Single voice choirs inevitably make you think of sombre boarding schools? Then this recording may change your mind... Indeed, the great French composers of the nineteenth century wrote true little masterpieces, filled with wit, humour and charm(s) for budding young maidens. The Choeur de Jeunes of Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie, accompanied by Guy Penson on a superb Erard, invites us to discover the best pieces César Franck, Léo Delibes, Gabriel Fauré and Gabriel Pierné left us in this field. The Six duos and Premier sourire de mai by Franck, pages dating from his fully mature period, would suffice to justify the publication of this disc, of which most pieces have never been recorded before. The fascinating charm of Delibes, Fauré and Pierné will cast a spell on you! A couple of rare piano works by Franck and Delibes complete this enchanting fin-de-siècle picture.

"Anyone who knows Ader's recordings of Debussy and Messiaen already understands just how perceptive a musician she is. More than her refined sense of keyboard color, she has an ability to project musical architecture through the phrasing of large paragraphs, which serves Franck particularly well. Thus, the two fugues build effortlessly from beginning to end, with exceptionally clear voicing and an unerring sense of where the music is going." -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing Alice Ader playing Franck, Fuga Libera 209]

Every disc of Alice Ader holds a special place in the world of piano. This one is no exception. From the first bars of Une Larme, Mussorgsky's inner world is revealed. This new 2-CD set, which includes the complete piano works from the composer of Boris Godunov flies by and let us deeply marked. And the Tableaux d'une exposition, magnificently interpreted here, is not Mussorgsky's only work of art: there are also about fifteen other pieces plus a transcription of Une nuit sur le Mont Chauve by Rimsky-Korsakov. A summit meeting between a great lady of the piano and the work of a furious genius.

Alice ADER is widely reckognized for her eminently personal approach of the piano scores. Her mixture of personal engagement and respect for the composers (which has made of her a favourite performer of many contemperaneous composers such as Messiaen, Jolivet, Nunes or Hersant) has given birth to several extraordinary recordings, as were her Debussy's for Pianovox. Fuga Libera is glad to welcome her for new projects. Founded in 1994, the Ader Ensemble has also produced some memorable discs (Fauré, Chausson with Bernarda Fink, Messiaen...). All have been multi-awarded ! And this is no surprise, as every recording project, for Alice Ader and her group, is a groundly thought-after project, where everything has to be tightly controlled in order to approach perfection as nearly as possible. When touching to three of Franck's most remarkable masterworks, they reach their goal: in these great cyclical architectures, their vision combines in a spectacular way an analytical approach with a impassioned sentimental spirit.

The magnificent Oxalys ensemble, led by Toon Fret at the flute, puts forward an absolute discovery: for the first time in recording history here are the complete quartets with flute by Ferdinand Ries, this great contemporary of Beethoven. He had been his pupil and was long pushed into oblivion by the shadow of his master. One of the most famous musicians of his time, Ries combines classical contours with romantic elements in these works, in an elegant and spiritual fashion which can be considered his trademark. Supporting the volubile parts for the flute, he wrote dense and inventive scores for the strings. A true declaration of love for chamber music!

For their fourth Fuga Libera-project, the Russian orchestra Musica Viva recorded one very famous, and one forgotten piece by Antonín Dvorak. The well-known piece is the Serenade for Strings in E major, written by Dvorak in 1875. It is believed that Dvorak took up this small orchestral genre because it was less demanding than the symphony, but allowed for the provision of pleasure and entertainment. The other piece is the Cello Concerto in A major. Unlike its brother, the B minor Concerto Op. 104, this concerto has been more than overlooked. It was left un-orchestrated by Dvorak, existing only in piano-score form. It was only after his death that a few composers orchestrated this dazzling piece of music. Cello virtuoso Alexander Rudin, and Musica Viva let us taste from this magnificent forgotten treasure...

The Cuban composer, Leo Brouwer had Isaac Nicola as his guitar tutor and studied at both the Juilliard and at Hartt College. He has recorded for DG and Erato. His musical activities have grown to include conducting. He was permanent conductor of the Orquesta Nacional de Cuba (1981-2003). His catalogue takes in some 300 works many of which have been recorded.

Brouwer has freshened our expectations of the classical guitar. While not rejecting the work of Rodrigo he has revived the genre with dissonant draughts that permeate recognisable moods and manners. Hispanic coolness and passion are still present but the progress and structure of ideas is achieved through suggestion rather than direct statement. The Concerto Elegiaco is his third guitar concerto. It was written for the BBC and premiered by Julian Bream with the Langham Chamber Orchestra. In 1987 Bream and Brouwer recorded the piece with the RCA Victor Chamber Orchestra. The music is poised, rhythmically challenging and constantly in motion around subtle and beautiful tendrils of melody. On a very simplistic level you might describe this as Rodrigo filtered through Berg.

The Three Concertante Dances for string orchestra and guitar are more direct in expression with the elements of Iberian courtly passion we recognise from Rodrigo being engaged but they are mixed with a Stravinskian delicacy: sometimes steely, sometimes yielding. Subtle impressionistic half-lights are the order of the day in the second dance yet the plangent asides are developed with even sharper definition in the Elegiaco. The dances were premiered on Cuban Radio in 1958 by Brouwer and the Orchestra of Cuban Radio conducted by Roberto Valdés Arnau.

Lastly we hear guitar juxtaposed with string quartet. This Quintet, begun at age 18, was not completed until the composer was encouraged to do so by Italian guitarist Oscar Ghiglia who gave the premiere in Florence. It is a work of violent Tippett-like onslaughts by the quartet and of pattering rhythmic insurgency by the guitar. The slow central movement is a jewel and the standout track in the whole CD. A simple sinuous idea sings out in verdant innocence with a sentimental core - more Classic FM material.

A refreshing take on received wisdoms about the Latin-American classical guitar.

-- Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

ARRIAGA Los esclavos felices: Overture. Overtures: op. 1; op. 20. Symphonie à grand orchestra • Paul Dombrecht, cond; Il Fondamento (period instruments) • FUGA LIBERA 522 (59:06)


It’s difficult to assess the potential of composers like Mendelssohn, Reger, and Distler, whose careers were cut short by an early death. The same is true for a young Spaniard by the name of Juan Crisóstomo Jacob Antonio Arriaga y Balzola (1806–26). In his day, Arriaga—to use the generally accepted version of his surname—was celebrated and indeed elevated. His talent was such that he was blessed and at the same time damned when the public began to call him “The Spanish Mozart” (in these politically correct times, Arriaga would be known as “The Basque Mozart”).


Born in Bilbao, Arriaga exhibited his musical gifts early, writing his first opera, Nada y mucho at the age of 12. Arriaga entered the Conservatoire in Paris when he was 15, and during his Parisian period crafted three excellent string quartets that have been the subject of several recordings, an opera ( Los esclavos felices ), a number of scenes lyrique , three caprices for fortepiano, and the finely wrought symphony recorded here.


Arriaga was blessed with an inquisitive mind and an almost innate ability to pen music that was structurally rock solid and melodically appealing. His ability to put in place musical concepts drew admiration from both his fellow students and professors. The Belgian composer and musicologist François Fetis wrote: “His progress was prodigious; only three months were required to give him a perfect knowledge of harmony and after two years he had mastered counterpoint and fugue.” From this excerpt and other contemporary reports, there can be little doubt that Arriaga was on the path to becoming a major talent when his voice was silenced by consumption.


In addition to his fine quartets, the overture to Los esclavos felices , the Overture, op. 1, and the symphony have been in and out of the catalogs for a number of years. There was an LP recording of the overture to Los esclavos felices and the Symphonie à grand orchestra in the late 1970s issued by Ensayos of Spain and licensed for distribution in the states by the long-dead HNH label. If my aging memory serves me correctly, that performance was by Enrique Garcia Asensio and the English Chamber Orchestra and it is currently unavailable on compact disc. In 1993, Capriccio issued a CD of Spanish symphonies by Concerto Köln that included the first period-instruments recording of the Arriaga, and some two years later, another period-instrument recording by Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya (Astrée 8532) entered the catalogs. A search of the Internet reveals this disc to be scarcer than hen’s teeth, indicating it may be out of print.


So the current period-instrument face-off is between this recent Fuga Libera release and the 17-year old Capriccio with Concerto Köln, while there are two modern-instrument versions as well: one on Hyperion that pairs the Arriaga symphony with the only one written by Bohemian composer Jan Václav Vo?išek and a disc from budget-behemoth Naxos that is filled out with shorter sinfonias and opera overtures by João de Sousa Carvalho, Antonio Leal Moreira, Marcos Antonio Portugal, and Carlos de Seixas.


Concerto Köln has more or less owned this turf since the disappearance of the Jordi Savall release, but Paul Dombrecht and Il Fondamento quickly dispatch their competition, putting a strong and dramatic edge on the music and pressing forward with an almost relentless energy. The edgy brass and thundering kettledrums offer significant weight to the proceedings, which are at times tempestuous and at others lyrical, but even then, several steps away from tranquility. The three overtures, though makeweights, are not to be dismissed lightly; they are given much care and presented with the same attention to detail as the symphony. These are outstanding miniatures that again bear witness to the remarkable gifts of the young composer. Of the three, only op. 20 appears not to have been recorded previously, at least not on compact disc.


The sound on the Fuga Libera disc is excellent. It is well rounded, blooming nicely in the venue, and there is more than a hint of concert-hall realism with the strings forward and the winds somewhat recessed.


If you are one of those yet to have a period-instrument epiphany, or if you just stubbornly cling to tradition, I point you toward the modern-instrument recording by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Hyperion. Even though the repertoire on the disc from Naxos may be tempting, the quality of performances is variable, acceptable at best, and therefore no match for the spit-and-polish reading from Mackerras and his clan of Scotsmen.


FANFARE: Michael Carter

ARNOLD Clarinet Sonatina. MARTIn? Clarinet Sonatina. BACRI Sonatina lirica. SANCAN Clarinet Sonatine. CHEVREUILLE Clarinet Sonatine. POOT Clarinet Sonatine. HOROVITZ Clarinet Sonatina • Ronald van Spaendonck (cl); Éliane Reyes (pn) • FUGA LIBERA 558 (63:26)


This inventive recital was my introduction to Belgian clarinetist Ronald van Spaendonck (the booklet capitalizes the “V” in “Van” in some places, and not in others). He and pianist Éliane Reyes have gathered seven compositions that share a number of features: First, of course, all carry the title Sonatina in one or another language; second, all were composed after 1950; and third, while the works naturally differ in style, all partake of basically conservative musical languages. There is, in fact, a good deal of old-fashioned tonality here, and even the more adventuresome pieces refrain from indulging in the “new-music” extended techniques so commonly encountered in present-day recitals at American conservatories and schools of music.


Nevertheless, only the Martin? and the two English works that bookend the program (Joseph Horovitz emigrated to Great Britain from Vienna with his family in 1938) are well known; of these, only the Martin? can be regarded as truly basic recital repertoire for clarinetists. Of the remaining four sonatinas, three (Bacri, Chevreuille, and Poot) are listed on the booklet cover as world premiere recordings. The Martin? Sonatina probably requires the least exegesis; composed in 1956, it is a charming and folksy work that partakes of the influences of the irreverence of France’s Les Six and of American jazz, reflecting two countries that the composer called home during his latter years. Van Spaendonck shows an impressive technical command here but avoids flashiness for its own sake; I did find his tendency to take liberties with the tempos a bit of a distraction.


Malcolm Arnold’s Sonatina, written in 1951 and premiered by none other than the young Colin Davis, is also a high-spirited, jazz-inflected romp; the Horovitz, written 30 years later, is nevertheless similar to the Arnold in style—engaging, unabashedly tonal, and ending with a jazzy “Con brio” finale.


It struck me as curious that a program of sonatinas emanating from one of Europe’s Francophile countries would omit the well-known works in this genre by Honegger and Milhaud, particularly in light of the presence of the Martin?; nevertheless, their absence makes practical the inclusion of the remaining, lesser-known works. Taking them in program order, the Sonatina lirica of the Paris-born Nicolas Bacri (b. 1961), written in 2008 and dedicated to van Spaendonck and Reyes, is a highly accessible neo-Romantic work; it is unfortunate that its companion piece, titled Sonatina lapidaria and designed to contrast strongly with the Sonatina lirica , could not also be included. The 1963 Sonatine of Pierre Sancan (1916–2008), a faculty member of the Paris Conservatory, has its roots in the music of Françaix and Poulenc (whose well-known Clarinet Sonata is a product of the same year); written for the Conservatory’s longtime clarinet teacher Ulysse Delécleuse, it is more technically challenging than Poulenc’s sonata, if not as engaging.


The remaining two composers are compatriots of van Spaendonck. The contribution by Raymond Chevreuille (1901–76) is a spiky, technically demanding work in what annotator Michel Stockhem calls a “freely atonal language”; he mentions the influence of Bartók and Stravinsky, but I hear echoes of Honegger here as well. Finally, the 1965 Sonatine by Marcel Poot (1901–88), perhaps Belgium’s best-known composer after Franck, is a brief (six-minute) essay in a conservative, cosmopolitan style.


Van Spaendonck plays in a fairly conventional manner, with a firm, reedy tone that eschews vibrato; occasionally, the sound has a tendency to lose focus at dynamic and registral extremes, but for the most part this is solid, enjoyable playing. The recorded sound is both pleasingly live and very full and clear. Especially for the unfamiliar works, this is a valuable recital that anyone interested in the clarinet and its repertoire will want to have.


FANFARE: Richard A. Kaplan

This recording is the result of the passion the young musicians Camille Thomas (cello) and Beatrice Berrut (piano) have always felt for Russian music. Whatever its period of composition, they find in this repertoire the profundity and complexity of the Slavic soul, taking to extremes the expression of human torments. Camille Thomas: 'For this recording we immediately thought of playing Russian music. In A Century of Russian Colours, we start with a very Romantic composition, Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata op.19. The programme continues with a very rarely recorded work, bearing the marks of Soviet communism, showing fear and anguish, but also the rigour and conformism of Dmitry Kabalevsky. We end with a young composer who is very highly thought of in the musical world: Lera Auerbach, one of the last artists to be stripped of Russian nationality, who now lives in the United States and Germany.'

"My free life within Four Walls" began with concert performances in 1992 and beyond, followed by a number of stage performances with dancers in Finland and Russia. The collaboration of John Cage with Merce Cunningham began in 1942; and 70 years later, in 2012, knowing my admiration for Cage and my numerous concerts with his music, the outstanding dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov proposed to embody the "Four Walls" in a dance on the stage of his Baryshnikov Arts Center (New York) with the participation of legendary ‘Merce Cunningham Dance Company’, which by this time officially completed its activities. The director Robert Swinston and 8 dancers played with me the performance of the Four Walls / Doubletoss Interludes, and this became a worthy completion of the history of the Four Walls as a theater, while this piece remains a wonderful independent music, anticipating the style of Glass, Pärt and in general, the entire movement of minimalism. In 2015, BAC founded the Cage-Cunningham Foundation, and I received a Fellow Prize of the First-Ever Cage Cunningham Fellowship." (Alexei Lubimov)

Icelandic bass-baritone Andri Björn Róbertsson, and pianist Ástríður Alda Sigurðardóttir, perform Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis op. 24 and Liederkreis op. 39, along with seven songs by the Icelandic composer Árni Thorsteinson. The two Liederkreise were composed during Schumann´s Year of Song in 1840. More than sixty years later Thorsteinson began publishing his songs, and they were instantly regarded as national treasures by the Icelandic nation. The program invites the listener on a mysterious journey through nature, love, death and the unknown. Andri Björn Róbertsson studied at the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in his native Iceland, RAM and the National Opera Studio. In the 2020/21 season, Icelandic bass-baritone Andri Björn Róbertsson returns to Zurich Opera with the La Scintilla Orchestra for St John’s Passion and revisits the roles of Witness 3 and Madman in George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence at the Châtelet.

Léon Boëllmann’s Suite gothique, with its suave Prière à Notre-Dame and its spirited Toccata, rapidly became a beloved war-horse of organists throughout the world and gained the composer great renown. The Suite’s fame, however, caused other works by Boëllmann — who had been born in the same year as Debussy and who died in the same year as Brahms — to be forgotten. Patrick Davin chose to present Boëllmann’s symphonic works on this recording, the last he was to make before his untimely death.

In February 2021, when public concerts had been cancelled for several months, the musicians of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne were able to meet behind closed doors on the stage of the Opéra de Lausanne in order to record this disc under the direction of Heinz Holliger. An album released in 2013 presented an earlier recording collaboration between the Bernese conductor and the Lausanne-based ensemble with two works by Schoenberg (Verklärte Nacht and the Chamber Symphony No. 2) and an early piece by his pupil Anton Webern (Langsamer Satz). Nearly a decade later, the same performers are reunited and continue to highlight these two leading composers of the Second Viennese School.

Dr. Graham Griffiths writes: “Every recording of Stravinsky’s ‘complete works for solo piano’ is a considerable achievement. However, this latest 5-album cycle with Russian pianist Alexey Zuev is a cause for special celebration for it also includes all of Stravinsky’s piano transcriptions and arrangements, many of which have never before been recorded – indeed, until now, some have remained completely unknown. This project, therefore, represents a significant milestone in Stravinsky recording history. Alexey Zuev and Outhere Music are to be congratulated for bringing every corner of Stravinsky’s pianistic catalogue into the wider musical conversation, and for making the case most convincingly that all of this solo repertoire, whether original or transcribed, deserves to be performed and appreciated as part of this great composer’s innovative canon of piano works.”

In the domain of chamber music, César Franck is mainly remembered for his three mature masterpieces: the Violin Sonata, the Piano Quintet and the String Quartet. However, right from his early days in Paris, the young piano virtuoso wrote and performed a number of compositions, chiefly keyboard trios, which were published as his op. 1 and earned him a favorable opinion from Franz Liszt! The masters of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and their artists in residence now invite us to enjoy the first complete recording of this set.