Classical Music

Alongside their British Isles Overtures series, the BBC NOW and the conductor Rumon Gamba launch a project to bring often neglected symphonic poems by British composers to wider attention and fame. This first volume presents some of the most individual, yet rarely heard, British tone poems written in the early twentieth century, by composers ranging from the long-established Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Alwyn to Balfour Gardiner and Granville Bantock, giants in their time. Works include Bantock's atmospheric The Witch of Atlas, based on a poem by Shelley, Frederic Austin's symphonic rhapsody Spring, Gardiner's evocatino of summer A Berkshire Idyll, recorded here for the first time, and Gurney's mysterious A Gloucestershire Rhapsody, never performed before 2010.

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REVIEW:

This is quite a nice find for lovers of British orchestral music. Spring, by the almost-forgotten Frederic Austin, consists of five fleeting glimpses of the season, not profound but immensely tuneful, and it is an all-but-unknown work. A Gloucestershire Rhapsody, by the hugely underrated Ivor Gurney, has "an elegiac quality absent in the innocent, pre-war sound worlds of even a Ralph Vaughan Williams, and more than that it seems to carry an indefinable intensity. Features fluent, enthusiastic performances by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Rumon Gamba and excellent engineering accomplished at the BBC Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff.

– All Music Guide (James Manheim)

The first female Professor at the Paris Conservatoire, the first female player in the Queen's Hall Orchestra and the first female American Symphonist to be published. The Neave Trio celebrate these three outstanding pioneers on this captivating album. Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio - violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura - has earned enormous praise for it's engaging, cutting-edge performances. WQXR explains, "'Neave' is actually a Gaelic name meaning 'bright' and 'radiant', both of which certainly apply to this trio's music making." The Boston Musical Intelligencer included Neave in it's "Best of 2014" and "Best of 2016" roundups, writing, "it is inconceivable that they will not soon be among the busiest chamber ensembles going," and "their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier."

This anticipated release is the first volume in a new series devoted to the music of Gabriel Faure, which is spearheaded by Louis Lortie. Lortie states in the booklet notes: “this album purposely travels through Faure’s various creative periods, from easily appealing early pieces such as the Pavane and the melodie “Apres un reve” through to the late and unjustly neglected Preludes, a masterpiece of condensed harmonic and melodic audacity.” Lortie’s previous series dedicated to Chopin has garnered critical praise. BBC Music called the series “an exceptionally high order of playing.” The same kind of praise is expected for this new series. French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie tours extensively across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has won widespread acclaim for his Chopin and Ravel interpretations, and has performed all five Beethoven concertos and all of the Mozart concertos. The London Times described his playing as “ever immaculate, ever imaginative.”

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REVIEW:

Lortie understands the type of discretion needed to make this music sing, knows the veiled colours it requires, and has the sort of technique to project Fauré’s signature elusiveness. Above all, he identifies fully with Fauré’s chromaticism and understands its use to create space and light.

– ClassicalSource.com

Lydia Artymiw Plays Brahms

D'Indy was a contemporary of Debussy and Ravel, and a pupil of César Franck. Fauré described him as 'The Samson of Music' for his multifarious and generous-minded work as a composer, conductor, educator, and propagandist who greatly strengthened French musical culture. With a style essentially eclectic and strongly influenced above all by Beethoven and Wagner, d'Indy particularly excelled in orchestral composition. He drew particular inspiration from his native region in southern France, and formed a body of post-romantic works richly orchestrated, often inflected with folk-like melodies, and employing Franck's well-known 'cyclic method'. The exclusive Chandos artist Rumon Gamba and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra here return with Volume 4 of Chandos' highly acclaimed series devoted to these unjustly neglected orchestral works. Of Symphony No. 3 on Volume 3, released in 2010, Classic FM said: 'Following their first two much-praised discs, Rumon Gamba and the Iceland Symphony further champion the lushly colourful and impressionistic orchestral music of Vincent d'Indy. It's a fascinating work that mixes straightforward militaristic passages with a high-Romantic, 20th-century language that's part Expressionist, part Impressionist'. Symphonie italienne was written when d'Indy was in his late teens. It was strongly inspired by his travels in Italy, and the four movements bear the respective titles 'Rome', 'Florence', 'Venice', and 'Naples'. Heavily indebted in style to Mendelsohn, Schumann, and Berlioz, this tuneful work was a tremendous if ambitious undertaking for the comparative novice, and shows early signs of the composer's strong intellectual musical mind. D'Indy composed the Symphonie Suite Poème des Rivages, his late orchestral masterpiece, in 1919 - 21. It is a work of outstanding technical accomplishment and poetic inspiration, which succeeds in combining the solid post-Franckian structures with the textual and colouristic fluidity of Debussy. The orchestral forces, including four saxophones, create an almost visual impression of light and atmosphere, in the manner of Claude Monet. Its well-received premiere took place in New York on 1 December 1921 under d'Indy's direction.

Rota was one of the great film-score composers, writing music for more than 150 movies, most famously Fellini’s 8½ and Coppola’s The Godfather. His compositions for the concert hall are equally numerous, but much less appreciated. On the basis of this recording, that is our loss.

These two works predate his cinema output, and give some broad hints as to why he was so successful and so much in demand by directors and producers. If you like your twentieth century symphony to be spiky and dissonant, look elsewhere. However, if your taste runs to Vaughan Williams, Copland, Barber, Respighi and Sibelius, you have a real treat on your hands. I list the first three of those composers deliberately as he mixed with those greats during his years studying in the United States with Fritz Reiner and his countryman, Toscanini. In the latter’s New York apartment, Rota spent much time with Vaughan Williams. As I read this in the sleeve-notes, the appeal of this music began to make sense.

Both symphonies are identified in the notes as having a descriptive landscape element to them. Indeed the Second has a title which translates to “Age of Pilgrimage - Tarantina”, referring to the town of Taranto, in the Puglia region of southern Italy, where Rota moved from Rome. I don’t profess to be able make a judgement on this, not having been to southern Italy, but there is a sunny and optimistic character to much of both works that is definitely Italian.

The First Symphony is described as neo-classical, but that undersells its passion. It begins with an Allegro con moto taken relatively slowly by Conti, introduced by a beautiful pastoral theme in the winds, before a noble, almost Elgarian brass fanfare. The second movement Andante is Sibelius transplanted to Italy - melancholic, but with an underlying optimism. It is dominated by sombre brass and strings, with the winds providing a contrast in mood. It is breathtakingly beautiful music. The third movement Allegro vivace - a scherzo in all but name - is all dance rhythms, chirpy winds and boisterous brass. The final movement Largo maestoso - an unusual tempo for a closing movement - begins in sadness and introspection with most VWish strings, and finishes in an uplifting and glorious climax.

The Second begins in similar pastoral fashion to the First, but instead of the sweeping strings that carry its first movement, there is a tender song in the woodwind. The second movement begins very jauntily: the notes describe it as a tarantella. I don’t really agree: it is more restrained than that and indeed poetic at times. The opening of the third movement brings the Tallis Fantasia to mind, though there is the added element of sombre brass. A tentative flute melody leads us out of the gloom, and the strings and brass provide some stirring climaxes before the sense of sadness and resignation returns. By complete contrast, the finale is all lightness and humour - Prokofiev’s First Symphony seems to be echoed.

I had intended to describe these two symphonies as the best “new” music I have heard this year, where “new” meant “new to me”, but to my surprise, I discovered I already had another recording of both works - the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ole Kristian Ruud (BIS CD970). That I had completely forgotten it is, I guess, the inevitable consequence of a large collection - and yes, I realise that it might also be the result of getting older! The Chandos version has better sound, and subtly better performances - a little more dynamic perhaps.

These two symphonies are the best non-mainstream works I have heard in a long while and if this isn’t my Record of the Year, I look forward to hearing what is!

-- David J Barker, MusicWeb International

"One of the recurring pleasures of the introduction of the Compact Disc is the unexpected appearance of rare repertoire—here for instance some virtually unknown music of Tchaikovsky—when not all the symphonies are yet available in that format. I praised the original LP set from all points of view—enterprise, first-rate performances (Geoffrey Simon is a splendid Tchaikovskian) and superb recording. The LPs (and tapes) were so good that one could not expect the CDs to be so much better. Yet they are very impressive...
It is the Hamlet incidental music that resonates in the memory most strongly—there is some really lovely music here—especially the two entr'actes for strings, which show the composer at his most inspired and they are beautifully played. The recording gives the most natural and delicate effect, enhanced by the background silence, while the wide dynamic range is most effective in the more histrionic passages included here.
This is a set not to be missed by any dedicated Tchaikovsky-lover..."

From the GRAMOPHONE review of the original CD release (Chandos 8310/1)

Classical Music

As exclusive Chandos artists, the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge here presents its second release. The first CD, of choral music by Howells (CHAN 10587), was released to rave reviews in March this year. Choir and Organ wrote: 'There is musicianship here of a rare and moving kind.' This new release of popular choral classics should meet with a similar reception while at the same time appealing to a wider audience. Established in the 1670s, the Choir of St John's has a distinguished tradition of performing religious music. Its main duty is singing the daily services in the College Chapel during the University Term. During the University vacation the Choir carries out engagements in the UK and overseas, as well as undertaking a busy recording schedule. This particular release was recorded in the College Chapel in full surround-sound. The disc not only sounds spectacular, but recreates to an uncanny degree the experience of listening to the Choir perform in the chapel. The music itself represents a time span of nearly 500 years of choral music. The earliest piece dates from the first half of the sixteenth century, and the newest was composed as recently as 2007. The styles and genres are varied, but there are clear links between the works throughout. For example, several are based on texts from the psalms, and the works by Pärt, Parsons, and Rachmaninoff offer three radically different interpretations of the Ave Maria. Some of the works also add a solo instrument to the familiar mix of voices and organ. But perhaps most importantly, all the pieces recorded here sit comfortably under the heading of 'Popular Choral Classics'. Allegri's Miserere is counted among the great classics of church music. Part of its mystique stems from its origins; for many years the work was performed only in the Sistine Chapel, and as with other works tied to a single place it became an object for pilgrimage. In this case the pilgrims included Mendelssohn, as well as Mozart who famously noted down the work from memory after leaving the Vatican, thereby risking excommunication by the Catholic Church. This new release also features Stanford's Jubilate, which was written for Trinity College, Cambridge. Intended as part of the service of Morning Prayer, it has long been one of the most popular canticles in the Anglican repertoire. In keeping with the text, Psalm 100, the tone is festive throughout.

Classical Music

5 out of 5 stars for Performance and Sound!

This disc was an award-winner when it first appeared in 1993, and rightly so. These are among Delius’s finest and most consistent works, and Hickox directs them with an authority and atmosphere that recalls Beecham or Barbirolli. Bryn Terfel, as soloist in Sea Drift, contributes one of the finest and most deeply-felt performances of his now extensive discography, and this is one of the most restrainedly expressive interpretations this outpouring of wild pathos has received on disc. Throughout the three works the choirs are ideally responsive to the beauty of the poetry, coming into their own in the late Songs of Farewell. If Songs of Sunset doesn’t quite efface the memory of Charles Groves’s 1968 account with Janet Baker and John Shirley-Quirk, this is still a splendid account of a subtle work that offers far more than mere fin-de-siècle languor. Altogether a notable release which it’s a pleasure to welcome back to currency.

-- Calum MacDonald, BBC Music Magazine
Reviewing earlier release of this recording

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Serge Rachmaninoff, PaTRAM* Institute Male Choir invites you to experience the extraordinary beauty of his choral tour de force, the All-night Vigil, composed in 1915.

The Vigil is a traditional Russian Orthodox evening worship service. Combining the offices of Vespers and Matins, it is celebrated on evenings in advance of Sundays and major feast days. Rachmaninoff’s setting of fifteen fixed texts appointed for Saturday evening services relies principally on traditional chant melodies. The ‘Rachmaninoff in the Holy Land’ project brought together experienced choristers from around the globe to unite as PaTRAM Institute Male Choir.

The album was recorded in the Russian Orthodox Convent Monastery Church of the Ascension, set amidst an olive grove atop the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem. Inspired by Alexander Gretchaninoff’s arrangement of ‘Glory to God in the Highest’ (hymn 7), the Choir turned to adaptations by Dmitrii Lazarev and Benedict Sheehan for male voice choir of the remaining hymns. Lowering the key of many of the pieces (to fit better with male voices) allowed the eight bass octavists featured on the recording to give an exceptional depth to the Choir’s sound.

*Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute

Lalo considered himself to be first and foremost an opera composer, even though Le Roi d’Ys was his only opera to be performed in his lifetime. He is now best known for his symphonic and chamber music, largely because of the highly political musical establishment in France in his time. The Overture to the opera (which opens this album) is now the best-known music from the piece, which proved a considerable success in France. His ballet Namouna was commissioned by the Paris Opéra and, remarkably, was completed in just four months following extensive delays in agreeing the subject – part of the tales of Casanova. After a successful run of fifteen performances, Lalo parcelled the music up into three ‘rhapsodies’ for orchestral performance. The first two of these were published as Suites Nos 1 and 2. The third was not published, but the ‘Valse de le Cigarette’ was later issued separately. Lalo’s only surviving Symphony was completed in 1886, but somewhat overshadowed by Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony (1886) and Franck’s Symphony in D minor (1888), but it is a strong work that showcases Lalo’s melodic gift and forward-looking harmonic palette.

There’s always room for another terrific Falla collection, though there’s certainly no shortage of them. Indeed, The Three-Cornered Hat has already been very kind to Chandos: Tortelier’s Philharmonia version is excellent (coupled with Albeniz’s Iberia in the Arbos orchestration). This one is just as fine, maybe even better. Juanjo Mena certainly gets the BBC Philharmonic to wake up from its usual bland, business-as-usual attitude and deliver tangy, idiomatic results. Listen to his perfectly judged rhythmic accents in the Dance of the Miller’s Wife, or his riotously brilliant final Jota. These zesty and energetic sections are more than offset by the poetic stillness of Raquel Lojendio’s lovely offstage soprano solo in Part Two. It’s just an excellent performance, about as good as it gets.

This is just as true of the other works on the disc. Homenajes receives a nicely contrasted interpretation that gives the piece a wider expressive range than usual–the tribute to Debussy is particularly atmospheric. Nights in the Gardens of Spain is marvelous. Bavouzet, as has become clear over the past couple of years, is a very major artist, and his performance has an especially noteworthy vitality and sparkle. So many performance of this work wallow in a sort of droopy, soggy “impressionism.” Certainly Mena and Bavouzet capture the music’s many moods, and they don’t stint on its mysterious, nocturnal tints, but they do it with a welcome rhythmic focus and firmness of outline. For a typical example, consider the vibrant Poco più animato at figure 5 in the first movement. This is great stuff, and the sonics are as bold and tactile as the interpretations.

– ClassicsToday.com