For his fifth recording with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati conducts a captivating programme of Richard Strauss including Tod und Verklärung and Don Juan. The scandalous story of the insatiable Don Juan forms the inspiration for a tone poem which is rich in imagination and dramatic flourishes. Tod und Verklärungis further testament to Strauss's vivid imagination; his exploration of the mystery of death and what may follow was written when he was only twenty-five. Ticciati is a consummate Straussian, as his triumphant Rosenkavalier at Glyndebourne demonstrated, and his complete control of phrase shape and dynamics delivers performances of tremendous power and lucidity. Soprano Louise Alder joins Ticciati and the DSO to record what she describes as 'a fiendish but beloved cycle of Strauss songs': Sechs Lieder, Op. 68, affectionately known as the Brentano Lieder. The recording is released to coincide with Ticciati's fourth season as Music Director of the DSO.

Originally released in 2011, Carol Kidd’s live album, ‘Tell Me Once Again’ has been re-issued as part of Linn’s ECHO series. This is the most personal album Carol has ever recorded, both in terms of the song choices (which reflect different stages of her career, from the early 90’s to now) and the meaning within the songs. Carol Kidd is acknowledged in jazz circles as ‘Britain’s finest ballads singer’ (Jazz Review). Renowned for her impeccable phrasing and delivery, she has secured the British Jazz Awards ‘Best Vocalist’ title on four separate occasions and has received the MBE for Services to Jazz.

This eagerly awaited recording is the second in Thomas Sondergard’s Sibelius series with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Their recording debut, Symphonies 2 and 7, revealed Sondergard to have a profound understanding of the great Finnish composer. Sibelius has been a major feature of Sondergard’s relationship with the BBC NOW since their debut eight years ago; their widely acclaimed Proms performance of the symphonies was a highlight. Symphony No. 1 combines the best of Russian romantic orchestration and melodic magic with a distinctive Nordic character and wonderful contrasts of texture and color. In the Sixth, Sondergard’s detailed reading highlights the many felicitous touches in Sibelius’ writing and conjures heavenly tones from the strings in the closing bars. This recording will cement their partnership as one of the great new Sibelius teams. Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard is Principal Conductor of BBC NOW and Principal Guest Conductor of Royal Scottish National Orchestra; a rare honor to hold titled positions with two major British orchestras. In recent years he has made successful debuts with the Gothenburg, Atlanta, Brussels, Oslo and Luxembourg Philharmonic and the Seattle and Houston and Symphony Orchestras.

Having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, it is perhaps remarkable that the Fitzwilliam String Quartet has not already recorded this towering pinnacle of Western music repertoire: Schubert’s String Quartet in G major, D. 887. This revelatory recording on period instruments proves it was well worth the wait! The work’s idiomatic grandeur and overall complexity coupled with its everchanging tonalities and otherworldly atmosphere call for the sort of stamina that is the privilege of a limited few. The Fitzwilliams rise admirably to the challenge, demonstrating the characteristic expertise which has defined their recordings over many decades. Inexplicably left unfinished, the C minor ‘Quartettsatz’ rounds off the program. This chiseled, and yet formally unorthodox, single movement is presented here with its Andante second movement completed by leading Schubert scholar Brian Newbould.

Following the success of its 2017 recording Edinburgh 1742: Barsanti & Handel, Ensemble Marsyas returns to the music of the Italian composer Francesco Barsanti who made his home in eighteenth-century Scotland. Having already explored Barsanti’s Concerti grossi-Parte Prima, double horn concerto and his arrangements of Scottish tunes, fans will be pleased to be able to hear more music from this engaging composer. The new album will feature Barsanti’s Concerti grossi -Parte Seconda, composed and published in Edinburgh in 1742, thus completing the Opus 3 collection. Another set from ‘A Collection of Old Scots Tunes’, featuring Elizabeth Kenny and Colin Scobie, plus Handel’s Overture to Atalanta, which was performed by the Edinburgh Musical Society, complete the programme. Ensemble Marsyas’ groundbreaking recording of the Parte Prima enjoyed a rapturous reception, gaining a 2018 ICMA nomination and Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ and Music Web International ‘Recording of the Year 2017’ accolades. Artistic Director Peter Whelan has once again created an album that provides a fascinating glimpse into eighteenth-century musical life in the Scottish capital.

In this new recording Phantasm make no excuses for arranging some of Bach’s remarkable keyboard music for a consort of viols. Led by director Laurence Dreyfus they go on a conscious mission to uncover the hidden riches concealed behind the more neutral resources of the harpsichord and organ so as to liberate the fascinating characters lurking in the shadows and behind the scenes within Bach’s individual polyphonic lines. In the process of fugal confrontation among three to six musicians, they come face to face with the astounding psychological insights of Bach’s most radical inventions. Drawn chiefly from the two books of the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Musical Offering and the Clavier-Übung III, the repertoire chosen for this recording has an uncanny way of forging Bach’s links with the old English traditions of the Fantasy and In nomine as much as leaping forward into a chromatic twelve-tone world where the raw emotions of expressionist modernism become not only audible but adventurously relevant. A second installment of The Well-Tempered Consort is already planned for 2021.

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REVIEWS:

As you would expect, the playing here is expressive while not being unidiomatic. Phrasing and the balancing of voices is a delight throughout, and this is reflected in a recording that allows the ear to follow any of Bach’s contrapuntal voices with ease. If you love the viol sound then you will relish this recording and, like me, be looking forward to future volumes.

– MusicWeb International

The most compelling reason to play Bach’s most densely wrought instrumental music on the viol is because it sounds fresh and appealing. Bach’s contrapuntal achievements sparkle in the hands of Phantasm.

– American Record Guide

This release is following the massive success of 2015's Magnificat & Christmas Cantata. Dunedin Consort is excited to release their follow-up album, Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Conductor John Butt applies his extensive knowledge of Bach's performing practices to present the range of choral scoring that Bach seems to have used, realizing something of the implications of the composer's performing conditions and decisions. The Dunedin Consort ahs established a reputation as one of the finest period performance choirs around.

REVIEW:

Unless you have an aversion to one-to-a-part performances of Bach’s choral music you’ll find much to admire and enjoy in this excellent performance. If previously you’ve resisted the “minimal” approach to Bach then this account of Christmas Oratorio might well convert you. Not only is the singing very good and extremely stylish but also the instrumental playing from the Dunedin Consort is superb. I’ve mentioned a few obbligato contributions specifically but, in truth, every obbligato is expertly delivered and the ensemble as a whole plays very well. I liked John Butt’s way with the music very much. It’s not too often that one listens to nearly two and a half hours of music without an occasional raised eyebrow at a tempo selection but I can honestly say that didn’t happen here. Overall my preference for a small choir and soloists in this work remains but I’m certain that I shall return to John Butt’s version in the future simply for pleasure. His notes are, as ever, comprehensive, scholarly and very readable.

­– MusicWeb International (John Quinn)

Following his critically acclaimed debut Liszt Transfigured: Operatic Fantasies for Piano, which won the 40th Liszt Ferenc International Grand Prix du Disque in 2018, Chiyan Wong returns to record his second album for Linn. Alongside the piano music of Liszt, the music of Ferruccio Busoni has been a guiding light for the young, eclectic pianist. Here Chiyan combines Busoni’s kaleidoscopic arrangement of Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations, which celebrates the powerful sonority and range of the modern concert grand, with Bach’s timeless original. Chiyan’s ‘dazzling technical finish’ (Gramophone) and luxuriant sound are on full display in Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s famous Chaconne, a classic in the genre. Inversion, mirroring and variations are also idiomatic devices in Busoni’s Sonatina ‘in diem Nativitatis Christi MCMXVII and Chiyan’s own ‘composition etude’, Inversion of Variation 15 (Canone alla quinta), which complete this one-of-a-kind programme.

This is the second installment in Phantasm’s series of recordings dedicated to the keyboard music of J. S. Bach. The first was named a Chamber Choice by BBC Music Magazine and Prise de son d’exception by Diapason. This new recording explores further riches from both volumes of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier arranged by director Laurence Dreyfus for viol consort. Reimaging Bach’s keyboard polyphony as consort music has the dual benefits of expanding Bach’s chamber oeuvre whilst also presenting these highly-cherished works as seemingly new, never before heard gems, ripe for discovery. Despite its pedagogical inception Bach’s musical imagination imbues the Well-Tempered Clavier with intellectually complex fugues and preludes bursting with dancing melodies. Phantasm offers a wealth of insights into these highly artistic works revealing sonorities and colors that are both dynamically expressive and revelatory.

REVIEWS:

In this superb new recording, Phantasm present a beautifully realised transcription of preludes and fugues from both sets of Bach’s monumental survey of all 24 major and minor keys, known as The Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV846-869 and BWV 870-893).

...It is remarkable how fully realised these transformed pieces are, and it is a testament to Dreyfus’ deep understanding of Bach’s polyphonic textures, that render them utterly compelling.

Given the consistently outstanding standard of playing throughout the 24 pieces, identifying highlights seems a hollow exercise...There is clear separation of the parts throughout, allowing each strand to be followed, but the production is also open and warm. It strikes me that the size and space afforded within Magdalen Chapel, Oxford is perfect for such small scale chamber ensembles, but the engineers should also be roundly congratulated for so perfectly capturing this music.

I first became aware of Phantasm on the release of Bach’s Art of Fugue in the late 1990s, and it has been a great pleasure to follow their recordings since, each one marked by erudite scholarship, and expressive and convincing playing. Engineering of their more recent performances (particularly for the Linn label) is consistently outstanding and it all comes together superbly in this second instalment which, unlike the first...is solely dedicated to preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier. That first disc received outstanding reviews across the board, but this new recording is an even greater triumph. I hardly need to add that it will unquestionably be considered one of the recorded classical music highlights of the year.

-- Musicweb International

Artists at the height of their careers, Claire Martin and Ray Gelato have a collection of bestselling jazz albums to their names, and have toured extensively across the UK. After their tour dates consistently sold out, the duo took to the studio to record this album, which includes some of the greatest pieces in the Great American Songbook. Claire’s breadth of style and range is beautifully displayed in these tracks. Her interpretations of these songs are vocal masterclasses. A trio of top-notch musicians accompanies the duo on this recording, including pianist David Newton, bassist Dave Whitford, and drummer Sebastian de Krom.

Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra explore the music in Ireland from the 1750s to 1770s. Following a live performance, The Irish Times wrote that ‘Whelan and the IBO are lively guides to this repertoire’ which marks a revolutionary moment where the structures of Baroque music break down and we see the emergence of the Classical style. Many trailblazing early classical composers visited Ireland during this time including van Maldere, Pasquali and Giordani (some even incorporate Irish traditional melodies into their symphonies).

Perhaps the most famous visitor to Ireland at this time was the superstar castrato, Giusto Tenducci, who had works especially written for him by Mozart, Haydn and J. C. Bach. To tell his swashbuckling tale, IBO is joined by present-day superstar Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, performing works which would have been sung by Tenducci in Ireland. This programme also includes modern-day premieres from the collection at the National Library of Ireland including van Maldere’s Sinfonia in G, known as the ‘Dublin’ Sinfonia, Giordani’s much-admired Overture and Irish Medley to the entertainment of The Isle of Saints and The Braes of Ballenden by J. C. Bach.

REVIEWS:

Whilst in Dublin...Tenducci also arranged operas for the Smock Alley Theatre. We hear two arias from the opera. First the virtuoso ‘Amid a thousand racking woes’ which Erraught sings with warm tone and engaging bravura, well supported by the orchestra in what is quite a substantial instrumental accompaniment. The second aria is the simpler lament, ‘Water parted from the sea’ which understandably became the hit number, so much so that Dublin street boys sang a song about him which was quoted and parodied by James Joyce in Finnegan's Wake.

Johann Christian Bach was in fact another of Tenducci's friends...When Tenducci visited Edinburgh in the 1760s for the Scottish premiere of Artaxerxes, he got Bach to arrange some Scottish songs for him which were included in the production(!). Two have been lost, but we are able to hear Bach's version of The Braes of Ballenden.

In 1778, Bach was in Paris auditioning singers for the production of his opera Amadis de Gaule and Tenducci was with him. Also in Paris at the time was Mozart, to whom Tenducci taught singing. Mozart wrote to his father ‘Tenducci is here … He is Bach’s bosom friend. He also was greatly delighted to see me again … I am composing a scena for Tenducci, which is to be performed on Sunday; it is for pianoforte, oboe, horn and bassoon’ (27 August 1778). Frustratingly, the work is now lost, so the performers complete the programme with another work by Mozart written in the 1770s for another star castrato, sacred motet Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165[.]

Here Whelan and his forces have created an engaging and fascinating recital which draws a number of threads together.

-- Planet Hugill

Peter Whelan champions the music of Matthew Dubourg in his recording debut as Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Dubourg, a pupil of Francesco Geminiani, was a charismatic virtuoso and composer who Whelan believes deserves to be acknowledged as one of Ireland’s most influential musicians. With many of his compositions having only recently come to light, most are presented here for the very first time including the world premiere of the ode ‘Crowned with a more illustrious light’. The eclectic programme showcases a composer whose music is shot-through with humanity, charm, virtuosity and wit. The works includes arrangements of Irish traditional melodies, music written for royal celebrations and virtuosic violin solos in the fashionable Italian style. A Corelli violin sonata and a violin concerto by Vivaldi paint a picture of the musical landscape in which Dubourg’s creativity flourished. This recording is an exciting rediscovery of long forgotten, but truly wonderful, music from Ireland’s past.

This laid back program of classics by powerhouse jazz composers Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn adequately show Tommy Smith’s virtuosic saxophone playing. Smith does a fantastic job of keeping the composers’ intentions in mind, while still adding his own colors and textures to these classics. Smith is accompanied here by an all-star trio of musicians, including Kenny Barron, Peter Washington and Billy Drummond. Many of these tracks were recorded in just one take. This album was originally released in 1998, and is being re-issued here as part of Linn’s ECHO series.

This spellbinding recital marks the Linn debut of Scottish mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, winner of the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Main Prize and joint winner of the Song Prize. Favourites by Romantic heavyweights Brahms, Grieg and Schumann feature alongside Lieder by the German composer Josephine Lang, whose prodigious songwriting talent was nurtured by none other than Felix Mendelssohn. Lang’s unpublished setting of ‘Gestern und Heute’ (Yesterday and Today) is given its world premiere performance on this recording. Her distinctive style reveals an imaginative composer with a rich harmonic palette whose significant contribution to nineteenth-century German song deserves greater recognition. Morison, who is described by The Guardian as ‘a singer of much character [and] real musical intelligence’, joins luminaries such as Florian Boesch, Ann Murray and John Mark Ainsley, all of whom have also recorded with pianist Malcolm Martineau at Crear’s ‘Space to Create’. In addition to making her debut solo recording 2019 saw Morison make her BBC Proms debut (in Elgar’s Sea Pictures) and marked the end of her appointment as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

The Choir of New College Oxford, one of the most acclaimed British choral ensembles, makes its Linn debut with a recording of works by the English Renaissance composer John Sheppard. New College Choir was already 150 years old when Sheppard arrived in Oxford intent on contributing to the wealth of choral polyphony that defined the era. Media vita is his most celebrated work, almost symphonic in its proportions, in which he combines and elevates conventional Tudor musical devices to striking effect. Sheppard’s boundary-pushing polyphony requires the skill and precision of liturgical professionals, and in the hands of director Robert Quinney it is compelling. The programme is completed by several motets in which Sheppard sets text from the Old Testament; we are delighted that four of these motets are premiere recordings: A solis ortus cardine, Inclina Domine, Iudica me Deus and Confitebor tibi. This is another distinctive and stylish performance from this acclaimed choir, which marks the first in a new series of recordings for Linn Records.