Gouvy: Serenades For Flute And Strings / Bronnimann, Kleiser, Emmert
Toccata
CD
$20.99May 28, 2013
GOUVY Sérénades: No. 1 in G;1 No. 2 in F;1 Op. post. in d1. Introduction et Polonaise2. Danse suédoise2 • Markus Brönnimann (fl); 1Kreisler Qt; 1Ilka Emmert (db); 2Michael Kleiser (pn) • TOCCATA 0185 (61:42)
As regular readers of this magazine will know, I am an ardent advocate of the music of Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819-1898), an enthusiasm I share with past and present Fanfare reviewers Barry Brenesal, Jerry Dubins, David Johnson, John W. Lambert, Robert McColley, and Peter J. Rabinowitz. The virtual consensus across the board is that Gouvy was a significant composer of the Romantic era who wrote music of considerable substance, which has until recently suffered unjust neglect. At this point, there are now a dozen or so CD sets in print of Gouvy’s compositions, with a few others out of print, devoted primarily to his symphonic works, large-scale choral pieces (secular oratorios and a Requiem), and chamber music, plus one disc apiece of his chansons and his piano music for four hands. I don’t know if this Gouvy renaissance on recordings has led yet to an increase in concert performances—I’ve not seen any myself—but it certainly provides hope for the future, and in the meantime grants a boon to music lovers for private enjoyment.
The present disc adds to our knowledge of Gouvy’s chamber works, with the world premiere recordings of five pieces for flute. (A sixth piece, the Sérénade vénitienne for flute, viola, and harp, was issued in 1999 on a Calliope CD.) All of them date from later in Gouvy’s life: the Danse suédoise from 1879, the Introduction et Polonaise from 1890, and the three sérénades for flute and string quintet (which all add a double-bass to the standard string quartet) from 1888, 1889, and 1891 respectively. The first two pieces are adaptations of movements from other works: the Danse from the op. 71 Octet, and the Introduction from the op. 83 Ghiribizzi for piano duet. The one-movement op. post. Sérénade is probably a torso of a planned larger work that was never completed; as it is, one four-page folio is missing from the surviving unpublished manuscript, but musicologist and Gouvy scholar Oliver Schmitt was able to reconstruct that material from a surviving adaptation for piano duet. While the excellent booklet notes by Schmitt (which include actual musical passages from the scores, a most commendable practice that seems to be all but extinct) do not mention an impetus for the composition of any of the other works, the Sérénade No. 1 was commissioned by the Philharmonic Club of New York, an indication of the international reputation that Gouvy once had before fading into total obscurity immediately upon his death.
While Toccata is to be commended for adding to the Gouvy discography, so far as repertoire is concerned this is definitely minor rather than major Gouvy. All of the pieces are thoroughly charming divertissements with appealing melodies and formal elegance, but none is of great significance. The instrumentalists (who have nice color photos featured on the inside face of the back tray card) are uniformly excellent and play these works with all the charm and gracefulness one could ask for. The recorded sound is ideal, with just the right perspective and balance and an inviting degree of warmth, and as previously mentioned the program notes are outstanding. While this is not an essential acquisition, lovers of Gouvy or of chamber music for flute should find this disc quite appealing, and it is recommended accordingly.
Wajnberg: Works for Flute / Styczen, Rajski, Polish Chamber Philharmonic
TACET Musikproduktion
SACD
$24.99Aug 18, 2017
Mieczyslaw Wajnberg: Works for flute features the new-generation flautist Antonina Styczen together with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Wojciech Rajski, and distinguished young chamber musicians Zuzanna Fedorowicz and Pawel Czarny. The album includes four catalogued pieces for flute composed by the Polish-Jewish composer-Mieczyslaw Wajnberg. Antonina Styczen, freelance flute player, soloist, and explorer of modern musical currents, graduated with distinction from both the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the prestigious conservatory Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. She is the laureate of numerous music competitions and beneficiary of various scholarships. She has also performed as a soloist alongside ensembles including the Silesian Chamber Orchestra and the Polish Chamber Philharmonic, as well as esteemed musicians such as Hansjorg Schellenberger and Siegfried Mauser.
Cage: Music for an Aquatic Ballet, Music for Carillon No. 6 / Faralli, Fabbriciani
Brilliant Classics
CD
$13.99Aug 28, 2012
In addition to electrifying performances and exciting repertoire, this fascinating disc offers several world premiere recordings to the Cage canon. Flautist and Cage expert Roberto Fabricciani is joined by percussionist Jonathan Faralli in anticipation of John Cage’s 100th birthday in 2013, turning out a disc that reveals a rich interpretation couched in intimate knowledge of the composer’s game-changing aleatoric music. An historic disc for an historic event.
Following critical acclaim for their series of duo recordings for violin and flute on the theme of 'The Art of Elegant Conversation', period instrument group the Elysium Ensemble returns to Resonus with an expanded line-up to present an arresting and vibrant new recording of flute concertos by the Baroque composer Johann Joachim Quantz. With Elysium founders Greg Dikmans (flute) and Lucinda Moon (violin) as soloist and leader, the Ensemble breathe fresh new life into these striking and beautifully crafted works with performances that are at once filled with a compelling spirit and warmth. The Elysium Ensemble is an Early Music group from Australia specializing in music from the 17th- and 18th centuries. It has been acclaimed by critics for it's elegant performances, fine musicianship and authoritative interpretations of music from the Baroque and Classical periods. This special ensemble embodies the concept of elysium (defined in the 17th century as a state of ideal happiness) by bringing together musicians whose awareness of the stylistic demands of the repertoire is combined with a mastery of period instruments. The ensemble's performances are indicative of the freshness and spontaneity which the musicians bring to this collaboration through discussion, rehearsal, experimentation and research.
Rakastava - The Music of Jean Sibelius / Kemp, Chamber Doamaine
Resonus Classics
CD
$18.99Feb 16, 2018
Critically acclaimed ensemble Chamber Domaine returns to Resonus with this portrait of Finland’s most prominent national composer- Jean Sibelius. Featuring a combination of both well known and lesser performed works, artistic director and conductor Thomas Kemp leads a programme of instrumental, chamber and string orchestra compositions including the suite for strings, Rakastava (The Lover), the brooding Malinconia for cello, and the fulsome Andante Festivo in celebrating the depth and versatility of this great composer. The album was recorded with spectacular sound quality, and features a full color booklet. Chamber Domaine is a trailblazing ensemble acclaimed for its virtuosity, distinctive programming and passionate advocacy of the music from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Chamber Domaine is project based and has a modular lineup of outstanding instrumentalists and vocalists ranging from duos to chamber orchestra.
Of Shadow & Light / Popiel, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble
Klavier
CD
$18.99Feb 17, 2017
Ideas about lightness and shadow have inspired countless artists throughout the years as expressions of beauty and mystery, sources of comfort and harbingers of doom, and representations of divinity and chaos. Each in their own way, the works on this release engage with images of light and shadow, reflecting the breadth of emotions wrapped up in this basic dichotomy that shapes all of our experiences. The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble has been described as “one of America’s most esteemed concert bands.” (New York Times) After the group’s Carnegie Hall debut in 2013, New York Times described the ensemble as “performing with polish, assurance and copious spirit, eliciting a rousing ovation.” Pieces by leading contemporary wind band composers are featured on this new release, including Steven Bryant, Aaron Perrine, James Barnes, Joel Puckett, John Mackey, and Joni Greene.
Bach: The Musical Offering (arrangement by Helmut Bornefeld)
Carus
CD
$20.99Jun 25, 2013
The Musical Offering BWV 1079, is a collection of contrapuntal pieces by J.S. Bach, based on a single musical theme by Frederick the Great. The particular occasion for this version by Helmut Bornefeld (1906-1990) for organ, violin and flute was the imminent dedication of the Schorndorf choir organ in 1975.
Farkas: Orchestral Music, Vol. 4 - Music for Flute & Strings / Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Toccata
CD
$20.99Mar 11, 2016
This album is the fourth release in a series of orchestral recordings by Hungarian composer Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000). The album focuses on his compositions for strings and flute. These works have all the transparent scoring, driving rhythms, and hearkening to Baroque-style dance forms that make Neo-Classical music so appealing. Flutist Andras Adorjan is featured on this album, alongside Viktoria Herencsar on cimbalom. Janos Rolla also leads the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra on this recording.
The Welsh flautist Emily Beynon plays a selection of British flute concertos, accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Bramwell Tovey. Beynon is the Principal Flute of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Equally at home in front of the orchestra as in its midst, she has also performed as soloist with, amongst others, several BBC Orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra, NHK Symphony, and the Vienna, Prague, Netherlands and English Chamber orchestras.
Grzegorz M. Olkiewicz’s album consists of nine pieces by seven representatives of the “Upper Silesian School,” which undoubtedly affected the Polish music (and not just the Polish one) of the second half of the twentieth century. Naturally, being a native of Katowice and a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music, he became interested in the repertoire composed by the university’s pupils. Sometimes it was he that served an inspiration for them and edited scores for printing and premieres. The presented recordings were made in studio, at the National Philharmonic and at the Silesian one. They emerged gradually from 1984 to 1997 thanks to the Polish Radio in Katowice and Warsaw. One could consider this selection as representative for the community although it is inevitably complete. Grzegorz Olkiewicz was born in Katowice in 1959. He has performed with most of Poland’s orchestras, and has given recitals and performed with orchestras in Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, The US, and more. Many Polish composers have dedicated their compositions to him.
This new release is another publication presenting the artistic output of Krzysztof Meyer, one of the most outstanding Polish contemporary composers. The three original songs on this album are instrumental music, in which various narratives are composed of different narratives and dramaturgies; from full musical erudition Hommage à Johannes Brahms , through virtuoso Concerto No. 2 for flute and orchestra to reflective Farewell Music , devoted to Witold Lutosławski. The orchestra's culminating piece is Mass for mixed choir, organ and orchestra - as much musical expression, full of intelligent references to the history of perhaps the most demanding genre in the history of European composition art.
Hungarian period instrument orchestra Capella Savaria has been hailed by the Canadian Opus Magazine as “one of Europe’s best ensembles”. Their new release offers an insight into Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto œuvre consisting of over 500 fascinating compositions. Besides the undoubtedly most substantial (and popular) pieces, the album also has a selection of concertos for flute and bassoon occasionally evoking the atmosphere of Vivaldi’s most renowned composition, The Four Seasons. Founded in 1981, in Szombathely, Capella Savaria has earned its fame as the first period instrument chamber orchestra of Hungary. Its innovative efforts created quite a sensation at the time in musical circles. The ensemble’s objectives were, from the onset, to play Baroque and Classical music in an authentic way by relying on genuine documents of the period. The founding artistic director was Pal Nemeth, followed by Zsolt Kallo who has been directing the ensemble since 1999. The members play authentic 18th century instruments or their copies.
Agata Kielar-Dlugosz, recognized Polish flutist and winner of numerous music awards, presents a recital consisting of works by Polish composers whose work is rooted in various popular trends of the 20th century. These gems were created somewhat off the beaten track of the artistic activity of their creators, commonly associated with other forms and different instruments, which probably influenced the relatively low popularity of these works. With this release, Agata Kiela-Dlugosz and pianist Andrzej Jungiewicz decided to remind the music lovers in a very interesting interpretation. Agata Kielar-Dlugosz is a graduate of the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munich. She also completed post-graduate studies at the Hochschule fur Musik in Weimar and Yale University in New Haven. She is a prizewinner of international flute competitions, and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and has given premieres of several flute concertos which were dedicated to her by composers such as Pawel Mykietyn, Piotr Moss, and Pavel Lukaszewski. She has served as Principal Flute with the Bayerisches Symphonieorchester Munchen, the Munchener Kammerorchester and Bach Collegium in Munich.
