The pianist Zlata Chochieva is well known for creating unexpected associations. In "Chiaroscuro", her first album for naive (V7542, 2022), she had combined the worlds of Scriabin and Mozart, in whom she hears not only the same desire for clarity and weightlessness but also a similar poetic sense of rhetoric. Her next album ("i'm Freien", V7959, 2023), a homage to nature, revealed alongside Ravel's Miroirs and Schumann's Waldszenen a short cycle, so little known and graceful (Petite Histoire), by Felix Draeseke! No wonder she is now offering us, for her first album with orchestra, one of the most obscure works of Russian Romanticism, the Piano Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakov. Written in 1883 in memory of Franz Liszt, whose two opuses in the genre strongly influenced the author of Scheherazade, this Concerto, with it's monothematic structure, built on a Russian folk theme, had greatly impressed Balakirev, who was surprised to hear such an idiomatically written soloist part, from a composer who was not a pianist himself. At the age of fourteen, Zlata Chochieva had played the work under the direction of Mikhail Pletnev, then head of the Russian National Orchestra. This Concerto remains for her a "miracle of taste, poetry and inspiration". Her intelligent and limpid playing is ideally suited to the very delicate lyricism that Rimsky-Korsakov deploys throughout this astonishing score full of numerous and subtle contrasts. At the heart of this recording, where Zlata Chochieva is joined by the musicians of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the German conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens, surges the merciless ardor of Sergei Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto. In a departure from the stormy way in which this formidable score (for the fingers) is generally approached by pianists, Zlata Chochieva prefers a certain sense of phantasmagoria, rightly recalling that Prokofiev, as a spiritual disciple of Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, enjoyed stories, old Russian fairy tales and legends. After this, we have a total change of atmosphere with the Jazz Suite for piano and orchestra by Alexander Tsfasman which concludes the album. An eminent disciple of Felix Blumenfeld, an incredibly talented pianist, to whom Shostakovich intended piano part of one of his film scores, Tsfasman introduced American jazz to the Soviet Union, and formed the first orchestra dedicated to the genre. In Russia, he premiered Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, a composer for whom he had the deepest admiration. A brilliantly written, comforting and sincere score, his Jazz Suite sometimes evokes the American composer but above all Hollywood and Soviet film scores. Not without a most contagious and mischievous pleasure, Zlata Chochieva and Karl-Heinz Steffens revel in it's ingenuous charms (Snowflakes). 17 July 2024

The new GENUIN CD, featuring a chamber music version of Mahler's 2nd Symphony, offers the listener a new and unusual perspective on this work of the century! Pianists Gregor Meyer and Walter Zoller, together with the Gewandhaus Choir under the direction of Frank-Steffen Elster, used the four-hand piano version of the Resurrection Symphony as a basis, which the legendary Bruno Walter had created around 1900, still under the watchful eye of Gustav Mahler. The radical nature of the piece and its harmonic and formal ventures come to light in this version as if placed under a magnifying glass. Annika Steinbach (soprano) and Henriette Gödde (alto), as well as Emanuel Mütze (trumpet), contribute to this extraordinary, top-notch listening experience!

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) was a cosmopolitan piano virtuoso who studied with C.P.E. Bach, lived and performed in one European capital after another in a tumultuous progress across the continent, and wrote huge quantities of eclectic music which has largely been forgotten. Dussek’s music for his own instrument may now be much better known than half a century ago – not least thanks to the first period-instrument edition of his piano sonatas, produced by Brilliant Classics – but he wrote almost 80 violin sonatas which also deserve revival as the product of a fluent and always inventive mind working on the cusp of eras we now identify as Classicism and Romanticism.

The three sonatas gathered here as Dussek’s Opus 1 were published around 1780. Each of them is cast in two movements: a lively Allegro in sonata form, followed by a Rondo or (in No.1) a set of variations, gentle and even meditative in character, in which Dussek’s originality shines through the occasional, recitative-like episodes. The six sonatas of Op.28 belong to the genre of ‘accompanied piano sonatas’ in which the musical substance is conceived principally for the keyboard instrument, with an obbligato melody instrument (such as the violin or flute) adding or doubling a top line if convenient. By the time he wrote them in 1795, Dussek had been a celebrity of London musical life for six years, having fled revolutionary Paris in a hurry. The dedication to ‘Miss Shaw’ refers to one of the daughters of the composer Thomas Shaw, and one may imagine the father on the violin accompanying and encouraging his daughter on the piano in Dussek’s vivid evocations of rural life and the lively march of a tin-soldier regiment.

Dussek’s sonatas are played here in new recordings by the German duo of Julia Huber and Miriam Altmann in polished and historically informed performances, using an authentic 1780 fortepiano. Huber has worked with German period-instrument ensembles such as L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, La Stagione Frankfurt and the Collegium Cartusianum in Cologne.

Schubert called Winterreise a cycle of "truly terrible songs," not only for it's immersive and dark subject matter but also for the compositional process itself. It is the Mount Everest of Song cycles, a form that Schubert himself perfected. Written on poems by Wilhelm Muller (1794-1827), the songs describe a timeless tale of heartbreak: boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, boy is overcome by existential feelings and sets out on a solitary winter's journey that may result in his demise. But Schubert's genius would not allow him to be content with vapid superficialities: when Schubert set these poems to music, he was confronting his own probable fate, one of agonizing pain and isolation. An unforgettable journey through one of the most powerful musical depictions of desolation Winterreise was originally composed for the tenor voice, but it has been frequently transposed to accommodate the whole gamut of vocal tessituras. Danish bass-baritone and musical scholar Jakob Bloch Jespersen has mastered a range of repertoire from Schutz to Schierbecks and well into the 21st century. His burnished resonance and restrained sensitivity well serve this existential Schubertiade. His partner, fortepianist Sharon Prushansky brings her expertise in music of the Classical and early Romantic eras, utilizing the full panoply of pianistic Affekt available to her on Robert Brown's 2015 instrument after an original by Jakob Bertsche (ca. 1810-1815). Particularly noteworthy to this instrument are it's six pedals, which serve the purpose of changing the quality and colour of the sound, including the infamous "bassoon stop!" A third, silent partner also contributes to this extraordinary production: the haunting, sepia-toned landscapes by the great Danish photographer, Tove Kurtzweil. Together, Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Sharon Prushansky take you on an unforgettable journey through one of the most powerful musical depictions of desolation this side of Mahler!

He Cavatina Duo-renowned Bosnian guitarist Denis Azabagic and Spanish flutist Eugenia Moliner-collaborates with the Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet on River of Fire, an album featuring world-premiere recordings of five original compositions that bridge classical traditions and Gypsy influences. The works, composed for the duo by Sergio Assad, Stacy Garrop, Clarice Assad, Mattew Dunne, and Atanas Ourkouzounov, draw on the music and history of the Romani diaspora, weaving a narrative of migration, displacement, and resilience. The Cavatina Duo is committed to innovation and cultural exploration with a deep understanding of historical influences, from Balkan and Spanish Gypsy music to Indian classical traditions, emphasizing an East-to-West and West-to-East exchange, echoing Gypsy music's historic migration. Each movement of Garrop's Romani Songs explores a different aspect of Romani music, including an original arrangement of Ederlezi, a traditional Romani song depicting the changing of seasons. Garrop was inspired by Romani dancers and her work, performed with cellist Brandon Vamos, incorporates clapping, stomping, and the guitar as percussion. Violinist Simin Ganatra joins in Sergio Assad's Contos Ciganos, a work that encapsulates musical influences from global cultures that permeate the Romani sound. It follows the historical dissemination of the Romani people from the traditional dances of India's Punjab region to Gelem Gelem, a Romani anthem inspired by the unique cultural blend found in northeastern Brazil. Ourkouzounov's Raga Ibraima blends Balkan and Romani musical influences with the traditional Indian raga. This piece pays homage to Ivo Papazov, a Bulgarian-Romani clarinetist who garnered international recognition for bringing his unique musical heritage to "wedding band" music in Stambolovo, Bulgaria. Dunne composed Three Artisans in memory of flutist Tal Perkes. It's three movements-The Painter, The Architect, and The Flute Player-acknowledge Perkes's life pursuits while weaving in European jazz, Flamenco, and Romani musical influences. The Pacifica Quartet joins for Grammy Award-nominated Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad's Uma Mesma Outra Lenda. The work depicts four scenes following the Romani experience of being in constant motion, the fleeting comfort of temporary homes, and the anxiety of instability. River of Fire was produced and engineered by the Grammy-winning team of James Ginsburg and Bill Maylone. The album was recorded on January 4-5 and June 5-6, 2024 in Auer Hall at Indiana University Bloomington.

From Renaissance Spain to 21st century Denmark, On a Ground is a musical journey across time and traditions, centered around one of music's most universal elements: the ground bass. Celebrated recorder virtuosa Michala Petri and renowned Japanese baroque harpist Marie Nishiyama unite to explore the expressive power of this timeless form. Recorded, after a concerttour i Japan, including Suntory Hall, and just before the global lockdown at Chichibu Muse Park in Japan, the album presents intimate and evocative interpretations of works by Diego Ortiz, Alessandro Marcello, J.S. Bach, Erik Satie, and contemporary Danish composer Lars Hannibal, among others. The duo's collaboration reveals the meditative beauty and subtle intricacies of their ancient instruments. From the iconic Greensleeves and baroque gems to lyrical modern compositions, On a Ground is a graceful, immersive listening experience rooted in shared artistry and a deep respect for musical heritage. Recorded December 2019, Chichibu Muse Park, Japan in the DXD format by Hironori Kosaka (OMF).

Rupert Boyd writes: “This is an album of love. But also of despair. And some things in between. Largely conceived, arranged, rehearsed and recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, Songs of Love & Despair contains the music that we were drawn to during this time -- a time of unprecedented stillness and solitude, traveling at most a few miles from our home for months on end. As a married couple we were fortunate to be able to play music together every day, and this collection of repertoire is half love, half longing; from the delicate beauty of Debussy and the joyousness of Boccherini, to the anguish of Messiaen and heartbreaking Appalachian folk songs, which tell the stories of love, life and loss. The album is a testament to this time, and we welcome you to join us as we traverse the emotions that have enveloped us all.” The album encompasses music from Luigi Boccherini to The Beatles to Beyoncé, from Franz Schubert to Florence B. Price to Radiohead.

REVIEW:

Guitarist Rupert Boyd and his wife, cellist Laura Metcalf, have released their second recording and it includes transcriptions of well-known pieces such as Debussy’s ‘Arabesque No. 1’ with delicately articulated arpeggios by the guitar providing a graceful accompaniment to the lyrical cello melody. Schubert’s ‘Gretchen am Spinnrade’ is delivered fluidly with deep romantic passion in an arrangement by Napoleon Coste (1805–83).

‘A New York Minute’ by Marian Budos, is bursting with energy and close coordination between the two players. Metcalf’s sense of drama and razor-sharp intonation combine to achieve a powerful delivery.

Two arrangements by Lennon and McCartney are pleasantly performed and would be crowd pleasers in concert.

The recorded tone of each of the two instruments is realistic, but the cello is somewhat overpowering on some tracks.

Liner notes are informative and entertaining. All in all, this is an effective project, mixing known works with the new ones—always a plus!

-- American Record Guide (Jim McCutchen)

Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) releases the penultimate volume of an acclaimed project to record Mozart’s complete works for keyboard and orchestra.

This volume includes Mozart’s Concerto No. 7 for Three Pianos and Orchestra, performed here uniquely on three different types of keyboard instruments: by Robert Levin (tangent piano), Ya-Fei Chuang (fortepiano) and Laurence Cummings (harpsichord).

It follows the release of the same concerto in Mozart’s own arrangement for two keyboards (Vol. 11) and is joined on this album by two other Piano Concertos composed in Salzburg in the early months of 1776.

The hardback CD package is accompanied by comprehensive notes commissioned specially for the album.

For her 24th recording for Cedille Records, violinist Rachel Barton Pine joins forces with period instrument specialists David Schrader, John Mark Rozendaal, and Brandon Acker to record Arcangelo Corelli's seminal set of 12 Violin Sonatas, Op. 5. "An exciting, boundary-defying performer" (Washington Post), Pine has been described as "a most accomplished Baroque violinist, fully the equal of the foremost specialists" (Gramophone). Known for her versatility across a vast repertoire - from Renaissance to heavy metal - she has studied period performance practice extensively and performs on the viola d'amore, renaissance violin, and medieval rebec. She has appeared as soloist with Apollo's Fire, the Seattle and Indianapolis Baroque Orchestras, Baroque Band, and Ars Antigua, and has performed concertos with Nicholas McGegan, Jeannette Sorrell, and Frans Bruggen. Published in 1700, Corelli's Twelve Violin Sonatas are foundational in the evolution of both the sonata and concerto forms. This recording explores these compositions through a historically informed approach, utilizing an array of period instruments, each chosen to enhance the expressive nuances of Corelli's music. Reflecting the era's experimental spirit, the ensemble embraces the interpretative freedom suggested by Corelli's original scores. Schrader alternates between organ and harpsichord, Rozendaal between violoncello and viola da gamba, and Acker performs on theorbo, archlute, and baroque guitar. Pine, inspired by the versatility of her colleagues, performs the famous "Follia" variations (Sonata No. 12) on an original-condition Gagliano viola d'amore, exploring this rarely used instrument in an authentic historical context. Corelli: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, was produced and engineered by the Grammy-winning team of James Ginsburg and Bill Maylone. It was recorded on February 21, 23, and 25, 2024 and April 29-May 2, 2024, at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, IL.

Music is NOT that which sounds. Music is WHY that which sounds, sounds like it sounds - WHEN it sounds. The above quote by legendary Finnish conductor and larger-than-life composer Leif Segerstam neatly and - in typical Segerstam fashion - cryptically summarizes his philosophy on music, as wells as his unique approach to why music matters. It was felt by and intrigued anyone who was lucky enough to work with him, and it fuelled every aspect of his work in Aarhus, first as principal guest conductor (2018-21) and later honorary conductor (2021-22) for the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. It is also evident in the recordings you have before you, the last ones made before his passing in October 2024. "This man has more music in his little finger than many conductors have in their whole body" is a popular quote by one of the orchestra's musicians, and it aptly describes the feelings of electricity and passion that ran through rehearsals with Leif. There is no doubt that music was everything - and in everything - of Segerstam's life.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was widely known for his passionate, incomparable improvisations on the clavichord, most characteristically in the form of free fantasia. His compositions were unique in style, full of contrasts, and universally admired by several generations; the Vienna Classicists, even Beethoven and Schubert, considered him their musical father. Declamatory, improvisatory style is of course the epitaph of all 18th-century music – exemplified in Johann Sebastian Bach's Chromatic Fantasia BWV903, with its central recitative and broken chords audaciously passing through distant harmonies. Johann Nikolaus Forkel, author of the first Bach biography and part of C.P.E. Bach’s literary circles, transmitted a refined version in his manuscript (P 212) and subsequent edition that may derive from a revised original version once in possession of the Bach sons. C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia in C minor (published in 1753) bears distinct similarities to his father’s Fantasia chromatica, and it has been suggested that it may in fact have been a tombeau to the elder Bach. The deep personal nature and connection between the two works is explicit. For Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the ‘Bachists’, the most expressive and intimate compositions were reserved for the clavichord. It was in the clavichord that one might ‘find the soundboard of your heart. … Have no regrets when alone under the moonlight you improvise, or refresh your soul on a summer night, or when you celebrate a spring evening; ah! then pine not for the strident harpsichord. See, your clavichord breathes as gently as your heart.’ (Ch.F.D. Schubart: Musikalische Rhapsodien III, 1786) Charles Burney, who visited C.P.E. Bach in Hamburg in 1772, described the composer improvising at his legendary clavichord, built by Gottfried Silbermann: ‘He grew so animated and possessed that he not only played but looked like one inspired. His eyes were fixed, his lower lip fell, and drops of effervescence distilled from his countenance.’ The original 18th-century instruments heard on this recording – from Regensburg, Stockholm and Vienna – demonstrate possibilities the like of which would have been known to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Berlin and Hamburg and ultimately derive from the Saxon school of G. Silbermann.

Maria Herz, nee Bing, was born in 1878 in Cologne. By the 1920s, she became to be recognized as a dynamic element of the contemporary music scene. New music's 'chief theoretician', Theodor W. Adorno, became interested in her works and their style, which was rooted in Late Romanticism and aimed at Modernism by way of Expressionism, New Objectivity, and Neo-Baroque, all while retaining it's playful, charming air. She was close to a veritable Who's-Who of contemporary musicians, including the Budapest String Quartett, Gregor Piatigorsky, Emanuel Feuermann, Hermann Abendroth, Otto Klemperer, and Hans Rosbaud. In her lifetime, only five songs (1910) and a transcription of Bach's Chaconne for string quartet (1927) were published, but all her 30 orchestral works, solo concertos, chamber music pieces, and art songs have survived in manuscripts. The Nazis seized her family's assets and forced Maria Herz to emigrate, first to England, and, after the war, to the United States where she lived with her children and died in 1950, in New York.

The guitar works on this album are by two towering figures of Catalan music – pianist Federico Mompou and cellist Gaspar Cassadó. Both shared a friendship with Andrés Segovia who inspired these pieces. Performed by Italian guitarist Eugenio Della Chiara.

Wally B. Seck, Senegalese superstar with more than 5M subscribers, has established himself as one of his homeland's major artists over the years; alongside the likes of Youssou NDour. He now presents "I Wanna Be Free", a powerful, unifying album that will undoubtedly become a landmark of international pop music. He's the enfant terrible of contemporary Senegalese music. Wally B. Seck has nearly 400 million views on his Youtube channel, 5 million subscribers on his various social networks, and is making a name for himself as a favorite in the hearts of the Senegalese people.

The son of Senegalese singer Thione Ballago Seck, the young artist is appealing not only to his father's fans, but to the new generation, who knew little of the patriarch. Born on April 27, 1985 in Dakar, Senegal, Wally initially envisaged a career in soccer in France, London and Italy. Although this career never really took off, Wally started out in music with the Raam Daan group in Senegal. After that, everything went very fast for the young man trained by his father, who is also his mentor. He's not afraid of anything and never stops provoking. For Fatim O', a culture journalist with Groupe Futur Médias, Wally Ballago Seck is the "Justin Bieber of Senegal".

He owes his success to his notoriety and showman status, in the image of the American stars with whom he constantly identifies. In February 2011, Wally was one of 5 artists nominated for the Sunu Music Awards, alongside Viviane N'Dour and Didier Awadi. On September 4, 2012, Wally released his second album entitled Louné (Tout). A confirmation album featuring 8 tracks, this enabled him to reach out to new audiences. In the record, he generally tackles themes of love and promotes Senegalese griots, a caste from which he himself hails. Since then, Wally B. Seck has established himself as one of his country's leading artists, alongside the likes of Youssou NDour, and is aiming for international success with his forthcoming album "I Wanna Be Free", due for release in 2023.

The multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet continues its highly acclaimed recording series that explores the sounds of America with an album comprising string quartets incorporating elements of American folk music and spirituals by Anton Dvořák, Florence Price, and Louis Gruenberg, plus a new work by James Lee III.

Praised by The Telegraph as "nothing short of phenomenal,” Pacifica is known for its “remarkable expressive range and tonal beauty” (New York Times). With a career spanning nearly three decades, Pacifica has established itself as the embodiment of the senior American quartet sound.

Dvořák's String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, “American” draws influence from the colorful sonic world of his American experiences; from the American spiritual, indigenous folk songs, to sounds evocative of American songbirds and rhythms reminiscent of American trains.

Florence Price was inspired by Dvořák's focus on American folk music in his “New World” Symphony, and while her String Quartet No. 1 in G Major does not explicitly reference specific folk influences, the origins for many of her original melodies and musical colors can be traced directly to the folk songs that she heard in her native Little Rock, Arkansas.

Louis Gruenberg, influenced by his time as a student in New York City when Dvořák served as director of the National Conservatory, wrote Four Diversions for String Quartet, Op. 32 infusing the traditional string quartet with the quintessential sounds and style of Prohibition-era America.

Praised by The Washington Post for his “bright, pure music,” James Lee III’s Pitch In for quartet and children’s choir — receiving its world premiere recording — features Chicago’s Uniting Voices conducted by Josephine Lee. The work incorporates American folk motifs and pentatonic scales echoing the essence of American Spirituals and Dvořák’s "American" Quartet; Pitch In is set to Sylvia Dianne Beverly's poem of the same title that addresses global poverty and food insecurity.

REVIEW:

American Voices, Pacifica Quartet’s fourteenth recording for Cedille Records, upholds the high standard of its 2021 Grammy Award-winning Contemporary Voices. With respect to set-list, violinists Simin Ganatra and Austin Hartman, violist Mark Holloway, and cellist Brandon Vamos have made a wise choice in augmenting works by Antonín Dvorák, Florence Price, and Louis Gruenberg with a thought-provoking new one by James Lee III. Melody factors heavily when the string quartets integrate elements of American folk music and spirituals into their frameworks, the result a recording of strong and immediate appeal. Even Lee III’s Pitch In, scored for quartet and children’s choir, includes an earnestly intoned theme, “People are hungry, yet people continue to waste food,” that stays with you long after the album ends. Any group that celebrates its thirtieth anniversary by forging boldly into the future with exciting new projects and partnerships is clearly not suffering from creative exhaustion.

— Textura

In celebration of Earth Day, Cedille Records releases the world premiere recording of Stacy Garrop’s monumental oratorio Terra Nostra, “a spellbinding dive into the history of the planet” (Chicago Classical Review). Terra Nostra explores the relationship between humanity and Earth, and how humankind can re-establish a harmonious balance.

Stacy Garrop‘s music is characterized by its lyricism and vivid storytelling. She has been described by the Chicago Tribune as “one of Chicago’s most keenly sensitive composers” and praised by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for musicthat “excites the enthusiasm of performers and audiences alike,” while the Detroit Free Press remarks, “she has “asharp ear for instrumental color and narrative form: She can tell a story.” Declared an “oratorio that embraces the whole world” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Garrop’s tour de force is aninterconnected musical narrative presented in three parts: Creation of the World, The Rise of Humanity, and Searchingfor Balance. The multifarious text weaves together creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt, excerpts from the Bible’s Old Testament, classic poetry from Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and contemporary writings by Esther Iverem and Wendell Berry, among others.

Terra Nostra is performed by soloists soprano Michelle Areyzaga, mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter, tenor Jesse Donner, and bass-baritone David Govertsen, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Alice Millar Chapel Choir,
and Chicago’s Uniting Voices, all led by acclaimed conductor Stephen Alltop.

These are works by Makkonen, Bartok, Bach, Semionov, Lukes, Kovac Galliano, Hermosa, Messiaen inspired by dance and folk music performed by Anna Paulova and Jiri Lukes

Rare Italian Madrigals Composers from the upper drawer number several well-known names (music quality increasing a lot over the century), among them principally Giaches de Wert (1535-1596), Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), and, not least, Luca Marenzio (1553-1599), to whom the present CD is entirely devoted. In his rather short lifespan, he managed to write about 500 madrigals between 1580 and 1599. In those two decades, his music developed immensely, reaching it's climax in the last ten years of his life. Though continuing to satisfy his great popular following with loads of small, lighthearted songs, Marenzio excelled also in writing ambitious madrigal cycles, of which two are recorded here: Baci soavi e cari (five 6-part madrigals describing several aspects of kissing) and, maybe his magnum opus, Capitolo - Se quel dolor (ten 6-part madrigals delving into one of the period's favourite subjects: melancholia).

A unique recital on record, for a hauntingly beautiful instrumental combination, featuring several first recordings. The duo of trumpet and organ is a wellestablished one, having attracted composers from the early Baroque period onwards. The combination of flute and organ, while requiring careful balancing so that the organ does not overwhelm the flute, is no less attractive in its way, and has drawn from composers a more varied palette of expression. This new album is made by a duo of Piedmontese musicians who have explored the riches of the flute-and-organ repertoire to come up with a balanced selection of pieces written by 20th- and 21st-century composers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Duo Les Brumes begin with an undoubted masterpiece: the Sonata da Chiesa which the Swiss composer Frank Martin originally composed in 1939 for viola d'amore and organ. Because his Dutch wife Maria Boeke was an excellent flautist, he also produced a version for flute and organ in 1941. The sonata’s three sections enclose a sequence of gentle, neoclassical dance movements between two reflective slow movements. The album’s other substantial work is Ain Karim, a fantasia composed in 1995 by the Swiss
organist-composer Daniel Roth. Aïn Karim is the name of the place near Jerusalem where Mary, mother of Jesus, is thought to have visited her cousin Elisabeth and spoken the words of the ‘Magnificat’. Daniel Roth has taken part of this text ('He puts down the mighty from their seat and exalts the humble and meek') to emphasise the contrast between the ‘small’ flute and the ‘monumental’ organ. In between, Duo Les Brumes present a gallery of vividly coloured miniatures: a suite of Four Pieces composed in 1962 by the Austrian composer Augustin Franz Kropfreiter (1936-2003), within the same kind of ‘modern neoclassical’ vein as Martin’s Sonata da Chiesa; then Five Pieces by Jean Langlais, more extrovert in character. Two Canadian composers are also represented with the radiant, soaring Melodia by Denis Bédard and the Elegy by Michael Conway Baker.

When the music of Nikolai Kapustin was discovered by a wider audience in the West, it was positively shocking: Who was this Soviet (!) composer, whose music sounded more like an Oscar Peterson improvisation than anything else – but who wrote detailed scores, black with notes?! As we discover more and more of his music (and there’s so much more yet to discover!), a very distinct, always wholly charming voice emerges, whether in a freewheeling outright-jazzy work like his Concerto for 2 Pianos and Percussion, the more symphonic Fifth Piano Concerto, or the frisky Sinfonietta which transports us into a smoky 1940s bar in Manhattan.

REVIEWS:

Pianist Frank Dupree, with his stupendous pianistic bravura, his glowing personal commitment, and ultimately his standard-setting recordings, allows us to understand Kapustin's genius in all its stylistic range.

The Fifth Piano Concerto Op. 72, written in 1993 for the pianist Nikolai Petrov, is characterized by incredible virtuosity. The stylistic parallels to the US music tradition and in particular to George Gershwin, are emphasized again and again.

Second on the album is a later work by the composer, namely the Concerto for 2 Pianos and Percussion Op. 104 from 2002. Is it presumptuous to interpret this glittering, entertaining, exuberantly celebrating life and yet formally quite concise piece as a hymn to freedom. From a purely musical point of view, a real event can be reported: Frank Dupree and the equally young Adrian Brendle form Kapustin's exuberant concert session in swirling concordance with the percussionists Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne and Franz Bach under the musical direction of Dominik Beykirch and the stylish Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra to an impasto big band sound full of wispy shooting star sounds.

The album concludes with the Sinfonietta for Piano Four Hands Op. 49 with the movements Overture, Allegro; Slow Waltz, Larghetto; Intermezzo, Allegretto and Rondo, Presto. Commissioned by the Soviet Ministry of Culture in 1987, the “little symphony” was first set for an orchestral version, and is performed here in an arrangement by the composer for piano four hands. The two mood cannons Dupree and Brendle swept across the keyboard like a roaring whirlwind, doing bella figura in the languid three-four bar slow waltz, before escorting us out of the album into the silence with intricate rhythms and a furious finale.

-- Merker Online (Germany)

Following her lyrical and witty complete recording of Mozart’s Keyboard Sonatas, issued by naïve in March 2023, Yeol Eum Son invites Svetlin Roussev to join her in enfolding himself in the enticingly subtle harmonic intricacies of Germanic post- Romanticism.

For their second recital as a duo, the Bulgarian violinist and the Korean pianist follow the course taken by works written over a period of slightly more than half a century by composers or famous performers upon whom Richard Wagner exercised crucial influence. They take on almost every genre – cinema, opera, chamber music, transcription – treating it in the lyrical, large-scale manner of the Bayreuth master. During their unexpected, fascinating journey, Svetlin Roussev and Yeol Eum Son chart a variety of pathways, from Waxman to Strauss.

So many different worlds! To begin, two figures who made their indelible mark on the music written for Hollywood. Of German-Polish origins, in 1946 Franz Waxman (Rebecca, Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun, Prince Valiant) wrote, at Jascha Heifetz’s request, a paraphrase on themes from Wagner’s Tristan et Isolde, actually an adaptation of a section of the score he composed for the film Humoresque (Warner Brothers, 1947). In summary, a manifesto in music of an impossible love – to which, at the end of the disc, an extremely rare transcription one of the better known Wesendonck-Lieder, credited to the great virtuoso Leopold Auer, forms a response.

The programme continues with Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a child prodigy in Vienna during the 1910s. The famed Mariettas Lied – the best-known moment in his opera Die tote Stadt – and the sublime nocturne from his incidental music for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (the Scene in the Garden) remain as much moments of lyric intensity as truly cinematographic, deliciously intoxicating love scenes. But lovers also know how to frolic, and if already in Korngold they readily do so, the three more light-hearted pieces by Fritz Kreisler will place them in everyday, commonplace scenarios, where laughing reigns.

The keystone of the programme is unarguably the magnificent Sonata for Violin and Piano that Richard Strauss composed in 1887. He was 23 years old, and still heavily influenced by Schumann and Brahms, even Grieg. Svetlin Roussev and Yeol Eum Son make its case with radiant commitment, sensitive to the spirit stirring in the young Richard, then already in love with the soprano Pauline de Ahna, who would become his wife.

Beyond Wagner, this highly original album above all celebrates that moment of falling in love when, overwhelmed, the heart quivers, to the point of being transformed.

At the heart of this album from the Gould Piano Trio is Schubert's Piano Trio in E-flat major, D. 929, a late masterpiece of emotional depth and formal ingenuity. Heard here in it's complete version, the finale restores the haunting B minor passage, it's circling piano figures echoing Der Leiermann, while the Andante's cello theme weaves through the work like a recurring memory. Alongside it is the youthful Piano Trio in B-flat major, D. 28 - fresh, lyrical, and full of promise, whilst Schubert Dances - a charming new suite of waltzes, Landler and Deutscher arranged for piano trio by Brian Newbould, completes the programme and showcases Schubert's lighter side. Together, these works chart a compelling path from teenage inspiration to late-style mastery.

Clarinetist Anthony McGill and violinist Rachel Barton Pine are featured soloists on a new recording of two concertos composed in response to societal injustices by Syrian composer Malek Jandali, performed by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and led by Marin Alsop, a champion of the composer’s work.

Malek Jandali, called “deeply enigmatic” by Gramophone, has been praised for writing “heart-rending melodies, lush orchestration, clever transitions and creative textures” (American Record Guide). His repertoire, which ranges from chamber music to large scale orchestral works, integrates Middle-Eastern modes into Western classical forms and harmony. Rachel Barton Pine, “an exciting, boundary-defying performer” (The Washington Post), performs Jandali’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2014), a work that honors “all women who thrive with courage” according to the composer. Jandali’s concerto is in recognition of the women of Syria, continuing his aim to preserve the cultural heritage of his homeland.

The Violin Concerto incorporates Syrian melodies and idioms into Jandali’s Western-inspired harmonies and forms. Jandali calls upon an array of Syrian and Arabic music forms and folk melodies including multiple sama’i and bashraf (instrumental pieces), and longa (dances), from different maqam (modes). He also makes use of the oud (Arabic lute) in his symphonic scoring to infuse the work with the authentic sound and feeling of Syria. A particularly notable sama’i inspired by traditional Syrian folk music from the area along the Silk Road Is used for a “Women’s Theme.” This theme is representative of the folk music that is a source of comfort and healing for unjustly detained, peaceful Syrian activists and other women and mothers living in fear.

Jandali’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (2021) is dedicated to its performer Anthony McGill (“the total package… stylish, passionate and limitlessly fluent on the clarinet,” Bachtrack), “in memory of all victims of injustice.” McGill says of the work, ”In the midst of the pain and the violence and injustice in the world all we are left with is the ability to pour our hearts and our souls into something more beautiful, into something more powerful, so it can communicate throughout all time and live on.” Like all of Jandali’s works, the clarinet concerto is infused with ancient themes from Jandali’s homeland as a means of preservation. Jandali explores variations on themes from old and traditional Syrian musical forms and modalities, with striking musical effects and wide ranging highs and lows in the orchestral writing.

Watch our Live Roundtable with Marin Alsop, Malek Jandali and Anthony McGill!

REVIEW:

The soloists shine, and Alsop and her Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra accompany them faithfully through every mood.

Jandali’s Violin Concerto has a long and thoughtful opening moment, an introspective middle section and a dancelike finale. He uses the Arabic oud in conversation with the violin, as plaintive voices crying out with dignity and restraint. (Kudos to oud soloist Bassam Halaka.) And maybe that buoyant feeling in the finale represents not exuberance but defiance, as a protest against suppression.

The 25-minute clarinet concerto operates mostly on a mysterious plane, one we associate more obviously with Arabic elements. Some of the subtle, sinuous playing and percussive rhythms would not be out of place in a good Hollywood soundtrack – that’s a compliment – as Jandali slowly brings us into his sound world.

-- WDAV (Classical Public Radio, 89.9FM, Lawrence Toppman)

Luminous, sublime, joyful. The soundscapes and emotions captured in the latest disc from Somerville College Choir abound with light. In this curated selection of music from the Indian subcontinent, you will find a vibrant expression of what might be called the living Indian Choral tradition. As plural and changing as light within a prism, the album moves from the fluid harmonies of a Konkani wedding song to deep somatic meditations inspired by the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, from Hindi secular poetry associated with the changing seasons to a whole-choir explosion of joyful rhythmic syllables in Reena Esmail's virtuosic raga exposition. In this humble tribute to the monumental tapestry of Indian classical music, the Somerville College Choir gives the oldest expression yet of it's aspiration to embrace musical styles far beyond the liturgical canon.

The first Scottish opera. The first ballad opera. A pastoral masterpiece which was ubiquitous on London and Edinburgh stages throughout the eighteenth century. Allan Ramsay's "The Gentle Shepherd" is perhaps the most important work from the British Isles that you've never heard of! Peasants Peggy and Patie plan to wed, but when their liege Sir William Worthy returns from fighting for a noble cause, he upends their lives by revealing Patie's birthright. Will true love prevail? Brilliantly realized by Makaris-specialists in the music of galant-era Scotland-"The Gentle Shepherd" finally receives it's first recording in 2025, on the 300th anniversary of it's initial publication.