Classical Music

Woldemar Bargiel was the half-brother of Clara Schumann, and given his interest in music, it is not surprising that he became part of the Schumann circle. His compositions were described as pale copies of the great composers, including his brother-in-law, which is perhaps unkind but not entirely unjustified. His later works resist the pull of the late-Romantics, such as Mahler and Strauss, looking to Brahms and back to Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert.

My first encounter with his music was fairly recent, as part of my survey of piano trios. Trio Parnassus have recorded his three piano trios on two MDG CDs, which are now difficult to obtain. You can obtain readily them as downloads, but they do not come with a booklet. I am generally resistant to this situation, especially where the composer is little known, but the samples of the trios that I heard were sufficiently encouraging to persuade me into a purchase. As far as I can tell, this is the first review on this site of Bargiel’s music.

The Prometheus overture was written while Bargiel was studying at Leipzig Conservatory. There is little doubt that it owes much to Beethoven’s similarly named overture, though Liszt’s tone poem Prometheus may also have had some influence. At over eighteen minutes, there is no doubt that it stretches its material too far, but it does have some splendid melodies. The orchestration is not as interesting as the other works presented here.

The premiere of Overture to a tragedy was conducted by Bargiel’s teacher, Julius Rietz, and led Hans von Bülow to write “Bargiel can claim the highest rank among Schumann’s followers after Joseph Joachim”. It was originally titled Overture to Romeo and Juliet, but changed before publication because it simply doesn’t have the emotional depth suited to the play. It has stylistic links to Schumann’s Manfred overture, but is a fine work in its right.

The Medea overture was his big success, with numerous performances around Germany and further afield, and led to his appointment as director of the music school in Rotterdam. The booklet links it to Schumann, though I more hear Mendelssohn. It builds from an ominously quiet opening into a series of increasingly dramatic surges, separated by short darkly lyrical moments. Personally, I prefer the Overture to a tragedy, but I can understand why it was so successful in its time.

The Symphony, with the exception of the second movement, is very much a case of “spot the influence”. The first movement, is very, very Beethovenian: imagine a blend of the fifth, sixth and seventh symphonies. Some of the melodies sound as though they are direct borrowings. The slow second movement is fortunately more original, though it does include what could be construed as a funeral march. It has a number of quite beautiful melodies, and some very appealing orchestral colours from the woodwinds and horns, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Menuett that follows might be mistaken for an abandoned Schubert piece, while the final Allegro molto owes much to Haydn, though as reorchestrated by Beethoven. Lest I sound too critical, it is worth bearing in mind that Brahms, only five years younger than Bargiel, had not completed his first symphony by this time, and when he did, there was obvious homage to Beethoven in it as well.

In its early days, Naxos was known for using journeyman orchestras from eastern Europe, but even they didn’t go as far as Toccata has done recently, with a number of recordings based in the Siberian city of Omsk. The orchestra goes by two names: the the Omsk Philharmonic Orchestra at home (and on their website) and the Siberian Symphony Orchestra abroad. The performances are well beyond serviceable – I very much doubt we are likely to get another recording of these works soon, but it would take one of the top orchestras to make much more of this music.

The booklet is written by Dean Cáceres, who has written a biography of Bargiel, and hence provides comprehensive and informative notes. The sound quality is excellent, the delicate orchestral colours well defined and the climaxes imposing.

– MusicWeb International (David Barker)

Modern music for clarinet by composers with very different voices. Simply exceptional music performed by an exceptional musician.

A superbly recorded new version of this cycle. Tilney is internationally known for his harpsichord, clavichord and fortepiano playing, with many solo recordings on DG (Archive), EMI Electrola, Decca, Hyperion, Dorian, Doremi and CBC SM 5000. This is a superb recording of a new version of this cycle.

Carl Loewe (1796-1869) Is Remembered Today Chiefly As a Composer of Ballads. Yet There Is a Considerable Body of Piano Music That Is Strikingly Innovative in Content, Expression and Harmony. A Major Figure in Ushering in the Romantic Era His Works Contain the Germs of Ideas Later Taken Up By Composers Such As Wagner and Liszt. This Is the First of a Series of Recordings Done in Conjunction with Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne. Linda Nicholson Is One of the Foremost Keyboard Players Specializing in the Performance of Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic Music on Instruments of the Period.

Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas are single movements, mostly in binary form, and are almost all intended for the harpsichord. Some of them display harmonic audacity in their use of discords, and also unconventional modulations to remote keys. Only a small fraction of Scarlatti's compositions were published during his lifetime; Scarlatti himself seems to have overseen the publication in 1738 of the most famous collection, his 30 Essercizi ('Exercises'). These were rapturously received throughout Europe, and were championed by the foremost English writer on music of the eighteenth century, Dr. Charles Burney. The many sonatas which were unpublished during Scarlatti's lifetime have appeared in print irregularly in the two and a half centuries since. Scarlatti has, however, attracted notable admirers, including Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich, Heinrich Schenker, Vladimir Horowitz and Marc-André Hamelin. The Russian school of pianism has particularly championed the sonatas. Frédéric Chopin, as a piano teacher, notably wrote: 'Those of my dear colleagues who teach the piano are unhappy that I make my own pupils work on Scarlatti. But I am surprised that they are so blinkered. His music contains finger-exercises aplenty and more than a touch of the most elevated spirituality... I maintain that the day will come when Scarlatti's music will often be played at concerts and that audiences will appreciate and enjoy it'. [Courtesy of Wikipedia]. There has never been a complete recording of all Scarlatti sonatas played on the piano, although Naxos currently has such a project underway, in which each CD is allocated to a different performer. The Music & Arts project will be the only complete edition played on the piano by a single performer.

Our focus with the CD 'Coronation' is not on blue blood or kingly power. In processes that are positively vegetal, the music on this CD sends up its shoots and produces blossoms like crowns. '(co)ro(na)', by Vykintas Baltakas, springs from a cascade of motivic branchings, its roots in a cycle of works named after the alchemical Ouroboros, a snake that swallows its own tail. Its 'dragon's blood', so the legends say, is cinnabar red - like the hue that shines in 'cinnabar' by Rebecca Saunders. Magnus Lindberg's 'Joy' expresses itself through its profligacy with spectral harmonies and the resonant snapping of the strings of a demolished piano. Iannis Xenakis creates sieves that proliferate until they transform into archaic dances, refulgent with the brass tones characteristic of so many musical moments: This is the sound that crowns the affair.

This is the fourth CD in a seven-CD series presenting all of Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst's compositions for the first time. It contains some of his most important compositions: an early Concertino with a melancholy slow movement and charming waltz finale; the fiendishly difficult Concerto that had a deep influence not only on Liszt's Piano Sonata but also on concertos by Brahms and Sibelius; and the late String Quartet, with echoes of Beethoven and Mendelssohn and an inwardness, charm and energy all of it's own.

Paul Badura-Skoda Plays Mozart: Piano Concertos: No. 25 in C, K503, with Horst Stein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (performed live 15 June 1978) and No. 22 in Eb, K482, with George Szell conducting the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (performed live 19 & 20 Dec. 1959). K503: first release; K482: first time on CD. Extensive notes on the music and on these performances by Badura-Skoda. Booklet includes his CD discography. A co-production with the VPO and ORF1 (Austrian Radio). Sparkling performances of two Mozart gems by one of his foremost 20th century interpreters, in the best possible sound.

Michael Finnissy is amongst the most celebrated of contemporary British composers and his music is featured on many of our CDs. This selection of works for chamber group and solo instruments written between 1977 and 1990 displays both his formidable talents and those of Topologies. These pieces are inspired by the disappearing musical cultures in places affected by ethnic cleansing (Kurdestan and Azerbaijan) and "discredited" musical styles such as free jazz and expressionism.

There have been few pianists of Arrau's range and stature, and these invaluable live recordings can only reaffirm memories of another time, another place, where sheer musical calibre and quality counted above all. Audio restoration: Lani Spahr; Notes: Bryce Morrison. All previously unissued; released by permission of the Arrau Estate. TT: 3 hrs 39 min 14 sec. UPC # 0-17685 1263-1 (3CDs)

This series is the first to attempt documenting the highlights of Leo Ornstein's career. On this release Arsentiy Kharitonov plays all 17 waltzes, varying from the sexily languorous to the boldly tempestuous. Fanfare praised volume one saying, "This is a distinguished and fascinating start to what should prove to be an important series of recordings."

This 2010 collection presents a selection of the less frequently performed impromptus that span a period of nearly two centuries, starting with an 1821 work that was among the first ones to be published with this title and concluding with two that were written as recently as 2008. Among these pieces are four that have been recorded for the first time those by Godowsky, Bibalo, Volaj, and Mazhara. The impromptus by the two last-named composers were written in response to the artist's request so she could include the most recent such works for piano in this project.

Mozart's Piano Quartets K 478 and 493 with the wonderful German Gaede String Trio and the outstanding Austrian pianist Markus Schirmer: this is pure chamber music delight, highly sensitive and exciting, sensual and fresh as the dew, clever in it's formal and concertante calculation: here Mozart allows for both common obscurity and lively dialogue. (Tirol online)

Trombonist Mike Svoboda's Wergo release entitled Da Lontano (from a distance) surveys rarely heard works written by four heroes of new music that are 'outside' of the ordained list of masterworks by these composers. Each has an element of indeterminacy, which allows Svoboda to place a personal stamp on the performances. Scelsi said he received the music for his Mantram - Canto anonimo from other spheres, merely acting as an intermediary between two worlds. For Solo for Sliding Trombone, excerpted from Cage's Piano Concerto, Svoboda devised a version for eight trombones which he plays all by himself. Signal zur Invasion I is excerpted from Stockhausen's opera Dienstag aus Licht. It consists of 126 fanfares from the opera. In Nono's Post-prae-ludium per Donau, the sound of Svoboda's tuba is multiplied and rearranged by electronic musician Holger Stenschke to create a unique spatial polyphony.

You cross the Place de L'Alma, the city lights, the Paris bustle and enter the Th��tre des Champs-Elys�es with those worldly, trivial conversations. You find your seat and the audience takes it's time quieting down. Evgeni Koroliov appears on the scene, gives a quick greeting and places his hands on the piano... And voil�, you are instantly transported to another world... (Le Figaro)

This disc from Tacet gives the listener a unique opportunity - that of hearing a master musician playing seven different instruments from 1640 - 1992 in the same piece. It is a fascinating exercise and proceeds thus: Amati (1640), Guadagnini (1771), A Guarneri (1671), P Guarneri (?), Horvath (1992), Stradivari (1683), Vuillaume (1870) - it can be seen that the important Cremonese makers are covered together with a fine French manufacturer and a modern Hungarian model. So, does it make a big difference? Well, yes & no - clearly the player makes the greatest difference between a good and bad sound but as the music & musician are constants here the differences are startling. One of the greatest contrasts is between the two Guarneri's (A is P's grandfather) with the more modern instrument sounding considerably richer. It is no surprise that the most rounded sound comes from Gawriloff's usual" instrument (and this spoils the experiment a little) - the Strad! Also, the thinnest sound comes from the Horvath but this isn't far behind the older Guarneri & I'm sure given a bit more time to mellow will be a fantastic instrument to play & hear! If you are concerned that hearing the same piece 6 times (Bach's Sarabande from the D-minor partita) is boring, well it isn't here. Gawriloff then treats us to a nice mini-recital on, presumably, his favourite 5 with each piece being chosen to suit the instrument (or was it vice versa?) Either way, the performances are good without being exceptional, although this is largely a reflection that the music chosen isn't absolutely first rank. The younger Guarneri is given a sonata by Veracini, the elder is given Kreisler's Variations on a theme of Tartini. We are then treated to a beautiful rendition of Dvorak's Romantic Pieces on the Stradivari, followed by Paganini's Cantabile on the Amati. Finally & the choice here is wonderful, the Horvath in Webern's Four Pieces Op.7 where the slightly wirey timbre suits the sparse textures. In the mini-recital, Gawriloff is ably partnered by Kira Ratner who is competent but not inspiring. The sound is, unusally for Tacet, completely straight and well balanced with a nice distance between us and the musicians so that there is some accoustic presence but not overly so. My slight gripe is that the playing time is under 53 minutes, so there would have been ample opportunity to demonstrate the Guadagnini & Vuillame in more substantial repertoire." John Broggio Total playing time: 52'40

Here Joseph Haydn's music is revealed as the perfect expression of truth. And the Auryn's performance of his string quartets is exactly as it should be: vigorous, beautiful to listen to, and full of feeling. A rediscovery both of sheer beauty and intellectual development.'

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello


Track Listing:
Disc One:
String quartet op. 20 no. 1, Hob. III:31 in E flat major
1. Allegro moderato
2. Menuet. Un poco allegretto
3. Affettuoso e sostenuto
4. Finale. Presto
String quartet op. 20 no. 2, Hob. III:32 in C major
5. Moderato
6. Capriccio. Adagio
7. Menuet. Allegretto
8. Fuga a quattro soggetti. Allegro
String quartet op. 20 no. 4, Hob. III:34 in D major
9. Allegro di molto
10. Un poco adagio e affettuoso
11. Menuet alla Zingarese. Allegretto
12. Presto e scherzando

Disc Two:
String quartet op. 20 no. 3, Hob. III:33 in G minor
1. Allegro con spirito
2. Menuet. Allegretto
3. Poco adagio
4. Finale. Allegro di molto
String quartet op. 20 no. 6, Hob. III:36 in A major
5. Allegro di molto e scherzando
6. Adagio
7. Menuet
8. Fuga con tre soggetti. Allegro
String quartet op. 20 no. 5, Hob. III:35 in F minor
9. Moderato
10. Menuet
11. Adagio
12. Finale. Fuga a due soggetti

Timing: 153:49

Earle Brown's involvement with the fine arts led him to reject previously fixed ideas of musical form and supposedly sacrosanct rules of composition in the early 1950s. His graphic notations, which are primarily oriented toward Jackson Pollock's painting procedures, guarantee the opening of time and space which leads to the liberation of the sound and the expansion of the meaning of form. "[...] mobility of the sound elements within the work and the graphic provocation of an intense collaboration throughout the composer-notation-performance process - were for me the most fascinating new possibility for 'sound objects' as they had been for sculpture and painting." (Earle Brown) On this CD Sabine Liebner performs important works for piano by Earle Brown: "Home Burial" for piano, based on a poem by the American poet Robert Frost was written in 1949. The manuscript of the piece was only recently rediscovered. The performance here is therefore the work's first recording. Among the pieces gathered under the title "Folio", "December 1952" is surely the most famous. On a piece of paper without staves, the actions of the pianist are indicated through lines of varying length which indicate points in a sound-time-space continuum. "Twenty-Five Pages" consists of 25 single pages, each of which is an independent entity. The decision on the number of the instruments involved as well as on the order of the individual pages is left to the performers. "Four Systems" for any number of chosen instruments was written in connection with the birthday of the pianist David Tudor on 20 January 1954, who premiered the piece shortly thereafter. "Summer Suite '95", written after Brown's almost 30-year abstinence from the piano, is dedicated to the pianist David Arden. Brown sketched out his ideas about the structure of the work graphically, as had been his previous practice. However, after writing the piece down, he realized it on a keyboard and with the help of a computer.

Cage composed his Number Pieces during the last six years of his life. Their titles indicate the number of performers or parts. Their notation is based on fixed and flexible "time brackets." the fixed brackets show when a musician should begin and end a pitch or tonal event. With the flexible brackets, the interpreter decides, within a predetermined time frame, when an instrument enters and when it falls silent. This disc featuring pianist Sabine Liebner explores two of Cage's late masterworks.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Visions, the new release from the British-German violinist Caroline Adomeit and wonderful Ukranian pianist Nadiya Kholodkova, is inspired by the fantastic piano repertoire. Transcriptions, including eleven world premieres by Caroline herself, of works from the early harpsichord music of the Baroque era, through Classical and Romantic pieces, to Impressionism and music of the twentieth century (from Henry Purcell’s Hornpipe to Sergei Rachmaninov’s Italian Polka) show her complete mastery of the violin and her ability to produce an entire artist’s palette of colors. “…her playing has an infectious joy and rhythmic vitality… passages of crossed strings are so precise, and even in the most mercurial sections her intonation is perfectly centered…” (The Strad)

The incubation period is a mere thirty seconds: that is how long the symphonic first spark takes to ignite, with the four musicians dragging the child empress out of silence at the beginning of the first Razumovsky Quartet and again and again projecting their Auryn sparkle into us. And once again we are hooked. (Wiesbadener Anzeiger) There is no shortage of great and famous Beethoven Cycles, but there are no performances such as these. For me, this is now the set to beat. (Laurence Vittes)

Classical Music