Stravinsky composed his music at the keyboard, often struggling to play his own complex rhythms. It is not surprising therefore that many of his symphonic works also exist in his own piano versions, such as the four hand transcription of his ballet, The Rite of Spring. It is a pianistic tour de force, the players often having to interweave fingers, hands and arms to meet the composers tremendous demands of virtuosity. The work has for many years formed part of the standard repertoire of Benjamin Frith and Peter Hill. They have played it throughout England to astonished audiences, and have broadcast this (and the other two works on this disc) on BBC Radio 3. The performance is staggeringly brilliant, superbly recorded in St Silas Church, London on a wonderful Bosendorfer Imperial Grand. The duo are now recording exclusively for Naxos, Peter Hill will be recording the complete music by Stravinsky for two hands at sessions this summer.

SOR: Souvenir d'Amitie / 6 Petites Pieces, Op. 47

SOR: 6 Divertimenti, Op. 13 / Cinquieme Fantaisie, Op. 16

SOR: 24 Exercises, Op. 35 / Pieces de Societe, Op. 33

SOLER, A.: Sonatas for Harpsichord, Vol. 5

}Gramophone (1/97, p. 81) "...[Rowland's] selection here is interestingly varied and includes keyboard exuberances such as hand-crossings (Nos. 16 and 90), joyous leaps (No. 101), and imitations of Spanish folk instruments..."{

SOLER, A.: Sonatas for Harpsichord, Vol. 3

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Classical Music

A recording of three unaccompanied sonatas for violin by the German composer Max Reger (1873-1916) might be expected only to confirm his not altogether undeserved reputation as a writer of rather dry, academic works. Not so: this disc is an unexpected pleasure, both for the music itself and for the superb playing of the young German violinist Ulrike-Anima Mathé, who reveals herself as very much an artist to be watched. The sonatas are from Reger’s Op. 91 set of seven – he deliberately wrote one more than the six solo sonatas and partitas of JS Bach to avoid inviting too direct a comparison. Inevitably the earlier masterworks are recalled – the final sonata (included here) culminates in a magnificent 13-minute chaconne in the style of Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor – but Reger is as much concerned with melody and harmony as with counterpoint, and much of the music is expressively lyrical. Mathé meets the considerable technical demands with assurance and is fully sensitive to the emotional subtlety of this unusual but rewarding repertory. Dorian’s recording is exemplary.
Performance: 5 (out of 5; Sound: 5 (out of 5)

-- David Michaels, BBC Music Magazine

REVIEW:

The Finnish Brass Symphony, directed by Hannu Lintu, has recorded a masterful survey of music by countryman Einojuhani Rautavaara. Spanning more than 45 years of the composer's work, the album functions as something of a compendium of themes that Rautavaara has returned to time and again in his music, from the dodecaphonic experiments of the Wind Octet to his ongoing fascination with angels. In this performance of 1981's Playgrounds for Angels, it becomes unclear if the playgrounds belong entirely to terrifying otherworldly beings or to these instrumentalists, whose superb ensemble skills definitely qualify them as supernaturally talented. 1953's A Requiem in our Time has been recorded at least four times, most memorably--until now--on a BIS disc with Brass Partout. The bold strokes and brash colors of this work are reflected in the more rare Soldier's Mass from 1968, whose "In Hora Mortis" movement presages the shimmering intensity of Rautavaara's later works.

A few shorter compositions round out the collection. Originally written as a compulsory piece for a trumpet competition, the Tarantará must have struck fear into the hearts of those brass players--in Rautavaara's hands, the instrument is nothing short of a wild animal that shrieks, growls, and leaps all over the register with dizzying speed. The extraordinary trumpeter Pasi Pirinen makes it all seem easy. The fanfare written for Finland's 75th independence anniversary is a mere 37 seconds long: blink twice, and you miss it entirely. The most recent composition, 1998's Hymnus for trumpet and organ, ably performed by Deborah Calland and Barry Millington, completes the survey. Kudos to Ondine for a marvelous recording.

--Anastasia Tsioulcas, ClassicsToday.com

PURCELL: Full Anthems / Music on the Death of Queen Mary

Classical Music

Includes chorale(s) for org by Johann Pachelbel. Soloist: Joseph Payne.
Includes work(s) for org by Johann Pachelbel. Soloist: Joseph Payne.

Rheinberger, J.G.: Organ Works, Vol. 1

DUPRE: Works for Organ, Vol. 3

This disc of chamber works by Luigi Nono is most definitely not easy listening, and will not fade quietly into the background. It is, however, a fascinating collection of works which owe at least some debt to Anton Webern in the composition of their sound worlds. The titles evoke the most basic elements of Western music: polyphony, monody, rhythm, songs. Yet none of these appears in its traditional sense in the music--Nono is more interested here in suspended or fractured songs, rather than a style of sustained lyricism. 'Polifonica-Monodia-Ritmica' begins with echoes of unheard pitches which coalesce into undulating almost-harmonies before breaking into a halting movement forward.
Peter Hirsch and his Ensemble United Berlin have mastered this music and found Nono's broken and echoed melodies along with his polyphony, monody, and the rest. Whether a group of seven or of thirteen or of only two, they play with excellent ensemble. Soprano Angelika Luz gives the haunting, stratospheric 'Canciones a Guiomar' appropriate voice, giving beauty and life to "un-pretty" vocal writing.

Learn more about pianist Carol Rosenberger and the Delos label on the Naxos Classical Spotlight podcast!

This disc is pure joy… Craig Ogden… has always chosen his recital programmes with wisdom, and, as a performer in the specialised realm of the classical guitar, he has opened our ears to the instrument's breadth of repertory and to its expressive potential. -- The Daily Telegraph "CD of the Week"

Classical Music

Recorded in: Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk 19-21 October 1992 Producer(s) Tim Handley Sound Engineer(s) Ben Connellan

Mompou, F.: Piano Music, Vol. 1 - Cancons I Danses / Charme

MENDELSSOHN: 7 Characteristic Pieces, Op. 7 / Fantasia, Op.

MENDELSSOHN: Sonata in B-Flat Major / Fantasies, Op. 16

Classical Music