Capriccio
344 products
J. C. Bach: Sinfonie Concertanti / Budapest Strings
Sinfonie concertanti and several concertos by J.C. Bach are exceptionally well played by the Budapest Strings with fine soloists... The work where J.C. Bach’s influence on young Mozart can be strongly felt is on Side 4, for piano, oboe, violin, cello and orchestra. Not only is it the longest (25 minutes) but its piano writing seems to have served Mozart as a model. -- Paul Turok, Turok’s Choice [Summer 2009]
Christmas Meditation
Adam:
O Holy Night
Albinoni:
Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor
Bach:
Air on the G string
Bruch:
Jubilate, Amen Op. 3
Bruckner:
Ave Maria
Corelli:
Concerto grosso Op. 6 No. 8 in G minor 'fatto per la notte di Natale'
Gabrieli, G:
Sacrae Symphoniae No. 2
Gounod:
Ave Maria
Grüber, F:
Stille Nacht
Handel:
Messiah: Pastoral Symphony 'Pifa'
Manfredini:
Concerto grosso in C major, Op. 3 No. 12 'per il Santissimo Natale'
Molter:
Concerto pastorale in G major
Mozart:
Laudate Dominum from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K339
Praetorius, M:
Kindelein zart von guter Art
Reger:
Mariä Wiegenlied, Op. 76 No. 52
Traditional:
Süsser die Glocken
O Jesulein Zart
Vivaldi:
The Four Seasons: Winter, RV297
C. P. E. Bach: Rondos & Fantasias / Christine Schornsheim
For this program, Christine Schornsheim has selected an absolutely magnificent tangent piano housed in Schloß Bad Korzingen, one which, along with her scintillating playing, really brings this music to life. Not only does it allow her to sweep up and down the keyboard in those glittering arpeggios with which Bach adorns his Fantasias (try Wq 58/6), but the instrument turns on a dime. It can sustain a tone, or cut it off with amazing abruptness, giving an extra punch to those sudden modulations and changes of timbre and texture that make this music so exciting.
The program is also an unusually interesting one–a selection of Rondos and Fantasias from Bach’s Kenner and Liebhaber series of late keyboard works. The Rondos are supposed to be CPE’s concession to the popular taste, but they are anything but “easy” in the sense that they are often just as virtuosic as anything else that he wrote, and they are not rondos in the classical sense at all. Formally, they are more like variation sets with brief interludes coming between each varied restatement of theme, which may not return in its entirety.
Another noteworthy aspect of this program is that Schornsheim only includes three pieces in minor keys out of a total of thirteen (Wq 59/4, 56/5, and 61/4). So many programs stress the Sturm und Drang aspects of Bach’s music, but this program proves that he could be just as inventive, and unpredictable, writing in a cheerier mood. There are some very substantial works here, packed with colorful contrasts, including the C Major Fantasia Wq 59/6. and the wonderful E Major Rondo Wq 57/1, and Schornsheim plays them all with unaffected mastery and an impish delight in their “what comes next” abruptness. The engineering of her splendid instrument is also drop-dead gorgeous. This is a great recital from start to finish, an aural and expressive delight.
-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
Bach: Goldberg Variations; Buxtehude: La capricciosa / Schornsheim
German harpsichordist and organist Christine Schornsheim has studied at the Spezialschule fur Musik Berlin, the Hoschshule fur Musik Berlin, and individually under Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman, Johann Sonnleitner, and Andreas Staier. Christine has been an active freelance harpsichordist since 1985. She has appeared at illustrious festivals all over the world, and performs on stages with conductors such as Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Peter Schreier, and more. The cornerstone of this work is the Bach Goldberg Variations. Christine writes: “…the Goldberg Variations rank among the most significant works of clavier literature. I listened to my first recording, produced 25 years ago, only to notice that over the course of the years I have remained true to myself in many respects. On the other hand a process of maturation has taken place, the outcome of which I now indeed wanted to document.”
Gregorian Christmas / Velten, Cantarte Regensburg
Gregorian Chants for Advent and Christmas sung by the CantArte Regensburg directed by Hubert Velten.
Prokofiev: Incidental Music / Jurowski et al.
The music for Egyptian Nights is not well known... Quite a bit of it is melodrama—words spoken (in Russian) over music. One such, the finale of Act I, is quite moving. It is followed by the entracte—close to five minutes of the best music.... You are unlikely to find a more beautiful recording of Eugene Onegin than this one. The German orchestra is better than any other that recorded it, and the Russian conductor understands the music. The sound is gorgeous. There are 76 minutes here, and as far as I can determine, that is every note of the music—for the first time... Boris Godounov is the oddest music here, but very attractive... Both this music and the Eugene Onegin were written for stage plays at the time but never used... I had never heard most of this music before, and I found it really beautiful. It’s a very unusual 29 minutes, and it has Prokofieff’s special genius and originality. As for Hamlet... I would put this ahead of any other account. Again, the orchestra is part of the reason; but Jurowski is excellent—as is the sound. There are ten numbers lasting about 28 minutes— no narrator. There are four songs for Ophelia (mezzo-soprano) and a delightful song for the gravediggers. It may be three discs, but what you get here is certainly worth it. -- American Record Guide
Weigl: Symphony No. 1 & Pictures and Tales / Bruns, Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic
Brahms: String Quintet; Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht / Végh, Mozarteum Camerata
This re-release is one of CAPRICCIO’s most famous recordings which has been remastered for optimal quality and offered at a special price. The first work chosen for this release is Johannes Brahms’ String Quintet in G Major. The piece, scored for two violins, two violas, and cello, was intended to be the composer’s last piece of music. The one movement string sextet Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) is considered Schoenberg’s earliest important work. The piece is inspired by Dehmel’s poem of the same name, and was written in just three weeks.
I hate music, but I like to sing
Venezianische Mehrchorigkeit (Venetian Polychoral Music) / Tarr, HR Brass
The program represents a fairly deep single-disc sampling of the instrumental music associated with St. Mark's cathedral in Venice around and after the year 1600, played on modern brass instruments rather than the motley crew of devices that a historically authentic performance would use. This so-called polychoral" music drew its structure from St. Mark's complex internal space, with groups of musicians situated in different parts of the building falling naturally into antiphonal structures... Unlike the many recordings that simply present Gabrieli's works in series, this one offers a large section of music by other composers associated with St. Mark's... [A] valuable introduction to the polychoral style." -- James Manheim, Allmusic.com [7/2009]
Mozart: Requiem & Ave Verum - Bruckner: Motets / Marschik, Vienna Folk Opera Symphony
Capriccio Encore is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio's back catalogue, fully re-mastered. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys' Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day. This specific Encore album features the Vienna Boys' Choir alongside the Symphonieorchester der Wiener Volksoper, performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in D minor and Ave verum corpus. Also on the album is Anton Bruckner's Motetten.
Sacred Choral Music / Vienna Boys' Choir
The Vienna Boys’ Choir is one of the oldest boys’ choirs in the world and still a living tradition after more than 500 years. Even Haydn sang there and Schubert also commenced his musical career there. Antonio Salieri was a member of the admissions jury. What is captivating about these recordings is, on the one hand, the clarity of the textual and musical declamation and, on the other, a very special authentic charm deriving from the slight Viennese accent. In the performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir, it is a question not just of perfect pronunciation and intonation, but also of a sensual musical element that is frequently overlooked in Mozart and Haydn, but that is absolutely vital.
Cherubini: Coronation Mass & Chant sur la mort de Haydn / Ferro, Cologne Radio Choir
Capriccio Encore is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio’s back catalogue, fully re-mastered and competitively priced. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys’ Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day. This Encore release's highlight is Luigi Cherubini's Coronation Mass Krönungsmesse, performed by Kölner Rundfunkchor and Capella Coloniensis.
Motets of the Bach Family
Telemann: St. Matthew Passion / Max, Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert
Georg Philipp Telemann wrote a series of Passions between 1716 and 1767. All of these works were written to be performed in German churches in the days leading up to Easter. He wrote over 40 passions for the churches of Hamburg, 22 of which have survived. One of the most popular is his 1746 St. Matthew’s Passion. Here, the work is performed by Hermann Max and the Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert. This release is part of the Capriccio Encore series, which is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio’s back catalogue, fully re-mastered and competitively priced. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys’ Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day.
Divertimenti for Violin & Cello / Neudauer, Rummel
Levina: Chamber Music / Lettberg, Revich, Riemke, Adrion, Tchemberdji
After the great success and Grammy nominated album of Piano Concertos by Russian composer Zara Levina, this recording focuses now on different types of chamber music compositions by the same composer. Again, the Riga-born pianist Maria Lettberg plays the leading part on this recording and shows the high creativity of the unjustified forgotten composer. Zara Alexandrovna Levina, born 1906 in Alexandrovsk (Ukraine), witnessed two world wars, the Revolution as well as the collapse and totalitarian reconstruction of her homeland. She was under the constant ideological pressure of the existentially threatening state censorship, which was particularly exerted by the notorious RAPM (Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians) in the 1920s and 1930s, driving her to the brink of a creative and health disaster. However, Zara Levina was able to retain her own and unmistakable voice in her music. She died in Moscow on 1976 as a respected and much-performed composer beloved of musicians such as David Oistrakh, Maria Grinberg, Victor Knuschewitzki and the public alike.
REVIEW:
Zara Levina’s Piano Concertos made something of an impression when Capriccio brought out its disc in which Maria Lettberg featured prominently, as she does in this latest disc devoted to Levina’s music. Here the focus turns to instrumental and chamber music.
There are two piano sonatas. The first dates from 1925 when she was 19 and is an exercise in ultra-compression; it’s the size of a Scarlatti sonata at rather less than six minutes in length. As is so evident in her concertos she was profoundly influenced by Rachmaninov, and the intensity of the chording reinforces the fact in this taut, descriptive work. Over a quarter of a century later she wrote her second sonata, cast in three conventionally-sized movements. There’s almost childlike innocence in its opening Allegretto, a pellucid sense of generosity too, though the central Andante sees the music deepen in expression that encourages a fiery and passionate Allegro finale. The work progresses from sweetness to purposeful drama by a process of clarification of expressive intensity. Maria Lettberg is the perfect exponent.
In 1928 she wrote a Poème for viola and piano, a sliver of a piece shorter even than the First Piano Sonata. Nevertheless, it manages to convey a rich and refined elegance and allows the viola a brief central panel to muse rhapsodically. The Violin Sonata, a work that predates the Second Piano Sonata by a year, is a piece that combines attractive themes with pellucid writing. The solemn nobility of the central slow movement also sports a beautiful lyric section that swings deliciously before returning to the melancholic tread of the opening paragraphs. The finale, meanwhile, has puckish Prokofiev-like leanings and proves another opportunity for enlivening variation of mood and tone from Levina.
The Three Piano Pieces of 1940—a Wiegenlied, Dance and Toccata—exude light spirits. The first is played with a rich sentiment that almost defeats the chilly acoustic, the second is fulsome and energetic, and the third is a darting, exciting affair with some unusual Iberian-flamenco evocations. The Fantasy on Bashkirian Themes is another six-minute piece, this time for violin and piano dating from 1942. The dancing airs are delicious; there are quirky folkloric elements at work, too, and plenty of virtuosic flourishes for the fiddle. Interesting too, that those Bashkirian themes sound to my ears very like Gershwin and Robert Russell Bennett. Despite the 1943 date the Canzonetta for cello is deft and relaxed. This leaves the Hebrew Rhapsody, a work that occupied her for 25 years, on and off. It was finally completed shortly before her death but written for two hands. Here we hear a four-hand arrangement made by Katia Tchemberdji who joins Lettberg for this 11-minute piece. The music moves, perhaps expectedly given its rhapsodic and ethnic nature, from exuberance to melancholia to fiery drive. It’s really only in this work that Jewish elements are uppermost in her music. There’s no real clue as to why a four-hand version was played instead of the original—perhaps the added density may have something to do with it.
It’s the arranger who has written the pertinent booklet notes. All the performers—I’ve only mentioned Lettberg by name as she appears so often—are excellent and the recordings are, as noted, just a little chilly but very clear. Levina’s music continues to impress. In addition to studio recordings I can’t help wondering what, if anything, has survived in radio archives.
– MusicWeb International (Jonathan Woolf)
Catalani: La Wally / Rumpf, Kugel, Ferreira, Valentin, Langbein
Given the era, what sounds like a fictitious story really happened. Anna Stainer-Knittel's (b. 1841) life was novelized and serialized with filtered in motifs from Tyrolean legend in a Milan paper by Wilhelmine von Hillern, where the Italian composer Alfredo Catalani became aware of it.
It's first staging at La Scala in Milan, 1892 met with great approval.
Alfredo Catalani
LA WALLY
Stromminger – Marc Kugel
Wally – Susanna von der Burg
Giuseppe Hagenbach – Paulo Ferreira
Vincenzo Gellner – Bernd Valentin
Walter – Susanne Langbein
Afra – Kristina Cosumano
Il Pedone – Johannes Wimmer
Tiroler Landestheater Chorus
(chorus master: Michel Roberge)
Innsbruck Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Rumpf, conductor
Johannes Reitmeier, stage director
Thomas Dörfler, set designer
Michael D. Zimmermann, costume designer
Johann Kleinhein, lighting designer
Recorded live from the Tiroler Landestheater, Innsbruck, 2012
Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: Stereo 2.0 / Surround 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: Italian, German, English
Running time: 119 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)
Karl Weigl: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand; Violin Concerto
Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, Wittgenstein failed to perform Weigl’s concerto. Thus it was that the concerto received its belated premiere in 2002 in Vienna by Florian Krumpöck, the soloist on the present recording. Despite his no doubt discouraging experience with Wittgenstein, Weigl returned to the concerto medium four years later with a violin concerto.
It can be hoped that recordings such as the present one will help to further draw attention to his large and varied output which may yet contribute to the repertoire it was designed to enrich. - Capriccio
Horn Quintets: Mozart, Hoffmeister, Hauff, Beethoven
Doderer: The Piano Trios
Johanna Doderer studied composition in Graz with Beat Furrer (composition), later in Vienna with Klaus Peter Sattler (film and media composition) and with Erich Urbanner (composition). Her current work ranges broadly from chamber music to orchestral work and six operas. “Doderer cares about content, not cheap effect. She is able to prove convincingly in her very densely written score that even today you can still create intense music by using sound models deriving from the late romantic period…combined in an ideal way with forms of ‘minimal music’...“ (Die Presse)
Schumann: Romanzen und Balladen / 4 Doppelchorige Gesäng
Cage: Sonata for 2 Voices; One4 / Wolff: Pulse
Kienzl: Der Evangelimann
