Showcasing a little-known and unjustly neglected composer, this Chandos box set gathers Ernst von Dohnányi's most popular works. This set includes performances by such prestigious artists as James Ehnes, Howard Shelley and Clifford Lantaff. An absolute must-have for any Dohnányi fan or a great way to begin a collection for a classical newcomer.

REVIEW:

No one offers competition for this set. Of course you can now build a Dohnányi collection from individual discs but the performance and production values in the case of this attractively priced set will have you wondering why you took the trouble.

­-- MusicWeb International

This compact and comprehensive box set shows there is much more to him than what people think they know. Chandos’ series of recordings of his orchestral works, performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Matthias Bamert, with an impressive roster of soloists, significantly increased his public profile, and is now regarded as benchmarks for the repertoire.

-- Classical CD Choice

Neeme Järvi conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in the fourth album of their Wagner series. Their performances on the previous three volumes have received high critical acclaim. American Record Guide wrote of Volume 1: ‘This is wonderful playing and sound… Järvi knows exactly what to do to make the music speak. The orchestra sounds better than I’ve ever heard them.’

This disc features a symphonic arrangement by the Dutch composer and percussionist Henk de Vlieger of Wagner’s only comic opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. It is the only opera by Wagner centred round a specific time and place in history, rather than a mythical or legendary past. The story takes place in Nuremberg during the middle of the sixteenth century, and revolves around the real-life guild of the Master Singers, an association of amateur poets and musicians who developed a craftsman-like approach to music-making.

Wagner left the two early Entreactes tragiques unfinished, the first only partially orchestrated, and they are heard here in orchestrations completed by De Vlieger.

Completing the disc are the seldom performed and recorded Overture to Columbus, and Eine Faust-Ouvertüre by Wagner. Written in 1835, when Wagner was just twenty-two years old, the Weber-influenced Columbus Overture introduces the play by Theodor Apel. His Faust-Overture followed in 1840. Taking its inspiration from Goethe’s famous play, this work, together with Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, became the main example of nineteenth-century programme music.

This disc comprises some of cinema’s most memorable musical moments, as chosen and arranged for four guitars by the members of the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet. Without music, movies would not be what they are today, and the Quartet here explores the full stylistic spectrum of the musical genre. ‘It is in the interpretation of this variety’, they explain, ‘that the guitar truly comes alive.’ Many, if not most, of the film scores represented on this disc are classics, and they have the awards to show for it. Music from the Academy Award-winning scores for Frida, Titanic, Schindler’s List, and Il postino rubs shoulders with ‘Minor Swing’ from Chocolat, the music to which received a Golden Globe for Best Original Score.

"...these skilled transcriptions and renditions are as good as they get in theor chosen medium ...this could well become something of a hit - music for all the family." *****
-- Colin Anderson - Time Out - 14 June 2012

The exploration by John Wilson of Copland’s major orchestral output with the BBC Philharmonic has now reached Volume 3, with this invigorating programme recorded in surround-sound. It opens with An Outdoor Overture, a cheerful and breezy piece which Copland composed in 1938, intending to spearhead an initiative encouraging ‘American Music for American Youth’. Originally written for organ and orchestra, the First Symphony is presented here in its revised version (1926-28) for large orchestra. The six concise movements of Statements (1932-35) introduce a new style, their gritty soundscapes being stunning examples of what Copland later would refer to as ‘hard-bitten’ pieces. The concluding work is the expressive, fantastical Dance Symphony (1929) which explores different styles of symphonic movements, its dark aura a residue of its origin as a ballet on a grotesque vampire theme, composed 1922-25 and named Grohg. The symphony has remained a highly controversial piece ever since.

This much awaited recording offers keenly idiomatic performances of the most famous works by Grieg, played by the composer’s own orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, and its Chief Conductor, Edward Gardner. The drama and passion of such favourite pieces as the incidental music to Peer Gynt and the Piano Concerto are superbly captured in surround-sound with exemplary Chandos sound quality. Unlike most existing recordings, offering only the orchestral suites, this disc presents numerous extra excerpts from Peer Gynt, which follow the sequence of Henrik Ibsen‘s dramatic poem, including sections for the unique Norwegian 'Hardanger Fiddle’. Having collaborated with the orchestra on several occasions, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is the soloist in the Piano Concerto, a piece that stands out as a shining example of a single great thought captured and expressed in music. The power of this conception is evident throughout the concerto in the pianist’s faithful, yet highly romantic interpretation.

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REVIEW:

In the Piano Concerto, Gardner brings to the table flair, drive, and an almost Tchaikovskian lushness to the string sound, which matches well Bavouzet's commanding manner in the piano's opening flourish. Bavouzet bewitches in the slow movement, not just in the clarity of his lines but also in the sense of ebb and flow. He fully claims his status as a supreme virtuoso in the work's finale.

– Gramophone

This recording brings together some of Chandos’ greatest artists in a spellbinding programme. It follows performances that The Guardian described as ‘a thrilling show of ferocity and feistiness,’ given by the same forces in January at the Barbican. After widely acclaimed recordings of Walton’s and Lutoslawski’s violin concertos, Tasmin Little again joins the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner, in intensely expressive interpretations of the concertos by the Polish composers Karlowicz and Szymanowski. All were written within the space of a generation, and yet they belong to quite different worlds. One was composed at a time of national occupation, another in the throes of wartime, and yet another at a time of national renewal. The first inhabits the lyrical tradition developed by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, the second escapes towards Debussy and the exoticism of Mediterranean influences, while the third is imbued with the folk culture of the Tatra Mountains.

Inspiration for The Apostles came at an early age for Elgar who, as a child, was fascinated to learn about Christ’s disciples, ordinary men who witness the most extraordinary events. A commission from the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival gave him the opportunity to explore this theme and in 1903 Elgar wrote The Apostles, the first in a planned trilogy of works depicting the lives of Jesus’ disciples (the third, intended to follow The Kingdom, never materialised). A narrative work, it deals with the calling of the disciples and their experiences of Jesus’ preaching, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

An expansive oratorio, The Apostles calls for six soloists, lavish orchestration, and large chorus. Although often overshadowed by The Dream of Gerontius, written shortly before, it contains some of Elgar’s most inspired music, particularly in the dramatic portrayal of Judas and in the exalted, moving finale.

Richard Hickox, a true champion of British music, conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The two most prominent roles, Mary Magdalene and Judas, are sung by Alfreda Hodgson and Robert Lloyd, respectively. The recording also features an outstanding performance from a young Bryn Terfel as Peter. The set is released as part of the Richard Hickox Legacy series.

Well received when first released, these recordings are now issued as a two-CD set, available for the price of one full-price disc. These recordings were the works' premieres and are still considered by many to be first choice for the repertoire.

Classical Music

Bright and lively music from the Swedish composer Dag Wiren is unveiled here in surround-sound by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Rumon Gamba, only a few years after the completion of their Grammy-nominated and highly acclaimed series devoted to the neglected orchestral treasures of Vincent d’Indy. In this unique recording Gamba uses the large body of a full symphonic string section, rather than the somewhat smaller-scale chamber orchestra setup that has tended to be used for this music in the past. The effect is a more complete expression of the wit and strength of these works. Designed to ‘entertain and amuse,’ as the composer put it in a note, the widely popular Serenade for Strings is here given an even more brilliant and powerful touch. Other, lesser-known works on the album similarly showcase a composer of fascinating range, who could write light and humorous pieces such as the Sinfonietta and the lively Symphony No. 3, as well as powerful rhythmical, and serious works, of which the later Divertimento is an example.

The music on this disc has been researched and compiled in order to suggest the musical experience of the celebration of Christmas Mass at St Mark's, Venice in 1766. Filippo Maria Brressan and his forces have combined Galuppi's Gloria and Credo, both premiere recordings, with other vocal and instrumental pieces which may have been performed on such an occasion, creating a unique programme of interest to early music lovers and academics alike. Recorded in: Duomo Vecchio, Monselice, Italy 12-18 September 2002 Producer(s) Massimo Dal Santo Sound Engineer(s) Marco Lincetto

Classical Music

Five years after the highly-praised release of Volume 3, Sir Andrew Davis returns to his exploration of Holst’s orchestral works with the brilliant BBC Philharmonic, a series initiated almost ten years ago by the late Richard Hickox, then taken over by another expert in British repertoire.

This selection of orchestral works by Holst provides a remarkable overview of his career, ranging from such early works as A Winder Idyll – composed in 1897 when he was still studying at the Royal College of Music – to the Scherzo of a symphony on which he was working towards the end of his life. None of the music recorded here was published in his lifetime, and the Scherzo – rarely heard though it is – is the only work to have entered the repertoire. ‘A Moorside Suite’, originally written for brass band, is featured here in the composer's rarely heard arrangement for strings.

The young British cellist and Classical BRIT winner Guy Johnston is the soloist in Invocation, one of Holst’s most significant works, calling for a subtle balance of virtuosity and expressive qualities.

A broad and meticulous selection of orchestral works and concertos by Gerald Finzi is here matched by a first-class cast of soloists, supported by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Andrew Davis, expert in British repertoire and conducting this year’s Last Night of the Proms. Paul Watkins displays exhilarating virtuosity in the Cello Concerto, a central work on this album, composed in the wake of the devastating news that Finzi was terminally ill, but yet filled with ‘vigorous, almost turbulent thematic material’, as he wrote in the programme note for the work’s premiere at the Cheltenham Music Festival in 1955. Louis Lortie, for his part, tackles the high-spirited and majestic Grand Fantasia and Toccata, the Fantasia originally conceived as part of a concerto for piano and strings and first performed on two pianos. This contrasts with the more restrained Eclogue for Piano and Strings, timeless, and blessed with a mood of benediction. This album also features the orchestral Nocturne (subtitled ‘New Year Music’), dark, misty, and at times ironic.

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REVIEW:

Sir Andrew Davis’s feeling for the composer’s sensitive, harmonically conservative language is abundantly clear in these vivid readings with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Soloists too are well chosen. Cellist Paul Watkins proves a master of expressing powerful feelings through the prism of British reserve. Admirers of Finzi’s music can buy without hesitation.

– BBC Music Magazine