Classical Music

Booklet notes in German, English and French; Libretto in Italian, German and English.

Before Otto Nicolai wrote the major work for which he is known--The Merry Wives of Windsor--he wrote Italian operas, of which Il Templario, first shown in 1840 in Turin and given more than 70 productions over the next 40 years, was the third. This recording is a reconstruction of Il Templario from various versions--there were revisions in Italy, a German language edition, a French piano-vocal score--by the musicologist Michael Wittmann. The result is a full-blown, exciting Italian opera in the bel canto tradition (more like Bellini, Mercadante, and Meyerbeer than Rossini) that looks forward to the energetic, melody-filled works of the young Verdi.

One of the opera's great joys, however, is the Germanic orchestration; brass and winds are flavorful and the latter in particular are used to intertwine with the voices. Taken from Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, large choral pieces (there's jousting and feasting galore) dot the opera.

In brief, this finely racist drama involves the desire by the Anglo-Saxons to reclaim dominance over the conquering Normans who look down on them; meanwhile, local Jews and Moslems are simply pariahs. Cedric (bass), leader of the Anglo-Saxons, has a ward named Rowena (soprano); he wants her to marry into the English royal family, which will solidify the English dominance. But Cedric's son Vilfredo d'Ivanhoe (tenor) has fallen in love with Rowena, leading his father to disown him.

Vilfredo goes off to the Crusades; he is wounded and is taken care of by a Jewish woman named Rebecca (mezzo-soprano), who falls in love with him even though she realizes that she, as a Jew, can never be the wife of a Christian crusader. But she and her father Isaac (tenor) go to England so she can be near Vilfredo. Brian (baritone), an ambitious Knight Templar, falls in love with Rebecca--he would be willing to leave the Order for her.

All of this happens before the opera begins. The best-drawn characters are the conflicted Brian and Rebecca. In the opera's final scene, Brian drops dead immediately before a duel with Vilfredo--this is seen as a sign from God. Similarly, immediately after Rebecca confesses that she loves Vilfredo more than her God, she is struck dead. The Anglo-Saxons praise Vilfredo for his triumph over faithlessness.

We know we're in for a treat from the overture, which is as dark as the start of that for Der Freischütz and is similarly constructed. Drum rolls, an undercurrent of throbbing strings, and unexpected loud chords give way to martial music, handsome melodies, and conflict, with rousing energy at its close.

And the opera does not disappoint. A fine cavatina for Vilfredo comes soon after the opening chorus, and like all of his music, it is firmly rooted in bel canto, sitting quite high, with a showy lyricism. Tenor Stanley Jackson has all the notes but not enough true Italian style; still he's sincere and good enough throughout. Very convincing are Hans Christoph Begemann as Brian and Tiina Penttinen as Rebecca; they each have an impressive solo and join in a stunning second-act duet. Judith Kuhn is a fine Rowena and the rest of the cast is acceptable.

The Chemnitz Choir is superb; the Orchestra is good enough. Frank Beermann's leadership is firm and energetic. This is a terrific find in a far-more-than-passable performance. Highly recommended.

--Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com

As Mendelssohn's successor of the Berlin Cathedral, Nicoli composed the Mass in D major, a sacred work well worth discovering and an important contribution to 19th century church music. Consono presents several other choral works which with their varied scorings show the diversity of Nicolai's sacred compositions.

Phenomenal... no superlative is wasted in praise of this choir, wrote DIE ZEIT about the Kammerchor Stuttgart and it's director, Frieder Bernius. Now the ensemble presents a new a cappella CD with psalm settings by Otto Nicolai (1810-1849). Some of these settings are conceived for double choir and were composed by Nicolai for the choir of the Berlin Cathedral - where Nicolai had succeeded Felix Mendelssohn.

Twice a winner at the Tchaikovsky Competition, Alexander Rudin is arguably the foremost cellist playing in Russia today. Already featured in 'Great Moments', Rudin brings to Cello Classics a stunning recording of the complete works for cello by the much neglected Soviet composer Nikolai Miaskovsky. Spanning from the 1st Sonata of 1911 to the Concerto of 1944 the works reflect the composers natural gift of melody and deep emotional expression. This ravishing recording is played with great eloquence by performers entirely at one with the genre.

Danish composer Nicolai Worsaae (b. 1980) himself claims a fundamental identification with the narrative form found in classical music. Nevertheless, he has in recent years moved father away from the lyrical and narrative and turned more sharply towards modernism. On this release you meet Worsaae in two works: For both 'Wesenheit ab Wesenheit' (2011) and 'WaWV' (2014) Worsaae found inspiration in poems by the German prisoner Jorg Meyer, who during the late 70's was confined to isolation in a Danish prison. Worsaae's father was prison chaplain and in this way met Meyer who was imprisoned for espionage for the GDR in Denmark. In total, Worsaae uses 13 short poems and not such a great many different sounds to create a musical universe able to express what it is like to be in solitary confinement.

NICOLAI, O.: Merry Wives of Windsor (The) [Opera]

Classical Music

Classical Music

Nikolai Medtner's fortunes have risen on disc insofar as his solo piano works are concerned, while his substantial violin output remains relatively obscure. One explanation for this has to do with the fact that the Second and Third Violin Sonatas each take nearly 45 minutes to perform and require the utmost in technique, musicality, and concentration from both players.

The Third Sonata dates from 1938, and its basic melodic and rhythmic material draws upon Orthodox liturgical chants and gutsy folk-dances. A 1996 Erato recording with violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Boris Berezovsky has long held a reference position for its virtuoso bravura and paragraphic sweep. Laurence Kayaleh and Paul Stewart offer a different yet no less convincing point of view by way of slightly slower tempos, more lyrical rumination (their expansive, flexible parsing of the slow movement), plus thoughtful attention to detail.

You'll notice how Kayaleh projects the contrasts in the enormous first movement's themes by generously dipping into her vast portfolio of articulations and nuances, while Stewart differentiates various degrees of non-legato phrasing without ever exaggerating. While the Scherzo is more "meno" than "molto" vivace, the violin's ricocheting passagework gains melodic clarity and shape with extra breathing space, and the pizzicato chords truly speak. The players' tightly unified pacing in the finale's canonic passacaglia stands out for its easy contrapuntal repartée.

The smaller-scaled Nocturnes and the effective Heifetz arrangement of the B minor Fairy Tale also receive sensitive, poetic readings, where the timbre Kayaleh obtains from her two lowest strings has a memorable, viola-like richness. A warm ambience arises from Naxos' close microphone placement, and the pianist's booklet notes are informative and well written. Watch for the second and final volume.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Also available on Blu-ray

Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year came to a spectacular close with the world premiere of The Snow Queen. This glittering new production is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale – which was also the basis for Frozen. It is set to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, performed live by the full Scottish Ballet Orchestra. From the bustle of a winter’s market to the shivers of a fairytale forest, take a journey to the Snow Queen’s icy palace. Along the way you’ll meet a colorful cast of characters, from young lovers parted by a spell to a circus ringmaster with a few tricks up his sleeve. This glittering production is sure to delight the whole family. “Scottish Ballet’s Christmas present to us all... a truly memorable high.” (The Glasgow Herald)

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year came to a spectacular close with the world premiere of The Snow Queen. This glittering new production is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale – which was also the basis for Frozen. It is set to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, performed live by the full Scottish Ballet Orchestra. From the bustle of a winter’s market to the shivers of a fairytale forest, take a journey to the Snow Queen’s icy palace. Along the way you’ll meet a colorful cast of characters, from young lovers parted by a spell to a circus ringmaster with a few tricks up his sleeve. This glittering production is sure to delight the whole family. “Scottish Ballet’s Christmas present to us all... a truly memorable high.” (The Glasgow Herald)

Nikolai Kapustin’s music is renowned in contemporary circles for its witty and seamless fusion of jazz idioms and formal classical structures. In recent years, the composer has forged a formidable association with American flautist Immanuel Davis, who here interprets his highly sophisticated ‘Flute Sonata, Op 125’ with great virtuosity. ‘Divertissement’ explores the different jazz harmonies available from the four instruments, contrasting with the textural transparency of ‘A Little Duo.’ Flutist Immanuel Davis is a higly versatile performer who enjoys playing the entire span of the flute repertoire. He has performed as a recitalist and masterclass teacher worldwide. He has appeared as a recitalist and chamber musician at Carnegie Hall, MoMa’s Summer Garden Series, and more. Educated at the Juilliard School, Davis received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a student of Julius Baker. He has been flute professor at the University of Minnesota since 2001.