BACH:GROSSE GEISTLICHE CHORMUS

Handel: Messiah

DESYATNIKOV Return 1. Du côté de chez Swan 2. Variations on the Obtaining of a Dwelling 3. Wie der alte Leiermann 4. The Leaden Echo 5. Moscow Nights: Theme 6 • 1 Dmitri Bulgakov (ob); 1 Anton Dressler (cl); 1,4,5,6 Roman Mints, 1,6 Anna Panina (vn); 1 Maxim Rysanov, 5 Serj Poltavsky (va); 1 Kristine Blaumane, 3 Boris Andrianov, 5 Evgeny Rumyantsev, 5 Petr Kondrashin (vc); 2,3 Alexei Goribol, 2 Leonid Desyatnikov, 4 Jacob Katsnelson (pn); 5 William Purefoy (ct); 5 Pavel Stepin (db); 5 Fedor Lednev, cond; 6 Homecoming Strings • QUARTZ QTZ 2087 (63:23 Text and Translation)


Don’t take this as gospel, but I remember reading some years ago that of all the musicians who ever lived, half are alive now. That must hold true for composers, too, because, despite my having heard music by more than 10,000 of them, here is yet another who is new to me. Leonid Desyatnikov is quite prolific, having written a symphony, four operas, several cantatas, as well as numerous vocal and instrumental compositions. He has also been quite active in the film world, where he has won several awards.


Desyatnikov seeks the impossible ideal of uniting ages, traditions, and cultures into an integral worldview. To that end, one hears influences from many musical traditions, some as far afield as those of India and Japan. He describes his style as “the emancipation of consonance, the transformation of the banal, minimalism with a human face.” I concur with this assessment, especially if he means by “minimalism with a human face” that his repetition stops well short of the ad nauseam repetition that curses most Minimalists. Desyatnikov knows the musically effective limits of repetition, and rarely exceeds those limits. As a consequence, I enjoyed this CD far more than most others that have even a hint of Minimalism attending them. He enjoys contrasting simple melodic lines with more static and dissonant interludes. There is often an icy “northern” feeling to his music that reminds me of the music of certain Finnish composers, such as Rautavaara and Sallinen. At other times, there is a sense of nostalgia, akin to a longing to return home. Indeed, mood-setting seems to be paramount in importance to this composer (surely a sine qua non for anyone writing film music).


The CD opens with one of Desyatnikov’s more recent (2006) works, Return. It is based upon several ostinati, and meshed with the melancholy that pervades much Russian and Soviet music. In this work, there is an evolution of thematic material toward a final statement based on gagaku , the ancient ceremonial music of Japan. This is done through expounding a particular note sequence in the tempered scale (via the Western oboe, clarinet, and strings) that finds its resolution in the untempered gagaku source.


Du côté de chez Swan for two pianos is based on “The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals. It begins with an ostinato in the upper register of one of the pianos, below which a series of rhythmically complex figures is heard. All of this gradually transmogrifies into the well-known tune. Thereafter, fragments of the tune or its accompaniment are heard in various guises, along with new material. The whole effect might be described as what one might obtain if one were to somehow assemble two different jigsaw puzzles together in a random fashion and view the resulting picture. The composer admits to “traces of fascination” with Ligeti, and indeed, the structure of the work does seem to owe something to the Austro-Hungarian master. I hasten to say that the piece works much better than my description might imply.


Variations on the Obtaining of a Dwelling for cello and piano is based, according to the notes, on the music of Joseph Haydn, specifically his “Farewell” Symphony. However, I also hear influence of Bach in this piece, especially in its opening, which evokes memories of his cello suites. Part of my perception might derive from the utterly pure sound and intonation produced by cellist Boris Andrianov, who approaches the work’s opening in a “period” performance style. Indeed, I would be delighted to hear this cellist perform the Bach solo suites. The simple, unaffected opening of the work eventually yields to more impassioned lines in the cello, culminating in some impressive climaxes, where the soloist floats on a sea of arpeggios. Along the way, the composer imitates the Indian tabla through pizzicati in the cello. The title of the piece suggests its program, that the composer has a place whence to go out into the world, and a place to come back home.


Wie der alte Leiermann was commissioned by Gidon Kremer for the Schubert Today project. Desyatnikov defines the genre of the piece as “not variations, not a fantasia, not a paraphrase. This is a commentary.” The commentary comes on the closing Lied of Schubert’s Winterreise, “Der Leiermann,” which is itself a static and rather proto-minimalist piece in its masterly depiction of the chill of winter. The composer invites the auditors of this piece to guess his reference therein “to Kremer’s exclusive repertoire.” I have no idea to what in particular he is referring here, but I can tell you that there are strong overtones of the D-Minor Partita of Bach, even down to the opening triad of its famous Chaconne. However, I cannot imagine that anyone could claim the Bach sonatas and partitas as his “exclusive repertoire.” I certainly don’t believe that Kremer would, despite the fact that his recording of these works ranks among the best.


The Leaden Echo is a product of 1991. It is a setting for countertenor and instruments of the eponymous poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and is dedicated to the St. Petersburg art scholar Arkady Ippolitov. Employing simple melodic lines and static underpinnings, the work maintains a Pre-Raphaelite aestheticism with its cult of beauty. Soloist William Purefoy has a beautiful vocal instrument, although it has more of a mezzo-soprano quality than what I usually envision to be the countertenor sound.


Balancing the opening work on the CD, the closing main theme from the film Moscow Nights evokes a sense of nostalgia and melancholy throughout its brief duration.


All the performances on this disc are exemplary and present the music in splendid fashion. Leonid Desyatnikov has something remarkable to say in his music, and I hope that many will afford themselves the opportunity to hear him say it.


FANFARE: David DeBoor Canfield

This album is pure poetry - taking its spark from Christiane Karg's engagement with the poetical works of Charles Baudelaire, leconte de Lisle, Paul Verlaine, Tristan Klingsor and Victor Hugo. A poetry in diction that has a wonderful affinity with Impressionist music at teh turn from the 19th to the 20th century. Christiane Karg finally decided upon works by Duparc, Koechlin, Debussy and Ravel for her new album. Her selection also includes an early composition by Benjamin Britten, which in turn was inspired by Debussy and Ravel. Christiane Karg's voice wafts this poetic scent, these colors in sound, aloft. Poetry and music, words and voice blend into "Parfum"! This selection of French poems from the second half of the nineteenth century is influenced by the Impressionism and Symbolism of the era. Most of these pieces are snapshots, intended as simple yet realistic reproductions of the authors' experiences, each containing a host of symbols and linguistic imagery which suggests that their special, unique character goes far beyond reality: like the aroma of a costly perfume that evaporates and leaves behind it just a hint of elegance. These poems explore the intangible evanescence and so I though "Parfum" seemed the ideal title for this recording. Parfum gives a lovely sense of melancholy that evaporates as soon as one is aware of it, only blossoming in the poetry and music through memory and reflection, giving the listener's imagination free reign. The "l'art pour l'art" movement (that is, art for art's sake) in which spirit these poems were written entered the art of France, Germany and all other European countries over 100 years ago; the desire for artificial and pure beauty changing between soft pastel tones to dark rich colors, but always with a transparency that is inherent in the French style. Christiane Karg is one of the most sought-after lyric sopranos of the present day, acclaimed for her embodiment of operatic roles and as a lieder, concert and oratorio singer.

Following her debut album last year on Quartz, Ksenia Bashmet's beautiful new album features some of the best-loved works for piano by acclaimed British composer Michael Nyman. It includes pieces from several of his most famous films including Wonderland, The Piano, The Diary of Anne Frank and The End of the Affair. Classic FM 'CD of The Week'

This is the debut disc by the sensational Latvian cellist, Kristine Blaumane. After graduating from the Latvian Academy of Music where she studied with Eleonora Testeleca, Ms. Blaumane moved to England and studied with Stefan Popov at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Kristine Blaumane is regularly invited to play around the world as a soloist with many of the leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra with whom she is the principal cellist. As a solo recitalist and chamber musician, Ms. Blaumane has over the years performed with Isaac Stern, Gidon Kremer, Yo Yo Ma and Yuri Bashmet amongst others, and has performed at many festivals including Lockenhaus, Gstaad, Salzburg, Verbier, Basel, Jerusalem, Utrecht, Spitalfields, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh and Homecoming. She is a keen promoter of new music and has performed a number of world premières of works dedicated to her. Ms. Blaumane has twice become laureate of the Great Music Award in 2005 and 2007, the highest prize given by the Latvian State in the field of music.

Beethoven’s three most popular and most performed piano sonatas are featured on this new benchmark release, “Moonlight Sonata,” the “Appassionata,” and the “Pathetique.” Pianist Peter Rosel recorded the works on this album in the late 1970s. Here they are beautifully remastered for optimal sound quality and presented in collector’s edition packaging. “Without wanting to seem immodest, I can say that I was pretty satisfied with the result, and I still am today. The fact that the recording will now be made available on both CD and vinyl for today’s music lovers gives me immense pleasure.” (Peter Rosel)

This reissue of two concert performances--from London's Wigmore Hall in 1963 and Conway Hall in 1969--makes delightful and frequently very compelling listening, given the superlative musical selections (22 of the period's finest songs) and the facility and inherent compatibility of the two great artists who perform them.

Reviewers of tenor Peter Pears' performances so often feel compelled to mitigate praise for his artistry with some comment about, or apology for, the voice's quality--that it's one of those "love it or hate it" voices. Nonsense. I say it's a wonderful voice, its unmistakable timbre pleasingly distinctive, its somewhat bright edge accompanied by a warm, natural, unforced, open-throated resonance. And especially in English songs, Pears was a master storyteller, shaping the musical lines with a poet's sense of textual nuance and clever inflection, often delivered with a twinkle in the eye or, especially with Dowland, a tear or two. His lovely rendition of Dowland's "Come, heavy sleep" is about as close to perfect as we'll ever hear a song sung.

Of course, Pears' partner in this recital, Julian Bream, was a master of Dowland's solo music and is more than comfortable in his significant supporting role here. Pears and Bream performed many concerts together over a period of many years, beginning around 1963 when the earliest of these tracks were recorded, and you simply can't listen to such gems as Philip Rosseter's "What then is love?", Morley's "It was a lover and his lass" and "Absence", or Dowland's "Weep you no more, sad fountains" without being grateful for this rare and rewarding partnership. The sound tends to favor the treble on some tracks, but your ear adjusts to this quickly, readily and happily attending to the singing and playing, enjoying the promise of the disc's title.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 16, 17, "Hunt", 21, "Prussian N

Blechbläserensemble

CANTATAS BWV29,61,140

"[This performance] is a first-rate recommendation, with fine singing from all three principals, vivid playing and recording. Milnes is superb in the Prologue."

-- Penguin Guide [2003/4 Edition]

The original London production of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, with Harold Prince reprising his Broadway role as director, opened in 1968 and ran for 336 performances. Cabaret starred Judi Dench (long before she was a "Dame") in her first musical role as the heroine, Sally Bowles. Lila Kedrova, known to movie-goers for her roles in Zorba the Greek and Torn Curtain, is Fraulein Schneider, her first musical role. Also featured is American actor Barry Dennen in his British stage debut as the Kit Kat Klub's gregarious and outrageous Master of Ceremonies. Dennen received the Evening Standard Award for his performance, which led to his role as Pontius Pilate on the original concept recording of Jesus Christ Superstar and its subsequent 1973 film version.

NEW WORLDS • Eric Jacobsen, cond; Jan Vogler (vc1); The Knights • SONY 88697599782 (58:28)

IVES The Unanswered Question. G.L. FRANK Leyendas—An Andean Walkabout. 1DVO?ÁK Silent Woods. GOLIJOV Last Round. COPLAND Appalachian Spring

"Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972) counts Peruvian among a heritage as mixed as Osvaldo Golijov’s. A student of South American myths and cultures, she incorporates local instruments in a classical chamber orchestra: percussion, panpipes, and a “heavy wooden duct flute” that is blown harshly to produce double-stopping overtones. Leyendas is as captivating as it is unique, its three highly varied movements providing a convincingly more authentic Andes atmosphere than do either Villa-Lobos or Ginastera.

Despite his always recognizable Latino and/or Jewish elements, Golijov never writes less than fascinating music and never repeats himself. Combined with the existence of major masterpieces—Ainadamar remains this century’s defining work, and the 1998 La Pasión según San Marcos just missed the cut—this makes him one of the greats. Last Round opens with typically wild, not quite tamed Golijovian energy. Its two movement titles tell the full story: I Movido, Urgente—Macho, Cool and Dangerous, and II (attacca) Lentissimo—Death of Angels.

This performance of Appalachian Spring is exacting and fine, spirited yet lucid...the disc is a must for both Frank and Golijov."

FANFARE: James H. North

BEETHOVEN:HIGHLIGHTS

This is the third disc of concerts recorded live from the year-long Silk Road Festival that took place in Chicago in 2007. Following on the heels of When Strangers Meet and Beyond the Horizons, this disc records some of the highlights of concerts that took place in April of that year. The celebrations were instigated and master-minded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and involved more than seventy organisations and groups in two hundred and fifty odd performances and events - including lectures, workshops and educational activities. The idea was to explore the Silk Road musical traditions in one great fusion of East and West. The whole project was a phenomenal success, leading to greater understanding between musicians of many different cultures, and increased learning and skills on all sides.

The disc includes some exciting music, and is well worth a listen. It opens with an Arabian Waltz by Lebanese composer Rabih Abou-Khalil - a spirited work with tremendous rhythmic drive and verve. This is followed by Argentinean-American composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Night of the Flying Horses. This is a splendid work, with an air of mystery that lends an exotic and intriguing sense until, just before its conclusion, the work goes into manic hyperactivity - wonderfully wild and exhilarating. Galloping Horses ensues, based on the eponymous traditional Chinese melody - said horses are graphically portrayed in the music, composed by Yang Wei on the pipa (a type of Chinese lute) and DaXun Zhang, bass, who met through the Project. The Song of the Eight Unruly Tipsy Poets by Chinese-born Zhou Long is suitably chaotic music, and is followed by Indian Sandeep Das’s Shristi, inspired by a statue of a dancing Shiva, with its vocal effects and virtuosic part for percussion. The Silent City, a lament for a destroyed valley in Kurdistan, is the longest work on the disc at over 20 minutes - a slow, quiet, reflective piece by the wandering Iranian composer Kayhan Kalhor. Ambush from Ten Sides, a traditional Chinese melody arranged for the Project, is almost apocalyptic - a highly dramatic and pictorial piece of music. Gripping and quite terrifying, it must surely be overwhelmingly exciting heard live. The disc concludes with Vocussion, which, as its title might imply, is vocal percussion. It is a highly impressive and unusual work, and appears to have been well appreciated by the audience - an excellent conclusion to a fascinating disc!

-- Em Marshall, MusicWeb International

SYMPHONY NO.7 SACD

Graceful phrasing and vernal freshness characterise this promising recital

Lovers of song in the know are watching, and listening to, Elizabeth Watts. This lovely album should let others in on the secret (OK, she has won a couple of major prizes so it’s already not that much of a secret). The voice is silvery and fresh. And with such a young voice these Lieder are imbued with a sense of first love, first loss. Roger Vignoles as ever is among the most perceptive of accompanists.

-- Gramophone [2/2009]



SCHUBERT Lieder • Elizabeth Watts (sop); Roger Vignoles (pn) • RCA 732932 (71:23 Text and Translation)


An den Mond. Suleika I. Im Abendrot. Sei mir gegrüsst. Die Forelle. Heimliches Lieben. Der Sänger am Felsen. Thekla: ein Geisterstimme. An die Sonne. Aus Diego Manzanares. Nacht und Träume. Frühlingsglaube. Die Blumensprache. Nähe des Geliebten. An die Nachtigall. Liane. Des Mädchens Klage. Nachtviolen. Marie. Lambertine. Die Männer sind méchant


Here is a new release—though not her debut album—from English soprano Elizabeth Watts, who is a member of the BBC Radio 3’s “New Generation Artists” program. And what an absolutely ravishing recording it is.


Watts displayed an early interest in and talent for singing as a chorister at Norwich Cathedral, but initially pursued a more pragmatic course of study in archaeology at Sheffield University. In 2002, however, she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music Britten International Opera School, where she studied with Lillian Watson and won several prizes, chief among which were the Kathleen Ferrier Prize in 2006 and the MIDEM Outstanding Young Artist Award in 2007. She has since been active on the British opera stage in roles that have included Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro and Papagena in The Magic Flute.


Watts’s voice, at this stage of her career, strikes me as being an ideal instrument for Schubert’s songs, calling to mind the intensely focused clarity and laser-like delivery of Elly Ameling in her four-disc Schubert collection with pianists Dalton Baldwin and Rudolf Jensen on Philips. Watts’s voice, though, has a bit more heft to it, not having quite the soubrette-like quality that makes Ameling’s voice so perfectly suited to the German Lied and French mélodie repertoire, but less so to the heavier operatic dramatic soprano roles. Watts, I think, as her voice develops and becomes weightier still, will be able to widen her own repertoire to include some of the heavier Italian opera roles of Verdi and perhaps even Puccini. It’s exciting to hear another great operatic stage soprano in the making.


Her Schubert recital is a well-chosen mix of the familiar— An den Mond, Im Abendrot , and Die Forelle —and less frequently heard songs such as Aus “Diego Manzanares, Lambertine , and Die Männer sind méchant . You can hear these songs, of course, in Graham Johnson’s comprehensive Schubert collection, assuming you have acquired every one of them. Aus Diego Manzanares , to a poem by Franz Xaver von Schlechta, appears in Volume 17 sung by Lucia Popp; Lambertine , to a poem by Josef Ludwig Stoll, is sung by Arleen Auger in Volume 9; and Die Männer sind méchant , to a poem by Johann Gabriel Seidl, appears in Volume 13, sung by Marie McLaughlin. In each case, however, comparing them side by side with Watts, I preferred Watts, both for the crystalline purity of her voice and for her highly musical phrasing and sensitive shading of the words.


Roger Vignoles has perhaps not lived and breathed Schubert quite to the extent that Graham Johnson has, nor made his mark almost exclusively as a partner in song; but Vignoles’s wider-ranging reach into chamber music and 20th-century repertoire informs his Schubert with a hindsight that can at times impart a feeling to these songs that transcends their time and place.


As densely packed with Schubert Lieder recitals as the current catalog is, it calls to mind Carl Sagan’s “billions and billions of stars.” So any new addition would have to shine brightly indeed to warrant special notice; and this, one, in my opinion, does. Very strongly recommended.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

PIAZZOLLA La muerta del ángel. 1,2,3 Oblivion. 1,2,3 Le grand tango. 1,3 4 for tango. 1,4 Las cuartro estaciónes porteñas. 1,2,3 Libertango. 1,3 SCHULHOFF 5 Pieces for String Quartet: Alla tango milonga 1,3 • Jan Vogler (vc); 1 Colin Jacobsen (vn); 2 Vanessa Perez (pn); 3 Moritzburg Festival Ens 4 • SONY 732803 (55:09)


Cellist Jan Vogler (profiled in Fanfare 24:2) is a prominent soloist, and Sony probably hopes to capitalize on his fame by featuring him on the CD cover. However, he’s also the music director of the Moritzburg Festival and an enthusiastic chamber musician who performs with the Moritzburg Festival Ensemble, which devotes this disc to the tango, primarily as reimagined by Astor Piazzolla. Thanks to his seductive melodies and disciplined technique, Piazzolla, like Bach, sounds good in almost any configuration. Here, his tango-inspired compositions, some adapted by other hands to create exciting, well-wrought chamber music, make a strong case for Vogler’s view that Piazzolla was “one of the 20th century’s great classical composers” requiring “a wholly unique and by the same token, classical Piazzolla performance practice.” The superb arrangements by Bratagos (Piazzolla’s friend and colleague) and Zhurban overflow with energetic counterpoint and are infused with the composer’s creative personality. Le grand tango and Four for tango are played as Piazzolla wrote them. In his brief but colorful program notes, Vogler comments on Muerte del ángel ’s fugal form and Four for tango ’s “courageous and avant-garde continuation of the Bartók string quartet tradition translated into tango lingo.” Piazzolla embraced innovation and constantly toyed with form while preserving the essential tango language. His adventurous spirit aroused the antagonism of Argentina’s tango purists, but he triumphed in the end. The one piece not by Piazzolla, Schulhoff’s “Alla tango milonga” (fourth of Five Pieces for String Quartet ) brings a European perspective to bear on tango’s protean possibilities. It’s a haunting work that melds a hint of Slavic Orientalism to tango sensuousness, the whole anchored by the cello’s rich, deep pedal point. The Ensemble is completely attuned to the program’s emotional range, which veers from ferocity to nostalgia or bittersweet lyricism. A dynamic player with a strong tone and sure musical instincts, Vogler has surrounded himself with colleagues of similar ability and understanding.


Hearing this CD, called “Tango!” immediately brought Yo-Yo Ma’s “Soul of the Tango” to mind, in which another world-famous cellist ventures into Piazzolla territory. I prefer Vogler’s versions of the shared items. Ma’s Libertango reminded me of his performance in The Tango Lesson (a film I’d recommend to tango enthusiasts): launched without preamble, the music extends itself by repeating its basic ideas until it just fades away. It’s effectively played, but Zhurban’s transcription creates an absorbing narrative spiced by dazzling counterpoint. Vogler’s Le grand tango is also more to my taste: Ma and his pianist (it’s not clear which of the several listed is playing) sound lethargic compared to Vogler/Perez’s passionate performance. “Soul of the Tango” does have its virtues, i.e., selections not duplicated on “Tango!”, exciting playing by the Assad brothers (duo guitarists par excellence ), and Jorge Calandreli’s duet, Tango Remembrances, which pairs Ma’s cello (recorded in 1997) with Piazzolla’s bandoneón (recorded in 1987). If you want just one CD of this kind, I’d choose “Tango!” for its ingenious arrangements that deftly complement and extend Piazzolla’s original thoughts. Also, the string quartet turns in riveting performances of Four for tango and the evocative Schulhoff.


FANFARE: Robert Schulslaper

The purity and crystalline clarity of Serkin's piano playing helped him set new standards in the inpretation of Mozart, Schubert and especially Beethoven. Here are two discs of the Austrian master's definitive recordings: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Eleven Bagatelles ; Mozart's treasured Piano Concerto No. 20 ; Schubert's Four Impromptus and Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-Flat Major, plus Schumann, Brahms and more!

The G minor Quartet is one of the most fervently passionate of all Mozart’s chamber masterpieces – so much so that the publisher who commissioned a set of three piano quartets was utterly taken aback by the uncompromising style of this first work in the series, and Mozart agreed to release him from the remainder of his contract. By that time he had already composed the more genial E flat major Quartet, but he never completed the set. What is immediately striking about these new performances is how stylish they are, with Emanuel Ax providing discreet ornamentation for the repeats, as well as a tasteful cadenza leading into the return of the rondo theme in the finale of K478. But they are much more than that: what they reflect above all is a real joy in music-making and a willingness to allow the music its full expressive range. At first, I regretted the lack of the long second repeat in the opening movement of the G minor quartet – one of Mozart’s great second-half repeats – but the playing generates such intensity that a further hearing would have been emotionally draining. No Mozart lover should miss this.

Performance: 5 (out of 5), Sound: 5 (out of 5)

-- Misha Donat, BBC Music Magazine

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 • Kent Nagano, cond; Yann Martel (narr); Erin Wall (sop); Mihoko Fujimura (mez); Simon O’Neill (ten); Mikhail Petrenko (bs); Tafelmusik CCh; Montreal SO & Ch • SONY 88691919442 (66:56) Live: Montreal 9/2011


This is the fourth installment in the Beethoven symphony cycle currently in progress from Kent Nagano and the Montreal Symphony. What distinguishes this cycle from others is the attempt to place Beethoven’s music in a broader context. In the present case, the disc is titled Human Misery—Human Love , and the performance includes a short text by writer Yann Martel, spoken by the author in English (before the performance of the symphony) and in French (afterward).


In Fanfare 32:6, I reviewed an earlier installment, Ideals of the French Revolution , which included a text by Paul Griffiths read to music by Beethoven, and performances of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and incidental music for Egmont . While I found the performances of Beethoven worthy, the Griffiths pastiche was more problematic and ultimately unsatisfactory.


After an 11-second burst from the opening of the finale of the symphony, Martel’s narrative titled Where Have You Gone, My Revolutionary Friend? is heard, apparently recorded in a studio. The friend referred to is a sort of Everyman, who has gone astray after such promising beginnings. The question, I suppose, echoes the revolutionary nature of Beethoven’s music, but I’m skeptical of the relevance of this short poetic envoi to either Schiller or the symphony (but then I’m not an admirer of Martel’s work). The narrative is brief; alternatively, the track is easily skipped.


Luckily, the performance of the symphony itself is a strong one. The first movement opens with edgy strings using little vibrato; the audio production offers admirable clarity and sonic punch within a spacious acoustic, a tribute to the new venue (the Maison Symphonique de Montréal) that was inaugurated with this performance. Urgency is communicated through a moderately brisk tempo, which is sustained throughout the movement; the contrasting lyrical theme is poignantly hopeful. The same sense of urgency carries over into the Scherzo, with its infectious rhythms and buoyant enthusiasm (and its repeats intact). The timpani are impressively thunderous but never overly prominent. The Trio ripples along fluently, a lighthearted little melody amid the bustle of the Scherzo.


The initial ( adagio ) tempo of the third movement is not slow, but the feeling of calm and hope that suffuses it is amply transmitted. The pure string tone helps to reinforce the lack of overly emphatic or indulgent emotionalism, and the simple declaration of faith at the end provides an effective coda. The opening of the finale is more diffuse energy than startling interruption, though the cellos and basses are stern enough in their didactic recitation. Bass Mikhail Petrenko has the lighter timbre of a baritone, and sings with lyric sensitivity, accompanied by the nimble orchestra. The vocal quartet blends well and is situated in front of the choruses, bringing a coherence and balance to the sung text (aided by the relatively modest-sized choral contingent). The sprightly alla Marcia allows tenor Simon O’Neill to hold forth with jaunty panache (an echo of his Wagner roles). “Seid umschlungen, Millionen!” is properly devotional, while the double fugue is more maestoso than energico , but is effective nonetheless. The presto is exciting, and the purely instrumental coda is prestissimo indeed.


I can understand the thinking behind the decision to provide an extramusical context for Nagano’s performances of the symphonies: There are so many choices in the Beethoven symphony discography that any innovation might just elicit interest in this particular cycle. I hope, though, that if these symphony recordings are collected into a set, the extraneous and unnecessary distractions will be discarded so that the symphonies (and various companion pieces) can be left to themselves.


FANFARE: Christopher Abbot

MAGIC LAND

Reviews of some of the original recordings that make up this set:

Quintets K 174, K 516, K 593, K 406
"There is some pretty powerful playing here too, and though some listeners might prefer a more intimate approach to the quintets, I rather enjoyed the Guarneri's big, bold Mozart. In the comparatively small-scale K174 there is some restraint, with delicacy and charm in the Adagio, but it is still early Mozart without frills, directly and boldly presented. Steven Tenenbom seems to have a bigger tone as 'guest' viola than Ida Kavafian, which encourages the group to play Out more in K516. In this work there is warmth but a fairly tough, energetic response to the music: perhaps some of the accents in the Minuet and Trio are too brusque. The players attack the first note of K406 with some force too, and this movement's minor key drama is played to the full. But there is a degree of tenderness, if not any really soft playing in the Andante. In K593 the Adagio is nicely shaped, and there are some neatly phrased passages in the finale, but strength of attack is again very evident in the first movement and in the Minuet and Trio. Nowhere throughout all four works is there a dull movement, or even a dull moment."

-- A.S., Gramophone [9/1988]

A beguiling take on the Hungarian Dances with lashings of rubato, coupled to a set of waltzes that exchanges salon innocence for concert hall sophistication.

– BBC Music Magazine