The Dutch are way too hard on themselves. So far, Chandos has released three discs (including this one) in its ongoing Dutch composers series featuring the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, and all three have been excellent (you can find reviews of the first two discs, music by Hol and Voormolen, by entering Q1409 and Q1545 in the ClassicsToday.com search box under album/work title). And yet, the writer of the booklet notes treats this music as if listening to it were some kind of penance. He should take a lesson from his English colleagues, who indiscriminately promote any piece of native trash as God's gift to the world of music. Well, maybe he needn't go quite that far.


Cornelius Dopper's reputation today rests on his being second conductor (under Mengelberg) of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in the early decades of the last century. He deserves better. His music belongs squarely in the tradition of the late Romantic "second tier"--composers like Bax, Elgar, Bantock, Zemlinsky, Pfitzner, Magnard, Chadwick, Dreiseke, Melartin, and that sort. It's not music that "matters" historically, but it's colorful, well written, enjoyable, sometimes masterful, and we're better off for having it available.


The Second Symphony (1903) suffers slightly from that Romantic curse, the "finale problem". The ruggedly "symphonic" first movement impressively sustains its 14-minute length, developing memorable thematic material with energy and apt musical logic. The witty scherzo sports some charming faux folk-tunes and gains immeasurably in sparkle and freshness thanks to highly imaginative percussion scoring, including prominent castanets. Dopper's remarkably ethereal (and never tacky) writing for harp and strings at the beginning of the enchanting slow movement offers further eloquent proof of his sensitivity to subtle instrumental colors.


The finale, although certainly not poor, returns to the more "symphonic" style of the first movement, and while the cymbals and brass do weigh in at the end for an impressive peroration, the greater instrumental brilliance of the two central movements casts a shadow over this last one that it never quite shrugs off. Still, if you take a shine to works such as Elgar's First Symphony, which has similar strengths and weaknesses, you'll like this piece very much. Dopper wrote seven symphonies in all, and I'd be very curious to know how the others sound, and in particular if he eventually solved the "finale problem" in his later efforts.


The two works entitled Päan I and II (the title means "paean") sound almost exactly like Bax in Celtic march mode, though the scoring has more transparency. Dopper's comparative harmonic astringency in these later pieces proves that his style did indeed develop, and only whets the appetite for more. Matthias Bamert directs his Dutch forces with confidence, and they play beautifully, as if they've known this music for years. Fine sound, too. Now why can't some enterprising Dutch label pick up where Chandos is leading and explore this rewarding musical heritage in greater depth?
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Recorded in: Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory November 1999 (Missa oecumenica) & Mosfilm Studio; October 1999 (Symphony No. 5) Producer(s) Valeri Polyansky Sound Engineer(s) Igor Veprintsev

Recorded in: Orchestra Hall, Detroit 8 & 9 November 1991 (Three Essays for Orchestra), 24 & 25 April 1993 (Excerpts from Vanessa and Music for a Scene from Shelley, 16 January 1994 (Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance) Producer(s) Brian Couzens (Executive) Charles Greenwell (Three Essays for Orchestra) Ralph Couzens (Excerpts from Vanessa; Music for a Scene from Shelley and Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance) Charles Greenwell (as for Ralph Couzens) Leslie B. Dunner (Associate) Sound Engineer(s) Dan Dene Robert Shafer

Classical Music

Recorded in: Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow 1 August 1985 Producer(s) Brian Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Ralph Couzens Philip Couzens [Assistant]

Recorded in: Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory November 2000 Producer(s) Valeri Polyansky Sound Engineer(s) Igor Veprintsev

Kodály's orchestral output was relatively limited. Best known for his educational material, he wrote only nine works for orchestra. On hearing Kodály's orchestral music, one cannot help but notice similarities to Bartók in the use of Hungarian folk melodies, rhythms and dance forms, as well as his application of quartal harmonies, that is, harmony using the interval of the perfect fourth as its basic unit, instead of the third or fifth. Though overshadowed by Bartók as a serious composer, Kodály's music is neither derivative nor insignificant. Bartók was more of a modernist with respect to form, using mathematical and architectural strategies to generate new forms. Kodály strove to frame Hungarian music with classical and baroque forms, as in his Concerto for Orchestra.
This is a good overview of Kodály's orchestral music. Yan Pascal Tortelier metes out a steady tempo without being too rigid to accommodate the fluid exoticism of the 'Dances of Marosszek.' The BBC Philharmonic is a tight rhythmic ensemble, essential to a good performance of the dance rhythms found in Kodály, Bartók, or Stravinsky. This is particularly evident in the woodwinds' nimble performance at the end of the Allegro con brio from 'Marosszek.'

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)

Recorded in: Auditorium of Swiss Radio, Lugano, Switzerland 13 January 1996 (La Princesse jaune, live recording); 1 June 1999 (Suite algérienne) Producer(s) Gian Andrea Lodovici Carlo Piccardi Sound Engineer(s) Lucienne Rosset (La Princesse jaune) Jochen Gottschall (Suite algérienne)

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

A perceptively played and admirably recorded performance of two substantial piano works by William Alwyn.

This is a perceptively played and admirably recorded performance of two substantial piano works by William Alwyn, who died last September at the age of 79. The 11 Fantasy-Waltzes are notable for their variety within an integrated conception, and this is also true of the 12 Preludes, both works encompassing a wide range of modern piano-writing techniques. John Ogdon is naturally a match for the technical demands of the music and, since he tells us in the sleeve-note that he recorded the 58-minute programme in the presence of the composer and his wife, we may take it that a high degree of authenticity to the composer's intentions has been achieved. With excellent sound balance and documentation, this is a disc to treasure.

-- Gramophone [11/1985, reviewing the original LP release]

(Previously available on CHAN8983/4, now discontinued) Recorded in: St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London 24-28 February 1991 Producer(s) Brian Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Ralph Couzens Ben Connellan (Assistant

Arnold Bax was a 20th-century English composer perhaps best remembered for his early tone poems, many of which are based on Celtic legends and fairy tales. His style is unabashedly late-romantic and can be compared to Rachmaninov or Delius. Like both of those men, Bax was fortunate enough to have private income, which allowed him to spend his early adulthood living on the western coast of Ireland, where he steeped himself in the native folklore, learned Gaelic and made a name for himself as a poet.
Bax's most creative period was around the time of World War One, in which he did not serve because of a heart condition. 'The Bard of the Dimbovitza,' a song cycle based on a then-popular collection of specious Romanian folk song lyrics, was composed in 1914 but later revised, while the 'In Memorium' of 1916 is one of a number of elegiac pieces Bax wrote for victims of the war. In 1918 Bax deserted his wife and children to live with the pianist Harriet Cohen and thirty years later he wrote the 'Concertante for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra' for her. Conductor Vernon Handley, a long-time champion of Bax's music, delivers committed performances lushly recorded by Chandos.

Few operas benefit as much as does Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro from being sung in the language of the audience. Even in this age of super-titles, there is no substitute for the direct communication from singers to audience in this brilliantly conceived social comedy. Thus, this new recording may well be one of the most important releases in Chandos’s admirable “Opera in English” project...this is a very well paced, lovingly shaped performance that binds into a persuasive whole. Chandos’s recording is, as is usually the case, on the reverberant side, but not unpleasantly so. An excellent essay accompanies the set, along with a complete English printed text. Henry Fogel, FANFARE

Classical Music

Armand-Louis Couperin was the nephew of François Couperin, and part of a family which was the dominant musical dynasty in France for around two hundred and fifty years. The music of the younger Couperin is difficult to categorize, since he was writing at a time between the decorative aesthetic of the high baroque and the beginning of the true classical style. Sophie Yates relishes the music of this period, for to her, contained in the rococo period are the elements of the baroque, classical and even romantic styles in embryo, making, she says, 'a rich and unpredictable mixture of delights.'

This CD combines Shostakovich's most popular symphony with other orchestral hits, including the thrilling 'Festive Overture' and the witty arrangement of Vincent Youman's 'Tea for Two'. The conductor and the soloist in the Piano Concerto No.2 are the composer's son and grandson, giving the performance great authority and representing a unique perspective on the music. Neeme Järvi's Shostakovich CDs with the Scottish National Orchestra are some of the most famous recordings of the digital era. 'Most probably the finest Shostakovich disc ever issued and without doubt my choice.' - Fanfare 'Neeme Järvi's understanding of the bleak world inhabited by Shostakovich's symphonies continues to impress. Chandos' sound is superb as always.' - American Record Guide

Recorded in: New Broadcasting House, Manchester 10-11 May 1998 Producer(s) Ralph Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Don Hartridge

Recorded in: St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London 4, 5 & 9 June 1990 (The Cloud Messenger & The Hymn of Jesus) Recorded in: St Silas The Martyr, Kentish Town, London 25-26 March 1993 (Ave Maria, The Evening-watch, This I have done for my true love & Four Part-songs) Recorded in: All Saints' Church, Tooting, London 3 & 5 September 1994 (other works) Producer(s) Tim Oldham (The Cloud Messenger & The Hymn of Jesus) Chris Webster (Ave Maria, The Evening-watch, This have I done for my true love & Four Part-songs) Ralph Couzens (other works) Sound Engineer(s) Ralph Couzens (The Cloud Messenger & The Hymn of Jesus) Richard Lee (Ave Maria, The Evening-watch, This have I done for my true love & Four Part-songs) Ben Connellan (other works) Peter Newble (Assistant) Richard Smoker (Assistant)

Classical Music

Recorded in: Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow 1 August 1986 Producer(s) Brian Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Ralph Couzens Philip Couzens [Assistant]

For its very first recording on Chandos, the Arcadia String Quartet presents what has been at the very heart of its musical career and influences: the complete string quartets by Bartók.

With the music of the Hungarian composer, the members of this Romanian ensemble, neighbours of his birthplace, have won such major careershaping competitions as Osaka, the Wigmore Hall, and Hamburg.

Bartók’s attachment to the string quartet – as to no other genre – was to the keystone of the Viennese tradition, but with the aim of moving the medium out of its native city a little, into the countryside of alternative tonalities and rhythms. The six mature works he wrote are being revealed here with all the singular patterns, mixed modalities, bitterness, lamentations, and, at times, bright folk influences which they contain.

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REVIEWS:

Whatever the inspirations, these players are alive to them, just as they are alert to the technical demands lurking around every corner. These Arcadians also find haunting desolation.

– BBC Music Magazine

If I was asked to recommend a Bartók cycle to a first-time listener intimidated by his spiky reputation, I’d send them straight to the Arcadia Quartet. Even for the aficionado, this spacious, big-hearted vision of Bartók as poet, dreamer, and humorist has something distinctive and beautiful to say.

– Gramophone

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was one of the most astonishing prodigies in the history of western music, admired by Mahler, Strauss, and Puccini. His compositions were regularly performed by renowned musicians from around the world. Korngold composed his Sextet for Strings between 1914 and 1916, at the same time as his opera Violanta, and for this reason perhaps, it takes on some of the theatrical elements of that work. The first movement presents some highly intricate counterpoint among the different voices. In the Adagio the mood shifts to one of intense sensuousness. The third movement brings relief to the highly charged atmosphere. Here Korngold plays - sometimes with an air of irony, sometimes jokingly, sometimes more straightforwardly - with that most Viennese of genres, the waltz. The finale, in typical Korngold fashion, is high-spirited and good-humoured. The highly successful premiere of the Quintet for Two Violins, Viola, Cello, and Piano took place in Hamburg in 1923 with the composer at the keyboard. The work is in three elaborate and complex movements, with a piano part of considerable difficulty, and string writing on a virtuosic scale. With good humour and charm aplenty, the quintet displays the composer's sunny disposition. In the work Korngold incorporated a musical code that he had developed to send secret, loving messages to his fiancée during concert performances. Described by the magazine Gramophone as 'one of the finest young string quartets', whose members are 'musicians with fascinating things to say', the Doric String Quartet has received rave responses from audiences and critics across the globe. The Quartet's recent recording of Korngold's string quartets was a 2010 Critics' Choice in Gramophone, and the group's most recent recording on Chandos (CHAN 10692), of Schumann's three string quartets, was 'Recording of the Month' in BBC Music. The Quartet is joined on this recording by Kathryn Stott on piano, Jennifer Stumm on viola, and Bartholomew LaFolette on cello.

Recorded in: St Bartholemew's Church, Orford, Suffolk 11-13 December 1995 Producer(s) Gary Cole Sound Engineer(s) Gary Cole Richard Smoker (Assistant)

REVIEW

Yates shows lots of vivacity as well as the crisp neatness we have come to expect of her. The finale of the Italian Concerto, for example, simply bubbles with joyousness, as does the exuberant bravura A major Sonata by Scarlatti. She is admirably precise in the Rameau gavotte and variations, direct and simple in Le coucou, brings real brio to the Courante of the Handel suite (she treats its Allemande rather freely); her performance of the unusually shaped C major Sonata by Scarlatti – a quiet pastoral followed by rural bagpiping and then noisy revelry – is excellent. But to me one of the highlights of her recital is Duphly’s superb melancholy rondeau: I have heard it played with greater gravitas, but it is entirely convincing in her hands; and the much-employed low register of her Goujon-type harpsichord sounds very fine.

--Gramophone

Eugen Suchon (1908-93) was the most influential and respected Slovak composer of the 20th c. This new Chandos CD features the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and it's artistic director Neeme Järvi performing three of Suchon's greatest symphonic works, composed during the years he spent teaching in Bratislava, both pre- and post- WWII. His interest in the origins of Slovak folk music and extended tonality are to be heard. Winner of two Grammy® Awards, in 2004 and 2010, the ENSO is the longest, continually operating professional orchestra of it's kind in Estonia and tours worldwide.