"•There are three great Portuguese Modernist master composers, one being Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906-94).
• Lopes-Graça integrated Portuguese folklore in his oeuvre, combining it with atonal, dissonance-spiced harmonies like other modern national composers such as Bartók or Ginastera.
• He was a fervent opponent of the Portuguese fascist Prime Minister Salazar, leading to career obstacles and imprisonment.
• As one hears in his idiomatic and effective piano music, he was a subtle and independent master."

BACH (arr. Busoni) Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother, BWV 992. Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C, BWV 564. Toccata and Fugue in d, BWV 565. 10 Choral Preludes. BACH (arr. Petri) "Sheep May Safely Graze". BACH (arr. Zadora) Flute Sonata in E? , BWV 1011: Siciliana. Organ Chorale, BWV 751. BUSONI Prelude and Fugue in D (after Bach BWV 532). Choral-Vorspiel nach Bach. Das Calvarium. Floh-Sprung —Canon for Two Voices with Obbligato Bass. Canon Variations and Fugue. BUSONI (arr. Groschopp) Improvisation on the Bach Chorale Wie wohl ist mir, o Freund der Seelen. WEISS-BUSONI Salon-Polka • Holger Groschopp (pn) • CAPRICCIO 5198 (2 CDs: 120:36)


Like every other Golden Age pianist, Ferruccio Busoni romped in the playground of transcriptions, batting around other composers’ tunes in the spirit of competitive gamesmanship. The ghosts of Liszt and Tausig were leaning over the fence watching them play. Today many of these wowsers—dated American slang for raising one’s eyebrows in amazement—sound more like transgressions than transcriptions. But Busoni was a serious Bach scholar and editor, and when it came to the music on this 2-CD set, his arrangements for piano have survived proudly.


Bach must hold the record for the most transcribed composer in history, and Busoni’s versions aren’t unique, especially in iconic works such as the Chaconne in D Minor for violin and Stokowski’s showstopper, the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. But when you see Bach-Busoni on the program, you can rest assured that the arrangement will be sober, true to Bach’s original (not the same as being faithful to every note), and a technical tour de force . Busoni was generous with doublings, thirds, and sixths, often laying them on to the limit of pianistic technique. He avoided the vulgarity of rolled arpeggios, however. Audiences expected a blend of church and sideshow.


Holger Groschopp has undertaken an extensive project to record Busoni’s output in this genre; there’s a previous box set of four CDs covering many other composers besides Bach. This new release focuses on organ and harpsichord music, where the earlier set included some Bach violin arrangements. Fortunately, Groschopp’s program is varied and intriguing, which he details in his excellent notes, and I didn’t miss the Chaconne in D Minor, probably the most popular of Busoni’s Bach transcriptions today, leaving aside the 10 short chorale preludes used as encores. Since these two disks contain 44 tracks, I’ll confine myself to a few general comments.


First there’s the issue of organ versus piano. Busoni recognized that there are losses and gains when the organ loft is exchanged for Carnegie Hall. A piano virtuoso must work magic to create the illusion of a pipe organ’s continuous legato, its colorful voicings that mimic woodwinds and brass, and its enormous power. Two hands must also do the work of the organist’s combined hands and feet. On the plus side, the piano has one huge advantage: touch. The gradations of touch that Horowitz employs in Busoni’s arrangement of the Chorale Prelude Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (DG) are hypnotic, and for me, more moving than what an organist can produce. Busoni’s extant piano rolls indicate that he used considerable rubato in Bach, something generally associated with Romanticism, not historical purity.


Groschopp is an established pianist in his native Berlin, with close ties to the Berlin Philharmonic and an international tour schedule (just as impressive, he also studied voice with Fischer-Dieskau). He brings technical assurance to the most difficult arrangements here, and comparison with the legendary Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva is hardly to Groschopp’s disadvantage. He has chosen to imitate the evenness of an organist’s touch. He avoids crescendos and decrescendos, and maintains a steady tempo. In other words, he eschews the piano’s advantages, deployed so eloquently by Horowitz and Busoni himself.


I grant that this sort of literalism will feel more “authentic” to some listeners, but it robs this otherwise superb set of having much personality. That’s not the same as accusing Groschopp of tedium—he held my attention with a delightful range of works, from the mighty Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C (BWV 564) to a 24-second miniature where, as part of a suite written on the departure of a beloved brother, Bach imitates the postman’s galloping horse and tooting horn, one of the rare occasions where he wrote program music. The journey features familiar signposts in the land of Bach such as “Sleepers Awake” and “Sheep May Safely Graze.” At the end we get a polka. I’ll tease you by not revealing what that’s about.


I sat myself down to listen with the resignation of a pupil braced for a scholarly lecture, but the entire experience turned out to be fascinating. The treasure trove of Bach’s genius has tempted countless arrangers, and thanks to Busoni, Groschopp drops a shower of gold coins in our laps.


FANFARE: Huntley Dent

This double CD combines Brahms' Romances, op. 33 with Romances from Ludwig Tieck’s ‘Magelone’. The first CD offers the song cycle without the prose text, the second CD presents a sensitive abridgement of Tieck’s text by Hans-Jürgen Schatz. With these romances, Brahms reached a new compositional level. The songs seemingly move completely independently of external influences; Schubert’s songs might have acted as models in many passages. Sometimes, people even speak freely about ‘Brahms’ sole opera’.

"• The Roman composer, administrator, director and teacher Goffredo Petrassi represents a salient figure in the development of 20thcentury Italian music history. His music, broadly considered neo-classical, was also influenced by serialism and twelve-tone techniques.
• Pietro Massa's great interest in the Italian piano repertoire of the 19thand 20thcenturies has led him to record several and even discover a Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco after conducting extensive archival research."

"An all-Wagner recital program, featuring famous arias from “Tannhäuser” and “Tristan und Isolde”, and the lovely, rapturous Wesendonck Lieder.
Soprano Anne Schwanewilms sucessfully debuted recently at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.
Ms. Schwanewilms makes her debut as Isolde on this CD..
The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Cornelius Meister."

"A varied and imaginative song recital from tenor Thomas Michael Allen focusing on themes of distance and longing.
Mr. Allen's repertoire spans the centuries, from the French baroque to the contemporary and modern.
Charles Spencer, a much sought-after accompanist, is Professor of Lied Interpretation for singers and pianists at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt."

"A choice Robert Schumann song recital featuring baritone Paul Armin Edelmann and pianist Charles Spencer.
Mr. Edelmann maintains an international operatic and recital stage presence, winning critical acclaim worldwide.
Charles Spencer, a much sought-after accompanist, is Professor of Lied Interpretation for singers and pianists at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt.
""Paul Armin Edelmann is the perfect song-poet...a wonderfully balanced and seamless voice... - FonoForum"

REVIEW:

It is certainly the case that there have been many recordings of Die Fledermaus , perhaps not quite as many as Strauss’s “Blue Danube” Waltz, but still quite a significant number. Contemporary listings put the total of commercial recordings of this perennial favorite at about 25, with another 10 or so on video. Not as impressive perhaps, when compared to La traviata or Carmen , but quite a large number for a mere operetta. Johann Strauss II’s most popular stage work has proved to be also the most popular of all operettas. So much so that we may ask “do we really need another recording of Die Fledermaus ?” Well, no, we probably don’t; there are some fine sets out there with some very famous singers. At least that was my thinking going into this review.


But what we are given here is a sparkling little gem. Recorded for radio broadcast in Cologne, Germany in 2010, it never puts a foot wrong. The singing, with choral and orchestral accompaniment is nearly ideal. Of course, it is cut to fit a time slot, probably 90 minutes, and there is virtually no dialogue, hence no jailer Frosch. Other internal cuts are also taken, repeats and second verses, but none particularly missed. The waltz music that usually replaces Strauss’s ballet in the party act is here cut to under two minutes. But the music we do hear is all performed quite excellently, as strong an overall performance as I have heard, particularly for an operetta where you often encounter some lesser talents. I listened to the current Met version last month; this Capriccio disc is better. All of the ladies sing very well, as do the men. You can see who they all are in the headnote above. Except for Rainer Trost, none is particularly well known. Tenor Trost sings the role of Alfred just as well as Nicolai Gedda did, high praise indeed, although some of his act III antics are cut. Perhaps the Prince Orlofsky of Natascha Petrinsky is not quite what one hears from a Brigitte Fassbaender, but that is my only quibble, musically.


I do not propose to waste your time comparing this disc to 25 others, but if you want it on audio my advice is to get it in German and get one with dialogue. English librettos are quite easy to obtain for this operetta to allow you to follow along. Most of the English sung versions are not really serviceable, missing the Gemütlichkeit of the German original. Of course, my general observation about operettas applies here as well: It’s better to watch ‘em. Of the 10 versions of Fledermaus on video there are several good ones, some with so many guest appearances in the party scene you forget what’s going on. This Capriccio disc is probably not a game changer in the overall pantheon; it is cut and has no dialogue. But, as I said, it is a little jewel, 90 minutes of unadulterated pleasure, and I am certainly keeping my copy. Recommended.


FANFARE: Bill White

After the first album with French cello music and the very successful recording of the Haydn Cello Concertos, Harriet Krijgh continues with the pearls of German-romantic cello literature: the recording of Brahms’ cello sonatas.

The old Chinese drama of courtroom and customs was usable only as raw material. In its original version it is a fairly dull, wooden affair, handled extremely clumsily from the dramatic point of view. It is in effect inventing a Chinese fairy-tale. No strict Chinoiserie: it had to be as if in a dream of China. -- Klabund (1925)

Two years after the death of Klabund, Zemlinsky decided to use his Chalk circle as the basis for an opera. He recast the five-act "play after the Chinese" first into a two-act, later into a three-act version, and composed his Chalk circle in 1931/32. This blend of a fairy-tale Utopia, social criticism and inwardness makes itself felt in Zemlinsky's music, which seeks to combine varied stylistic components: Chinese coloration appears in the orchestral scoring, which is enriched with gongs and other exotic-sounding instruments: the melody often avoids semitonal steps and so takes on a pentatonic character. It was the seventh and also his last completed opera, from which the then 61-year-old Zemlinsky hoped for the definitive breakthrough as an operatic dramatist.

ORGAN CONCERTOS • 1 Erzsébet Achim (org); 2 Istvan Ella (org); 1,2 Corelli CO; 3,6 Christine Schornsheim (org); 3 Max Pommer, cond; 3 Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum; 4 Roland Münch (org); 4,9 Hartmut Haenchen, cond; 4 Kalus Kirbach (hpd); 4 Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach CO; 5 Gábor Lehotka (org); 5 Budapest Strings; 6 Mary Utiger, cond; 6 Neue Düsseldorf Hofmusik (period instruments); 7 Fran Lehrndorfer (org); 7 Wilfried Boettcher, cond; 7 Cappella Coloniensis; 8 Martin Haselböck (org); 8 Martin Haselböck, cond; 8 Thomas Fheodoroff (vn); 8 Regine Schröder (vn); 8 Vienna Academy; 9,10 Andreas Juffinger (org); 9 Berlin RSO; 10 Ernö Sebestyen (vn) • CAPRICCIO 7172 (5 CDs: 336:27)


HANDEL Organ Concertos: 1 No. 6 in B?, HWV 294; 1 No. 3 in g, HWV 291; 1 No. 4 in F, HWV 292; 1 No. 2 in B?, HWV 290; 1 No. 5 in F, BWV 293; 2 No. 13 in F, HWV 295, “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale.” 3 BACH Organ Concerto in d (reconstruction after BWV 146/1, BWV 146/2, and BWV 188/1). C. P. E. BACH Organ Concertos: 4 in G, Wq 34; 4 in E?, Wq 35. HAYDN Organ Concertos: 5 in C, Hob XVIII:1; 5 in C, Hob XVIII:5; 5 in C, Hob XVIII:8; 5 in C, Hob XIVI:11; 5 in C, Hob XIV:12; 6 in C, Hob XVIII:10. M. HAYDN 7 Concerto in C for Organ and Viola. MOZART Church Sonatas for Two Violins, Organ, and Bass: 8 in C, K 336(d); 8 in F, K 224 (241a); 8 in E?, K 67 (41h); 8 in C, K 328 (317c). RHEINBERGER Organ Concertos: 9 in F, op. 137; 9 in g, op. 177. 10 Suite for Violin and Organ, op. 166


Much as I enjoyed listening to this collection, and could be easily encouraged to go on at length about it, as you’ve probably guessed, these discs are not new, and most have been reviewed in previous issues. Therefore, in accordance with our editorial directive to treat reissues briefly, I shall try to be brief.


For this collection Capriccio has culled recordings made between 1975 and 2008, and which were originally released individually, though in some cases programmed differently than they are here.


Disc one is an all-Handel program, featuring six of the composer’s organ concertos, all but one of them—the first five listed—from the op. 4 set. The last concerto listed, No. 13 in F, is probably the most famous of the composer’s organ concertos, “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale,” but it’s one of two stand-alone concertos not included in either of the published sets. Organist Erzsébet Achim does the honors for the first five concertos, while “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale” is played by Istvan Ella. The Corelli Chamber Orchestra plays in all six.


Satisfying as these performances are, I can’t help but wonder what the incentive is to acquire a single disc of six of these concertos when there are some 16 of them which have been recorded a number times complete in sets to suit the tastes of both modern and period instrument buffs, ranging from E. Power Biggs with Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic, to Simon Preston with Yehudi Menuhin and the Menuhin Festival Orchestra, to Simon Preston again with Trevor Pinnock, this time with the English Concert.


The Organ Concerto in D Minor by Bach which opens disc two has a bit of a complicated history, but without going into detail, you’re sure to recognize it as the Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052. Suffice it to say that the music had more than one prior life, probably as a concerto for violin and definitely as movements in Bach’s Cantatas, Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146 and Ich habe meine Zuversicht , BWV 188.


C. P. E. Bach is known to have composed a number of organ sonatas for Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia and her “house” organ built by Johann Peter Migend. So, by logical extension, it’s thought, though not proven, that she was also the recipient of Bach’s organ concertos. By all accounts, Anna was a dedicated music lover, patron of the arts, and a reasonably well-accomplished keyboard player; but either she was of short stature or her technical abilities may have been hampered by a pair of ill-coordinated feet, for these works are scored as if for an instrument with only two manuals and no pedals. The upshot is that these concertos are just as well suited to be played on a two-manual harpsichord as they are on organ or, as they are on BIS, by Miklós Spányi, on a tangent piano. On the current recording, Roland Münch plays the Migend organ at the Zur Frohen Botschaft Church in Berlin, the one and the same instrument Anna commissioned from Migend in 1753. After a number of moves following her death, the organ found its current, and presumed final, resting place in Berlin’s Karlshorst borough in 1960, which is where these concertos were recorded in 1985.


The situation with Haydn’s organ concertos is similar to that of C. P. E. Bach’s concertos. Some may indeed have been intended specifically for organ, such as the C-Major Concerto, Hob XVIII:1, which the manuscript designates as “Concerto per l’organo,” but others are written in a way that makes them equally suitable for performance on harpsichord or fortepiano. Michael Carter reviewed a two-disc Capriccio set containing a mix of Haydn’s keyboard concertos for organ, harpsichord, and fortepiano in 33:4. In only one instance, however, is there any duplication between that set and this one. In the set reviewed by Carter, eight of Haydn’s keyboard concertos are all played by Christine Schornsheim and the Neue Düsseldorf Hofmusik, conducted by Mary Utiger. Of those eight numbers, it’s only the C-Major Concerto, Hob XVIII:10, that’s duplicated in the current set. James North reviewed a release in 13:6, which, unquestionably, is the exact same CD in its entirety as disc three in the current set containing the five Haydn concertos performed by Gábor Lehotka and the Budapest Strings. The only difference is that that release, according to North’s review header, was distributed by Qualiton on the Hungaroton label, not on Capriccio.


But for a couple of exceptions—the Cello Concerto in D Major, Hob VIIb:2, and the Trumpet Concerto in E? Major, Hob VIIe:1—we tend not to think of Haydn as a composer who excelled in the concerto genre in the way that Mozart did. We’re more apt to accord Haydn primacy in the realms of symphony and string quartet. Yet Haydn composed more concertos than Mozart did, and in some cases for rather unusual instruments, such as the lira organizzata, a crank-operated, hurdy-gurdy-like contraption that looked less like a musical instrument than it did a combination bread-slicer and sausage-maker. Today it can be found in the graveyard of extinct musical instruments alongside the arpeggione of one-time Schubert fame and the lituus, an eight-foot long trumpet-like instrument Bach scored for in his 1736 Cantata, O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht , BWV 118.


Haydn’s concertos are as enjoyable as can be, filled with the ebullience, joi de vivre , and irrepressible melodic and harmonic invention that characterize so much of the composer’s music. Long a staple in my collection has been the two-disc Philips set with Ton Koopman at the organ and conducting the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Those performances, of course, are on period instruments; the current performances of the five concertos on disc three with the Lehotka and Budapest Strings are not, but the spillover sixth concerto on disc four with Schornsheim and the Neue Düsseldorf Hofmusik is.


First up on disc four is the Concerto in C Major for Organ and Viola by Michael Haydn. This one was reviewed by Michael Carter in 33:3, but on a Phoenix Edition release that coupled the Concerto with three of Michael Haydn’s symphonies. Carter called the performances “barely acceptable and unmemorable.” The piece hasn’t a great deal to recommend it either, but I did pull off my shelf a dust-covered Decca album devoted to works by Michael Haydn, and on it is this Concerto in a somewhat livelier and more stylish performance by organist Simon Preston and violist Stephen Shingles with the always reliable Neville Marriner and Academy of St Martin in the Fields.


The rest of disc four is filled out with four of Mozart’s Church (Epistle) Sonatas, intended to be played as interludes between the Epistle and Gospel sections of the Mass. Eight of them—Nos. 1–6, 11, and 16—are duos for two violins with bass continuo. Six more—Nos. 7–10, 13, and 15—add organ obbligato to the ensemble, essentially making them trio sonatas. That leaves three—Nos. 12, 14, and 17—to which Mozart added woodwinds, brass, and timpani in various combinations. Organist Martin Haselböck and the Vienna Academy join with violinists Thomas Fheodoroff and Regine Schröder for a full orchestral treatment of the Sonatas 1, 7, 13, and 15, all four of which are among the very ones that call for smaller ensembles, but I can’t be too hard on Haselböck, who also conducts these performances, because most recordings of these pieces take a similar approach.


Finally, we arrive at disc five, and it comes as quite a shock to go from Handel, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart to the grand Romantic-styled organ works of Joseph Rheinberger (1839–1901). Alas, this disc, too, shows up in the Fanfare Archive, reviewed by David Johnson in 16:2. I have to admit that impressive though these concertos are as big, colorful, Romantic romps, the piece that concludes this CD, the Suite for Violin and Organ, op. 166, which I’d never heard before, absolutely took my breath away. If you’re familiar with Saint-Saëns’s D-Minor Violin Sonata, you’ll know the passage I’m referring to in the last movement where the violin suddenly takes off like The Flight of the Bumblebee and goes on for a whole lot of measures before it finally yields to the piano. Well, the last movement of Rheinberger’s Suite, marked Moto perpetuo is like that, except it goes on and on and on. How Ernö Sebestyen’s bowing arm doesn’t fall off is a miracle. It’s truly amazing how anyone can keep up such relentless rapid bow motion for such an extended length of time.


Any fan of concerted works for organ and orchestra can enjoy these reissued releases, assuming the medley approach to programming is agreeable. Performances, for the most part, are quite good, and even the earlier recorded discs display fine sound.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

The first performance of 'The Trumpeter of Sackingen' on May 4, 1884 at the Stadttheater in Leipzig was an unprecedented success. For the hundredth Leipzig performance there was a procession with flaming torches in honor of the composer. 'The Trumpeter' then began it's triumphant conquest of the entire German theatre scene; within a few years the opera had been performed several thousand times and, by the turn of the century, had established it's place in the repertoire of all the major opera houses. That great critical authority Eduard Hanslick showed most restraint, making an attempt to analyze the 'popular force, the winning something' in Nessler's 'musical mediocrity', and concluding: 'The most remarkable thing in this unprecedentedly successful opera is precisely it's success.' in 1884 - the year following Wagner's death, the year which saw the premieres of Massenet's 'Manon' and Puccini's first work, 'Le Villi', the year in which Bruckner's seventh symphony and Mahler's 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' were composed, - the tastes of the Biedermeier period and quaint romanticism had made their second conquest of the German opera world.

MARSCHNER Der Vampyr • Helmuth Froschauer, cond; Jonas Kaufmann ( Edgar Aubry ); Franz Hawlata ( Lord Ruthven ); Regina Klepper ( Malwina Davenaut ); Anke Hoffmann ( Janthe Berkley/Emmy Perth ); Thomas Dewald ( George Dibdin ); Yoo-Chang Nah ( Sir Berkley ); Cologne West German RSO & Ch • CAPRICCIO 5184 (2 CDs: 128: 36)


At one time, back in the late 1960s when the now classic Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows was still in its first run, live performances of both this opera and Marschner’s Hans Heiling appeared on pirate LPs. The performances weren’t particularly good, in fact far from first-rate, but even so it was evident that, for all its horror-show connotations, Der Vampyr had the more appealing music. I found this still to be true in this much more professional recording. Made in 1999 and originally issued by Capriccio in 2001, this incarnation has no libretto but is still a fun little piece of musical fluff. Although it is quite obviously influenced by Weber’s Der Freischütz, Der Vampyr is sort of the Warsaw Concerto of Romantic German opera. I would not go so far as to say that it is sugar-coated treacle, but by golly it comes close.


The plot revolves around the vampire Lord Ruthven, who is a real meanie, promising to seduce and deliver three virgins to hell within 24 hours. Edgar Aubry, the good guy, is sworn to secrecy not to reveal Ruthven’s identity as a vampire for those 24 hours, but does so to save the life of Malvina. As I say, though, the score is not really first rate. It’s almost written as if Marschner was indeed appealing to adolescent minds. Often one hears not only echoes of Freischütz but also snippets of Pizarro’s music from Fidelio, yet all of the imitations lack the dramatic punch of the originals.


The recording’s obvious selling point is this reissue is the presence of tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Edgar Aubry. A virtual unknown in 1999, he is a major star now. It’s interesting to hear his unusual “baritenor” voice at this stage; it has the unusual darkness in the lower range one hears today, but lacks its current size and heft, particularly in the upper range. Nevertheless, his is clearly the one first-class voice on this set. Anke Hoggmann (Janthe/Emmy) has a pretty but somewhat tight and shrill upper range and a disturbing flutter in the voice, dangerously close to Pilar Lorengar proportions. Regina Klepper (Malwina) has a fuller and darker tone with a squeal in the high range, yet both are at least competent.


The plum role in this opera is that of Lord Ruthven, sung here by baritone Franz Hawlata. He has a pleasant voice if not much of it, but compensates for any lack of voice by dint of his great powers of vocal characterization. In short, it is he who really makes this opera work—along with conductor Froschauer, whose exemplary skills keep things moving and bind the music about as well as can be expected. Their combined musical “pointing” injects some life into the bouncy and often repetitive music.


If Vampyr is your cup of tea, this is a good recording of it to acquire.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

Anne Schwanewilms ranks among the greatest Strauss and Wagner interpreters today, but for her new album she deliberately chose songs by Schumann and Wolf. In Anne’s words, “The tranquility that can emerge with Schumann and Wolf is incredibly intense and fascinating for me.”

End of the opera. 12 November 1918 (on the day of the declaration of the German-Austrian Republic and the union with the German Reich!). This sentence was written by Schreker at the close of the manuscript full score. The call for the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire and for unification with Germany was a genuine republican position and supported by all political parties.