Where next after Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet? Try these duos and trios by Georg Friedrich Fuchs (1752-1821) in newly recorded period-instrument performances. Born in the German city of Mainz in 1752, Fuchs was a pupil of Haydn’s before becoming a wind-band leader and composer. Aged 32, however, he moved to Paris, and established his name there, teaching at the conservatoire and composing for many French publishers with an eye to the fast-developing market for attractive music for winds, especially the clarinet, accessible to amateurs. His experience as a working musician in the French National Guard prompted him to produce Harmoniemusik – wind-band music – for various combinations of such instruments, without string accompaniment, as the duos and trios found on this album. There is also a brief Pot Pourri on arias of Paisiello conceived for the unusual combination four clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. Between 1803 and 1805 he produced six trios for three clarinets, and Luigi Magistrelli has chosen to record three of them, along with Fuchs’s ingenious arrangements of six arias from Mozart’s Magic Flute, which weave melody and accompaniment between the two instruments, producing pieces satisfying to both play and listen to on their own terms. As a clarinetist and ensemble leader, Luigi Magistrelli has built up a considerable Brilliant Classics discography of lesser-known repertoire from the Classical and early Romantic eras. Most of his albums feature first recordings, and he is joined by Italian colleagues who have equally extensive experience in historically informed performances (using instruments of the time, often returning to the original manuscripts) of 18th- and 19th-century music.

Leopold Stokowski's transcriptions have been getting a lot of attention on disc lately. Most particularly, DG reluctantly released an excellent disc of Mussorgsky pieces featuring Oliver Knussen and the Cleveland Orchestra, magnificently played and very different in conception from Stokowski's own. That disc vindicated his work by showing convincingly that these arrangements can have a successful existence independently of the great old wizard himself. José Serebrier's interpretations, while not quite so radical in their emphasis on laser-like clarity of texture, achieve much the same sort of validation while preserving more of the physical excitement and cinematic flamboyance of the original recordings.


This isn't just a question of the exceptionally splashy and colorful use of heavy percussion at the end of A Night on Bare Mountain or Pictures at an Exhibition, impressive (and necessary) though that is. Serebrier, who worked as Stoki's assistant conductor at the American Symphony Orchestra for about five years, brings a keen ear for those luscious string sonorities that also give these editions much of their magic at lower dynamic levels. I'm thinking, for example, of the shimmering closing pages of the Boris Godunov Symphonic Synthesis, among other places. Serebrier also captures the tragic intensity of the Khovanshchina Entr'acte as well as Stokowski ever did: he's slower, darker, and heavier than Knussen, more raw and "Russian" sounding, as he also is in the terrifying Catacombs section of Pictures at an Exhibition.


There's further icing on the cake that you won't find on the Knussen disc: the two lovely Tchaikovsky transcriptions (the Humoresque will be familiar to knowledgeable listeners from its use in Stravinsky's The Fairy's Kiss), and Stokowski's own Traditional Slavic Christmas Music, a setting where once again Serebrier shows himself able to conjure a truly authentic "Stokowski sound". Mind you, these aren't mere imitations. Serebrier's flexible approach to tempo and willingness to inject a jolt of extra electricity make something quite special out of the climaxes in A Night on Bare Mountain, and it's very clear that the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is having as much fun playing this music as you will have listening to it. The engineering stands among the best from this source as well. Spectacular, sensational, skirting the boundaries of "good taste"--this is the real deal. [6/17/2005]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

The church used by members of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri upon their arrival on the Holy Mount in Gostyń most probably contained an organ made in the local workshop of Wojciech Libowicz, who around 1670 is known to have built the instruments in various nearby localities. Regarding the new organ for the basilica of the Oratorian Fathers, historical sources speak of an instrument from the workshop of Jan Bernard Zitner from Głogów. It was installed in the church choir in the years 1766–1768 and remained there until it was replaced in 1855 by an organ made by Konstanty Kamiński from Opalenica. The present -day organ case, with its Classicist prospect, probably dates from that time. In 1958, the Biernacki workshop installed a new instrument inside it, using some of the old pipes. With the passing of time, it ceased to be used and eventually was dismantled in 2016. A new organ was built in 2016–2017 as part of a major project to revitalize the church’s Baroque interior. It has a mechanical action and a timbral aesthetic modelled on the Baroque-Classicist pattern. The historic case has been restored to its former shape and colors. The organ was built by Marek Cepka from Popowo, near Wronki. The works featured in this recording demonstrate the richness of sound of the organ of the Gostyń basilica, while drawing upon the musical tradition of the sanctuary and the two-centuries old musical community at the monastery of St. Philip Neri. These works were written by composers who were known on the Holy Mount from their vocal-instrumental music, as well as by those who participated in the spiritual life of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

Classical Music

Drawing on a wealth of original compositions for guitar duo, the Amadeus Guitar Duo here presents a superb selection of works which conjure up the heat of South America and the sultry passion of Southern Europe. From the Baroque influences in the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco to the innovative techniques used by Bolivian-born Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon, this recording is sure to evoke Images of the South in the mind of any listener.

------------

REVIEWS

An extremely well executed, and thoroughly entertaining and unhackneyed hour-long recital, where established masters like Rodrigo and Tárrega rub shoulders with contemporary composers like Alfonso Montes.…thoroughly recommended.

© 2016 Classic FM

------------

Drawing on a wealth of original compositions for guitar duo, the Amadeus Guitar Duo presents a selection of works which conjure up the heat of South America and the passion of Southern Europe. From the Baroque influences in the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco to the innovative techniques used by Bolivian-born Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon, this recording is sure to evoke Images of the South in the mind of any listener.

© 2016 WFMT

Charles-Marie Widor was a hugely influential and venerated musician in his day, and his innovative organ symphonies are both a pinnacle of the repertoire and a testament to his creative and technical mastery of the instrument. These spectacular works are in the grand Romantic manner, but Widor was keenly aware of his musical ancestry, referring to music of the past such as Bach's St. Matthew Passion in the opening of the Third Symphony. The Scherzo of the Fourth Symphony is one of Widor's finest symphonic movements, exploring the organ's sonic beauties. The original E major Scherzo from the Symphony No. 2, which Widor subsequently replaced with a Salve Regina can be heard on Track 6.

Domenico�Cimarosa's�operas were remarkably successful, being staged and re-staged in opera houses all over Europe. Success in his�hometown�of Naples led to court appointments and royal commissions, including his best-known work Il�matrimonio�segreto�('The Secret Marriage') composed for Austrian emperor Leopold II. Other hits include�L'impegno�superato�('The Broken Engagement'), an instant success and soon to become one of the most frequently performed of�Cimarosa's�comic works, and Penelope that was produced as far away as London in 1817. The Cantata per Ferdinando IV was, however, written as an act of repentance,�Cimarosa�having made the mistake of backing the failed republican government in 1799.

Nigel Clarke has always been fascinated by virtuosity and timbre- it is the brass band genre that has lent itself most to his passion for musical athleticism. ‘Dial ‘H’ for Hitchcock’ is an imaginary film score in the film noir vein, complete with classic and chilling sound effects, while the heroic, brooding and violent ‘Swift Severn’s Flood’ was inspired by a line from Shakespeare. Cornet concerto ‘Mysteries of the Horizon’ examines the atmosphere of paintings by Rene Magritte, and ‘Earthrise’ celebrates one of the most iconic photographs in history and the drama of the Apollo 8 mission.

Angelo Berardi (1636–94) maintained in his day that modern music had reached “greater perfection compared to the past” and that the practice of music was more important than theory; he asserted, moreover, that a good composition should also elevate the soul to virtuous thoughts. In terms of his stylistic profile, Berardi shows great richness of inspiration, so much so that this, his only work assigned to the violin, seems to cover the entirety of the instrument’s abilities and expressive variety.

Works for solo piano and orchestra, including the ever popular pieces La Mer and Three Nocturnes, highlight this budget collection of music by this giant of French impressionism.

Also available on Blu-ray

In 2018, marking the exact 100th anniversary of the Armistice ending World War 1, the all-star World Orchestra for Peace gave two UNESCO designated performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Symbolically one in each of the UK and Germany – for the BBC Proms in London and for the Würth Music Foundation in Künzelsau. Founded in 1995 by Sir Georg Solti to reaffirm, in his words, “the unique strength of music as an ambassador for peace”, leading players from the world’s finest orchestras gave this performance at ‘the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month’, 100 years after the guns fell silent in 1918. The performance is preceded by moving words of welcome and introduction from Prof. Würth and Lady Solti, both highlighting the need for brotherhood and joy amongst all nations, as reflected in the words of Schiller’s Ode in the choral finale. As a bonus, this release includes welcome and introductions from Prof. Dr. Reinhold Würth, Charles Kaye (Director/co-founder of the World Orchestra for Peace), and Lady Valerie Solti (Patron of the World Orchestra for Peace).

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote music for the lute throughout his career. He had in his possession not only a lute but also two lute-harpsichords (Lautenwerke), gut-strung keyboard instruments allowing a fuller range of sound than the normal lute. For the present recording Elizabeth Farr plays a lute-harpsichord reconstructed by Keith Hill from Bach’s own specification for one of his two instruments. -- Naxos

R E V I E W S:

"The harpsichord and its repertoire can make for a sensual, intimate avenue of aural escape. That takes not only a sensitive player, but an alluring instrument and the right acoustics. Even those who think they are allergic to the harpsichord may find themselves beguiled by the tone of the lute-harpsichord. This mysterious Baroque hybrid, strung mostly in gut like a lute rather than in metal like a harpsichord, combined the compass of a keyboard with the warmth of a plucked instrument. A fan of their ravishing sound, Bach owned a couple of lute-harpsichords. Robert Hill's sublime 1999 release in Hänssler's complete Bach edition has been the go-to disc for the lute-harpsichord works. But American keyboardist Elizabeth Farr—whose William Byrd collection was one of last year's best recordings [Naxos 8.570139-41]—measures up with this bargain-priced double-CD set...the clarity of Farr's playing has its own poetry, matched by transparent sound. As on her Byrd set, Farr plays a beautiful instrument by top American builder Keith Hill." -- Bradley Bambarger, The Star-Ledger (New Jersey USA), August 26, 2008

"Very expressive and colorful playing in a simply delightful listen."

The music of the Edinburgh composer William Beaton Moonie (1883–1961) is as good as unknown. This first-ever album devoted to his piano music reveals a figure downstream from Schumann, Brahms and Grieg, writing in a conservative Romantic idiom colored by echoes of the folk-music of his native Scotland. Many of these pieces, indeed, are concerned to evoke images of the Scottish countryside or suggest aspects of Scottish history. Scottish pianist Christopher Guild is in demand as a recital artist, concerto soloist and collaborative pianist, with concert engagements taking him across the UK. Performances have included those given at St James’s Piccadilly, the Wigmore Hall and St John’s, Smith Square, as well as numerous recitals for music societies under the auspices of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. Christopher’s concerto appearances have seen him work with conductors such as Sian Edwards, as well as with numerous non-professional orchestras. He has recorded CDs for Champs Hill Records as a duo pianist, and for Toccata Classics, as a soloist and duo partner.

Jean Michel Pilc had already planned on coming to Europe for concerts and master classes, and so a studio recording was arranged in the Netherlands. The result of both recordings is Parallel: a double album with two solo piano recordings, conceived in a completely new form, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The album is a fascinating and exciting journey into Jean-Michel's realm of composed and improvised music that makes one want to listen to it over and over again. Jean-Michel writes: "Most people believe that growing up and aging goes hand in hand with gaining knowledge and wisdom. It may be comforting to think that life teaches you things and there is often something true about it. However, for me there is a parallel, deeper reality at work. The more I know, the more I have to unlearn. The music of this album- created in the last years, in two very different sessions with the invisible ink of improvisation- deals with this mysterious and constantly growing part of the unknown: create, forget, and recreate."

Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Consort and Choir honour the 400th anniversary of 16th-century Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo with a reissue of their seminal recording of Tenebrae Responses for Good Friday. Honouring the 400th anniversary of Carlo Gesualdo, the harmonically adventurous and experimental 16th-century Italian composer, Prince of Venosa, Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Consort and Choir offer a newly repackaged reissue of their seminal recording of Tenebae, the composer's final group of sacred madrigals devoted to Good Friday. The Taverner singers navigate Gesualdo's highly symbolic polyphonic structures with idiomatic first-rate performances and incisive scholarship.

Louis-François Dauprat was a French horn player, horn teacher and composer. He was born in Paris in 1781 and died there in 1868. As a child he was a chorister at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. From 1794 he was taught to play the horn by Philip Kenn, a cor basse (low horn); first at the Institut National de Musique and later in the first horn class of the Conservatoire. In 1797 he was the first horn player to be awarded the premier prix. After touring Italy and Egypt with various musical groups between 1799 and 1801 he settled in Paris, where he decided to study again at the Conservatoire, this time harmony and composition. He also studied with Anton Reicha, who composed the horn parts for Dauprat in his quintets for woodwinds. Dauprat can be seen as the pioneer of the Parisian horn tradition. His compositions move stylistically between the classical and romantic periods. In addition to operas and symphonies, he composed a whole series of works for solo horns: horn duets, horn trios, horn quartets, horn sextets, horn with string quartet and much more. For horn players and the interpretation of Dauprat's works or those of his contemporaries, the Méthode de cor alto et cor basse (Paris, 1824) is particularly significant. This recording presents works for horn in various groups: solos, duets, a horn sonata, and a quartet for four horns. David Fliri is solo hornist in the Staatskapelle Weimar and Professor at the Mozarteum Salzburg.

Classical Music

John Ernst Galliard (Celle, 1687 - London, 1747) was a German composer, oboist, flutist and keyboardist active in England in the first half of the 18th century. The son of Jean Galliard, a French wigmaker, he learned to play the flute and oboe from Pierre Maréchal, a French member of Celle's court orchestra. He himself joined the orchestra in 1698 and, shortly afterwards, studied composition in nearby Hanover with Agostino Steffani and Jean Baptiste Farinelli. In 1706 Galliard went to London (like his compatriot Georg Friedrich Händel), where he became court musician to Prince George of Denmark, consort of Queen Anne of Great Britain, and later also chapel master at Somerset House. Galliard enjoyed an excellent reputation as an oboist, and so joined the orchestra of the Queen's Theatre, playing in various performances of works by Handel, who wrote oboe parts especially for him. The Six Sonatas for Recorder and Harpsichord were published in London in 1711. In this collection there is an elegant and smooth fusion of styles: from the orderly counterpoint of the youth in Hannover to the virtuosity and brio of the Italian baroque, from the flavor of the English tradition that only occasionally transpires to the nuances of French taste that are evident in several movements. Played by Fabio Martignago, who learned his art with specialists like Dan Laurin, Kees Boeke, Han Tol, Stefano Bagliano, Lorenzo Cavasanti, Manuel Staropoli and Alfredo Bernardini. Angelica Selmo studied with Luca Guglielmo and followed master classes with Pierre Hantaï, Roberto Loreggian, Skip Sempé and Bart van Oort.

A student of Rimsky-Korsakov and the teacher of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, Anton Arensky holds a distinguished place in the history of Russian music as both an academic and a composer. For his 1900 ballet Egyptian Nights, based on Pushkin, he chose an exotic theme – the dangerous love of the handsome Amoun for Queen Cleopatra – and sought authentic melodic material in scholarly texts. With his gift for orchestration and color, Arensky fashioned a sensuous and vivid score, featuring a brilliantly conceived series of dances. This was a world premiere recording on its initial release on Marco Polo 8.225028, recorded in1996. Gramophone wrote: ‘The playing is suitably colorful, the recording responsive to that’, as did Fanfare: ‘The Moscow Symphony Orchestra clearly revels in this repertoire, and it plays with spirit and enjoyment.’

REVIEW:

The present disc is one of many recordings originally on Marco Polo that have been re-released on Naxos. Acoustically, Egyptian Nights could use an up-to-date recording, but one cannot cavil about Dmitri Yablonsky’s powerful performance, which derives the maximum excitement from the score. The Moscow Symphony Orchestra plays equally well and the whole production is a feast for any fan of Russian music of the time.

– MusicWeb International

Classical Music