It is interesting to see what uses musical amateurs of Handel’s day made of his scores, and the singing by Nicki Kennedy is excellent.

HANDEL Cantatas: So Pleasing the Pain Is. 1,2 With Roving and with Ranging. 1,2 To Lonely Shades 1,2 & • Nicki Kennedy (sop); 1 Sally Bruce-Payne (alt); 2 The Brook Street Band (period instruments) • AVIE 2153 (2 CDs: 118:57 Text and Translation)

& HANDEL Songs: 1 An answer to Collin’s complaint. Dear Adonis, beauty’s treasure. The forsaken nymph. I like the am’rous youth. Love’s but the frailty of the mind. ’Twas when the seas were roaring. Transporting joy

This recording is titled “Handel’s English Cantatas.” The three works consist of 13 arias and three duets from three Handel operas, Giulio Cesare, Ottone , and Flavio , with new English texts and arranged for two violins and basso continuo . The arrangements have been attributed to Handel, but this claim is very doubtful. The form of each work, a series of arias ending with a duet, without linking recitative, is otherwise unknown in Handel, and there is no evidence that Handel had any part in putting these works together. The notes to this recording make as good a case as can be made for Handel’s involvement, but I remain unconvinced. The works themselves make enjoyable listening, since the music is taken from three of Handel’s best operas, and it is interesting to see what uses musical amateurs of Handel’s day made of his scores.

The performances are generally enjoyable. Nicki Kennedy is the more pleasing of the two soloists. Sally Bruce-Payne has a large voice that does not sound like it is always completely under her control, and she has an annoying habit of giving a very strong accent to some words; for example, in So Pleasing the Pain Is her overstress produces too strong an emphasis on some syllables. Fortunately, she manages to control this tendency most of the time. The Brook Street Band, consisting of two violins, cello, and harpsichord, plays expertly, and one hardly misses the full orchestra for which these works were originally written.

According to the catalog of Handel’s works in the New Grove , these three cantatas were arranged for different voices than those assigned to them here: So Pleasing the Pain Is for tenor and baritone, With Roving and with Ranging for soprano and baritone, and To Lonely Shades for soprano and tenor. The notes are silent on the arrangements made for this recording.

There are two English cantatas that are accepted as legitimate. Look Down, Harmonious Saint , a single recitative and aria, is not included here but can be found as a supplement to Robert King’s recording of Acis and Galatea . The second, Venus and Adonis , survives in fragmentary form as two arias with harpsichord accompaniment. Those two arias, Dear Adonis, beauty’s treasure and Transporting joy , are included here in a group of seven songs. Many songs have been attributed to Handel. A few years ago, Somm released a recording of all of the songs of unquestioned attribution. Four of them are included here, though one ( An answer to Collin’s complaint ) is performed in a harpsichord arrangement. The forsaken nymph and the two arias from Venus and Adonis are recording premieres. All are excellently sung by Nicki Kennedy.

The three newly recorded items make this recording a must for dedicated Handelians, and the three English cantatas make interesting listening.

FANFARE: Ron Salemi

Bringing to light another of Hans Gál’s gorgeously melodic and finely crafted scores, Avie presents the world premiere recording of the Austrian émigré’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with English pianist Sarah Beth Briggs supported by Gál aficionado Kenneth Woods conducting the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Written in 1948, Gál’s large-scale romantic concerto abounds with sweeping phrases and pyrotechnics, yet at the heart of the piece lies the composer’s signature clarity and precision, making the work an ideal coupling for his 18th century Viennese compatriot Mozart’s great E-flat major concerto of 1785.

Think you know Italian baroque chamber music? Think again. The range, diversity - and even wackiness - is remarkable, as illustrated by Flights of Fantasy, an album of acute inventiveness by Avie stalwart Monica Huggett and the chamber soloists of her Irish Baroque Orchestra. Take Carlo Farina's Capriccio Stravagante, which translates as "outlandish whim", and imitates barking dogs, meowing cats and gunfire. More serious, but no less virtuosic, experimental forms occur in works by Marini, Castello, Legrenzi, and Cavalli - the Venetian best known for his operas - all heard on this album. Created in 1996, the period-instrument Irish Baroque Orchestra occupies a fundamental place in Ireland's musical landscape. Ten years in, the mantle of artistic director was assumed by Monica Huggett, who has created a decades-long career of critically acclaimed and award-winning recordings, including the Billboard chart-topping, Grammy-nominated Bach Orchestral Suites on Avie (AV 2171). critical acclaim for the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Monica Huggett "Nothing lacks from Sonnerie's playing, which is generously, beautifully judged for pace and attractively recorded ... classy" - Gramophone "fresh, lively, and full of spirit" - Classic FM CD of the Week, on Monica Huggett directing Bach Orchestral Suites (AV 2171) Irish Baroque Orchestra: Critics' Choice for the IBO's Masterworks Series, January 2010 - The Irish Times

The enterprising violinist Philippe Graffin – whose recordings for Avie span the world-premiere recording of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto to the original instrumentation of Ravel’s Tzigane and specially commissioned works by Lithuanian composer Vytautus Barkauskus – comes up with another plum: the Elgar Violin Concerto but as you’ve never heard it before. Here he offers another world-premiere recording, performing from Elgar’s original manuscript.

The story goes that just as Elgar felt he had completed his composition he consulted Kreisler who was to give the world-premiere performance. The virtuoso violinist requested numerous changes to suit his own technique and temperament. Finding the original manuscript in the British Library was for Philippe a “rejuvenating experience, like opening the diary of someone you know well and discovering the reason behind their actions.” A similar story comes with Chausson’s Poème, a work that was greatly influenced by the great Belgian violinist Ysaÿe. On this recording Philippe restores a dozen or so bars that don’t appear in the final published version.

This release continues Avie’s association with the RLPO. Vernon Handley, arguably the greatest conductor of English music, was an inspired choice. His only prior recording of the Elgar was with a certain young man named Kennedy.

REVIEW:

It is thanks to the enterprise of violinist Philippe Graffin that we now have this premiere recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto in its original form. The fact that such a score exists may surprise many if not most Elgarians, but it is well known that Fristz Kreisler as the dedicatee of the concerto was asked for his comments on the solo part at a late stage. What Graffin has done is to consult the manuscript scores of the work, both full score and piano score, held in the British Library, and compare the solo part with what was later published by Novello, as modified by Kreisler. At two points in the first movement brief passagework which originally used triplet quavers was changed in the finished version to semiquaver groups. That is over in a flash each time, but more noticeable is the fact that the double-stopped violin flourish on the final page of the finale is less elaborate than what we know. That change, it seems, is owed not to Kreisler but to Lady Elgar, urging such a change on her husband, who duly responded.

Graffin’s performance with the ever-understanding backing of Vernon Handley and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is most distinguished. I cannot remember one on disc that so magically exploits the range of pianissimo that the score asks for. This is not a barnstorming performance, as so many are with this massive work, but one which in total concentration brings out to the full the tenderness and poetry, not just in the central slow movement (which contains only one difference on the opening phrase of the solo part), but in the other movements too, not least in the accompanied cadenza, which is yearningly beautiful.

The story is similar with the first version of Chausson’s Poème...the performance could hardly be more subtle, with Graffin maintaining the gentlest of dynamics while keeping total concentration.

The sound is first-rate and the disc comes with comprehensive notes, not just those of Graffin but a reproduction of the script of a 1937 broadcast by WH Reed, Elgar’s violinist friend, about the creation of the Concerto. Reed’s input into the development of the solo part, it seems, was from the start even greater than Kreisler’s.

-- Gramophone (Edward Greenfield)

This collection of music from the Eton Choirbook, the vast collection of English sacred music from the early Renaissance, is the third in an acclaimed series by Stephen Darlington and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. A thrilling encounter with the remarkable world of the liturgy of Eton College Chapel in the late 15th century!

Includes work(s) by François Couperin. Soloists: Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, Mikko Perkola, Aapo Häkkinen.

REVIEWS:

An irresistible discovery, winningly championed by a new orchestra...The resurgence of interest in the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor reaches another milestone with this long-overdue first recording of his Violin Concerto...Abetted by polished and passionate playing from the recently formed Johannesburg PO under its British-born chief Michael Hankinson, Philippe Graffin triumphantly demonstrates what an effective, endearing work it is...The choice of Dvořák’s concerto as a coupling would no doubt have pleased Coleridge-Taylor; the Czech master was his favourite composer. Again, there’s no missing the wholehearted commitment of all involved...Graffin plays with such vibrant character and imagination, and the whole venture radiates such a life-affirming spontaneity and joy in music-making that any relative drawbacks dwindle into insignificance. An enjoyable momento of what was clearly a special project, then, but it’s primarily for the Coleridge-Taylor that you should snap up this delightful issue.

-- Gramophone (Andrew Achenbach)

"This is an exquisite concerto, though it may require repeated audition before it begins to weave its magic. Once in your soul, however, it will steal your heart with its exceptional craftsmanship and long and flowing melodic lines. Sooner or later, you will be wondering where this concerto has been and why it has not been recorded previously.

The Dvořák concerto, penned almost three decades before the Coleridge-Taylor, proves an ideal companion, as it too was championed in America by Maud Powell and progresses through darkness to light...by virtue of these virile and undeniably persuasive performances, Graffin and the Johannesburg Philharmonic establish themselves as staunch and compelling advocates for both works. The music is propelled by fervent, inspired, and imaginative interpretations; it also sells itself by way of exceptionally competent but not necessarily ingenious construction that holds up well under continual scrutiny. Unquestionably, this is an impressive release for all concerned and one hopes it is a herald of things to come."

-- Fanfare (Michael Carter)

Combining elegance and virtuosity, pianist Russell Sherman returns to Avie with a traversal of Chopin’s Mazurkas, a popular 19th-century genre among Polish composers, but one that Chopin made his own. He wrote mazurkas throughout his lifetime, from his early days in his native Warsaw until 1849, the year of his death in Paris. He brought numerous innovations to the dance form, evolving its humble folk origins to more contemporary art music. Russell, who has performed the world over on the most illustrious stages and with all of the major orchestras, brings his signature grace, imagination, and poetry to Chopin’s beloved oeuvre. -----

REVIEW:

Awe-inspiring: in some of the most difficult works in the piano repertoire, he exhibits the kind of impeccable perfection that is the hallmark of players like Pollini and Michelangeli.

- All Music Guide

Cellist Inbal Segev’s debut release for Avie features the lush and romantic sonatas by Chopin and Grieg, and the Fantasiestucke by Robert Schumann. She is joined by Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen, a fitting partner for the pianistic Chopin and the virtuosic Grieg. In Schumann’s own transcription of his “Fantasy Pieces,” originally for clarinet, the lyrical quality shines through on Inbal’s 1673 Ruggieri cello. Inbal Segev reaches thousands of people across continents through her influential YouTube video masterclass series Musings with Inbal, teaching core repertoire, cello technique and new works. Her many honors include top prizes at the Pablo Casals, Paulo and Washington International Competitions. She began playing cello in Israel at five and at sixteen was invited by Isaac Stern to continue her studies in the US. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale University. “first class… richly inspired… very moving indeed…” (Gramophone) “Her playing is characterized by a strong and warm tone…delivered with impressive fluency and style.” (The Strad) “This young artist is, beyond doubt, a star in the making- her tone golden and unstrained in the high positions, her phrasing that of a born musician.” (Musical Opinion)

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REVIEW:

In the late 2010s, cellist Inbal Segev teamed with the young pianist Juho Pohjonen in recitals, and the pair has a good, confident rapport.

In the first movement of Chopin's Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65, Segev strikes a nice balance between the bel canto melody and the dense construction.

The virtuosic Grieg sonata is expertly done, and it is likely that this release will satisfy her many fans.

– All Music Guide (James Manheim)

Recording information: St. Dunstan's Church, Mayfield, England (04/07/2008-04/10/2008).

Even without referring to the concise program notes, you easily hear the pervasive French influence in these flute works by British composers. Fauré, Poulenc, Taffenel, Gaubert, Godard, and others quickly come to mind in the nearly unanimous approach by their British counterparts to slow movements (sweet lilting melodies of innocence) and quicker movements (full of wry, witty, sardonic nuances and savoir-faire endings). By implication, each of these composers looks largely to his French antecedents somewhat self-consciously, even as one of them (Arnold) attempted to avoid the notion. But, these works succeed on their own merits as technically formidable and charming compositions, and, as in his enterprising disc of American flute pieces, Jeffrey Khaner makes a persuasive case for them to be included in the core flute repertoire.


All of the works but one in this recital are sonatas, and thus we can see neat if unintentional parallels in styles that stretch from 1940 (Bowen) to 1996 (Hamilton). Berkeley and Arnold seem to share a penchant for the dance in their respective third movements, with the Arnold particularly saturnine in mood. The slow movements are models of gorgeous flute writing: check out the simply beautiful line that Berkeley spins in the Adagio; the mysterious sparse duet in Maw's early 12-tone sonata; and Bowen's disarming Fauré-like tune. Technical flare is in abundance as well, especially in the vertiginous scales and arpeggios in the middle of the first movement of the Arnold and the ridiculously difficult passages in upper-register in the opening of Matthew's variation set.


As with his previous disc, Khaner emits a vigorous, muscular tone that is unashamed of the occasional breathiness. Fellow Curtis alum Charles Abramovic accompanies Khaner with grace and sensitivity in parts that are nearly as challenging for the pianist as they are for the flute. The sound is rather good if a bit dry for a self-produced recording that Avie has seen fit to release as part of an apparently growing series of flute recitals by this excellent flutist. Perhaps a disc of French music (with British influence!) is next.
--Michael Liebowitz, ClassicsToday.com

The legacy of the Cypress String Quartet, which celebrated its 20th anniversary and valedictory season in 2016, is sealed by the ensemble’s final recording – the two String Sextets by Johannes Brahms in which they are joined by long-time collaborators, violist Barry Shiffman and cellist Zuill Bailey. True to form, the Cypress String Quartet applied innovation to its last recording: live in front of a studio audience at Skywalker Sound Studio. "A tender, deeply expressive interpretation" - The New York Times

Steinway ambassador, Guildhall professor, and cofounder of the London Piano Festival, Charles Owen turns to the late piano works by Johannes Brahms for his latest AVIE release. Within this collection of Capriccios, Rhapsodies and Intermezzi, Charles reveals myriad moods with the composer harking back as well as facing forward- from evocations of Schubert, Schumann and Liszt in the Eight Klavierstucke, Op. 76; winter-like darkness in the two Op. 79 Rhapsodies; Hungarian foot-stomping dance forms in the seven Fantasies that comprise Op. 116; nostalgic contemplation in the Op. 117 Intermezzi; romantic inflections in Op. 118 Klavierstucke which were dedicated to Clara Schumann; and the tonally forward Klavierstucke, Op. 119. “A class above the rest… His performances are underpinned by an unwavering musicality that is enhanced by close attention to the score.” (International Piano) “Exemplary. Classic. Spellbinding. And enthusiastically recommended.” (Fanfare) “Fantastically versatile… he hits the nail on the head… very stylish, very faithful.” (BBC Radio 3 Record Review)

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REVIEW:

In the Op. 117 Owen finds an apt simplicity to its opening number, while the second has a nice gentleness. The third is filled with a tangible sadness, and is nicely inward—altogether more urgent than Jonathan Plowright, who produces one of the most touchingly withdrawn readings on record. In Op. 116 Owen is particularly telling in the A minor Intermezzo, which has a pleasing intimacy, contrasting with the turbulence of the following number and the sonorously beautiful E major Adagio that forms the set’s centrepiece.

The two Op 79 Rhapsodies are another highlight of this set, with Owen conveying the requisite sense of power, surmounting their difficulties with ease and making the much-played G minor very much his own.

– Gramophone

MUSIC FOR VIOLA • Maxim Rysanov (va); Evelyn Chang (pn) • AVIE 2111 (68:34)


BRAHMS (arr. Rysanov) Scherzo in c, “F.A.E. Sonata.” GLINKA Viola Sonata in d. ENESCU Concert Piece. BRIDGE Pensiero. Allegro appassionato. FRANCK (arr. Rysanov) Violin Sonata in A. TABAKOVA Whispered Lullaby


Young Ukrainian-born Rysanov tears into this music like a prime-time cold warrior. The fierceness seems to suit the Brahms—the Scherzo from the collaborated “F.A.E. Sonata”—to a tee, and I wondered aloud if Brahms ever considered scoring it for the instrument himself. The rich tone of the viola melds perfectly with the repeated, dramatic rhythmic motion that serves as Brahms’s structural Leitmotif , and the result is quite a gallop indeed, paralleling the excitement of Schubert’s Erlkönig.


The Glinka is of course a viola mainstay, and while Rysanov doesn’t have the tonal allure of the milk-chocolate sound that Yuri Bashmet supplies on his superb RCA recording, he certainly equals the extraordinary efforts of Michael Zaretsky on the Fanfare approved “Black Snow” album (22:5). And comparison to Bashmet is perhaps unfair—few artists produce the kind of sound he does, and I would not want anyone to think that Rysanov’s is not up to snuff—far beyond that rather placid category, in fact. The two Bridge pieces sit as curiosities in the middle of this recital, but worthwhile nonetheless, a true contrast in style and mood given in a seven-minute period.


Enescu never ceases to amaze me. Something as innocently titled as Concert Piece turns out to be an intense rhapsody that can out-Brahms Brahms himself, and the composer certainly did not short-change either the viola or the piano, infusing both parts with drama, virtuosity, and almost out-of-control feeling. I can only imagine what would have happened if the work had been longer than nine minutes.


The real surprise here is the sensational performer-arranged version of the Frank Violin Sonata. Comparisons are almost superfluous, as we all have our favorite violinists, and this work is hardly under-recorded. But on viola? I have never liked the composer-penned cello arrangement, so I was quite leery of this one. That is, until about 20 bars into it. What a tempestuous torrent of passion the artist takes us on! There are no tricks here, as Rysanov even drops octaves when needed in order to maintain the integrity of the line, but his sound is so persuasive and gripping that this reading has rocketed up to the top of my list, no matter what instrument. I would be remiss indeed if I didn’t mention the thundering contributions of pianist Evelyn Chang to this entire recital, looking every bit the wisp of a girl judging from the cover photo, but getting a sound worthy of Liszt.


The last piece is a contemporary work called Whispered Lullaby , and it makes for a fine come-down after so seething a session. This is definitely an artist to be on the lookout for, and Avie’s unique partnering structure pays off here in a big way. The sound is a little bright, perhaps a suggestion of stainless steel vs. the oak of a place like Kingsway Hall (it was in fact recorded in Potton Hall, Suffolk), but sympathetic to detail and dynamics. I can offer no less than the strongest recommendation.


FANFARE: Steven Ritter

The Ariel Quartet, distinguished by its virtuosic playing and impassioned interpretations, makes its debut recording pairing two giants of the string-quartet world, Bela Bartok and Johannes Brahms. Both composers stand as significant pillars of the youthful Quartet’s two-decade-long journey. The Ariel Quartet earned its glowing international reputation early on, having formed in Israel when its members were students in middle school. The Ariel now serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music Debut. This release is the first in a projected series pairing the quartets of Bartok and Brahms. “…a blazing, larger-than-life performance…” (The Washington Post) “…the sum of the quartet is indeed greater than its parts…”(The Strad)

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REVIEWS:

The Ariel can enchant, as they do in the Quasi minuetto movement of the Brahms, with its nostalgic, Old World melancholy. And their confident unanimity allows them to convey ferocity without ever seeming to break a sweat – listen, say, to how neatly and nimbly they spring through the Bartok’s final pages. I’m not convinced such sleek virtuosity is what this music demands, mind you.

– Gramophone

Fierce, fiery Bartók that engages from the start and Brahms that has real shape and drive.

– BBC Music Magazine