A discographical note: Volume 11 is actually the second installment issued in Christoph Ullrich’s projected complete Scarlatti sonata cycle. The pianist has sequenced each volume by sonata in numerical order. His initial release, Volume 1, contains sonatas 1 through 42; sonatas 358 through 387 are here on Volume 11; and Nos. 43 through 357 presumably will follow on Volumes 2 through 10.

The admirable qualities of Ullrich’s earlier Mozart and Schubert releases often inform his Scarlatti, starting with the rhythmic kick and well-turned ornaments in the two opening D major sonatas. Ullrich’s firm and deliberate F minor K. 365 proves equally rewarding alongside faster, lighter piano versions from Serge Babyan and Yevgeny Sudbin. However, Konstantin Scherbakov bests Ullrich’s K. 360 for linear independence.

Ullrich takes the E-flat K. 371 Allegro directive with a grain of salt, and employs changes of color and pace to illuminate the music’s unpredictable harmonic shifts, whereas Maurizio Baglini is fast, harder hitting, and just a few feet short of reckless. The adjacent B minor K. 376/377 pair are sensitively phrased, although Ullrich’s F major K. 378 seems a trifle prosaic next to Fou Ts’ong’s brighter, more unpredictably accented reading, while his relatively flat and generic K. 380 pales in comparison with individually gripping interpreters of this popular sonata such as Horowitz, Lipatti, and the unusually slow yet mesmerizing David Greilsammer.

Ullrich’s clear and shapely delineation of the F minor K. 386’s busy, toccata-like writing is perfectly fine on its own terms, but Christian Zacharias’ suppler touch elevates this approach to a higher level, albeit a few notches below Clara Haskil’s breathtakingly fast yet perfectly controlled 1950 Westminster recording. Though less striking on the surface than Mikhail Pletnev’s spiky, aggressive K. 387, Ullrich’s suaver, faster, and more graceful performance is easier to digest. In a nutshell, Ullrich’s Scarlatti is never less than good, if not so consistently outstanding as Carlo Grante’s ongoing Scarlatti cycle on Music & Arts.

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

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An homage to Erik Satie and Robert Desnos - A sensuous sound journey by the Ensemble European Music Project "Inside the Dream" evolved out of a live multimedia performance with a multichannel sound installation, voice, and an ensemble augmented by modern "club electronics." This CD presents the musical part of the performance. At it's center are several early songs by Erik Satie, along with his famous "Gnossiennes". Satie's compositions are flanked by J�rgen Gr�zinger's pieces, consciously written with a similar gesture, making the CD something of an homage to Satie, who was both a forefather of modern music and a close friend of the surrealists. J�rgen G�rzinger is fascinated by the French surrealists and especially by Robert Desnos. "Inside the Dream" is an associative approach to and transformation of the atmosphere of longing, eroticism, passion, adventure, and melancholy which are presented in Desnos's poetry - all mixed with a touch of humor. The liner notes in German, English and French are illustrated with photographs by P.J. Boman from his book "Muse: Desire and Severance".

Even though German-born composer Felix Mendelssohn began his musical education on the piano, some of his most brilliant compositions were written for strings. Many believe his inclination toward strings was largely due to the fact that he studied Beethoven's quartets during his teenage years in Berlin. Though some of Mendelssohn's string quartets show evidence of this influence, his string quintets have been said to be a clearer representation of "Mendelssohnian" music at its best.
On this album, the L'Archibudelli quartet paints a telling portrait of Mendelssohn's spontaneous temperament, as every instrument reflects the individualistic style Mendelssohn was known for. During the sprightly Quintet for Strings no 1, the violins and violas mingle nonchalantly, playing their parts as if every other note or short phrase was added on a whim.
Despite the free-spirited nature of the music, the members of the L'Archibudelli quintet are remarkably sensitive to changes in the music's timbre, as every player adjusts immediately every time there is an unexpected crescendo or subito piano. Though the Quintet for Strings No. 2 starts off with a little more conviction than the first, it possesses the same quality of melodic and harmonic creativity. With such a keen adaption of the composer's style, listeners may be led to think they are listening to Mendelssohn's exact sentiments instead of just a well-played recording of his music.

Wolfgang Riehm is a prominent figure in the European new music scene. Riehm's early work, combining contemporary techniques with the emotional volatility of Mahler and of Schoenberg's early expressionist period, was regarded by many as a revolt against the avant-garde generation of Boulez and Stockhausen (with whom he studied). This disc offers a portrait of Riehm's recent compositions, including the fascinating recorder concerto Au bord d'une source, which is loosely based on Franz Liszt's Ann�es de P�lerinage.

Henri Du Mont first made provision for the performance of a number of his compositions by women's voices in his Cantica Sacra (1652) and thus made it possible for these works to be sung in convents. This recording includes not only the motets intended for these institutions but also one of the Messes Royales in plainsong and several organ pieces from his Meslanges composed for the Dames religieuses qui touchent l'orgue. This recording is the second in a systematic exploration of the several collections of music by Henry du Mont that were published in Paris. The first recording in this series was devoted to the Cantica Sacra and was released in 2010 to mark the 400th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Of these four Mozart [Sony Legendary Interpretations] sets, pride of place must go to the Robert Casadesus recordings of the late piano concertos—Nos. 21-3, 24, 26 and 27 plus the Double Concerto in E flat, in which he is joined by Gaby Casadesus (Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia accompany here). The 1960 recording of the Double Concerto, made in New York's Manhattan Center, is rather dry and doesn't help the music-making to smile, although the playing itself undoubtedly has its insights. The solo concertos were recorded in Severance Hall, Cleveland between 1959 (No. 22) and 1962 (Nos. 26-7) and the venue adds enough ambience to the forward balance to make it convincing. Indeed, the piano integrates well, even if tuttis are on a larger scale than would be expected today. George Szell conducts accompaniments that are very polished and lively. The orchestral credit is shared between members of the Cleveland Orchestra (No. 21), the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Nos. 22-3 and 26-7) and the 'full' Cleveland (No. 24).

Though the very brisk finale of No. 21 in C is performed with tremendous bravura and sparkle, Casadesus's style is seldom self-consciously extrovert; he lets Mozart speak for himself. The playing in the slow movements is exquisite; colours are delicately shaded, dynamics subtly handled. The same comment applies to the secondary material of first movements, where Szell's authority is also telling. Concerto No. 22 in E fiat is marvellously played and my own favourite, No. 23 in A, captures that special blend of brilliance and underlying nostalgia that is the hallmark of this work. The Corona/ion (No. 26 in D) and the last concerto (No. 27 in B flat) both bring really memorable performances, in fact among the finest in the catalogue. Altogether this set is an essential purchase for any Mozartian who has not already invested in the separate issues.

-- Gramophone [9/1991]

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The ravishing slow movement of K 467 has never sounded more magical than here...this is exquisite Mozart playing, beautifully paced and articulated.

-- Penguin Guide [2003/2004]

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This release has been sourced from the Richard Itter archive of 'live' BBC recordings. The collection is very important for collectors because it has never been on the market before. Following the archive's launch in October 2017 with successive releases featuring Beecham, Bohm, Cantelli, Casadesus, Karajan, Menuhin, Monteux, du Pre, Klemperer, Rostropovich and Walter, it has received universal praise from both the classical media and record collectors for the excellent sound and performances. Carlo Maria Giulini's celebrated studio recording of Le nozze di Figaro was recorded in September 1959 following a live performance at the Royal Festival Hall a few days earlier. Nearly 18 months later there was another performance but with a substantially different cast. Harold Rosenthal in Opera magazine wrote of the concert performance: "Giulini's reading of this miraculous score has deepened since the studio recording... The spark that was suddenly kindled between conductor and Teresa Berganza in 'Voi che sapete' was a moment to treasure. Indeed all Miss Berganza's singing was outstanding."

This release has been sourced from the Richard Itter archive of 'live' recordings. The collection is very important for collectors because it has never been released before onto the market. Following the archive's launch in October 2017 with releases featuring Beecham, Bohm, Cantelli, Karajan, du Pre, Klemperer and Rostropovich, it has received universal praise from both the classical media and record collectors for the excellent sound and performances. Celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin was very familiar with the Mozart Concertos, and played all seven including the spurious No. 6. These 'live' performances reflect Menuhin's Mozart playing during a single month in 1956 where he performed all the composer's major works with orchestra. Menuhin brings great insight and experience to every concerto and his intonation which became a concern in later life is spot on with these performances.

This set of ‘live’ authorized recordings featuring the highly distinguished conductor Bruno Walter with the BBC Symphony Orchestra comes from the BBC’s annual May Festival, held in London in 1955. None of these recordings has been published before, and in the case of Wagner’s Faust Overture, this is Walter’s only post-war account. The mid-1950s saw Walter at the height of his powers, and the ‘live’ recordings here are very focused, having a great sense of forward movement and excitement – most notably in Haydn’s Symphony No.96 and Mahler’s Symphony No.1 – compared to some of the studio accounts in the early 1960s when Walter was well into his 80s. The set also contains Walter with the great German soprano Irmgard Seefried in ‘Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen’ from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, which illustrates both her superb artistry and his genius as a Mahler conductor. Brahms’s Song of Destiny (Schicksalslied), a Walter favorite, completes the set. All recordings have been sourced from the Richard Itter archive, as Beecham caught ‘live’ often showed the mercurial side of his character, and no performance was the same either in the studio or in the concert hall. All the performances included here from the Edinburgh Festival, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and the BBC Studios are from Beecham’s final years, from 1954 when he had fully established the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and himself as central figures in England’s musical life, to 1959 when he conducted an extraordinarily memorable account of Brahms’s Symphony No.2. Every broadcast is captured here in exemplary sound for the time.

The 1967 performance of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet is the most fascinating offering, largely because the musicians play with great cohesion yet maintain distinctive parts without shaking the ensemble's equilibrium. Rudolf Serkin is clearly the leader, but his playing never upstages the sturdy quartet of Jaime Laredo, Philipp Naegele, Leslie Parnas, and Julius Levine, an enthusiastic group that rises to the work's challenges and Serkin's inspired promptings. Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, performed in 1968, is a little less engrossing, though it shares with the Schubert a similar balance of distinctive lines and bonded ensemble playing.

-- Blair Sanderson, AllMusic.com

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I need a musical discourse, Holliger once said. This is a good description of his characteristic way of composing. Unlike Boulez, he does not base his works on charts and tables, but neither does he employ carpets of sound in the manner of Ligeti or the Spectralists. Particularly in his vocal works, Holliger allows himself to follow the associations suggested by certain words, and these associations in turn generate still other connections. "Shir Shavur" [The Broken Song] is the title of a cycle for choir that Holliger wrote based on 12 of David Rokeah's poems. The idea of discourse can be seen in the fact that Holliger set both the Hebrew and the German versions of the text. This principle is also evident in the different ways the choral forces are handled. There are antiphonal or double choir settings, but also responsorial settings for solo and choir. In "Utopie Chorklang" [Choral Sound Utopia], he divided the choir into three groups of twelve voices each. These three groups are "tuned" in different ways, like registers of an organ. The second group sings it's pitches, but the first group sings a third of a tone higher than written and the third group a third of a tone lower.

Craig Morris, former principal trumpet player of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has recorded brilliant solo trumpet versions of three Philip Glass classics. Morris’s new recording features works ranging from Glass’s constantly shifting ‘Melodies’ (1995) to the driving minimalist rhythms and figures of ‘Gradus’ (1968) and ‘Piece in the Shape of a Square’ (1967). ‘Melodies’ was written as incidental music for a play based on the novel, Un Captif Amoureux (Prisoner of Love) by the French author Jean Genet. Glass’s thirteen melodies cover a wide range of emotion, from touching and introspective to joyous and dancing. The visual element of ‘Piece in the Shape of a Square,’ is much more a part of the composition than it is in ‘Gradus.’ The music is set up in a roughly 10’ square, with one performer on the inside of the square and one performer on the outside. The performer on the inside moves around the square in a clockwise direction, while the performer on the outside moves around in a counterclockwise direction. Virtuoso trumpeter Craig Morris plays both parts on this fascinating recording.

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The case of the composer Hans Winterberg (1901–91) is a strange one. A survivor of the Terezín concentration camp, where he had been interned as a Czech Jew, after the War he settled in Munich as a German citizen, and his music enjoyed a number of broadcasts – but after his death, his estate disappeared into the vaults of the Sudeten German Music Institute, where it was placed under embargo, emerging only in 2015. This first album of his music reveals an unusual and individual voice, an idiosyncratic blend of Stravinsky, Janácek and Hindemith, with touches of Poulenc, often expressed with brittle humor and rhythmic verve. The Arizona Wind Quintet is the faculty ensemble-in-residence at the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music in Tucson. Formed in 1977, the AWQ has cultivated a tradition of excellence in both performance and teaching. The other instrumentalists on this recording are distinguished musicians active in the Tucson area, several of them teaching at the Fred Fox School of Music, although they appear in concert and at festivals all over North America.

This authorized BBC tape has never been issued before. The recital is slightly unusual in that Gilels opens with Schumann's rarely heard Four Klavierstuckeop.32. Gilels only performed these pieces late in his career from 1977 to 1984. This is an exceptionally rare CD and presents the Russian pianist at his best in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. There is a beautifully played encore - Mozart's D minor Fantasy K397 - which is also featured on this well-filled 80+minute disc.

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This retrospective disc presents music composed by the late Elliott Carter over a period of more than 70 years. Unquestionably, the major work presented here is the late Charles Rosen’s performance of Carter’s Piano Concerto. Rosen, a great advocate of Carter’s music, had recorded most of Carter’s solo piano music over the course of his long career, though he never made a studio recording of Carter’s brilliant concerto. The release of this radio recording, featuring the superb Basel Sinfonietta, conducted by Joel Smirnoff, was one of Rosen’s last wishes. Volume 9 of Bridge’s ongoing Carter series opens with vocal works of Carter’s from the 30s and 40s, and proceeds to Steven Beck’s electrifying accounts of late solo piano music, and the Slowind Quintet’s performance of Carter’s quintet, Nine by Five, completed during the composer’s 101st year.

BrIdge Records launches Anne-Marie McDermott's Mozart Piano Concerto cycle with Vol. 1 of the series offering Concerto No. 6, K. 238, and Concerto No. 13, K. 415. The Odensesymfoniorkester (Denmark) is conducted by Scott Yoo. Of Ms. McDermott's extraordinary musicianship BBC Music Magazine recently wrote: "McDermott's heart has heft and translucence, structural certainty and seasoned humanity." In a career that has spanned over 25 years, American pianist Anne-Marie McDermott has played concertos, recitals and chamber music in hundreds of cities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. The breadth of her repertoire matches that of her instrument, spanning from Bach, Haydn and Beethoven to Rachmaninoff, Prokoviev and Scriabin to works by today’s most influential composers -- Aaron Jay Kernis, Steven Hartke, Joan Tower and Charles Wuorinen, among them. As an Artistic Director, Ms. McDermott leads the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival in Florida and the Avila Chamber Music Celebration in Curacao.

Furtwangler: The Best Studio Recordings (1929-1943)

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The Munich-based French pianist Jean-Pierre Collot presents the piano works of Jean Barraqué, one of the most important composers of Serialism. This is a journey of discovery through Jean Barraqué's piano works, deeper and deeper through quasi-archaeological layers that bring us closer to the arcana of creation. The Sonate pour piano (1950/1952), masterpiece and experiment at the same time, here recorded for the first time in the definitive recast version, demands of us that we break all boundaries, as far as our conception of tempo, dynamics or agogic is concerned, that we create and explore new imaginary spaces. The deeper we go back in time, the more mysterious and gloomy the early pieces (1947-1949). All of these works are premiere recordings. The prelude to the third act of Tristan [Richard Wagner] — like a ghostly and fragile motto [of the young Barraqué] — throws on the whole program its pale, nebulous light. The Munich-based French pianist Jean-Pierre Collot presents the piano works of Jean Barraqué, one of the most important composers of Serialism.