This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Neeme Järvi and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’s exploration of 19th century French orchestral works continues with a third release spotlighting the opera composer Jacques Offenbach whose sense of satire was evident in his operattas and most famously authored the phantasmagoric Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) among other full length operas. Recorded in Super Audio, these overtures hint at the depth and imagination of Offenbach’s sensibilities whose works exemplified the zeitgeist of his time.

Recording information: Ringsaker Church, Hedmark, Norway (02/28/2009-03/01/2009); Ringsaker Church, Hedmark, Norway (05/18/2009-05/20/2009).

Classical Music

Classical Music

All works performed from The Niels W. Gade Edition. Recorded in: Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen 26 February & 1 March 1997 (Symphony No. 4), 6 & 9 April 2001 (Symphony No. 7), 9 & 10 April 2001 (Concert Overture No. 3) Producer(s) Ivar Munk (Symphony No. 4) Preben Iwan (other works) Sound Engineer(s) Jørn Jacobsen

Tavener: Fall and Resurrection

Yoshimatsu's Symphony No. 4 begins in a beguilingly sunny atmosphere, with bright string and woodwind textures adorning irresistibly charming melodies--a setting that brings to mind the music of Libbey Larsen. Yoshimatsu's style reflects his having come of age in the 20th century's musically pluralist environment, and its "feel good" nature would almost qualify it as "New Age Classical" if that term were not already associated with Yanni and his ilk. However, his "serious" music credentials are readily apparent in the work's solid structural underpinnings and in the refined intricacies of its harmonic language. But it's not all powdered sugar, as the music takes an inward, more reflective stance in the elegiac Adagietto (with its Messiaen-like main theme). However, the carefree mood returns in the finale to close the symphony in a gentle, glitteringly orchestrated dance.


Yoshimatsu conceived his Trombone Concerto "Orion Machine" after a vision depicting the celestial hunter Orion amusing himself with a trombone as he traveled across the skies. Ian Bousfield's stunning solo work acts as our guide as the music begins in Debussyian whole-tone harmonies before exploring many musical dimensions over its five movements. The climax comes at Bousfield's tour de force performance in the fourth movement, where he's called upon to improvise freely--and boy does he ever! He'd fit right in with the jazz greats, making sounds you probably never knew a trombone was capable of.


Atom Heart's Club is a suite for string orchestra drawn from hit tunes by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Yes. Yoshimatsu's rock imitations are only intermittently successful (the last two movements sound like Leroy Anderson), but this doesn't stop conductor Sachio Fujioka from conveying a sense of fun as he leads freewheeling and high spirited performances with the BBC Philharmonic. Chandos' top drawer recording makes this disc a delight to hear.
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Recorded in: New Broadcasting House, Manchester 29 February & 1 March 2000 Producer(s) Ralph Couzens Mike George Sound Engineer(s) Stephen Rinker Tim Archer (Assistant)

Throughout the history of music, there are fascinating cases of family involvement in composition, the prime examples being the Bach and Strauss dynasties. In England, it was the Wesleys. Samuel was the younger son of hymn-writing Charles. His brother, also named Charles, wrote music, as did his son, Samuel Sebastian. All were highly regarded musicians in their day, and all were firmly rooted in the Methodist Church. Samuel wrote six symphonies, of which five survive. They are modestly scored yet highly inventive works. The earliest is written for a curious group of obbligato instruments: violin, cello, and organ--solo instruments that are used only in the fast outer movements of the three-movement piece. The next three symphonies vacillate between Baroque and Classical period styles. Often, as in the first movement of the A major symphony, we find both styles alternating as if vying for prominence. The last symphony, from 1802, shows the influence of Haydn, no surprise since Wesley undoubtedly had heard Haydn's symphonies performed on that composer's two visits to London.

REVIEW:

Wesley's music is not the equal of Mozart or Haydn, but is surely melodious, expertly constructed, and highly enjoyable. The vibrant, perfectly executed, impeccably phrased readings that Matthias Bamert extracts from his London Mozart Players make the best possible case for these works. The recorded sound is robust, complementing the exuberant performances. The bass line is solid, the upper strings sparkle, and there is an ideal balance between warmth and brilliance.
--Rad Bennett, ClassicsToday.com

Contains the composer's complete works for strings Dedicated to the memory of our beloved mentor and dear friend Jenö Lehner (1906-1997) - Schoenberg Quartet Recorded in: Oud-Katholieke Church, Delft, The Netherlands ; Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam; Maria Minor, Utrecht; Main Hall, Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, Utrecht; Musis Sacrum, Arnhem Recorded between 29 June 1991 and 11 June 2001 Sound Engineer(s) Benno Torrenga (Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra) Adriaan Verstijnen (other works) Adriaan Verstijnen (Editing)

Recorded in: Auditorium Pandurera, Centro, Italy November 2000 Producer(s) Gian Andrea Lodovici Sound Engineer(s) Marco Lincetto

SCHREKER: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Reviews:

It’s very fitting that during the four-year period when we continue to commemorate the centenary of World War I there should be a new and long overdue recording of Morning Heroes. Sir Arthur Bliss volunteered for the army in August 1914 and he served with distinction in the trenches in war-time France. He was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and in 1918 he was gassed at Cambrai. All this, and the carnage he witnessed all around him, made an ineradicable impression on him. However the most grievous blow was the loss of his younger brother, Kennard, who was killed in action on 28 September 1916 at Thiepval; he was just 24. After the war was over Bliss returned to France to find his brother’s grave but this pilgrimage failed to lay Kennard's ghost. In his notes for the earlier recording of Morning Heroes by Sir Charles Groves, Felix Aprahamian writes that Bliss began to suffer from nightmares in 1928; these must have been a manifestation of the psychological effects of the war. Finally, the opportunity came to commemorate his brother with a commission for a major choral work for the 1930 Norwich Festival. The result was Morning Heroes, scored for orator, chorus and orchestra. Bliss himself conducted the first performance. The score is dedicated ‘To the memory of my brother Francis Kennard Bliss and all other comrades killed in battle.’

Morning Heroes is an ambitious score and its construction is rather unusual in that two of its five movements are for orator with orchestra – though, as we shall see, the accompaniment in the second spoken movement is sparse indeed. A choral finale follows the second spoken section; together these two sections constitute the fifth movement. In the centre of the work are three movements for chorus and orchestra. Bliss assembled an anthology of texts; his sources include Homer’s epic Greek poem, The Iliad; Whitman’s Drum Taps; the eighth century Chinese poet, Li Tai Po; and poems by two twentieth century poets, Wilfred Owen and Robert Nichols.

Bliss’s scoring – if we can call it that – is astonishingly original and imaginative here. There is virtually no accompaniment to the orator’s recitation save for timpani rumbling ominously in the background like distant, menacing guns. Only once – at “Exposed!” – do the drums play loudly and that’s terrifying. What a masterstroke it is for Bliss to reintroduce the orchestra as the orator recites Owens last line, “Why speak they not of comrades that went under?” The woodwind play melancholy, lilting material from the first movement and the effect is very moving. The chorus then sing Robert Nichols’ Dawn on the Somme. The music begins quietly, almost like a hymn, but gradually the intensity increases as Nichols’ ‘morning heroes’ are saluted. If this music sounds like a glorification of heroism then who better than Bliss to write in this vein? After all he had been through he was surely entitled to celebrate heroism. Yet the work ends on a subdued, pensive note and that too feels eminently right.

Morning Heroes is a work of great stature and I find it very moving indeed. There’s no doubt at all that this new Davis recording is now a clear first choice for this fine score.

The “filler” is interesting – and relevant. Bliss wrote Hymn to Apollo in 1926 in gratitude to Pierre Monteux for his early championship of A Colour Symphony. Indeed, it was Monteux who gave the first performance, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. It seems that very early on Bliss was dissatisfied with the work but he didn’t get round to revising it until 1964. Sir Andrew offers the original version of the score, recording it for the first time.

This is a splendid disc. The performance standard is extremely high and Ralph Couzens’ engineering is excellent. Similarly excellent are the notes by Andrew Burn. Bliss devotees should acquire this as a matter of urgency and other collectors are strongly urged to hear this eloquent musical commemoration of the fallen of World War I. On this evidence Sir Andrew Davis appears to be a doughty champion of Bliss. I hope he may record more of his music in the future: might we hope, at last, for a modern recording of The Beatitudes?

– MusicWeb International (John Quinn)

This new recording is a revelation for its clarity (notably of the composer's vivid orchestral palette and imaginative choral writing), coherence and sheer emotional intensity.

– Gramophone

Sir Andrew Davis's performance with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus surpasses Sir Charles Groves's fine 1974 EMI Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra account with urgent tempos, choral singing of full tone and incisive attack, eloquent orchestral playing, and an excellent, open recording.

– BBC Music Magazine

Here, in his 80th-birthday year, is confirmation of Sir Charles Mackerras’s credentials as one of the leading Mozart interpreters of our time. With an outstanding, hand-picked cast, he breathes fresh magic into this most magical of operas, inspiring singing and playing of fabulous lightness and poise. Another feather in Opera in English’s cap. - GRAMOPHONE

This opera, so dependent on the wedding of text and music, is a natural candidate for Opera-in-English (I believe one of the first recordings of the work, with Jerome Hines and Rosalind Elias, was in English). The argument that Bartók carefully composed it to match the rises and falls of Hungarian remains valid, but understanding the text is just as important to listeners. The diction of both John Tomlinson and Sally Burgess is impeccable without being too stilted (read: British); of course the bass and mezzo-soprano voices are easier to understand than the higher ranges.

Both singers are superb here. If Tomlinson is sounding a bit old, he's certainly not sounding weak, and the pitch-darkness of his tone is just right for this enigma of a man. "Forbidding" is the word that comes to mind. (He also speaks the Prologue, and sounds properly dour.) Burgess does almost everything right (she drops the high-C at the fifth door too quickly for it to have the resounding effect it ought to) and she can sound genuinely frightened without overstating or exaggerating. Her performance is all-of-a-piece; she's thoroughly believable.

The score is a study in brightness and grief, chiaroscurically speaking, and the clarity of the recording, the elegance and excellence of the playing of Opera North's Orchestra, and the leadership of Richard Farnes lets us experience most of the contrasts. It's not as vivid as renditions by Solti or Kertesz, but it's fine nonetheless. After the Kertesz (with Ludwig and Berry), this set is a fine choice if the English language doesn't get in your way--or if it's exactly what you need.

--Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com