Recorded during this year’s Misteria Paschalia Festival in Poland, Dunedin Consort’s performance of Handel’s Ode for St Cecilia’s Day sees them joined for the first time by tenor Ian Bostridge and soprano Carolyn Sampson. Bostridge demonstrates the technical mastery and vocal precision that has seen him win all the major international record prizes in his twenty-five year career. Highly sought-after for her refined Baroque sensibilities and pure intonation, Sampson’s lyric soprano is ideally suited to Handel. Led by John Butt, with singers from the Polish Radio Choir, this rich and colorful tribute to music’s patron saint is the latest in their much-lauded Handel discography, which includes Messiah, Acis & Galatea and Esther, each recording having won widespread acclaim. The recording is completed by Handel’s Concerto Grosso in A minor Op. 6 No. 4, in which Dunedin Consort’s exceptional instrumentalists take center stage.

Following its acclaimed Linn debut recording, Copland & Chávez: Pan-American Reflections, The Orchestra of the Americas releases its sophomore album with its Music Director, Carlos Miguel Prieto. Prieto is joined by fellow Mexican and celebrated pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, who brings his superb musicianship, powerful technique, vibrant imagination and deep passion to this all-Spanish programme. Osorio is the soloist in Falla’s highly atmospheric piano concerto, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a set of symphonic impressions which conjures up the enticing sounds and scents of a summer’s evening. Conductor and pianist received critical acclaim following their performance of this work in Ireland: ‘Prieto elicited a diaphanous palette of colors [and] as Osorio’s arpeggios shimmered up and down the piano we were magnetically drawn into this highly evocative world full of lush sounds and sensuous possibilities’ (BachTrack). Falla’s masterpiece The Three-Cornered Hat is both vibrant and colorful and showcases the ‘superb precision’ of The Orchestra of the Americas. Falla’s finely crafted and meticulous work ensures that the piece’s folklore-based melodies are consistently accompanied by exquisite background music. The programme is completed by the Interlude & Dance from Falla’s La vida breve and the well-known Intermezzo from Granados’ Goyescas.

Classical Music

Following their Linn debut, a ‘breathtaking album of songs by Gustav and Alma Mahler’ (The Herald), Karen Cargill and Simon Lepper return to fin-de-siècle Europe for a recital of songs by the ‘crème de la crème’ of late nineteenth-century French speaking composers. Entitled Fleur de mon âme, the album embraces the sensual soundworld of Hahn, Debussy, Chausson, Jongen and Duparc. The album opens with À Chloris which recalls the elegance of the seventeenth century before borrowing from the poetry of Ancient Greece in Chansons de Bilitis and setting sail on a calm sea with Chausson’s Sérénade italienne. Guest soloists from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra add orchestral colour to Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle and Calmes, aux quais déserts by lesser-known Belgian composer Joseph Jongen. The compelling romanticism of Duparc’s songs complete this bouquet of soul-searching French mélodies.

Conceived by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood and Mozart scholar Timothy Jones, this program of four sonatas ‘by’ and ‘after’ Mozart represents a belated apology to the composer on behalf of all trumpet players. Had the trumpet developed into a chromatic solo instrument in the 1770s and 80s – like the oboe or flute – Mozart might have been inspired to write great music for the instrument. Following eight recordings for Linn of similarly re-imagined trumpet and piano music from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss, this recital is a compelling new contribution to the trumpet repertoire with four Classical-style sonatas, drawing on varied styles and periods in Mozart’s music. It exhibits canvases from the Salzburgian church sonata to the strutting swagger of a 21-year-old pianist-composer in Munich and two large mid- and late-sonatas from the golden Viennese years. Accompanying Freeman-Attwood is the multi-award-winning Polish pianist Anna Szalucka.

Following the exceptional success of its debut album the Maxwell Quartet returns with its second recording of Haydn. The intriguing juxtaposition of Haydn string quartets with traditional Scottish folk music once again forms the basis of the programme. MusicWeb Inernational named Haydn: String Quartets Op. 71 as one of its Recordings of the Year stating: ‘… letting this superb playing simply wash over you has been one of the year’s great pleasures.’ The prize-winning quartet is performing Haydn’s Op. 74 and their selection of folk music will include traditional tunes from the Highlands and Shetland plus music by Niel Gow, Jean Finlayson of Lewis and Isaac Cooper of Banff. Following the Maxwell’s performance of Haydn’s String Quartet in F, Op. 74 No. 2 at the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival The Scotsman wrote: ‘Such distinctive personality informed Tuesday’s opening performance… its finely tailored Classicism enlivened with light-hearted repartee and risky spontaneity.’

Additional CD Content:

• Nathaniel Gow, Niel Gow, Maxwell Quartet: Coilsfield House – Drunk at Night, Dry in the Morning
• Sìne NicFhionnlaigh, Anonymous, Maxwell Quartet: Fear a’ Bhàta / Da Full Rigged Ship / Da New Rigged Ship
• Anonymous, William Marshall, Maxwell Quartet: The Burning of the Piper’s Hut / The Marquis of Huntly / Miss Gordon of Gight

REVIEW:

As in their debut disc of Op 71, the Maxwell Quartet respond eagerly to the boldness and brilliance of these predominantly extrovert works. They always seem to be playing to an imaginary audience. As on their Op 71 recording, the Maxwell – Scottish to a man – interleave the three quartets with their own arrangements of Scottish reels, jigs, and pipe marches.

– Gramophone

Shortlisted for the Gramophone Awards!

Barb Jungr's "Every Grain of Sand" has deservedly become known as a modern cult classic and has won the singer a dedicated fan base around the world. Originally released in 2002 this insightful album established Jungr as one of the leading interpreters of the Bob Dylan songbook and entered the Top 10 "Jazz Album of the Year" lists in The Sunday Times and The Telegraph whilst the Wall Street Journal described it as "...the most significant vocal album of the 21st century thus far."Jungr's revelatory interpretations get right to the heart of Bob Dylan's lyrics, finding new depths and emotion in his works. The original release prompted more than a decade of Dylan performances with a Barbican tribute alongside Billy Bragg and Odetta. Jungr is supporting this re-release with a UK tour in 2017.

Barb Jungr's "Every Grain of Sand" has deservedly become known as a modern cult classic and has won the singer a dedicated fan base around the world. Originally released in 2002 this insightful album established Jungr as one of the leading interpreters of the Bob Dylan songbook and entered the Top 10 "Jazz Album of the Year" lists in The Sunday Times and The Telegraph whilst the Wall Street Journal described it as "... The most significant vocal album of the 21st century thus far."Jungr's revelatory interpretations get right to the heart of Bob Dylan's lyrics, finding new depths and emotion in his works. The original release prompted more than a decade of Dylan performances with a Barbican tribute alongside Billy Bragg and Odetta. Jungr is supporting this re-release with a UK tour in 2017.

2014 marks the 30th anniversary of Carol Kidd's self-titled debut album on Linn. This album marked the beginning of a long and valued partnership which produced ten studio albums over three decades. A truly superior selection of standards and some less familiar gems complete the album which confirmed Carol Kidd’s arrival as a high calibre jazz artist. From the beginning of Carol's impressive career, her albums were extremely well received.

BarrocoTout makes its recording debut following a prize-winning performance at the highly respected biennial York Early Music International Young Artists Competition. After a hard-fought competition Philip Hobbs, Chairman of the Judges and Linn’s Chief Producer, said: “The level of musical performance has been exceptional… BarrocoTout are an extraordinary ensemble.” Formed at the Royal Conservatoires in Brussels, the ensemble has chosen to champion the music of a hitherto neglected Belgian composer: Henri-Jacques de Croes. Treading a path between French, Italian and German influences, de Croes produced music that was courtly yet with enlightenment aspirations. The trio sonatas of Op. 5 were written with a touch of Rococo in mind and a strong Italianate flavour. With only one copy in existence the Six Sonates have hitherto led only a shadowy existence and were regarded as ‘lost’ for many years. With this recording BarrocoTout aims to quash the myth that ‘unknown is unloved’.

-----

REVIEW:

This is so delicious that it's tempting simply to suggest that you go and buy it. But of course I'll elaborate. A debut disc – the result of success at the York Early Music Competition – from a young Baroque ensemble possessed of all the flair, creative rapport, and passion required to make the music of this era such a thrilling listen.

– Gramophone

A graceful and charismatic performer, Fliter is known for her effortless technique and thoughtful, sensitive music-making; every performance is deeply personal and full of freshness and poetry, perfect for exploring Chopin’s masterful Nocturnes. Chopin composed his Nocturnes throughout his creative life and succeeded in both elevating and popularizing the form. His inspirational and original style, evident from even his early works, grew and matured to create an epic collection of gorgeously melodic piano music. Fliter included a tantalizing taster of this new album on her Preludes recording, adding Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 3 and Op. 27 No. 2 to round off the performance, which had several critics hungry for more. Her Preludes album was named ‘Recording of the Month’ by Gramophone, which also named it among the top 10 Chopin performances ever recorded. On this new recital Fliter delights us with characteristically insightful interpretations of which showcase both the sensitivity of her playing and the poetry of the composer’s music.

Scottish Ensemble’s new release fuses together French and Japanese influences. Featuring works by Debussy and Takemitsu, instrumental color and textures are explored through these works. Scottish Ensemble is the UK’s only professional string orchestra. They are built around a core twelve members, and are known throughout the United Kingdom for their virtuosic and ambitious programming. ”…a scintillation of ace soloists who combine bracing energy, flexibility and precision, breathing and moving as one.” (The Observer)

This album is the debut release from the Irish Baroque Orchestra. The tracks chosen take the listener on a journey through the German courts of the 18th century. Concertos by Fasch, Telemann, Heinichen, Vivaldi, and Graupner have been chosen for this programme. “…what really makes the IBO so worth hearing is the unified artistry and joyous, focused energy of its music-making under Huggett.” (The Sunday Times)

This recording from the award-winning viol consort focuses on an important 16th century composer and radical thinker Christopher Tye. The English composer is especially bold in his metrical and harmonic experiments embraced within his mystical but surprisingly approachable instrumental works. There are pieces depicting the biblical Rachel weeping for her children, an In Nomine counted in lengths of five beats (unheard of before the nineteenth century) and obsessional works – such as Sit Fast – which test the rhythmic skills of musicians with passages of dizzyingly modernist metrical complexity. Phantasm take a radically different approach to previous recordings, delivering a performance that brings out the music’s ceaseless energy, rhythmic articulation, and provocative harmonies – in short, one that highlights Tye’s insights as music for today. Phantasm will perform works by Christopher Tye at Austria’s Trigonale Festival and London’s Wigmore Hall in September and October 2017 respectively.