In his second album for Willowhayne Records, virtuoso pianist Dominic John presents 24+1, a truly ground-breaking recording based on the ‘circle of fifths.’ From the power of Eduard Abramyan’s Prelude in F sharp minor to the poetry of John Ireland’s The Holy Boy, 25 composers extending across 2 centuries of music are represented in this unique musical journey that is sure to delight the listener. Dominic’s pianism has won him several prizes, including First Prize in the 22nd Brant International Piano Competition, British Music Society Awards, RCM Chappell Gold Medal, a Director’s Golden Jubilee Award at the RCM, and a laureate of the Corpus Christi, USA International Competition for Piano and Strings. He has performed in the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and abroad in France, Holland, Poland, Ameica, Korea, and Japan. He studied at Chethams School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music where he held the RCM Society Junior Fellowship from 2004-2006. A versatile musician, Dominic is in demand as a soloist, member of various chamber ensembles and accompanist to a wide variety of singers and instrumentalists.

Although these two masterpieces are of differing styles - the Schubert (1828) being a 4 movement sonata in the Viennese classical tradition and the Mussorgsky (1874) a sequence of 15 short sections in a deliberately Russian idiom that rejects western European influence, there are parallels between them. Neither was published until after their composer’s death, the sonata in 1838 and Pictures in 1931, though an edited version by Rimsky-Korsakov had appeared in 1886. Neither work received real appreciation and understanding until the 20th century. Daniel Hill comments: “My criteria for selecting repertoire to record was twofold: firstly, that I would be playing music for which I held a deep respect, passion and conviction; and secondly, that they were pieces for which I felt I may be able to do some justice. “Both works, though largely disparate in nature, represent a kind of journey: in the vivid experience of Mussorgsky’s Pictures, this is somewhat overtly so; Schubert, on the other hand, takes us into a profoundly intimate and, at times, transcendental realm. “My hope in making this disc is that I may have found some of that elusive and precious connection between interpreter and composition.”

The Orchestra of the Americas performs Aaron Coplands euphoric Third Symphony and Mexican composer Carlos Ch�vezs rousing Sinfon�a India in a thrilling Linn debut. Carlos Miguel Prieto, known for his charismatic conducting and dynamic, expressive interpretations, directs the orchestra. The Orchestra of the Americas performed both works at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival as part of a European tour, which saw the orchestra perform at the Rheingau Festival, the Elbphilharmonie and the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music. Full of hope, heroism and joyful optimism Coplands Third Symphony is considered the Great American Symphony; it is perhaps most famous for it's finale in which Copland incorporates his Fanfare for the Common Man, an exhilarating conclusion that leaves listeners uplifted. With scintillating indigenous melodies, complex rhythms and highly percussive orchestration, Ch�vezs Sinfon�a India is the perfect piece to end the programme and showcase this passionate, flamboyant and brilliantly incisive orchestra.

Benjamin Zander conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in Mahler’s hugely popular ‘Resurrection’ Symphony in a GRAMMY-nominated recording. Exceptionally challenging and thrillingly powerful it is the perfect showcase for Zander’s distinctive balance of insightful musicianship and emotional intensity. With London’s famed Philharmonia Orchestra, he is recording the complete cycle of Mahler symphonies, recordings which have been received with extraordinary critical acclaim and several awards. Zander’s recordings of Mahler symphonies have inspired critics worldwide to use superlatives such as ‘revelatory’, ‘exhilarating’, ‘illuminating’ and ‘remarkable’. The featured soloists are Sarah Connolly, one of the foremost British mezzo-sopranos who has impressed at La Scala and Glyndebourne, and Swedish soprano Miah Persson, who is in great demand with the major opera houses including Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera New York.

The Japanese percussionst Kuniko turns to the cello suites and violin sonatas of J.S. Bach for her fourth solo studio recording with Linn. Arranged for solo marimba, Kuniko gives unique perspective of these hugely famous and intellectually challenging works. Her trademark is her highly sensitive touch, particularly with wooden instruments such as marimba, which gives these interpretations an extremely stripped-down yet natural, organic feel. The beautiful acoustic of the medieval Jaani Kirik in Estonia creates the ideal sound space for Kuniko's arrangements. Kuniko is a solost who is recognized around the world for her astonishing virtuosity, exquisite musical insight and expressive yet elegant performance style. She is renowned for her flawless technique when playing both keyboard and percussion instruments, which blends seamlessly with her profound musical intelligence.

Heinrich Biber’s astonishingly powerful and deeply emotional Mystery Sonatas represent a triumph of Baroque invention. Boston Baroque’s Christina Day Martinson delivers a technical tour de force, as she navigates the virtuosic challenges presented by the fiendishly demanding changing scordatura. Boston Classical Review described her live performance as ‘a flourish of technical complexity and musical wizardry’, whilst the Boston Globe wrote, “Day Martinson…didn't just survive, she triumphed.” The adventurous use of six baroque violins in fifteen different tunings creates otherworldly soundscapes that result in a deeply moving and glorious listening experience. This highly disorientating practice reaches its pinnacle in Sonata XI ('The Resurrection') where the middle two strings are crossed over each other both in the peg box and behind the bridge, so that one can literally see a cross on the violin. The fifteen sonatas have been traditionally grouped into three sets of five: five joyful mysteries, five sorrowful mysteries, and five glorious mysteries. Boston Baroque’s founder Martin Pearlman plays organ and harpsichord, with Michael Leopold on theorbo and guitar and Michael Unterman on cello.

This fascinating transatlantic musical collaboration between the brass players of London’s Royal Academy of Music and New York’s Juilliard School presents enduring masterpieces by Giovanni Gabrieli and his Venetian contemporaries. Under the direction of Reinhold Friedrich, renowned trumpet soloist and Principal Trumpet of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the players blend modern instruments and intellect with 16th-century technique and tuning to excel in this profoundly challenging repertoire. The beautiful acoustic of St Jude’s, Hampstead results in a gloriously sonorous soundscape; burnished waves of rich, warm trombones alternate with the brilliant, crystalline articulation of trumpets. Academy Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, who produced the recording, states: ‘We’re hoping it will show Gabrieli as the composer of great intimate music as well as wonderfully grandiloquent Venetian polyphony.’ This remarkable recording features some of the most compelling and attractive instrumental music of the late Renaissance era and boasts performances worthy of Gabrieli’s extraordinary legacy and the reputation of these two outstanding institutions.

Recorded during this year’s Misteria Paschalia Festival in Poland, Dunedin Consort’s performance of Handel’s Ode for St Cecilia’s Day sees them joined for the first time by tenor Ian Bostridge and soprano Carolyn Sampson. Bostridge demonstrates the technical mastery and vocal precision that has seen him win all the major international record prizes in his twenty-five year career. Highly sought-after for her refined Baroque sensibilities and pure intonation, Sampson’s lyric soprano is ideally suited to Handel. Led by John Butt, with singers from the Polish Radio Choir, this rich and colorful tribute to music’s patron saint is the latest in their much-lauded Handel discography, which includes Messiah, Acis & Galatea and Esther, each recording having won widespread acclaim. The recording is completed by Handel’s Concerto Grosso in A minor Op. 6 No. 4, in which Dunedin Consort’s exceptional instrumentalists take center stage.

All around the world, critics cheered the SCO Wind Soloists’ previous album of Mozart Divertimenti: ‘superb in every way’ (Fanfare), ‘a joy from start to finish’ (Europadisc), ‘sparkles with joy and chuckles with good humor’ (BBC Radio 3 ‘Record Review’). Continuing to explore the Harmoniemusik repertoire, the Wind Soloists’ new recording features youthful, entertaining and brilliant music by a young man who took Vienna by storm in the 1790s: Ludwig van Beethoven. The underrated Octet is a technically challenging concert piece in the Mozart tradition, but with the flair and unpredictability of the young Beethoven. In the Sextet, Beethoven exploits the differing characteristics of each instrument to great effect with the SCO’s legendary interplay on full display. Another gem is the short but sweet Rondino, which is full of subtle details, exquisite melodies and exhilaratingly high-speed horn playing.

-----

Everything here comes from the composer's early years. The lively and light-hearted Sextet is crisply played, finding a happy balance between bucolic vigor and expressive delicacy.

– Gramophone

Described as ‘one of the great new Sibelian teams’ (The Herald), Thomas Søndergård and BBC National Orchestra of Wales continue their shared fascination with the orchestral music of Sibelius. Released one month after BBC NOW celebrates its ninetieth anniversary, this recording includes many of Sibelius’ most famous masterpieces. Sibelius established his credentials early on with the tonally adventurous En saga, which brings to mind the excellence of Berlioz’ orchestral writing. Sibelius’ successful foray into the impressionistic tone world of Debussy resulted in the haunting seascape of The Oceanides. Sibelius wrote it was ‘pure inspiration’ that led to the composition of the perpetually popular Finlandia, with its world-famous hymn motif. The wonderfully descriptive Swan of Tuonela finds Sibelius at his mystical best as he casts the cor anglais as the majestic swan from Finnish mythology. Sibelius: Finlandia is a fitting finale to this Sibelius series which also includes critically acclaimed recordings of four of his symphonies.

KLÁRA WÜRTZ PLAYS ROMANTIC PIA

Also available on Blu-ray

This opera, which had fallen into oblivion, was revived in 1973 in the Dutch city of Zaanstad (the Saardam of the libretto) and staged at Bergamo’s Teatro Sociale as part of the Donizetti Festival in a new critical edition made for the Donizetti Foundation by Alberto Sonzogni. In the plot, the Tsar Peter the Great works incognito as a carpenter at the shipyard of Sardaam to acquire technical knowledge to carry back home. On the podium, the knowledgeable Roberto Rizzi Brignoli leads the orchestra of the Donizetti Opera, assisted by the internationally renowned cinema director Davide Ferrario. In the cast, Andrea Concetti (a successful artist who has sung throughout the world) is joined by singers who are emerging in the belcanto repertoire, such as Giorgio Caoduro, Juan Francisco Gatell, Irina Dubrovskaya and Aya Wakizono.

In 1919 Stanford chose to compose a setting of the mass to commemorate the allied victory, hoping perhaps that the work might be attractive to choral societies. In terms of his music connected with the war, the Mass ‘Via Victrix 1914-1918’ Op. 173 would be his greatest and most substantial effort, and it would prove to be a canvas to equal similar large-scale choral tours de force such as his Requiem Op. 63 (1897), Te Deum Op. 66 (1898) and Stabat Mater Op. 96 (1907), all ambitiously conceived for chorus, four soloists, orchestra and organ. Bearing the adapted Latin dedication ( ‘Transiverunt per ignem et aqua et eduxisti in refrigerium’ [“(They) went through fire and water and thou has brought (them) into a wealthy place”?] taken from Psalm 66 verse 12 (from Tyndale’s translation), the work was dedicated to those who made the greatest sacrifice in defence of their country. The mass was therefore intended as a work of thanksgiving, of celebration for the final victory, but equally one which looked into the heart of the nation, to commiserate with those who grieved, to pray for those whose sense of loss was unconsolable, and to urge for a spirit of renewal in the face of the hardships and sorrows the nation had had to endure. In this sense Stanford’s work stood at the vanguard of other cathartic expressions of war grief such as John Foulds’ A World Requiem (1921), Delius’s Requiem (1914, but not performed until 1922) and Arthur Bliss’s Morning Heroes (1930). When news was made known of the unveiling of the Cenotaph and the interment of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in October 1920, the Right Hon. Mr Justice Charles John Darling (1st Baron Darling) published a poem ‘At the Abbey Gate’ in The Times on 26 October (under the initials C.J.D.) as part of a larger article ‘To the Unknown Dead’ announcing the special nature of the ceremony on 11 November. Through a desire to commemorate this major national occasion, Stanford decided to set Darling’s poem as a march for chorus, solo baritone and orchestra. At the Abbey Gate Op. 177 was completed in November 1920 in the days following the great national ceremony.

-----

REVIEWS:

Rescued from obscurity nearly a century after its composition, Stanford’s large-scale post-war mass is definitely worth checking out. Impassioned performances here.

– BBC Music Magazine

Symphonically paced and nuanced in its construction, Stanford’s Mass receives an impressive reading from Adrian Partington, his four soloists, and the wonderful voices of the BBC National Chorus of Wales with BBC NOW. Thanks to the editorial work and tireless advocacy of Stanford scholar Jeremy Dibble, this CD again makes available an important British choral work that has lain largely forgotten for over a century.

– Choir & Organ

William Carter's exemplary musicianship is showcased to its fullest on this new recording of Bach's own transcriptions for the lute. Almost unplayable in parts, many musicians take certain liberties with the music so that it glows more naturally but William Carter's determined approach to authenticity sees the lutenist achieve the near impossible: playing the music as it was originally written. Carter very subtly enhances BWV 1001, originally for unaccompanied violin, in keeping with Bach's own perceived style, namely to only add "as much harmony as he found necessary". The final piece undergoes the most extensive reimaginging as Bach expertly transforms the Fifth Cello Suite into a "new" lute work: so successful is it that Carter considers it to be, interms of understanding the essential nature and expressive qualities of the lute, "the most perfect piece of lute music in existence".

I composed Para dos violines" for Duo Gelland, first as a shorter piece - mainly what is now the first movement. For a project with the society Samtida Musik (Contemporary Music) I expanded the piece into a work of four ovements. On September 30, 2015, "Para dos violines" was premiered at the Culture House in Skarpnäck, South Stockholm. After the concert, Duo Gelland asked me if I would consdier adding a fifth movement. The completed five movement work was the ngive its first performance on June, 11, 2016 at a concert in Lübeck, Germany. "Des Menschen Wort vergeht" is a poem written by Karl Wolfskehl in 1934. It deals with man killing the word, how he drains it and twists its true meaning. It feels only too relevant today. I composed this work in 2013, commissioned by Swedish Arts Council for Vollen United who premiered it at the Sound of Stockhold Festival that same year. "Rite Now" is an old work, composed in 1991. I had planned to write a lyrical piece for string trio and electronics. The piece was, however heavily affected by an ongoing war and turned into something rather nasty. A string trio recorded nine voices to which I added percussion and electronics. "Rite Now" can be listened to as it is on this recording, or with strings and/or percussion playing along with the recording. It must be performed at very high volume, really loud! "SXQII" was composed in 2014 for the Stockhold Saxophone Quartet who premiered it on March 19, 2016, at a concert at Musikaliska, Stockholm. "Night Music" was composed in 2016 for Yoriko Asahara, Mats Jansson, Björn Malmqvist, and Bo Pettersson. It was commissioned by the ensemble with support from Helge Axson-Josson's foundation. Karin Almlöf's painting ont eh cover served as inspiration for the composition of Night Music.

Classical Music

In 2006 the Scottish Chamber Orchestra celebrated Mozart’s 250th birthday with this special release of Wind Concertos performed by the section principals of the Orchestra. Austrian conductor Alexander Janiczek was the ideal choice to lead the orchestra in the well-loved repertoire of his fellow Austrian. Alison Mitchell performs the Flute Concerto; its charming melodies and elegant phrasing belie Mozart’s claim to dislike the instrument. Written when Mozart was just eighteen, the Bassoon Concerto allows soloist Ursula Leveaux to showcase the full range and expressivity of her instrument. Maximiliano Martín gives a virtuosic performance of arguably the most famous of these three showpieces, the Clarinet Concerto. Written in 1791 for a Stadler clarinet, which extended the instrument’s lower range by four notes, Martín has adapted the text of the first edition (published with the solo part adapted to suit an ordinary clarinet) to make the best use of the clarinet’s lowest register as Mozart intended.

Classical Music

The Faust Symphony, first performed in Weimar in 1857, is one of Franz Liszt’s most significant compositions. For the recording of his transcription of this work for organ, Hansjorg Albrecht played the celebrated Klais organ in the Philharmonic Hall of the Gasteig, Munich.Hansjörg Albrecht, conductor, organist and harpsichordist, is Artistic Director of the Munich Bach Choir & Bach Orchestra (founded by the legendary Karl Richter). In addition to this role he regularly conducts the Bach Collegium Munich, the Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo Naples and the C.P.E.-Bach-Choir Hamburg. With these ensembles as well as in collaboration with guest orchestras he has developed new programmatic profiles and is regular guest at major music centres and European festivals. Concerts as organist have taken Hansjörg Albrecht to a number of great concert halls and cathedrals in Europe and Russia as well as to Japan and the USA. He also guested with renowned orchestras such as Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, and St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra New York.

The Fuego Quartet, featuring saxophonists Nicki Roman, Erik Elmgren, Harrison Clarke, and Gabriel Piqué, makes their Ravello Records debut with the innovative MIGRATION, a collection that demonstrates the versatility and complexity of the saxophone as it migrates through genre boundaries. The album kicks off with Recitation Book, a set of five pieces by composer David Maslanka that transform Bach chorales, madrigals, Gregorian chants, and more into various forms and structures. These arrangements, as performed by the Fuego Quartet, bring listeners into a calm listening sphere that reflects the music of the past in the midst of our busy, technology-saturated world. This set leads into William Albright’s Fantasy Etudes, the more loosely-formed, jazzy arrangements by the late 20th-century composer. Standing as a threshold in the middle of the album, Fantasy Etudes welcomes listeners away from familiar audial experiences into the realm of the slightly less familiar, more experimental sounds. Albright’s compositions make for the perfect lead into Ornithology S, the work of contemporary composer Clay Mettens that is inspired by visual artist Juan Fontanive’s flipbooks of the same name. The saxophones recreate the sounds of birds singing as they fly, as well as using key clicks and slaps to imitate the turning of the mechanical book. Bringing the visual pieces to life while also showing the sonic possibilities of the saxophone, Ornithology S is a stunning conclusion to this fascinating collection. The saxophone has had a unique history as a classical instrument, from its challenges entering into that particular sphere to its welcoming in via jazz and rock music. With MIGRATION, Fuego Quartet demonstrates all that is possible with the saxophone, showing how it transcends musical boundaries with ease.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner presents a long-awaited, dazzling and insightful recording of the Violin Concertos with leader and soloist, Kati Debretzeni. Debretzeni also presents her own arrangement and world-premiere recording of the harpsichord concerto BWV1053, published by Fountayne Editions."Bach's violin concertos reveal an ebullient sense of invention and rhythmic exuberance in their dance-based outer movements and a hushed intimacy in the sublime slow movements. It is rather as if one is overhearing a passionate conversation between friends. Yet to maintain the conversation's flow the soloist needs not just to master the different technical demands of each concerto and to capture moods that range from the playful to the profound, but also to locate the spirit of each individual movement and, as a result, to touch your soul. To me that is exactly how it felt when we recorded these four miraculous concertos with Kati Debretzeni and members of the EBS last December - with everyone sharing a palpable delight in the music-making." John Eliot Gardiner

Classical Music

DANDRIEU Organ and harpsichord works • André Isoir (org); Olivier Baumont (hpd) • RADIO FRANCE 316041.42 (111:24)


This is a re-release of two albums whose contents were recorded by Radio France in 1987, and subsequently issued. Little is available of Jean-François Dandrieu outside of organ collections featuring an occasional work, so two discs of his music is most welcome on that count alone.


James Anthony, in his French Baroque Music from Beaujoyeulx to Rameau , has some unkind things to say about Dandrieu’s organ music. Quoting the composer’s desire for “noble and elegant simplicity,” Anthony states it “results in overall ennui for performer and listener.” I can’t claim to know what Isoir’s opinion was on the matter while playing these selections, but I find them to be charming miniatures that mix pieces in a serious French sacred vein with folk-flavored treats. Textures are always light, and flowing movement is maintained through Dandrieu’s command of counterpoint as a source of energy. Contrast is a strong element in their favor: The haunting “Flûtes” (whose parts mostly avoid the cliché of winds moving in thirds) in the D-Minor Suite is followed by a songful, two-part canon, Basse du cromorne , which in turn leads to the one of the lengthiest and most majestic pieces in the collection, an Offertoire that is a theme and variations. The four suites presented here are each preceded and followed by one of those noëls which drew crowds who loved the tunes and wished to hear their favorite church organists display their virtuosity.


Dandrieu’s harpsichord works were regarded by some of his contemporaries as equal in quality to those of François Couperin, and that’s high praise indeed. Most of the pieces reside at a level of complexity far beyond style brisé , though the latter makes an appearance in La Tranquille and the theme of La Fastueuse et cinq variations . The thematic profile overall is very high, and the harmonic treatment unfailingly distinctive.


The performances by André Isoir are unfailingly effective, with an excellent selection of stops. Olivier Baumont in turn is fine, though he has a tendency sometimes to rush basic tempos—as in L’Harmonieuse, La Patétique , and again in La Lully: Ouverture, which misses the grandeur of the piece’s opening section, and creates little sense of contrast with its second. Based on acquaintance with Baumont’s more recent recordings, I suspect he’d feature less hectic performances in such pieces if he were to record the same material over again today. And when he isn’t pushing here, he phrases elastically to strong effect. La lyre d’Orphée and La Fidèle both benefit from the additional breathing space this provides.


The instruments deserve a mention as well. Baumont performs on a 1750 Benoist Stehlin harpsichord—one of three surviving instruments from his workshop—that once belonged to the composer Bernard Jumentier. It is a bit dry and hard (at least, as recorded here) but very clear. The Jean-Boizard Organ at the Abbey of Saint Michel-en-Thiérache that Isoir plays apparently is blessed. No other conclusion is possible. It escaped a fire in 1715; avoided being gutted in 1791 when the abbey was purchased, before the s ans-culottes could get to it; was passed over when organ pipes were frequently requisitioned during World War I for their metal; and missed a second disastrous fire in 1971 because it had been dismantled for restoration. Its sound is pleasantly varied, and each note, tonally distinct, without any mechanical noise.


There’s a lot more of Dandrieu’s organ and harpsichord music out there awaiting the attention of recording companies, but this fair sampling, performed attractively, should be in the collection of every fancier of French Baroque keyboard music.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal

Classical Music

Classical Music