Geraldine Mucha: Chamber Music / Stamic Quartet, Prague Wind Quintet
Brilliant Classics
CD
$13.99Jan 22, 2021
Geraldine Mucha learned to read music before words; her Scottish father, Marcus Thomson, taught at the Royal Academy of Music. Having turned 18 she became a student there herself, and at a party in 1941 she met her future husband, Jan Mucha, an exiled Czech war correspondent and son of the artist Alphonse Mucha. They settled in his home city of Prague at the end of the war, but Geraldine fled the Communist regime for Scotland after the invasion of Prague in 1968, and returned only after the fall of Communism in 1989. Jirí died in 1991 but Geraldine lived on until 2012, leaving a fair-sized body of instrumental music which had been performed throughout her lifetime but is only now being rediscovered. Only one other album of Mucha’s work is available, dedicated to her orchestral music. This newly available album, made in Prague in 2015, begins with the First String Quartet which she wrote in 1944 as a recent RAM graduate: a tight, well-argued work, inflected by the fiercely rhythmic folk idiom of Janácek and Bartók. There follows a collection of seven piano works including her most extensive piece for the instrument, a set of variations on an ‘Old Scottish Song’ which also shows a thorough command of a central-European idiom. The single-movement Second String Quartet dates from 1970 opens with a keening, Scottish-accented lament: taut and concise, both concealing and saying much in a short span. The Wind Quintet is a late work, from 1998, still elegiac in mood but now balanced by the kind of dance-like flow and momentum placing it in the tradition of wind-ensemble works from Mozart to Poulenc. This carefully programmed album ends with the Epitaph for oboe and string quintet which she composed in 1991 in memory of her late husband.
Founded in 1985, the Kammerata Luxembourg has established itself at the centre of the country’s musical life with new commissions, concert series and recordings, supported by its ministry of culture. One recent enterprising series was named ‘The European Union Enlarges’, focusing on the chamber music of future EU states, and others such as this album have constructed enlightening juxtapositions of modern and Romantic-era repertoire. Few composers from the 19th century have exercised so potent an influence upon composers of our time as Robert Schumann. His abrupt changes of mood and intense, passionate commitment to individual expressive states have seized the imagination of many composers as well as listeners. Not the least of them is Schumann’s fellow German AribertReimann, In arranging the Fantasiestücke Op.73, Reimann altered not a note of the clarinet part while arranging the piano accompaniment for the unusual combination of flute, a harp and two violas, which enables him to explore both the sombre timbres and the more ethereal hues of the score. The Op.107 songs are united by both a theme of unrequited love and a mood of wistful other-worldliness, which Reimann accentuates with an often-Expressionist recasting of the piano part for string quartet. The other original work here is the collection of canonic pieces originally written for a pedal piano and arranged by Schumann’s contemporary Theodor Kirchner. Meanwhile, the two contemporary responses to Schumann are undertaken in a spirit of the most sincere love and homage. Kurtág’s instrumentation for clarinet, viola and piano refers back to the Op.132 Märchenerzählungen – fairy tales – and he peppers his score with both literary allusions and references back to the object of his homage. Jörg Widmann likewise evokes Schumann’s Op.23 Nachtstücke in his own trio for clarinet, cello and piano. Anyone fearful of new music need not hesitate: Widmann insinuates himself into a world of Romantic melancholy with uncanny skill.
The French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, unlike his near-contemporary Bach, wrote music, and much of it, that, opposing the profound, inward-looking manner of Bach, exhibits a cheerful, somewhat superficial outlook very much interested in worldly matters of kings and courts. In the end, his efforts paid off handsomely, earning him today's equivalent of two million dollars during his life. His bold idea heard here, one that violated the composing precepts of his age, of scoring sonatas for two melodic instruments, are rounded off by later works of others using the same instrumentation.
In this portrait, the composer Marina Khorkova forms multilayered soundscapes full of contrasts from a wide range of multiphonics and noises. The composer lays the focus on the development of her own musical language, against the backdrop of various traditions of multitonality and the "musique concrète instrumentale". She meticulously explores the tonal properties and possibilities of the chamber music instruments by frequently using unusual playing techniques. As a pianist, Khorkova is particularly interested in the specific interaction of the natural multiphonics of the piano with multiphonics achieved by preparing this instrument. The tonal physiognomy of the compositions are "generally characterized rather by metallic harshness, inhospitable frequencies, raw and menacing sound-values than by tender harmonic whispering" - Dirk Wieschollek. The work VORderGRENZE focusses on existential sounds between life and death and on the struggle for breath. The trio klangNarbe, on the other hand, reveals a ragged soundscape. Metallic timbres and noise spectra of the percussion are fused with the multiphonics of the saxophone and the multiphonic (sometimes 17-tone) clusters of a prepared piano. The performers, including the ensemble Ascolta, the trio Accanto as well as the Kairos Quartet, are given substantial leeway through the sometimes graphic notation, which contributes essentially to the energetic effect of the pieces. The metrical freedom of the work 'a_priori', for example, is elementary for 'continuously flowing tonal movements fluctuating in colour which go in search of a kind of original tonal state'. The vast majority of the works was recorded by Deutschlandfunk in Cologne especially for this portrait.
To make the dream come true and record the music for the album, Kaczka and Nadrzycki had to conquer thousands of kilometres and overcome numerous obstacles. The mental barrier turned out to be the hardest: if they wanted to focus strictly on the music, they had to forget about cancelled flights and restrictions, not to mention all the disturbing news regarding the global spread of SARS-Co-V 2 or the insecure artistic and professional prospects for the future in face of the lockdown and closed concert halls. But they succeeded. They managed to devote themselves to the music entirely, the result being an exquisite album that for listeners will prove to be a welcome respite from the pandemic and a space to breathe freely.
This album of 20th-century masterpieces for flute and guitar features works composed especially for this combination of instruments plus arrangements of works by Bartók and Ravi Shankar. Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonatine for Flute and Guitar is considered to be one of the finest compositions for this combination of instruments, contrasting joyfulness with poignant melodies. The warm sound of the alto flute is given expressive range in Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea, while Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango takes us on a journey from the form’s beginnings in the brothels of Buenos Aires, to its acceptance as one of the most loved musical art forms of the 20th century.
Sonatas For Flute & Basso Continuo / Mario Carbotta, Roberto Cognazzo
Vermeer Records
CD
$16.99Feb 05, 2021
In the first half of the eighteenth century Milan was one of music’s world capitals, and was the center of Italian instrumental music. It can be considered the starting point of a genre that would redefine music all over the world- the sonata. Milanese musicians were long forgotten but nowadays, thanks to musicological investigation and studies, they have been revalued. This new VERMEER release presents a series of Sonatas for flute and continuo all from Milanese composers; beginning from Giuseppe Sammartini who was also an appreciate oboe performer, Carlo Zuccari violinist from Casalmaggiore and who worked for long time in Milan, and Giovanni Andrea Fioroni, Milanese cathedral choirmaster from 1747 to his death. All of them gave a significant contribution to Milanese instrumental music. The four Sammartini Sonatas are very relevant and were likely composed before Sammartini left for London in 1728. They are performed by Mario Carbotta. This VERMEER is a combination of beauty and musical value.
Old Souls presents masterworks of Beethoven, Dvorák, Wolf and Kreisler in new arrangements for flute and strings, played by a group of outstanding young musicians. Guy Braunstein’s arrangements display these well-known pieces in a fresh new light, while simultaneously expanding the flute repertoire and showcasing the exceptional possibilities of the instrument, here played by Gili Schwarzman. Braunstein and Schwarzman are joined by violinist Susanna Yoko Henkel, violist Amihai Grosz and cellist Alisa Weilerstein. While the arrangement of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata Op. 23 entails a thorough recomposition of the original, the performances of Dvorák’s “American” String Quartet, Wolf’s “Italian” Serenade and Kreisler’s Syncopation stay closer to the source, with the flute taking up the role originally played by the first violin. The use of the flute creates novel sonic sensations through the way it blends with the strings, and at times gives the pieces a sparkle they did not have before. Guy Braunstein expands his PENTATONE discography, after having already released Tchaikovsky Treasures in 2019. Alisa Weilerstein presented Transfigured Night in 2018 as the first fruit of her exclusive collaboration with PENTATONE.
REVIEW:
The first composition on the disc, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No.4, is a masterful orchestration for flute and string quartet. Braunstein did not merely assign the notes of the piano part, according to their pitch, to the corresponding instruments, but rewrote it for string quartet. One could be forgiven for assuming that it was an original composition by Beethoven himself.
The performances are energetic and nuanced, models of musical artistry. My favourite moment in the entire CD is the second movement of Dvo?ák’s String Quartet Op.96, which sounds absolutely natural played on the flute. The long, languorous melodic line, as played by Schwarzman, is never rushed and at the same time, never loses energy.
Everbest Music presents a reissue of two classic Virgil Thomson albums: Portraits and Self-Portraits and Mostly About Love. Performed by pianist and New York Times chief classical critic Anthony Tommasini, these out-of-print gems are now available as Portraits, Self-Portraits and Songs in a 2-CD set, digital download, and streaming formats. Previously released on Northeastern Records, these definitive recordings feature 22 of Thomson’s chamber and vocal works, showcasing his signature wit and shrewd musical style.
Kuhlau: Complete Sonatas for Flute and Piano / Tozzetti, Caturelli
Brilliant Classics
CD
$8.99$17.99Save 50%Aug 27, 2021
Friedrich Kuhlau (1786 - 1832) lived and worked during a transitional period of classical music. A contemporary of Beethoven and Schubert, his works remain almost unknown to this day, except for some compositions for the flute. The compositional style of the sonatas featured in this recording perfectly identifies with that of his contemporaries, while showing some differences in content; the structure of the sonatas is that of the classical period, but the use of melodic themes and harmony looks to the romantic period. These interpretations of the sonatas for flute and piano highlight the constant dialogue between the two instruments; in fact there is a continuous thematic exchange, which the artists found interesting to discover and highlight. The synergy is perceived above all in choppy tempos, while in every Adagio or Andante the flute assumes the role of the solo instrument, and the piano accompanies and responds. The themes in the slow movements are sweet and moving, and the composer manages to evoke emotions that are always different from each other, thus bringing out his predisposition for this type of tempo, present even in the most brilliant movements: in fact in every allegro, even in the one characterized by the greatest energy, there is a moment of tranquility in which the composer takes the time to make performers and listeners ponder.
The works on this beautiful recording are transcriptions for flute and piano of Franz Schubert masterpieces, from "Heidenröslen," a lied he composed as a fresh-faced 17-year- old, to "Ständchen," written just prior to his premature death at the age of 31. The exquisite and expressive playing of flutist Nadia Labrie and pianist Mathieu Gaudet is seductive. "I have always found this music inspiring, so I wanted to perform a flute and piano version of some of my favourites. Schubert's music is so uplifting, so inspiring, so passionate - it taps into the soul, the voice, the breath of life." (Nadia Labrie) Nadia Labrie is a graduate of the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec and the Universite de Montreal. She received the Medal of the Governor General of Canada for the excellence of her college studies, and was awarded the Citizenship Lifetime Achievement Award by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec and Celebrations Canada President Marc Garneau.
Like Korngold, Toch, Schoenberg, Zeisl and Zemlinsky, Richard Stöhr (1874–1967) was another Austrian composer driven into American exile by the Nazis. His generous output of music, being rediscovered at last in these Toccata Classics recordings, includes seven symphonies, much chamber music, songs, and choral and piano pieces. These chamber works, from his first years in the United States, show him in surprisingly relaxed mood, the Viennese lyricism of his native city maintained in his US refuge. The Flute Suite in particular – though written only four years after his flight from Vienna – can boast a number of easy-going ‘ear-worms’ that linger in the memory long after the music has stopped.
The seductive sound and renewed interest in the Tango has brought the music of the Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla, into the world of the popular classics. His large catalogue of works is unique in using the Tango as the basis for all of his compositions, though he developed the art to the point where it is difficult to detect the dance in his complex and strictly classical music. Of his many works for chamber groups, the Histoire de Tango, composed in 1986, is one of his most popular and frequently performed works. Scored for flute and guitar, it is typical of the composer's interest in the guitar, the Five Pieces now being established in the concert programmes.
CAGE – SA TIE – FELDMAN – TAKAHASHI sums up the focus of this album. All of these works by Cage are influenced by Satie. Cage’s friend and colleague Morton Feldman made an arrangement of Cage’s solo piano “Cheap Imitation” for a trio of piano, flutes/piccolo and glockenspiel. Feldman’s admiration for the pianist Aki Takahashi caused him to gift this arrangement to her. And, full circle, we have the repertoire of this album. The major discovery is Feldman’s arrangement of Cheap Imitation for this very Feldmanesque instrumental ensemble. It is unknown why Feldman made this arrangement in 1980. Knowing of Takahashi’s reputation as a pianist specializing in new music, Feldman had invited her to be an artist in residence at the university where he taught. When she was leaving, Feldman gave a musical score to Takahashi as a gift. It was a copy of John Cage’s solo piano piece Cheap Imitation with annotations by Feldman. He told her that this was an instrumental version of this piece: flute, piano, and glockenspiel.
