Classical Music

First some housekeeping. This version of the suite from The Cunning LIttle Vixen is allegedly the “final” edition prepared by Charles Mackerras, consisting largely of the Talich score (that is, most of Act 1) but with Janácek’s original orchestration restored. According to Janácek scholar John Tyrrell, who wrote the otherwise comprehensive notes, Mackerras planned to conduct the “final” version of his edition, but his death intervened and it was only premiered at his memorial concert in 2010. What Tyrrell does not make clear is that Mackerras played and recorded his “almost final” version of the suite with the Czech Philharmonic for Supraphon. It differs in no major way from that offered here. So if you think that this recording features something new, it doesn’t, for the most part.

That said, this release represents an auspicious beginning to a new series of Janácek orchestral works. Gardner really is a good conductor. He plays the Sinfonietta swiftly and, happily, without an inappropriate effort to polish the music’s rough edges. There are a couple of quirky touches. The second movement starts quickly and then settles down to a marginally slower tempo for the rest. The fourth movement, too, after those two sudden eruptions towards the end, is taken very slowly for the last appearances of the main theme. I’m not sure that I like it because it sits oddly with the overall spunky tenor of the performance, but it’s not wrong, and it may improve on repetition.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet plays a mean Capriccio, another swift performance, especially in the third movement, which the brass handle with aplomb. This is such a weird piece that you can do almost anything with it (or to it) and have it come out successfully, but Bavouzet’s fluidity in the spiky solo part, and the excellence of the ensemble generally, disarm criticism. Finally, Mackerras’ version of the Vixen suite is surely the way to play it, and Gardner doesn’t put a foot wrong. The SACD sonics are quite good–occasionally a touch low level, perhaps, but that’s easily remedied.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Recorded in: Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2 & 3 July 2000 (String Quartet), 20 December 2000 (Hier ist Friede), 21 December 2000 (Four Pieces), 6-8 February 2001 (Lyric Suite), 21 November 2001 (Adagio) Producer(s) Bob Zimmerman (String Quartet, Lyric Suite) Henk Guittart (Hier ist Friede, Adagio) Janneke van der Meer (Four Pieces) Sound Engineer(s) Adriaan Verstijnen

Includes work(s) by Mark-Anthony Turnage. Ensemble: B. B. C. Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Leonard Slatkin. Soloists: Evelyn Glennie, Peter Erskine, Christian Lindberg, Timothy [horn] Brown, Michael Murray, Christopher Larkin, Andrew Antcliff.

Recorded in: St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London 16&17 December 1988 Producer(s) Brian Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Ralph Couzens Richard Lee [Assistant]

Neeme Järvi is back conducting the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in the third volume in Chandos' series devoted to the orchestral works of the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen. They are joined on this recording by Ragnhild Hemsing on Norway's national instrument, the Hardanger fiddle, and by Marianne Thorsen on violin. Johan Halvorsen was a highly prominent figure in Norway's musical life during the first decades of the twentieth century, and the works on this CD are all performed by the orchestra that he himself conducted in the 1890s. Volumes 1 and 2 have both been CD of the Week on Classic FM radio, and of the latter, Classic FM said: '[Halvorsen's] music is distinctive, expertly written, endlessly tuneful and thoroughly engaging... every phrase pulsates with charm and energy, making even the simplest of gestures feel like musical gold.' Halvorsen wrote substantial amounts of music for dramas, but most of it was overshadowed by the success of Fossegrimen, which is one of the most performed dramas ever on the Norwegian stage. Described as a 'troll-play in four parts', Fossegrimen, by Sigurd Eldegard, had its premier in January 1905. On this occasion, Halvorsen was not just the composer and conductor, but also the soloist on the Hardanger fiddle, which for the first time in history was used as a solo instrument with symphony orchestra. Due to tight schedules, Halvorsen often reused earlier compositions when writing music for the stage. 'Danse visionnaire' - inspired by a poem by Arne Garborg and describing a dream vision of girls dancing in the moonlight - was one of these 'recycled works'. The piece was originally included in Fossegrimen, but later abandoned when Halvorsen realised that this would over time be regarded as one of his main works and as such demanded exclusively original music. 'Danse visionnaire', here recorded with the Suite from Fossegrimen for the first time, later gained great success in its own right, not least as ballet music for Norway's most celebrated ballerina in the 1910s, Lillebil Ibsen. Symphony No. 3 was described by Halvorsen himself as a 'lyrical symphony'. It includes the strong Grieg-motif in the first movement, and later scattered references to the First Symphony by Sibelius, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. Particularly unusual is Halvorsen's original use of glockenspiel (campanelli) in the Finale, which creates a striking effect. Eventually he reconsidered and crossed out this entire part from the score, perhaps for fear of the critics' reaction. However, for this recording, Neeme Järvi has chosen to restore the glockenspiel to the orchestra to recreate the sound of Halvorsen's original idea.

Both works performed from The Niels W. Gade Edition Recorded in: Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen 14-19 (Symphony No. 1) and 23 & 24 (Symphony No. 5) November 2001 Producer(s) Chris Hazell Sound Engineer(s) Jørn Jacobsen

Classical Music

Classical Music

Recorded in: All Saints' Church, Petersham 15,16 December 1987 Producer(s) Martin Compton Sound Engineer(s) Trygg Tryggvason

Now first choice for this tale of sex and power – put out the ‘House Full’ signs

Performed “in the manner of an oratorio” (this was Lent 1744), Handel’s tragi-comedy of lust and ambition was far too depraved for contemporaries like Charles Jennens, who contemptuously dismissed it as “a baudy opera”. (A friend countered by dubbing it a “Bawdatorio”.) Today, of course, Semele is, with Giulio Cesare – another uninhibited celebration of the power of sex – the Handel work most likely to fill an opera house. Of a handful of previous recordings, none was entirely satisfying, though Gardiner’s 1981 Erato set might have been if had not cut around 40 minutes of music. Which makes this new version – complete save for an aria for Cupid that Handel later pilfered for Hercules – all the more welcome.

Christian Curnyn understands the unique tinta of this gorgeous score, and directs his spruce period band with a nice blend of nonchalant elegance and dramatic energy. Tempi are shrewdly judged, rhythms light and supple, and recitatives tumble inevitably into arias. The tragic denouement in Act 3 has due weight and intensity, whether in the tenderly inflected accompanied recitatives for Jupiter and Semele, or the awed chorus of Thebans after the heroine’s incineration. As at the English National Opera, Rosemary Joshua, radiant of tone, dazzling in coloratura, makes Semele far more than an over-sexed airhead. She is trills ethereally in “The morning lark”, distils a drowsy, erotic languor in “O†sleep, why dost thou leave me?”, and ornaments her “mirror” aria, “Myself I shall adore”, with dizzy glee. She is imploring and fiery by turns in her exchanges with Jupiter, and brings real pathos to the haunting siciliano “Thus let my thanks be paid” and her sublime death scene. As Jupiter, Richard Croft fields a honeyed, sensuous tone (heard to advantage in a seductive “Where’re you walk”) and formidable agility, though he could learn a thing or two about diction from Gardiner’s Anthony Rolfe-Johnson.

Like Handel himself, Curnyn assigns the virago Juno and Semele’s gentle sister Ino to the same singer. Hilary Summers, a true, deep contralto, characterises both roles well, though in sheer bitchiness her Juno yields to Della Jones (Gardiner) and Marilyn Horne, on the variably cast DG recording conducted by John Nelson (where Kathleen Battle’s ultra-knowing, heavy-lidded Semele may be more to your taste than mine). Brindley Sherratt, with his oaky bass, offers vivid, witty cameos as Cadmus and Somnus, while Stephen Wallace sings Athamas’s arias with smooth tone and a nimble florid technique, though a suspicion remains that the role lies a bit low for him. With excellent recorded sound and balance, and an informative essay from David Vickers, this becomes a clear first choice for an ever-enticing work.

-- Richard Wigmore, Gramophone [1/2008]

Alive to the turns of the drama, pointed with panache.

I purposely do not include in the title above any description of what Semele is. The box for this set describes it as “A musical theatre entertainment in three acts based on a libretto by William Congreve”. This is certainly helpful, but ignores the fact that the first performance was given “after the manner of an oratorio” rather than as an opera. It is certainly not an oratorio but it is not certain that Handel expected it to be performed as an opera. There have indeed been many stage productions in recent years, although few that I have seen have added much to what can be seen in the mind’s eye in a good concert performance. It is this aspect that is the greatest strength of this recording. Although the soloists, with one crucial exception, are probably not the best to be heard on record, there is a real sense that all are strongly aware of the dramatic situations. They interact and strongly characterize their roles especially in the many accompanied recitatives and in the quartet and duets. As the libretto is not only in English this makes listening to this set like following an absorbing drama rather than the vocal divertissement that some recordings make of Handel’s dramatic works.

Another distinguishing characteristic of this performance is that it is complete, or at least contains everything performed at the first performance. That means that the short but delightful aria for Cupid in Act 2 – “Come, zephyrs, come” – is elided as Handel himself did for that performance. A pity that it was not included as an Appendix but it is good to have so much else that is often omitted, even if the sub-plot concerning Ino and Athamas does hold up Act 1 and comes as something of an anti-climax at the end.

None of the cast is inadequate, but Rosemary Joshua in the title role is superb, with exactly the right vocal colour and the ability to surmount all the vocal difficulties with apparent comfort and with a smile in the voice. Most of the other singers take more than one part. Hilary Summers seems at first somewhat colourless as Ino in Act 1, but it becomes clear that this is deliberate characterization when she enters with a wholly different kind of articulation and phrasing in Act 2 as Juno. She may lack the sheer contralto power of such singers as Della Jones as Juno but she shows that she understands what the fundamental character of the role is. Very soon I found myself enjoying her performance for what it is rather than regretting what it lacks. Similar considerations apply to Brindley Sherratt as Somnus and the pompous Cadmus. I am less happy about Richard Croft. He is always aware of the dramatic situation and makes Jupiter a more interesting character than has been the case on some other recordings. On the other hand his tone sounds somewhat tight and his singing lacks much in the way of charm. The other singers and the chorus are never less than adequate.

I suspect that much of the success of the performance is due to the efforts of Christian Curnyn and his fine period instrument orchestra. They are as alive as any of the singers to the turns of the drama, and point it with panache. It is this sense of a dramatic whole that is the key to this performance. Given that this is arguably the most interesting dramatically of all Handel’s dramatic works, this recording plays to that strength. Even if you have another recording of Semele this is worth hearing for the way that it presents the work as a dramatic whole.

-- John Sheppard, MusicWeb International

Recorded in: Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow 24-26 August 1986 Producer(s) Ralph Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Philip Couzens [Assistant]

A unique selection of sumptuously orchestrated works, some of them rarely recorded. Alongside well-known repertoire is the only available recording of the 'Neapolitan Song' in its orchestral version. Magnificently performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Vassily Sinaisky.

Classical Music

A fellow countryman of John Field's, Míceál O'Rourke performs on this 2-CD recital with intelligence and taste, much of the repertoire not otherwise available. A large amount of this music has the quiet charm one associates with the work of this delightful early-eighteenth century virtuoso Irish pianist and composer, and the collection includes all four surviving sonatas, complemented with a generous miscellany of rarely recorded or performed miniatures. Field was born a dozen years after Beethoven and these delightful pieces clearly show Beethoven's influence, as well as more than a hint of Mozart and Haydn. Nonetheless, they have a character of their own, especially in the innovative use of Irish folk tunes. For those who like piano music of the early nineteen century, this unusual repertoire will constitute a most enjoyable discovery. It makes an ideal introduction to Field's music as O'Rourke's stylish performances do full justice to the lovely melodies and general charm of the works.