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Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott
Orfeo
Available as
CD
$20.99
Apr 18, 2011
BRITTEN Solo Cello Suites: Nos. 1–3 • Daniel Müller-Schott (vc) • ORFEO C 835 111 A (70:33)
Next to Bach’s six, there are probably no greater challenges to the art of the cello than the three suites for solo cello of Benjamin Britten, even considering those by Hindemith and Reger. Britten had wanted to compose six but died before he could write more than three. No matter; these are major pieces, and it is good to see them coming more into their own with a number of recent recordings of all or some of them.
We are told that it was hearing Rostropovich play the first Shostakovich cello concerto in 1960 that impelled Britten to write a sonata for him, which they performed the following year, and to write the Cello Symphony in 1963. The three suites followed in 1964, 1967, and 1971. It is customary to grant Rostropovich authority in the performance of the first two suites (he never recorded the third), though he himself had some later reservations about his recording of the first, because he thought he played it so much better later. But these suites have now become the province of young cellists and that’s a good thing.
Daniel Müller-Schott has all the technical skills necessary (a phenomenal pp , for instance). He takes a forthright approach to the first suite. The opening Canto is firmly stated and adumbrates what follows. His performance sounds to me more a matter of statements about than a lyrical exploration of Britten’s voice. On the whole, he seems much more comfortable in the second suite, though the concluding Ciaccona occasionally loses its sense of line. The third suite, however, starts off with a wonderfully caressing Lento, and Müller-Schott is completely engaged with what follows. No recording of Bach’s or Britten’s suites, however good, and this is certainly a good one, can take the place of hearing them live.
This recording is certainly to be recommended and it gets better as it goes on. Müller-Schott has a slightly grainy sound and this fits his approach. He has clearly taken to heart Leonard Bernstein’s view of Britten’s music that “if you really hear it, not just listen to it superficially, you become aware of something very dark.” These are dark recordings, indeed. This is not the only view possible of these suites, however, and I am also much taken with the more lyrical one by Tim Hugh (Naxos), a recording that seems to have slipped past us, and Peter Wispelwey has a recent (2010) live recording of the first suite that is wonderful to hear (Onyx). These are good times for Britten’s response to Bach.
FANFARE: Alan Swanson
Next to Bach’s six, there are probably no greater challenges to the art of the cello than the three suites for solo cello of Benjamin Britten, even considering those by Hindemith and Reger. Britten had wanted to compose six but died before he could write more than three. No matter; these are major pieces, and it is good to see them coming more into their own with a number of recent recordings of all or some of them.
We are told that it was hearing Rostropovich play the first Shostakovich cello concerto in 1960 that impelled Britten to write a sonata for him, which they performed the following year, and to write the Cello Symphony in 1963. The three suites followed in 1964, 1967, and 1971. It is customary to grant Rostropovich authority in the performance of the first two suites (he never recorded the third), though he himself had some later reservations about his recording of the first, because he thought he played it so much better later. But these suites have now become the province of young cellists and that’s a good thing.
Daniel Müller-Schott has all the technical skills necessary (a phenomenal pp , for instance). He takes a forthright approach to the first suite. The opening Canto is firmly stated and adumbrates what follows. His performance sounds to me more a matter of statements about than a lyrical exploration of Britten’s voice. On the whole, he seems much more comfortable in the second suite, though the concluding Ciaccona occasionally loses its sense of line. The third suite, however, starts off with a wonderfully caressing Lento, and Müller-Schott is completely engaged with what follows. No recording of Bach’s or Britten’s suites, however good, and this is certainly a good one, can take the place of hearing them live.
This recording is certainly to be recommended and it gets better as it goes on. Müller-Schott has a slightly grainy sound and this fits his approach. He has clearly taken to heart Leonard Bernstein’s view of Britten’s music that “if you really hear it, not just listen to it superficially, you become aware of something very dark.” These are dark recordings, indeed. This is not the only view possible of these suites, however, and I am also much taken with the more lyrical one by Tim Hugh (Naxos), a recording that seems to have slipped past us, and Peter Wispelwey has a recent (2010) live recording of the first suite that is wonderful to hear (Onyx). These are good times for Britten’s response to Bach.
FANFARE: Alan Swanson
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894 & 3
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
$21.99
Jan 29, 2016
Pianist Elena Margolina enjoyed a highly distinguished musical education, graduating with a piano concert diploma from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and, summa cum laude, from the University of Music in Detmold in 1996. She has made numerous recordings for radio, television and also several CD recordings. On her latest recording she plays three piano pieces and a sonata by Franz Schubert.
D. Scarlatti: Stabat Mater, Choral Works / Vox Luminis
Ricercar
Available as
CD
$20.99
Jun 24, 2014

An intoxicating blend of voices makes the Stabat mater a profound experience
"Sheer joy in music-making is as evident here as the sense of piety required by what are, after all, holy works. Yet it is difficult to begrudge Vox Luminis some feeling of joy at the astonishing sounds they are able to produce. The spirit of devotion is very much alive here too, in an album that pays equal attention to the holy and to the heady." -- Gramophone [4/2008]
Pachelbel: Christ Lag In Todesbunden, Etc / Tubery, Et Al
Ricercar
Available as
CD
$20.99
Nov 13, 2007
Includes work(s) by Johann Pachelbel. Ensembles: Namur Chamber Choir, Les Agrémens. Conductor: Jean Tubéry.
Sonatas Novohispanas Ii / La Fontegara
Urtext
Available as
CD
Includes sonata(s) by Anonymous. Ensemble: La Fontegara.
Dance Passion / Leticia Gomez-Tagle
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
$21.99
Feb 26, 2016
In Latin America, you don‘t only dance at parties, and so even children learn how to dance to the typical rhythms. During her studies, Leticia Gómez-Tagle taught flamenco in several ballet studios and dance schools and even had a small flamenco group. With this background it becomes clear why the pianist has chosen this title for her first CD on Ars Produktion.
BOTTESINI: Works for Double Bass, Vol. 3
Hungaroton
Available as
CD
$21.99
Oct 18, 2002
BOTTESINI: Works for Double Bass, Vol. 3
Mendelssohn, Felix: Organ Music, Vol. 1
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.
Slavic Nobility
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
$21.99
Sep 30, 2014
Composers Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Viktor Kosenko (1896-1938), two versatile and strong-willed men who lived complex lives in a complex reality, each created his own world of music.
Despite having lived in different times and places, they shared many common passions, music foremost among these. This disc alternates Poèms, Mazurkas and Sonatas by Scriabin and one of his younger idolizers. The Ukrainian-born, prize-winning pianist and co-founder of “Duo Kiol”, Violina Petrychenko, lives in Köln, Germany and works as a piano instructor at the Music Academy Köln-Süd.
Organ Recital: Schmeding, Martin - KUHNAU, J. / BACH, J.S. /
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
$21.99
Feb 13, 2009
Classical Music
Fantasy / Danae Dorken
Ars Produktion
Available as
SACD
$20.99
Jul 29, 2014
Described as "a poet of the piano" by Die Welt, the rising-star pianist, Danae Dörken is rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after soloists of her generation. She has developed a passion not only for recitals but also chamber music, performing with artists such as Gustav Rivinius, Christiane Oelze and Carolin Widmann. Ms. Dörken, particularly fascinated by the freedom inherent in the Fantasia form, presents an album of keyboard Fantasies by Schumann, C.P.E. Bach and Schubert.
Louis Lortie plays Chopin Vol. 4: Waltzes & Nocturnes
Chandos
Available as
CD
The fourth volume of what promises to be a complete Chopin piano music survey from Louis Lortie contains five nocturnes and the 19 waltzes. Lortie devises a running order that mixes and matches the works to achieve variety and contrast. For example, the youthful E-flat waltz (the one that Michelangeli often played as an encore) emerges like a ray of sunshine following the wistfully lyrical B minor Op. 69 No. 2, while the short, lightheartedly flashy posthumous A-flat waltz serves as a cameo-like bridge between the grand, multithematic E-flat Op. 18 and A-flat Op. 34 No. 1 waltzes.
In general, Lortie is at his elegant best. He lovingly lingers over phrases in the posthumous A minor waltz as if he’s reluctant to let the bittersweet phrases go. As with the B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1 nocturne, Lortie’s E minor waltz is supple and small of scale, in contrast to more dynamic, surging interpretations. Lortie’s brisk, liberally-pedaled F minor waltz imparts a floating, almost weightless character to the work. Similarly, the flexible, well-proportioned A minor Op. 34 No. 2 waltz never drags, and the F major Op. 34 No. 3’s “dog chasing its tail” right-hand runs are doled out with remarkable evenness and control.
The A-flat Op. 42 goes swimmingly by any standard, although a wider dynamic scope and bigger climaxes would have elevated the performance from memorable to irresistible. However, Lortie illuminates the B major Op. 32 No. 1 nocturne’s dark undercurrents by way of pronounced yet logical modifications of the basic pulse. His uptempo way with the A-flat Op. 64 No. 3 waltz reminds me a little of Rachmaninov’s similarly paced, poker-faced interpretation.
Of the two Op. 37 nocturnes, I prefer Lortie’s G minor for its introspective simplicity. The G major is quite pretty on the surface (the beautifully pointed chromatically descending notes in the left hand, for example), but Ashkenazy’s greater breadth and more incisive right-hand double notes get more out of the music. One also could imagine additional rhythmic kick to the central mazurka section in Lortie’s sensitively shaded posthumous C-sharp minor nocturne. The smooth and discreetly resonant engineering complements Lortie’s artistry. All told, this release is an enticing, albeit lower-voltage, alternative to recent Chopin waltz cycles from Stephen Hough and Alexandre Tharaud, with a generous 83-minute total playing time.
-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
In general, Lortie is at his elegant best. He lovingly lingers over phrases in the posthumous A minor waltz as if he’s reluctant to let the bittersweet phrases go. As with the B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1 nocturne, Lortie’s E minor waltz is supple and small of scale, in contrast to more dynamic, surging interpretations. Lortie’s brisk, liberally-pedaled F minor waltz imparts a floating, almost weightless character to the work. Similarly, the flexible, well-proportioned A minor Op. 34 No. 2 waltz never drags, and the F major Op. 34 No. 3’s “dog chasing its tail” right-hand runs are doled out with remarkable evenness and control.
The A-flat Op. 42 goes swimmingly by any standard, although a wider dynamic scope and bigger climaxes would have elevated the performance from memorable to irresistible. However, Lortie illuminates the B major Op. 32 No. 1 nocturne’s dark undercurrents by way of pronounced yet logical modifications of the basic pulse. His uptempo way with the A-flat Op. 64 No. 3 waltz reminds me a little of Rachmaninov’s similarly paced, poker-faced interpretation.
Of the two Op. 37 nocturnes, I prefer Lortie’s G minor for its introspective simplicity. The G major is quite pretty on the surface (the beautifully pointed chromatically descending notes in the left hand, for example), but Ashkenazy’s greater breadth and more incisive right-hand double notes get more out of the music. One also could imagine additional rhythmic kick to the central mazurka section in Lortie’s sensitively shaded posthumous C-sharp minor nocturne. The smooth and discreetly resonant engineering complements Lortie’s artistry. All told, this release is an enticing, albeit lower-voltage, alternative to recent Chopin waltz cycles from Stephen Hough and Alexandre Tharaud, with a generous 83-minute total playing time.
-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
World Keys
Reference Recordings
Available as
CD
$18.99
Jun 13, 2006
14.99
Mompou, F.: Cancons I Danses - Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 1
Musicaphon
Available as
CD
$16.99
Oct 08, 2004
Mompou, F.: Cancons I Danses - Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 1
Partimenti
CAvi-music
Available as
CD
$19.99
Jan 22, 2014
Classical Music
Richter in Budapest
West Hill Radio Archives
Available as
CD
$18.99
Jun 01, 2009
Richter in Budapest
In dir ist Freude
DUX
Available as
CD
$21.99
May 28, 2013
In dir ist Freude
Tenore et Traverso
Coviello
Available as
CD
$20.99
Nov 01, 2009
Classical Music
Hermann, F.: Duo Brillante / Rheinberger, J.G.: Organ Sonata
Antes Edition
Available as
CD
Classical Music
Chopin / Lars Vogt
CAvi-music
Available as
CD
$19.99
Nov 21, 2014
Classical Music
Organ Recital: Enz, Winfried - BACH, J.S. / BUXTEHUDE, D. /
Bella Musica
Available as
CD
$20.99
Apr 26, 2007
Classical Music
Gyorgy Ligeti: Volumina - Orgelwerke
Wergo
Available as
CD
$20.99
Apr 12, 2013
Although Gyorgy Ligeti composed only three works for the organ, these pieces mark significant stages in the course of his compositional development. More importantly, they revolutionized the world of organ music and provided the initial spark for an entire wave of new music for the organ. Volumina completely dispenses with the parameters normally used to structure time in a musical work, such as melody, rhythm, and harmony. The only active structural parameter in this music is tone color. Harmonies unfolds as an unbroken chain of ten-note chords; only one note is changed from one chord to the next. Coulee is a chain of extremely fast notes that describe a slow harmonic progression. Also included are organist Dominik Sustek's organ transcription of Ligeti's eleven-movement piano cycle Musica ricercata as well as Sprachsignale - one of Sustek's own original compositions that was inspired by Ligeti's Articulation.
born to be schorn
CAvi-music
Available as
CD
Classical Music
MEDTNER: Piano Works, Vol. 8
Chandos
Available as
CD
$21.99
Nov 01, 2004
Classical Music
Masterworks of Modern Classics
Musicaphon
Available as
CD
$16.99
Nov 19, 2002
Masterworks of Modern Classics
