The second disc by Einav Yarden, she performs Beethoven and Stravinsky flawlessly. "She pairs up Beethoven with Stravinsky to striking effect, merging that unlikely couple with imagination and exceptionally vivd playing." Along with Beethoven and Stravinsky, this release has some rarely recorded Haydn sonatas as well.

When I visited the Benedictine Abbey of Kremsmunster in upper Austria some years ago to look at the lutes stored in the abbey archives, I could not guess that this visit would radically change my life as a lutenist. I learnt that the writer of tablatures I discovered was a member of the abbey named Pater Ferdinando (Fischer). It soon turned out that much of the music set down by this scribe was not to be found in the numberless lute manuscripts from this period scattered around the world. These were unique manuscripts. Moreover they contained quite extraordinary works of striking compositional quality: new lute music in the form of cyclical poems of a lute enthusiast - a padre - at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. In one of the quietest recording studios in all of Europe - the Galaxy studios in Mol, Belgium - we finally brought the long since faded lute-poems of Pater Ferdinando back to life. Through the wonderfully delicate sound of my lute, Bert's immeasurable sensitivity and the most advanced recording tchnology that I have ever had the privilege of using, the lutenist-pater began speaking to us once more. - Hubert Hoffmann

Extase, Michèle Gurdal's 2014 album of the etudes for piano by Alexander Scriabin, is a fascinating survey of these demanding pieces, which were composed between 1888 and 1912, showing Scriabin's development as a virtuoso pianist and composer. Profoundly influenced by Chopin, Scriabin's Etude No. 1 in C sharp minor, Op. 2, is the closest in style and expression, and the 12 Etudes of Op. 8 share much of the Romantic master's displays of technical brilliance blended with poetic melancholy. But by the time Scriabin wrote the 8 Etudes, Op. 42, he had cultivated a feeling for atmospheric and nearly impressionistic sonorities, similar to Debussy's, and in the Études of Op. 65, he had ventured beyond conventional piano writing into a mystical and increasingly atonal idiom, entirely identifiable as his own visionary music. Many crowd-pleasing pianists favor Scriabin's early, more approachable pieces, but Gurdal's thorough understanding of Scriabin's three stages gives her more authority and persuasiveness, and she is communicative and convincing in the whole oeuvre. This exciting debut on Challenge Classics promises great things to come, and if Gurdal records more Scriabin, particularly the sonatas and the preludes, there will be many appreciative listeners.

-- All Music Guide

Valentina Toth writes: “Although they were not musically trained, my parents taught me to love Bartok and Kodaly. I treasured their music from the time I was young, and only became acquainted with Dohnanyi’s work much later, when I came in contact with it by accident. It was romantic, virtuosic, and incredibly well written for the instrument. What more can you ask as a concert pianist? And although he may only seem rather less distinctly Hungarian than Bartok, many aspects of his country are reflected in his work. I remember when I was working on the Ruralia hungarica, my father recognized many of the melodies from the songs he had learned as a boy.” Dohnanyi wrote Ruralia hungarica in 1923 and gave it a real Hungarian touch by including a wide range of folk melodies in all movements. The Humoresken Op. 17 from 1907 date from when he taught in Berlin. They are basically romantic in nature and now and then reminiscent of Brahms’ piano music. As the name suggests, these are more or less light-hearted character pieces, in which he draws on musical forms from the eighteenth century.

Classical Music

This cello concerto is a miracle, both for the listener and for the soloist. The listener is swept along through unexplored terrain. The instrumentation stands out - even for a master like Robin. For a cello, Robin's concerto is innovative and challenging from a technical point of view. The premiere with Yannick and the orchestra was like a celebration - you can hear it. New work only reveals its secrets after a lot of listening, so it is fantastic that this recording is being made. In the summer of 2007, Robin de Raaff wrote Entangled Tales for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Entangled Tales is built up of several layers. It is a continual variation of small elements: rhythms, brief melodies, and ever-changing sounds in the rich palette of a large symphony orchestra. He does not hesitate to use an opulent instrumentation in impressionist and expressionist sphere. For the occasion of its 125th anniversary in 2015, the Het Gelders Orkest asked Robin de Raaff to write a special composition. The result is a symphony of three movements on the concepts of light and dark, referred to as illumination and eclipse. These words do not point to a state of being, but to motion. It is not just about states - light and dark - but also about motion: illumination and eclipse.

Classical Music

This is the second release focused on Olivier Darbellay, one of the foremost horn players of our time. The previous album was a refined selection of Lieder and Songs for tenor, horn and piano, where Darbellay was teamed with Christoph Pregardien and Michael Gees. This time the repertoire is centered on chamber music for horn from Brahms to the present day. In fact, the release is a milestone of horn music, featuring the Trio for horn, violin and piano, Op. 40 by Johannes Brahms, followed by a precious and rare gem, the Quatre Petits Pieces for horn, viola and piano, composed by Charles Koechlin in 1920. Two pieces for this rather unique combination of horn and violin by two living composers, Peter Wirth and Jean-Luc Darbellay, round up this unusual and intriguing collection of rare works.

CONCERTANTE • Egils Sefers (cl); Niels Larsen (bn); David Palmquist (hn); Claus Efland, cond; Sinfonietta Riga • CHALLENGE 2621 (69: 13)

BELLOLI Concert for Clarinet, Horn, and Orchestra. F. DANZI Concertino for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Orchestra, op. 47. I. LACHNER Concertino for Horn, Bassoon, and Orchestra, op. 43. JADIN Symphonie concertante for Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, and Orchestra

You know that favorite phrase of marketers, “Something for everyone.” Well, this disc is very nearly it. For the beginner, and for those whose musical taste remains staunchly conservative, every note on this program will fill the bill. For the experienced and the connoisseur ever in search of something new, I submit that not one reader in 500 knows all four of these composers. (OK, horn players will recognize Belloli. But note, that’s not Franz Lachner in the title; it’s his brother Ignaz.) Most every clarinetist, bassoonist, and horn player will want this disc as a welcome extension of their solo repertory. Lastly, if you are impressed with the whole cult of virtuosity, there is plenty here to engage your interest, and then some. (Wait until you hear the end of the Jadin work!)


The only demographic likely to ignore this disc is the die-hard avant-gardist—and understandably so. Phrases are all four-square, the harmony is totally predictable, the mood is one of infallibly good cheer (there is but a single movement in a minor key; even that lasts barely more than a minute, and is more melancholic than morose). This is music as conservative as can be, all from the late 18th and early 19th centuries by composers who had no interest in pushing the ceiling. No, their aim was solely to please their contemporary listeners and to amaze audiences with displays of virtuosity. This is not to say these works are inferior. Each is full of attractive melodies and appealing instrumental combinations, and none outstays its welcome (the longest is 18 minutes).


This would appear to be a joint Danish-Latvian project. The orchestra and solo clarinetist are Latvian, the conductor and remaining soloists Danish. All three soloists are superb musicians and technical wizards. The horn player in particular knocks off prodigiously difficult passages with the ease of a clarinetist or violinist. The “wow” factor is nearly off the charts. In more than half a century of listening to great horn players, I have never heard anything to top this. Not even Dennis Brain or Barry Tuckwell ever played like David Palmquist.


No two works calls for the same combination of soloists, yet each soloist gets to play in three of the four works. All have gorgeous tones, and play with aplomb, taste, and obvious love for the music. There is not a trace of strain in their playing. A good contender for this year’s Want List.

FANFARE: Robert Markow

CASTELLO & CO: VENETIAN SONATAS FOR WINDS AND STRINGS FROM THE 17th CENTURY • Caecilia-Concert; Bjarte Eike (vn); AIra Maria Lehtipuu (vn); Jamie Savan (cornett) • CHALLENGE CC72547 (71:21)


Music by FRESCOBALDI, CASTELLO, BERTOLI, MARINI, SCARANI, PICCHI


Recordings of 17th-century Italian chamber music tend to concentrate upon the violin, or the harpsichord. and with good reason, particularly in the case of the former, since it derives its initial popularity from the first school of virtuosic violin performance and composition. But wind consorts didn’t die away during the 16th century, and both the trombone and dulcian remained popular for some time. This album turns to the usual suspects—Dario Castello, Biagio Marini, and the like—not for proto-sonatas that emphasize the solo violin in a mix of recitative and dance-like passages, but works that either share the stage with winds, or feature wind instruments exclusively. Some of the music, such as Castello’s Sonata Dodecima from his second published collection, will be familiar from other arrangements, but most of these pieces were written for multiple instruments, in any case.


Caecilia-Concert was formed in 2001. It consists of three members: keyboardist Kathryn Cok, trombonist Adam Woolf, and dulcian player Wouter Verschuren. Here, they are joined by a pair of violinists and a cornettist, expanding the variety of textural possibilities: from dulcian and harpsichord in Bertoli’s Sonata for Dulcian, to two violins, trombone, dulcian, and continuo in Castello’s Sonata Decimaterza from his second book. The playing is generally very smooth, with considerable transparency between the parts, and a good variety of contrasting tempos, often in quick transition. A few of the recitative sections felt rushed, and I would have preferred greater flexibility in the phrasing of these as well. While there were numerous instances of rhythms being briefly spread and compressed, some passages seemed bar-bound. All the artists involved display excellent technique, except, surprisingly, Woolf, who sounds slightly off form. There are a number of instances in his playing at faster tempos of smudged passagework, uneven production, and occasional faulty intonation. These aren’t common at a slower pace, and the general level of his work remains good, with an attractive tone, but the problems are noticeable enough, and add up. The engineering is good, resonant and deep without being cavernous. Recommended, with reservations noted.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal

Dieterich Buxtehude played a major role in shaping the various types of vocal music in his time. His experience as organist, composer, and director—as well as his extensive knowledge of the contemporary repertoire, including Italian music—made him the most original and significant contributor to the early cantata in northern Germany. On this beautiful CD, Ton Koopman and his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir expose the “unknown Buxtehude.”

BUXTEHUDE An filius non est Dei, BuxWV 6. All solch, BuxWV 3. Schwinget euch, BuxWV 96. Laudate, pueri, BuxWV 69. Mit Fried und Freud, BuxWV 76. O wie selig, BuxWV 90. Du Frieden-Fürst, BuxWV 21. Fürwahr, er trug, BuxWV 31. Herzlich tut mich, BuxWV 42. Nimm von uns, BuxWV 78. Quemadmodum desiderat, BuxWV 92. Ich halte, BuxWV 48. Ich sprache, BuxWV 49. Jesu, meiner Freuden Meister, BuxWV 61. Wär Gott, BuxWV 102. Dein edles Herz, BuxWV 14. Wenn ich, BuxWV 107. Domine salvum fac, BuxWV 18 • Ton Koopman,cond; Amaryllis Dieltiens, Gerlinde Sämann, Dorothee Wohlgemuth (sop); Maarten Engeltjes (alt); Tilman Lichdi (ten); Klaus Mertens (bs); Amsterdam Baroque O • CHALLENGE 72256 (2 CDs: 146:44 Text and Translation)


BUXTEHUDE Wachet auf, BuxWV 101. O clemens, BuxWV 82. Gen Himmel, BuxWV 32. Surrexit Christus, BuxWV 99. Mein Herz, BuxWV 73. Singet dem Herrn, BuxWV 98. Canon, BuxWV 121. Gigue, BuxWV 121. Meine Seele, BuxWV 74. Herr, ich lasse, BuxWV 36. Wachet auf, BuxWV 100. O Gottes Stadt, BuxWV 87. Wie soll ich dich, BuxWV 109. Sicut Moses, BuxWV 97. Salve desiderium, BuxWV 93. Gott, hilf mir, BuxWV 34 • Ton Koopman, cond; Miriam Feuersinger, Bettina Pahn, Dorothee Wohlgemuth (sop); Maarten Engeltjes (alt); Tilman Lichdi (ten); Klaus Mertens (bs); Amsterdam Baroque O & Ch • CHALLENGE 72257 (2 CDs: 135:01 Text and Translation)

These four discs are the last in Ton Koopman’s complete set of Dieterich Buxtehude’s vocal works. (He has also finished recording the keyboard and chamber works.) The first two issues consisted of two CDs devoted to Das jüngste Gericht , BuxWV Anh. 3 ( Fanfare 30:6) and two CDs of some of the vocal works that Georg Karstädt numbered BuxWV 1 to 120 (31:5) in 1974. These works comprise a variety of forms; Karstädt called the first 112 works “cantatas,” a term the composer did not use. I tried to sort this out as thoroughly as possible in my review in 31:5, but unfortunately the next three issues (volumes 3 to 5, a total of five CDs) did not come my way. But then came Membra Jesu Nostri (36:3), and now, at last, we can hear volumes 7 and 8, a total of four more CDs, two in each issue.


Included are 10 first recordings, along with one work recorded only on shellac by Mogens Wöldike, three more recorded only once each on LP, and one recorded only once on CD. These rarities are mingled with 28 more familiar works. We should single out the canon and gigue that bears the number 121. These fragments of a cantata were only recently discovered, but Karstädt included them under this number (he also has number 122 that was previously recorded by both Koopman and by Magnus Kjellson on Intim). Another interesting recorded premiere is Wachet auf , BuxWV 100, a setting that uses the melody and all three verses of Philipp Nicolai’s hymn. It is in volume 8, as well as a modern strophic aria setting of the same text, BuxWV 101, already recorded three times even though doubt has been cast on its authenticity.


A more familiar work is Mit Fried und Freud , a contrapuntal setting of Luther’s hymn in four verses, followed by Buxtehude’s own lament for his father in seven verses. Early recordings offered only one part or the other; more recently the two sections have been recorded together, but the lament has never been sung complete, at most four verses (here only verses 1, 3, and 7); I can find the other four verses only by picking out three different discs. As recorded here in the original high pitch (exactly half a tone higher than Emma Kirkby), Koopman asks rhetorically, “Could there be anything more beautiful?”


One of the favorite solo cantatas, and one of the first two Buxtehude cantatas ever recorded, is Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied , sung by soprano Bettina Pahn. Her competition is formidable, including Helen Boatwright, Honor Sheppard, and Emma Kirkby, but this is suitably stylish with vocal flourishes and a strong voice. The most recent version, exceptionally, came from a tenor, Hans Jörg Mammel (35:1).


One of the larger works is Fürwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit for five soloists, a sacred concerto based on Passion prophecies of Isaiah. The text is only eight lines long, but it is treated expansively. The setting is especially grateful for the singers, who are supported by strings in five parts.


The concluding work of the whole series is the longest one on these four discs, Gott, hilf mir , recorded only a few times, most recently by Konrad Junghänel (21:3) and Roland Wilson (31:3). The text is compiled from Isaiah, two psalms, and other sources, preceded by a long instrumental sinfonia. The setting calls for three soloists, and Koopman uses a chorus for the chorale sections, as Wilson also does. Comparisons with competing versions would be instructive, but the comprehensive survey of the entire series of vocal works on 14 discs has a unique validity. Not only do they form a compact collection, but they provide numerous recording premieres. Lacking sufficient reference sources, I cannot account for any recordings of over a dozen titles, but that will require further study. It is hard to imagine a competing set of this magnitude coming along very soon (a remark that has proved rash in other repertoire, to be sure), so accept this as a signal accomplishment, even if you want to use some other versions for comparison.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber

An outstanding volume in Koopman's complete Buxtehude cycle from Challenge will delight, stimulate and please in every respect.

Ton Koopman's survey of the entire works of Buxtehude seems to be getting more enjoyable and exciting with each release. Here we are at what must be (just under) about two-thirds of the way through - volume 14, the fifth in the series of the composer's vocal works. The five high soloists and a tenor and bass are lively, confident, sensitive - the dialogue in Bedenke Mensch das Ende [tr.5] is a good example of real, studied drama - and technically brilliant (listen to the ensemble singing and pacing towards the end of Jesu, komm, mein Trost und Lachen [tr.7], for instance). They infuse their performances with joy, depth, clarity, devotion and the other emotions required by the glorious - yet almost unknown - writing of Buxtehude … essentially Germanic but with the inevitable influence of Italy in general and Monteverdi in particular also much in evidence.

Some of the works on this CD were recorded as long ago as 2007 and 2008; the booklet is unusually unforthcoming about which and where. This suggests that Koopman may be 'collecting' from Buxtehude's œuvre at this stage in the project. But there is nothing about the collection on this generous and amply-recorded CD to make us think we're experiencing the 'also-rans' or dregs. This is music of great exactness: penetrating, striking and original. Buxtehude's gift for melody, structure and the creation of complex, subtle yet highly meaningful textures is in evidence from first note to last.

Only three or four of the works presented here are otherwise available - in compilations and on DVD, for example. So there is every reason to acquire this CD without hesitation - even were its performances not of the extremely high calibre that they are. Each of the soloists has something definite, communicative and enriching to offer. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra is also on typically excellent form.

The new impetus given to music after the devastation of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) by the evolving Geistliches Konzert (sacred concerto) is also responsible for much of the measured yet unmistakable vivacity of Buxtehude's choral writing here … usually a short instrumental introduction, an impactful, self-contained and focused Biblical phrase or section of text is explored by one or more soloists - with instrumental 'support' rather than intricate comment in its own right. A true point of departure for and from the church cantata. The musicians involved in this excellent CD from Challenge thoroughly understand the idiom of the Geistliches Konzert.

This CD has other forms which are as striking by their then innovative nature at Buxtehude's time as by their 'stability' and overseeing command of the blend of musical form and idea with text are to us now. These include the strophic arias and ciacconne; and the concerto-aria cantatas ( Je hoher du bist [tr.1] and Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe [tr.2]). One senses Buxtehude's delight at the freedom of expression which these forms afford him. And the performers' responsiveness and involvement … Buxtehude was laying all sorts of ground for others - not least Bach. But he was also writing devotional music for local 'consumption' and probably specific occasions in Lübeck. So the singers need to steer a fairly narrow course between emphasising the historical moment in which the music was written; and its more general meaning. They do. At the same time, their singing and playing have a modern touch … it's immediate, 'edgy' almost, the singers' articulation of the all-important texts are crystalline, liquid, limpid - without ever being florid.

The acoustic is clean, though perhaps a touch too dry for the not ostentatious but peacefully declamatory nature of some of the music. The booklet with notes by Christoph Wolff is highly informative and has the texts in German (and Latin for Jesu, dulcis memoria) and English. If you're already collecting this cycle, don't hesitate for a second. If you want to sample historically significant and beautiful music from the under-performed Buxtehude, this is a great place to start.

-- Mark Sealey, MusicWeb International

A performance that has a zest of life, freshness and vigour.

This recording presents the eight unpublished chamber works of Dieterich Buxtehude. As the excellently clear booklet notes by Christoph Wolff explain, these pieces show a less uniform scoring than those which were published in Hamburg in the late seventeenth-century, which, Wolff speculates, may be a reason for their relative neglect: the varied instrumentation by which they are characterised made them less suitable for printing as a set.

The commercial stringencies of the 1690s notwithstanding, these are marvellously adventurous works in which all parts are given equal prominence within the texture. The effect is of truly three-dimensional Sonatas which, in this respect, foreshadow the String Quartets of Haydn and, more especially, of Mozart. They are here afforded performances of much understanding by these fine musicians, whose careful consideration of the works’ compositional structures produces realisations which are full of energy and vitality, shot through with light; but also of great strength and authority.

The sophistication and artistry of the performers is immediately evident from the first piece on the disc: the Sonata in C for two violins, viola da gamba and basso continuo (BuxWV 266). The sounds of the bowed string instruments are well enough differentiated to enhance the counterpoint, but similar enough to ensure an integrated sound. The bow is used primarily as an expressive medium; and subtly shaped phrases and finely graded repeated notes serve top enhance the structure of the melodic lines. Nuanced playing is also characteristic of the Sonata in A minor for violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo (BuxWV 272) that follows, the violin and viola da gamba complementing each other admirably; this Sonata is also notable for its incisive rhythmic control and employment of virtuosic bowing techniques, which are effortlessly applied.

The continuo is brought more to the fore in the following two Sonatas: and the fuller harmonic background appears to stimulate an even more heightened response in terms of the shaping of melodic lines. The Sonata in B-flat (BuxWV 273) features some especially fine lute playing in the first movement, which lends an air of Mediterranean exuberance to the work. Indeed, the use of the lute is particularly successful in all the works presented on this disc, as it provides a piquant contrast to the chamber organ and, even in those works in which the harpsichord is used as the keyboard continuo instrument, the sound is sufficiently different to allow for interesting and, at times, dramatic changes of colour; which are, however, never employed gratuitously, but always with regard to the formal structure of the music. The continuo instruments are also recorded with enough clarity and afforded enough prominence to enable both horizontal and vertical components of the part to be clearly heard.

The booklet is clearly presented with, as has previously been mentioned, extremely informative and well-written notes. Each work on the disc is presented on one track – the individual movements are not separated by track breaks – which means that each Sonata is given as a single entity, and is clearly intended to be listened to as such. The only – very minor – quibble is that the single violinist in the works for violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo (Tracks 2, 4 and 5) is not identified.

This is an extremely intelligent, convincingly performed and well-packaged disc, which stimulates the listener to investigate further the chamber music of this relatively little-known, somewhat overshadowed composer. It presents all that musical performance at its best should involve: a cerebral, authoritative approach; a demonstrative realisation; and a performance that has a zest of life, freshness and vigour.

-- Em Marshall-Luck, MusicWeb International