eton College. There’s a very good reason for this. Eton lies right under the flight path of Heathrow airport and so, as an insurance policy against aircraft noise, a prudent decision was taken to pre-record the programme, using long takes to simulate concert conditions as much as possible.
One would not wish for any intrusive noises to mar any of the cantata performances, especially James Gilchrist’s excellent and compelling account of the cantata for solo tenor, BWV 55. In the aria that opens the work Bach’s writing, in Alfred Dürr’s words “conjures up an impression of the writhing sinner who in vain revolts against his burden of sin, since he is unable to free himself from it.” Gilchrist rises superbly to the manifold challenges of Bach’s long, intense lines. He’s just as fine in the second aria, a compelling plea for mercy from the sinner, of which he gives a moving account. Praise too for the uplifting flute obbligato playing of Rachel Beckett in this second aria. Gilchrist is also vividly communicative in the two recitatives. In his notes, Sir John Eliot Gardiner is right to draw attention to the lovely harmonies in the concluding chorale, which is expertly sung by The Monteverdi Choir.
There’s more admirable solo singing in BWV 89. The opening aria portrays what Gardiner aptly calls God’s “wistful” anger and Peter Harvey, with fine, firm singing suggests just that. The alto recitative and aria that follow are much more vengeful in tone. Robin Tyson is presented with some challenging, dramatic writing, which he dispatches convincingly. Later comes a soprano aria with oboe obbligato in which the tone seems rather light and gay, which is rather at odds with the words. Gardiner points out that the text describes “a balance sheet of sins committed against the drops of Jesus’ redeeming blood.” The optimistic tone of Bach’s music, captivatingly sung by Joanne Lunn, who is expertly partnered by Michael Niesemann’s felicitous oboe playing, perhaps indicates the composer’s confidence as to which side of the balance sheet will end up in credit.
For all the fine music that has gone before Gardiner is surely right to rate BWV 115 as the choicest of Bach’s three cantatas for this Sunday. It contains not one but two magnificent, eloquent arias. The first, ‘Ach, schläfrige Seele, wie?’ (‘Ah, somnolent soul’) is a slow, siciliano movement in E minor for alto, partnered by an oboe d’amore. Robin Tyson’s expressive singing – and the equally expressive playing by his instrumental partner – compels attention throughout the ten-minute span of the aria. If anything, the soprano aria, ‘Bete aber auch dabei’ (‘Pray then, even as you wake’), is even finer. Here the singer is part of a trio, the other participants being a solo flute and a piccolo cello. Gardiner is lavish in his praise of the present performance, and no wonder. Both of the instrumentalists are superb, while the way in which Joanne Lunn sustains Bach’s long lines is spellbinding. This is a performance that confirms her stature as one of the finest soloists to be heard in this whole series. Alfred Dürr opines that “among Bach’s arias, this movement…exercises an exceptional fascination on the listener.” That’s certainly the case with this rapt account of it.
BWV 60 is for the following Sunday and it’s largely a dialogue between Fear (the alto soloist) and Hope (the tenor). The first movement is an arresting duet for the singers, strongly scored by Bach and punchily delivered by the English Baroque Soloists. The alto, reinforced by a horn player, delivers the chorale melody and when the tenor joins the musical argument the two voices intertwine thrillingly. Later in the cantata the bass soloist takes the part of Vox Christi in a duet with Fear in which his calming arioso passages always start with the words ‘Selig sind die Toten’. Peter Harvey is magnificent here, striking just the right tone of dignified reassurance. The final chorale features some daring, whole tone harmonies. This was the music that exerted such a powerful fascination on Alban Berg when he was writing his Violin Concerto (1935).
The following weekend brought the Pilgrims to Winchester for their final concert in England. In BWV 139 tenor William Kendall produces some forthright singing in the aria, ‘Gott ist mein Freund; was hilft das Toben’, in which he’s accompanied by a busy pair of obbligato violins. In the bass aria that we hear a little further on Peter Harvey is firm of tone in his striking projection of the music but the piece also contains some lighter stretches in which he’s equally successful. He has been my favourite among the bass soloists throughout the entire project and this excellent piece of singing is a very good example of him at his best.
Moving on to BWV 163, the aria with which the cantata opens gives William Kendall a good opportunity to demonstrate the lyrical side of his voice in music that contrasts with the aria allotted to him in the previous cantata. Susan Hamilton, a member of The Monteverdi Choir, and the Welsh alto, Hilary Summers, join in two successive duet movements, an arioso followed by an aria. I don’t believe that either singer has appeared as a soloist before in this series. Miss Summers has quite a rich-toned voice, more contralto than mezzo, I’d say. They’re effective here though I don’t think either makes quite as positive an impression as some of the other sopranos and altos we’ve encountered in earlier volumes.
The opening sinfonia to BWV 52 is an early version of the music that became the first movement of Brandenburg Concerto No 1, complete with a pair of exuberant hunting horns, which make a splendid sound here. The rest of the cantata, apart from the concluding chorale, is for solo soprano. On this occasion the soloist is the excellent Gillian Keith. She sings with burning intensity in her opening recitativo, grabbing the listener’s attention with her very first phrase and never letting go thereafter. The piece contains two arias. The first is a dramatic piece, carrying on from the recitativo, while the second, in which the singer is joined by a trio of oboes, is more relaxed. Miss Keith gives a convincing account of both arias and I particularly enjoyed the second one.
With BWV 140, which is actually for the Twenty-seventh Sunday after Trinity, when Advent is fast approaching, we encounter one of Bach’s most celebrated cantatas. Gardiner has recorded this piece before, a studio recording made for DG Archiv back in 1990. That’s a good reading of the cantata but, on balance, I prefer this newer version. I like the purposeful tempo that Gardiner adopts for the opening chorus, which is just a smidgeon more sprightly than in the 1990 version. The Monteverdi Choir of 2000, whose singing has been excellent throughout both of these discs, excel here, conveying just the mood of eager anticipation that the music and the text require. Gardiner is daring in the way he uses dynamics – he did the same thing in 1990 but the effect is even stronger here. One example that really made me sit up was at the words ‘Mitternacht heisst diese Stunde’, where he takes the volume right down before getting his singers to make a thrilling crescendo during the next line, ‘Sie rufen uns mit hellem Munde’. A little later, when what he terms the “funky” alleluias start, the altos lead off almost cheekily. In the fugal writing that follows the singing has bite and commitment – and great clarity. I can’t recall hearing a more exciting account of this well-known movement. The cantata contains two duets between soprano and bass. In the first of these Susan Hamilton’s singing seems to me to be somewhat plain in expression, suffering somewhat by comparison with Peter Harvey’s much more characterful delivery. She’s better in the second, delicious duet; I think the lively, eager-eyed music suits her light voice better. The pert oboe obbligato is deftly played - by Susanne Regel, I assume. A fervent account of the famous final chorale sets the seal on an excellent performance of this cantata.
This penultimate volume in Gardiner’s cantata cycle offers eight fine examples of Bach’s church music. The quality of the music is consistently high and so too is the standard of the performances, with the expert and committed singing and playing we’ve come to expect – but not take for granted, I hope – as this series has evolved. As usual the recorded sound is very good and Sir John’s notes are as perceptive as ever, inviting and drawing the listener into Bach’s musical world. For all who have been collecting this series this latest addition is another mandatory purchase. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1
Ich armer Mensch, ich Sundenknecht, BWV 55
Aria: Ich armer Mensch, ich Sundenknecht (Tenor)
Recitative: Ich habe wider Gott gehandelt (Tenor)
Aria: Erbarme dich! (Tenor)
Recitative: Erbarme dich! (Tenor)
Chorale: Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen (Chorus)
Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim, BWV 89
Aria: Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim? (Bass)
Recitative: Ja, freilich sollte Gott (Alto)
Aria: Ein unbarmherziges Gerichte (Alto)
Recitative: Wohlan! Mein Herze legt (Soprano)
Aria: Gerechter Gott, ach rechnest du? (Soprano)
Chorale: Mir mangelt zwar sehr viel (Chorus)
Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV 115
Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit (Chorus)
Aria: Ach schlafrige Seele (Alto)
Recitative: Gott, so vor deine Seele wacht (Bass)
Aria: Bete aber auch dabei (Soprano)
Recitative: Er sehnet sich nach unserm Schreien (Tenor)
Chorale: Drum so lasst uns immerdar (Chorus)
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 60
Aria: O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: O schwerer Gang (Alto, Tenor)
Aria: Mein letztes Lager (Duet: Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: Der Tod Bleibt doch (Alto, Bass)
Chorale: Es ist genung (Chorus)
DISC 2
Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139
Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott (Chorus)
Aria: Gott ist mein Freund (Tenor)
Recitative: Der Heiland sendet ja die Seinen (Alto)
Aria: Das Ungluck schlagt auf allen Seiten (Bass)
Recitative: Ja, trag ich gleich den grossten Feind in mir (Soprano)
Chorale: Dahero Trotz der Hollen Heer! (Chorus)
Nur jedem das Seine, BWV 163
Aria: Nur jedem das Seine! (Tenor)
Recitative: Du bist, mein Gott (Bass)
Aria: Lass mein Herz die Munze sein (Bass)
Recitative: Ich wollte dir (Soprano, Alto)
Aria : Nimm mich mir und gib mich dir! (Soprano, Alto)
Chorale: Fuhr auch mein Herz und Sinn (Chorus)
Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52
Sinfonia
Recitative: Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht! (Soprano)
Aria: Immerhin, immerhin, wenn ich gleich verstossen bin! (Soprano)
Recitative: Gott ist getreu! (Soprano)
Aria: Ich halt es mit dem lieben Gott (Soprano)
Chorale: In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr (Chorus)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Chorale: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Chorus)
Recitative: Er kommt, er kommt (Tenor)
Aria Duet: Wenn kommst du, mein Heil (Soprano, Bass)
Chorale: Zion hort die Wachter singen (Chorus)
Recitative: So geh herein zu mir (Bass)
Aria Duet: Mein Freund ist mein (Soprano, Bass)
Chorale: Gloria sei dir gesungen (Chorus)

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 12 SDG 171

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 11

Posted: November 27th, 2011, 4:00am MST

For the first of these consecutive Sundays after Trinity Sir John Eliot Gardiner led his Cantata Pilgrims to Italy, a country not so far visited on the journey - at least not in terms of issued recordings. For the following Sunday they returned to London and to the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich. They’d been there before (Vol. 19) and it appears that this venue was a late substitute when a planned visit to the Baltic States was abandoned.
In the Lutheran liturgy for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Gospel is the parable, related in St. Matthew’s Gospel, of the royal wedding feast and the guest who, arriving without a wedding garment, was excluded. So wedding imagery, such as that of Christ as the bridegroom, figures significantly in Bach’s cantata texts for the day. BWV 162 originated in Weimar in 1716 but Gardiner performed it in the revised version that Bach made in 1723. He has a good team of soloists at his disposal and the ever-reliable Peter Harvey is in action right away, giving a confident, sturdy account of the aria with which the cantata opens. A little later comes a soprano aria in which, in Gardiner’s words “the refreshment of cooling wayside water is evoked”. There’s an obbligato for flute and oboe d’amore, reconstructed by Robert Levin, as only the original continuo survives. His work seems entirely successful and idiomatic to me though, unless my ears deceive me, the flute part is played on a recorder. The soloist is Magdalena Kožená and she sings beguilingly. One must remember that these performances were given nearly ten years ago. Clearly Miss Kožená’s voice has deepened since then for I see she’s to perform Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde next year in Birmingham. The other significant solo number in this cantata is the fifth movement, a duet for alto and tenor. This contains a good deal of testing passagework and canons, which Gardiner’s soloists negotiate successfully.
The chorus have nothing to do in that cantata except for the concluding chorale. They’re entirely absent from BWV 49, which is a dialogue between the Soul (soprano) and Christ (bass). When I first listened to it I thought that some of the movements were just a bit too long and when I read the booklet notes I discovered that Sir John expresses a similar view. Excessive length is certainly an issue in the opening sinfonia. At 6:27 this is the longest movement in this performance. It’s a concerto-like movement in which the obbligato organ, played by Howard Moody, takes a leading role. Moody is also to the fore in the second movement, a bass aria. Despite Peter Harvey’s advocacy I think Bach stretches his material a bit too thinly in this movement also. Both singers are involved in the next movement, which has been described aptly as “a frank love-duet”. Harvey and, even more so, Magdalena Kožená enter fully into that spirit. Miss Kožená gives a delicious performance of her aria, ‘Ich bin herrlich, ich bin schön’ and the obbligato is provided by an oboe d’amore and a violoncello piccolo, which conspire to produce some fascinating textures. Alfred Dürr memorably suggests that perhaps “in the complementary figures that the obbligato instruments toss to one another, we see the spinning and turning of the bride adorned by her hoop-skirt, taking pleasure in her own beauty.” The final movement in the cantata unites the two singers; the bass singing an aria against the soprano’s chorale, while the oboe d’amore and the busy organ provide instrumental support. What a skilful combination of textures and musical lines by Bach!
The best-known cantata in the programme is BWV 180, in which, as Dürr says, we’re at the Feast itself. The Monteverdi Choir, too little in evidence so far, excels in the opening chorale fantasia, which is sung over a stately orchestral processional. The following tenor aria, ‘Ermuntre dich’ incorporates a virtuoso flute part, which strongly calls to mind the B minor Orchestral Suite. Rachel Beckett is marvellously nimble and her playing complements excitingly the singing of Christoph Genz. His light, airy voice is ideally suited to the demanding, acrobatic vocal line, which he delivers with admirable clarity. The light, infectious performances of both singer and flautist are a sheer delight. Gardiner suggests that Bach was rather on autopilot when he composed the soprano aria in this cantata. This does seem a slightly harsh judgement - or perhaps I’m just being swayed by the lovely singing of Magdalena Kožená. Gardiner tells us that the Italians attended the Pilgrimage concerts - there was also one in Rome - in huge numbers and these fine cantata performances must have delighted the audiences.
Bach left no less than four cantatas for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel for the day, from St. John’s Gospel, relates the story of the healing by Christ of the son of a nobleman who showed faith. Inspired by that, Bach’s librettist for BWV 109 produced a text that Dürr describes as a kind of dialogue between Doubt and Belief.
The opening movement is quite remarkable. Gardiner likens it to a concerto grosso in which the soloists and chorus feature “as concertisten and ripienisten”. The expressive, plangent solo phrases intertwine with the chorus parts to powerful effect and, in passing, I wondered how this cantata fits with the one voice to a part theory: I can’t see how this music could be effectively performed without the contrast between soloists and chorus. Incidentally, it’s a tribute to Bach’s invention that he can construct a movement that lasts here for 8:43, effectively one-third of the whole cantata, and using just one line of text. And unlike BWV 49 there’s no suspicion that the movement is over-long. This present performance is superb. So too is the account by Paul Agnew of the tenor aria, ‘Wie zweifelhaltig ist mein Hoffen’. It’s a turbulent piece, which Gardiner suggests could have been an early draft of ‘Ach, mein Sinn’ from the St John Passion. Agnew, no stranger to that Passion aria, is ideal at conveying the aching anxiety in this aria. William Towers, the alto soloist, is not really a match for Agnew when it comes to vocal expressiveness but he still gives a good account of his aria and of the recitative that precedes it. Though the mood of much of the cantata has been anxious the tone changes at the alto solo and becomes more positive and the concluding chorale fantasia takes this further; both the text and the music are much more confident and forthright.
BWV 38 is a chorale cantata, based on a hymn by Luther. Gardiner describes the opening chorus as “a powerful evocation of … Lutheran crying-from-the-depths and the clamour of imploring voices.” The dark power of the Monteverdi Choir’s singing is sonorously reinforced by no less than a quartet of sackbuts, singers and instrumentalists combining to create an extraordinary texture. Once again Paul Agnew has a demanding tenor aria. His music is emotive and ardent and he’s accompanied by a pair of ceaselessly intertwining oboes. Agnew’s singing is compelling but the instrumentalists are no less impressive. The sackbuts return to underpin the final forthright chorale. Here Bach’s music - and scoring -epitomises the forthright, robust side of Lutheranism.
The next cantata that we hear, BWV 98, is a good foil to the powerful BWV 38. It’s much more modest in scale though I’m not sure I entirely agree with Gardiner that it “seems exceptionally genial.” To be sure, the spirit of the opening chorus is fairly light but the tenor recitative that follows is bitingly dramatic, at least in Paul Agnew’s hands. The more relaxed mood returns in the soprano aria, ‘Hört, ihr Augen, auf zu weinen’, which benefits from some lovely singing by Joanne Lunn. The cantata also includes a jaunty bass aria accompanied by perky unison violins and Gotthold Schwarz displays fine vocal agility here.
Finally we hear BWV 188. Like BWV 49 this opens with a substantial sinfonia, which derives from the third movement of the harpsichord concerto in D minor, BWV 1052. Only the last 45 bars of the movement have come down to us in autograph score and the rest of the music - 248 bars - has been reconstructed by Robert Levin. The prominent organ part is played with great dexterity by Silas John Standage, whose playing is most entertaining. The highlight among the vocal movements is the lovely pastoral aria, ‘Ich habe meine Zuversicht’. Unusually for one of Bach’s tenor arias the tessitura is quite low. Paul Agnew is splendid throughout this aria, which is based on a memorable principal melody. As you may have gathered from the foregoing, I think Agnew’s is the outstanding solo contribution to this concert but his three colleagues, none of which has quite as much to do, all acquit themselves very well.
The production values of this set are up to SDG’s usual high standards. The recorded sound is good and clear and Gardiner’s notes are as perceptive and interesting as ever. The performance standards too are consistently high, with both the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir making polished and committed contributions. Those who are collecting this excellent series should add this pair of discs to their shelves as soon as possible. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1:
Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 162
Aria: Ach, ich sehe (Bass)
Recitative: O grosses Hochzeitfest (Tenor)
Aria: Jesu, Brunnquell aller Gnaden (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Jesu (Alto)
Aria Duet: In meinem Gott bin ich erfreut! (Alto, Tenor)
Chorale: Ach, ich habe schon erblicket (Chorus)
Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen, BWV 49
Sinfonia
Aria: Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen (Bass)
Recitative: Mein Mahl ist zubereit (Bass, Soprano)
Aria: Ich bin herrlich, ich bin schon (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Glaube hat mich selbst so angezogen (Soprano, Bass)
Aria and Chorale: Dich hab ich je und je geliebet (Soprano, Bass)
Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180
Chorale: Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele (Chorus)
Aria: Ermuntre dich: dein Heiland klopft (Tenor)
Recitative and Chorale: Wie teuer sind des heilgen Mahles Gaben (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Herz fuhlt in sich Furcht und Freude (Alto)
Aria: Lebens Sonne, Licht der Sinnen (Soprano)
Recitative: Herr, lass an mir dein treues Lieben (Bass)
Chorale: Jesu, wahres Brot des Lebens (Chorus)

DISC 2
Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinem Unglauben, BWV 109
Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinen Unglauben (Chorus)
Recitative: Des Herren Hand ist ja noch nicht verkurzt (Tenor)
Aria: Wie zweifelhaftig ist mein Hoffen (Tenor)
Recitative: O fasse dich, du zweifelhafter Mut (Alto)
Aria: Der Heiland kennet ja die Seinen (Alto)
Chorale: Wer hofft in Gott und dem vertraut (Chorus)
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (Chorus)
Recitative: In Jesu Gnade wird allein (Alto)
Aria: Ich hore mitten in den Leiden (Tenor)
Recitative: Ach! Dass mein Glaube noch so schwach (Soprano)
Trio Aria: Wenn meine Trubsal als mit Ketten (Soprano, Alto, Bass)
Chorale: Ob bei uns ist der Sunden viel
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 98
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (Chorus)
Recitative: Ach Gott! wenn wirst du mich einmal (Tenor)
Aria: Hort, ihr Augen, auf zu weinen! (Soprano)
Recitative: Gott hat ein Herz, das des Erbarmens Uberfluss (Alto)
Aria: Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht (Bass)
Ich habe meine Zuversicht, BWV 188
Sinfonia
Aria: Ich habe meine Zuversicht (Tenor)
Recitative: Gott meint es gut mit jedermann (Bass)
Aria: Unerforschlich ist die Weise (Alto)
Recitative: Die Macht der Welt verlieret sich (Soprano)
Chorale: Auf meinen lieben Gott (Chorus)

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 11 SDG 168

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Patricia Petibon MELANCOLÍA Spanish Arias and Songs

Posted: November 25th, 2011, 8:00am MST

Spain, and its music and art, have long had a special appeal for Patricia Petibon: “From an early age I was intrigued and fascinated by Spanish culture, by the way the excessive and the subtle are inextricably linked. It glorifies emotions with pride and, at the same time, refinement. It’s a culture that comes from the earth, from the people. Everything about it appealed to me, and in my early recitals I liked to insert some Spanish songs into my American and French programmes. Then, when I went to Madrid to sing in Dialogues des Carmélites, I met the stage director Emilio Sagi, and that led to my opportunity to enter the world of zarzuela. It was Sagi who directed me in Torroba’s Luisa Fernanda in Vienna, where it was wonderful to be singing alongside Plácido Domingo. I found myself surrounded by performers from all kinds of Spanish-speaking backgrounds; they noticed how interested I was in their culture, and that’s how we made a connection, and I learned from real specialists. Spanish artists have a physical sense of the music: for them, it draws its strength from the body, and there I can’t resist making a connection with Baroque music, with dance, of course, and extreme characters – think of Médée or Armide. It also shares the same kind of quality of roughness, of rawness, and voices are used to express emotions, not just to make a lovely sound.”
“I spent a long time thinking about the programme for this disc, creating a mixture of music, and finally I settled on one unifying idea: the feeling of melancholy, which is a reflection of Spain itself. The disc is a journey through different styles, but through folk music as well, which has a strong presence on the disc. The theatrical element is very important, too, and at the centre is the character of Salud in Falla’s La vida breve. She embodies the melancholy of the title, the loss of hope. Melancholy is a balance in life, a sadness that binds us to death. Salud represents the darkest side of melancholy that tends toward tragedy. But this sort of melancholy can also depict the radiance of childhood, of joy and laughter. What I wanted to explore through this disc was the journey between these two poles.”
Following on from a number of attempts to write a popular zarzuela for Madrid, Falla’s early masterpiece, composed in 1905, emerged from the new, deeper understanding of the power and potential of Spanish music that the composer gained under the influence of his teacher, Felipe Pedrell. Unperformed in Spain, the score was among the material Falla took with him when he moved to Paris in 1907, and the first performances were ultimately given in France – in Nice in 1913 and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris a year later. Albéniz had already blazed a trail for Spanish musicians in the French capital, while Debussy and Ravel were, in return, imagining Spain in music for themselves. And in Paris Falla renewed his friendship with fellow Spaniard Joaquín Turina, who was studying with D’Indy in the sober surroundings of the Schola Cantorum. This is the kind of Franco-Spanish cultural exchange that Patricia Petibon instinctively responds to: “It’s no coincidence that as a Frenchwoman I’m drawn to Spain. So many Spanish artists and composers came to Paris, and there was a mutual influence between them and French artists. Falla is the central figure on the disc, not just because his music is rooted in folk culture, but also because of his interest in France. To me, the sound of castanets and las palmas (hand clapping) is simply the sound of Spain, and it was essential to me to have percussion, and classical and Flamenco guitar on the disc, as well as piano and full orchestral accompaniments. But I approach it all with my heart and my French sensibility. I didn’t want to mimic a Spanish identity, but to feel it without disguising what I am.”
While Falla was forging his own personal style from Spanish sources, his older contemporary, Granados, consciously looked back to an earlier Spain in his twelve Tonadillas of 1910–11. The term originally signified a short musical scene; here the tonadillas are self-contained songs, with a focus on the early-19th-century figure of the elaborately dressed maja, as immortalized in the canvases of Goya. Petibon is conscious of the music’s association with the paintings, the “expression of the inner sorrow felt by the majas, characters who are popular yet refined.”
Naturally, zarzuela numbers are on the programme, with “Marinela” from José Serrano Simeón’s Neapolitan set La canción del olvido of 1918, the “Petenera” (a Flamenco song-form) from Torroba’s La marchenera (1928), and the famous “tarántula” song from Giménez’s La tempranica of 1900. “Adiós Granada” from Emigrantes (1905), by Rafael Calleja Gómez and Tomás Barrera Saavedra, is given a Flamenco treatment, while Turina’s impassioned “Cantares”, from his 1917 Poema en forma de canciones, is heard here in the original orchestral version.
Catalan music is represented by Xavier Montsalvatge, who was introduced to the Afro-Hispanic music of Cuba by returning Spanish emigrants to the Caribbean, and used it in his Cinco canciones negras of 1945–6. Cuban-born but European-trained pianist and composer Joaquín Nin y Castellanos embodies many of the characteristics of the collection: he also went to Paris, where he studied and subsequently taught at the Schola Cantorum, explored Baroque keyboard music, and embraced popular Spanish styles, as in the spirited “El vito” from his Veinte cantos populares españoles of 1923. The traditional Brazilian “Ogundé uareré” has unequivocal West African roots in Yoruba culture, and the song is, as Patricia Petibon describes it, “a kind of trance, an invocation to the god of metal”. A glance to the Baroque returns in possibly the most famous Brazilian music of all, the “Aria” from Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, where, in Petibon’s vivid imagery, the vocal line is “a velvet ribbon matching the flow of the eight cellos.” Rounding off the programme is a new work written specially for Patricia Petibon, French composer Nicolas Bacri’s four Melodías de la melancolía, settings of texts by the Paris-based Colombian writer Álvaro Escobar-Molina. In the singer’s words, “It was important to complete a melancholy journey with a contemporary work, an opening to the future, and a blend of our two cultures.”
Patricia Petibon’s love for the singers who have long been associated with Spanish repertoire is only a part of her overall feeling for this music: “I love Bidú Sayão, and I was interested to see that she was popular in Paris in French repertoire in the 1930s. And I have an unconditional love for Victoria de los Ángeles. In terms of sound, I was just as keen to find different vocal colours as instrumental ones. I didn’t want to use an operatic voice all the time – sometimes you must forget your training to be able to return to the roots and use your instinct as an interpreter. It was this unresolved blend of colours, raw and refined, popular and learned, that Falla continually sought in his works. The voice must embrace these contrasts, this diversity of culture and language.” (Kenneth Chalmers)

Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)
Tonadillas
1. La maja dolorosa
1. 2. Ay majo de mi vida [2:36]
Xavier Montsalvatge (1912 - 2002)
Canciones negras
2. Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito [3:07]
3. Canto negro [1:15]
Joaquín Nin y Castellanos (1879 - 1949)
Veinte cantos populares españolas
II
4. 8. El vito [5:01]
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959)
Bachianas brasileiras No.5 for Soprano and Cellos
5. Aria (Cantilena) [5:37]
Joaquín Pérez Turina (1882 - 1949)
Poema en forma de canciones, Op.10
6. 3. Cantares [2:12]
Jerónimo Giménez (1854 - 1923)
La Tempranica
7. Nº 2 Tiempo de zapateado "La tarántula e un bicho" [1:47]
Rafael Calleja Gómez (1870 - 1938), Tomas Barrera Saavedra (1870 - 1938)
Emigrantes
8. 2. Adiós Granada [4:02]
Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946)
La vida breve
9. Vivan los que rien! [4:54]
Federico Moreno Torroba (1891 - 1982)
La marchenera
10. No. 5 Petenera [2:56]
Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)
Tonadillas
11. 7. El mirar de la maja [2:51]
José Serrano Simeón (1870 - 1941)
La canción del olvido
12. No.2 Canción de Marinela [2:16]
Traditional, Francisco Ernani Braga (1898 - 1948)
13. Ogundé - uaréré (adapted by Wieland Reissmann) [3:42]
Nicolas Bacri (1961 - )
Melodías de la Melancolía, Op.119b
Melodias de la Melancolia, Op.119b
14. 1. A la mar [4:06]
15. 2. Silencio mi niño [4:11]
16. 3. Hay quien dice [3:19]
17. 4. Sólo [3:35]

Patricia Petibon
Orquesta nacional de España
Josep Pons

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
1 CD DDD
477 9447 GH

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 10

Posted: November 24th, 2011, 7:10am MST

Volume 10 of the Cantata Pilgrimage series features the programs given in Potsdam and Wittenberg on the 29th and 31st of October, respectively. The first disc is devoted to three cantatas for the 19th Sunday after Trinity with BWV 90 (for Trinity 25) tossed in for good measure, while the second appropriately contains Bach’s two great Reformation Day cantatas (Nos. 79 and 80), separated by the brief, lively, and possibly incomplete No. 192. The three Trinity 19 cantatas are altogether more solemn, or at least begin that way. Coming a third of the year after the last major festival, these cantatas are concerned more with reassurance than exultation, and each concludes with a positive affirmation, and in the case of BWV 5, a triumphant one. Best known of the three, by far, is Cantata 56, for bass. Here divorced from its customarily joined-at-the-hip partner, BWV 82, it confirms its status as one of the elite cantatas. The inclusion of No. 92 is a happy solution to a number of dilemmas. The year of the Pilgrimage did not have enough Sundays after Trinity to accommodate it; it fills out what might otherwise have been a short program, and it is a vigorous and effective foil for its more introspective discmates.
Again, the performances are superb. Personnel for the two concerts are consistent, apart from the addition of flutes, horns, timpani, and a bass sackbut for the second evening. The choir is made up of seven (count them) sopranos, one female and three male altos, four tenors, and three basses, without detectable loss of responsiveness and flexibility, and the solo quartet acquits itself admirably. Harvey’s BWV 56 is outstanding. Lunn and Towers, incidentally, pull double duty, singing in the choir as well as offering their solos.
As expected, Gardiner uses the original scoring––without Wilhelm Friedemann’s high trumpets––in Ein feste Burg (Cantata 80). Obviously it’s an (perhaps the) appropriate choice, but it set me to wondering about what seems to be an obsession among the period-practice set with composers’ first thoughts––their need to find the earliest version of any score, as if the original inspiration is automatically diminished by any subsequent modifications. We know that Bach’s music was nearly always created under the most intense pressure, and that he was constantly tinkering with it, usually out of necessity, but, who knows, perhaps out of conviction. I know that I, operating at a much lower level of inspiration, am continually tweaking whatever I happen to be working on. Recording artists, especially in the classical field, if they are successful enough, revisit music that they have already committed to disc. First thoughts are not invariably best. That’s why there are erasers on pencils and an Undo button on the Word toolbar. We’ll never know, of course, but isn’t it possible that Bach might have mentioned casually to his son that he wished he’d put some trumpets in that music he wrote for Reformation Sunday? Well, no matter. In fact, Gardiner does have a sonic surprise for us in Cantata 80, an unexpectedly prominent bass sackbut. And why not? The production is, as anticipated, exemplary. Most enthusiastically recommended. (George Chien)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
For the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen BWV 48
1. Coro con Choral Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen
2. Recitativo: Alt O Schmerz, o Elend, so mich trifft
3. Choral Soll’s ja so sein
4. Aria: Alt Ach, lege das Sodom der sündlichen Glieder
5. Recitativo: Tenor Hier aber tut des Heilands Hand
6. Aria: Tenor Vergibt mir Jesus meine Sünden
7. Choral Herr Jesu Christ, einiger Trost
Wo soll ich fliehen hin BWV 5
1. Coro (Choral)Wo soll ich fliehen hin
2. Recitativo: Bass Der Sünden Wust hat mich nicht nur befleckt
3. Aria: Tenor Ergieße dich reichlich, du göttliche Quelle
4. Recitativo: Alt e Choral Mein treuer Heiland tröstet mich
5. Aria: Bass Verstumme, Höllenheer
6. Recitativo: Sopran Ich bin ja nur das kleinste Teil der Welt
7. Choral Führ auch mein Herz und Sinn
Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende BWV 90
(For the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity)
1. Aria: Tenor Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende
2. Recitativo: Alt Des Höchsten Güte wird von Tag zu Tage neu
3. Aria: Bass So löschet im Eifer der rächende Richter
4. Recitativo: Tenor Doch Gottes Auge sieht auf uns als Auserwählte
5. Choral Leit uns mit deiner rechten Hand
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen BWV 56
1. Aria: Bass Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen
2. Recitativo: Bass Mein Wandel auf der Welt
3. Aria: Bass Endlich, endlich wird mein Joch
4. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Ich stehe fertig und bereit
5. Choral Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder

CD 2:
For the Feast of the Reformation
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild BWV 79
1. Coro Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild
2. Aria: Alt Gott ist unser Sonn und Schild!
3. Choral Nun danket alle Gott
4. Recitativo: Bass Gottlob, wir wissen
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Gott, ach Gott, verlass die Deinen nimmermehr!
6. Choral Erhalt uns in der Wahrheit
Nun danket alle Gott BWV 192
1. Coro Nun danket alle Gott
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Der ewig reiche Gott
3. Coro Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV 80
1. Coro (Choral) Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
2. Aria: Bass con Choral: Sopran Alles, was von Gott geboren
3. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Erwäge doch, Kind Gottes
4. Aria: Sopran Komm in mein Herzenshaus
5. Choral Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
6. Recitativo: Tenor So stehe dann bei Christi blutgefärbter Fahne
7. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Wie selig sind doch die
8. Choral Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn

2005 Monteverdi Productons Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 10 SDG 110

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 9

Posted: November 22nd, 2011, 8:05pm MST

Being the longest in the church year, the season of Trinity covers a vast range of human emotions and devotional themes. The huge number of Biblical texts that it provided gave Bach a chance to showcase the diversity of his talents, shown in this set of post-Trinity cantatas covering loss, shame, joy, pride, humility and much else in between.
The Lund disc begins with a gloriously upbeat performance of Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, a cantata all about the joy of worshipping God. The bouncy excitement of the opening chorus, complete with trumpets (but not drums), reflects the congregation’s enthusiasm for worship, while the two main arias concern rushing towards the house of God. The instrumental obbligatos - a wistful, somewhat withdrawn violin to accompany the tenor, a fruity trio of oboes for the alto - add a fantastic level of colour to the vocal line. Frances Bourne’s alto isn’t anything special, but Mark Padmore’s tenor is light and supple in the way he sustains the long lines. The playing of the English Baroque Soloists and the singing of the Monteverdi Choir, needless to say, is flawlessly responsive throughout.
The opening chorus of Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost sounds surprisingly French, almost Handelian, in style, its vigorous contours representing the rigours of chastisement which the sinful believer has brought upon himself. Gardiner points the shape of this chorus so that the rather slight consolation offered in the concluding part of the music stands in marked contrast to the trials of the first, while he spins out a seemingly endless musical line for the following tenor aria, accompanied by a desolate but hypnotic flute obbligato. For this wonderful piece Padmore pales his voice down to a virtual shade to represent the misery of the soul in this vale of sorrow. Throughout this cantata Bach’s writing shows the possibility of consolation in the midst of trouble and the duality of his writing is matched by endlessly subtle playing from the instrumentalists, though Charles Humphries’ alto solo is less compelling than it might be.
BWV 47 has the weakest text (“Mankind is filth, stench, ash and earth!”) but Bach transcends it with some remarkable writing, nowhere more so than in the opening chorus which is brilliantly structured to represent the debasement that comes with pride and the exaltation that follows humility. Katharine Fuge’s clear, unaffected soprano is perfect for her aria concerning the virtues of humility, though she hardens her tone remarkably for the aria’s savage central section concerning God’s hatred for the arrogant. Stephan Loges’ bass sounds authoritative yet approachable and his arias about humility are lent conviction by the golden tone of his voice. The concluding performance of the motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf is vigorous and instrumentally conceived, but the performance broadens out for the balm of the closing a cappella chorale setting.
The second disc was recorded in the Thomaskirche itself where Bach laboured for the last 27 years of his life. Even by Bach’s standards, the opening chorus of BWV 96 is extraordinarily beautiful: there is a compulsive lilt to the music which conveys the feeling of a journey, perhaps the Magi following the “Morgenstern” of the text, and the orchestral textures are enriched by a sopranino recorder which manages to be persistent without ever being cheeky. The sopraninist proves herself equally adept at the transverse flute to accompany the tenor aria, before the bass aria, heavily influenced by the grand French style, provides excellent musical illustration of the soul’s steps wandering to the left and the right before Jesus’ guidance sets him (temporarily, in this case) back on the right path. This cantata is a real winner.
The sheer ebullience of the opening Sinfonia of Gott soll allein mein Herze haben really lifts the listener’s spirit. Every instrumental texture shines through in the excellent recording with a touch of prominence given to the organ part, entirely appropriately as this movement probably began life as a (now lost) concerto. However the instrumental playing is the best thing about this cantata: I wasn’t impressed by Natalie Stutzmann’s singing. To my ears she often sounded overly strident and steely rather than warm and inviting. In fact I was convinced that it was being sung by an over-parted counter-tenor until I looked at the CD booklet. This is the disc’s only major disappointment, redeemed somewhat by the chorus’ beautiful singing of the final chorale. I found Stutzmann altogether more convincing in the alto aria of BWV 116 where her hard-edged expression is ideally suited to the expressing the soul’s terror at appearing before the judgement seat. She is accompanied here by a marvellously expressive oboe d’amore, plangent and tortuous, raising this aria to, in fact, a duet. Bach also gives us a remarkable vocal trio, a rarity in his cantatas, whereby the soprano, tenor and bass acknowledge their guilt as one and beg for forgiveness. The upbeat spirit of the opening chorus and final chorale go only a small way towards alleviating the penitential angst that sits at the heart of this work.
Making the most of their location, the final “Deathbed Chorale” (BWV 668) was sung right next to Bach’s own grave, a lovely touch which adds palpable poignancy to the performance. The choir sang a cappella, standing in a horseshoe around the grave which is set in the church’s choir, but the microphone settings from the rest of the concert were not changed so that the sound comes from a distance, sounding recessed and much more reverberant. I found it tremendously effective, and the piece itself is tremendously beautiful, dictated by Bach on his own deathbed, so tradition says, in preparation for his own final journey before the throne of God. It’s a fitting culmination of the disc.
Alto issues aside, then, this is a very satisfying release. The thing that really sets Gardiner’s Bach cycle apart from its rivals is that, to my mind, he gets to the heart of the music’s spirituality much more profoundly than others, and this volume does it every bit as successfully as its companions. (Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1:
Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148
Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens (Chorus)
Aria: Ich eile, die Lehren des Lebens zu horen (Tenor)
Recitative: So, wie der Hirsch nach frischem Wasser schreit (Alto)
Aria: Mund und Herze steht dir offen (Alto)
Recitative: Bleib auch, mein Gott, in mir (Tenor)
Chorale: Amen zu aller Stund (Chorus)
Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost, BWV 114
Ach lieben Christen, seid detrost (Chorus)
Aria: Wo wird in diesem Jammertale (Tenor)
Recitativo: O Sunder, trage mit Geduld (Bass)
Chorale: Kein Frucht das Weizenkornlein bringt (Soprano)
Aria: Du machst, o Tod, mir nun nicht ferner bange (Alto)
Recitativo: Indes bedenke deine Seele (Tenor)
Chorale: Wir wachen oder schlafen ein (Chorus)
Wer sich selbst erhohet, der soll erniedriget werden, BWV 47
Wer sich selbst erhohet (Chorus)
Aria: Wer ein wahrer Christ will heissen (Soprano)
Recitative: Der Mensch ist Kot, Stank, Asch und Erde (Bass)
Aria: Jesu, beuge doch mein Herze (Bass)
Chorale: Der zeitlichen Ehrn will ich gern entbehrn (Chorus)
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226
DISC 2:
Herr Christ, der einige Gottessohn, BWV 96
Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn (Chorus)
Recitative: O Wunderkraft der Liebe (Alto)
Aria: Ach, ziehe die Seele mit Seilen der Liebe (Tenor)
Recitative: Ach, fuhre mich, o Gott, zum rechten Wege (Soprano)
Aria: Bald zur Rechten, bald zur Linken (Bass)
Chorale: Ertot uns durch dein Gute (Chorus)
Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169
Sinfonia
Arioso: Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (Alto)
Aria: Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (Alto)
Recitative: Was ist die Liebe Gottes? (Alto)
Aria: Stirb in mir, Welt (Alto)
Recitative: Doch meint es auch dabei (Alto)
Chorale: Du susse Liebe, schenk uns deine Gunst (Chorus)
Du Friedefurst, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 116
Du Friedefurst, Herr Jesu Christ (Chorus)
Aria: Ach, unaussprechlich ist die Not (Alto)
Recitative: Gedenke doch, o Jesu (Tenor)
Trio: Ach, wir bekennen unsre Schuld (Soprano, Tenor, Bass)
Recitative: Ach, lass uns durch die scharfen Ruten (Alto)
Chorale: Erleucht auch unser Sinn und Herz (Chorus)
Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, BWV 668

2009 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 9 SDG 159

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 8

Posted: November 21st, 2011, 7:45am MST

The first cantata we hear is BWV 138, another cantata from the first Leipzig cycle and a "highly original experimental work." It opens with a deeply poignant chorus that mixes chorale and recitative. Hard on its heels, separated only by a recitative, comes another chorus that combines chorale and recitative, but this is very different in style from its predecessor. Eventually the mood of the cantata becomes more optimistic and Gardiner and his forces convey this change well.
BWV 51 is a cantata that Gardiner has recorded before, a studio recording from 1983 for Philips. Then his soloists were Emma Kirkby and trumpeter Christian Steele Perkins. His tempi for the outer movements were decidedly on the fast side in 1983 and are pretty similar on this occasion – indeed, his view of the whole cantata seems very consistent. The first movement goes off like a rocket. Malin Hartelius, another singer new to me, is equal to all the demands placed on her by Bach and Gardiner jointly and she’s partnered brilliantly by trumpeter Mike Harrison. In fact, though I’ve always liked the 1983 recording I find I prefer Miss Hartelius’s reading to Emma Kirkby’s as she sounds to me to have a slightly fuller voice. She’s beautifully expressive in the recitative and then gives us some exquisitely poised singing in the aria, ‘Höchster, mache deine Güte’. The concluding Alleluia aria is marvellously lively. Overall, this is a first rate account of a hugely taxing solo cantata.
BWV 99 and 100 share the same title and are based on the same Lutheran hymn but BWV 99 (1724) only sets two verses of the hymn itself whereas every one of the six movements of the later cantata (1734/5) sets a verse. Some may find Gardiner’s tempo for the chorus with which BWV 99 opens too brisk. Personally I think it’s refreshingly bright and well suited to the words. There’s only one solo aria in the piece, a demandingly chromatic tenor aria with a busy flute obbligato. James Gilchrist sings it with his usual intelligence and light, ringing tone. Later we hear a duetto in which a pair of voices and a pair of obbligato instruments interweave contrapuntally. The performers here articulate and inter-relate their individual lines moist skilfully.
BWV 100 requires a larger orchestra. The opening chorus, which is musically similar to its counterpart in BWV 99, is once again taken briskly. There are no recitatives in this cantata but the soloists are all challenged. The demanding alto/tenor duet, which is placed second is well done by Gilchrist and William Towers. The following aria, for soprano, is nicely sung but the ear is drawn irresistibly to the hugely testing, rippling flute obbligato. Peter Harvey projects his bass aria strongly. The penultimate movement is an alto aria and it features a gorgeous oboe d’amore obbligato. William Towers projects the vocal line positively but I’m not quite sure that he achieves the description "lyrical and soothing" that Gardiner applies to the music. However, he still gives a very good account of the piece. The exuberant closing chorale is the same one that we encountered at the end of BWV 75 (Vol. 1) albeit with some slight augmentations to the orchestral scoring.
The cantatas for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity reveal Bach at his expressive best and the performances here are fully worthy of the music. In BWV 161 we hear the ghostly zephyrs of a pair of recorders. The evocative sound world is highly reminiscent of the early cantata Gottes Zeit ist der allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106. Robin Tyson is suitably otherworldly in his singing of the heavenly opening aria, ‘Komm, du süsse Todessstunde’, from which the cantata takes its name. Mark Padmore reveals in a booklet note that he’d never sung this cantata before, which enabled him to impart freshness to the music. How I agree. To him falls the heartfelt aria ‘Mein Verlangen’, which he sings with superb ringing tone and great expressiveness. On the day, his performance must have been given added visual impetus for he was positioned on a ledge at the top of a stone stairway where the pulpit should have been. For me, despite the beauties of the opening aria, Padmore makes ‘Mein Verlangen’ the heart of the cantata on this occasion. Sample the marvellous open-throated ring in his voice every time he sings the words "verlangen" or "bald." There’s some nicely delicate singing by the choir in the penultimate movement and then the recorders weave an enchanting counter-melody round the concluding chorale. This is a masterly cantata which here receives a performance to savour.
BWV 27 is another fine work. The opening chorus is a moving lament, punctuated by brief solo passages. The flowing, irresistibly chirpy alto aria, ‘Willkommen! Will ich sagen’ is a delight, enhanced by a marvellous cornetto part. The concluding chorale, rather unusually, is not by Bach but is his slight adaptation of one by a sixteenth century composer, Johann Rosenmüller. It’s a most happy borrowing.
The opening chorus of BWV 8 features some marvellously original wind sonorities. Both the orchestral players and the chorus are on top form. In his notes Gardiner draws an intriguing parallel with Berlioz’s wind scoring in L’Enfance du Christ. Mark Padmore, the pick of a fine bunch of soloists at this concert, sings the aria ‘Was willst du dich, mein Geist, entsetzen’ with exemplary technique. At several points his precise placing of each in a series of high, staccato quaver is most skilful. The bass aria ‘Doch weichet, ihr tollen, Vergeblichen Sorgen!’ is a life-enhancing dance. Here there’s a fine spring in the step of the superb flautist (Rachel Beckett?) and Thomas Guthrie sings it well. We’ve heard little of soprano Katharine Fuge up to now but she’s meltingly lovely at the start of her recitative. A strongly affirmative chorale puts the seal on a splendid performance.
At the beginning of BWV 95 Bach once again demonstrates an original approach to chorales. The short interjections by the solo tenor (Mark Padmore) add another different dimension. Gardiner obtains a sprightly performance and especially relishes the section of the movement, which he describes as having "something of a jam session feel." Mark Padmore delights in the "mesmerising" aria, ‘Ach, Schlage doch bald, sel’ge Stunde’, where we are also treated to some superb wind playing. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz? BWV 138
1. Coro (Choral) e Recitativo: Alto, TenorWarum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?
2. Recitativo: Bass Ich bin veracht’
3. Choral e Recitativo: Soprano, Alto Er kann und will dich lassen nicht
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, süßer Trost!
5. Aria: Bass Auf Gott steht meine Zuversicht
6. Recitativo: Alto Ei nun!
7. Choral Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan II BWV 99
1. Coro (Choral)Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
2. Recitativo: Bass Sein Wort der Wahrheit stehet fest
3. Aria: Tenor Erschüttre dich nur nicht, verzagte Seele
4. Recitativo: Alto Nun, der von Ewigkeit geschlossne Bund
5. Aria (Duetto): Soprano, AltoWenn des Kreuzes Bitterkeiten
6. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! BWV 51
1. Aria: Soprano Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!
2. Recitativo: SopranoWir beten zu dem Tempel an
3. Aria: Soprano Höchster, mache deine Güte
4. Choral: Soprano Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
5. Aria: Soprano Alleluja!
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan III BWV 100
1. CoroWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
2. Duetto: Alto, TenorWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
3. Aria: SopranoWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
4. Aria: BassWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
5. Aria: AltoWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
6. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
CD 2:
For the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Komm, du süße Todesstunde BWV 161
1. Aria: Alto con Choral Komm, du süße Todesstunde
2. Recitativo: TenorWelt, deine Lust ist Last
3. Aria: Tenor Mein Verlangen
4. Recitativo: Alto Der Schluss ist schon gemacht
5. CoroWenn es meines Gottes Wille
6. Choral Der Leib zwar in der Erden
Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV 27
1. Coro e Recitativo: Soprano, Alto, TenorWer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?
2. Recitativo: Tenor Mein Leben hat kein ander Ziel
3. Aria: Alto Willkommen! will ich sagen
4. Recitativo: Soprano Ach, wer doch schon im Himmel wär!
5. Aria: Bass Gute Nacht, du Weltgetümmel!
6. ChoralWelt, ade! Ich bin dein müde
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? BWV 8
1. Coro Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?
2. Aria: Tenor Was willst du dich, mein Geist, entsetzen
3. Recitativo: Alto Zwar fühlt mein schwaches Herz
4. Aria: Bass Doch weichet, ihr tollen, vergeblichen Sorgen!
5. Recitativo: Soprano Behalte nur, o Welt, das Meine!
6. Choral Herrscher über Tod und Leben
Christus, der ist mein Leben BWV 95
1. Coro (Choral) e Recitativo: Tenor Christus, der ist mein Leben
2. Recitativo: Soprano Nun, falsche Welt!
3. Choral: Soprano Valet will ich dir geben
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, könnte mir doch bald so wohl geschehn
5. Aria: Tenor Ach, schlage doch bald, sel’ge Stunde
6. Recitativo: Bass Denn ich weiß dies
7. ChoralWeil du vom Tod erstanden bist

2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 8 SDG 104

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Vol. 7

Posted: November 20th, 2011, 8:05am MST

The first disc includes three cantatas for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, recorded in the church of the monastery founded by the Benedictine Order in the ninth century. This abbey church, completed in the fifteenth century, is in south-east France, in the Département de l’Ain. The Gospel for the Sunday in question is St. Luke’s story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. It will be remembered that only one of the ten thought to return to say his thanks. Two of the three cantatas are very serious in tone, using bodily sickness as a metaphor for mankind’s sinful condition. The exception is BWV 17, which picks up the theme of the grateful leper.
BWV 25, which dates from 1723, begins with a chorus that laments man’s sinfulness. The gravity of the counterpoint is underscored by the inclusion of a trio of sackbuts in the orchestra. Their imposing sonority contributes substantially to the monumental feel of the music, which is sung superbly by the Monteverdi Choir. The comparison between corporeal and spiritual sickness is emphasised in the very first recitative, which opens with the melodramatic statement, ‘Die ganze Welt ist nur ein Hospital’ (“The entire world is but a hospital”). James Gilchrist declaims this section graphically. But then Bach and his librettist change the mood and in the following bass aria the listener is presented with the image of Christ as the source of healing. Peter Harvey sings this aria most eloquently. Equal pleasure is to be found in the joyful, dancing soprano aria, ‘Öffne meinen schlechten Liedern’. This is beautifully sung by Malin Hartelius and the inclusion of a trio of recorders in the accompaniment adds a delightful touch.
BWV 78 (1724) also begins with an imposing chorus. This is a superb chorus of lamentation, which, as Sir John comments in his constantly illuminating notes, is on a par with the opening choruses of both the St. John and the St Matthew Passions. The delicious duet for soprano and alto that follows is in marked contrast. Gardiner comments that Bach “never wrote more smile-inducing music!” The voices of Malin Hartelius and Robin Tyson are very well matched and their performance is irresistible. As in BWV 25 the tenor recitative that follows returns to the theme of illness as a metaphor for sin and memories of the 1723 cantata are further invoked by the tenor aria, which once more dwells on Christ the healer. James Gilchrist really makes the words of the recitative leap off the page and he’s excellent too in the aria, ‘Dein Blut, so meine Schuld durchstreicht’ with its balmy flute obbligato. The flowing oboe obbligato in the aria ‘Nun du wirst mein Gewissen stillen’ is a delight, as is Peter Harvey’s splendid singing. My admiration for him as a Bach singer grows with every volume in this series in which he takes part. Here it’s the clarity with which he articulates divisions without sacrificing the line that impresses.
BWV 17 (1726) differs from Bach’s other cantatas for this Sunday by focussing on the gratitude of one of the healed lepers. Thus the mood of the music is happier. Gardiner aptly describes the opening chorus, in which the soloists have prominent roles, as “exhilarating and florid” and I love the way the rippling oboes in the orchestra are brought out to just the right degree. Later Malin Hartelius’ sparkling form continues with a nimble account of the aria ‘Herr, deine Güte reicht, so weit der Himmel ist.’ Not to be outdone James Gilchrist excels in the aria, ‘Welch übermass der Güte’, a piece that offers yet another example of how so much of Bach’s music is rooted in dance. The final chorale in this cantata calls for comment. It’s borrowed from the motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied BWV 225. Gardiner decided it should be sung quietly and unaccompanied. This approach is absolutely right for the text of the chorale and this lovely bit of singing brings to an end a very fine concert.
However, if the first CD in this set is very fine then its companion is a stunner. Gardiner tells us that right from the start of the planning of the Pilgrimage he’d marked out September 29, Michaelmas Day, as a red-letter day. Even by his standards the notes about this concert make compelling reading and he makes clear what a significant date this must have been in Bach’s Lutheran calendar for several reasons. Certainly the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, with its opportunities to depict heavenly battles, inspired Bach to write some exceptional music and that music in turn inspired Gardiner and his team to give some thrilling performances.
It’s not clear if the single movement that is BWV 50, and which is probably the only surviving movement of a larger work, was designed for this Feast. However, the text is apposite for it chimes in perfectly with the theme of the day. The scoring too, resplendent with trumpets and drums, is fully in keeping with the occasion. Gardiner leads a sizzling account of it.
The opening chorus of BWV 130 praises God for creating Angels. Gardiner’s description of this chorus is as memorable as is his conducting of it: “Bach begins by presenting a tableau of the angels on parade; these are celestial military manoeuvres, some of them even danced, rather than the battle itself.” The battle between the rival legions of Angels led by Michael and Lucifer is thrillingly depicted in the bass aria ‘Der alte Drache brennt vor Neid’. This exciting battle aria includes parts for no less than three trumpets as well as timpani. Peter Harvey is on top form here, giving a commanding account of the piece. Then Bach and his librettist move from the heat of battle to meditate on the protecting power of Angels, first in a lovely recitativo for soprano and tenor and then in the tenor aria, ‘Lass, o Fürst der Cherubinen’. The virtuoso gambolling in the flute obbligato suggests, perhaps, angels lightly dancing? James Gilchrist is excellent here but, as we shall see, both he and Bach have even greater delights in store for us later. The cantata ends with a two-verse chorale in which the trumpets decorate the end of each line to marvellous effect.
BWV 149 (1728/9) picks up a different aspect of the day’s liturgy. The tone of voice of this cantata differs from the other two Michaelmas cantatas in being “festive rather than combative”. In fact the opening chorus of rejoicing is recycled from the ‘Hunt’ cantata BWV 208 (1713). Peter Harvey brings splendid authority to his aria, ‘Kraft und Stärke sei gesungen’ and I also warmed very much to Malin Hartelius’ way with the aria ‘Gottes Engel weichen nie’. Also of note is the marvellous burbling bassoon obbligato under the well-matched singing of James Gilchrist and Richard Wyn Roberts in their duet.
Usually I comment on these discs in order of presentation as that, I believe, matches the way the cantatas were performed in concert. On this occasion, however, I’ve deliberately left the best till last for the performance of BWV 19 (1726) is of quite exceptional quality – as is the music itself. The opening chorus is an astonishing fugal creation depicting the battle in heaven between Michael’s loyal angels and the rebels who had thrown in their lot with Lucifer. Bach depicts the struggle with graphic music and I can’t imagine it more brilliantly realised than it is here. The virtuosity of the Monteverdi Choir is simply staggering and the performance is breathlessly exciting.
Then things calm down a bit and in the aria ‘Gott schickt uns Mahanaim zu’ Malin Hartelius blends beautifully with the intertwining pair of oboes that support her grateful vocal line. I’ve found that in many of the preceding volumes there is one stand-out performance that compels attention even in the midst of so much fine playing and singing. Here I have no hesitation in saying that the palm goes to James Gilchrist for his spellbinding rendition of the seraphic aria ‘Bleibt, ihr engel, bleibt bei mir.' In a note Gilchrist, whose mother is German with several family members living near Bremen, leaves us in no doubt that this concert was a special experience for him. Of this aria he writes, “I felt allowed – encouraged – truly to soar.” And soar he does! The voice is cushioned on the siciliano rhythm on the strings while a soft solo trumpet ethereally intones the chorale melody ‘Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr’ in the background. One notes from the booklet that the aria lasts for eight minutes but, in truth, the performance is timeless. Gilchrist’s singing, and his identification with the text and with Bach’s inspiration, is beyond praise. It is the highlight of a quite magnificent performance of a magnificent cantata.
In every respect this set lives up to the very high standards of previous issues in the series. The performances are superb throughout. Gardiner’s direction is inspired and his notes eloquent and illuminating. The recorded sound is first class. Gardiner’s cycle is already a major event in the Bach discography and this latest instalment adds further lustre to a distinguished series. It’s essential listening for all lovers of Bach’s cantatas. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe BWV 25
1. Coro con Choral Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe
2. Recitativo: Tenor Die ganze Welt ist nur ein Hospital
3. Aria: Bass Ach, wo hol ich Armer Rat?
4. Recitativo: Sopran O Jesu, lieber Meister
5. Aria: Sopran Öffne meinen schlechten Liedern
6. Choral Ich will alle meine Tage
Jesu, der du meine Seele BWV 78
1. Coro (Choral) Jesu, der du meine Seele
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Wir eilen mit schwachen
3. Recitativo: Tenor Ach! ich bin ein Kind der Sünden
4. Aria: Tenor Dein Blut, so meine Schuld durchstreicht
5. Recitativo: Bass Die Wunden, Nägel, Kron und Grab
6. Aria: Bass Nun du wirst mein Gewissen stillen
7. Choral Herr, ich glaube, hilf mir Schwachem
Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich BWV 17
Part I
1. Coro Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich
2. Recitativo: Alt Es muss die ganze Welt ein stummer Zeuge werden
3. Aria: Sopran Herr, deine Güte reicht
Part II
4. Recitativo: Tenor Einer aber unter ihnen
5. Aria: Tenor Welch Übermaß der Güte
6. Recitativo: Bass Sieh meinen Willen an
7. Choral Wie sich ein Vat’r erbarmet

CD 2:
For the Feast of St Michael and All Angels
Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft BWV 50
1. Coro Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft
Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir BWV 130
1. Coro (Choral) Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir
2. Recitativo: Alt Ihr heller Glanz und hohe Weisheit zeigt
3. Aria: Bass Der alte Drache brennt vor Neid
4. Recitativo (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Wohl aber uns, dass Tag und Nacht
5. Aria: Tenor Lass, o Fürst der Cherubinen
6. Choral Darum wir billig loben dich
Es erhub sich ein Streit BWV 19
1. Coro Es erhub sich ein Streit
2. Recitativo: Bass Gottlob! der Drache liegt
3. Aria: Sopran Gott schickt uns Mahanaim zu
4. Recitativo: Tenor Was ist der schnöde Mensch, das Erdenkind?
5. Aria con Choral: Tenor Bleibt, ihr Engel, bleibt bei mir!
6. Recitativo: Sopran Laßt uns das Angesicht
7. Choral Laß dein’ Engel mit mir fahren
Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg BWV 149
1. Coro Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg
2. Aria: Bass Kraft und Stärke sei gesungen
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich fürchte mich vor tausend Feinden nicht
4. Aria: Sopran Gottes Engel weichen nie
5. Recitativo: Tenor Ich danke dir
6. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Seid wachsam, ihr heiligen Wächter
7. Choral Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact disc
Volume 7 SDG 124

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 6

Posted: November 19th, 2011, 6:30am MST

Volume Six in the series contains cantatas for two consecutive Sundays after Trinity. As Sir John points out in his notes, these are highly contrasting Sundays. The Twelfth Sunday brings “ a rarity – one of the most cheerful programmes of the whole Trinity season.” He continues, with a characteristically memorable turn of phrase, “After so many consecutive weeks of fire and brimstone and dire warnings against devilish temptations, forked tongues, false prophets and the like, it comes as a huge relief to encounter three genial, celebratory pieces…” As we shall see, for Bach the following Sunday represented a case of back to business as usual but on the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity we catch him wearing a smile.
The concert on 10 September 2000 was given in one of the places particularly associated with Bach. At the very end of 1717 he began a five-year stint in Köthen as Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold, and the church in which these cantatas were performed would have been very familiar to him. However, all three of these cantatas date from Bach’s Leipzig period; music such as this would have been very infrequently heard in Köthen, where Prince Leopold followed a strict Calvinist observance, which admitted little in the way of figural music into the liturgy. I suspect, in fact, that the celebratory air of much of the music in these three cantatas would have been anathema to the Prince and his court.
The Gospel for the Twelfth Sunday is found in chapter seven of St. Mark’s Gospel and relates the story of the healing by Jesus of a deaf mute so there’s plenty of scope for Bach and his librettists to draw parallels and use metaphors comparing physical healing and the healing of souls. BWV 69a (1723), which includes parts for three each of trumpets and oboes, as well as for timpani, opens with a lavish and ambitious choral movement, which is tremendously exciting and calls for great virtuosity from the singers – the soloists are involved also. It’s thrillingly delivered here. The tenor soloist is Christoph Genz, to whom falls the exacting aria ‘Meine Seele, auf, erzähle’. This is a lilting, pastoral creation with a wonderfully inventive accompaniment in which recorder, oboe da caccia and bassoon are prominent. It’s airily sung by Genz, whose flexible and essentially light voice is well suited to the passagework and often demanding tessitura. Later in the cantata comes a fine bass aria, ‘Mein Erlöser und Erhalter’, which is enriched by a syncopated obbligato for oboe d’amore. The ever-reliable Peter Harvey sings it very well. The concluding chorale is a slight adaptation of one borrowed from an earlier cantata, BWV 12, which has already figured in this series.
BWV 35 (1726) is, in some ways, no less extrovert a piece, although the orchestral scoring is much less full than in BWV 69a and only a solo alto is involved. This cantata is in two parts – presumably one part was heard on either side of the sermon – and each part is introduced by an elaborate sinfonia in which the organ takes centre stage. In fact, Alfred Dürr and other Bach scholars suggest that the movements in question derive from a concerto for oboe and strings, now lost, which may have been composed, appropriately enough, during Bach’s Köthen days. If that’s so, I found it slightly piquant to wonder how often, if at all, this music had been heard in the city since it was first composed there.
The organ, superbly played by Ian Watson, dances delightfully in the opening sinfonia and Watson plays an equally stellar role in the gay music of the second sinfonia. Elsewhere he makes telling contributions in support of the solo singer. In 1726 Bach must have had the services, at least for a while, of an outstanding alto soloist for this cantata is but one of a trio of magnificent cantatas for solo alto, all composed within a matter of a few weeks. Vergnügte Ruh, beliebete Seelenlust, BWV 170, was written for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity and Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169 appeared on the Eighteenth Sunday. Exactly in between these two came BWV 35.
Gardiner’s original intention had been to use a female singer, Sara Mingardo, for this performance but she was obliged to withdraw at the last minute, we are told, and Robin Tyson stepped into the breach. There is nothing at all last minute about his performance, however, for he sings with splendid assurance and complete identification both with the words and the music. He begins with an extended aria, ‘Geist und Seele wird verwirret’, in which he’s very expressive. The following recitative extols the miracles of healing that were worked by Christ, which Tyson delivers very well. This gives way to a perky, joyful aria in which the loving care of God for his people is celebrated. Here both Tyson and Ian Watson display delightful agility. Part two brings the final aria, a more stately dance of joy in which the organ part is again prominent. Dürr points the contrast and paradox between the opening and concluding movements of this cantata. Bach says “as it were, ‘Yes’ to life at the opening, by praising the healing miracles of Jesus, and a still more emphatic ‘Yes’ to death at the close in a prayer for a speedy end to life.” This journey from one acceptance to another calls forth some fine invention from Bach and Tyson, Watson and Gardiner emerge with great credit from this performance.
Trumpets and drums return for BWV 137 (1725). This is a five-movement chorale cantata, based on the hymn tune known to English churchgoers as ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.’ The festive and lively first movement is, as Gardiner says. “irrepressible in its rhythmic vitality.” Here the excellent Monteverdi choir really comes into its own with singing that is committed, crisp and buoyant. In the second stanza the alto soloist sings the hymn tune while an elaborate violin obbligato provides abundant decoration. The third movement features a pair of obbligato oboes supporting a duet between soprano and bass soloists. As so often, Gardiner finds the mot juste, describing the canonic interplay between singers and instrumentalists –and each other – as akin to a game of mixed doubles. In the fourth verse a florid tenor solo, fluently executed by Genz, is in the foreground while the hymn tune is heard behind him, played on solo trumpet. Finally a majestic choral verse unites the full forces.
These three splendid cantatas are given excellent performances and the whole concert constitutes a fine tribute to Bach in one of the cities indelibly associated with his music.
The next Sunday found the Pilgrims in Frankfurt. The venue was not, on this occasion, a church dating from Bach’s time but the nineteenth century Dreikönigskirche, which Gardiner describes as “rather forbidding and gloomy.” I said earlier that this Sunday saw Bach resume business as usual but Sir John puts it rather more eloquently. “Sure enough, after the breezy pleasures of last week’s celebratory pieces – a brief reprieve – came the cold shower of our man’s resumption of the earnest process of musical exegesis.” Herein, surely, lies one of the cardinal virtues of this CD series. Gardiner and his team were living the week-in, week-out liturgical cycle of cantatas in a way that, surely, no one else has done so consistently since Bach’s time and, as the series unfolds and becomes more complete, the listener too can follow this process – and through live performances – and savour the contrasts not just between Sundays but also between Bach’s different responses at divers times to the liturgy of any one particular Sunday. Here, for example, we have three cantatas, all from the Leipzig cycles, which in different ways respond to the liturgy of the day and in particular, to the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan (Luke, 10. vv 23-37).
BWV 77 (1723) begins with a huge and elaborately constructed chorus in which Bach displays tremendous compositional virtuosity. The movement is based on an old chorale melody, used by Luther for one of his hymns, but dating back well before Luther’s time. The music is magnificently and powerfully projected and Gardiner’s direction displays great attention to detail and to the spirit of the piece. The bass soloist, who we meet in the first recitative, is a newcomer to the series, Jonathan Brown. He proves to be a reliable singer.
A much better known singer is Nathalie Stutzmann, who we’ve encountered in some previous releases. Some “authentic” Bach exponents seem completely to eschew the female alto voice in the cantatas. Much though I like the counter tenor voice in Bach I’m delighted that Gardiner is flexible in this respect, choosing voices that best suit the music. She has the lovely aria, ‘Ach, es bleibt in meiner Liebe’. In this section her rich tone contrasts beautifully with the haunting, almost fragile trumpet obbligato in the background. I don’t know if the player, Niklas Eklund, was placed at a distance but it sounds as if he was. Whether or not, the effect is magical and Gardiner is correct to draw attention in his notes to Eklund’s superb playing.
BWV 164 (1725) starts not with a chorus but with a demanding tenor aria, authoritatively sung by Christoph Genz. The cantata also features a wonderful alto aria, ‘Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen.’ This aria is adorned by a balmy pair of flutes and in the piece, as Gardiner comments, “the essence of true compassion is evoked.” It’s evoked even more strongly thanks to the expressive way in which Nathalie Stutzmann sings the aria.
Finally we hear BWV 33 (1724), the lengthiest of this trio of cantatas. The violins and, even more so, a pair of athletic oboes, drive on the music of the opening chorale fantasia. At the heart of the cantata, and accounting for almost half the length of this performance, is the sublime alto aria ‘Wie furchtstam wankten meine Schritte’. Not the least interesting feature of this aria is the texture of the orchestral accompaniment. The first violins play con sordini against a pizzicato background, creating a rather special atmosphere. If there were no other justification for the decision to engage Nathalie Stutzmann for this concert – and that’s far from being the case – her superb singing here amply vindicates Gardiner’s shrewd choice. Her velvet tone is just right for the melodic line and she sings with great – but not overdone – feeling. This seamless and elevated aria just seems to go on and on, yet one regrets it coming to an end. This, for me, is the highlight of this entire set. Before the end of the cantata Genz and Jonathan Brown are suitably virile in their duet, to which a busy pair of oboes also makes a fine contribution.
This is yet another distinguished release in this excellent series. All the usual high standards of previous volumes are maintained. The singing, both solo and choral, is never less than excellent; the sound is first class; and Sir John proves yet again to be a perspicacious and committed guide to Bach, whether as conductor or annotator. But, of course, as ever the real hero is Bach and yet again we marvel at his seemingly inexhaustible invention and sheer industry and at his ability to express and communicate his Lutheran Christian faith for the benefit of the Leipzig congregations and, over two hundred years later, for ours. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
For the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele BWV 69a
1. Coro Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
2. Recitativo: Sopran Ach, dass ich tausend Zungen hätte!
3. Aria: Tenor Meine Seele, auf, erzähle
4. Recitativo: Alt Gedenk ich nur zurück
5. Aria: Bass Mein Erlöser und Erhalter
6. Choral Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Geist und Seele wird verwirret BWV 35
Part I
1. Sinfonia
2. Aria: Alt Geist und Seele wird verwirret
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich wundre mich
4. Aria: Alt Gott hat alles wohlgemacht
Part II
5. Sinfonia
6. Recitativo: Alt Ach, starker Gott
7. Aria: Alt Ich wünsche nur bei Gott zu leben
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren BWV 137
1. Versus I: Coro Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
2. Versus II: Alt Lobe den Herren, der alles so herrlich regieret
3. Versus III: Sopran, Bass Lobe den Herren, der künstlich und fein dich bereitet
4. Versus IV: Tenor Lobe den Herren, der deinen Stand sichtbar gesegnet
5. Versus V: Choral Lobe den Herren, was in mir ist, lobe den Namen!

CD 2:
For the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben BWV 77
1. Coro con Choral Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben
2. Recitativo: Bass So muss es sein!
3. Aria: Sopran Mein Gott, ich liebe dich von Herzen
4. Recitativo: Tenor Gib mir dabei, mein Gott! ein Samariterherz
5. Aria: Alt Ach, es bleibt in meiner Liebe
6. Choral Ach Herr, ich wollte ja dein Recht
Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet BWV 164
1. Aria: Tenor Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet
2. Recitativo: Bass Wir hören zwar, was selbst die Liebe spricht
3. Aria: Alt Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, schmelze doch durch deinen Liebesstrahl
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Händen, die sich nicht verschließen
6. Choral Ertöt uns durch dein’ Güte
Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 33
1. Coro (Choral) Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
2. Recitativo: Bass Mein Gott und Richter
3. Aria: Alt Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte
4. Recitativo: Tenor Mein Gott, verwirf mich nicht
5. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Gott, der du die Liebe heißt
6. Choral Ehr sei Gott in dem höchsten Thron

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 6 SDG 134

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Anoushka Shankar TRAVELLER

Posted: November 18th, 2011, 2:00am MST

No one embodies the spirit of innovation and experimentation more evidently than Anoushka Shankar. With her deep-seated understanding of Indian classical form and the rich heritage of her father's innovative genius, Anoushka is constantly pushing boundaries on every level. In Traveller - her debut album on Deutsche Grammophon - she finds her way into the nuances of modern flamenco through the vivid lens of Hindustani technique. In essence, Traveller charts the spiritual link across time and space of two highly evolved forms of musical expression, from their ancient gestation to their modern zenith. This is an album of innovation and rebirth - a perfect culmination of old and new. How appropriate then that the driving force behind this album was the birth of Anoushka's first child.
“It was a love of the music that inspired me to make this flamenco album and bring together these two traditions", says Anoushka Shankar. “I've always loved flamenco and had a fascination for it. There's always been that pull towards something I find very similar in flamenco to what I cherish in Indian classical music: a kind of uninhibited musicality in expression, whether it's a solo voice, a sitar or a guitar. Of course there were common roots and technical similarities to explore, and when you start to play with those, you can really delve down in very delicious ways. However the desire came from simply being an admirer of the music, and wanting to learn about it through making music."
Flamenco has its roots in India. Many of the great modern exponents of this fiery tradition are keen to emphasize and rediscover that connection. Dancers from Joaquín Cortés to Sandra La Espuelita have, at the beginning of their shows, stated that cultural origin very clearly. Guitar masters Pepe Habichuela and Paco de Lucía, the latter notably in his work with John McLaughlin, have brought strong references to that cultural history into their compositions. The modern, popular Spanish band Ojos de Brujo and the lesser known Indialucía ebulliently celebrate flamenco's Eastern heritage.
Asked what drew him particularly to Indian classical music and Anoushka Shankar's style of playing, Javier Limón explains: “When Anoushka plays pure Indian music, for us she's playing pure flamenco - for all the Gypsies, for Paco [de Lucía] and me, for all of us. When she plays Indian we sometimes say: 'Hey, you play flamenco very well, this is flamenco.' And she always answers: 'No, no, no, this was Indian, pure Indian.' The frontier is not clear because many centuries ago, maybe eight, the Gypsies came from Rajasthan and brought a lot from there to the flamenco style, to flamenco music. They created what we know today as flamenco with the Christians and Jews in Spain and with the Arabs. That's why there are a lot of things in common that make our musical forms brothers. Flamenco is very young, about 200 years old. For me, flamenco is like the little brother of Indian music."
Little is known about the real history of that connection. It is largely supposed that flamenco has its roots in the exodus of “Untouchables" from the Punjab around 800-900 AD. These people became the Gypsies/Romanies of lore, traversing Asia and the Middle East, eventually settling in Europe. Today Rajasthani Gypsies can be seen using ancient castanets to embellish their songs about nomadic existence and spiritual devotion. It is through these songs that the origin of flamenco can be clearly identified. A defining element of flamenco music is undeniably the singing, cante. In fact, flamenco initially consisted purely of cante, with handclapping - palmas sordas - or knuckle rapping providing percussive accompaniment. The guitar, a variation of the Arabic 'ûd, was gradually incorporated in the 19th century.
In most academic research or exploration of flamenco, little is made of the technical connections with Indian classical traditions. For musicians and dancers, however, it is easy to trace the origins of flamenco even further back to the Natya Shastra, an Indian treatise on the arts and spirituality believed to have been written between 200 BC and 200 AD. It is here that theories were first expounded on how dance, theatre and music should have a common language for communication and collaboration. This is still quite evident in the strong rhythmic bond between kathak dancers and tabla players in north India and between bharata-nâtyam dancers and mridangam virtuosos in the south. What is even more fascinating is how echoes of the Natya Shastra can still be discovered in the intricate footwork of flamenco dancers and reciprocated in the equally complex polyrhythms of the cajón and guitar. Nowhere outside India and Spain is this powerful rhythmic connection between dancer and musician so evident.
Recently there has been a mutual excitement for dancers and musicians from India and Spain rediscovering their ancient ties and common oral source. Indian classical dancer Rajika Puri has described the technical challenges of that recoupling when working with flamenco dancers and musicians: “Next thing I knew, my body began to execute the strong sharp lines of bharata-nâtyam adavus. My feet began to stamp with the force of the south Indian dance form, as I learnt to end, not on our sam - which would be their beat12 - but on beat10!"
In the Hindustani tradition, sam is the climactic point of a cycle, normally emphasized by the first beat. This perception of sam landing on the first beat of a cycle differs from the flamenco 12-beat form bulería, in that the feeling of sam is switched to the 12thbeat - a technique perpetuated by Paco de Lucía to create a constant sense of flow. Thus, even now, flamenco can be considered a dynamic extension of the Indian classical form, constantly evolving to embrace new ideas across the Diaspora.
“In conceiving this album I was focused on the forms of Indian classical music and flamenco, but also on finding themes and emotions", remarks Anoushka Shankar. “Naturally all the pieces have different inspirations and origins. Some of them, like Inside Me, were melodies that Javier wrote and came to me with after our initial meeting. I had written out a list of some of the more simple râgas that I could just give a do-re-mi for, and then he chose some of those and stretched himself to write within a single scale. Some songs, like Casi uno, came about spontaneously, and in others, like Si no puedo verla, I deliberately searched out lyrics by the great Sufi poet Amir Khusrau to connect the song to India. But my favourite moments would happen when we discovered things together. Boy Meets Girl, written with Pepe Habichuela, is an example of what can happen with a project like this. While Javier was teaching me the chord progression of a granaína [one of the classical flamenco cante], I began to play in râga Manj Khamâj. We realized that in that particular scale, I could plan to end on the appropriate notes needed for the granaína but still play the Indian râga purely. So the song exists in two ancient forms simultaneously."
“It was beautiful", enthuses Javier Limón, reflecting on the making of this album. “Anoushka changed my life: now I have a different concept of the music. When she played granaína, it was like hearing a flamenco singer, not a flamenco guitar: that's the amazing thing. I think that guitar players are going to learn a lot from her. How she expresses the melodies makes me cry."

1. Inside Me [3:19]
2. Buleria con Ricardo [6:03]
3. Krishna [5:50]
4. Si no puedo verla [5:15]
5. Dancing in Madness [4:29]
6. Boy Meets Girl [4:56]
7. Kanya [4:55]
8. Traveller [3:41]
9. ISHQ [4:21]
10. Casi Uno [5:26]
11. Bhairavi [10:26]
12. Lola's Lullaby [4:14]

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9363 2 GH

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 5

Posted: November 17th, 2011, 9:20am MST

In his notes, Gardiner wonders what happened in late July 1724 that might have stirred the good Leipzig Cantor’s bile. Maybe he was only reacting to the lesson of the day (the eighth Sunday after Trinity), a stern admonition against hypocrisy, but the music he composed for Cantata 178, first performed on the 30th of that month, is relentlessly assertive, and, as Gardiner discovered, hard on the musicians. But in performance Gardiner soldiers on, and so does his ensemble, turning out a muscular realization of this potent score. Bach may have been a little calmer a year before, when he composed Cantata 136. The hypocrites were targets then, too, but the mood was more festive and the arias more forgiving. Likewise, in the middle of Cantata 45 a harsh warning, delivered in a blistering bass arioso, is mitigated by gentler arias. The impressive opening chorus of Cantata 46 is a complex melding of motet-style choral writing and concertato-style orchestral accompaniment.
The second disc skips ahead to the 10th Sunday after Trinity and its lesson of the destruction of Jerusalem, a warning (that word again!) of the imminence of judgment. The opening chorus of Cantata 46 is in two parts, the first of which, subtly altered, was the model for the Qui Tollis of the B-Minor Mass and immediately recognizable as such. Fewer listeners are likely to identify the opening chorus of Cantata 102 as the source of the Kyrie of the Latin Mass in G Minor, BWV 235. (Dear readers: Should you sense that I have a tendency to repeat myself, please keep in mind that I’ve had an unimpeachable example to follow.) God’s judgment is again delivered by a raging bass aria, this time amplified by the trumpet. But a soothing alto aria, paired with a recorder, assures the congregants of Jesus’s protection. The outstanding feature of Cantata 101 is its unremittingly serious opening chorus mourning the destruction of the city. The hope of redemption is offered in the soprano and alto duet that leads to the closing chorale. The aforementioned opening chorus of BWV 102 is a marvel, even for Bach. The aria for tenor and flute was later adapted for another short Mass, BWV 233, in F.
Gardiner brings his accustomed sensitivity and perhaps even a little more than his usual vitality to these performances. He may have been inspired by the exceptional challenge posed by Cantata 178. His musicians respond in kind. This is another winner from the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. (George Chien)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
For the Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält BWV 178
1. Coro (Choral) Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält
2. Choral e Recitativo: Alt Was Menschenkraft und -witz anfäht
3. Aria: Bass Gleichwie die wilden Meereswellen
4. Choral: Tenor Sie stellen uns wie Ketzern nach
5. Choral e Recitativo: Bass, Tenor, Alt Auf sperren sie den Rachen weit
6. Aria: Tenor Schweig, schweig nur, taumelnde Vernunft!
7. Choral Die Feind sind all in deiner Hand
Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz BWV 136
1. Coro Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz
2. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, dass der Fluch, so dort die Erde schlägt
3. Aria: Alt Es kömmt ein Tag
4. Recitativo: Bass Die Himmel selber sind nicht rein
5. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Uns treffen zwar der Sünden Flecken
6. Choral Dein Blut, der edle Saft
Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist BWV 45
Part I
1. Coro Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist
2. Recitativo: Tenor Der Höchste lässt mich seinen Willen wissen
3. Aria: Tenor Weiß ich Gottes Rechte
Part II
4. Arioso: Bass Es werden viele zu mir sagen an jenem Tage
5. Aria: Alt Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund
6. Recitativo: Alt So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein
7. Choral Gib, dass ich tu mit Fleiß

CD 2:
For the Tenth Sunday after Trinity
Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei BWV 46
1. Coro Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei
2. Recitativo: Tenor So klage du, zerstörte Gottesstadt
3. Aria: Bass Dein Wetter zog sich auf von weiten
4. Recitativo: Alt Doch bildet euch, o Sünder, ja nicht ein
5. Aria: Alt Doch Jesus will auch bei der Strafe
6. Choral O großer Gott von Treu
Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott BWV 101
1. Coro (Choral) Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott
2. Aria: Tenor Handle nicht nach deinen Rechten
3. Recitativo e Choral: Sopran Ach! Herr Gott, durch die Treue dein
4. Aria: Bass Warum willst du so zornig sein?
5. Recitativo e Choral: Tenor Die Sünd hat uns verderbet sehr
6. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Gedenk an Jesu bittern Tod!
7. Choral Leit uns mit deiner rechten Hand
Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben! BWV 102
Part I
1. Coro Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben!
2. Recitativo: Bass Wo ist das Ebenbild, das Gott uns eingepräget
3. Aria: Alt Weh der Seele, die den Schaden
4. Arioso: Bass Verachtest du den Reichtum seiner Gnade
Part II
5. Aria: Tenor Erschrecke doch, du allzu sichre Seele!
6. Recitativo: Alt Beim Warten ist Gefahr
7. Choral Heut lebst du, heut bekehre dich

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 5 SDG 147

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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 4

Posted: November 16th, 2011, 4:05pm MST

The Sixth Sunday after Trinity found Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his pilgrims in Ansbach, where their concert was part of the Ansbach Bach week. Their programme included BWV 170, one of three cantatas for solo alto that Bach produced within the space of a few weeks in 1726, probably because he had the services of a particularly accomplished alto at that time. Michael Chance certainly comes under the heading of accomplished altos and he gives a very good account of the cantata. The heavenly, pastoral opening aria is phrased extremely well and Chance’s tone is very pleasing. I had a slight concern that, to my ears, he was a shade too emphatic in his delivery of some isolated words. I was very interested to learn from Sir John’s notes that when Bach’s son, Wilhelm Friedemann, proposed revising the cantata in 1750 he was only interested in performing this opening aria. I’ve always felt a bit guilty that I regard the rest of the cantata as something of an anti-climax and I’m slightly reassured to find that perhaps I’m not alone in this.
Michael Chance sounds to be convinced by the rest of the music, however. He’s imaginative in the declamatory recitative that forms the second movement. He also sings the third section of the cantata well. Here, Bach’s rather stark accompaniment contrasts with the richer hues of an alto voice. The final movement is lively and more upbeat in tone and Chance and the players of the EBS turn in a spirited account of it.
The programme opens with BWV 9, a cantata which I can’t recall hearing before. Alfred Dürr describes the opening chorus as “a highly spirited movement of multifarious motivic allusions.” It’s certainly an inventive composition and the Monteverdi Choir and the EBS give an agile and airy performance of it. The key movement in the cantata is the third one, an extended tenor aria. It was fascinating to read of the debate that went on in rehearsal between Sir John and his soloist, James Gilchrist. It seems that Gilchrist, who hadn’t sung the piece before, felt that a “fast, urgent delivery” was appropriate. Gardiner, on the other hand, “saw it more as a slow, contemplative dance, despondent and heartsick in its unremitting gloom and its emphasis on the death knell.” I think Gardiner’s view is supported by the words of the aria, which are certainly gloomy, although it’s interesting that Dürr says that the music “depict[s] a giddy descent into the abyss of sin”, a description which implies a certain degree of speed. In this performance Gardiner’s view prevailed and the bleak nature of the aria was emphasised by his decision to pare down the accompaniment so that only a single violin and a cello continuo are involved. The aria is an unsettling experience in this reading. I have to say, though, that while I tend to side with Gardiner over the conception of the aria I wonder if his chosen speed isn’t just a bit too lugubrious. The music doesn’t quite flow and even sounds a touch laboured at times while occasionally both Gilchrist and the two string players seem a little uncomfortable.
A different mood is struck in the second aria, which is a duet for soprano and alto. This is a delightful and very cleverly constructed canonic movement in which not only the two singers proceed in canon but also the flute and oboe d’amore. Yet, despite the technical skill and intellectual rigour with which Bach has composed the movement, the listener is never conscious of this – which is down to the skill of the performers. Joanne Lunn’s singing is especially pleasing here.
To conclude Gardiner offers us a re-working, attributed to Bach, of an impressive five-part motet by his predecessor in Leipzig, Johann Kuhnau. This funeral motet, Der Gerechte kommt um is tremendously intense and yet very dignified. The performance by the Monteverdi Choir is quite outstanding and it makes a genuinely moving conclusion to the programme.
For the following Sunday the Pilgrims crossed the North Sea to Haddington, in East Lothian, a market town some twenty miles from Edinburgh. Their first offering, BWV 186, is a re-working of a cantata originally composed in Weimar in 1716 for the Third Sunday in Advent. In its revised form the cantata has eleven sections and is divided into two parts. The opening chorus is interesting not only because the music is of high quality but also on account of the slightly unusual construction. It’s in ABABA form and in the B sections the choir sings a cappella except for a bass continuo line. Stephen Loges, the bass soloist, impresses, as he has done in previous volumes. Tenor Kobie van Rensburg has also been heard before in the series. He sings his aria, ‘Mein Heiland lässt sich merken’, well though personally I’d prefer a voice with a bit more sweetness in the tone. Rensburg has a strong ring to his tone but it can sound a little harsh. Katharine Fuge sings delightfully in her aria ‘Die Armen will der Herr umarmen’. She also makes a fine contribution to the soprano/alto duet – a minor key gigue - that forms the penultimate movement of the cantata, though her alto partner doesn’t make as strong an impression.
BWV 107 is rather an unusual cantata in that Bach took an old German hymn for his text, which he often did, but then set the text without alteration or paraphrase, something which, so far as we know, he’d last done as long ago as 1707 in the cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4. The present cantata, like BWV 186, opens with a fine chorus and once again this is excellently delivered. Loges manages to be both imposing and agile in his aria, ‘Auf ihn magst du es wagen’. That’s followed by a tenor aria, ‘Wenn auch gleich aus der Höllen’. The music is dramatic and fiery and this suits Kobie van Rensburg’s strongly projected voice very well. Then he lightens his voice appreciably for his second aria, the much more restrained ‘Drum ich mich ihm ergebe’ and the result is very pleasing. In between these two tenor arias comes a soprano stanza, which Katharine Fuge sings with much grace. The lilting orchestral accompaniment to the concluding chorale is a slight surprise – but a very pleasant one.
Finally we hear another bi-partite cantata, BWV 187. The text is concerned with the harvest and the bounties of creation and with thanksgiving for them. The extended opening chorus begins with a lengthy orchestral introduction, which ushers in some very fine choral writing. The movement is expertly articulated by all concerned. Part I contains a bass recitative and an aria for the alto. I’m afraid that I didn’t warm much to Richard Wyn Roberts’ delivery of the aria; I found his tone on the thin side. Katharine Fuge, on the other hand, excels in the soprano aria in Part II. This is an interesting conception in which the singer – and her excellent oboe obbligato partner – present rather ceremonial music around a livelier central section. The music – and this performance – do indeed, as the text enjoins, banish worries. Incidentally, much of the music in this cantata was recycled by Bach some years later into the Gloria of his Missa in G minor, BWV 235.
With one or two slight reservations about the soloists, this instalment in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage is a worthy addition to the series. As usual Sir John Eliot Gardiner contributes a fascinating and illuminating note – though citizens of Ansbach may shuffle uneasily in their seats at his views on their rather stuffy approach to applause! As ever, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque soloists are on fine form. Those collecting this excellent series can once more invest with confidence. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
For the Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her BWV 9
1. Coro (Choral) Es ist das Heil uns kommen her
2. Recitativo: Bass Gott gab uns ein Gesetz
3. Aria: Tenor Wir waren schon zu tief gesunken
4. Recitativo: Bass Doch musste das Gesetz erfüllet werden
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Herr, du siehst statt guter Werke
6. Recitativo: BassWenn wir die Sünd aus dem Gesetz erkennen
7. Choral Ob sich’s anließ, als wollt er nicht
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust BWV 170
1. Aria: Alt Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust
2. Recitativo: Alt Die Welt, das Sündenhaus
3. Aria: Alt Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen
4. Recitativo: Alt Wer sollte sich demnach
5. Aria: Alt Mir ekelt mehr zu leben
Kuhnau/Bach (attrib.): Der Gerechte kommt um
Der Gerechte kommt um
CD 2:
For the Seventh Sunday after Trinity
Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht BWV 186
Part I
1. Coro Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht
2. Recitativo: Bass Die Knechtsgestalt, die Not, der Mangel
3. Aria: Bass Bist du, der mir helfen soll
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, dass ein Christ so sehr
5. Aria: Tenor Mein Heiland lässt sich merken
6. Choral Ob sich’s anließ, als wollt er nicht
Part II
7. Recitativo: Bass Es ist die Welt die große Wüstenei
8. Aria: Sopran Die Armen will der Herr umarmen
9. Recitativo: Alt Nun mag die Welt mit ihrer Lust vergehen
10. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Laß, Seele, kein Leiden
11. Choral Die Hoffnung wart’ der rechten Zeit
Was willst du dich betrüben BWV 107
1. Versus I: Choral Was willst du dich betrüben
2. Versus II: Bass Denn Gott verlässet keinen
3. Versus III: Bass Auf ihn magst du es wagen
4. Versus IV: Tenor Wenn auch gleich aus der Höllen
5. Versus V: Sopran Es richt’s zu seinen Ehren
6. Versus VI: Tenor Drum ich mich ihm ergebe
7. Versus VII: Choral Herr, gib, dass ich dein Ehre
Es wartet alles auf dich BWV 187
Part I
1. Coro Es wartet alles auf dich
2. Recitativo: Bass Was Kreaturen hält
3. Aria: Alt Du Herr, du krönst allein das Jahr mit deinem Gut
Part II
4. Aria: Bass Darum sollt ihr nicht sorgen noch sagen
5. Aria: Sopran Gott versorget alles Leben
6. Recitativo: Sopran Halt ich nur fest an ihm mit kindlichem Vertrauen
7. Choral Gott hat die Erde zugericht’

2009 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 4 SDG 156

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 3

Posted: November 15th, 2011, 9:50am MST

As ever, John Eliot Gardiner’s magnificent Bach Cantatas series eschews the big-boned, monumental approach to this composer of yesteryear. Here, in a really tremendous volume, is spiritual reflection paced to the fast-moving ebb and flow of life today. As such, it always feels relevant and vital. And much of that stems from the fact that Gardiner’s players and singers sound so utterly involved through every bar. Even if it doesn’t approach the polish of some versions, and one or two of the singers are not quite of the vocal quality of rivals, still they perform as if in response to some higher call. Among conductors, of course, few rank higher than Gardiner. And, as ever, the tempi and textures are warm and above all channel a sense of the humane. Woven into the whole are countless magical virtuoso moments – these may be great shared experiences, but the space for individual expression constantly keeps it personal. When the big collective moments do arrive, as at the end of Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, they do so with great force. And, as the marvellous Monteverdi Choir beseech Jesus for mercy, for the strength to resist temptation, there is no question as to the cumulative power of these readings. (Gramophone, 5/2008)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
CD 1:
For the Fourth Sunday after Trinity
Ein ungefärbt Gemüte BWV 24
1. Aria: Alt Ein ungefärbt Gemüte
2. Recitativo: Tenor Die Redlichkeit ist eine von den Gottesgaben
3. Coro Alles nun, das ihr wollet
4. Recitativo: Bass Die Heuchelei ist eine Brut
5. Aria: Tenor Treu und Wahrheit sei der Grund
6. Choral O Gott, du frommer Gott
Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe BWV 185
1. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe
2. Recitativo: Alt Ihr Herzen, die ihr euch
3. Aria: Alt Sei bemüht in dieser Zeit
4. Recitativo: Bass Die Eigenliebe schmeichelt sich!
5. Aria: Bass Das ist der Christen Kunst
6. Choral Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 177
1. Coro Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
2. Aria: Alt Ich bitt noch mehr, o Herre Gott
3. Aria: Sopran Verleih, dass ich aus Herzensgrund
4. Aria: Tenor Lass mich kein Lust noch Furcht von dir
5. Choral Ich lieg im Streit und widerstreb
For the Fifth Sunday after Trinity
Gott ist mein König BWV 71
(For the inauguration of the Mühlhausen town council)
1. Coro Gott ist mein König
2. Aria: Tenor con Choral: Sopran Ich bin nun achtzig Jahr
3. Quartetto: Sopran, Alt, Tenor, Bass Dein Alter sei wie deine Jugend
4. Arioso: Bass Tag und Nacht ist dein
5. Aria: Alt Durch mächtige Kraft
6. Coro Du wollest dem Feinde
7. Coro Das neue Regiment
CD 2:
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir BWV 131
1. Coro Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir
2. Arioso: Bass con Choral: Sopran So du willst, Herr, Sünde zurechnen
3. Coro Ich harre des Herrn
4. Aria: Tenor con Choral: Alt Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn
5. Coro Israel hoffe auf den Herrn
Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten BWV 93
1. Coro (Choral)Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten
2. Choral e Recitativo: BassWas helfen uns die schweren Sorgen?
3. Aria: Tenor Man halte nur ein wenig stille
4. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Er kennt die rechten Freudesstunden
5. Choral e Recitativo: Tenor Denk nicht in deiner Drangsalshitze
6. Aria: Sopran Ich will auf den Herren schaun
7. Choral Sing, bet und geh auf Gottes Wegen
Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden BWV 88
Part I
1. Aria: Bass Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden
2. Recitativo: Tenor Wie leichtlich könnte doch der Höchste
3. Aria: Tenor Nein, Gott ist allezeit geflissen
Part II
4. Recitativo: Tenor ed Arioso: Bass Jesus sprach zu Simon
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Beruft Gott selbst, so muss der Segen
6. Recitativo: SopranWas kann dich denn in deinem Wandel schrecken
7. Choral Sing, bet und geh auf Gottes Wegen

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs

Volume 3 SDG 141

You can buy it on Amazon.com

You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 2

Posted: November 14th, 2011, 7:40pm MST

There are some of Bach's finest choral movements among the five cantatas featured on these two CDs, works intended for the second and third Sundays after Trinity. And although John Eliot Gardiner's "Bach pilgrimage" cantata cycle has had its hits and misses, here there's no doubt that Gardiner and his choir and orchestra really shine, whether elucidating the pleading text and illuminating the chromatic fugal textures of the opening of BWV 2 or rousing the heavens in BWV 76's Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes. Similarly, there's likely never been a more affecting expression of the first chorus of BWV 135, Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder, nor more touching, delicately pointed orchestral playing than in the Sinfonia of BWV 21.
As in most of this cantata series, the soloists are the potential weak links--not that they are bad, just that they have their "moments", both shaky and solid: Daniel Taylor sounds uncomfortable in his BWV 2 aria; soprano Lisa Larsson turns her dotted-rhythm articulation into a distracting mannerism in her BWV 76 aria; and tenor James Gilchrist manages to sing an entire aria (in BWV 76) with admirable energy but amazingly ambiguous pitch.
But these same singers, along with always-reliable bass Stephen Varcoe, also deliver some very fine work elsewhere, including the fiery soprano and bass arias from BWV 10, and the tenor recitative and beautiful alto/tenor duet from the same cantata (this last well done in spite of the soloists' having to fight against Gardiner's inexplicably slower and slower tempo).
Generally, the different set of soloists in the Disc 2 cantatas are more satisfying and vocally and musically consistent. Katharine Fuge really (and appropriately) pulls at your heart in her BWV 21 aria Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not (Sighing, weeping, sorrow, care), and the tears are convincing in tenor Vernon Kirk's Bäche von gesalznen Zähren from the same work. The soprano/bass duet Komm, mein Jesu, has a delightful lighthearted quality and easy rapport between the singers that draws us eagerly in. And in the following chorus, the choir and orchestra perfectly convey Bach's remarkable musical depiction of the despairing spirit finding the way to hope and God's ultimate comfort.
There are two different venues involved here, and of the two, the church in Zürich (Disc 2) proves much more agreeable than the unforgiving space of the Basilique Saint-Denis in Paris. The latter is a magnificent structure and revered monument (final resting place for most of the kings and queens of France), but its qualities as a recording location are mostly of the kind that cause problems for recording engineers (who happen to have done a commendable job here!). And unfortunately, engineers aren't the only ones given problems in this ambitious recording project: Gardiner's crazy habit of altering tempos in the middle of movements--mostly slowing down for no apparent reason--must give producers fits! Fortunately these occurrences are relatively few and are not fatally disruptive--but you have to ask why Gardiner does this and why he's allowed to get away with it.
You may wonder why Heinrich Schütz makes an appearance on a Bach cantata program--or why a concerto for flute, violin, and harpsichord (albeit by Bach) are included. It's because the surviving works for these particular Sundays were not sufficient to fill out the two CDs--and we can appreciate that the producers wanted to give us (and their concert audiences) more rather than less. The Schütz motet, which was dedicated to the choir at St Thomas in Leipzig--Bach's future responsibility--and based on the same Psalm 19 text as Bach's later cantata BWV 76, is a more than fitting partner to the Bach work, with its solidly harmonious a cappella sections and assertive accompanied passages, highlighted by sonorous brass flourishes.
So, as we continue to travel with Gardiner's Bach entourage, wending our way through the dozens of cantatas, venues, and solo singers, we occasionally find something we can settle on as being worthy of Bach's genius and intent as a devoutly committed composer of church music. Here is one of those, respectfully recommended with the hope of more to come.

CD 1:
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, BWV 2
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein (Chorus)
Recitative: Sie lehren eitel falsche List (Tenor)
Aria: Tilg, o Gott, die Lehren (Alto)
Recitative: Die Armen sind verstort (Bass)
Aria: Durchs Feuer wird das Silber rein (Tenor)
Chorale: Das wollst du, Gott, bewahren rein (Chorus)
Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10
Meine Seel erhebt den Herren (Chorus)
Aria: Herr, der du stark und machtig bist (Soprano)
Recitative: Des Hochsten Gut und Treu (Tenor)
Aria: Gewaltige stosst Gott vom Stuhl (Bass)
Duet and Chorale: Er denket der Barmherzigkeit (Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: Was Gott den Vatern alter Zeiten (Tenor)
Chorale: Lob un Preis sei Gott dem Vater und dem Sohn
Geistliche Chormusik, Op. 11: No. 18. Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes, SWV 386
Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76
Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes, und die (Bass, Chorus, Tenor, Soprano, Alto)
Recitative: So lasst sich Gott nicht unbezeuget! (Tenor)
Aria: Hort, ihr Volker, Gottes Stimme (Soprano)
Recitative: Wer aber hort (Bass)
Aria: Fahr hin, abgottische Zunft! (Bass)
Recitative: Du hast uns, Herr, von allen Strassen (Alto)
Chorale: Es woll uns Gott genadig sein (Chorus)
Sinfonia
Recitative: Gott segne noch die treue Schar (Bass)
Aria: Hasse nur, hasse mich recht (Tenor)
Recitative: Ich fuhle schon im Geist (Alto)
Aria: Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat! (Alto)
Recitative: So soll die Christenheit (Tenor)
Chorale: Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich (Chorus)

CD 2:
Ich hatte viel Bekummernis, BWV 21
Sinfonia
Ich hatte viel Bekummernis (Chorus)
Aria: Seufzer, Tranen, Kummer, Not (Soprano)
Recitative: Wie hast du dich, mein Gott (Tenor)
Aria: Bache von gesalznen Zahren (Tenor)
Was betrubst du dich, meine Seele (Chorus, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Recitative: Ach Jesu, meine Ruh (Soprano, Bass)
Duet: Komm, mein Jesu, und erquicke (Soprano, Bass)
Sei nun wieder zufrieden, meine Seele (Chorus, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Aria: Erfreue dich Seele, erfreue dich, Herze (Tenor)
Das Lamm, das erwurget ist (Chorus, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Ach Herr, mich armen Sunder, BWV 135
Ach Herr, mich armen Sunder (Chorus)
Recitative: Ach heile mich, du Arzt der Seelen (Tenor)
Aria: Troste mir, Jesu, mein Gemute (Tenor)
Recitative: Ich bin von Seufzen mude (Alto)
Aria: Weicht, all ihr Ubeltater (Bass)
Chorale: Ehr sei ins Himmels Throne (Chorus)
Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute and Violin in A minor, BWV 1044
I. Allegro
II. Adagio ma non tanto e dolce
III. Alla breve

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 2 SDG 165

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 1

Posted: November 13th, 2011, 3:25pm MST

On Christmas Day 1999 a unique celebration of the new Millennium began in the the Herderkirche in Weimar, Germany: the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner set out to perform all Johann Sebastian Bach’s surviving church cantatas in the course of the year 2000, the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
The cantatas were performed on the liturgical feasts for which they were composed, in a yearlong musical pilgrimage encompassing some of the most beautiful churches throughout Europe (including many where Bach himself performed) and culminating in three concerts in New York over the Christmas festivities at the end of the millennial year. These recordings were made during the course of the Pilgrimage.

When we embarked on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in Weimar on Christmas Day 1999 we had no real sense of how the project would turn out.
There were no precedents, no earlier attempts to perform all Bach’s surviving church cantatas on the appointed feast day and all within a single year, for us to draw on or to guide us. Just as in planning to scale a mountain or cross an ocean, you can make meticulous provision, calculate your route and get all the equipment in order, in the end you have to deal with whatever the elements – both human and physical – throw at you at any given moment.
With weekly preparations leading to the performance of these extraordinary works, a working rhythm we sustained throughout a whole year, our approach was influenced by several factors: time (never enough), geography (the initial retracing of Bach’s footsteps in Thuringia and Saxony), architecture (the churches both great and small where we performed), the impact of one week’s music on the next and on the different permutations of players and singers joining and rejoining the pilgrimage, and, inevitably, the hazards of weather, travel and fatigue. Compromises were sometimes needed to accommodate the quirks of the liturgical year (Easter falling exceptionally late in 2000 meant that we ran out of liturgical slots for the late Trinity season cantatas, so that they needed to be redistributed among other programmes). Then to fit into a single evening cantatas for the same day composed by Bach over a forty-year span meant deciding on a single pitch (A = 415) for each programme, so that the early Weimar cantatas written at high organ pitch needed to be performed in the transposed version Bach adopted for their revival, real or putative, in Leipzig. Although we had commissioned a new edition of the cantatas by Reinhold Kubik, incorporating the latest source findings, we were still left with many practical decisions to make over instrumentation, pitch, bass figuration, voice types, underlay and so on. Nor did we have the luxury of repeated performances in which to try out various solutions: at the end of each feast-day we had to put the outgoing trio or quartet of cantatas to the back of our minds and move on to the next clutch – which came at us thick and fast at peak periods such as Whitsun, Christmas and Easter.
The recordings which make up this series were a corollary of the concerts, not their raison d’être. They are a faithful document of the pilgrimage, though never intended to be a definitive stylistic or musicological statement. Each of the concerts which we recorded was preceded by a ‘take’ of the final rehearsal in the empty church as a safety net against outside noise, loud coughs, accidents or meteorological disturbance during the performance.
But the music on these recordings is very much ‘live’ in the sense that it is a true reflection of what happened on the night, of how the performers reacted to the music (often brand new to them), and of how the church locations and the audiences affected our response. This series is a tribute to the astonishing musicality and talent of all the performers who took part, as well as, of course, to the genius of J.S.Bach. (John Eliot Gardiner)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
For the Feast of St John the Baptist
Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe BWV 167
1) 1. Aria: Tenor Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe
2) 2. Recitativo: Alto Gelobet sei der Herr Gott Israel
3) 3. Aria (Duetto): Soprano, Alto Gottes Wort, das trüget nicht
4) 4. Recitativo: Bass Des Weibes Samen kam
5) 5. Choral Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam BWV 7
6) 1. Coro Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam
7) 2. Aria: Bass Merkt und hört, ihr Menschenkinder
8) 3. Recitativo: Tenor Dies hat Gott klar
9) 4. Aria: Tenor Des Vaters Stimme ließ sich hören
10) 5. Recitativo: Bass Als Jesus dort nach seinen Leiden
11) 6. Aria: Alto Menschen, glaubt doch dieser Gnade
12) 7. Choral Das Aug allein das Wasser sieht
Freue dich, erlöste Schar BWV 30
Part I
13) 1. Coro Freue dich, erlöste Schar
14) 2. Recitativo: Bass Wir haben Rast
15) 3. Aria: Bass Gelobet sei Gott, gelobet sein Name
16) 4. Recitativo: Alto Der Herold kömmt und meldt den König an
17) 5. Aria: Alto Kommt, ihr angefochtnen Sünder
18) 6. Choral Eine Stimme läßt sich hören
Part II
19) 7. Recitativo: Bass So bist du denn, mein Heil, bedacht
20) 8. Aria: Bass Ich will nun hassen
21) 9. Recitativo: Soprano Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand
22) 10. Aria: Soprano Eilt, ihr Stunden, kommt herbei
23) 11. Recitativo: Tenor Geduld, der angenehme Tag
24) 12. Coro Freue dich, geheil’gte Schar
CD 2:
For the First Sunday after Trinity
Die Elenden sollen essen BWV 75
Part I
1) 1. Coro Die Elenden sollen essen
2) 2. Recitativo: BassWas hilft des Purpurs Majestät
3) 3. Aria: Tenor Mein Jesus soll mein Alles sein!
4) 4. Recitativo: Tenor Gott stürzet und erhöhet
5) 5. Aria: Soprano Ich nehme mein Leiden mit Freuden auf mich
6) 6. Recitativo: Soprano Indes schenkt Gott ein gut’ Gewissen
7) 7. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Part II
8) 8. Sinfonia
9) 9. Recitativo: Alto Nur eines kränkt
10) 10. Aria: Alto Jesus macht mich geistlich reich
11) 11. Recitativo: BassWer nur in Jesu bleibt
12) 12. Aria: Bass Mein Herze glaubt und liebt
13) 13. Recitativo: Tenor O Armut, der kein Reichtum gleicht!
14) 14. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot BWV 39
Part I
15) 1. Coro Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot
16) 2. Recitativo: Bass Der reiche Gott wirft seinen Überfluss
17) 3. Aria: Alto Seinem Schöpfer noch auf Erden
Part II
18) 4. Aria: BassWohlzutun und mitzuteilen vergesset nicht
19) 5. Aria: Soprano Höchster, was ich habe
20) 6. Recitativo: Alto Wie soll ich dir, o Herr
21) 7. Choral Selig sind, die aus Erbarmen
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort I BWV 20
Part I
22) 1. Coro (Choral) O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort
23) 2. Recitativo: Tenor Kein Unglück ist in aller Welt zu finden
24) 3. Aria: Tenor Ewigkeit, du machst mir bange
25) 4. Recitativo: Bass Gesetzt, es dau’rte der Verdammten Qual
26) 5. Aria: Bass Gott ist gerecht in seinen Werken
27) 6. Aria: Alto O Mensch, errette deine Seele
28) 7. Choral Solang ein Gott im Himmel lebt
Part II
29) 8. Aria: BassWacht auf, wacht auf, verloren Schafe
30) 9. Recitativo: Alto Verlass, o Mensch, die Wollust dieser Welt
31) 10. Aria (Duetto) Alto, Tenor O Menschenkind
32) 11. Choral O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort

The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner

2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 1 SDG 101

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two
PASSWORD: elhenry.MusicIsTheKey

Lang Lang LISZT My Piano Hero

Posted: November 8th, 2011, 8:30pm MST

If there were a prize for the most toe-curling CD cover, this new Liszt compilation would be in the running. It shows Lang Lang in a blissful trance, hands raised to receive Liszt’s spirit, while some spaghetti-like substance — possibly an ectoplasmic emanation from the dead composer — whirls around him.
It’s true that Lang Lang adores Liszt, and is actually playing his First Concerto at the Proms tonight. You’d think Liszt’s flamboyance would suit him to a T, and yet the strange thing about this CD is how very ordinary it is. To begin with, the choice of pieces is very pinched — there’s nothing of Liszt’s visionary grandeur or gift for scene painting, and some of the pieces are second or even third rate. Another problem is the horribly shiny and hard sound of the piano — which is odd, because no expense was spared in that regard. As the irritatingly hyperactive accompanying DVD tells us, two pianos were used, one of them flown all the way from New York to the studio in Berlin.
It’s this DVD that gives a clue as to why the CD is so completely lacking in spontaneity. At one point we hear the producer announce “Take 135”. Can it really be true that Lang Lang recorded the same thing 135 times? It certainly sounds as if he did. The flashy pieces such as La campanella glitter in sterile perfection, but only occasionally, as in the Ave Maria, do we hear anything like musicality.
The performance of the First Piano Concerto suffers from the opposite problem: an exasperatingly mannered quality and a surprisingly lumpy, unfocused sound from the Vienna Philharmonic under Valery Gergiev. It’s as if in their efforts to make the perfect Lang Lang/Liszt package, Sony have somehow forgotten about the music.

01. Romance “O pourquoi donc” in E Minor, S. 169
02. La campanella in G-Sharp Minor from Grandes études de Paganini, S 141/3
03. Consolation No. 3 in D-Flat Major, S. 172
04. Grand Galop chromatique in E-Flat Major, S. 219
05. Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major, S. 541/3
06. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-Flat Major, S. 244/6
07. Un sospiro in D-Flat Major from Trois études de concert, S. 144/3
08. Rakoczy March from Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A Minor, S. 244/15
09. Ave Maria, S. 558
10. Theme and variations in A Minor from Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141/6 (Bonus Track)
11. Widmung, S. 566 (Bonus Track)
12. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124: I. Allegro maestoso
13. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124: II. Quasi adagio – Allegretto vivace – Allegro animato
14. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124: III. Allegro marziale animato
Lang Lang
Valery Gergiev
Vienna Philharmonic

2011 SONY Classical
1 CD DDD
G010002678926J

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Michele Marelli KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN Harlekin

Posted: November 6th, 2011, 10:20am MST

Harlekin (1975) is one of the best known and most appreciated of Karlheinz Stockhausen‘s works for the originality of its mise-en-scène and mode of composition: the clarinettist, in fact, plays, mimes and dances contemporaneously. Stockhausen developed the concept of the composition for Formulas already tried, in, among others, Mantra (1970) and Inori (1972). The Formula, the extreme evolution of the post-Webernian series, is a collection of notes, dynamics, rhythms and detailed phrasing connected, by close internal bonds balanced by precise mathematical calculations. Stockhausen’s Harlequin no longer possesses almost anything of the mask of the commedia dell’arte: the character that we see on stage does not express himself through the word but through music and body language. The pantomime, in its entirety, becomes an abstract representation of man’s life. The Formula of Harlekin consists of 13 sounds which evolve and are modified, in the space of 43 minutes, through seven sections, to which Stockhausen gives an exact title. Michele Marelli (1978) is internationally recognised as one of the finest contemporary musicians of his generation. He collaborated with Karlheinz Stockhausen for more than 10 years, giving premières under his conductorship and recording 2 CDs with the Maestro himself. He has been Winner of the Stockhausen Stiftung für Musik (six times) and numerous other international awards; he collaborates, as clarinet and basset horn soloist, with the Ensemble Stockhausen and is assistant to Suzanne Stephens at Stockhausen Kurse Kürten. Harlekin was the last work prepared with the Maestro before his passing.

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 - 2007)
1. Der Traumbote [5:49]
2. Der spielerische Konstrukteur [6:41]
3. Der verlebte Lyriker [3:22]
4. Der pedantische Lehrer [7:42]
5. Der spitzbübische Joker [3:40]
6. Der leidenschaftliche Tänzer [3:22]
7. Dialog mit einem Fuss [2:10]
8. Harlekin's Tanz [2:35]
9. Der exaltierte Kreiselgeist [7:24]

Michele Marelli, clarinetto e danza

2010 Stradivarius
1 CD DDD
STR 33864

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Hélène Grimaud - Mojca Erdmann - Kammerorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks MOZART

Posted: November 5th, 2011, 7:45am MDT

The Adagio from the Piano Concerto in A major K. 488 is one of Mozart’s most magically inspired movements and for Hélène Grimaud it is possibly the most sublime movement that he ever wrote for the keyboard: “Even if this movement were all we had, that would be enough.” It must remain an open question whether Mozart regarded the key of F sharp minor – an extremely unusual one for him – in the same way as his contemporary Daniel Schubart, who defined it as “a dark key that tears at passion as a vicious dog tears at your clothing”. But even if there is no doubt that Mozart was repeatedly inclined to conceal his true feelings behind a mask, Hélène Grimaud is convinced that he did not do so here in this profound, inward and heartfelt movement.
Perhaps this explains why she allows herself so much time in this unique Adagio, which she plays more slowly than almost all of her other colleagues, even though she insists that she chose this tempo on the basis of her experience in the concert hall. “It happened to be so in that concert, with that acoustic. The return of the sound is what dictates when you play the next note; tempi are always connected with the venue. That said, a movement like this isn’t composed accidentally. Philosophically speaking, if you don’t go to the limit in this movement, when are you going to?” This does not alter the fact that she has an entirely clear and down-to-earth idea of Mozart. Concepts such as otherworldly, angelic music are highly suspect in her eyes: “Mozart was possessed. This idea that the music is from another world, from above, and that it’s the music of an angel is simply not the case. It’s very much the music of a man. If you read his letters, you don’t have to look very far to figure out what Mozart was about. This element of passion which gives sense to our existence is always there with him.”
In Hélène Grimaud’s view, Mozart may sometimes play with masks, but not in movements such as the Adagio from the A major Piano Concerto. Rather she identifies this mask-wearing Mozart in other passages that seem cheerful and relatively carefree: “I often feel that this effervescent, supposedly happy expression is sometimes bordering on hysteria, there’s something slightly unstable there.” She hears moments like these in the outer movements of the A major Concerto and in the finale of the F major Concerto K. 459. True, this movement is “very virtuosic, alive and effervescent. But this manic energy is almost an escape into a trance: it is not only joy, it is not only happiness.”
What makes Mozart’s music so special for Hélène Grimaud is its grace and utter weightlessness: “You have depth but without any sort of weight. That’s really what sets him apart from many others.” But this is precisely why it is not easy to strike the right note with Mozart. You have to play this music as you would in your childhood, when you could approach it in an altogether straightforward and self-evident way and everything flowed quite naturally: “It’s challenging to get back to this purity of expression.” The second movement of the F major Concerto is a fine example of this: “It is so disarming in its simplicity, but it has a couple of moments which are just arresting; for example, when it goes into the minor tonality it is absolutely breathtaking.”
Hélène Grimaud is always receptive to the unusual, and it was, of course, her idea to complement the two piano concertos from her Munich concert not with a third concerto but with Ch’io mi scordi di te? – Non temer, amato bene K. 505. This is a work that she has loved for many years: “It’s a gem, a wonderful piece. The part for soprano is just fantastic, the relationship between the soprano, the orchestra and the piano is just gorgeous. It’s like liquid gold, the piano’s interventions going from something to do with silk to something to do with lace. Again, there’s this wonderful weightlessness.”
There is no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful arias that Mozart ever wrote. The way he sets up a relationship between voice and piano and allows each to react to the other is unique in the whole of his output. One is almost tempted to hear in it a secret declaration of his love for Nancy Storace, his first Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and the singer for whom he wrote this scena and rondo. He himself played the keyboard at the first performance in 1787. Hélène Grimaud is disinclined to interpret it in such a directly autobiographical way: “A declaration of love with sounds instead of words. Of course there’s the text, which gives you a pretty clear indication of what’s going on, but for me it’s always secondary. The music has to shed light on its own structure and emotional content. If you stick to any sort of scenario and text, it in fact reduces the music. You can imagine all sorts of things: you can imagine that the piano is the male and the voice is the female – or in reverse. At the end, love still triumphs even amid this resignation. And even in that perspective of a broken heart, love is still stronger – so it’s a beautiful message above all.” (Oswald Beaujean)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Piano Concerto No.19 in F, K.459
Cadenzas: W.A. Mozart
1. 1. Allegro [11:58]
2. 2. Allegretto [7:59]
3. 3. Allegro assai - Cadenza: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [7:53]
Ch'io mi scordi di te... Non temer, amato bene, K.505
(Varesco)
4. Ch'io mi scordi di te? [1:53]
5. Non temer, amato bene [3:15]
6. Alme belle, che vedete [5:07]
Piano Concerto No.23 in A, K.488
1. Allegro
7. Cadenza: Ferruccio Busoni [10:42]
8. 2. Adagio [7:38]
9. 3. Allegro assai [7:56]

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
1 CD DDD
477 9455 4 GH

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Delphine Lizé Récital Salle Pleyel

Posted: November 4th, 2011, 5:00am MDT

Born in 1979, Delphine Lizé had everything it took to ensure a resounding start to her career: two first prizes at the age of 13 at the Conservatoire National de Région in Nice (piano, in professor Odile Poisson’s class, and chamber music in Michel Lethiec’s class); a first prize in piano three years later at the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse in Paris, where she studied with Brigitte Engerer and Jacques Rouvier; and, in 1995, a nomination for the Victoires de la musique classique in the category Jeune Espoir (Young Hopeful). This faultless track record gained swift attention and rewards, in particular a concert during the Symphonew event, with the Orchestra of Cannes-Provence-Côte d’Azur, conducted by Philippe Bender.
But Delphine Lizé has taken the time to mature and, after meeting at a master-class the great Russian pianist and teacher Grigory Gruzman, she began to study with him at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, where she is completing a performance degree. Having been remarked by such eminent pianists as Evgeni Koroliov, Abdel Rahman el Bacha and Elisso Virsaladze, in 2006 she won both the Steinway Award in Hamburg and the Masefield Foundation Award, which supports young artists in Germany.
Naturally it is in Germany that she began her career as concert performer, but although she gives many performances there she is also becoming a very popular in France – in 2006 she played at the Salle Gaveau and Salle Pleyel in Paris, at the Flâneries Festival in Reims and in Pau with the Orchestre de Pau-Pays de Béarn. She has also been discovered in the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, and Japan, where her performances are broadcast on the radio and acclaimed by the critics.
This young pianist from Nice is an active promoter of contemporary music and regularly includes in her repertoire works by composers such as Thierry Escaich, Éric Tanguy, Betsy Jolas, Luis de Pablo, Elmar Lampson and Wolfgang Andreas Schultz. At the same time she has thrown herself into musical theatre, taking on roles where she can use her skills as a pianist and an actress. She has premiered two plays: in 1999 Chopin-Musset, Show for a Salon with the actor Jean-Michel Dhermay, and in 2001 Ludwig van B. by Nathalie Fillion.
It was with this solid and patiently acquired background that Delphine Lizé’s went on to make her first recording with Intrada, of Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze and Fantasiestücke. For her second CD she has chosen works by her favourite composers – Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann and Prokofiev. This recording is a fine portrait of a varied and eclectic young artist, a reflection of her passionate and generous nature. (Intrada 2006)

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Arabesque en ut majeur, op. 18
1. Leicht und zart – Minore I : Etwas langsamer – Minore II: Etwas langsamer – Zum schluß (Coda) : Langsamer [8'40]
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonate pour piano n° 18, en mi bémol majeur, op. 31 n° 3
2. I. Allegro [9'29]
3. II. Scherzo : Allegretto vivace [5'24]
4. III. Menuetto : Moderato e grazioso – Trio – Menuetto da capo – Coda [4'22]
5. IV. Presto con fuoco [4'51]
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Trois Sonnets de Pétrarque, extraits des Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième Année : Italie
6. I. Sonetto 47 del Petrarca [7'15]
7. II. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca [7'38]
8. III. Sonetto 123 del Petrarca [9'19]
Sergueï Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Sarcasmes, op. 17
9. I. Tempetoso [2'29]
10. II. Allegro rubato [1'56]
11. III. Allegro precipitato [2'10]
12. IV. Smanioso [2'45]
13. V. Precipitosissimo [3'56]
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
14. Valse n° 7, en ut dièse mineur, op. 64 n° 2 [3'51]

2006 Intrada
1 CD DDD
INTRA032

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Anne-Sophie Mutter - Alexis Weissenberg BRAHMS Violin Sonatas

Posted: November 2nd, 2011, 11:38am MDT

Brahms's violin sonatas--particularly No. 3--contain some of his most personal and expressive music. In fact, they make an excellent introduction to his chamber music in general, being of moderate length and much less fussy than, say, the string quartets. Mutter has become the premier German violinist of her generation, and as her superb recent performance of the Violin Concerto demonstrates, she certainly knows her Brahms. Weissenberg, on the other hand, is a controversial pianist--a brilliant intellectual who sometimes overpowers his music with an excess of vehemence. His partnership with Mutter works well though--the music can take a little extra juice here and there. (David Hurwitz)

Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Violin Sonata No. I, Op 78
1) I: Vivace ma non troppo [10:14]
2) II: Adagio [7:16]
3) III: Allegro molto moderato [7:41]
Violin Sonata No 2, Op. 100
4) I: Allegro amabile [7:30]
5) II: Andante tranquillo - Vivace [5:48]
6) III: Allegretto grazioso [4:55]
Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108
7) I: Allegro [7:17]
8) II: Adagio [4:18]
9) III: Un poco presto e con sentimento [2:39]
10) IV Presto agitato [4:59]

Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Alexis Weissenberg, piano

1983 EMI Records Ltd
1 CD DDD
5 74560 2

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VIVALDI Stabat Mater

Posted: October 30th, 2011, 8:58am MDT

Conductor Rinaldo Alessandrini's historical-instrument recordings of Vivaldi and other Italian Baroque composers, originally recorded around the turn of the millennium for the Opus 111 label, are being reissued on Naïve, complete with the fashion-forward graphics for which that label is known. Any and all remain completely distinctive, but this all-Vivaldi disc makes perhaps the ideal place to start. It comes with a pretty substantial booklet essay (in French, English, and Italian, although the texts of the vocal pieces are only in Latin, English, and French) by Alessandrini himself, providing the historical background for his unorthodox readings; this is highly readable and touches on such subjects as visual art and theatrical history. Alessandrini's contention, in a nutshell, is that in Vivaldi's time, even in church and in instrumental music, the musical point of reference for an Italian audience was opera. His interpretations might be called hyper-dramatic, and the second good reason to choose this Alessandrini disc is that here he has a true vocal diva to help him realize his vision: contralto Sara Mingardo, whose presence in the Stabat Mater in F minor for contralto, strings, and continuo is stunning. Alessandrini often uses an organ continuo as a sort of extra string layer, adding syncopated stabs of emotion, and when he gets into step with Mingardo the effect is very powerful even in the absence of vocal fireworks; this is a stately Stabat Mater rather than a fiery one, even in the "Fac ut ardeat cor meum" verse. The entire program builds to this point, with a little-heard alto motet and an unusual trio of church-oriented concertos with a variety of unusual solo wind instruments. Arresting from the first stroke, this is a classic of Baroque music-making. (September 15, 2010 by James Manheim, Rovi)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)
Concerto per la solennità di S Lorenzo, for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 recorders, 2 violins, bassoon, strings & continuo in C, RV 556
1) Largo - Allegro molto [5:00]
2) Largo e cantabile [3:03]
3) Allegro [3:51]
Clarae stellae, scintillate, solo motet for voice, strings & continuo in F major, RV 625
4) (Aria) Allegro [5:13]
5) Recitativo [0:43]
6) (Aria) Allegro [2:20]
7) (Alleluia) Allegro [2:39]
Concerto for violin & organ or violin ad lib & cello, strings & continuo in C major, RV 554a
8) (Allegro) [4:13]
9) (Largo) [3:50]
10) Allegro [3:32]
Concerto funebre, for violin, oboe, chalumeau, 3 violas all'inglese, strings & continuo in B flat major, RV 579
11) Largo [2:33]
12) Allegro poco [2:59]
13) Adagio - Allegro [2:21]
Stabat Mater, hymn for voice, strings & continuo in F minor, RV 621
14) Stabat Mater dolorosa. Largo [3:49]
15) Cujus animam gementem. Adagissimo [2:30]
16) O quam tristis. Andante [1:50]
17) Quis est homo. Largo [3:03]
18) Quis non posset. Adagissimo [2:55]
19) Pro peccatis suae gentis. Andante [1:50]
20) Eja Mater, fons amoris. Largo [3:23]
21) Fac ut ardeat cor meum. Lento [1:55]
22) Amen [1:16]
Sonata à 4 al Santo Sepolcro, for 2 violins, viola & continuo in E flat major, RV 130
23) Largo molto [3:27]
24) Allegro ma poco [2:15]

Rinaldo Alessandrini (Conductor)
Concerto Italiano
Paolo Ciociola (Violin)
Francesca Vicari (Violin)
Sara Mingardo (Contralto)
Antonio De Secondi (Violin)
Luigi Piovano (Violoncello)
Andrea Mion (Oboe)
Luca Cola (Double Bass)
Ettore Belli (Viola)
Mauro Lopes Ferreira (Violin)

1999 Opus 111
2002 NAÏVE
1 CD DDD
OP 30367

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Anna Prohaska SIRÈNE

Posted: October 29th, 2011, 3:10pm MDT

Anna Prohaska was born in 1983 and began her musical training with the conductor Eberhard Kloke at the age of 14. Later she studied singing with Brenda Mitchell at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and made her highly successful debut in 2002 in Britten’s Turn of the Screw at the Komische Oper. In 2006 she won the hearts of Berlin Staatsoper audiences as Frasquita in a production of Carmen conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Since the 2006/07 season she has been a company member of the venerable opera house on Unter den Linden and has already appeared in a wide range of roles: under Philippe Jordan she sang Blonde in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Oscar in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, with René Jacobs on the podium she portrayed Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina, and under the musical direction of Ingo Metzmacher recently she was an enchanting Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Anna Prohaska, who has also been making her name as a recitalist, has been repeatedly invited to sing with conductors including Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Mariss Jansons and Daniel Harding, and she is a regular guest at concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Salzburg Festival. The singer’s repertoire extends from the Renaissance to music of the 20th century. For her first solo album, she has taken inspiration from Andersen’s famous fairytale The Little Mermaid. Joined by pianist Eric Schneider and lutenist Simon Martyn-Ellis, she has programmed songs ranging from the English old masters Dowland and Purcell, by way of Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Schumann and turn-of-the-century composers Fauré, Mahler and Wolf, to the early-modern works of Debussy, Szymanowski and Honegger.

Anna Prohaska, how are today’s super-enlightened, cosmopolitan types meant to wrap our minds around the water nymph Ondine, a semi-divine mythical creature?
That’s an interesting question. It was the mythical creature herself – whether called Ondine, Rusalka, nixie, mermaid or siren – who captured my imagination because of her highly ambiguous nature: she harbours both extraordinary goodness and evil. I regard Ondine, taken to extreme, almost as an epitome of womanhood. In this recital her allure is generated by artistic means, with the voice . . .

You could call it the “original seduction” . . .
Exactly. We’re all familiar with the story of Odysseus: of singing as seduction and destruction at once. While his sailors plugged their ears with wax, the husband of Penelope had himself tied to the mast. (There’s something slightly sadomasochistic about that.) Odysseus was desperately curious to hear the Sirens’ song but just as anxious not to be seduced by it. And there you have the eternal game in seduction: the wanting and not wanting. There’s also another side to this mythical creature: here is a character coming from a completely different world who’s seduced by the illusory appearances of earthly life. And there’s yet a further aspect that caught my attention: isn’t it even possible that this discrepancy between life in the sea and life on earth stands for the dichotomy between paganism and Christianity?

Why makes you think that?
In Andersen’s fairytale, it isn’t clear whether the Little Mermaid is motivated by her love for the prince or by her wish to have an immortal soul like humans.

Doesn’t she simply want to become human?
There’s that too. But only through love does she get an immortal human soul. Perhaps that has to do with a longing for immortality – as a Christian ideal. But then she’s a pagan creature, and so it doesn’t work. Because she goes about it in the wrong way and is condemned to be mute. With people it is exactly the same. It’s hard to fall in love if you haven’t heard the other person’s voice yet, if there’s no communication. It doesn’t matter how beautiful one may look. It’s not just about externals . . .

You’re saying that several themes and several levels are combined in the figure and story of Ondine.
Yes. First of all, there’s the psychological question: what happens between two lovers in a relationship? Then there’s the metaphysical level the story touches on.

Let’s talk about the songs themselves. The selection ranges from the Renaissance by way of Classicism and the huge realm of Romanticism to early modernism at the beginning of the 20th century – Debussy, Szymanowski and Honegger. What’s the dramaturgical idea behind your programme?
At first I considered trying to tell the story through songs. As a kind of musical tale of woe. But that didn’t work because the keys and moods didn’t fit. So I finally decided in favour of a musical dramaturgy where the tonalities went together well, where individual motifs meshed: like travelling through a maze, where you proceed step by step.

Your accompanist in this recording is the noted pianist Eric Schneider. How did this collaboration come about?
We met when I was 17. I was involved at the time in my very first student production at the Hochschule, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Eric was the répétiteur, as part of his conducting studies. One day he rang me up and asked if we could rehearse together. We immediately hit it off, both musically and personally. Eric is simply a great listener, and I’m deeply impressed by his brilliant pianistic command. (Anna Prohaska was talking with Jürgen Otten 4/2011)

Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit
1. Phantasie (from Tirso de Molina: "Don Juan") [2:05]
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
3 melodies de Verlaine
2. La mer est plus belle [2:10]
Anna Prohaska, Eric Schneider
Henry Lawes (1596 - 1662)
3. Slide soft you silver floods [2:05]
John Dowland (1562 - 1626)
A Pilgrim's Solace (1612)
4. 18. My heart and tongue were twins [2:08]
Anna Prohaska, Simon Martyn-Ellis
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
5. The Mermaid's Song - Hob.XXVIa:25 (1794) [3:31]
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
6. Der Fischer D225 "Das Wasser Rauscht Das Wasser Schwoll" [2:08]
Am See, D746
7. In des Sees Wogenspiele [1:58]
Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
Seize mélodies (1886)
8. No.1 La Sirène [2:41]
Karol Szymanowski (1882 - 1937)
Piesni Ksiezniczki bosni, Op.31
9. 1. Samotny ksiezyc [3:47]
Piesni Ksiezniczki bosni, Op.31
10. 3. Zlote Trzewiczi [2:19]
Piesni Ksiezniczki bosni, Op.31
11. 5. Piesn o Fali [3:07]
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Romanzen und Balladen op.53
12. 2. "Loreley" [1:08]
Zwölf Gedichte aus F.Rückerts "Liebesfrühling" Op.37
13. 1. "Der Himmel hat eine Träne geweint" [2:11]
Fünf heitere Gesänge op.125
14. 1. "Die Meerfee" [1:09]
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
15. Des Fischers Liebesglück, D.933 [7:57]
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
3 Mélodies, Op.85
16. 2. La fleur qui va sur l'eau [2:05]
Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903)
Mörike-Lieder
17. 47. Die Geister am Mummelsee [3:51]
18. 42. Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens [1:31]
19. 45. Nixe Binsefuss [2:20]
Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955)
3 chansons - Extraites de "La petite Sirène" d'Andersen
20. 1. Chanson des Sirènes [1:30]
3 chansons - Extraites de "La petite Sirène" d'Andersen
21. 2. Berceuse de la Sirène [1:09]
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Schilflied, Op.71, No.4
22. "Auf dem Teich, dem regungslosen, weilt des Mondes "Auf [2:59]
Anna Prohaska, Eric Schneider
Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)
King Arthur, or The British Worthy (1691)
Act 4
23. Two Daughters (Syrens) [2:10]
John Dowland (1562 - 1626)
Second Booke of Songes, 1600
24. 3. Sorrow, stay [2:59]
Anna Prohaska, Simon Martyn-Ellis
Antonín Dvorák (1841 - 1904)
Rusalka, Op.114
Act 1
25. Mesicku na nebi hlubokém [4:57]
Anna Prohaska, Eric Schneider
Gregorian Chant
26. Ave maris stella [2:09]
Anna Prohaska

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9463 9 GH

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ROSSINI Stabat Mater

Posted: October 28th, 2011, 5:38pm MDT

After his hugely successful release of Verdi’s Requiem a year ago, Pappano stakes his claim to another Italian choral masterwork in Rossini’s Stabat Mater and the results are magnificent. Pappano, in fact, sees the Stabat Mater as a forerunner of the Verdi Requiem saying, “The desperation and the drama is already there”. And how! As with Verdi’s Requiem any conductor has to make his decision about whether this is a work of spiritual devotion or operatic drama. Pappano nails his colours to the mast from the outset: he sees this as a work of red-blooded Italian passion, a natural successor to Rossini’s operas. Listening to it I only once felt drawn towards the devotional: everywhere else Italian passion courses and burns through this work, and it is all the better for it!
Pappano drives the music forwards with red-blooded vigour but it never sounds coarse. After the eerie opening the main chorus and quartet beat with strident fervour, and the control of both orchestra and soloist in Pro peccatis is energetic and purposeful. The Inflammatus is hair-raising and the final fugue utterly electrifying. Only in the final quartet, Quando corups morietur, did I feel him drawn more towards the devotional end of things, but this was welcome in the midst of the surrounding drama. The orchestra play for him like gods, utterly in tune with his concept of the piece and finer, even, than they were in the Verdi Requiem. He has done a wonderful job with them since taking over as their director and this disc is their finest achievement to date.
We are lucky indeed that Pappano can tempt such a starry line-up of soloists to join him in Rome. Anna Netrebko gives her all in a hell-for-leather account. I’ve never been convinced by Netrebko as a bel canto singer, but that isn’t a problem here as she wears her heart on her sleeve like a true Romantic. She also blends well with her companions, though, most especially Joyce DiDonato in the Quis est homo. DiDonato’s voice carries beautiful purity in contrast to Netrebko’s lustrous silkiness and her Fac, ut portem really pulls on the heartstrings. Lawrence Brownlee has a marvellous ring to his voice, rising to a great climax in the Cujus animam but blending into the ensembles well, while Ildebrando d’Arcangelo brings dark grandeur to the bass solos, most notably the Pro peccatis.
The Santa Cecilia chorus sing magnificently too, most especially in the unaccompanied Eja Mater, and their vocal colour burns with unmistakably Italian energy. If you want the Stabat Mater as a prayer then look somewhere else, but I found this disc absolutely enthralling: after the final bars had stormed out of my speakers I even found myself letting out an involuntary “bravo”! An excellent release and yet another feather in the cap of all the performers. (Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International)

Gioachino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
Stabat Mater
1) Stabat Mater dolorosa (Introduction) [9:27]
2) Cujus animam gementem [6:16]
3) Quis est homo [6:20]
4) Pro peccatis suae gentis [4:44]
5) Eja, Mater, fons amoris [4:32]
6) Sancta Mater, istud agas [7:17]
7) Fac, ut portem Christi mortem [4:35]
8) Inflammatus et accensus [4:44]
9) Quando corpus morietur [4:16]
10) Amen. In sempiterna saecula [5:44]
Anna Netrebko
Joyce DiDonato
Lawrence Brownlee
Ildebrando d'Arcangelo
Antonio Pappano
Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

2010 EMI Classics
1 CD DDD
64052922

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Gidon Kremer - Kremerata Baltica HYMNS AND PRAYERS

Posted: October 25th, 2011, 4:55pm MDT

Listened to ‘blind’ this is a rather odd programme. Concert programmes often slip in a ‘modern’ work between a more popular or familiar set of ticket-selling masterpieces, but in this case the better known César Franck finds himself sandwiched between recent compositions. Gidon Kremer and ECM know what they are doing however, and while the character of the newer works contrasts sharply with the Franck Piano Quintet, the general sentiment and genre is one of tonal romanticism.
Yugoslavian born composer Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer’s piece is a commemoration of a film director: Eight Hymns in memoriam Andrei Tarkovsky. The piece is haunting in atmosphere - literally. My first thought on hearing the work was to turn down the lights, light some candles, and read something spooky. There is a good deal of very expressive writing here, but without access points it’s sometimes not easy to tell where each hymn starts and finishes - the music runs without stopping. I particularly like the chorale section, but wonder why its first manifestation starting at 6:05 is also its strongest. For a start I would have done without the breaks in this marvellous material at 7:19 and 8:25, allowing the chorale to build forever, or at least until everyone had melted entirely into their seats. In this world of cut and paste I would probably have placed the less distinct later material earlier to extend its development, but there is a logic to the progression of the whole which the composer can no doubt argue convincingly. I just think he’s missed a trick. My only real problem with the piece is that it has an inchoate feel - a sense of restraint imposed: a feel of effect rather than the true development which the material in the piece could have seen, could still see grow in substance and blossom into something world-shaking.
Leaping over the Franck for a moment, Giya Kancheli wrote the piece on this disc for the occasion of the 80th birthday of Mstislav Rostropovich and the 60th birthday of Gidon Kremer in 2007. After Rostropovich died in that same year, the composer entitled the recently completed work “Silent Prayer.” ECM fans will no doubt already have come across Kancheli’s name, and may know his knack for creating atmosphere and drama. The first thing which hits you with this piece is the pre-recorded singing of Sofia Altunashvili, which coincides with a ghostly and surrealist effect with the performers - the sound of a fragile voice projected on a vast screen behind the instruments like a timeless black-and-white film. The music is not all gentle and quiet restraint, and there are some dramatic climaxes. There is a bass guitar which adds its own ‘groove’ here and there, and there is a big-boned section at 15:05 which has real Nymanesque drive, something Kancheli seems reluctant to extend beyond a few seconds. He keeps things relatively simple, building and dropping build-ups with Bruckner-like gestures, chasing up and down with scales in contrary motion and adding little elements of salon music familiarity or colours which would fit easily into a Hollywood movie. Despite giving the impression of being able to lose a fair bit of weight in terms of its duration, Silent Prayer remains nothing less than a fascinating aural spectre-cle.
The central work in this programme, César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor, is one of the first chamber pieces Gidon Kremer’s repertoire. He first performed it in Latvia at the age of 16, and it also pops up in the first volume of his ECM ‘Edition Lockenhaus’ with a powerful 1984 performance by Alexandre Rabinovitch and a quartet which doesn’t include Kremer but does include two of the Hagen family. It may have something to do with the works context between its contemporary bedfellows on this CD, but hearing it here seems to emphasise those elements which have had their electrifying effect on composers since. It comes across as a contemporary work, a sustained expressive statement ‘in stile romantico’. Having this aspect of a work from the not so dim but distant past pointed out in this way is a good thing, making it vibrant, unexpected, alive and relevant. There are a fair few decent recordings of this ‘king of piano quintets’, and you could do worse than punt for Christina Oriz and the Fine Arts Quartet on Naxos, but this performance is pretty special - passionate and deeply committed, without being overheated or overcooked in terms of rubati. The music is presented with attractive transparency and a moving sense of flow and grace.
This is a typically unusual ECM disc, and I would especially urge those with an angst for contemporary music to try it. The Franck is a rich but deeply rewarding filling to what might seem a ‘modern’ sandwich, but the outer works are special and memorable - at times jaw-droppingly beautiful, and always performed with infectious conviction by the musicians of Kremerata Baltica. The recording is detailed and resonant at the same time, with ECM’s usual fine quality of presentation. (MusicWeb International)

Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer [1963 - )
1) Eight Hymns
In memoriam Andrei Tarkovsky (1986/2004)[11:47]
I. Calmo
II. Tranquillo
III. Pesante
IV. Sereno
V. Molto tranquillo
VI. Pregando
VII. Dolce
VIII. Molto semplice
César Franck (1822 - 1890)
Piano Quintet in f minor (1878/79)
2) I. Molto moderato quasi lento. Allegro [15:55]
3) II. Lento, con molto sentimento [10:45]
4) III. Allegro non troppo, ma con fuoco [8:40]
Giya Kancheli (1935 - )
5) Silent Prayer (2007) [26:40]

Gidon Kremer, violin
The Kremerata Baltica
Roman Kofman, conductor
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
Andrei Pushkarev, vibraphone
Marija Nemanytė, violin
Maxim Rysanov, viola
Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė, violoncello
Sofia Altunashvili, voice on tape

2010 ECM Records GmbH
1 CD DDD
ECM 2161
476 3912

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Hilary Hahn - Valentina Lisitsa CHARLES IVES Four Sonatas

Posted: October 23rd, 2011, 1:28pm MDT

Charles Ives wrote many memorable works, but the first of his compositions I ever heard was his set of lyrical and evocative sonatas for violin and piano. Something about the way they juxtaposed melodies—some familiar, some not—with unexpected harmonies and rhythmic themes captivated me. At the outset I was particularly drawn to Ives’s Third Sonata, so when I was assembling my next recital program with my duo partner Valentina Lisitsa, that piece was a natural choice.
When we got our hands on the sheet music, we attempted to read through it. That effort quickly stalled. Ives’s music may sound at times transparent, but his notation turned out to be tremendously complex, filled with exacting markings for accents, articulations, disjointed dynamics, rhythmic intricacies, and changes of tempo. Clearly Ives knew what he wanted at every point—and he wanted to make sure his performers would know, too. Squinting together at the piano score, Valentina and I struggled to understand which notes went together with which, where phrases began and ended, and how to produce the expression Ives wanted while at the same time playing the notes he had written. It felt like we were deciphering a musical code that was only vaguely familiar. As we attended one by one to the details, however, the big picture of each movement and then of the whole sonata emerged as if of its own accord.
A piece of music eventually has to get out onstage, in front of audiences, for its performers to see its true colors. That time came for us in 2008, when we took Ives’s Third Sonata on tour around the world. The more we played it for various audiences, the more the details and refinements Ives wrote into his score became ingrained in our musical consciousness, and the freer we became to explore additional expressive possibilities. Since we were attempting different approaches with every concert, the piece became for us a shape-shifter: always evolving, ever intriguing. All along the way, audiences—for whom this century-old sonata was a new discovery—let us know that they would welcome more Ives.
So we returned the following season with a tour program that featured the remaining Ives sonatas (nos. 1, 2, and 4). Performing three of the four on one concert was terrific. We could sink into the similarities among them while having fun playing up the differences. What is remarkable about Ives’s writing from an interpretive perspective is the sense it gives that something tangible and interesting is always happening, or has just happened, or is about to happen. That may seem inconsequential, but, for a performer, that makes the music a pleasure to play night after night: expression can take any number of turns at any given moment.
Late in that second tour, realizing how attached we had become to these four sonatas, Valentina and I began planning this recording. Ultimately, in June 2010, we reconvened in upstate New York for four days to immerse ourselves in the musical world Ives had created. Recording sessions, monomaniacally focused, have the power to drain one’s enthusiasm for even the most touching and carefully crafted pieces. But for us, these sonatas never flagged. Their brooding, plotted beauty, their wit, their quicksilver modernity, and the dreams they evoke of a changing time and place, drew us through every hour. As we release this album, Valentina and I hope that the many virtues of the Ives sonatas will come through clear and heartfelt, and that listeners will join us in our affection for these rich and original pieces for violin and piano. (Hilary Hahn 9/2011)

Charles Ives (1874 - 1954)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1
1. 1. Andante - Allegro vivace [6:08]
2. 2. Largo cantabile [5:56]
3. 3. Allegro [8:06]
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2
4. 1. Autumn. Adagio maestoso - Allegro moderato [5:10]
5. 2. In the Barn. Presto - Allegro moderato [4:03]
6. 3. The Revival. Largo - Allegretto [3:18]
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.3
7. 1. Adagio (Verse I) - Andante (Verse II) - Allegretto (Verse III) - Adagio (Last Verse) [12:21]
8. 2. Allegro [3:30]
9. 3. Adagio (Cantabile) - Andante con spirito [8:02]
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.4 "Children's Day At The Camp Meeting"
10. 1. Allegro [2:04]
11. 2. Largo - Allegro (con slugarocko) [4:50]
12. 3. Allegro [1:43]

Hilary Hahn, violin
Valentina Lisitsa, piano

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9435

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The Hilliard Ensemble THOMAS TALLIS The Lamentations Of Jeremiah

Posted: October 20th, 2011, 3:20pm MDT

I remember first hearing The Lamentations of Jeremiah of Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) as performed by the Deller Consort on an old Vanguard LP. Needless to say, my fifteen-year-old ears were awestruck by the ache of their eponymous emotion. In the hands (or should I say mouths?) of the Hilliard Ensemble the music of Tallis has become something else entirely. What the Deller recording displayed in brooding sensibility, the Hilliards have matched tenfold in the sheer expanse of their craft and in the ways in which that craft unfurls in a realm of earthly care. Composed during the latter half of the sixteenth century, the Lamentations are of the utmost spiritual refinement. Yet Tallis scholar Paul Doe asserts that the Lamentations “were not conceived as church music at all, but rather for private recreational singing by loyal Catholics.” Nevertheless, their masterful shifts in harmony and register make for a challenging “recreation” to say the least. Tallis has forged a delicate balance between each vocal line, and recreating this balance requires astute attention to many intricacies beyond the printed score. This the Hilliards pull off with dutiful concentration in a fluid and precise performance. The sheer sense of continuity and retrograde motion in these motets lends itself well to the shape and mood of their source texts. Each voice is clearly heard, rising intermittently above the others in slow waves in one of the most stunning examples of polyphony ever composed.
A languid tenor line spins the second setting into a gorgeous tapestry and intensifies the sonic textures. Here, Tallis constructs his voices much like cells: each one seems to subdivide until it develops into a living, breathing organism in its own right. Bodies individuate, shedding skin and emotional excess. In this pollinated space the Hilliards display an almost intuitive control of dynamics, and the way they ease into minor-to-major shifts at the ends of phrases is a perfect example of their ability to restrain at near silence, letting syllables breathe on their own without losing any harmonic tension. And perhaps this is exactly what these cells are: “pure” morphemes building into larger texts that become more recognizable with age. By the end they have successfully rendered the words of God’s subjects, who themselves interpret audible impulses of spiritual awareness into concrete blocks of meaning to be transcribed and notated by the faithful composer living through the religico-musical gesture alone. In this manner Tallis caresses the text, laying his hands upon the words with every note, and in doing so lays them also upon the listener. For this recording of the Lamentations the Hilliards have used a score tuned to modern pitch—which requires a deeper, more demanding sound palette—avoiding the pitfalls that transposed renditions often create when breaching into soprano territory. The countertenor is ideally suited to the haunting quality of the work, and in this regard David James paints a lower ceiling toward which the other voices may waft.
After these juggernauts come Salvator mundi and O sacrum convivium, two shorter motets that pave the way for the monumental Mass for Four Voices. In these pieces the alto line becomes more than a thread, but a thick, heavy cord that anchors the music down with its gravid faith. The music climbs and waits in the rafters to breathe in preparation for the Mass-ive descent to follow. Where the Lamentations are a tightly meshed macramé, in the Mass they resemble a lattice through which the wind blows freely. The voices are like water caught in a cove—sometimes they crash against the rocks; others they trickle between them, eddying in eroded pockets, splitting in infinitesimal directions. As such, they remain divinely ordered, flowing to the rhythm of some invisible articulation that can only be implied through the sounds of the sea, the trickle of a stream, the rush of a geyser, the tranquil violence of a waterfall.
This album represents a collection of music that has been “left behind,” having survived centuries of upheaval. In order to be heard and experienced, it must be transmitted from paper to voice, from materiality to intangibility, from the mundane to the sacred, only to be reinscribed onto a compact disc and sold as a commodity. Either way, the music outlives its creator. From the opening strains of the Lamentations to the harmonic gumbo of the closing Absterge Domine, we are treated to a veritable feast of sounds upon which the mind and body may gorge in abstract mastication. The recording is flawless—with just enough sheen from the highs and a touch of earthly muddiness in the lows—and couched in just the right amount of reverb. David James never fails to amaze throughout, while the two tenors (and Rogers Covey-Crump in particular) outdo themselves in the Mass. Like a freshly broken geode, the music they create surprises with its inner wealth. Its intense complexity and dissonant grinds make its moments of resolution all the more breathtaking. Those unsettling harmonies shake the listener down to the feet, underscoring the fallibility of the body. They also characterize the turbulent era in which Tallis lived, marking humanity at the center of music that is otherwise ecclesiastical. In listening to this disc one loses all sense of time and place, and in doing so begins to latch on to whatever individual voices are discernible from this beautifully ordered cacophony. The sheer variety of color shifts is beyond comprehension: it seems inconceivable that one could sit at a piano or organ and pluck these sounds from the ether. It is a music of dreams, of visions, and I daresay a music of divine inspiration. As such it lays itself bare as a supremely constructed object, though like any object it can be used to create magic. With all the formative elements nested in this world—earth, water, wind, air, fire—this music reminds us that, to that list, we must also add: light. (ECM Reviews /May 16, 2010)

Thomas Tallis (1505 - 1585)
The Lamentations of Jeremiah
1) Incipit lamentatio [8:42]
2) De lamentatione [12:51]
3) Salvator mundi [2:45]
4) O sacrum convivium [3:42]
Mass for Four Voices
5) Gloria [5:39]
6) Credo [5:41]
7) Sanctus [2:54]
8) Benedictus [2:33]
9) Agnus Dei [3:57]
10) Absterge Domine [5:29]

The Hilliard Ensemble

1987 ECM Records GmbH
1 CD DDD
ECM 1341

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Boulez SCHOENBERG Pelleas and Melisande

Posted: October 17th, 2011, 10:35pm MDT

Only three years separate the first sketches of Arnold Schoenberg's only symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5 from the string sextet Verklärte Nacht of 1899; yet in some ways the distance traveled during this brief span is greater than that traveled by many composers during an entire lifetime. While the musical roots of Pelleas are, by and large, the same as those of the sextet—the most immediate being debts to the underlying "Leitmotiv" techniques of Wagner and the surface-level luxuriousness of Richard Strauss' own tone-poems—the contrapuntal web that Schoenberg weaves in Pelleas is so dense and of such chromatic complexity that the music is transfigured into something wholly new. To be sure, Pelleas is not an entirely successful score: the manner in which tonal and hyper-chromatic idioms interact throughout the score is perhaps not as fluid and natural as it had been in Verklärte Nacht, and the piece sometimes runs the risk of collapsing under its own weight. But during the early twentieth century, Schoenberg's musical language was developing at so rapid a pace that he could scarcely keep up with himself, and it is entirely understandable that, in his effort to give birth to such a remarkably new style of musical expression, he would overstretch himself a bit; before the decade was out, the path to which Pelleas clearly points had been followed, with consequences that would shape an entire century of music.
In 1902, Debussy's opera based on Materlinck's Pelleas and Melisande was hot off the press; Schoenberg, however, had no knowledge whatsoever of the French composer's effort, and proceeded to plan his own opera after the play. He rapidly discarded this plan in favor of a purely instrumental study of the work, feeling that his emerging style would be better served if the music were allowed to shape its own course in a way that a strictly text-derived work could never do. The rich scoring of Pelleas reflects the same late Romantic tendency towards inflation that marks the nearly contemporaneous scoring of Gurrelieder: 17 woodwind players, 18 brass, more than a half dozen percussionists, and a reinforced contingent of strings and harps are all on call. Pelleas und Melisande is cast as a single large body of music, in which the four traditional symphonic movements are still vaguely discernable, but which puts more stress on the myriad structural and expressive possibilities that result from juxtaposing several levels of motivic detail than on the well-worn shadows of "arbitrary" formal outlines.
And so, after the sober, chromatic melody that begins the narrative, we are offered a tragic theme representing the beautiful Melisande and an energetic, soaring Pelleas theme. Like Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas draws a large-scale D minor tonality; on the local scale, however, it is even more chromatically far-flung. From time to time, more conventionally "Romantic" passages crop up, such as the love scene that appears as a kind of adagio movement. The epilogue, in which Schoenberg reflects on the death of Melisande, is a masterstroke, as is the final, resigned descent back into D minor. (All Music Guide)

Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
Tristan und Isolde, Act 1
1. Prelude to Act 1
Arnold Schoenberg (1874 - 1951)
Pelleas und Melisande op.5
2. Die Achtel ein wenig bewegt - zögernd
3. Heftig
4. Ciff. 9: Lebhaft
5. Ciff. 16: Sehr rasch
6. Ciff. 33: Ein wenig bewegt
7. Ciff. 36: Langsam
8. Ciff. 43: Ein wenig bewegter
9. Ciff. 50: Sehr langsam
10. Ciff 55: Etwas bewegt
11. Ciff. 59: In gehender Bewegung
12. Ciff. 62: Breit

Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester
Pierre Boulez

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9347 2

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Wendy Sutter - Dante Anzolini - Orchestra of the Americas PHILIP GLASS Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1

Posted: October 15th, 2011, 6:48am MDT

In this new recording, Philip Glass' 2001 Cello Concerto No.1 gets a vivid and exciting new interpretation by cellist Wendy Sutter, with conductor Dante Anzolini, and the Orchestra of the Americas. Glass' concerto was previously recorded by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic with Julian Lloyd Webber under Gerard Schwarz. The piece was composed in 2001 and premiered in Beijing with Lloyd Webber, however Glass couldn't attend because of travel fears immediately following the terror attacks in New York. Eventually, seven years later, Glass finally heard his concerto performed live at its United States premiere in La Jolla with Wendy Sutter and the La Jolla Symphony under Steven Schick. The concerto has since found a second life with Sutter performing the piece in Belgium, Holland, at the Cabrillo Festival of Music under Marin Alsop, and on tour in South America with the Orchestra of the Americas. It was on this tour, in Quito Ecuador that this Michael Riesman produced recording was made.
The divergent paths chosen by minimalism's pioneers in later life are endlessly fascinating. Philip Glass has chosen to interpret minimalism in the most populist way, finding widespread performances for many of his ten concertos for solo instrument and orchestra. Whether or not you like these works is likely to depend on what you thought of Glass in the first place, but what's intriguing about them is the way they derive the impression of historical styles from Glass' basic arpeggios and large areas of harmonic stasis. Several of the concertos have explored the affinity between minimalism and the Baroque; this cello concerto is a nifty three-movement work in which late Romantic style -- think Dvorák -- is drawn out of typical Glass material in several different ways. Sample the opening movement, where the cello part (mostly intertwined with the orchestra rather than aggressively soloistic) evolves from arpeggio into melody, punctuated by stopping points and various gestures. This concerto had the bad fortune to have its premiere planned for October 2001; the premiere went ahead in China, but the U.S. premiere did not take place until 2007, with the present cellist, Wendy Sutter, as the soloist. She has championed several of Glass' works and is well attuned to his style. The concerto stands alone on this disc, resulting in a sparse sub-34-minute program, but Glass fans will enjoy it. The sound, recorded at the Casa de la Música in Quito, Ecuador, displays the attention to detail common to most of the releases on Glass' Orange Mountain Music label despite the remote location. (James Manheim, Rovi)

Philip Glass (1937 - )
1. Movement I [10:15]
2. Movement II [14:24]
3. Movement III [7:09]

Orchestra of the Americas
Dante Anzolini, conductor
Wendy Sutter, cello

2011 Orange Mountain Music
1 CD DDD
OMM0076

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ONSLOW Quatuor Diotima

Posted: October 13th, 2011, 10:00pm MDT

Fans of the string quartets by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Mendelssohn should by all means try this disc of string quartets by George Onslow. British-born and Bohemian-trained composer spent most of his career in France, and aside from their tonal language and their four-movement structure, his quartets have little in common with his German contemporaries. In fact, they have little in common with the music of his French contemporaries, who concentrated mostly on stage works. But in these overwhelming persuasive performances by the Quatuor Diotima, Onslow's quartets come across as fully formed, wholly confident, and enormously expressive works. There is tremendous power in the fast movements: the rip-roaring Scherzo, from his "D minor Quartet, Op. 55"; immense pathos in the slow movements: the heartbreaking Andante con variazioni from the "E flat Quartet, Op. 54"; and awesome intensity in the opening movements: the monumental Allegro maestoso ed espressivo from the "C minor Quartet, Op. 56." Like the Quatuor Diotima's earlier recording of Lucien Durosoir's completely different but entirely compelling quartets, this disc will hopefully serve to introduce these splendid works to music lovers who might ordinarily ignore them. Naïve's digital sound is crisp yet evocative. (James Leonard, Rovi)

George Onslow (1784-1853)
String Quartet No. 28 in E flat major Op. 54
1) Introduzione. Adagio - Allegro moderato
2) "Preghiera". Andante con variazioni
3) Scherzo. Allegro
4) Finale, Allegro non troppo
String Quartet No. 29 in D minor Op. 55
5) Allegro
6) Scherzo. Presto
7) Adagio cantabile
8) Finale. Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 30 in C minor Op, 56
9) Allegro maestoso ed espressivo
10) Minuetto. Moderato
11) Adagio cantabile e sostenuto
12) Finale. Vivace

Quatuor Diotima:
Yun-Peng Zhao, violin
Naaman Sluchin, violin
Franck Chevalier, viola
Pierre Morlet, cello

2009 naïve
1 CD DDD
V 5200

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Joanna Kurkowicz BACEWICZ Violin Concertos Nos. 2, 4 and 5

Posted: October 11th, 2011, 9:00pm MDT

Grażyna Bacewicz, a distinguished Polish composer of the twentieth century and anaccomplished violinist and pianist, bridges the gap between the neo-romanticism of Karol Szymanowski and the modernism of Witold Lutosławski. Despite her premature death, at the age of fifty-nine, she left an impressive oeuvre of more than 200 compositions, including four symphonies, seven violin concertos, seven string quartets, and five sonatas for violin and piano, as well as concertos for piano and numerous works for both chamber orchestra and full orchestra.
The recording of Bacewicz’s Violin Concertos Nos 2, 4, and 5 is similar to that of Violin Concertos Nos 1, 3, and 7 (CHAN 10533) in that it comprises three stylistically diverse concertos. Written over the period of ten years between 1945 and 1955, they display the contrasting influences that formed Bacewicz’s compositional idiom. Following the example of the previous volume, this disc uncovers hidden gems of music – works that, once presented to a broader audience, could easily become favourites.
The centrepiece of the recording, Violin Concerto No. 4, was written in 1951 and dedicated to her violin teacher, Józef Jarzębski, a prominent Polish pedagogue. The concerto has quite a monumental character: it is a full-fledged symphonic work whose rich instrumentation includes a beautiful display of brass chords as well as sweeping lines within the strings in the concerto’s tutti sections. These tuttis demonstrate that, had she lived longer, Grażyna Bacewicz might have become one of the great symphonists of her time.
It is clear that, compositionally, Bacewicz wanted to write a big violin concerto with a definite leader (the solo violin) which is always positioned above the orchestra – a protagonist rather than an equal partner.
Violin Concerto No. 4 has a very powerful emotional content. One may sometimes hear hints of Russian influences in the grandioso approach to the orchestral material, or even in the melodic contour of the solo line, as in the beautiful main theme of the first movement. When not sweet and lyrical, the music becomes very dark – particularly in the orchestral parts – or, sometimes,
especially expressive – as in the short and unconventional cadenza in the second movement.
This concerto is technically brilliant and offers many opportunities for the soloist to shine, notably in the cadenzas of each of the three movements, and in fact in the entire third movement which is strikingly virtuosic. Polish folk material is used a few times in this dance-like Vivace. In the Andante tranquillo, as in her other slow movements, Grażyna Bacewicz creates a unique atmosphere that for me personally often brings to mind familiar feelings or images of the Polish landscape. But in as much as Violin Concerto No. 3 exudes an air of Polish folk culture, Violin Concerto No. 4 shows signs that it wants to escape from it. It is more European or cosmopolitan. Violin Concerto No. 5 is even further removed from the Polish aura. I can sense almost immediately that Bacewicz had been exposed to the Parisian school of composition, and perhaps to the influence of Nadia Boulanger. Now she was open to new ideas and experiments. That new approach is quite striking in the Andante, which starts with mysterious pianissimo bitonal chords in the orchestral strings. The colour palette here is delicate and impressionistic, the use of dynamics very effective. The solo violin part wanders around – sometimes soloistic, sometimes as an airy counterpoint to a glamorous horn melody. It is one of Bacewicz’s most sophisticated slow movements. The folk motifs are this time scattered around in the first and third movements, but while previously Bacewicz had been proud to incorporate these motifs very openly, now she only hints at folk style as one of many threads in her outstanding instrumentation. The language of the whole concerto is more modern than that of any of the preceding concertos. The melodic line is contemporary, not linear but vertical in its approach. It seems as though Bacewicz is on her way towards the inventiveness of Violin Concerto No. 7. The breath of fresh ‘new’ air is felt throughout. I wonder about Violin Concerto No. 6, which survives in manuscript but which Bacewicz never performed and never published. How does it sound? It is a mystery I hope one day to solve.
Violin Concerto No. 2 was written in 1945. It is abundant in relentless energy. A visceral simplicity seems to be the important element here. The opening Allegro ma non troppo is definitely a tour de force for the violinist. Millions of fast notes, or so it seems, run at incredible speed. It almost feels as though Bacewicz is a composer here and now, expressing the cruel features of our times: speed, haste, and the chasing of something, no matter what. The perpetual motion seems never to end, and there is yet a long, fabulous cadenza, which at times reminds me of the first movement, ‘Obsession’, of Eugène Ysaÿe’s Solo Violin Sonata No. 2. Then comes repose, at least for a moment: the heavenly, gorgeous Andante. It longs for something –nostalgia – or is perhaps simply an afterthought, a thing of pure beauty. Yet another energetic thirdmovement, with cascades of semiquavers, this time in 6 / 8 metre, breaks the silence. Bacewicz is surely obsessed with the motion of fast notes. ‘I run, not walk. I speak fast, even my pulse beats faster than normal, and I was born two months premature’, she used to say. It is evident here, the music exemplary of her style.
The project to record all the published violin concertos of Grażyna Bacewicz (Nos 1, 3, and 7 in Volume One and Nos 2, 4, and 5 in Volume Two) has been for me a tremendous journey through the incredible music of this fascinating composer. It has also been a journey that put me in touch with my Polish heritage. It proved deeply personal, and satisfying on many levels. I hope that violinists around the world will take up these concertos and that listeners will enjoy them. They are like rare stones. You have to find them, but once found they prove to shine brilliantly.
I would like to thank Łukasz Borowicz, Bogna Kowalska and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw, my sound engineers, Gabriela Blicharz and Lech Dudzik, and of course Ralph Couzens and Chandos Records. They made it happen. (2011, Joanna Kurkowicz)

Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
premiere recordings

Concerto No. 4 for Violin and Orchestra (1951)
1) I Allegro non troppo - Poco meno (non troppo) - Poco più - Tempo I - Cadenza - [Tempo I] [11:12]
2) II Andante tranquillo [8:00]
3) III Vivace - Poco meno mosso - Poco avvivando - Tempo I - Poco meno - Tempo I [7:22]
Concerto No. 5 for Violin and Orchestra (1954)
4) I Deciso - Più mosso - Poco meno (ma non troppo) - Poco a poco avvivando - [9:20]
5) II Andante - Molto tranquillo - Espressivo - Meno mosso - Tempo I - Meno mosso (Tempo II) - [7:47]
6) III Vivace - Energico - Meno mosso (ma non troppo ) - Tempo I [5:28]
Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra (1945)
7 I Allegro ma non troppo - Cadenza - [Tempo I] [14:18]
8 II Andante [6:29]
9 III Vivo [10:05]

Joanna Kurkowicz, violin
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Lukasz Borowicz

2011 Chandos Records Ltd
1 CD DDD
CHAN 10673

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Esa-Pekka Salonen STRAVINSKY Le Sacre du printemps

Posted: October 11th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

A delicious irony links the seemingly disparate names of Igor Stravinsky and Walt Disney, extending back well over six decades. In 1938 the Russian composer, his renown well established by a string of startling masterpieces in which the notorious Rite of Spring of 1913 held an ancestral position, was approached by the Disney Studios for permission to use that fearsome work in an innovative high-cultural venture. It was to be a classical-music-omnibus animated film called Fantasia, with Stravinsky’s music standing cheek-by-jowl with masterworks by Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky and – coincidentally – a hoked-up version of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. Disney’s offer, by the way, made clear the fact that, since works by Russian composers were unprotected by copyright in the United States, it would make no difference if Stravinsky should decide to withhold permission – which, in the event, he did not.
To the composer’s further discomfiture, the Disney version of The Rite was cut back from the original 32 minutes to about 20 and tricked out with a scenario that replaced the original pagan dance ritual with a panorama of dinosaurs, volcanoes and terrestrial upheavals. Stravinsky, needless to say, was rendered livid by the abuse of his masterwork, an insult only intensified by Disney’s ludicrous offer, as palliative fee, of a paltry $5,000. Infinitely more satisfactory was the restitution six decades later, when the searing, throbbing strains of The Rite of Spring – every note in place this time as Stravinsky had conceived them – resounded through the welcoming new space of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, magnificently endowed by Disney’s widow Lillian to the City of Los Angeles.
Esa-Pekka Salonen was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s proud conductor on that inaugural night in October 2003. When the final strains of Stravinsky’s mighty phantasmagoria had receded, he came onstage to share, with architect Frank Gehry and acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota, the triumphant dedication of one of the world’s truly great structures for the arts. With the coming of Disney Hall, a city proverbially lacking a center had blossomed into one with a downtown that everybody wanted to see, to visit, to become a part of. And Salonen himself, during the long, sometimes frustrating, years of building, planning, postponement and completion, had himself become enmeshed in this process and allowed it to govern his own future. “To be completely honest,” he said after the inaugural, “I worked hard trying to get the hall built. Now it’s there and I want to enjoy the harvest. People ask how I reconcile the distance between L.A. and the European culture of my upbringing. But I find it liberating.”
Some two years later – before another capacity Disney audience and, on this occasion, Deutsche Grammophon’s microphones – the sonic miracle repeats itself, as the climactic event in a vibrant program of three major works which share a fascinating history of emergence through struggle. St. John’s Night on Bald Mountain, Modest Mussorgsky’s first and only tone-poem, has only achieved acclaim in its true orchestral form more than a century after it was written. Béla Bartók’s pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin so enraged German authorities at its world premiere in 1926 that it had to be withdrawn after a single performance. (Bartók extracted the concert suite performed here – essentially the first two-thirds of the score – two years later for Budapest, which had to wait until 1945 to see the scandalous piece staged.) And at the end there’s The Rite of Spring, whose familiar story of mass condemnation and eventual mass acclamation – in which, let’s face it, even Disney’s butchery played a role – rings gloriously in the annals of musical criticism.
There is a further connection, Esa-Pekka Salonen notes, that links these extraordinary works. “All three have a coarse, crude vitality that relates to their place of origin: Eastern Europe, not at all shaped by the more formal designs of the German or Austrian symphonic tradition. The Russian folk rhythms of Mussorgsky and Stravinsky share quite a lot of background. And the irregular folk rhythms that Bartók studied and notated in Hungary are cut from the same cloth. All this music has a wonderful primitive slash which – I needn’t add – seems exactly right in our new Walt Disney Concert Hall.”
Concert audiences worldwide are convinced that they know Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain; nine times out of ten, they’re wrong. The best-known concert work by that title is actually a pastiche glued together by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. What Rimsky did in this case was to take fragments from a tone-poem by Mussorgsky which, with all its rough edges, added up to a bright and powerful musical portrayal, running some 13 minutes, of the traditional Witches’ Sabbath of Eastern European legend. Rimsky combined shards of this music with material from other Mussorgsky works, including the delightful folk opera Sorochintsï Fair, brought in a musical rooster-call and a happy sunrise to end proceedings on a brighter tone. (The Disney version goes even further, with a segue to Schubert’s Ave Maria.) Mussorgsky’s original orchestral work did not see publication until 1968, 101 years after its composition.
Post-Armistice Budapest afforded little security to the struggling Bartók. By 1918 the young composer had a savage, slashing dance piece on his hands, involving an indomitable Mandarin and a violently passionate prostitute – and no hope of bringing it to performance. Only eight years later did the score achieve its premiere – in Cologne – and that was the start of its troubles. A chorus of whistles and catcalls greeted the work at the final curtain, and these were echoed the next day by another chorus of critics. None other than Konrad Adenauer, then the Oberbürgermeister of Cologne and later leader of post-1945 Germany, demanded the work’s immediate withdrawal; the violence of the music and the degradation so graphically depicted in the scenario apparently portended, in the eyes and ears of a 1926 Cologne audience, a return to the bad old days of The Rite of Spring’s premiere in Paris 13 years before.
That work by Stravinsky, indeed, continues to cast its mighty shadow over the musical world – through the 1920s and onward into our own time. How could it not – as that solo bassoon at the onset confronts our imagination with sounds never before heard or even imagined; as the gentle intertwining for winds of those first magical minutes are swept aside by the brutal stomping of strings turned percussion and – a truly amazing moment – the “Adoration of the Earth” near the end of Part 1, a gleam as of a centuries-deep pileup of harmonies, reduced to the edge of a deathlike silence before it erupts into the savage “Dance of the Earth”. Modern music, it has been often noted, began with The Rite of Spring. Even more remarkable is the sense that, hard upon its 100th year on this blessed earth, it still sounds like the most modern music there is. (Alan Rich)

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881)
1. A Night on the Bare Mountain [12:14]
Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945)
The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82, Sz. 73 (Op.19)
2. Suite [18:47]
Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971)
Le Sacre du Printemps
Revised version for Orchestra (published 1947)
Part 1: The Adoration of the Earth
3. 1. Introduction [3:16]
4. 2. The Harbingers of Spring, Dance of the Adolescents [3:11]
5. 3. Mock Abduction [1:17]
6. 4. Spring Rounds [3:56]
7. 5. Games of the Rival Tribes [1:46]
8. 6. Procession of the Sage [0:38]
9. The Sage [0:23]
10. Dance of the Earth [1:12]
Part 2: The Sacrifice
11. 1. Introduction [4:09]
12. 2. Mystical Circle of the Adolescents [3:10]
13. 3. Glorification of the Chosen One [1:28]
14. 4. Evocation of the Ancestors [0:42]
15. 5. Ritual of the Ancestors [3:30]
16. 6. Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One) [4:22]
Los Angeles PhilharmonicEsa-Pekka Salonen

2006 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, hamburg
1CD DDD
477 6198 3 GSA

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ESA-PEKKA SALONEN - LA Variations - Five Images After Sappho - Mania - Gambit - Giro

Posted: October 9th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

To know Esa-Pekka Salonen as a conductor who also composes is, as the booklet accompanying the first CD of his music says, ". . . to consider his story in reverse." But that's not entirely true, because the Salonen who heads the orchestra clearly informs the Salonen who writes music: in these pieces you can hear the icy grandeur of Sibelius, the eccentricity of Ligeti, the sparkle and bite of Stravinsky, the modal wash of Debussy, and even the "tonality" of Reich. From this distinguished roster (all of whom, with the exception of Reich, Salonen champions with brilliant results) comes music that is innovative without being obviously eclectic. Rather, it is clear, direct, and wholly original. This composer really knows his way around the orchestra--and what's more, he can write a melody.
The LA Variations is a 20-minute work for Salonen's own orchestra that teems with parental pride. Aside from being an enthusiastic meditation on life in L.A. (which we all know is fast and chaotic, but not without its laid-back side), Salonen riffs on fellow Finnish composer Sibelius, but with modernist eyes. And his orchestral innovation is endless: although you're convinced, especially during a moment halfway through when the percussion joins a frantic bass clarinet, that there is a tape component to this piece, there is not; it's just the consequence of a clever composer with a spectacular ear for his medium. The "Big Machine" portion of the work is relentless without being repetitive, a technique the composer uses to equal effect in the cello concerto Mania.
The Five Images After Sappho, gorgeously sung by Dawn Upshaw, are beautiful little song fragments in the spirit of the poet. Each is a little glimpse into a specific emotion, drawing on the modal pentatonic beauty of Debussy and the cool distance of Stravinsky (think Three Japanese Lyrics but more romantic). Salonen's ability to extract the sound of an entire orchestra from only 14 players is as baffling as his capacity to get his larger ensemble to sound lush and modern without sounding either "Hollywood-ish" or too dry.
Giro is the most modernist work on the disc, coming right out of the "spectral" school of another fellow countryman, Magnus Lindberg. Here, orchestral timbres bounce off one another to create non-orchestral sounds--voices, for example--which Salonen uses to striking effect. The ice-cold opening is stately and evocative of Sibelius, though Salonen uses this same device more successfully in Gambit. It's a piece that is at once playful and pensive (this duality might be the most Finnish of characteristics) and uses many of the now-defined Salonen musical traits: very clear and straightforward musical ideas, brilliantly orchestrated though not dependent on specific timbral effects to achieve their purpose. The pacing of the music is unpredictable in the best sense and doesn't lack for a sense of humor. When I heard that Salonen was scaling back his conducting efforts in order to concentrate on composing, it was with a feeling of sad loss. But now that this disc is available, here's to a nice long hiatus so he can give us more. (Daniel Felsenfeld)

Esa-Pekka Salonen (1958 - )
1) LA Variations [20:06]
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Five Images After Sapho
2) 1. Tell Everyone [2:06]
3) 2. Without Warning [3:33]
4) 3. I'ts No Use [3:17]
5) 4. The Evening Star [3:04]
6) 5. Wedding [7:55]
Dawn Upshaw, London Sinfonietta, Esa-Pekka Salonen
7) Giro, for orchestra [10:10]
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
8) Mania, for violoncello solo and ensemble [17:01]
Anssi Karttunen, London Sinfonietta, Esa-Pekka Salonen
9) Gambit, for orchestra [9:00]
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen

2001 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
1 CD DDD
SK 89158

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STEVE REICH WTC 9/11

Posted: October 7th, 2011, 12:15am MDT

Steve Reich's WTC 9/11 marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Commissioned for and recorded by Kronos Quartet, WTC 9/11 is scored for three string quartets and pre-recorded voices. The album also includes Reich's Mallet Quartet, performed by So Percussion, and Dance Patterns, featuring members of Steve Reich and Musicians, as well as a DVD with a live performance of Mallet Quartet by So Percussion.
WTC 9/11 reflects on the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001, when Reich and his family lived only four blocks away from the site of the tragedy. "On 9/11 we were in Vermont, but our son, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law were all in our apartment. Our phone connection stayed open for six hours and our next-door neighbors were finally able to drive north out of the city with their family and ours. For us, 9/11 was not a media event," the composer says.
The piece is scored for three string quartets; Kronos recorded all three parts for the album. WTC 9/11 also uses pre-recorded voices, the speakers' final vowels and consonants elongated in a stop-motion sound technique that Reich says is the "means of connecting one person to another-harmonically." Those voices and their texts belong to NORAD air traffic controllers, as they raised the alert that the airplanes were off course; FDNY workers on the scene; friends and former neighbors of the Reichs, recalling that day; and women who kept vigil, or Shmira, over the dead in a tent outside the Medical Examiner's office, reading Psalms or Biblical passages. The relationship between Steve Reich and Kronos Quartet spans more than 20 years. This is the third quartet the composer has written for Kronos; all three have been recorded by Nonesuch.
Mallet Quartet (2009), co-commissioned and performed by So Percussion, is scored for two vibraphones and two five-octave marimbas. The New York Times said of a Carnegie Hall performance: "So Percussion's energetic account...pointed up one of Mr. Reich's current modes of propulsion: a two-tiered approach in which the rhythmically repetitive backdrop that listeners hear as Minimalist (and as the music's distinctively Reichian signature) is offset by restless, melodically adventurous top lines. There were other contrasts here: the repeating figures, for marimbas, were dark and subdued, with a warm, wooden tone; the themes, played on vibraphones, were cool, bright and lively."
Dance Patterns (2002) is Reich's contribution to Thierry de Mey's film Counter Phrases of Anne Terese de Keersmaeker's Choreography, for which several composers wrote short pieces. While the film was shown, the music was performed live by the Ictus Ensemble, which commissioned all the music. Scored for vibraphones, xylophones, and pianos, Dance Patterns features members of Steve Reich and Musicians on the Nonesuch recording.

Steve Reich (1936 - )
WTC 9/11
1) I. 9/11
2) II. 2010
3) III. WTC
Mallet Quartet
4) I. Fast
5) II. Slow
6) III. Fast
7) Dance Patterns

Kronos Quartet
So Percussion
Steve Reich

2011 Nonesuch
1 CD DDD

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Robert Sadin ART OF LOVE Music of Machaut

Posted: October 4th, 2011, 6:38pm MDT

A conversation with Robert Sadin
How was this album conceived?
I had finished working on two major projects - Gershwin's World with Herbie Hancock and Alegría with Wayne Shorter - and was speaking with Chris Roberts.

Our conversation turned to David Munrow, whose early death was a great loss to this world. Munrow had a tremendous vitality - he mastered an astonishing array of instruments and devoted himself to bringing the treasures of medieval and Renaissance music to the awareness of today's listeners. His recordings have a vibrancy and a sense of adventure which no one who has heard them will ever forget.

Chris raised the intriguing idea of revisiting Munrow's great album "The Art of Courtly Love," which features the music of Machaut, Dufay and others. This struck a very responsive chord in me.
At about that time my colleague and long-time friend Charles Curtis was spending the summer in New York. Charles is an extraordinary musician whose intensity of presentation stems from his intense concentration.
We started thinking about this music, especially the music of Machaut. And soon we were embarked on a journey of exploration.
Tell us something about Guillaume de Machaut.
We know Machaut died in 1377 and was probably born around 1300. He lived in the time of the plague and the Hundred Years' War. He served as a secretary and aide to various noble figures including the King of France, but he was never employed as a musician. He was well-known as a poet and as a composer. He wrote the lyrics to all of his songs and his poetry had a great influence on later generations.
How much do we know about how his music was originally performed?
Not a lot. People who are devoted to reenacting this music in a literal way have to rely on re-mote clues, such as a painting of a singer whose neck muscles may hint at the type of tone pro-duced. Recent studies suggest that the performing style of the time was not as pristine or as "classical" as once was believed. In any case, we were looking for a far-reaching, free-form approach to the music.
The music on "Art of Love" sounds very much of the present time - how much Machaut is included in the final result?
We preserved every musical line that Machaut wrote. A little ornamentation here and there - but actually very little.
So where does it diverge from the original manuscript?
The solo songs by Machaut consist of a melody and a lyric. There is no specified accompaniment of any kind - nor are there any hints as to possible additional musical parts or instrumentation. We approached these songs as if they were newly written. That is to say we created harmonic accompaniment, counterlines and instrumental solos.
And there are no indications regarding rhythm instruments in Machaut's manuscripts. So the rhythmic foundations are another new element.
In the three-part songs, all of the surrounding elements - Cyro's infectious percussion parts, Lionel's guitar obbligatos, Hassan's vocal interjections - are unique to this album.
You mention that there are no harmonies for the solo songs. How were the harmonies created?
The harmonic outlines were established in advance, but the fluid passing tones and the details of the voicings were improvised by Brad Mehldau and Romero Lubambo.
On one song, I didn't write harmonies at all. "Force of Love" is a trio for Charles, Brad and Cyro. Brad has such a superb range of harmonic expression that I simply gave him a copy of the mel-ody and let his ear be his guide.
Which was the first song you tackled?
"Tu, meu sonho vivo." This song has a magnificent mournful melody. Charles and I were at my studio. We started by creating a bed of sine waves. This is really Charles's thing. Then Charles recorded his cello part. As soon as we listened to the melody enmeshed in the sine tones, we knew this was something to pursue.
How did you bring Milton Nascimento into the process?
Milton is an incomparable vocalist and an adventurous spirit. From the moment that production began on the album, I started to hear his voice and feel his presence.
We recorded him in Rio. I can hardly describe the intensity in the studio: Milton asking for "one more take" and then "one more," his voice pouring out such profound beauty, such emotion, that I wish we could release an album of every one of his interpretations.
The Portuguese lyric which Milton wrote captures the flavor of Machaut and at the same time is pure Nascimento.
How did you approach the texts?
All of Machaut's lyrics are devoted to the medieval concept of "Courtly Love." In this tradition, a knight would develop an idealized love for a married lady within the court. She became an obsession for him, and her unavailability fueled his devotion. Although this custom put a premium on idealized, non-physical love, it seems that from time to time the wooing knight was success-ful, putting a very different slant on the whole concept. The lyrics of Machaut's songs are about hopeless, unrequited love in which the beloved is perfect beyond all imagining.
Machaut wrote in a French that only medieval specialists understand today. The force behind the translations into modern French was Yves Beauvais, an outstanding record producer and a good friend. Our only real departure from the sense of the original text was in "Python." We diverged from the mythology of the original to go in a more risqué direction. Lionel Loueke's understated, sly interpretation was a gift to the lyric in this new form.
Is this your first collaboration with Natalie Merchant?
Yes. I have always loved her singing and songwriting.
We rehearsed at her house in the woods. Her generosity, her warmth, her humor - unforgettable. During one of the rehearsals she put the words aside and started humming the melody. Romero and I exchanged a certain look. We never returned to the lyrics again - only to Natalie's voice.
It was a surprise to hear Madeleine Peyroux in a speaking part.
I have known Madeleine for many years, since she first came to New York. When I called to ask her to read the text of "Amour me fait désirer," she made time even though she was about to leave on a long European tour. That's just the kind of person she is. Her recitation of the poem has the same sense of rhythmic nuance, the same subtlety of color which characterizes her singing.
Jasmine Thomas is a new name to me.
Jasmine is a young American singer. She has retained a very precious sense of directness and simplicity. The words come alive when she sings. I think her future is very bright indeed.
There are a lot of African sounds on the album. How did that become part of the concept?
Everyone realizes how much African music shaped American music, but African music also had a huge influence on the music of Europe. Is it an accident that the virtuosic vocal ornaments and coloratura of Europe found a home in Italy, so close to North Africa? I don't think so.
For some time historians believed that there was an important Arabic influence in medieval music. This is subject to some debate now, but it's an attractive concept. I am not a scholar in these matters by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to think that the Arabic presence in the Iberian peninsula left reverberations in the French-speaking regions of Europe as well.
What do you feel links these musicians from so many traditions?
Of course their excellence - but there is another thread which runs through the choice of musicians. Although many of them have had tremendous public success and acclaim, they have consistently resisted the blandishments of fame. They have determinedly, even stubbornly, pursued their personal vision.
In his harmony textbook, Schoenberg advises his students to take the path of most resistance. I think that applies to the participants on this album.
Cyro could have easily established himself as a touring percussionist. Charles could have settled into life as an orchestral principal cellist. Mark Feldman could have been content to play re-cording sessions in Nashville, or play in jazz groups in New York. But the musicians and singers on this album have a professional and artistic profile which includes seemingly conflicting and even contradictory elements. They refuse to be pigeon-holed. They reject conventional characterization.
After being immersed in this album, what are your feelings about Machaut's music?
What is most amazing to me is how his melodies just bury themselves in the memory and the psyche. How is it that more than 700 years later these sequences of notes can have such an impact? This is a mystery to me. Although the original lyrics often seem overwrought, the music is extraordinarily fresh. The melodies and harmonies are far from today's classical music conventions, yet they speak even more directly and profoundly.

Traditional
1. Song of the Dawn [5:11]
Milton Nascimento, Jasmine Thomas, John Ellis, Brad Mehldau, Charles Curtis, Cyro Baptista
Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377)
2. Douce Dame - arranged by Robert Sadin [3:22]
Hassan Hakmoun, Mark Feldman, Charles Curtis, Seamus Blake, John Ellis, Cyro Baptista
3. Natalie's Song - arranged by Robert Sadin [3:36]
Natalie Merchant, Romero Lubambo, Cyro Baptista
4. Python - arranged by Robert Sadin [5:00]
Robert Sadin, Lionel Loueke, John Ellis, Cyro Baptista
5. Amour me fait désirer - arranged by Robert Sadin [5:12]
Madeleine Peyroux, Hassan Hakmoun, Mark Feldman, Charles Curtis, John Ellis, Cyro Baptista, Robert Sadin
6. Tu, meu sonho vivo - arranged by Robert Sadin [5:39]
Milton Nascimento, Charles Curtis, Seamus Blake
7. Comment - arranged by Robert Sadin [5:32]
Matt Shulman, John Ellis, Robert Sadin, Dan Weiss, Cyro Baptista, Lionel Loueke
8. Brad's Interlude - arranged by Robert Sadin [1:17]
Brad Mehldau
9. Dame, si vous m'êtes lointaine - arranged by Robert Sadin [5:04]
Robert Sadin, Matt Shulman, Graham Haynes, Brad Mehldau, Romero Lubambo, Charles Curtis, Cyro Baptista
10. Force of Love - arranged by Robert Sadin [4:04]
Charles Curtis, Brad Mehldau, Cyro Baptista
11. Doux visage - arranged by Robert Sadin [3:29]
Celena Shafer, Mark Feldman, Charles Curtis, Brad Mehldau, Cyro Baptista
12. Hélas - arranged by Robert Sadin [3:35]
Charles Curtis, Romero Lubambo
13. Evocation - arranged by Robert Sadin [1:11]
Milton Nascimento
2009 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
4774 1952 5 GH

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Anna Netrebko Live at The Metropolitan Opera

Posted: October 1st, 2011, 1:45pm MDT

Ever since her 2002 debut at the Met in Prokofiev’s War and Peace, under the baton of her early champion Valery Gergiev, Anna Netrebko has been a singer worthy of pursuit. When I was first appointed General Manager of the Met in 2004, I tracked her from Vienna – where the audience cheered her for what felt like an hour when she sang in L’elisir d’amore – to Salzburg, where she overwhelmed the public with one of the most memorable performances of La traviata ever.
Over plates of Wiener schnitzel in the coffee shop of the Imperial Hotel in Vienna, I attempted to persuade her to make the Met one of the focal points of her future career. Since then, her roles at the Met have piled up in a relatively short time: Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Musetta and later Mimì in La Bohème, Gilda in Rigoletto, Norina in Don Pasquale, Elvira in I Puritani, Juliette, Lucia, and Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
In the prime of her career, she is our reigning superstar diva.
Why? Because she has it all – a sumptuous, lustrous voice that one can never get tired of hearing, an extraordinary ability to dramatically absorb every role she embraces, and the intangible star charisma possessed by only the chosen few.
If she were not to sing another note, Anna’s place in operatic history would already be assured. Fortunately for her many thousands of fans at the Met and elsewhere around the world, she is only at the threshold of one of the great careers, with many new roles that she will bring to life in the future. Here on this CD are the roles she already has made her own, recorded in unforgettable live performances at the Met. (Peter Gelb, General Manager, Metropolitan Opera 8/2011)

It would be happy news for opera fans if this release indicated the beginning a trend for the Metropolitan Opera: releasing albums of excerpts of operas from its vast archive that showcase the work of individual singers. Recitals of operatic arias and scenes recorded in the studio are a dime a dozen (and for a rising star, a practically obligatory rite of passage). The results can easily sound sterile and formulaic; the same repertoire for each voice type gets endlessly recycled, the supporting singers are seldom of the highest quality, and the orchestral accompaniment is a wild card, sometimes stellar and sometimes barely adequate. A series of releases from the Met would guarantee a high quality of orchestral and choral support, excellent soloists in the extended scenes and ensemble pieces, and the dynamic charge of live performance that's rarely captured in the studio. This release is all of those things, besides being a glowing testimony to Netrebko's artistry; her immersion in her roles and easy dramatic flair for both comedy and tragedy, the breadth of the repertoire in which she excels, and her remarkable voice: velvety, lustrous, beguiling.
This collection was released in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Netrebko's Met debut in 2002 as Natasha in Prokofiev's "War and Peace," and includes a rhapsodic scene (with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Ekaterina Semenchuk) from that production. Every track is fully satisfying. The Mad Scene from "Lucia" is chilling in Netrebko's haunted and haunting performance. The two scenes from "Roméo et Juliette" are high points. There's real chemistry between Netrebko and Roberto Alagna, and their duet, "Huit d'hyménée," is vocally gorgeous and saturated with sensuality. The delightful trio from "Don Pasquale," which also features Juan Diego Flórez and Mariusz Kwiecien, offers ample evidence of the performers' sly humor. This is a release that will be indispensible for Netrebko's fans. There is some variability in the sound quality and ambience between tracks, but its impact is negligible because it's never less than very fine. (Stephen Eddins, Rovi)

Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835)
I Puritani
Act 2
1. Qui la voce sua soave [3:59]
Anna Netrebko, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Patrick Summers
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
War and Peace, Op.91
2. Ya ne budu ... Duet: Kak solntze za garoi [5:38]
Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Don Giovanni, ossia Il dissoluto punito, K.527
Act 2
3. "Vedrai, carino" [3:57]
Anna Netrebko, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Sylvain Cambreling
Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848)
Don Pasquale
Act 3
4. "Senz'andar lungi...La morale in tutto questo" [4:04]
Anna Netrebko, Juan Diego Flórez, Mariusz Kwiecien, Simone Alaimo, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Maurizio Benini, Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Rigoletto
Act 3
5. "Ah, più non ragiono!..." [6:17]
Anna Netrebko, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Eric Halfvarson, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Asher Fisch
Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893)
Roméo et Juliette
Act 4
6. Nuit d'hymnénée! [11:04]
Anna Netrebko, Roberto Alagna, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Plácido Domingo
7. "Dieu! quel frisson" / "Amour, ranime mon courage" [6:00]
Anna Netrebko, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Plácido Domingo
Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848)
Lucia di Lammermoor
Act 3
8. "Il dolce suono" - "Ardon gl'incensi" [12:59]
Anna Netrebko, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Marco Armiliato, Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880)
Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Act 3
9. "Pourtant, ô ma fiancée" ... "C'est une chanson d'amour" [3:59]
Anna Netrebko, Joseph Calleja, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
La Bohème
Act 3
10. "Donde lieta uscì" [3:29]
Anna Netrebko, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Marco Armiliato
Act 1
11. "O soave fanciulla" [4:33]
Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Marco Armiliato

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9903 o GH

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Angela Hewitt BEETHOVEN Piano Sonatas Op 10 No. 2 - Op 26 - Op 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" - Op 90

Posted: October 1st, 2011, 4:00am MDT

Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt made her reputation with fine, distinctive recordings of Bach and other Baroque composers, treated pianistically but not anachronistically. Baroque specialists who record Classical and Romantic music, especially that of Beethoven, tend to generate unorthodox results; exhibit A was Hewitt's fellow Canadian Glenn Gould. Hewitt has undertaken her own Beethoven piano sonata cycle, and while her readings are not outrageous like Gould's, they're perhaps part of the same general family. Her approach is quiet almost throughout; the sharp accents in the finales of the "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, Moonlight," and in the "Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26," seem to come out of nowhere because her touch up to that point has been so gentle. At times she makes Beethoven sound almost like Bach, and this is all to the good in the outer movements of the "Piano Sonata No. 10 in F major, Op. 10/2," where all kinds of details of counterpoint show up and remind us that Beethoven took on Vienna's top contrapuntist, Albrechtsberger, as a teacher. In the more Schubertian late "Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 90," Hewitt's gossamer textures may be a matter of taste, but there's no question that she executes fully thought-out interpretations that could, if they strike the listener in the right way, be quite hypnotic. If you're wondering about the program and the unusual placement of the early "Moonlight" sonata at the end, Hewitt cheerfully explains in her own notes (in English, French, and German) that no particular principle other than including one famous sonata along with a group of less familiar ones governed her choice. Not everyone's cup of tea, but on balance a recording that will certainly satisfy Hewitt fans and may well make her some new ones. (James Manheim, Rovi)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in A flat major, Op 26
1) Movement 1a: Andante con variazioni [1'12]
2) Movement 1b: Variation I [1'07]
3) Movement 1c: Variation II [0'55]
4) Movement 1d: Variation III [1'14]
5) Movement 1e: Variation IV [0'56]
6) Movement 1f: Variation V [1'45]
7) Movement 2: Scherzo. Allegro molto [2'45]
8) Movement 3: Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe [6'09]
9) Movement 4: Allegro [3'06]
Piano Sonata in F major, Op 10 No 2
10) Movement 1: Allegro [8'23]
11) Movement 2: Allegretto [3'50]
12) Movement 3: Presto [4'04]
Piano Sonata in E minor, Op 90
13) Movement 1: Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck [5'37]
14) Movement 2: Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen [7'43]
Piano Sonata in C sharp minor 'Moonlight', Op 27 No 2
15) Movement 1: Adagio sostenuto [5'37]
16) Movement 2: Allegretto [2'05]
17) Movement 3: Presto agitato [7'15]

2010 Hyperion Records
1 CD DDD
CDA 67797

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Angela Hewitt BEETHOVEN Piano Sonatas Op 13 "Pathétique" - Op 28 "Pastoral" - Op 2 No. 3

Posted: September 29th, 2011, 4:30pm MDT

Angela Hewitt's Beethoven recordings for Hyperion will not be regarded as the most heroic, stormy, or passionate ever made, but her polished technique, transparent execution, and penetrating interpretations make her performances exciting to hear, even if they aren't frenzied, hair-pulling experiences. Hewitt is best known as a leading exponent of J.S. Bach's keyboard music, and her impeccable playing may seem better suited to the narrow range of expression in Baroque music than to the much greater mood swings of late Classical and early Romantic music, which are especially pronounced in Beethoven's works. Still, there is much to recommend Hewitt's playing in these three piano sonatas, where her clear lines and controlled dynamics give nuances and dimensions to the music, and place the emphasis on refinement over showiness and finesse over force. The delicacy of Hewitt's playing of the "Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major" is appealing, and the expressive details she finds in the "Piano Sonata in D major, Pastoral," are compelling and quite affecting; the most noticeable subtleties come in the "Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Pathétique," which Hewitt plays with suppleness, freshness, and clarity, and she almost makes one forget that this is one of Beethoven's most overworked warhorses. Hyperion's sound meets its highest standards, and the piano sounds crisp and clean in this resonant recording. (Blair Sanderson, Rovi)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in D major ‘Pastoral’ Op 28
1) Allegro [10'49]
2) Andante [6'46]
3) Scherzo: Allegro vivace [2'31]
4) Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo [4'47]
Piano Sonata in C minor ‘Pathétique’ Op 13
5) Grave — Allegro di molto e con brio [11'21]
6) Adagio cantabile [5'13]
7) Rondo: Allegro [5'02]
Piano Sonata in C major Op 2 No 3
8) Allegro con brio [10'38]
9) Adagio [7'55]
10) Scherzo: Allegro [3'33]
11) Allegro assai [5'36]

2007 Hyperion Records
1 CD DDD
CDA67605

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Angela Hewitt BEETHOVEN Piano sonatas Op 57 "Appassionata" - Op 10 No. 3 - Op 7

Posted: September 27th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

Angela Hewitt's first instalment in a projected Beethoven sonata cycle for Hyperion offers intelligent, stylish and often illuminating interpretations. The contrapuntal acumen she regularly brings to Bach suits Beethoven's linear trajectory, as borne out by Hewitt's astute (yet never fussy) care over inner voices and bass-lines. She takes Beethoven's characteristic dynamic contrasts on faith but not to extreme, discontinuous ends, while her ear for uncovering melodic outlines of rapid arpeggios ensures that these figurations don't sound "notey". In addition, Hewitt's strong left hand lends uncommon clarity and direction to passages such as the double notes in Op 10 No 3's first movement, or the motoric sequences 208" into Op 7's Rondo. Occasional telltale signs of pre-planning include Hewitt's tendency to hesitate a split second before Beethoven's trademark subito pianos, thereby softening one's sense of surprise. I also think her protracted treatment of Op 10 No 3's Largo would have benefited from Claudio Arrau's gravitas and sustaining power. Fusing poetry and passion, Hewitt lets her long hair down and her fingers run wild in the Appassionata's first movement. She continues with a brisk and well unified account of the central variations, and suffuses her powerful, headlong finale with cutting accents and perceptive modifications of the basic pulse. The Fazioli piano's lean bass and bright treble characterise the kind of timbral differentiation one often associates with instruments of Beethoven's time. (Jed Distler / Gramophone, November 2006)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in D majorOp 10 No 3
1) Presto [7'16]
2) Largo e mesto [11'02]
3) Menuetto: Allegro [2'38]
4) Rondo: Allegro [4'23]
Piano Sonata in E flat major Op 7
5)Allegro molto e con brio [8'22]
6) Largo, con gran espressione [8'28]
7) Allegro [4'49]
8) Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso [6'55]
Piano Sonata in F minor ‘Appassionata’Op 57
9) Allegro assai [9'22]
10) Andante con moto [5'46]
11) Allegro ma non troppo [8'15]

2006 Hyperion Records
1 CD DDD
CDA67518

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Sonia Wieder-Atherton CHANTS D'EST

Posted: September 25th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

It's impossible to avoid an aura of profound mournfulness, once Sonia Wieder-Atherton embarks on her mission of music-gathering from Central and Eastern Europe. The Sinfonia Varsovia, from Warsaw, provides a highly sensitive surround here, for what is essentially a cello showcase. The album is subtitled Songs from Slavic Lands, but its orientation isn't as folkloric as initial impressions might suggest. Traditional sounds are filtered through the studied compositional process, with the repertoire including works by Rachmaninov, Dohnányi, Prokofiev, Martinů and Mahler. A living composer, Franck Krawczyk, provides the longest work, as a midway centrepiece. There is also a pair of traditional Jewish songs to further broaden the palette.
The separate pieces are invariably episodic, but gradually make up a woven whole as they progress, building up a pseudo-suite of compatible atmospheres. Wieder-Atherton's sonorous tone always lies at the heart, her romantic flourishes taming an imagined gypsy wildness, slowing its expression down to an introverted hover. These songs might not feature any actual vocals, but the cello takes on a suitably singing role throughout. Alexander Tcherepnin's Tatar Dance is frustratingly brief, failing to hit three minutes, but it acts as a bridge into Franck Krawczyk's seven-part Jeux D'Infants. The composer might be barely 40 years old, but this work is completely in keeping with the older pieces that surround it, turning into a harrumphing waddle for oboe and clarinet, introducing theatrical percussion that suggests a tumbling clown. In a sudden schizophrenic switch, it develops a sincere sadness which marches on into Prokofiev's Field of the Dead.
Martinů's Variations on a Slovak Folksong provide the album's second extended section, once again passing through a variety of humours. Mahler follows, still morose, but with hope for the new dawning. Then, there's a short dervish romp to conclude, with another Jewish traditional dance tune. (Martin Longley)

Serge Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
1)Nunc dimittis, Vespers
Erno Dohnanyi (1877 - 1960)
Ruralia Hungarica, Op. 32B
2) Andante Rubato, Alla Zingaresca
3) Presto
Jewish traditional
4)Song in Remembrance of Schubert
Alexander Tcherepnin (1899 - 1977)
5) Tatar Dance
Franck Krawczyk (1969 -)
6) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #1
7) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #2
8) Jeux d'enfants, d'après les chants sur des poésies moraves #3
9) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #4
10) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #5
11) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #6
12) Jeux d'enfants, after Janacek's moravian songs #7
Serge Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
13) Alexander, Nevsky, The Field of the Dead
Bohuslav Martinu (1890 - 1959)
Variations on a Slovac Folksong
14) Theme, Rubato
15) Variation 1, Moderato
16) Variation 2, Poco allegro
17) Variation 3, Moderato
18) Variation 4, Scherzo, Allegretto
19) Variation 5, Allegro
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
20) Rückert-lieder, Ich bin des Welt abhanden gekommen
Jewish Traditional
21) Danse

Sonia Wieder-Atherton, cello
Sinfonia Varsovia
Christophe Mangou, conductor

2008 Naïve
1 CD DDD
V 5178

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'THE FAM'D ITALIAN MASTERS' Music for trumpets and strings from the Italian Baroque

Posted: September 23rd, 2011, 4:00am MDT

No one has trawled through more 17thcentury instrumental music in the past 30 years than or Peter Holman. This programme reveals the extent of his referencing - as C and D major trumpet works are discriminatingly juxtaposed with an interesting panoply of string pieces in reflective relief, such as the affecting F minor Scarlatti Sonata. The trumpet works are rather more variable. Crispian Steele-Perkins has recorded many such discs for Hyperion in the past two decades and, frankly, there isn't that much good stuff left. While trumpet music in the Italy of the 1680s and 1690s was plentiful (and historically important for its blue-printing of concerto principles), only a few composers knew how to extend the limited harmonic constraints of the natural trumpet with the necessary elan and interest.
Stradella was one. If La Barcheggio is not quite in the league of his Sonata a 8 (a little masterpiece from Modena around 1675), then, like the Grossi piece, the instruments are still given arresting material. Steele-Perkins plays the latter with his inimitable range of colour and sensibility of articulation, not to mention a doleful mien in the slow sections. The Jacchini and Melani - and to a certain extent the pedestrian Torelli (though as Sergio Vartolo's three-disc marathon shows, there are better pieces) - are full of quick-silver dialogue but somewhat wearing after a while.
The Vivaldi, however, will open a few ears. What a revelation to hear this as a chamber concerto! The Parley have taken a calculated risk with an exposed single-string approach throughout but apart from some scrappy moments and rather blanket characterisation, the intimacy of concept rings true. Steele-Perkins is joined by the excellent and versatile Alison Balsom. They make an agreeable pair, timbrally suited and musically well-matched. (Jonathan Freeman-Attwood / Gramophone, September 2003)

Ferdinando Lazzari (1678-1754)
Sonata a 6 in D major
1) Movement 1: Presto e spicco [1'58]
2) Movement 2: Grave [0'35]
3) Movement 3: Canzona [0'59]
4) Movement 4: Grave [0'31]
5) Movement 5: Presto [1'40]
Maurizio Cazzati (1620-1677)
6) Sonata a 4 in G minor 'La sampiera' [3'36]
Andrea Grossi (fl1680-1690)
Sonata a 5 in D major Op 3 No 10
7) Movement 1: Vivace [1'11]
8) Movement 2: Adagio [2'06]
9) Movement 3: Grave [0'59]
10) Movement 4: Presto [1'13]
Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (c1663-1727)
Sonata a 5 in D major
11) Movement 1: Grave – Allegro [1'08]
12) Movement 2: Grave [0'38]
13) Movement 3: Allegro [1'06]
14) Movement 4: Grave – Allegro [1'16]
Giovanni Vitali (1632-1692)
15) Sonata in A minor 'La sassatelli' Op 5 No 10 [3'06]
Alessandro Melani (1639-1703)
Sonata a 5 in C major
16) Movement 1: Adagio – Allegro [2'01]
17) Movement 2: Allegro [3'14]
18) Movement 3: Canzona – Grave [2'42]
19) Movement 4: Vivace [2'22]
Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690)
20) Sonata in E minor Op 10 No 17 [5'15]
Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682)
Il barcheggio
21) Sinfonia in D major. Movement 1: [Allegro] [0'56]
22) Sinfonia in D major. Movement 2: Andante [2'13]
23) Sinfonia in D major. Movement 3: Allegro ma non troppo [1'16]
24) Sinfonia in D major. Movement 4: Allegro [1'36]
Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709)
Sonata a 5 in D major G7
25) Movement 1: Grave – Allegro [1'02]
26) Movement 2: Adagio [1'26]
27) Movement 3: Allegro [1'11]
28) Movement 4: Grave – Allegro [1'44]
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Sonata a 4 No 1 in F minor
29) Movement 1: Grave [0'51]
30) Movement 2: Allegro [1'38]
31) Movement 3: Larghetto [2'09]
32) Movement 4: Allemanda [1'08]
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in C major RV537
33) Movement 1: Vivace [2'52]
34) Movement 2: Largo [0'33]
35) Movement 3: Allegro [3'16]

Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet)
Alison Balsom (trumpet)
The Parley of Instruments

2003 Hyperion Records Ltd, London
1 CD DDD
CDA67359

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Tori Amos NIGHT OF HUNTERS

Posted: September 20th, 2011, 7:45pm MDT

Tori Amos marks her debut album for Deutsche Grammophon, the world’s most celebrated classical music record label with Night of Hunters, set for release this September. The iconic, platinum-selling singer-songwriter continues her legacy of ground-breaking recordings with this 21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.
With Night of Hunters, Amos carries on the classical tradition of variations on a theme: taking inspiration from classical forms to create a bold new work while paying tribute to the mastery of the original compositions.
On Night of Hunters, which she wrote and produced, Amos comments “I have used the structure of a classical song cycle to tell an ongoing, modern story. The protagonist is a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship. In the course of one night she goes through an initiation of sorts that leads her to reinvent herself allowing the listener to follow her on a journey to explore complex musical and emotional subject matter.” “One of the main themes explored on this album is the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us,” the singer explains.
The release of Night of Hunters will be supported by a tour in Europe and the U.S. starting in Helsinki, Finland on September 28th.
With more than 12 million albums sold and multiple Grammy nominations, Tori Amos is one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation. A pioneer across multiple platforms, she was the first major label artist to offer a single for download, has had her songs turned into graphic novels, and has produced pioneering videos throughout her career. She is renowned for her passionate and broad fan-base, her critically and commercially successful tours, and her ever evolving live show. Ms. Amos is also a noted humanitarian and co-founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization.

Night of Hunters is a 21st century song cycle that finds Tori drawing on themes from Satie, Granados, Chopin and other great composers. It tells a modern love story that is only unraveled after a journey to Ireland's mythic past. Guests include such esteemed players as The Apollon Musagete Quartet and the Berlin Philharmonic clarinet soloist Andreas Ottensamer.

1. Shattering Sea [5:39]
2. SnowBlind [3:15]
3. Battle of Trees [8:42]
4. Fearlessness [6:31]
5. Cactus Practice [4:27]
6. Star Whisperer [9:53]
7. Job's Coffin [3:32]
8. Nautical Twilight [3:17]
9. Your Ghost [5:38]
10. Edge of the Moon [4:51]
11. The Chase [3:02]
12. Night of Hunters [5:33]
13. Seven Sisters [2:44]
14. Carry [4:07]

Tori Amos

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9791 3 GH

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Maria João Pires J.S.BACH Partita No. 1 - English Suite No. 3 - French Suite No. 2

Posted: September 19th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

Acclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. This remarkable reverence towards works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas. Interestingly, Pires views both the composer and the performer as conduits for a transcendent force. However, while approaching the work of music with immense awe, Pires is acutely aware of its formal structure, finding a certain transparency in the most intricate formal constructions. In her performances of Romantic masters, particularly Chopin and Schumann, Pires masterfully reconciles her passionate experience of the music with an admirable appreciation for the inner logic of the work she is interpreting. Reflecting her vast emotional range, her tone, as critics have observed, encompasses a dizzying variety of intensities, from an almost imperceptible lightness to an imposing monumentality, with a rich scale of intervening nuances. Another hallmark of her style is her uncanny ability to capture, and convey, the precise variety of inner movement which constitutes the being of a particular musical creation.
Pires started playing at the age of three, giving her first public performance two years later. Pires performed Mozart concertos when she was seven and received Portugal's major prize for musicians at nine. She studied with Campos Coelho and Francine Benoit at the Lisbon Conservatory, graduating at 16. Post-graduate studies took her to Germany, where she studied with Rösl Schmidt, in Munich, and with Karl Engel, in Hanover. In 1970, she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels. Pires made her London debut in 1986, and she first played in New York three years later. She has performed with the major European and American orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Often praised for her extraordinary renditions of Mozart's works, Pires has shown a remarkable affinity with several of the greatest composers, including Bach, Chopin, and Schubert. An enormously successful recording artist, Pires, who since 1989 records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon, released several critically acclaimed discs, including a Bach disc, recordings of Chopin's Nocturnes and Schubert's Impromptus, and a recording of two Mozart concertos with Claudio Abbado. Her recording of Mozart's complete sonatas received the 1990 Grand Prix du Disque. Since 1989, Pires has been an enthusiastic performer of chamber music, touring Europe and the Far East with violinist Augustin Dumay. Forming a trio with Dumay and cellist Jian Wang, Pires toured the Far East in 1998, playing Beethoven's Concerto for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra in several European centers in 1999. In 2000, Pires decided to take several months off in order to concentrate on a variety of educational projects in Portugal. Several collections of her performances, including Artist Portrait: Maria-João Pires, appeared in the early 2000s. (Zoran Minderovic)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Partita No.1 in B flat major, BWV 825
1. 1. Praeludium [1:57]
2. 2. Allemande [2:37]
3. 3. Corrente [2:55]
4. 4. Sarabande [5:07]
5. 5. Menuet I [1:23]
6. 6. Menuet II [0:44]
7. Menuet I da capo [0:46]
8. 7. Giga [2:05]
English Suite No.3 in G minor, BWV 808
9. 1. Prélude [3:20]
10. 2. Allemande [3:45]
11. 3. Courante [2:22]
12. 4. Sarabande [4:31]
13. 4b. Les agréments de la même Sarabande [5:01]
14. 5. Gavotte I [1:21]
15. 6. Gavotte II ou la Musette [0:43]
16. 6b Gavotte I da capo [0:46]
17. 7. Gigue [2:39]
French Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813
18. 1. Allemande [3:39]
19. 2. Courante [1:57]
20. 3. Sarabande [4:01]
21. 4. Air [1:26]
22. 5. Menuet I-II [1:44]
23. 6. Gigue [2:55]

Maria João Pires

1995 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
447 8942 3 GH

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Wendy Warner - Irina Nuzova RUSSIAN MUSIC FOR CELLO & PIANO

Posted: September 17th, 2011, 9:18am MDT

The WarnerNuzova duo — cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Irina Nuzova — makes its recording debut with five late-Romantic Russian works on an album dedicated to the memory of one of Warner’s mentors, the illustrious Russian cellist, composer, and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007).
Fittingly, two of the pieces were originally written for Rostropovich: Nikolai Miaskovsky’s rarely heard Sonata No. 2 in A Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 81; and Alfred Schnittke’s Baroque-inspired Musica nostalgica, for violoncello and piano.
This is the first American recording of Miaskovsky’s mellifluous Sonata No. 2, a work that’s rarely performed outside of Russia. It will be a discovery for most listeners.
Alexander Scriabin’s Etude Op. 8, No. 11, is a beautiful encore piece brimming with chromatic harmonies; Sergei Prokofiev’s Adagio from Ten Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 97b, is based on a duet from his ballet; and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19, is a riveting four-movement work from the same period as his Second Piano Concerto.

Nikolai Miaskovsky (1881 – 1950)
Sonata No. 2 in A minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 81
I. Allegro moderato (9:42)
2) II. Andante cantabile (7:26)
3) III. Allegro con spirito (5:56)
Alexander Scriabin (1872 – 1915)
4) Etude Op. 8, No. 11 (4:03)
Alfred Schnittke (1934 – 1998)
5) Musica Nostalgica, for Violoncello and Piano (03:22)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
6) Adagio from Ten Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 97b (3:51)
Sergei Rachmaninov(1873 – 1943)
Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19
7) I. Lento – Allegro moderato (10:39)
8) II. Allegro scherzando (6:38)
9) III. Andante (5:59)
10) IV. Allegro mosso (10:34)

2010 Cedille Records
1 CD DDD
CDR 90000 120

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María Bayo HAENDEL Opera Arias & Cantatas

Posted: September 16th, 2011, 8:24am MDT

Bayo sings a selection of arias from Giulio Cesare, Rinaldo and Alcina along with the Italian cantata Tra le fiamme and the Spanish language cantata No se emendara jamas.
Bayo is accompanied by Skip Sempe and his Capriccio Stravagante, which guarantees lively and interesting accompaniment; though the size of the group is perhaps a little small for some of the operatic arias.
This singer has a rich, vivid voice and sings with liveliness, vivacity and accuracy; in many ways her singing on this disc is ideal. She comes over as a singer of great character who can bring drama through a fine musical performance.
In Cleopatra’s Da Tempeste, from Act 3 of Giulio Cesare, her performance is fast, crisp and very up front, her runs are fabulously clean and articulated. She gives the performance far more ‘welly’ than a singer like Valerie Masterson; her Cleopatra is obviously a creature to be reckoned with. That this can turn into a bit of a weakness is indicated by the second aria, Cleopatra’s V’adoro pupille from Act 2. Here Cleopatra is supposed to be seducing Cesar. Bayo’s singing is beautifully done but, for me, lacks the element of seduction; I have heard other singers bring a far greater element of soft allure to this aria. For all its musicality this performance lacks the necessary erotic element, though partial compensation is given by the lovely rich accompaniment.
Almirena’s Lascia ch’io pianga from Rinaldo is profoundly moving and Bayo sings the aria with a fabulous sense of line. This is followed by the popular Italian cantata, Tra le fiamme. There are many versions of this on disc, but I have no complaints from this bright, lively and vivid account; in fact it is almost ideal.
Cleopatra’s Se pieta, from Act 2 of Giulio Cesare is prefaced by its recitative which proves to be a strong decision. The singer’s approach to the recitative is beautifully characterised and full of drama; on this showing I wished that more recitative could have been included in the disc. The aria itself is presented with a lovely, very focused sound and bright, forward tone, with a few quieter moments. Her way with the aria is convincing and beautiful, but is rather more up-front than some accounts that I have heard.
The Spanish cantata No se emendara jamas is something of a Handel rarity, but the chamber cantatas from his time in Italy do reflect something of the polyglot nature of the salons of the Italian counts and cardinals who were the young Handel’s patrons. That the piece was deliberately Spanish in style is indicated by the delicate guitar accompaniment. Bayo and Capriccio Stravagante play this as real chamber music, which of course it is. The cantata was written in Rome in 1707 and was probably written for Count Ruspoli, Handel’s Roman patron.
Morgana’s Tornami a vagheggiar from Act 1 of Alcina is both brilliant and uplifting. Bayo follows this with 2 of Alcina’s arias from the same opera. These are beautifully done, but I get the sneaking suspicion that she is temperamentally more inclined towards the bad girls of Handelian opera seria.
In all these items, the singer is beautifully accompanied by the crisp, up-front playing of Skip Sempe and Capriccio Stravagante. It is a shame the space could not have been made for the group to play an item on their own.
This is a lovely recital and displays Bayo’s talents in this tricky repertoire. Her vocalisation in the Italian opera arias is nearly ideal, though temperamentally I think she might have been better off if rather more badly behaved sorceresses had been included on the disc. (Robert Hugill)

George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759)
1) Da tempeste (Cléopâtre, Giulio Cesare) [5:57]
2) V'adoro, pupille - sinfonia & aria (Cléopâtre, Giulio Cesare) [7:18]
3) Lascia ch'io pianga (Almirena, Rinaldo) [4:05]
Cantate HWV 170
4) Aria & recitativo: "Tra le fiamme..." [5:47]
5) Aria & recitativo: "Pien di nuovo..." [5:11]
6) Aria & recitativo: "Voli per l'aria..." [5:25]
7) Che sento? Oh Dio! (Cléopâtre, Giulio Cesare) [1:08]
8) Se pietà (Cléopâtre, Giulio Cesare) [8:43]
Cantate HWV 140
9) Aria & recitativo: "No se emendará jamás..." [3:16]
10) Aria: "Dicente mis ojos..." [1:47]
11) Torna mi a vagheggiar (Morgana, Alcina) [4:21]
12) Si, son quella! (Alcina, Alcina) [4:22]
13) Mi restano le lagrime (Alcina, Alcina) [6:24]
María Bayo, soprano
Capriccio Stravagante
Skip Sempé

1999 Auvidis / Naïve France
1 CD DDD
E 8674

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Alice Sara Ott BEETHOVEN

Posted: September 13th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

“These two sonatas are both a part of me – I have spent a lot of time with them. There comes a point at which every musician has to document his or her own engagement with Beethoven. In my case this point may appear to have come early, but there is no doubt that it is a challenge that allows one to grow. And, after all, Beethoven was still young when he wrote these works.” Alice Sara Ott has been working on Beethoven’s two C major sonatas for ten years. Nor is this the first time that she has considered the idea of comparing and contrasting these two very different works: “I have always wanted to show this contrast because I find it enormously exciting to see how fundamentally Beethoven changed within the space of only eight years. These two sonatas reveal Beethoven as man and artist at two very different periods of his life. They are in the same key, but the mood of these two works could hardly be more different. Normally the key of C major makes one think of brightness and energy, and this is certainly true of the op. 2 no. 3 Sonata, which exudes tremendous vitality and a very real love of life. But with the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata we enter a completely different world.” Alice Sara Ott is convinced that the performer can find everything he or she needs to know about a work within the music itself. In spite of this, she has taken a close interest in Beethoven’s letters since her childhood and has also read accounts of the composer’s life.
The “Waldstein” Sonata is generally regarded as the epitome of the Classical piano sonata: rarely in the history of the genre has brilliant virtuosity been merged so seamlessly with pianistic technique and a consummate awareness of the piece’s formal design. At the same time, however, Alice Sara Ott believes that no one listening to the piece can fail to hear that it was written only a year after the composer’s “Heiligenstadt Testament” of October 1802, the shockingly depressing contents of which are in such stark contrast to his career, which had hitherto proved so brilliant and promising. “Even the opening strikes me as very gloomy: the whole of the first movement creates the impression of a tempest followed in the second movement by calm. With the transition to the third movement, finally, the sun rises, while the final Rondo is like a new dawn. The work as a whole closely reflects Beethoven’s own situation at this time: he was in despair at his failing hearing, and he even toyed with the idea of taking his own life. The Allegro con brio of the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata makes this despair very clear. At the same time Beethoven was someone who refused to give up hope and who remained a great idealist. This emerges from many of his works, and in his op. 53 Sonata one can sense the way in which hope begins to burgeon from the final note of the second movement onwards.”
For this reason, too, Alice Sara Ott is grateful that Beethoven discarded the Andante favori that he had originally intended as the second movement of the “Waldstein” Sonata and replaced it with a new middle movement. The Andante favori, she explains, is “far too powerful and far too expansive a piece to fit comfortably between these two violent outer movements.” But as an independent piece it goes wonderfully well with her concept. By the same token the Rondo a capriccio – its popular alternative title, “Rage over a Lost Penny”, has nothing to do with Beethoven – ideally complements the earlier sonata: “In each case I have added a piece from the corresponding period, resulting in what for me is a convincing and rounded programme.”
The early op. 2 no. 3 Sonata was dedicated to Joseph Haydn, and in many respects it reveals its debt to the older composer. As such, it is a completely different type of piece from the “Waldstein” Sonata. And yet its slow movement already looks forward to the dark shadows of the later sonata: following the radiant opening movement, the twenty-five-year-old Beethoven transforms this Adagio by means of a sudden change of colour and turns it into a night-piece in which virtuosity gives way to a far more contemplative mood. “Even this early sonata is a magnificent work and has an enormous depth to it. And it is also the first sonata to be conceived along orchestral lines, almost like a piano concerto – there is no trace whatsoever of this in the two other op. 2 sonatas. And yet everything retains a certain lightness, a fearlessness that I no longer hear in the later Beethoven.”
Does one need to feel a certain fearlessness to record Beethoven? Alice Sara Ott takes a justifiably relaxed view of this question: “One goes one’s way and leaves behind a trace, and this trace is an expression of what I feel at a given moment. This recording of these Beethoven sonatas is an important musical step for me, even if it is entirely possible that I shall play these pieces in a very different way in a year from now. Music knows only one truth but an infinite number of ways of formulating that truth. And in my own view this also applies to interpretations: they may change, but their basic element remains the same.” (Oswald Beaujean)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2 No.3
1) 1. Allegro con brio [10:51]
2) 2. Adagio [6:52]
3) 3. Scherzo (Allegro) [3:32]
4) 4. Allegro assai [5:26]
Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 -"Waldstein"
5) 1. Allegro con brio [11:16]
6) 2. Introduzione (Adagio molto) [3:29]
7) 3. Rondo (Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo) [9:59]
8) Andante favori in F, WoO 57 [7:52]
9) Rondo a capriccio in G, Op.129 "Die Wut über den verlornen Groschen" for piano [6:20]
Alice Sara Ott

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9291 GH

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Anne-Sophie Mutter RIHM Lichtes Spiel CURRIER Time Machines

Posted: September 11th, 2011, 8:30am MDT

Time and again she seeks out the challenge of a first performance – perhaps, too, because she regards the chance to engage in a dialogue with living composers as a form of refuge before she returns to a repertory she has known for thirty years and which she nonetheless feels each time is a terra incognita. Above all, however, Anne-Sophie Mutter is motivated by the desire to keep on rediscovering the violin. That is why she seeks out composers who can coax new sounds from her instrument, finding new musical languages and awakening a new sensuality.
She also enjoys returning to musicians she knows. “In the life of a soloist there’s more than just one facet. After premiering a concerto, I generally want a chamber work. This was the case with Krzysztof Penderecki’s Metamorphosen and would also have been the case with Witold Lutosławski if he hadn’t died first.” Wolfgang Rihm’s violin concerto from 1991, Gesungene Zeit, was initially followed by a second orchestral work, Lichtes Spiel, which received its first performance in New York in 2010. But this last-named work was followed almost at once by a piece of chamber music: Dyade. The differences between the two orchestral works are clear for all to hear and see. For Lichtes Spiel, Anne-Sophie Mutter wanted a Mozart orchestra. “For years I’ve been conducting Mozart’s concertos from the violin. I wanted to compare and contrast these wonderful pieces with an alternative work that would be similarly orchestrated but which would contain new markings for the violin.” She had hoped that the resultant restrictions would inspire her, and in this she was to be proved right. “The decision to forgo a vast body of percussion instruments and an elaborate brass department leads necessarily to a greater concentration on the innermost quality of the principal instrument, which is the violin’s singing tone.” This singing tone is central to Rihm’s work, which is subtitled “A Summer Piece”. For Anne-Sophie Mutter, the “light game” conjures up associations of a summer night, a midsummer night’s dream, while the flashing accents of the score recall Shakespeare’s will-o’-the-wisps. “Time and again the flickering lights illuminate an almost romantic in-between state. Perhaps this is where the idea for Lichtes Spiel originates. I find these flickering accents typical of Rihm’s work in general – they were already present in Gesungene Zeit. The manner in which an emotion suddenly flares up and an interval abruptly comes to the forefront of our attention, only for it to withdraw again, is characteristic of Rihm’s musical language in Dyade, too.”
In Lichtes Spiel, the theme that is revealed in the very first bars returns in the form of a development section and a series of recapitulations that are laid out along almost classical lines, with the result that the theme is ever-present. By contrast, the rhapsodic Dyade remains in a state of endlessly flowing motion. There are no rests in the score. In a letter to the violinist, Rihm describes Dyade as a “two-way relationship, with all that that involves”. The work eschews the sort of dialogue normally associated with a concert piece, preferring in its place what might be described as a single voice structured in the form of a dialogue. The music has something immediately graspable and comprehensible to it. If Rihm speaks of “the relationship between a couple” and of the “result of a coming together of two separate entities”, then this makes immediate sense. “Earnestness and sweetness are inextricably interwoven”, Rihm goes on. “The whole thing is an organic, flowing, developing structure that sounds as if it had just been improvised. You will inevitably be familiar with this idea of growth from the works of George Enescu. Organic growth, born entirely from the musical line.”
This intense and lyrical conversation that two people conduct with a single voice is a microcosm of miniature thoughts and ideas, not a musical dialogue in which a theme is expounded and taken up by the other instrument. Conversely, this classical approach is pursued by Krzysztof Penderecki in his Duo concertante, in which violin and double bass take turns to speak, one of the partners falling silent whenever the other has a clearly defined musical idea to express. “Here we toss balls to and fro or else we avoid one another. At the same time, the piece has at its command an inexhaustible rhythmic muscularity and exploits the incredible threat that is posed by the sort of attack of which the double bass is capable. I’m pleased to say that these two pieces explore the whole range available to these extremely disparate string instruments when they play together: the symbiotic fusion and the classical duo concertante form. We commissioned it because of Roman Patkoló. The double bass is still awaiting its renaissance as a solo instrument. Roman’s personality and his altogether inexhaustible virtuosity give any composer carte blanche.” Rihm in particular took advantage of this opportunity: technically speaking, Dyade is foolhardy to a fault, with insane leaps in the double bass and extremely demanding violin writing.
As long ago as the 1980s Anne-Sophie Mutter had taken an interest in a work that revolves around time. The work in question was Sebastian Currier’s Clockwork. The violinist was introduced to Currier by her chamber music partner of many years’ standing, Lambert Orkis, and within a matter of only a few years he had written and dedicated to her his Aftersong for violin and piano. She and Lambert Orkis gave the work’s first performance in August 1994. Even before Time Machines Currier had already written a violin concerto for her, but its extreme orchestral demands made it virtually unperformable. “That’s why I asked Sebastian to revise it. The result, after a lengthy period of creative effort, was Time Machines, a violin concerto which, classical in spirit, is unusually gripping from a rhythmic point of view but at the same time conventionally orchestrated. Music, after all, unfolds over time and plays with time, which is why each of the work’s seven movements is about time.” Currier has indeed created a kaleidoscope that explores our experience of time, dissecting it into its fragmentary parts, moving hesitantly and yet also compressing, stretching out and drawing together the material, helping time to hurry ahead by means of thematic flash-forwards, then running backwards in time with the help of retrospective glances. “Taken together, all the movements constitute a kind of time machine that catapults us forwards or allows us to review the past. In short, it makes time visible as in a series of time-lapse photographs.” And like Lichtes Spiel, Time Machines dies away at the end, morendo. “No one gives me flashy endings – I don’t know why. But I’m grateful for an honest ending that doesn’t bank on an outburst of impassioned enthusiasm on the part of the audience but which prefers, rather, to provide a reflection on the innermost nature of the work.” (Oswald Beaujean)

Wolfgang Rihm (1952 - )
1) Lichtes Spiel [17:08]
Anne-Sophie Mutter, New York Philharmonic, Michael Francis
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 - )
2) Duo concertante [5:03]
Wolfgang Rihm (1952 - )
3) Dyade [12:35]
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Roman Patkoló
Sebastian Currier (1959 - )
Time Machine
4) 1. Fragmented Time [2:36]
5) 2. Time Delay [4:19]
6) 3. Compressed Time [1:29]
7) 4. Overlapping Time [3:44]
8) 5. Entropic Time [6:25]
9) 6. Backwards Time [1:39]
10) 7. Harmonic Time [8:52]
Anne-Sophie Mutter, New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH
1 CD DDD
477 9359 GH

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OSVALDO GOLIJOV La Pasión según San Marcos

Posted: September 9th, 2011, 5:10pm MDT

The last days of Jesus on earth: recounted variously by four Gospel journalists in the century that followed, they have been retold, and set to music, thousands of times ever since. J. S. Bach's settings of two of the four Passion texts loom magnificently, but in the year 2000, with Bach dead exactly 250 years, the International Bach Academy of Stuttgart dared to commission new settings of the Passion segments of all four Gospels, translating the spirit of Bach - but not necessarily his musical style - to present times. Taking on the task were Germany's Wolfgang Rihm, Russia's Sofia Gubaidulina, China's Tan Dun and Osvaldo Golijov, who was born in Argentina in 1960, moved to Israel in 1983 and settled in the US three years later. All four works - each lasting 90 minutes - were widely acclaimed, but it was Golijov's setting of the Gospel of Mark that truly raised the roof at its Stuttgart premiere in September 2000 - conducted by the work's dedicatee, María Guinand - with an ovation lasting well over half an hour.
Similar reactions have met subsequent performances, all involving the original troupe of Latin American musicians: the US premiere, presented by the Boston Symphony under Robert Spano in February 2001; the New York premiere given by the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Spano in October 2002; and the Holland Festival performance of this marvellously visual music, again with Robert Spano conducting and again with María Guinand's Schola Cantorum de Venezuela.
Why is Golijov's Passion eliciting such euphoric responses everywhere it is produced? Any five minutes of this throbbing score, streaked with flashes of audible lightning, will hold the answer. What Golijov has accomplished here is to swerve the focus - familiar to us from the great Bach Passions, with the sublime narrations of the evangelists Matthew and John, interspersed with the brief words of Jesus, set off in a halo of string tone, and the commentary of chorus and vocal soloists - to an intense drama, virtually an enactment of the events, that seems to compel participation by performer and audience alike.
The son of Eastern European Jews, Golijov did not even own a copy of the New Testament when the commission came from the Bach Academy. This proved something of an advantage. Lacking the “theological burden" of familiar images, he was free to create Jesus and his surroundings out of his own experience. Golijov's Pasión según San Marcos takes place in present-day South America. Its story follows Mark's detail of the trial, betrayal and Crucifixion, but these familiar episodes are peopled differently from our traditional images. In Golijov's words, “the main thing in this Passion is to present a dark Jesus, and not a pale European Jesus ... It's about Jesus' last days on earth seen through the Latin American experience."
This St Mark Passion takes place on the streets; it draws its sounds, its accents, from the rhythms of street life, in a village in Brazil or Cuba. Spanish is the work's predominant language, but it has been “Africanized," in Golijov's word: its rhythms are created as much by drums as by words; we hear this, for example, in the heavy rhythmic stress on some words. Other languages intrude at times: Latin, in quotations from the Lamentations of Jeremiah at the start; Aramaic, Jesus' own language, in the concluding Kaddish, the haunting Prayer for the Dead. To underline the moment of Peter's tears of contrition, when he realizes his guilt in his denial of Jesus, a poem in Galician is added: “Lúa descolorida" (“Colorless Moon") by Rosalía de Castro, the accompaniment numbed down to an almost toneless string quartet. The near silence of the moment, and the pained motionlessness of the singer, create a kind of vacuum that becomes the breath-stopping climax of the entire work.
The instrumentation is mainly voices and percussion. “There is a strong tradition," says Golijov, “that news or stories are told by voices and drums in Cuba and Brazil, the Latin geographical centers of my Passion. This tradition comes from Africa, you know, and that's how this Passion is being told. The voices represent the people who don't understand, who are in fear - and Jesus himself, who understands but also fears - and then doesn't fear. There is a male soloist, a female soloist and a choir. I thought that most of the time the voice of Jesus would be the choir, because for me Jesus represents the voice of the people, transformed into a collective spirit. I have sections where there are three choirs - they divide themselves into three - because a lot of my piece has to do with processionals. I imagine choirs from three villages proceeding down from the tops of the mountains; this is based on a South American Easter tradition. Unlike a Protestant Passion which is about meditating and commenting, this Passion is about enactment and ritual. It is a synthesis of Latin American traditions, Catholicism and the Yoruba religion brought by African slaves. So it's a completely different approach.
“The piece is driven by percussion instruments and specific rhythms," Golijov continues. “In some parts things go completely crazy, like the rhumba with the spoons. Still, every section has a center of gravity symbolized by a percussion instrument or a group of percussion instruments. One percussionist will play the berimbau to accompany a Capoeira dancer. Capoeira is an incredible martial art from Brazil that the slaves brought from Africa, and it's beautiful. Three Capoeira dances articulate the three divisions of the Passion. The first is a dance of sacrifice representing the first time Jesus is on earth as a human being. The second dance takes place when Jesus is arrested, after Judas comes with the soldiers and kisses him. Mark has this strange episode of an unknown young man, wrapped only in a sheet, presumably St Mark himself. He is the only one who, instead of running away, follows Jesus until a soldier realizes that he is following them and takes the sheet away from him - he then runs away naked, so the second dance is with a white sheet. The third dance is at the very end, near the Crucifixion, when the soldiers give Jesus a purple cloak to mock him. The cloak becomes the sacred veil." (Alan Rich)

CD 1:
Osvaldo Golijov (1960 - )
La Pasión según San Marcos
1. 1. Visión: Bautismo en la Cruz [1:04]
2. 2. Danza del Pescador Pescado [0:52]
3. 3. Primer Anuncio [3:55]
4. 4. Segundo Anuncio [2:02]
5. 5. Tercer Anuncio: En Fiesta No [0:57]
6. 6. Dos Días [1:40]
7. 7. Uncíon en Betania [1:11]
8. 8. ¿Por qué? [4:00]
9. 9. Oración Lucumí (Aria con Grillos) [2:27]
10. 10. El Primer Día [1:30]
11. 11./12. Judas y El Cordero Pascual [4:35]
12. 13. Quisiera Yo Renegar (Aria de Judas) [2:49]
13. 14. Eucaristía [3:52]
14. 15. Demos Gracias al Señor [5:14]
15. 16. Al Monte [1:06]
16. 17. Cara a Cara [1:11]
17. 18. En Getsemaní [2:04]
18. 19. Agonía (Aria de Jesús) [8:21]
19. 20. Aresto - 21. Danza Sabana Blanca [2:31]
20. 22. Ante Caifás 1:45

CD 2:
1. 23. Soy Yo (Confesión) [2:26]
2. 24. Escarnio y Negación [1:38]
3. 25. Desgarro de la Túnica [0:55]
4. 26. Lúa descolorida (Aria de las lágrimas de Pedro) [5:44]
5. 27. Amanecer: Ante Pilato [3:46]
6. 28. Silencio [1:48]
7. 29. Sentencia [1:46]
8. 30. Comparsa Al Gólgotha [3:36]
9. 32. Crucifixión [1:55]
10. 33. Muerte [1:06]
11. 34. Kaddish [6:41]
Biella da Costa

Orquesta La Pasión
Members of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
María Guinand
Schola Cantorum de Venezuela

2010 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
2 CDs DDD
477 7461 7 GH 3

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Mitsuko Uchida SCHUMANN Fantasie - Davidsbündlertänze

Posted: September 7th, 2011, 5:30pm MDT

The masterly pianist Mitsuko Uchida is widely acclaimed for the refinement and intelligence of her playing. Schumann brings out her fanciful and impetuous side, as is clear on a wonderful recording of two major Schumann works . . . Ms. Uchida captures the music's unbridled imagination. But at her core, since she is such an elegant and insightful musician, she also plays with an acute sensitivity to harmonic shadings and contrapuntal complexities and, when it is called for, uncanny textural clarity. This makes for an uncommon blend of rhapsodic freedom and revealing detail. The three-movement Fantasie is a homage to Beethoven and, despite its title, one of Schumann's most ingeniously structured works. Ms. Uchida conveys both the architectural and fantastical elements in her magisterial performance. The recording, a Decca Prestige Edition release, includes a bonus CD of Ms. Uchida discussing Schumann with the critic James Jolly. It is fun to hear her thoughts about how the piano music of Schumann (like that of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others) reveals what kind of pianist he was. (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times / 11. April 2011)

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Davidsbündlertänze, Op.6
1. 1. Lebhaft [1:59]
2. 2. Innig [1:37]
3. 3. Etwas hahnbüchen [1:34]
4. 4. Ungeduldig [0:47]
5. 5. Einfach [2:45]
6. 6. Sehr rasch [2:02]
7. 7. Nicht schnell [4:48]
8. 8. Frisch [0:46]
9. 9. Lebhaft [1:44]
10. 10. Balladenmässig, sehr rasch [1:29]
11. 11. Einfach [2:16]
12. 12. Mit Humor [0:48]
13. 13. Wild und lustig [3:33]
14. 14. Zart und singend [2:23]
15. 15. Frisch [2:17]
16. 16. Mit gutem Humor [1:57]
17. 17. Wie aus der Ferne [4:38]
18. 18. Nicht schnell [2:07]
Fantasie in C, Op.17
19. 1. Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen - Im Legenden-Ton [12:46]
20. 2. Mäßig. Durchaus energisch - Etwas langsamer - Vielbewegter [7:46]
21. 3. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten - Etwas bewegter [12:55]

CD 2:
1. Mitsuko Uchida in conversation with James Jolly [29:21]

2011 DECCA
2 Compact Discs DDD
478 2280 6 DH 2

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The Best of Anne-Sophie Mutter

Posted: September 5th, 2011, 9:58pm MDT

For the first time, a "Best of" two CD set including the most beautiful samples of her extensive discography is being published now. The album presents excerpts of Anne-Sophie Mutter's show pieces of the of the great violin classics.
Herewith the gigantic spectrum of her repertoire is displayed ranging from Bach to Rihm, from baroque to contemporary music, from the classical violin concert to tango and jazz. Among others, pieces by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Tschaikowsky, Silbelius and Massenet are to be found on the double album which is available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

CD 1:
Violin Concerto No.5 in A, K.219
1) 1. Allegro aperto [9:38]
Violin Concerto No.3 in G, K.216
2) 2. Adagio [9:49]
Violin Concerto in D, Op.61
3) 3. Rondo. Allegro [10:16]
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64
4) 2. Andante [7:15]
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64
5) 3. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace [6:12]
Lieder ohne Worte, Op.62 - Arr. Fritz Kreisler
6) 6. Frühlingslied [2:16]
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.5 in F, Op.24 - "Spring"
7) 4. Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo) [7:16]
Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor, BWV 1041
8) 3. Allegro assai [3:08]
Violin Concerto No.2 in E, BWV 1042
9) 2. Adagio [7:09]
Concerto for Violin and Strings in F minor, Op.8, No.4, R.297 "L'inverno"
10) 1. Allegro non molto [3:27]
Concerto for Violin and Strings in G minor, Op.8, No.2, R.315 "L'estate"
11) 3. Presto (Tempo impetuoso d'estate) [2:33]
Tango Song and Dance (dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter)
12) 2. Song. Simply [4:58]

CD 2:
Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.26
1) 1. Vorspiel (Allegro moderato) [8:36]
Violin Concerto in D, Op.35
2) 2. Canzonetta (Andante) [7:18]
Violin Concerto in D, Op.35
3) 3. Finale (Allegro vivacissimo) [9:30]
4) Thaïs / Acte Deux - Meditation [6:36]
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47
5) 3. Allegro, ma non tanto [7:13]
Violin Concerto in D, Op.77
6) 2. Adagio [9:18]
7) Hungarian Dance No.6 in D flat - transcr. in B flat major for violin and piano by Joseph Joachim [3:40]
8) Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 [8:36]
9) Caprice viennois op.2 [4:09]
10) Porgy and Bess - Summertime [2:09]
11) Beau Soir [3:00]

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
2 Compact Discs
480 5566 1

You can download here: CD 1 / CD 2
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Paul Lewis SONATA

Posted: September 2nd, 2011, 4:39pm MDT

The 'INITIALES' series is an invitation to discover the artists of harmonia mundi. Ten years after a Schubert disc recorded in the ‘New Musicians' series, this double album celebrates a British pianist at the peak of his artistry and in his genre of choice. It is no coincidence that Paul Lewis has made a speciality of the sonatas of three pianist-composers: Beethoven (of whose complete sonatas he has made a memorable recording), Schubert of course, and finally Liszt, a performance that returns to the catalogue thanks to this reissue.

CD 1:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 8 "Pathétique" in C minor op. 13
1) I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio [9:48]
2) II. Andante cantabile [5:23]
3) III. Rondo Allegro [5:21]
Sonata No. 25 "Alla tedesca" in G Major op. 79
4) I. Presto alla tedesca [5:30]
5) II. Andante [2:33]
6) III. Vivace [2:10]
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Sonata No. 19 in C minor D. 958
7) Allegro [10:33]
8) Adagio [8:26]
9) Menuetto [3:17]
10) Allegro [9:42]

CD 2:
Sonata No. 20 in A major D. 959
1) Allegro [11:59]
2) Andantino [7:46]
3) Scherzo Allegro vivace - Trio Un pocco più lento [5:11]
4) Rondo Allegretto [13:11]
Franz Liszt (1811- 1886)
5) La lugubre gondola (version 2) [7:19]
Sonata in B minor
6) Lento assai [12:04]
7) Andante sostenuto [7:22]
8) Allegro energico [10:44]

2011 Harmonia Mundi
2 Compact Discs DDD
HMX 2908456

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Bernold - Tharaud BOULEZ - DUTILLEUX - JOLIVET - MESSIAEN - VARÈSE Sonatines pour flûte & piano

Posted: September 1st, 2011, 6:37pm MDT

It is tempting to think of this marvellous programme as masterpieces of the modern flute repertoire. They are certainly masterpieces, and each has entered the flute repertoire, but they can scarcely be given the epithet ‘modern’ when all were composed by the middle of the last century. Philippe Bernold and Alexandre Tharaud have assembled a recital of flute pieces by the French composers who had the greatest impact on postwar musical thought. Unlike similar rival collections, there is not a single musical weak link in this recital even if, with the exception of Jolivet’s Cinq incantations, these pieces are not representative of their respective composers’ mature styles. Nevertheless, each is a classic example of the progressions made in writing for the flute after Debussy.
In this respect, this release is a logical and welcome progression from Bernold’s earlier delectable exploration of Debussy’s music for flute on the same label. His bewitching tone and capacity for minute gradations of volume and timbre are again much in evidence, particularly in Varèse’s Density 21.5 and the inner movements of Jolivet’s Cinq incantations. Elsewhere Bernold also demonstrates a harder, though not harsher, edge, and Tharaud is exemplary throughout, especially in Boulez’s fiendish Sonatine. Recommended. (Christopher Dingle)

Pierre Boulez (1925 - )
1)Sonatine
Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992)
2)Le Merle Noir
André Jolivet (1905 - 1974)
Cinq Incantations
3) 1. Pour Accueillir Les Négociateurs, Et Que L'Entrevue Soit Pacifique
4) 2. Pour Que L'Enfant Qui Va Naître Soit Un Fils
5) 3. Pour Que La Moisson Soit Riche Qui Naîtra Des Sillons Que Le Laboureur Trace
6) 4. Pour Une Communion Sereine De L'Être Avec Le Monde
7) 5. Aux Funérailles Du Chef, Pour Obtenir La Protection De Son Âme
Henri Dutilleux (1916 - )
8) Sonatine
Edgar Varèse (1883 - 1965)
9) Density 21.5

Philippe Bernold

Alexandre Tharaud

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St Lawrence String Quartet OSVALDO GOLIJOV Yiddishbbuk

Posted: August 28th, 2011, 2:00am MDT

Argentinean-born Osvaldo Golijov has fast become the must-hear composer of the new generation, and this collection of chamber works that range in date from 1992 to 2001 shows what all the to-do is about. Golijov's musical vocabulary is primarily tonal -- particularly in gentle moments, when he seems at his best -- but he's not afraid to reach for more adventurous devices when the mood becomes agitated. The result is compelling music that often has a traditional feel, but with a distinctly modern accent. Above all, however, Yiddishbbuk reveals Golijov's deep attachment to the Jewish music that is his heritage, with liberal borrowings from Klezmer and other eastern European idioms. The quintet, The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind (1994), for example, is an epic piece that is redolent with Jewish history and culture; indeed, Golijov writes in the booklet that he hears its various movements in three separate languages: ancient Aramaic, colloquial Yiddish, and sacred Hebrew. Timeless and hauntingly beautiful, it is such a striking composition that Todd Palmer, the clarinetist, has declared it the successor to Mozart and Brahms's great clarinet quintets. The title work (1992), a quartet, is no less interwoven with Jewish culture, but it is by far the more concentrated and forceful, beginning with a remembrance of children interned in a Nazi concentration camp. Other movements celebrate Isaac Bashevis Singer and Leonard Bernstein. Lullaby and Doina (2001) began life as music for the film The Man Who Cried, yet it stands on its own quite well, sweetly melodic and evocative of eastern European folk styles. In contrast, the opening work, Last Round (1996), is a fanciful homage to Golijov's great countryman, Astor Piazzolla, and one can almost hear the old tango master working his bandoneon in the bracing first movement. The St. Lawrence Quartet, which has collaborated closely with Golijov since their first meeting at Tanglewood in 1992, plays his music with intense dedication and the understanding of an old friend. Palmer, too, is an apt partner and makes a surprisingly successful klezmer player. The sound quality is excellent, affording an ideal window onto this talented composer's distinctive and enthralling musical world. (EJ Johnson)

Osvaldo Golijov (1960 -)
Last Round
1) I Movido, Urgente - Macho, Cool And Dangerous [6:35]
2) II Lentissimo [6:27]
Lullaby And Doina
3) Lullaby [1:55]
4) Doina [3:14]
5) Gallop [1:48]
Yiddishbbuk
6) I Ia. D.W. (1932-1944) Ib. F.B. (1930-1944) Ic. T.K. (1934-1943) [3:40]
7) II I.B.S. (1904-1991) [5:24]
8) III L.B. (1918-1990) [4:56]
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind
9) Prelude: Calmo, Sospeso [3:54]
10) I Agitato - Con Fuoco - Maestoso - Senza Misura, Oscillante [9:16]
11) II Teneramente - Ruvido - Presto [11:21]
12) III Calmo, Sospeso - Allegro Pesante [8:18]
13) Postlude: Lento, Liberamente [2:39]

St Lawrence String Quartet
Todd Palmer, clarinets
Tara Hellen O'Connor, flute
Mark Dresser, double bass
Ying Quartet

2002 EMI Classics
1 CD DDD
57356-2

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JOAQUÍN RODRIGO La Obra de un Genio 1901 - 1999

Posted: August 25th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

Joaquín Rodrigo was born in Sagunto (Valencia) on St Cecilia's day, the patron saint of music, 22 November 1901. At the age of three he lost his sight almost completely as a result of an epidemic of diphtheria. As he himself was later to affirm, this event undoubtedly led to a vocation towards music. At the age of eight he began his first musical studies, solfa, piano and violin, and from the age of sixteen harmony and composition with teachers from the Conservatoire in Valencia: Francisco Antich, Enrique Gomá and Eduardo López Chavarri. His first compositions date from 1923: Suite for piano, Dos esbozos (‘Two Sketches’) for violin and piano, and Siciliana for cello. In 1924 his first work for orchestra, Juglares, was premiered in Valencia and Madrid, and he obtained a diploma in a national competition for the orchestral work Cinco piezas infantiles, which was later premiered in Paris by the Straram Orchestra. From the outset of his career Rodrigo wrote all his works in braille, dictating them subsequently to a copyist..
In 1927, following the example of his predecessors Albéniz, Falla, Granados and Turina, Rodrigo moved to Paris to enrol at the École Normale de Musique, where he studied for five years with Paul Dukas, who had a particular affection for his Spanish pupil. Rodrigo wrote his Sonada de adiós for piano in memory of Dukas in 1935. He soon became known as both pianist and composer, and became friendly with Honegger, Milhaud, Ravel and many other musical celebrities of the time, among them Manuel de Falla, whose advice and support would be decisive in his career. In 1933 he married the Turkish pianist Victoria Kamhi, who thenceforth until her death in 1997 became his inseparable companion and the most important collaborator in all aspects of his work as a composer. He continued his studies of musicology in France at the Paris Conservatoire and at the Sorbonne and also worked in Germany, Austria and Switzerland before returning to Spain in 1939 to settle permanently in Madrid. In 1940 the world premiere took place in Barcelona of the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, a definitive example of his musical personality and a work which would bring him world-wide fame. From that moment on Rodrigo was engaged in numerous artistic activities, both creative and academic, the following positions being of particular significance: Professor of the History of Music at the Complutense University of Madrid, Head of Music Broadcasts for Spanish Radio, music critic for several newspapers, and Head of the Artistic Section of the Spanish National Organization for the Blind (ONCE). He was also invited to undertake tours as lecturer and pianist throughout Spain and the rest of Europe, Latin America, the United States, lsrael and Japan. Accompanied by his wife Victoria he frequently attended competitions and festivals dedicated to his music throughout the world.
The music of Joaquín Rodrigo is a homage to the rich and varied cultures of Spain. No other Spanish composer has drawn on so many different aspects of his country's spirit as sources of inspiration, from the history of Roman Spain to the work of contemporary poets. His music is refined, luminous, fundamentally optimistic, with a particular predominance of melody, and with original harmonies. His first works reveal the influence of composers of his time such as Ravel and Stravinsky, but the personal voice is quickly heard which would go on to create a notable chapter in the cultural history of Spain in the 20th century, where the originality of Rodrigo’s musical inspiration goes hand in hand with a devotion to the fundamental values of his tradition.
Joaquín Rodrigo’s numerous and varied compositions include eleven concertos for various instruments, more than sixty songs, choral and instrumental works, and music for the theatre and the cinema. A number of distinguished soloists commissioned works from him, among them Gaspar Cassadó, Andrés Segovia, Nicanor Zabaleta, James Galway, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Romero guitar quartet. His numerous writings on music reveal a profound understanding of his art and include subjects as varied as sixteenth century polyphony, the symphonic poems of Richard Strauss, and the art of the conductor.
Throughout his life Joaquín Rodrigo was frequently honoured by governments, universities, academies and other civil and musical organizations in many different countries. The following distinctions, reflecting the special position occupied by the composer in his country’s cultural history, are amongst the most significant: Gran Cruz de Alfonso X el Sabio, Gran Cruz del Mérito Civil, Medallas de Oro al Mérito en el Trabajo y en las Bellas Artes, the National Music Prize (twice), Doctor honoris causa of several universities, Director of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, and the Fundación Guerrero Prize. In 1991, to celebrate his 90th birthday, concerts of his music were given throughout the world, and Joaquín Rodrigo was raised to the nobility by H M Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, with the title ‘Marqués de los jardines de Aranjuez’. In 1996 the composer was honoured with Spain’s greatest distinction, the Prince of Asturias Prize, awarded to a composer for the first time. The citation notes that Rodrigo’s name had joined those of Falla, Granados and Albéniz among the classics of Spanish music, and drew particular attention to Rodrigo’s definitive achievement of having given dignity and universality to the Spanish guitar as a concert instrument.
Joaquín Rodrigo died at his home in Madrid on the 6 July 1999, surrounded by his family. With the principal aim of ensuring the preservation and dissemination of Joaquín Rodrigo’s music throughout the world, the composer’s only daughter, Cecilia, who is married to the distinguished violinist Agustín León Ara, founded the publishing house of Ediciones Joaquín Rodrigo in 1989 and created the Victoria and Joaquín Rodrigo Foundation in 1999.
CD 1:
Concierto de Aranjuez para guitarra y orquesta
1) Allegro con spirito
2) Adagio
3) Allegro gentile

Narciso Yepes, guitar
Orquesta Nacional de España
A. Argenta, conductor
Concierto Pastoral para flauta y orquesta
4) Allegro
5) Adagio
6) Rondó (Allegro)
James Galway, flute
Philharmonia Orchestra
Eduardo Mata, conductor
Concierto como un divertimento para violoncello y orquesta
7) Allegretto
8) Adagio nostálgico
9) Allegro scherzando
Julian Lloyd Weber, cello
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Eduardo Mata, conductor
Doce canciones españolas
10) Canción de cuna
11) De ronda
12) Adela
13) Canción de baile con pandero
Teresa Berganza, mezzo-soprano
Félix Lavilla, piano

CD 2:
Fantasía para un gentilhombre para guitarra y orquesta
1) Villano y Ricercare
2) Españoleta y Fanfare de la Caballería de Nápoles
3) Danza de las hachas
4) Canario
Narciso Yepes, Guitar
Orquesta Nacional de España
R. Frühbeck de Burgos
Concerto in modo galante para violoncello y orquesta
5) Allegretto grazioso
6) Adagietto
7) Rondo giocoso (Allegro deciso)
Pedro Corostola, cello
Orquesta Filarmónica de España
R. Frühbeck de Burgos
Concierto de estío para violin y orquesta
8) Preludio (Allegro molto leggiero)
9) Siciliana (Andantino)
10) Rondino (Allegro ma non troppo)
Agustín León Ara, violin
Orquesta Sinfónica de España
A. Ros Marbá
Cuatro madrigales amatorios
11) ¿De dónde venís, amore?
12) ¿Con qué la lavaré?
13) Vos me matásteis
14) De los álamos vengo, madre
Montserrat Caballé, soprano
Miguel Zanetti, piano

CD 3:
Concierto para piano
1) Allegro con brio
2) Allegro molto rítmico
3) Largo
4) Allegro maestoso
Joaquín Achúcarro, piano
Orquesta de Valencia
Manuel Galduf
5)A la busca del más allá
6) Per la flor del Iliri blau
7) Adagio para instrumentos de viento
Orquesta de Valencia
Manuel Galduf

2009 Sony Music Entertainment España
3 Compact Discs

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Ingrid Fliter BEETHOVEN Piano Sonatas

Posted: August 23rd, 2011, 5:50pm MDT

This is something quite special. Argentinean pianist Ingrid Fliter has recorded two previous discs for EMI, both of Chopin and both enthusiastically received. She now turns to Beethoven, and since we probably can’t hope for a complete cycle from her, the one disappointment about this issue is perhaps the unadventurous choice of programme. I feel sure she knows more Beethoven sonatas than these three pillars of the repertoire! At least, though, EMI have treated her as a serious artist, with a very fine recording and a substantial booklet note about the music from William Kinderman rather than multiple photographs of the pianist herself.
The opening of the Pathétique is very grave indeed, the darkness of the music underlined by the perfectly voiced chords and, especially, by the presence of an underlying pulse. Fliter launches into the first movement Allegro with huge gusto and marvellously clear arpeggios. We have just got over her deft handling of the mordents in the second subject when there comes a surprise. The end of the exposition is signalled by a pause, extended here, which should then revert to a repeat of the exposition. As indeed it does, but Fliter chooses to return to the very beginning of the slow introduction, and not, as expected, to the beginning of the Allegro. Memory can be fallible, but I don’t recall ever hearing the sonata played like this, nor can I think of a performance of any other Beethoven sonata where a similar decision is taken. What Fliter does goes contrary to the score too, so why does she do it? Is it because the following development section also begins with a return to the slow, opening music, albeit, as is normal, in another key? The result is undeniably arresting and effective, but I do rather think that Beethoven knew best, and even if we think he didn’t, we really ought to respect his opinion. After this we are treated to seamless legato in the slow movement, and a fair amount of skittish high spirits in the finale which, in spite of the fact that the main theme sticks stubbornly in the mind – and in spite of the work’s remarkable popularity – is not one of Beethoven’s most inspired. Is some of the passagework a little rushed in this movement? I think so, but it’s all to the good, and one wants to applaud loudly at the end, which was surely the composer’s intention.
The development section of the first movement of the D minor Sonata (nicknamed, though not by Beethoven, the Tempest) also begins with a return to the slow, rising arpeggio with which the movement started, in which case the exposition repeat beginning with this pensive yet dramatic gesture makes perfect sense. The difference is that in this case the composer instructs us to do it. The performance of the sonata is just as fine as that of the Pathétique, and it is one played out at a high level of tension. Garrick Ohlsson, in a performance on Bridge I reviewed recently, retains more of a classical atmosphere in the work, whilst relinquishing little or nothing in the way of expressiveness. I was particularly impressed by that performance, as I am by this one, in its own way. The curious, constantly revolving semiquavers of the finale create a feeling of disquiet in any successful performance, but Fliter goes further than most, and certainly further than Ohlsson or Hélène Grimaud on DG, in bringing out accents and fortissimi, to the point that the movement takes on a not inappropriate grim relentlessness. It is a more romantically inclined performance than the two comparison performances, with greater use of the sustaining pedal and with textures less analytical, more highly charged.
These characteristics become even more evident in the performance of the towering Appassionata. Fliter works very hard to bring out the conflict and contrast inherent in the first movement, just as she does in the first movement of Op. 31/2, but one is particularly struck by the power of her playing, positively thunderous when required, with the closing bars almost possessed. The slow movement is poised and tender, leading to another stupendous performance of the finale. The tension never lets up here, and the closing bars, from Beethoven’s Presto marking onwards, are extraordinarily vehement.
Collectors will have their own favourite readings of each of these sonatas, but none will be disappointed, I believe, by these highly impassioned, impulsive performances. This is Beethoven playing of a very high order. (William Hedley, MusicWeb International)

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Grande Sonate pathétique"
1) Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
2) Adagio cantabile
3) Rondo: Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "Tempest"
4) I. Largo - Allegro
5) II. Adagio
6) III. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
7) Allegro assai
8) Andante con moto
9) Allegro ma non troppo

2011 EMI Classics
1 CD DDD
9457324

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Anne Sofie von Otter HANDEL - MONTEVERDI - TELEMANN - ROMAN

Posted: August 21st, 2011, 7:18pm MDT

This is a CD transfer of Anne Sofie von Otter’s first solo recording, made in 1983 in Stockholm. The transfer includes all the items from the LP plus the Agnus Dei from Roman’s Swedish Mass, which von Otter recorded complete that year. Evidently her recital LP was never properly available in the UK, so this CD issue might be the first time that the UK has had a chance to hear this delightful record.
Admittedly the running time is rather short; even with the additional item it still runs at only 47 minutes. But it gives us the opportunity to hear von Otter at the start of her amazing career.
Her voice is a little lighter than it is now and perhaps the flexibility does not come as easily nowadays. Also her characterisation and sheer musicality have developed in the twenty odd years since this disc, but it is amazing how much of the mature singer is available here. And it is lovely to have such confident art and strong characterisation allied to her expressively flexible voice.
She opens with Dejanira’s big scene from Handel’s Hercules, and manages to combine technical skill with powerful emotions and in a pretty arresting manner. In an amazing tour de force, she follows with the a bleakly expressive Piangero from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, commandeering Cleopatra’s part in a way that the older von Otter would perhaps find tricky, giving us a vocal line which combines clarity with malleability. In both English and Italian, her way with words is idiomatic and vivid.
She follows this with two charming songs from Monteverdi’s Scherzi Musicali. Perhaps she is a little too much concerned with beauty of vocal tone, rather than expressing the words, for these to be ideal. And the lament from Arianna is profoundly moving without being completely heart-wrenching.
Then comes the charming Agnus Dei from Roman’s Swedish Mass. Roman was the first really important Swedish composer and the first to arrange public concerts in Sweden. He was concerned to create music using the Swedish language; Agnus Dei comes from his mass setting of 1750 which sets the Swedish version of the text.
The accompaniment is delicately Mozartian, the results charming and moving in a low key way. Von Otter sings it in a simple and expressive manner.
There then follows Telemann’s Canary Cantata; his Funeral Music for an artistic Canary. The piece is intended to be a humorous satire and Von Otter exploits the piece to maximum effect. Not everyone will like her quasi-operatic way with the music but the results are undeniably effective. Von Otter obviously relishes the opportunity the piece gives her, variously milking the vocal line for over-expressiveness, spitting consonants unmercifully and expressively spinning out the vocal line.
The final item is another piece of commandeering, this time Where’er you walk from Semele. I’m not completely convinced by this, attractive though it is. I miss the edge that a fine tenor can bring to the vocal line.
This is a charming recital and essential listening for those who have followed Von Otter’s career. If you’ve got her later recordings then you’ll definitely want this one. (Robert Hugill)

George Frideric HANDEL (1685–1759)
1) Where shall I fly (Hercules) [5.24]
2) Piangero (Giulio Cesare) [6.23]
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567–1643)
3) O Rosetta, che rosetta (Scherzi Musicali) [1.48]
4) La violetta (Scherzi Musicali) [3.47]
5) Lamento (Arianna) [3.47]
Johan Helmich ROMAN (1694–1758)
6) O Herre Gud Guds Lamb (Agnus Dei) (Then Svenska Messan) [3.28]
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681–1767)
7) Trauer-Music eines kunsterfahrenen Canarienvogels [15.07]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
8) Where’er you walk (Semele) [4.03]

Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo)
Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble

1983 and 1990, Proprius Musik AB, Stockholm, Sweden
1 CD DDD
PRCD 9008

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Martin Helmchen MENDELSSOHN The Piano Concertos

Posted: August 21st, 2011, 1:05pm MDT

Mendelssohn did not set out to write his first piano concerto until the age of 23, relatively late considering the composer's short lifetime. He had reservations about his ability to produce a concerto that was more than just pyrotechnic bravura. Indeed, the first concerto is filled with Mendelssohn's trademark mercurial filigree and brisk, busy passages, but he also achieves a wonderful sense of stillness and serenity in the central Andante that contrasts beautifully with the outer movements. The "Second Concerto" came about some five years later and already Mendelssohn's growth as a composer can be heard with the concerto's more serious, refined, and less showy nature. Performing these two energizing but sometimes overlooked concertos, as well as the "Op. 29 Rondo brillant," is pianist Martin Helmchen and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Philippe Herreweghe. Apart from Helmchen's commanding technical skills and clear musical direction, and the RFP's sensitive but authoritative accompaniment, what makes this album an especially successful one is tone of the piano itself and PentaTone's recorded sound quality. Helmchen's piano is a tiny bit bright, and even a little dry, which actually serves Mendelssohn quite well; every note comes out crystal clear, even in the busiest, most complicated passages. PentaTone's highly detailed SACD layer gives even more definition to the piano and allows the orchestra to be punchy and vivacious without obscuring Helmchen in the slightest. (Mike D. Brownell, Rovi)

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 251)
1) Molto allegro con fuoco [7:31]
2) Andante [6:19]
3) Presto [6:52]
Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
4) Allegro appassionata [9:36]
5) Adagio - Molto sostenuto [6:06]
6) Finale - Presto scherzando [7:06]
7) Rondo brilliant, Op. 29 [11:20]

Martin Helmchen, piano
Royal Flemish Philharmonic
conducted by Philippe Herreweghe

2010 PentaTone Music
1 CD DDD
5186 366

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Julia Lezhneva - Sinfonia Varsovia - Marc Minkowski ROSSINI

Posted: August 19th, 2011, 4:00am MDT

The award-winning Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva was born in 1989 to a family of geophysicists in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. She began playing the piano and singing at the age of five. In 2004 Julia graduated with distinction from the Gretchaninov Junior Music School in Moscow. In July 2008 she received an honours degree in vocal studies and a piano diploma from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory Academic Music College. Between September 2008 and April 2010 Julia has been studying with the tenor Dennis O’Neill at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice being supported by the British Government and the Kempinski Arts Fellowship Program. While at CIAV, she participated in masterclasses given by Richard Bonynge, Ileana Cotrubas, Carlo Rizzi and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. She had previously attended masterclasses with Elena Obraztsova in St. Petersburg in 2007, Alberto Zedda at the Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro in 2008, and Thomas Quasthoff during the 2009 Verbier Festival. Since October 2010, Julia has been studying at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama postgraduate vocal course under Professor Yvonne Kenny.
At age 12 Julia began participating in vocal competitions and festivals. She won the Grand Prix awards at two Elena Obraztsova’s international opera competitions, the First Competition for Young Vocalists (2006) and the Sixth Internatinal Competition for Young Opera Singers (2007), where she also received all special prizes. Since then, she has been in increasing demand around the world on both the concert platform and the operatic stage. Julia made her professional debut at age 16, singing the soprano solo part in Mozart’s Requiem in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Moscow Virtuosi conducted by Vladimir Minin.
During the 2007/08 season, Julia Lezhneva performed solo recitals at the Grand and Small Halls of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic; the Grand, Small and Rachmaninoff Halls of the Moscow Conservatory, in Tokyo, Pesaro and Kosice. She has also appeared in solo concerts at the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, and took part in the Elena Obraztsova Gala Anniversary making successful debut performance at the Bolshoi Theatre. In 2008 Julia participated in a joint concert with Juan Diego Flórez for the opening of the 2008 Rossini Opera Festival; she also performed and made her first professional recording of Bach’s Mass in B minor with Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski in Santiago de Compostela. In January 2008 Julia received the prestigious independent Russian ‘Triumph’ award for her contribution to culture and art.
In August 2009 she became the 1st prize winner of the 6th Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki, being the youngest competitor in the history of the competition.
During the 2009/10 season, Julia gave solo performances in the UK, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Norway, and Italy. In January 2010 she made her debut at the Salzburg Mozartwoche Festival, performing the soprano part in Mozart’s Great Mass under the baton of Marc Minkowski.
In April 2010 she participated in the memorial concert for late Polish president Lech Kaczynski, singing the soprano part in Mozart’s Requiem under Marc Minkowski at the Main Square of Krakow.
Julia also made successful debut at the 2010 Classical Brit Awards, singing Rossini’s Fra il padre at the Royal Albert Hall upon the invitation of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa,.
Julia’s recent European tour and recording of Vivaldi’s opera Ottone in villa with il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Antonini as well as debut solo concerts at the Salzburg Festival 2010 with Mozarteum Orchestra and Marc Minkowski gained extraordinary success and exceptional resonance in the international press.
In October 2010 she confirmed being one of the most exciting opera talents across the world, winning the First Paris International Opera Competition held at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees.
Despite her youth, Julia has a huge and widely diverse repertoire, ranging from baroque and belcanto styles to romantic and contemporary music.

Giaochino Rossini (1792-1868)
1. Tanti affetti (La donna del lago, 1819)
2. Ils s’éloignent enfin (Guillaume Tell, 1829)
3. Bel raggio lusinghier (Semiramide, 1823)
4. Assisa a’ pie d’un salice (Otello, 1816)
5. Sinfonia (La Cenerentola, 1817)
6. Della fortuna istabile… Nacqui all’affanno (La Cenerentola, 1817)
7. L’ora fatal s’apressa (L’assedio di Corinto, 1826)

Julia Lezhneva, soprano
Sinfonia Varsovia
Marc Minkowski

2001 Naïve
1 CD DDD
V 5221

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Anthony Marwood - Thomas Adès STRAVINSKY Complete Music for Violin and Piano

Posted: August 17th, 2011, 1:00am MDT

Transcribing works for violin and piano might have seemed an unusual sideline for Igor Stravinsky, who famously complained about the violin's resemblance to the human voice, and who found using strings for their emotive value antithetical to his pursuit of a cool, "objective" tone. He preferred using woodwinds because their tone colors were less evocative of singing, and he generally neglected the violin until practical considerations, stemming from the composition of his "Violin Concerto," led to this new practice. Stravinsky and the violinist Samuel Dushkin had struck up a friendship through working together on the concerto, and in the interests of concert promotion and the furtherance of publications by Schott, the two men worked up a selection of pieces that they could play in recitals. This double-disc album by violinist Anthony Marwood and pianist Thomas Adès presents Stravinsky's complete works for violin and piano (though the "Suite Italienne" is represented by a precursor work, the "Suite d'après des thèmes, fragments et morceaux de Giambattista Pergolesi," which was Stravinsky's first attempt to adapt music from his ballet "Pulcinella"). Considering that Adès composed his "Violin Concerto" for Marwood, an obvious parallel can be drawn between these contemporary musicians and Stravinsky and Dushkin, so their attraction to this body of work seems natural; their freedom in interpreting these pieces hearkens back to the experimentation in which their predecessors indulged. Both Marwood and Adès play with crisp accentuation, rhythmic buoyancy, and a tone that ranges from sweetly lyrical to acerbic and biting. Most important in their interpretations is their ability to play the music with an ear to highlighting Stravinsky's eccentricities, rather than smoothing them over or making the music sound prettier than it should. The end result is a fresh and sometimes bracing take on Stravinsky as a chamber composer, and the set is quite stimulating for the performers' vitality and acute understanding of these works. Highly recommended. (Blair Sanderson, Rovi)

Igor Stravinsky (1882 -1971)
Suite d’après des thèmes, fragments et morceaux de Giambatista Pergolesi
1925, arranged from the ballet Pulcinella
1) Introductione [2'06]
2) Serenata [2'43]
3) Tarantella [2'16]
4) Gavotta con due variazioni [3'54]
5) Minuetto e finale [4'20]
6) Pastorale 1933 [2'42]
arrangement of solo vocal work
Airs du rossignol et Marche chinoise
1932, arranged from the opera The Nightingale
7) Airs du rossignol [4'19]
8) Marche chinoise [3'27]
Duo concertant 1931–2
9) Cantilene [2'43]
10) Eglogue I [2'17]
11) Eglogue II [3'05]
12) Gigue [4'21]
13) Dithyrambe [2'51]

CD 2:
1) Berceuse 1931–2 [2'48]
arranged from the ballet The Firebird
2) Prélude et Ronde des princesses [4'53]
1926, arranged from the ballet The Firebird
3) Scherzo 1932 [2'41]
arranged from the ballet The Firebird
4) Chanson russe 1937 [3'18]
arranged from the opera Mavra
Divertimento 1934
arranged from the ballet The Fairy’s Kiss
5) Sinfonia [6'10]
6) Danses suisses [4'22]
7) Scherzo [3'01]
8) Pas de deux: Adagio [2'48]
9) Variation [1'07]
10) Coda [2'05]
11) Danse russe 1932 [2'32]
arranged from the ballet Petrushka
12) Tango 1940 [3'39]
arrangement by Samuel Dushkin of solo piano piece
13) Ballade 1947 [3'08]
arranged from the ballet The Fairy’s Kiss
14) Scherzino 1932, from Suite italienne [1'30]
15) La Marseillaise solo violin [1'11]
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760–1836) arranged 1919

Anthony Marwood, violin
Thomas Ades, piano

2010 Hyperion
1 CD DDD
CDA67723

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Andrea Kollé FLÖTE. SOLO. FLUTE

Posted: August 15th, 2011, 6:00am MDT

Andrea Kollé plays the modern, transverse and classical flutes. Her repertoire is correspondingly broad. This musician is at home everywhere, whether as a solo flautist in symphony, opera or chamber orchestras, or in the most varied chamber music formations . She was born in Amsterdam, studied in Holland with Abbie de Quant and in Basle with Aurèle Nicolet.
Since 1990 she has been a member of the Zurich Opera Orchestra and plays in the "La Scintilla" Baroque Orchestra. Her concerts have taken her to many countries in Europe, and to the USA and Canada as well as important Festivals, such as The Davos Young Artist in Concert, Lucerne Festival and the Rüttihubeliade. Contemporary music is particularly important to her. She has given numerous world premières, most notably the Dutch première of Heinz Holliger's solo piece (T)air(E) in 1985. The Rumanian composer Dan Dediu dedicated his Naufragi for solo flute to her in 2001. Andrea Kollé has made various CD recordings, including a solo CD with compositions by Bach, Yun, Firsowa, Wildberger and Karg-Elert. She has also made recordings as part of the Zürcher Bläser Quintett for the Jecklin Edition and Musique Suisse labels.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [1714 - 1788)
Sonate a-moll, WQ 132
1) Poco adagio [4:56]
2) Allegro [3:46]
3) Allegro [3:15]
Elena Firsowa (1950 - )
Zwel Inventionen
4) I. Andante [3:44]
5) II. Allegretto [2:32]
Isang Yun (1917 - 1995)
6) Salomo [7:28]
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877 - 1933)
7) Sonate "Appassionata" fis-moll [5:09]
André Jolivet (1905 - 1974)
8) Incantation "Pour que l'image devienne symbole" [3:54]
Jacques Wildberger (1922 - 2006)
9) Retrospective II [5:14]
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
10) Allemande [3:47]
11) Corrente [2:33]
12) Sarabande [3:47]
13) Bourée [1:48]

1993 Ars Produktion
1 CD DDD
FCD 368 328

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Marc-André Hamelin LISZT Piano Sonata

Posted: August 13th, 2011, 12:20pm MDT

On 31 May 1861 Franz Liszt received some unexpected but welcome news from France. In prose that itself almost beamed with delight, he wrote to his partner Princess Wittgenstein to say that he had been elevated to the rank of Commandeur de la Légion d’honneur by the Emperor Napoléon III—an honour granted to very few musicians. But what pleased Liszt most of all was ironically not the award itself, but the fact that the official citation had described him simply as a composer, with no mention at all of his fame as a pianist. Some caustic Parisian gossip nevertheless claimed that it was only Liszt’s touching performance of Chopin’s Funeral March to the recently bereaved Empress Eugénie that had won him this new status, and not his allegedly incomprehensible compositions; but for Liszt, the citation genuinely seemed like a long-awaited vindication.
It was certainly true that a decade or so earlier ‘composer’ would hardly have been the first term that came to mind when Liszt was mentioned. ‘Pianist’ might have been the most popular choice, although some less charitable individuals may have come up with ‘tireless self-publicist’, or even ‘celebrated philanderer’. Liszt’s transformation into a composer first and foremost had, in fact, only taken place in the years from 1848, when he withdrew from the hectic life of a touring virtuoso and settled down as Kapellmeister in the small town of Weimar. There he intended to create a body of original compositions worthy of his talent. It was, in fact, high time. He was already in his late thirties, and had previously been pigeonholed merely as a pianist of genius who persisted—against all published evidence—in the harmless but bizarre delusion that he was also a great composer.
Even an admired colleague like Robert Schumann was largely of the same opinion, pointedly writing in a review of Liszt’s Grandes Études that the author’s development as a creative artist lagged sadly behind his talents as a performer. And Liszt, in private, was forced to agree. When Schumann dedicated his wonderful Op 17 Fantasy to Liszt in 1839, the latter felt keenly that he had nothing of similar quality to offer in return. Reciprocal requirements were partly fulfilled by the dedication of Liszt’s Paganini Studies to Schumann’s beloved Clara Wieck, but it was not until 1854, when he published his magnificent Sonata in B minor, that Liszt finally felt confident of having composed a piano piece to match Schumann’s Fantasy. It was, by then, too late. Robert Schumann was languishing in an asylum in Endenich, and never heard the great music dedicated to him. It was left only to Clara to record a personal reaction to Liszt’s Sonata: ‘truly terrible’. ‘And now’, she lamented, ‘I’m even expected to thank him for it!’
Clara’s comments turned out to represent the dissenting opinion on Liszt’s Sonata, which is now accepted as one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century music. Justly proud of his achievement, Liszt would frequently perform it for visitors in Weimar (one of whom was the young Brahms, who promptly nodded off—he was of a mind with Clara here), along with some other works that represented his music at its most inspired. Several of these are collected on the present disc. Even though Liszt certainly knew every note by heart, he would ostentatiously play from the published scores, to demonstrate that these were properly ‘composed’ pieces, not simply elaborate improvisations. Indeed, his student William Mason claimed that the scores of both the Sonata and Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude lying on Liszt’s piano were soon falling apart, so often had they been pressed into service. But the scores were, for Liszt, more than just performing material—they were evidence of his new success as a creative artist.
Although most of Liszt’s best-known music was either written or revised during his Weimar years, much of it had a very long gestation indeed, with some sketches and early versions dating back a decade or more. In 1834 Liszt had produced a strikingly avant-garde, if slightly disjointed piece entitled Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, a feverish, improvisatory musical response to Alphonse de Lamartine’s poetry collection of the same name. Some years later he began toying with the idea of producing a cycle of compositions inspired by the same source, a plan which finally came to fruition in 1853. This group (the title Harmonies poétiques et religeuses now applying to the collection of ten pieces) includes two of Liszt’s finest works, the epic Funérailles and the gloriously expansive Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude (God’s blessing in the wilderness). Liszt subscribed the score of the latter with the first lines of the poem, which happily fit the opening melody, and give the key to the mood of the piece: ‘D’où me vient, ô mon Dieu, cette paix qui m’inonde? / D’où me vient cette foi dont mon cœur surabonde?’ (‘O my Lord, whence comes this peace that overwhelms me? Whence comes this faith with which my heart overflows?’).
The melody is one of the most affecting that Liszt ever composed. And its accompaniment is no less imaginative—a remarkably original figuration that wreaths the tune in a perfumed halo of mildly pentatonic musical incense. But Lamartine was not the sole inspiration for this wonderfully sensuous music. An earlier version of the main melody had once been intended for a piece entitled Marie: Poème—a tribute to Liszt’s first long-term partner, Marie d’Agoult. This is perhaps unlikely to have been known to the dedicatee of the final version—Marie’s replacement, the Princess Wittgenstein.
We search in vain for any such personal programme for the Piano Sonata in B minor. But this annoying omission on the part of the composer has been generously rectified by numerous critics, who have mostly seen in the piece another commentary on Goethe’s Faust—a pianistic double, therefore, of Liszt’s Faust Symphony. Other suggested interpretations include the autobiographical (the Sonata in some sense a ‘character sketch’ of the composer himself) and the eschatological (a musical version of Milton’s Paradise Lost). Liszt would have had no justification for complaining about these invented programmes, for he himself advanced similarly fantastic conjectures for Chopin’s music; but the fact remains that neither the composer, nor the pupils who studied the Sonata with him, ever mentioned a programme in connection with the piece, which was the culmination of many years of experimentation with sonata form, and an attempt to follow in the footsteps of Beethoven in this most prestigious of genres.
The Sonata in B minor unfolds in only one vast movement, but within this Liszt encapsulates elements of the more common three- or four-movement sonata form. The idea of fusing elements of several movements into one was partly inspired by Beethoven’s example in the last movement of his Ninth Symphony, but Schubert had also adopted a similar plan for his 1822 Wanderer-Fantasy, one of Liszt’s favourite concert pieces. Many piano fantasias, for example Beethoven’s Op 77 and Hummel’s Op 18, or even Kalkbrenner’s slightly dilapidated Effusio musica, are similarly composed of relatively short, contrasting sections in a variety of keys and tempos. Schubert, however, follows a more complex plan, using thematic transformation to link sections together in a scheme of exposition section, slow section (the tune from his song Der Wanderer), scherzo and finale (the last beginning with a fugal exposition). Liszt succeeded in the B minor Sonata in adapting Schubert’s approach to the balanced tonal structure of a sonata form.
The idea that an important piece could consist of one movement alone, rather than three or four, seemed to have particular appeal to Liszt. In a review written in 1837 of some of Schumann’s piano music, and discussing in particular the sonata Schumann had entitled ‘Concert sans orchestre’, Liszt mused over the history of concerto form. Previously a concerto had to have three movements, he claimed. On the other hand, Field in his Piano Concerto No 7 had replaced the second solo section of the first movement with an Adagio. Weber, Mendelssohn and even Herz had also proceeded along this path. Liszt believed that the future lay in the free treatment of traditional form. Or, as he later put it, good composition involved the construction of ‘forms, not formulae’.
Although there were several precedents for concertos and fantasias in one continuous movement, there were few for the piano sonata, apart from Moscheles’s Sonate mélancolique, Op 49, which otherwise unfolds in standard sonata form. The marriage of the fantasy, which was normally in one movement, with the traditional multi-movement sonata had again been foreshadowed by Beethoven in his two sonatas ‘quasi una fantasia’ Op 27. These sonatas were to be played without a break between movements. Op 27 No 1 is especially notable in this regard in that the movements themselves are not independent. (Op 27 No 2 is of course the famous ‘Moonlight’ Sonata.) Liszt performed both Op 27 sonatas frequently, the latter perhaps too frequently, and neatly inverted their subtitle for the final version of Après une lecture du Dante, which he described as ‘fantasia quasi sonata’.
The exposition and recapitulation of Liszt’s Sonata can be considered as analogous to the first movement and finale of a four-movement sonata, while the slow section and fugal scherzo that take up most of the development supply the other two hypothetical movements. Although a fondness for fluid chromatic harmony is everywhere in evidence here, the basic key relationships are deliberately more conventional than are usual with Liszt—the second subject is in the traditional relative major, while the slow section is in the dominant. This conventional outline points up all the more starkly the originality of the off-key opening (first in the Phrygian mode, then in a ‘gypsy-scale’ G minor), which seems at first to be the beginning of a piece in C minor rather than B minor. Even the scherzo section gives the initial impression of being a recapitulation in the wrong key—a semitone too low—before the music is violently wrenched back into the tonic key for the ‘proper’ return of the opening material.
Following this, Liszt’s original ending for the Sonata consisted of brashly histrionic chords carousing loudly up and down the keyboard, but he soon had a better idea. His second thoughts were the wonderful coda that now stands in the score—an ethereal conclusion bringing the work full circle to its opening theme, at last played in the tonic key, followed by three mystic harmonies in the high treble. Here Liszt used his virtuoso’s insight into the capabilities of the piano not to dazzle, but to create music of the highest spiritual quality.
If the Sonata was Liszt’s attempt to address the legacy of Beethoven, then the Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H was a homage to another great German master, Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece was, appropriately enough, originally written for organ, specifically for the consecration of the new instrument in Merseburg Cathedral in 1856. A revised version for piano—heard in the present recording—was made in 1870. Bach had himself sometimes used the letters of his name as a musical theme. ‘B’ signifies B flat in German notation, and ‘H’ represents B natural, resulting in the short chromatic figure B flat-A-C-B natural. This Liszt develops in a variety of guises, ranging from a plethora of complex chromatic sequences to the contemplative fugal section that begins the second half of the work. Towards the end, the theme rings out as a series of majestic fortissimo chords, which again might have brought the piece to a perhaps too obvious close had not Liszt then unexpectedly produced a new, quietly rapt chromatic harmonization of the theme—offering a glimpse of mystical revelation in the midst of celebratory splendour.
As a sparkling aperitif to the magisterial Sonata, we have a short set of three pieces that Liszt originally intended as a musical digestif. Venezia e Napoli was published in 1861 as a ‘supplement’ to the Italian volume of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage, and offers varied treatments of tunes probably first heard by the composer during his travels around Italy with Marie d’Agoult in the late 1830s. The passage of time seems to have imparted a warm nostalgic glow to this journey, most evident in the magical coda added to Gondoliera, a gently undulating piece based on the song ‘La biondina in gondoletta’ by Giovanni Battista Peruchini. The ensuing Canzone is a darkly passionate arrangement of a similar song, this time from Rossini’s opera Otello, which features an obsessively pessimistic gondolier—a character for whom we look in vain in Shakespeare’s original text—who has the habit of regaling his captive audiences with Dante’s ‘Nessùn maggior dolore’ (‘There is no greater sorrow’). Fortunately the sparklingly high spirits of Liszt’s concluding bravura Tarantella, based on some lively themes by Guillaume-Louis Cottrau, peremptorily banish the glum gondolier back to his murky lagoon. (Kenneth Hamilton)

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
1)Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H S529ii [12:36]
2)Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude (No 03 of Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S173) [17:54]
Venezia e Napoli – Supplement aux Années de Pèlerinage seconde volume S162
3) No 1: Gondoliera [5:15]
4) No 2: Canzone [3:06]
5) No 3: Tarantella [9:22]
Sonate "Piano Sonata in B minor" S178
6) Movement 1: Lento assai [11:58]
7) Movement 2: Andante sostenuto [7:55]
8) Movement 3: Allegro energico [1:50]
9) Movement 4: Allegro energico – Più mosso [5:40]
10) Movement 5: Andante sostenuto [3:43]

2011 Hyperion
1 CD DDD
CDA67760

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Emerson String Quartet HAYDN The Seven Last Words

Posted: August 11th, 2011, 9:52am MDT

In 1785 or '86 Haydn, a devout Catholic, received a commission from the cathedral in Cádiz. He was asked to provide descriptive orchestral interludes between the spoken parts of the service in the great Spanish Baroque church during Holy Week, presumably on Good Friday. In 1787, the year in which it was first performed, he transcribed the work for string quartet to give it wider currency, and eventually, in 1795-96, he made a choral version which was published in 1801. In the preface to that score, Haydn wrote:
Some fifteen years ago I was requested by a canon of Cádiz to compose instrumental music on the seven last words of Our Savior on the Cross. It was customary at the Cathedral of Cádiz to produce an oratorio every year during Lent, the effect of the performance being not a little enhanced by the following circumstances. The walls, windows, and pillars of the church were hung with black cloth, and only one large lamp hanging from the center of the roof broke the solemn darkness. At midday, the doors were closed and the ceremony began. After a short service the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced the first of the seven words (or sentences) and delivered a discourse thereon. This ended, he left the pulpit and fell to his knees before the altar. The interval was filled by music. The bishop then in like manner pronounced the second word, then the third, and so on, the orchestra following on the conclusion of each discourse. My composition was subject to these conditions, and it was no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed one another without fatiguing the listeners.
The work that Haydn produced under these unusual conditions is startlingly original and one of his most important instrumental compositions. Through tone-painting, surprising juxtapositions of material and an extremely varied harmonic palette, it succeeds in expressing the duality of Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man, and in evoking the struggle of his final hours. As Haydn wrote to his London publisher: “Each text is expressed by purely instrumental music in such a fashion that it produces the deepest impression in the soul of even the most uninstructed listener."
1. The Introduction in D minor sets the tone of passionate intensity and urgency for the entire work through dramatic silences, sharp dynamic contrasts and the prevalence of dotted and double-dotted rhythms. Together with the epilogue, which depicts an earthquake, it forms a narrative frame for the utterances of Christ.
2. Sonata I: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Here we first hear the subjective voice of Jesus. As in the following slow movements, the primary musical motive sets the words of the Latin biblical text, and the rest of each piece flows from that vocal impulse. The emphasis here is on sweetness and lyricism, but there are moments when the two-note, descending “Father" (Lat.: Pater) motive - a sharply accented, double-dotted rhythm - is intoned with anguish and perhaps even a touch of anger, rather than the serenity that prevails for most of the movement.
3. Sonata II: “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in Paradise." In this movement, which begins in C minor, the mood is one of resignation. But after a fermata, the music modulates to the relative major (E flat), and the opening melodic material is used to express a radiant vision of Paradise. The development section passes through the dark keys of F minor and G minor before settling into the contemplative repose of C major.
4. Sonata III: “Woman, behold thy son." The descending two-note sighing motive here is a setting of “Woman" (Lat.: Mulier). It is significant that Christ, already serenely detached from an earthly mother-son relationship, uses the word “mother" only in entrusting Mary to his disciple John (Ecce mater tua), offering her through him as mother to all true believers.
5. Sonata IV: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" At his most vulnerable moment, Jesus quotes here from Psalm 22, seeking support from Scripture, knowing that his fate has been pre-ordained and prophesied. His conflict is expressed by Haydn through ascending sequences of sforzandos in competitive canonic dialogues between the violins, and most remarkably in a highly chromatic and disjunct cadenza for the first violin. For a few measures the music seems to have lost its way, conveying a sense of abandonment, of disorientation during this ordeal, almost as if Christ were questioning his faith and groping for an answer.
6. For the choral version, which Haydn adapted nearly a decade after composing the Seven Last Words, he added a movement for wind ensemble preceding the Fifth Sonata, a second Introduction whose gravity befits its interpolation in the work. We have transcribed this elegiac music, which seems to look ahead to the nostalgic sensibility of Schubert, for string quartet. In triple meter, it has frequent accents on the third beat, with one or more voices tied from the upbeat into the downbeat of the next bar, creating an unsettled feeling that is heightened by the poignant harmonies.
One might argue that this new movement interrupts the narrative flow of the Passion story, for here Haydn is no longer trying to evoke the subjective voice of the Savior. He is recording his own subjective reaction to the tragic events of the story. But that grief-stricken response is what every believer is meant to experience when listening to a setting of the Passion, which concerns not only Jesus' death but also the faithful who are redeemed by his sacrifice.
7. Sonata V: “I thirst." The dry sound of a pizzicato accompaniment sets the background. Christ's voice (in a long, sighing two-note figure reminiscent of the “Woman" motive) is weak by now, and at first we might think that he is resigned to his fate. But after a peaceful cadence, pounding repeated notes, heavy sforzandos in the violins and an emphatic bass line accompany the wrenching reiterations of the thirst motive. We are reminded once again of Christ the man.
8. Sonata VI: “It is finished." The struggle is nearly over. After the sombre opening phrases in G minor, the main motive becomes the bass line for a sublime melody in B flat major. But in the course of this movement, there are sudden shifts to the minor mode, and heavily emphasized unison reiterations of the triad on which the main theme is based.
9. Sonata VII: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." In this movement, the principal motive is strong and noble, striving upward. It seems doubtful that Haydn wanted the violins to be muted merely in order to achieve a contrast of sonic texture; the mutes must also represent the weakened voice of the Savior at the end of his ordeal. The separation of the human and divine has come at a tremendous cost, which we are made to feel throughout the entire work.
10. The sense of upheaval is given its most palpable expression in the final movement, depicting the Earthquake that followed the death of Jesus. Jagged unisons, cross-rhythms and obsessively repeated motivic material create the impression that the natural world is reeling, pulling apart under the weight of humanity's sin and loss. (Eugene Drucker)

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross op.51 (Hob.III. 50-56)
1) 1. Introduzione (Maestoso ed Adagio) [5:11]
2) 2. Sonata I (Largo) [6:38]
3) 3. Sonata II (Grave e Cantabile) [7:28]
4) 4. Sonata III (Grave) [9:10]
5) 5. Sonata IV (Largo) [8:07]
6) 6. Intermezzo (Largo - Cantabile) [3:57]
7) 7. Sonata V (Adagio) [9:42]
8) 8. Sonata VI (Lento) [8:16]
9) 9. Sonata VII (Largo) [8:49]
10) 10. Il Terremoto (Presto e con tutta la forza) [1:47]
Emerson String Quartet

2004 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
474 8362 5 GH

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Sandrine Piau - Susan Manoff ÉVOCATION

Posted: August 9th, 2011, 4:10pm MDT

Soprano Sandrine Piau writes in the program notes that there is no narrative or theme unifying the songs on this album, only the quality they share of being evocative of something beyond themselves. The late Romantic songs are indeed understated and suggestive rather than emphatic, many written in elegiac moods of hushed happiness or subdued yearning. The centerpiece is Richard Strauss' four song cycle, Mädchenblumen, written when the composer was 26, which provided Piau with the initial inspiration for this collection. It's immensely appealing, and its generous lyricism makes it a work that deserves to be widely sung and known.
Piau's interpretations are revelatory, above reproach. Her voice is ideal for this repertoire -- warm, but incisive when necessary, with velvety legato, flawless intonation and absolutely pristine tone. She expresses a genuine connection with the songs, singing with caressingly personal attention to the emotional colors of each. It's difficult to single out particular songs as highlights, since Piau's performances are of such a consistently high level of accomplishment. Some especially transcendent moments, though, are the places in the Strauss and Debussy songs where she floats ethereally in her highest register. Pianist Susan Manoff is a worthy partner, playing with sensitivity and finesse. Naïve's sound is warm and present, with excellent balance between Piau and Manoff. The CD should be of interest to fans of bel canto singing of the highest order, and of the late Romantic song repertoire. (Stephen Eddins, Rovi)

Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
1 Hébé opus 2 n° 6 1881 [2’55]
2 Le Charme opus 2 n° 2 1881 [1’30]
3 Sérénade opus 13 1887 [2’31]
4 Le Colibri opus 2 n° 7 1880 [3’15]
5 Le Temps des lilas opus 19 1886 [4’30]
Richard Strauss (1864-1942)
Mädchenblumen opus 22 1891
6 Kornblumen [2’15]
7 Mohnblumen [1’27]
8 Epheu [3’43]
9 Wasserrose [3’56]
Claude Debussy (1862-1910]
10 Nuit d’étoiles 1880 [3’04]
11 Romance “L’Âme évaporée” 1885 [1’54]
12 Fleur des blés 1881 [1’57]
13 Zéphir [1’25]
Alexander Zemlinsky (1860-1942)
14 Liebe und Frühling 1889-1890 [1’41]
15 Das Rosenband 1890 [1’39]
16 Frühlingslied 1892 [1’38]
17 Wandl’ich im Wald des Abends 1892 [2’17]
18 Entführung 1892 [1’17]
19 Sommer opus 27 1937 [1’24]
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950)
Sept Chansons pour Gladys opus 151 1935
20 I. M’a dit Amour [1’15]
21 II. Tu croyais le tenir [0’42]
22 III. Prise au piège [1’12]
23 IV. La Naïade [1’31]
24 V. Le Cyclone [1’39]
25 VI. La Colombe [2’02]
26 VII. Fatum [1’24]
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Vier Lieder opus 2 1899
27 I. Erwartung [3’45]
28 II. Schenk mir deinen goldenen Kamm [3’45]
29 III. Erhebung [1’13]
30 IV.Waldsonne [3’17]

Sandrine Piau, Soprano
Susan Manoff, Piano

2007 naïve
1 CD DDD
V 5063

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Akiko Suwanai DVORÁK Violin Concerto - SARASATE Carmen Fantasy

Posted: August 6th, 2011, 9:45am MDT

Dvorák's Violin Concerto has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts on disc, one that it entirely deserves. Its critics (starting with Joachim and Brahms) dismissed it for not adopting the usual sonata-form first movement structure, instead welding the truncated opening to the gorgeous slow movement. But really, how many violin concertos are there where you can really say that the best, most characterful and highly developed movement is the finale? And what could possibly be bad about that? Clearly Fischer and Suwanai understand where the music's going: the performance gathers steam as it proceeds, and really cuts loose in that marvelous last movement. Suwani displays a characteristically polished technique and fine intonational ear (lending a lovely purity of utterance to the slow movement), but she's not afraid to indulge in some "down and dirty" gypsy fiddling in the finale, or in the two Sarasate items that open the program. Okay, she may not be Josef Suk, Fischer is no Ancerl, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra is certainly no Czech Philharmonic; but this program--very well played, nicely recorded, and unified by its Slavic/gypsy theme--adds up to much more than the sum of its parts. Like the Dvorák itself, it builds to a rousing conclusion and makes for a very satisfying conceptual whole. You'll return to it many times, always with pleasure. (David Hurwitz)

Pablo de Sarasate (1844 - 1908)
1) Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 [7:46]
2) Carmen Fantasy, Op.25 [11:37]
Antonín Dvorák (1841 - 1904)
3) Mazurek, Op.49 [6:00]
Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53
4) I. Allegro ma non troppo [11:03]
5) II. Adagio, ma non troppo [9:12]
6) III. Finale: Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo [9:17]

Akiko Suwanai
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer

2001 Philips Classics
1 CD DDD
464 531-2 PH

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THE PREMIUM COLLECTION 75 Classical Masterworks

Posted: August 2nd, 2011, 12:08pm MDT

This six-disc collection from the German label Deutsche Grammophon (now part of the Universal conglomerate) is intended for newcomers to classical music. As such, it raises a number of objections. The buyer is given only a narrow slice of the repertory -- for the most part, the program consists of Romantic favorites of the nineeenth century or what might be called honorary Romantic music ("Messiah," "Carmina Burana"). Much of the music is for full symphony orchestra, although there is one disc of piano music ("Nocturne") and one of opera ("Grand Opera"). The buyer who enjoys a particular selection will not find much help in pursuing similar music -- there is no booklet, and the track list identifies performers in only an abbreviated way (conductor Rafael Kubelik, for instance, is listed only as Kubelik). All this said, the conception of the set is original. Most sets of this size divide up the repertory by chronology or medium, but The Premium Collection offers six themes: "Meditation," "Orchestral Fireworks," "Invitation to the Dance," "Nocturne," "Pomp & Circumstance," and "Grand Opera." What's appealing about these is that they are not forced onto the music, as in the various classical lifestyle discs that infest discount-store bins, but are durable concepts within the classical tradition itself; the set offers music to have on hand for a variety of uses without doing violence to the music involved. There are many other ways of approaching the question of how to build a classical collection, but for someone who has attended a big symphonic performance at the local orchestra hall and found it enjoyable, this may be a good place to start. (James Manheim, Rovi)

CD 1:
Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
Peer Gynt, Op.23
Incidental Music
1. No.13. Morning mood [4:17]
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
Johann Pachelbel (1653 - 1706)
Canon and Gigue in D major
2. 1. Canon [6:24]
Festival Strings Lucerne
Rudolf Baumgartner
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)
Le Carnaval des Animaux
3. Le Cygne [2:52]
Wolfgang Herzer
Alfons Kontarsky
Aloys Kontarsky
Wiener Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
4. Pavane, Op.50 [6:49]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
John Oliver
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999)
Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra
5. 2. Adagio [10:54]
Göran Söllscher
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Suite No.3 in D, BWV 1068
6. 2. Air [4:41]
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
Symphony No.5 in C sharp minor
7. 4. Adagietto (Sehr langsam) [9:48]
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelik
Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
8. 1. Adagio - Moderato [7:06]
Pierre Fournier
Berliner Philharmoniker
Alfred Wallenstein
Tomaso Albinoni (1671 - 1750)
9. Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor (Arr. Remo Giazotto/ Transcr. A. Lagoya) [6:54]
Eduard Kaufmann
Walter Prystawski
Festival Strings Lucerne
Rudolf Baumgartner
Antonín Dvorák (1841 - 1904)
Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op.95 "From the New World"
10. 2. Largo [5:12]
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelik
Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880)
Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Act 4
11. Entr'acte (Barcarolle) [4:42]
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

CD 2:
Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
Carmen Suite (excerpts from suites nos. 1 & 2)
1. Les toréadors [2:05]
Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille
Myung-Whun Chung
Carl Orff (1895 - 1982)
Carmina Burana
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi
2. "O Fortuna" [2:36]
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Eugen Jochum
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Walter Hagen-Groll
Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46
3. 4. In the Hall of the Mountain King [2:59]
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)
Concerto for Violin and Strings in F minor, Op.8, No.4, R.297 "L'inverno"
4. 1. Allegro non molto - 2. Largo - 3. Allegro [7:53]
Simon Standage
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition
Orchestrated by Maurice Ravel
5. Promenade [1:51]
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
Ouverture solennelle "1812, " Op.49
6. Overture 1812 - Beginning [4:12]
Churchbells of Gothenburg
Gothenburg Artillery Division
Gothenburg Symphony Brass Band
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
Gothenburg Symphony Chorus
Ove Gotting
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
Romeo and Juliet, Op.64
Act 1
7. 13. Dance of the knights [5:24]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Messa da Requiem
8. 2. Dies irae [2:46]
Berliner Philharmoniker
Carlo Maria Giulini
Ernst Senff Chor
Ernst Senff
Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
Die Walküre
Concert version
Dritter Aufzug
9. The Ride of the Walkyres [4:55]
Orchestre de Paris
Daniel Barenboim
Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949)
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30
10. Einleitung [1:59]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
William Steinberg
George Gershwin (1898 - 1937)
11. Rhapsody in Blue [15:55]
Siegfried Stockigt
Kurt Hiltawsky
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
12. Boléro [15:02]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa

CD 3:
Carl Maria von Weber (1786 - 1826)
Invitation to the Dance, Op.65 (Aufforderung zum Tanze)
1. Orchestrated by H. Berlioz (1803-1869) [10:25]
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Ferenc Fricsay
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 - 21
2. No. 1 in G minor, No. 3 in F and No. 6 in D flat [8:23]
Wiener Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a
3. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy...Waltz of the Flowers [8:51]
Berliner Philharmoniker
Ferdinand Leitner
Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880)
Gaîté parisienne
Arranged by M. Rosenthal
4. Vivo [0:57]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
Peer Gynt, Op.23
Incidental Music
5. No.16. Anitra's dance [3:41]
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759)
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G (HWV 349/350)
6. 2. Alla Hornpipe [4:16]
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Horn Concerto No.4 in E flat, K.495
7. 3. Rondo (Allegro vivace) [3:39]
David Jolley
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Johann Strauss (1825 - 1899)
8. An der schönen blauen Donau, Op.314 [9:43]
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Ferenc Fricsay
Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884)
The Bartered Bride
9. Polka, Furiant and Dance of the Comedians [13:12]
Wiener Philharmoniker
James Levine
Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887)
10. Polovtsian Dances, from: Prince Igor [11:26]
Torgny Sporsen
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
Gothenburg Symphony Chorus
Ove Gotting
Johann Strauss (1804 - 1849)
11. Radetzky-Marsch, Op.228 (Arr. Ertl) [2:20]
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Ferenc Fricsay

CD 4:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Piano Concerto No.21 in C, K.467
1. 2. Andante [7:16]
Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg
Géza Anda
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
2. Nocturne No.5 in F sharp, Op.15 No.2 [3:58]
Daniel Barenboim
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Kinderszenen, Op.15
3. 7. Träumerei [2:59]
Martha Argerich
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 -"Für Elise"
4. Poco moto [4:03]
Anatol Ugorski
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
Suite bergamasque
5. 3. Clair de lune [5:08]
Alexis Weissenberg
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 -"Moonlight"
6. 1. Adagio sostenuto [6:07]
Emil Gilels
Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
13 Préludes op.32
7. No.10 in B minor: Lento [5:04]
Lilya Zilberstein
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
8. The Flying Dutchman/Wagner: Ballade, Transcription S. 441 [5:50]
Daniel Barenboim
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
24 Préludes, Op.28
9. 15. in D flat major ("Raindrop") [5:33]
Christoph Eschenbach
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
Préludes - Book 1
10. 8. La fille aux cheveux de lin [2:39]
Alexis Weissenberg
Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
13 Préludes op.32
11. No.12 in g sharp minor: Allegro [2:26]
Lilya Zilberstein
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
6 Moments musicaux, Op.94 D.780
12. No.2 in A flat (Andantino) [5:44]
Wilhelm Kempff
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Piano Concerto No.23 in A, K.488
Cadenza: W.A.Mozart
13. 2. Adagio [6:58]
Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg
Géza Anda

CD 5:
George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759)
Messiah
Part 2
1. "Hallelujah" [4:01]
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock
The English Concert Choir
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)
2. Fantasia on Greensleeves [4:29]
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884)
Má Vlast (My Country)
3. 2. Vltava (The Moldau) [11:59]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
4. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 [8:26]
Simon Preston
Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)
Finlandia, Op.26, No.7
5. Andante sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Allegro [9:03]
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi
Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)
The Planets, op.32
6. 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity [8:00]
Boston Symphony Orchestra
William Steinberg
Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990)
"West Side Story" - Symphonic Dances
7. 1. Prologue - 4. Mambo - 9. Finale [9:38]
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave)
8. Allegro moderato [10:24]
London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado
Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)
9. Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D, Op.39, No.1 [5:54]
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Norman Del Mar

CD 6:
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
Turandot
Act 3
1. "Nessun dorma" [3:27]
Plácido Domingo
Wiener Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Roberto Benaglio
Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848)
L'elisir d'amore
Act 2
2. "Una furtiva lagrima" [4:39]
Plácido Domingo
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Carlo Maria Giulini
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Il Trovatore
Libretto: Salvatore Cammarano/Leonore Emanuele Bardare
Act 3
3. "Di quella pira" [2:01]
Carlo Bergonzi
Antonietta Stella
Franco Ricciardi
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Tullio Serafin, Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Norberto Mola
Nabucco
Act 3
4. Coro: Introduzione - "Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate" [4:56]
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Walter Hagen-Groll
Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
Carmen
Act 2
5. "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" [3:58]
Plácido Domingo
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Carlo Maria Giulini
Act 1
6. "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Havanaise) [3:59]
Grace Bumbry
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Janos Kulka
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
La Bohème
Act 1
7. "Che gelida manina" [4:57]
Sándor Kónya
Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Antonino Votto
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Il Trovatore
Libretto: Salvatore Cammarano/Leonore Emanuele Bardare
Act 2
8. "Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglie" (Anvil Chorus) [2:59]
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Tullio Serafin
Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Norberto Mola
Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
Tristan und Isolde
Act 3
9. "Mild und leise wie er lächelt" (Isoldes Liebestod) [7:25]
Margaret Price, Staatskapelle Dresden
Carlos Kleiber
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
Madama Butterfly
Act 2
10. Un bel dì vedremo [5:01]
Mirella Freni, Philharmonia Orchestra
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Aida
Act 2
11. Grand March [1:40]
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Claudio Abbado
12. Vieni, o guerriero vindice [2:28]
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Claudio Abbado, Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Romano Gandolfi
Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Ed. Alberto Zedda (1928-)
Act 1
13. No.2 Cavatina: "Largo al factotum" [4:36]
Hermann Prey
London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Die Zauberflöte, K.620
Act 1
14. Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja (Papageno) [2:37]
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm
Act 2
15. O Isis und Osiris (Sarastro, Chor) [2:56]
Franz Crass
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm
RIAS Kammerchor
Günther Arndt
16. Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Königin der Nacht) [2:58]
Roberta Peters
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm
Pietro Mascagni (1863 - 1945)
Cavalleria rusticana
17. Intermezzo sinfonico
Philharmonia Orchestra
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
William Tell
18. Overture [3:25]
Rome Opera House Orchestra
Tullio Serafin
Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
Lohengrin
Act 3
19. "Treulich geführt ziehet dahin" [4:41]
Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele
Wilhelm Pitz
Chor der Bayreuther Festspiele

2007 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
6 Compact discs ADD / DDD
477 7018 3 GB 6

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PASSWORD: elhenry.MusicIsTheKey

Kate Royal A LESSON IN LOVE

Posted: August 1st, 2011, 6:55am MDT

Even before iTunes, there was fun to be had putting together the song recital of one's dreams. There would be old favourites as well as surprises. Perhaps the chosen few would range through the centuries, as well as pitting lied against melodie and art song. The curatorially inclined might even devise an underlying theme.
Kate Royal has achieved all of this in her new album, A Lesson in Love. Squired by that prince of accompanists, Malcolm Martineau, the English soprano traces a familiar cycle of longing, hope, love and disillusionment through 29 tracks.
What better than Wolf's Die Kleine, delivered with an almost adolescent gusto, to catch a sexually frustrated young girl, spurred on by the sight of three young hunters - passions that eventually find fulfilment in Frank Bridge's Love went a-riding.
Marriage is contemplated through two Ruckert settings from Schumann's Myrthen cycle, presented with an almost psychological subtlety; fulfilment comes in Duparc's Extase, mercifully free of the squally top notes that mar an earlier Debussy song.
The occasional shrillness aside, one cannot fault Royal's unflinching energy and vitality. Gretchen's spinning wheel in the celebrated Schubert song positively bounces along and the flirting of Canteloube's Tchut, Tchut is almost contagious.
The heart of the album lies in the final songs of betrayal. Unlike the heroine of Schumann's Frauenliebe und leben, Royal does not sign off into domestic contentment.
Lieder set us on the downward spiral, including Die Manner sind mechant!, an arch cabaret-style song by Schubert. Prepared to be chilled by a vengeful Wolf song, a little storm of fury, despite its laughably translated title, May a chasm engulf my lover's cottage.
By the end, British and American songs dominate with Britten's O Waly, Waly and the traditional Irish Danny Boy beautifully accounted for.
The final note of Copland's lovely Heart, we will forget him, is only just rescued by a hasty vibrato, but this is an almost forgivable blemish on a most enterprising project. (nzherald.co.nz)

1) Waitin [1:32]
2) Jemand Op.25 [1:35]
3) Die Kleine "Zwischen Bergen, liebe Mutter" 1:43
4) Es muss ein Wunderbares sein [1:40]
5) Apparition [3:46]
6) O war dein Haus [1:26]
7) Erstes liebeslied eines madchens [1:17]
8) Gretchen am Spinnrade D118 [3:28]
9) Rastlose Liebe Op.5 No.1 [1:21]
10) Pour un Baiser [2:14]
11) Tchut Tchut from Chants d'Auvergne [2:02]
12) Love went a riding [1:48]
13) Pastorale [2:32]
14) Ah, Love but a day! Op.44 No.2 [2:48]
15) Leid ber Braut I [2:18]
16) Leid der Braut II [1:29]
17) Chanson de la mariee [1:22]
18) Donc ce sera par un clair jour d'été [2:32]
19) Hochzeitlich Lied [3:52]
20) Extase [3:07]
21) Am Sonntag morgen [1:14]
22) Die Männer sind méchant [2:39]
23) Du Liebst mich Nicht [3:35]
24) O waly Waly [3:34]
25) Verschling der Abgrund [1:12]
26) Heart we will forget him [2:09]
27) Danny Boy [3:13]
28) I will walk with my love [1:41]
29) Waitin [1:50]

Kate Royal
Malcom Martineau

2011 EMI Classics
1 CD DDD
4853629

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Roberta Invernizzi DONNE BAROCCHE Women Composers from the Baroque Period

Posted: July 30th, 2011, 11:00am MDT

The Donne Barocche, or Baroque Women, featured here are not singers or operatic characters, but composers, and the album, originally released on the Opus 111 label in 2001 and rescued for reissue by Naïve broke new ground when it first appeared. All of the music comes from the last third of the 17th century and the first decade of the 18th. The names of composer/singer Barbara Strozzi and French keyboardist Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre were known to enthusiasts of the history of women's music and were beginning to receive mainstream performances, but the other four composers represented were new to all but scholars, and the big news was a program of music as varied in concept and affect as any by the male composers of the period. The "Sonata duodecima in D minor for violin and continuo" of Isabella Leonarda, an Ursuline nun from Novara, is a wild rush of chromaticism and ornament with affinities to the German fantastic style, and the "Lamento della Vergine" of Antonia Bembo, also a member of a women's religious community, is a fine example of the dramatic pious style that was one of the forerunners of Bach's cantata idiom. Everything benefits from passionate singing by soprano Roberta Invernizzi and from lively accompaniment by Bizzarrie Armoniche, an offshoot of the pioneering Italian group Il Giardino Armonico. There's not a conventional phrase on the disc, from either the composers or the performers. An essential for a Baroque shelf, and even a good place to start with music by women in general. (James Manheim, Rovi)

Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665 - 1729)
Sonata No. 2 in D major for violin and basso continuo
1) Presto [1:25]
2) Adagio [1:26]
3) Presto [1:35]
4) Prersto [2:30]
Barbara Strozzi (c-1619 - 1677)
Serenata for soprano, two violins and basso continuo
5) "Hor che Apollo" [13:15]
Arietta for soprano and basso continuo
6) "Mei pensieri" [4:13]
Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Form Suite in D minor
7) "Prelude" [2:18]
Antonia Bembo (1643 - 1715)
Cantata for soprano and basso continuo
8) "Lamento della Vergine" [9:36]
Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Allemande from Suite I in re mineur
9) "La Flamande e double" [5:31]
Rosa Giacinta Badalla (1660 - ca. 1715)
Mottetto for soprano and basso continuo
10) "Non plangete" [6:37]
Isabella Leonarda (1620 - 1704)
Sonata duodecima in D minor for violin solo and basso continuo
11) Adagio [1:51]
12) Allegro e presto [1:16]
13) Vivace e largo [4:49]
14) Aria Allegro [1:28]
15) Veloce [1:09]
Bianca Maria Medea (ca. 1665 - ca. 1700)
Mottetto for soprano, two violins and basso continuo
16) "Cari Musici" [9:41]

Roberta Invernizzi, Soprano
Bizzarrie Armoniche:
Riccardo Masahide Minasi, Violin solo
Stefano Barneschi, Violin
Elena Russo, Cello
Giangiacomo Pinardi, Theorbo
Salvatore Carchiolo, Harpsichord

2001 Opus 111 / Naïve
1 CD DDD
OP 30341

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Francesco Tristano BACH CAGE

Posted: July 27th, 2011, 7:16am MDT

A young musician and composer causing a stir, not only on the club scene, but also in classical concert venues is probably a world-first. It may also be the first time that purists from the classical and techno camps actually agree on something – That they don’t know quite what to make of this young musician who refuses to stick to the rules. For Francesco Tristano this kind of reaction is nothing new. When he and his trio, Aufgang, begin to play techno from sheets, his puzzled audience shuffle in their seats. Experienced concert audiences and classical music lovers may feel equally baffled when they hear a pianist blend and mix his own composition – just like a DJ – into a piece by Frescobaldi.
The intrepidness with which 29-year-old Francesco Tristano combines eras and styles, occasionally allowing them to collide, may initially create a baffled response. However, Luxembourg-born Francesco Tristano has no aspirations as an agitator. Almost everything he does is an expression of an open-minded attitude which refuses to accept borders and constrictions. Tristano knows all about the interpretational conventions that have shaped generations of classical pianists – But he has chosen to ignore them. He does not seek approval as an artist and when his dynamic performance emotively basks in the intrinsic severity of baroque music – that’s when he’s truly radical.
Tristano’s talent cannot be doubted. His technique is outstanding, his playing is comparative to a virtuoso, his interpretations are bold and unconventional. Yet, he is far from being a sonic iconoclast. Tristano’s wide repertoire spans baroque, classical music, new music, jazz and club music and reflects his experience and playing ability. He refuses to accept the existence of stylistic borders yet his work is always carefully considered and represents a respect for all music.
Francesco Tristano discovered the piano at the age of five. Aged 13, he played his first concert, presenting his own compositions. He later toured both as a soloist and with renowned orchestras, such as the Russian National Orchestra, the French National Orchestra of Lille and the Philharmonie Luxembourg. Tristano founded the chamber ensemble, The New Bach Players, with whom he has also performed as a conductor. This ensemble consciously breaks with conventions, using a Steinway grand piano and old, vibratoless bows on contemporary string instruments.
Tristano is one of the last students at New York’s Juilliard School to complete Bach legend Rosalyn Tureck’s master class. He also studied at the music academies in Brussels, Riga, Paris and Luxembourg as well as the esmuc in Barcelona. In 2004, he won the first prize at the International piano competition for contemporary music in Orléans, France. Tristano has released twelve albums, among them recordings of Bach Goldberg Variations and complete keyboard concertos, Luciano Berio complete piano works, and Girolamo Frescobaldi Toccatas. Not for Piano (2007), presented his own compositions as well as versions of techno classics at the piano. Idiosynkrasia, his third album on the label inFiné, recorded at Carl Craig’s Planet E-communications in Detroit, was released to critical acclaim in 2010. More recently, Tristano has signed with Universal Classics & Jazz. His first project, bachCage, produced by Moritz von Oswald, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in March 2011.

Francesco Tristano (1981 -)
1. Introit
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Partita for Keyboard no 1 in B flat major, BWV 825
2) Praeludium
3) Allemande
4) Courante
5) Sarabande
6) Menuet I
7) Menuet I - Menuet II, da capo
8) Gigue
John Cage (1912 - 1992)
9) In a Landscape
The Seasons
10) Prelude I
11) Winter
12) Prelude II
13) Spring
14) Prelude III
15) Summer
16) Prelude IV
17) Fall
18) Finale (Prelude I)
Johann Sebastian Bach
19) Duet for Organ in E minor, BWV 802
20) Duet for Organ in F major, BWV 803
21) Duet for Organ in G major, BWV 804
22) Duet for Organ in A minor, BWV 805
John Cage
Etudes australes
23) Etude No. 8 Book 1
Francesco Tristano
24) Interludes
Johann Sebastian Bach
French Suite no 1 in D minor, BWV 812
25) Menuet II

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Nelson Freire LISZT Harmonies du Soir

Posted: July 26th, 2011, 7:50am MDT

2010 saw the centenary of both Schumann’s and Chopin’s birth. In 2011 we pay tribute to their great co-Romantic Franz Liszt. Liszt’s reputation has fluctuated wildly (unlike that of his two contemporaries), and it is only in relatively recent times that his true stature has been fully realised. Though he was possibly the greatest, and certainly the most charismatic of pianists, his compositions embraced many areas of music. But if his symphonic poems, Masses, oratorios and songs are often musically revolutionary, his piano music takes precedence both for its quantity and its quality. This ranges from music once considered unplayable – time was when audiences came to see whether Liszt had more than ten fingers – to works of a dark-hued austerity. One has only to compare “La campanella” (from the Paganini Études) with the “Angelus” (from the third book of the Années de pèlerinage) to become aware of the extent of the composer’s journey. Both pieces evoke bells, but there the similarity ends. True, Liszt’s prodigious gifts and his early flaunting of his Bird of Paradise feathers caused unease and contempt in many quarters. For Clara Schumann he showed “too much of the tinsel and the drum”, while Mendelssohn was enraged by Liszt’s easy familiarity with his music, to which he added sundry ornaments and elaborations of his own. Chopin, too, although he never lived to hear Liszt’s truest masterpieces, saw him as an outsized charlatan (“I still say that he is a clever craftsman without a vestige of talent”).
Today the situation could hardly be more different and, as Nelson Freire’s wide-ranging programme shows, Liszt was a true master of an ever-varying style and achievement. The B minor Ballade gives us Liszt at his most opulent and rhetorical and has been aptly characterised as “concerned less with personal suffering than with great happenings on the epic scale … tragedies of public more than private import”. Most notable after the storming eloquence of the principal theme’s last appearance (a clear inspiration for the very Lisztian cadenza of Grieg’s Piano Concerto) is the Ballade’s serene close, a subtle alteration to the original and bombastic conclusion.
The Nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies form Liszt’s tribute to the land of his birth with their contrasting lassú (slow) and friss (fast) sections (though he spoke Hungarian only in his music). They have been decried as paste rather than diamonds and are of mixed gypsy rather than genuine Magyar origin, but their freshness and vitality remain uncompromised. For this recording Nelson Freire has avoided the most popular of the Rhapsodies (nos. 2, 6, 12 and 15) and chosen no. 3, one of the least-played.
With the Valse oubliée (the first and most popular of four), Nelson Freire gives us a single excursion into Liszt’s late manner and music of an elusive, bitter-sweet nostalgia expressed with a novel economy. Returning to Liszt’s earlier, more picturesque brilliance, Waldesrauschen, the first of two concert études dating from 1862–63, may lack the ambivalent tonality of the Valse oubliée which was to make of Liszt a prophet of the twentieth century, but its luminous, shimmering texture already points the way to works such as “Ondine” from Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit.
The three Petrarch Sonnets form the expressive centre of the Années de pèlerinage Book 2, Italy. And just as Book 1 records the sights and sounds of Switzerland’s alpine magnificence, so the second and third books show themselves no less susceptible to the art and literature of Italy. Liszt’s vocal settings of Petrarch were composed in 1838, and their transformations into some of the most ardent and luxuriant piano pieces were published between 1847 and 1858. The composer’s chameleon-like ability to change and, indeed, transfigure his own and other people’s work is hauntingly evident in the three ultra-Romantic idealisations of a fourteenth-century poet. Sonnet no.104, the most familiar of the three, remembers unrequited passion.
“Au lac de Wallenstadt” (no. 2 from the first of the Années de pèlerinage, Switzerland) is prefaced by some lines by Byron: “thy contrasted lake / With the wild world I dwell in, is a thing / Which warns me with its stillness to forsake / Earth’s troubled waters for a purer spring”. Marie d’Agoult, Liszt’s mistress of the moment, could hear “a melancholy harmony, imitative of the sigh of waves and the cadence of oars”.
Liszt’s six Consolations, which were completed in 1850, take their title from poems by Sainte-Beuve dedicated to Victor Hugo. Sometimes considered “consolations” for those unable to cope with Liszt’s more difficult pages, they are nonetheless demanding in other, more lyrical and serene ways. The first is wistfully and gently wayward, and its deceptive modulations could easily have developed into an earlier and more customary grandeur. The second is a classic instance in miniature of Liszt’s elaboration rather than development of an essentially simple “vocal” idea. Like the second, the third Consolation is very much for those who delight in Liszt’s most tactful poetry; one of his many unofficial tributes to Chopin, this meditation on the opening of the D flat Nocturne, op. 27 no. 2 is understandably among Liszt’s most popular compositions. The hymnal piety of the fourth is not without fervour, and the urbane charm of the fifth is finely countered by the sixth, music of greater boldness, enlivened by terms such as “vibrato” and “appassionato”.
Finally, “Harmonies du soir” is the eleventh and most opulent of Liszt’s formidably entitled Études d’exécution transcendante. These were composed in three versions, the first a rudimentary flexing of muscles, the second of self-defeating difficulty, and the third a clarifying and refining of its predecessors. “Harmonies du soir”, as its title declares, is a study in impressionism and many of its massive chord sequences are a prophecy of things to come. Messiaen may have made little mention of Liszt, but the influence is unmistakable.
Nelson Freire’s qualities have been admirably summarised by Ivan Davis, the brilliant American virtuoso. For him Freire is “natural (both in pianism and musical honesty), provocative (why didn’t I think of that?) and inevitable (a totality of technique and temperament)”. On a personal note, a friend challenged me some years ago to identify the pianist on a much-loved recording. What I heard was a flawless fusion of gifts: freedom and elasticity, a wholly personal, yet never obtrusive rubato, and a seductive magic which was hard to place but haunting and immaculate. I hazarded some guesses before settling for Nelson Freire. It was indeed Freire, and that recording, taken from a live recital at the Gusman Cultural Center in Miami, remains a priceless collector’s item. (Bryce Morrison)

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
2 Etudes de Concert, S.145
1. No.1 Waldesrauschen [4:00]
Années de pèlerinage: 2ème année: Italie, S.161
2. 5. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca [5:57]
3. Valse oubliée No.1 in F sharp, S.215 [2:45]
4. Ballade No.2 in B minor, S.171 [13:43]
Années de pèlerinage: 1e année: Suisse, S.160
5. 2. Au lac de Wallenstadt [2:45]
6. Hungarian Rhapsody No.3 in B flat, S.244 [4:25]
6 Consolations, S. 172
7. No. 1 in E major (Andante con moto) [1:42]
8. No. 2 in E major (Un poco più mosso) [2:31]
9. No. 3 in D flat major (Lento, placido) [4:22]
10. No. 4 in D flat major (Quasi adagio) [2:59]
11. No. 5 in E major (Andantino) [2:21]
12. No. 6 in E major (Allegretto, sempre cantabile) [2:11]
13. Harmonies du soir [8:37]

2011 Decca
1 CD DDD
478 2728 3 DH

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Mojca Erdmann MOSTLY MOZART

Posted: July 23rd, 2011, 5:43am MDT

The Muses have been revered as a source of divine inspiration since the time of classical antiquity and are said to encourage artists to give of their exceptional best. From this point of view, the Hamburg soprano Mojca Erdmann seems like a figure from the distant past. Although she is still at the beginning of what promises to be a major international career, she has already inspired a number of contemporary composers, including Aribert Reimann and Wolfgang Rihm. Indeed, Rihm even wrote the main role in his operatic fantasy Dionysos with the young soprano in mind. Her performances in the world premiere at the 2010 Salzburg Festival proved a tremendous personal success.
For her debut with Deutsche Grammophon, however, Mojca Erdmann has chosen a very different type of programme in the form of works by Mozart and his contemporaries: “Mozart has accompanied me all my life. Although my father is a composer and contemporary music has always played a major role in our lives, for me there is nothing to beat singing Mozart, even though I feel an immense respect for him. You know exactly how it should sound, but it’s insanely difficult to achieve this.”
No one listening to Mojca Erdmann’s singing would suspect for a moment that she finds Mozart difficult. Indeed, her voice is almost ideally suited to the Austrian genius’s music. Her lyric soprano voice is remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its great flexibility and bell-like tone. And she enchants her listeners not just with her voice itself but also with the unconcealed emotionality of her singing: “Mozart goes straight to my heart. That may sound a little dramatic, but that’s how it is. He touches something deep inside me, and sometimes the tears come unbidden to my eyes. It’s impossible to say why this should be so, but this magic may well be the secret of his success.”
At the heart of the present album is Pamina’s famous aria, “Ach, ich fühl’s, es ist verschwunden!”, for which Mojca Erdmann has deliberately chosen a slow tempo: “I was keen to express something very inward, very vulnerable. The listener should be able to gaze into this woman’s soul, the soul of a woman who is at her wits’ end and no longer knows where to turn. Her only release seems to be death. What interests me most of all is how exactly he intended his tempo indications to be interpreted. Above all with Pamina I’d love to know whether it would have worked for him if the aria were taken really slowly. Although it says ‘Andante’, it has to be as slow as this for me. If I sang it any quicker, there would no longer be any emotional depth to it.”
The Mozart arias feature alongside works by some of Mozart’s contemporaries and forerunners, works that have been almost completely forgotten but which Mojca Erdmann discovered while preparing for this release. They immediately aroused her interest: “In a letter to his father, Mozart writes very enthusiastically about the music to Ignaz Holzbauer’s opera Günther von Schwarzburg, for example. For me, it was interesting to see what Mozart thought about his fellow composers and how his own music is related to theirs. There are certainly a number of similarities. The aria from Paisiello’s Nina, for instance, starts in exactly the same way as ‘Ruhe sanft’ from Mozart’s Zaide.”
Mojca Erdmann was also surprised by the two arias from Salieri’s Les Danaïdes. Ever since Miloš Forman’s film Amadeus, Salieri has been viewed by the wider public as the man who murdered Mozart. Less well known is the fact that as a composer he was for a time more successful than his younger colleague. Mojca Erdmann, too, is enthralled by the musical quality of Salieri’s works: “Both arias are very short, but in spite of their brevity they are wonderful masterpieces. What Salieri packs into these two minutes is simply incredible.”
The result is an album that avoids the well-worn paths of the standard repertory and introduces listeners to some of the most beautiful arias from the early-Classical and Classical periods. One such composer is Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian and a great influence on the young Mozart’s style. Another is the Viennese composer Ignaz Holzbauer, who wrote over two hundred sinfonias and fifteen operas, most of which have now fallen into neglect. Giovanni Paisiello wrote more than one hundred operas and in his own day was one of the most famous composers in Europe. His works, too, have largely disappeared from the repertory, although they often dwarfed the compositions of his contemporaries with their melodic charm and dramatic intensity.
But the biggest surprise remains Mojca Erdmann’s voice. In her astonishing combination of technical mastery, tonal beauty and consummate expression she affords impressive proof of what Mozart singing can be like today. (Tristan Wagner)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Zaide, K.344
Act 2
1. "Tiger! wetze nur die Klauen" [4:47]
Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825)
Les Danaïdes
Act 2
Scene 2
2. Par les larmes dont votre fille [2:36]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Idomeneo, re di Creta, K.366
Act 1
3. "Quando avran fine omai" [4:05]
Act 1
4. "Padre, germani, addio!" [3:57]
Zaide, K.344
Act 1
5. Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben [6:34]
Don Giovanni, ossia Il dissoluto punito, K.527
Act 1
6. "Ma se colpa" [0:48]
7. "Batti, batti, o bel Masetto" [3:45]
Giovanni Paisiello (1740 - 1816)
Nina, o sia la Pazza per Amore
8. Il mio ben quando verrà [7:05]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Le nozze di Figaro, K.492
Act 4
9. "Giunse alfin il momento" [1:21]
10. "Deh vieni, non tardar" [3:18]
Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (1711 - 1783)
Günther von Schwarzburg
Act 1
Scene 1
11. Es ist geschrieben [3:54]
12. Ihr Rosenstunden [2:45]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Don Giovanni, ossia Il dissoluto punito, K.527
Act 2
13. "Vedrai, carino" [3:23]
Johann Christian Bach (1735 - 1782)
Amadis de Gaule
14. A qui pourrai-je avoir recours [4:52]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Die Zauberflöte, K.620
Act 2
15. Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden (Pamina) [4:27]
Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825)
Les Danaïdes
Act 5
Scene 1
16. Père babare, arrache-moi [1:35]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Idomeneo, re di Creta, K.366
Act 2
17. "Se il padre perdei" [6:24]
Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (1711 - 1783)
Günther von Schwarzburg
Act 2
Scene 4
18. Die Klüfte sausen! [4:44]

Mojca Erdmann
La Cetra Barockorchester Basel
Andrea Marcon

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 8979 6 GH

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BOULEZ conducts VARÈSE Amériques - Arcana Déserts - Ionisation

Posted: July 21st, 2011, 9:14am MDT

When Edgard Varèse arrived in New York in 1915, he paid an homage of sorts to his new home with his first published composition, Amériques, an abstract work that the composer deemed "symbolic of discoveries -- new worlds on earth, in the sky, or in the minds of men." Indeed, listening to the enormous orchestra thrash and convulse its way through it, you get a striking sense of a composer breaking away from his influences -- Stravinsky, Debussy, a touch of Schoenberg -- and leaping into a brave new world where music obeys no prior rules. Perhaps because of this freedom, Varèse's work still has the power to astonish in a way that the music of his modernist contemporaries no longer does. Pierre Boulez has long placed Varèse among the 20th century's most important musical revolutionaries, and this recording of four of the composer's key works is a sonic marvel; the Chicago Symphony's brass and percussion, in particular, show their mettle in splendidly clangorous performances. In addition to Amériques, Boulez conducts Arcana, which despite its title is actually one of Varèse's most approachable pieces -- rising from strident marches and other propulsive figures to a quietly mysterious close. Ionisation, for 13 percussionists, is equal parts intricate rhythmic interplay and brute force. Déserts, which followed the other works by two decades, is performed here in its alternate version without the experimental electronic interludes the composer prepared. What remains, for winds and percussion, is starker and less aggressive than the earlier pieces, but there is no question of Varèse mellowing with age -- especially with Boulez's close attention to sonority and balance. It is as evocative and enigmatic as anything the maverick modernist ever composed. (Scott Paulin)

Edgar Varèse (1885 - 1965)
1. Amériques [25:14]
2. Arcana [19:51]
3. Déserts [17:21]
4. Ionisation [5:58]
Chicago Symphony OrchestraPierre Boulez

2001 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
471 1372 0 GH

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KAIJA SAARIAHO Graal Théâtre - Château de l'âme - Amers

Posted: July 18th, 2011, 4:49pm MDT

Kaija Saariaho is not only among the most important Finnish composers of her time, but must be ranked as one of the leading composers of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries. Born Kaija Anneli Laakkonen, she began studying visual arts at the University of Art and Design (then known as the University of Industrial Art). She married Markku Veikko Ilmari Saariaho in 1972, but the marriage was short lived, ending the following year. The composer, however, retained her married name.
In 1976, she began composition studies at the Sibelius Academy with Paavo Heininen. She obtained a degree in composition from the academy in 1980, but continued studies there for another year. Afterward, she enrolled at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg, Germany, to study with British composer Brian Ferneyhough and Germany's Klaus Huber. She was awarded a diploma there in 1983. By this time, Saariaho was already turning out some of her earliest works. The most noted efforts from this period include Verblendungen for Orchestra and Tape (1982-1984) and the minimalist piece Vers le blanc (1982). This latter piece was composed with the use of a computer and software developed at the Paris-based I.R.C.A.M. (L'Institut de Recherche et Coordination), where she had begun extensive studies in 1982 in computer techniques as they relate to musical composition. Saariaho had permanently relocated to Paris that same year. In 1984, she married Jean-Baptiste Barrière, also a composer, and their marriage produced two children, Alexandre (born 1989) and Aliisa (born 1995). In the mid-1980s, Saariaho's works began garnering much attention and she received many prestigious awards, such as the Kranichsteiner Prize in 1986, the Prix Italia in 1988, and the following year the Ars Electronica for her works Stilleben (1987-1988) and Io (1986-1987). She also attracted several impressive commissions, including one from the Lincoln Center, which resulted in the chamber work Nymphéa (1987), which was premiered by the Kronos Quartet. By the early 1990s, her music was beginning to appear with greater frequency on the concert stage and with some regularity on record labels. Saariaho had become one of the few composers to write in a modern, though not particularly dissonant, style who has achieved a good measure of popularity. Further commissions came to her, including an important one from the Finnish National Ballet, for which she produced The Earth (1991). Many of her compositions have been written specifically for major artists or groups, as with the violin work she produced for Gidon Kremer, entitled Graal Théâtre (1994), and the song cycle Château de l'âme (1996) for Dawn Upshaw. A 1993 trip to Japan led to a commission from Kunitachi College for which Saariaho composed a work for percussion and electronics, Six Japanese Gardens (1993-1995). The composer spent a year at the Sibelius Academy teaching composition (1997-1998), at a time when her stature could rival that of almost any other composer of the day. This pre-eminence is evidenced by the numerous major performances of her compositions, such as the 1999 Kurt Masur-led New York Philharmonic premiere of her choral work Oltra mar, and the Salzburg Festival premiere of her first opera, L'amour de loin, in August 2000, which featured Upshaw and conductor Kent Nagano. Saariaho also continues to collect prizes, including the German Kaske Prize and the Swedish Rolf Schock Prize, both in 2001. Many of her works have been made available on a variety of labels, including DG, BIS, Finlandia, and Ondine.

Kaija Saariaho (1952 - )
Graal Théâtre
1) I. Delicato [16:56]
2) II. Impetuoso [10:32]
Gidon Kremer (Violin)
Esa-Pekka Salonen
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Château de l'âme
3) La liane [5:57]
4) A la terre [5:14]
5) La liane [3:01]
6) Pour repousser l'espirit [2:08]
7)Les formules [7:53]
Dawn Upshaw (Soprano)
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Finnish Radio Chamber Choir members
Amers
8) Part 1: Libero, dolce, misterioso [8:48]
9) Part 2: Sempre molto energico, ma espressivo [10:59]
Anssi Karttunen (Cello)
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Avanti Chamber Orchestra

2001 Sony Music
1 CD DDD
SK 60817

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Daniel Barenboim THE CHOPIN CONCERTOS

Posted: July 15th, 2011, 7:35am MDT

“It’s one of the greatest adventures in music that we play the same pieces again and again – and that, despite their constant repetition, they sound different every time.” For Daniel Barenboim, the essence of classical music lies in the art of interpretation at different points in time. “Repetition and uniqueness – this is the dialectic secret of our art.”
Whether a work tells us about freedom, about death or about love – that for Barenboim is of secondary importance: he has no wish to verify music with words. For him, every piece is primarily nothing else but music, notes from the interplay of which an inner world is born. But this can only be achieved if the performers comprehend the structure of a work, its harmonic, melodic and rhythmic design, its internal relationships, its consciously created contrasts and tensions.
For Barenboim, even Chopin’s piano concertos are initially nothing more. They are notes that create their own specific form, a form that pianist, orchestra and conductor need to fathom. Only as a result of this approach will the work’s musical emotions be unlocked and a freedom be found in the perception of the work that only those artists can permit themselves who do not predetermine the content of a composition but in playing follow the laws inherent in it.
“Let’s take the Second Concerto in F minor,” Barenboim explains. “The end of the first tutti passage is a very important moment, for after the solo instrument has stated the individual themes, these are now embellished by means of various ornaments and decorations. The thematic material isn’t simply repeated in unaltered form – as is the case with the piano concertos of Beethoven, Mozart or Brahms – but is already varied here. With the entry of the orchestra, it’s very important, therefore, to present this thematic material in a very clear and obvious way – in other words, without any major rhythmic liberties . . . When the piano states the second subject, this too is a commentary on what has already taken place in the orchestra. There is no literal repeat of the thematic material and no intensification of the emotional mood. The orchestra has to make a ‘statement’ that can then be commented on and elaborated by the solo instrument.”
For Barenboim, freedom in music invariably means freedom within the bounds of musical form. For the interpreter it is an indication and also a germ cell, out of which ordered sound only then comes into being. To understand Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto simply as a great hymn to love is therefore, in his opinion, to reduce it, even if the then nineteen- year-old composer wrote his F minor Concerto as if in a frenzy for the opera singer Konstancja Gładkowska, his first great love. “Head, heart and belly, that’s our trinity. It’s always a question of reconciling logos, reason and emotion.”
This was also the case when Barenboim recorded Chopin’s piano concertos with the Berlin Staatskapelle under Andris Nelsons at the Ruhr Piano Festival. Barenboim has been the Staatskapelle’s principal conductor for many years and has turned it into one of the leading orchestras internationally. The musicians have worked together on the fundamental principles of interpretation and defined the parameters of their interpretative freedom. For them, the orchestra in Chopin’s piano concertos is not just a decorative adjunct against the backdrop of which the virtuoso fills out the platform. Quite the opposite, in fact: Barenboim, Nelsons and the Staatskapelle come together to produce an intensive musical dialogue.
“In Chopin’s concertos, there are many different elements,” says Barenboim. “It’s clear that the tutti passages and large sections of the accompaniment give the orchestra little chance to shine. And so one has to find another way to achieve this. And that’s not so easy because often neither the soloist nor the orchestra nor its conductor has any idea of what a ‘symphonic’ Chopin should sound like since he wrote no symphonies or other orchestral works. There are many interesting details in the orchestral accompaniment, above all in the bassoon parts, which are sometimes invested with an almost exaggerated importance in comparison to the other instruments. All the musicians – soloist, conductor and orchestral players – must pay great attention to the challenge of bringing out these little details.”
In other words, sound or sonority is not just a question of colour for Barenboim but is also a matter of dynamic weight. What feelings are inherent to this sound is left to the audience to decide. A piece of music, Barenboim explains, requires an alert audience. “Only those listeners who follow a concert with interest and understanding have a chance to enter into a world that we musicians create for a mere moment in time. The listeners can reside in that world with their thoughts until the very last note dies away.” (Axel Brüggemann 3/2011)

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra no. 1 in E minor, op. 11
1) 1. Allegro maestoso [20:43]
2) 2. Romance. Larghetto [9:54]
3) 3. Rondo. Vivace [10:30]
Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 2 in F minor, op. 21
4) 1. Maestoso [14:16]
5) 2. Larghetto [8:59]
6) 3. Allegro vivace [9:05]

Daniel Barenboim
Staatskapelle Berlin
Andris Nelsons

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9520 9 GH

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Malena Ernman OPERA DI FIORI

Posted: July 14th, 2011, 9:00am MDT

Malena Ernman was recently called ” without a doubt one of the worlds greatest singers” in Swedens leading newspaper Dagens Nyheter.Her musical background is firmly anchored in the Swedish choir tradition. From the age of 6 she was a member of the the Coromanterna Choir in her native Sandviken; a small industrial town some 200km north of Stockholm. And until her exam from the National Opera School she sang the first alto part in the Swedish Radio Choir under the supervision of Tönu Kaljuste, Gustav Sjökvist and Eric Ericsson.
Her swedish breakthrough came straight after finishing Opera school, 1998, in the roles Kaja in Sven David Sandströms Staden and Rosina in il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Royal Swedish opera , where she later also sang the title roles of Carmen and La Cenerentola.
Malena sang some very early and hugely praised roles at the Staatsoper Berlin ; as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (Barenboim) Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Barenboim) and Roberto in Scarlatti’s Griselda (Jacobs). Followed by Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Barenboim).
Her international breakthrough came in 1999 as Nerone in Agrippina (René Jacobs) at La Monnaie in Bruxelles and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris; a role that has indeed followed her career in various new productions during the last decade. Next time it will be performed in Barcelona 2013 – still under the baton of René Jacobs and with Malena Ernman as the only remaining solist from the original Bruxelles production.
Malena Ernman is a highly renowned concert artist with concerts in Rome, Madrid, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo. Working with conductors like Esa Pekka Salonen, René Jacobs, Daniel Barenboim, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Philippe Herreweghe, Herbert Blomstedt, Marc Minkowski, Daniel Harding and Sir Simon Rattle.
Her – extremely- wide reportoire include Berios Folk Songs, Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill, Elgars Sea Pictures, Mahlers Kinder Toten Lieder, Bach Cantatas, Mozart’s requiem and C-minor mass and Cabaret songs by Bolcom, Britten and Holländer as well as song cycles by Grieg, Schumann, Brahms, Stenhammar and Nyström.
Malena also sings a wide range of modern contemporary music, often directly written for her by composers like Sven David Sandström, Philippe Boesmans, Anders Hillborg, Fabian Müller and György Ligeti.

Disc 1
1) Casta Diva
2) Habanera
3) Seguidilla
4) Flowers duet (with Anne Sofie von Otter)
5) Oh mattutino albori
6) Deh vieni non tardar, Susannas Rosenaria
7) La ci darem la mano (with Christopher Maltman)
8) Non piu di Fiori
9) Der hölle rache
10) Vois sous L’archet frémissant
11) Barcarolle (with Anne Sofie von Otter)
12) Olympia’s aria
13) Summertime
14) Ack Värmeland
15) Om sommaren sköna

Bonus Disc
1) I det fria

2011 Roxy Recordi

2 Compact Discs DDD

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REBECCA SAUNDERS Stirrings Still

Posted: July 12th, 2011, 7:17pm MDT

With this album, Rebecca Saunders may well have solved two of the major dilemmas of modern composition. Namely: How to stay emotive without falling back on tradition. And: How to focus on timbre while holding on to a narrative. For decades, composers have been searching for a language capable expressing something new, while trying to arouse the listener in the same way as romantic harmonic schemes. It has sometimes seemed like an impossible task and often, a somewhat brutish approach has consisted of playing everything at ear-deafening volume: It might not have been pretty, but it sure left an impression.
“Stirrings Still”, released as a collaboration with prestigious ensemble Musikfabrik and on well-established German label Wergo, may be a quiet work, with lots of the action happening in between the chinks and cracks of what is actually played. But thanks to its intense morse code, which never sounds as though it could only be decoded by an intellectual elite, it is one of the records which deserve to be debated by anyone with an interest in contemporary composition.
Many have expected an intimate miracle like this from Saunders ever since she appeared on the scene shortly before the turn of the millenium tide. There were scholarships, there were prizes, there were revealing little sentences like: “I’m scraping together tiny moments of colour and gesture before the actual composing process can take place.” It all pointed firmly in the direction of something special waiting to define itself.
Prior to picking up a pen, she would talk to performers in a bid of establishing a trialogue between composer, instrumentalist and instrument, feeling her way forward towards what was possible and what was necessary. It is a time-consuming technique, which has meant that her career could never depend on the sheer volume of her oeuvre, but needed to focus on the impact of the few pieces she could finish. But it was her way of approximating the truth and there was no alternative.
As “Stirrings Still” proves, she has made all the right choices. Four of these five tracks are world premiere recordings and what's more, they actually appear to have been selected for their mutual synergetic potential: All compositions are marked by various polarities, such as regular use of an instrument vs extended technique, silence vs sound, development vs remaining in the moment, solo-performances vs ensemble play and loud vs quiet. Importantly, however, Saunders does not confuse these factors with the score: The music does not deal with anything but itself and the process of listening is the real reward – rather than any kind of externally construed “message”
You can therefore lean back and simply enjoy the sometimes forceful, then again tender exchanges between two contrabasses on “Blue and Gray” as well as the gradual rapprochement between a Piano and a Violin on “Duo”. You can marvel at the fountains of sound gushing forth from a trumpet in “Blaauw” and observe the relationships between changing constellations of interplay on “Vermillion”. Or you can lock yourself into the dreamscape that is the title piece, an eleven-minute fantasy of delicately stertorous drones caught in fibrosic cycles of soft progressions. Paradoxically, these pieces challenge your notion of what an instrument can do, but they also take sound to a state where the source is no longer of any specific interest.
Even though it is a finely constructed, almost fragile music at times, Saunders enjoys the occasional rupture to break up her auto-constructed structures, striking the ear with violent bow attacks or hitting the innards of the Piano to create spectral reverb clusters like a Zen master would use his cane to focus the attention of his scholars. But as serious, serene or whatever-other-adjective-you-might-want-to-apply-to-it as it may be, “Stirring Still” is a record which has left the arduous burden of pushing boundaries at all costs and at the expense of its audience far behind. Maybe that is the very reason why it manages to open up new doors.
In Saunders' work, after all, the old terminologies are rendered useless. She includes the note “This is Melody!” in the score to “Blue and Gray” - but there is none in the traditional sense. She plays with colour references, but they are not to be understood as synaesthetical descriptions. Her music may still be tonal, but the word no longer serves to describe a model in opposition to the Avantgarde. She includes long stretches of non-playing, but silence is no longer a territory to be reconquered.
Instead, it represents the arena where these tonal duels and duets are carried out, a forum of stimulated and intense exchanges. Or, as she puts it: “What we call silence is for me comparable to a dense knot of noise, frequencies, and sounds. From this surface of apparent silence I try to draw out and mould sound and colour."
It seems to be a contradiction that “Stirring Still” could be of universal importance despite its idiosyncratic outlook. Rebecca Saunders, after all, has written an album's worth of material, which represent nothing but her most personal points of view. Maybe that is the solution to the dilemmas of contemporary composition, however: Following your instinct and listening closely may get you further than devising strategies on theoretical battlegrounds. (Tobias Fischer)

Rebecca Saunders (1967 -)
1) Blaauw [9:41]
2) Blue and grey [9:54]
3) Duo [11:05]
4) Vermilion [15:22]
5) Stirrings still [11:00]

musikFabrik

2008 WERGO
1 CD DDD
WER 6694 2

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The Glass Chamber Players SCHOENBERG / GLASS

Posted: July 7th, 2011, 5:30pm MDT

Philip Glass was born in pre-WWII Baltimore Maryland in 1937. The composer frequently tells the story of how his father Ben Glass, who had an auto-mechanic shop in the 1930s, frequently worked on people’s cars, which led to fixing the car radios, then Ben got rid of the cars in favor of a store that sold and repaired radios. As a sideline to the radio business Ben Glass would sell some records as a small part of the business. It grew to be a big part of the business finally becoming a proper record store.
Much has been made about Philip Glass’ sense as a businessman. Growing up in this American entrepreneurial environment, the young Philip would learn his first lessons in the music business. He would see people hand a five-dollar bill to his father and his father would hand them a record. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” Glass would later say. This was his first exposure to what for many is a complicated relationship of art and commerce in America. For a composer who would eventually take part in changing the course of music history, it’s difficult to disregard the practical business sense which was ingrained in him from day one while working in his father’s record shop.
In another story, Glass would tell of the “return privilege” which was part of the record industry in which retailers were allowed to return a certain percentage of the records if they were damaged. In order to exercise this privilege, Philip and his brother Marty would go down into the basement and break the records that had not sold. This was the first job that Philip Glass ever held in the music industry.
Such an action was a logical answer to a problem: what to do with the records that didn’t sell? Being a very practical guy, as we saw with the evolution of his businesses, Ben Glass had another idea. He would take the records home and listen to them to try to find out why people weren’t buying them. It just so happens that the music which was not selling was classical and 20th century chamber music by composers like Schoenberg, Shostakovich, and Bartok. It was in this way that the Glass home record collection of 78s grew and that a very big part of Philip Glass’ artistic sensibilities were first cultivated. The soundtrack of Philip Glass’ youth had been created.
It is important to the history of music is that Philip Glass spent time as a young person at home with his father listening to chamber music records. Ben Glass was not an educated musician, but he was a music lover in best sense. In the process of listening to these records to “find out what was wrong with them,” he became a sophisticated listener and developed a taste for chamber music. Father Glass would bring Philip in to the room and simply say to the future composer, “Here kid, listen to this.” Years later, after his father’s death, Glass composed his first concert-work as a mature composer, his Violin Concerto No.1 in 1987. He composed it as a piece that he hoped his father would have liked in the tradition of the great concertos by such composers as Mendelssohn, Sibelius, and Tchaikovsky concertos.
We see that during Philip Glass’ formation as a composer, chamber music of the kind which is presented on this record, had always been a part of his musical identity. After graduating from the University of Chicago, while working at Bethlehem Steel, and during years of study at Juilliard, and with Nadia Boulanger in France, with Albert Fine in New York, with Darius Milhaud in Aspen, Glass composed chamber music constantly. This was ‘early’ music that Glass categorizes as music of a “generic modernist American sort after Copland/Harris/Schuman.” But it’s important to see that he was composing these chamber pieces from his first essays as a teenager through his mid-twenties until he found his mature voice as a composer. These juvenilia were among the up to 75 pieces while at Juilliard (over about a five year period, as Glass was not initially accepted as a composition student at the school) and another 20 or so pieces while working in the Pittsburgh School system through the Ford Foundation for two years. Examples of pieces of this time are String Quartet, Sonatino Nos. 1 and 2, Arioso Nos. 1 and 2, Serenade for Flute, “Contrasts” for violin, winds, brass and percussion.
Glass’ mature language as a composer was not fully developed until his return from France in the mid-1960s after studying with the pedagogue par excellence Nadia Boulanger (and of course Glass’ other hugely important encounter with Ravi Shankar.) As his musical language settled and matured, the Philip Glass Ensemble, a vehicle for the new music that Glass was composing, was formed essentially a chamber group. The instrumental composition of the Ensemble was partly happenstance and partly a means to a musical end; in very much the same way Schoenberg’s instrumentation was for Pierrot Lunaire. The reasons for this is because the requirements of chamber music are typically more complex the virtuosic than say your ordinary Romantic symphony. Musical language aside, the Philip Glass Ensemble, even when playing its largest pieces such as Music in 12 Parts, is still in essence a chamber group (though it must be said that Glass’ interest and subject matter for his music was for a very long time very far removed from the classical music concert hall.) With the present recording we hear Philip Glass’ mature music in a very different, yet totally appropriate context, alongside Schoenberg’s ultra-Romantic Verklarte Nacht.
There is certain elegance in Glass’ advocating to place Schoenberg on this program considering how doctrinaire Schoenberg’s disciples became about tonal composers. Clearly by the time of composing Verklaerte Nacht, Schoenberg was gearing up to challenge all of the rules of classic tonality and devise new ones. Glass has pursued his own challenges to conventional tonality that usually manifest in very individual polytonality. However, the choice of music for this release was unified not by conceptions and ideas about tonality, but by less controversial criteria: character and quality. This is return of sorts for Glass to the music of his youth (and the recordings of his youth) is significant. Glass has always described himself as a theater composer, yet on this recital, his Symphony No.3 for strings (originally for 19 string players, transcribed for sextet by Michael Riesman) stands as a piece of purely instrumental music and finds itself in perfect company with Schoenberg’s extraordinarily dark and dense Verklaerte Nacht (Transfigured Night), which was inspired by the poem by Richard Dehmel. In Dehmel’s poem, with only a few words, the reader is swooning in a sea of the complex emotions of life, and the poem’s two lovers are united by love and their own courage. Schoenberg’s musical complexity could not be more perfectly analogous to Dehmel’s words.
Not only was the repertoire carefully considered, but the way this record was recorded was as well: it was captured live in two performances at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan in December 2009. This ‘live-recording’ sound harkens back to those classic recordings of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s before the advent of serious editing. The end result is almost always thrilling in its ebullience and pathos exactly because of the emotional arc of the performance, unencumbered by the random audible page turn or occasional ambient noise. Indeed on the nights of the recordings, there was an appropriately lugubrious rainstorm outside on the New York City streets.
This type of recording gives is a snapshot of an event that happened in real time and is an actual document of these fine players performance, and brings to full-circle a journey which Philip Glass began back in Baltimore Maryland almost 70 years ago. (Richard Guérin, New York 2010)

THE GLASS CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Glass Chamber Players were created spontaneously with its initial investment by Wendy Sutter, Philip Glass, and Richard Guérin. The group is a collection of virtuosi who have a breadth of classical repertoire and were chosen each for his/her particular talent and passion for music.
Despite Philip Glass’ wide-ranging career of over 50 years, in recent times the composer had not been focusing on chamber music with his last string quartet, no.5, dating from back in 1991. However beginning in 2007 with his solo cello suite, Songs & Poems, composed for cellist and GCP Artistic Director Wendy Sutter, he began composing a series of chamber works including his 2008 Four Movements for Two Pianos, Sonata for Violin and Piano written for GCP member Maria Bachmann (2009), and a large suite for solo violin written for GCP member Tim Fain (2010).

Arnold Schoenberg (1874 - 1951)
1. Verklaerte Nacht [30:19]
Philip Glass (1937 - )
2. String Sextet - Movement I [4:41]
3. String Sextet - Movement II [5:52]
4. String Sextet - Movement III [10:29]
5. String Sextet - Movement IV [3:12]
Tim Fain, violin
Maria Bachmann, violin
Misha Amory, viola
David Harding, viola
Wendy Sutter, cello, Artistic Director
Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello

2010 Orange Mountain Music
1 CD DDD
0069

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Maria Bachmann GLASS HEART

Posted: July 5th, 2011, 6:15pm MDT

Violinist Maria Bachmann and pianist Jon Klibonoff have assembled a collection of works to surround their premiere performance of Philip Glass’s First Violin Sonata, which leads off their program. Bachmann explains in Lucy Miller Murray’s notes that she chose the other works for various connections they bear to Glass’s sonata. Her remarks and choices seem perceptive and convincing.
Glass’s sonata, in three movements labeled simply “Movement I,” “Movement II,” and “Movement III,” seems to be constructed from the same characteristic, recognizable repetition of melodic and rhythmic cells for which his work has become known. After a sort of gypsy-like introduction, the first movement, if not so highly patterned as the composer’s violin solo from Einstein on the Beach , nevertheless builds intensity through successive ostinati. The slow movement, the longest of the three, though not by much, allows the violinist to deploy expressive devices native to the instrument, such as expressive shifts (Bachmann also makes discreet use of these in the first movement as well). Partly for that reason, and partly on account of the lush harmonies that underlie the recurring figures, especially in the second movement—sometimes there the harmonic patterns span long sections lending the movement a sense of luxurious, almost decadent, richness—the music of the first two movements sounds both violinistic and hauntingly romantic. The third movement begins with four-note patterns recalling such patterns in Einstein on the Beach . But the movement heats up quickly, and frequent double-stops and octaves enhance the violinistic impression created by the other movements (Bachmann and Klibonoff worked with Glass, presumably offering advice, during the sonata’s gestation). As throughout, the piano shares figuration with the violin; Klibonoff serves as an equal partner throughout. Bachmann generally draws a silvery tone from her 1782 Nicolo Gagliano violin, but with the increase in intensity toward the end of the third movement, she presses it almost to the point of hoarseness.
Charles Gounod’s meditation on Bach’s Prelude in C Major, a long-breathed melody supported by a repeated motive, seems like an obvious choice to illustrate one facet of Glass’s compositional technique. Bachmann and Klibonoff play it chastely. In the booklet notes, Bachmann alludes to the melancholy that runs through the first movements of both sonatas, Glass’s and Schubert’s (in A Major). In that first movement, Klibonoff varies his articulation kaleidoscopically; Bachmann correspondingly displays a peacock-like variety of timbres. But their collaboration also incorporates liberal subtle rhythmic nuances that render the movement both idiomatic and consistently interesting. Their Scherzo, charged with electricity, sounds more dynamic than genial. Murray observes in the notes that Schubert had mimicked Beethoven in the expansion of the sonata to four movements and in writing the additional movement as a Scherzo rather than as a minuet. Bachmann and Klibonoff certainly play the movement as a Scherzo, although they’re appropriately lyrical in the trio. They infuse the Andantino with the same melancholy that marked their reading of the first movement, but their finale is as boldly steely, sharply etched, and commanding in its main sections as suggestively lyrical in the episodes (its repeated rhythms also foreshadow similar insistence in Glass’s sonata and work in general). Isabelle Faust played the sonata on a program of Schubert’s works for violin and piano with Alexander Melnikov on Harmonia Mundi 901870, Fanfare 30:4, which I recommended for its “unflinching revelations of a Schubert as a bull in the china shop of a genial Viennese soirée.” From their genial reading of the first movement (although timings don’t tell the whole story, they might have something to contribute here, with Faust at 8: 36 and Bachmann at 9:40), it’s clear that Bachmann and Klibonoff might be more welcome guests—and they take more time to tell their story in all the other movements, as well.
Ravel’s posthumous sonata reflects, according to Bachmann, a tendency Glass shares with that composer to pare expression to the bare essentials. However far-fetched this connection might seem on the page, the duo’s performance makes it clear in practice. Beside this stark but allusive sonata, Ravel’s later one sounds almost chatty by comparison, and some may question whether Glass’s work conjures as much expressivity from such spare materials. In some ways, Bachmann and Klibonoff make a stronger case for this work than for any other on the program, with Bachmann exploring in it virtually every tonal resource of her instrument. Those who prefer Ravel’s later sonata might want to give this one another hearing in Bachmann’s and Klibonoff’s version. In reviewing Leonidas Kavakos and Péter Nagy’s performance on ECM New Series 1824 B0001485-02 in Fanfare 27:4, for example, I suggested that “Kavakos and Nagy refrain from desiccating the sonata either emotionally or tonally,” but while Kavakos plays with a wide expressive and dynamic range, Bachmann seems to create a more haunting atmosphere.
Strongly recommended for recorded sound that transmits the subtlety and dynamic range of the performances, for repertoire astutely chosen to illuminate the program’s central work, and for insightful and convincing readings of Schubert’s and Ravel’s sonatas. (Robert Maxham)

Philip Glass
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano
1) Movement I [7:25]
2) Movement II [8:18]
3) Movement III [6:36]
Johann Sebastian Bach / Charles Gounod
4) Ave Maria Meditation on Prelude No. 1 in C major [3:10]
Franz Schubert
Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 162
5) Allegro moderato [9:40]
6) Scherzo: Presto [4:24]
7) Andantino [4:42]
8) Allegro vivace [5:11]
Maurice Ravel
9) Sonate Opus Posthume [15:15]

Maria Bachmann, Violin
Jon Klibonoff, Piano

2010 Orange Mountain Music, Inc.
1 CD DDD
7006

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PASSWORD: elhenry.MusicIsTheKey

HELENA TULVE Lijnen

Posted: July 3rd, 2011, 2:00am MDT

Helena Tulve, part of a new generation of young Estonian composers, has the honorable distinction of being the only pupil of Erkki Sven-Tüür. Like her mentor, Tulve breaks down her music into bite-sized morsels, so that even her large-scale works feel like congregations of chamber ensembles. In this representative selection of pieces, we get a taste of the latter. Encountering these works for the first time, I heard them as a single story, which is as follows:
In à travers (1998), the ensemble opens with distant calls. A pack of animals wanders, guided by communication alone. These calls come closer as they are taken up by woodwinds. Rather than antagonize one another, they join forces, comingling in search of a new language through which they may repopulate their frozen world. An oboe soloist raises its cry, occasionally overblowing as if to wrench out as much emotion from its solitude as it can: the firstborn of the newly formed colony, flexing its hybrid voice as the pack falls into silence to hear what it has wrought. A viola bravely joins in. Lijnen (2003) continues this conversation, and introduces the lone soprano, who approaches with trepidation. She wanders the landscape like an anthropologist on her first solo field assignment. Her mind desires all the fame this study is sure to bring her, even as her heart yearns to be accepted into the fold, that she might shun the world’s obligations in favor of danger. She scours the terrain with her instruments, her notepads, and her books: all the material culture she has brought from a faraway land. The animals respond with confusion, putting up a dense resistance, not so easily thwarted by her sensitive approach. Her song is half lament and half appeal. Öö (1997) gives us a peek into the anthropologist’s dream. Only in slumber can she approximate this animal language in private. Abysses (2003) awakens her with warning cries. In her half-sleep they seem to come from beyond the forest, but as she grows more aware of the gravity of the situation, she reacts. In the opening haze of cendres (2001), she immediately abandons her tent and hides in the trees, peering out into the valley below. She watches the slow, careful dance that signals the battle to come. There is so much tension in the air that every hair on her body stands on end, and for that instant an invisible thread instinctively connects her to the very subjects of her study. There is a swipe of claws, a bid for distance, but this sets all eyes aflame as reinforcements emerge from thickets and underground hovels, with more yet hidden in reserve. Brief spats of chaos erupt. Eventually, these conflicts subside. The territory has been successfully defended. In the final piece, nec ros, nec pluvia… (2004), the anthropologist weeps because her favorite has been brutally killed. She stumbles down into the valley and weeps over the fallen body. The more she holds it, the more she smells like blood. The rest of the pack surrounds her and kneels to the ground. Once they have licked her clean, they watch her until she has shed her last tear. They no longer fear her, for she no longer fears them.
This is one of the more exciting recordings to grace ECM’s New Series in the past few years. The beginnings and endings of these pieces are open links, flowing into one another in an ongoing chain. This allows us to approach them any way we wish and makes for an utterly unpretentious listening experience. Tulve is not interested in resolution, but in leaving us with more questions than we started with. In this way, the music stays with us, even if we don’t stay with it. Let’s hope partnership with the label continues.

Helena Tulve (1972 - )
1) à travers [9:51]
for ensemble

2) Lijnen [10:24]
for voice and ensemble
poems by Roland Jooris

3) Öö [11:20]
for saxophone quartet

4) abysses [9:57]
for flutes and ensemble

5) cendres [8:26]
for ensemble

6) nec ros, nec pluvia… [9:54]
for string quartet

NYYD Ensemble
Olari Elts
Arianna Savall voice
Stockholm Saxophone Quartet
Sven Westerberg soprano saxophone
Jörgen Pettersson alto saxophone
Leif Karlborg tenor saxophone
Per Hedlund baritone saxophone
Emmanuelle Ophèle-Gaubert flute
Mihkel Peäske flute
Silesian String Quartet
Szymon Krzeszowiec violin
Arkadiusz Kubica violin
Lukasz Syrnicki viola
Piotr Janosik violoncello

Recorded between November 1997 and June 2006
ECM New Series 1955
1 CD DDD

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here
PASSWORD: elhenry.MusicIsTheKey

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