Brahms: Four-Hand Piano Music, Vol. 11

Naxos launches a survey of Buxtehude's complete organ works with a well-varied selection of chorale preludes, fugal works, and virtuoso showpieces. Volker Ellenberger's fluent technique and intelligent musicianship particularly come across in the chorale preludes and in larger-scaled works like the Magnificat primi toni (BuxWV 203), where the four fugues effortlessly emerge from their more freely conceived preceding episodes. The bassoon-like clarity of the pedal registration in the G major Prelude and Fugue BuxWV 147 helps move the music forward, as does Ellenberger's sharply etched phrasing in the fugue. The latter contrasts with Rene Saorgin's slower, more yielding (though no less valid) treatment. On the other hand, Saorgin's ebullient dash through the BuxWV 149 G minor Praeludium's introduction presents the music in a more improvisatory light compared to the shorter phrase lengths Ellenberger stresses.


The 1997 organ of the Evangelical Lutheran City Church in Bückeburg, Germany benefits from clear and close-up engineering, similar to what producer Wolfgang Rübsam enjoyed in his fine (and sadly out-of-print) Buxtehude cycle recorded for Bellaphon in the early 1980s. Should the remaining releases in this series match Volume 1's high performance and engineering standards, we'll have a Buxtehude cycle on par with Saorgin's classic Harmonia Mundi recordings from the late '60s/early '70s.
--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Homages and dedications often have a veiled mystique: the relationship between the composer and somebody else, a story and emotional experience hidden in the music. + Homages are created from the heart; to whom they are dedicated is not always easy to fathom, but they can speak and bloom as though they were only written for oneself, creating a poetry and beauty which fills the hearts of listeners. + Available on Signum, “Homages” is an album by Swiss-born guitarist Christoph Denoth featuring works for guitar solo by Villa-Lobos, de Falla, Turina, Rodrigo, Sor, Malats, da Narvaez and Llobet.

Volume 1 in a new collection of Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphonies, performed by Joseph Nolan on the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organ of L'église de la Madeleine, Paris. Bridging the generations from Mendelssohn to Messiaen, Empire to Republic, Widor was born to the organ. His Lyonnaise kinsfolk were organ-builders, he showed early talent for the instrument, and for decades was the embodiment of its might and splendour across the Gallic domain - his ‘Organ Symphonies’ were genre-defining in their influence.

Joseph Nolan is an internationally renowned organist, acclaimed as ‘brilliant and such an astute musician’ (Gramophone UK). He was appointed to Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, St James’s Palace in 2004, and has since been invited to perform and record in some of the world’s premiere venues - including the refurbished Organ of Buckingham Palace Ballroom (SIGCD114) and the Organ of Saint-Sulpice in Paris (SIGCD167). The Cavaillé-Coll Organ of La Madeleine, Paris is a similarly renowned instrument, with former chief-organists including Camille Saint-Säens and Gabriel Fauré.

“These performances are full of spontaneity yet for all Nolan’s brilliance he allows the requirements of the composer always to take priority. The sympathy and expression that Nolan gives to this music and the assurance of his results will undoubtedly give this recital a special place amongst organ collectors” Musicweb International (for SIGCD167 – The Organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris)

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HARPSICHORD (FAMOUS WORKS FOR)

Weiss, S.L.: Lute Sonatas, Vol. 4 - Nos. 21, 37, 46

DUPRE: Works for Organ, Vol. 13

Bernando Pasquini was a musician of considerable reputation in 17th-century Rome. Having held various organist posts throughout the city, he struck gold in 1666 when he was made organist and director of music to Prince Gianbattista Borghese. In 1706 he, along with his contemporaries and fellow musicians, Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti, was made a member of the Arcadia, a movement begun by Queen Christine of Sweden.

Keyboard music in Italy in the 1600s was to undergo a radical change, with an introduction to Rationalism and simplicity; Pasquini himself is known to have been particularly enamoured with the works of Palestrina and Frescobaldi. Aside from his skills as a performer and composer, Pasquini was also an immensely gifted teacher. Each of the sonatas for two basso continuo instruments bears the hallmarks of the partimento teaching technique, which involves a kind of dialogue between teacher and student. The sonatas include the fashionable styles of keyboard music of the time, such as the Allegro da concerto, Adagio, Fugue, Corrente and Gavotte.

The recording boasts two multi-award-winning organists. The first, Luca Scandali, was educated at the Conservatory 'G. Rossini' of Pesaro in his native Italy and has performed in festivals all over Europe. He is currently Professor of Organ and Composition for Organ at the Conservatory 'F. Morlacchi' of Perugia. The second, Swiss organist, Hadrien Jourdan, studied at the Conservatory of Geneva and regularly participates in festivals and recordings throughout Europe.

Other information:
- Recorded in 2012.
- Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710) was an Italian composer of opera and church music. A renowned virtuoso keyboard player in his day, he was one of the most important Italian composers for harpsichord and organ between Frescobaldi and Scarlatti.
- Pasquini's sonatas for two organs offer delightful dialogues between the two instruments (sometimes acting as teacher and pupil) in fashionable forms such as Allegro da Concerto and various dance forms.
- Two excellent organists enjoy their interplay on two historical organs from the 18th century.
- Organs: Pietro Nacchini, 1757; Gaetano Callido, 1785.
- Harpsichord: copy after Ignazio Mucciardi, 1789, by Giulio Fratini & Pierpaolo Pallotti, 2012.
- Contains liner notes on the works and biographies of the artists.

Perahia has a magic touch and his electric spontaneity is naturally caught in the studio. In the works of Schumann...this quality of concentration is enormously valuable, and the results could hardly be more powerfully convincing...

-- The Penguin Guide, selecting this issue as a "key" recording

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Includes work(s) by various composers. Soloist: Jonathan Dimmock.

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Eric Lesage continues the flamboyant exploration of Robert Schumann's solo piano repertoire, all of them cornerstones of 19th century musical history. This momentous endeavour receives more and more critical acclaim and is recorded in optimal conditions (the outstanding acoustics of La Chaux-de-Fonds and brilliant sound by Jean-Marc Laisné). The complete recording of these works will come to an end by 2010 (the anniversary of Schumann's birth) and so crown its festivities.

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1 multi-channel (5.1) SACD - Total time: 78'25 Packaged in a digipak DVD box The organ is not only a musical instrument; it's also a fascinating machine, whose complexity has increased along the centuries. This new collection aims to discover them, to get closely acquainted with them. But a great part of the magic, proper to the organ, refers to the context that surrounds the instrument. It's quite normal, when entering into a church, to look up and see if an instrument is installed in the building. An organ is not only about producing sounds, it occupies a place in space and in the architecture. In order to reflect the power of this spatiality, we have decided to use, on top of the standard stereo, a multi-channel sound in 5.1, for the music lovers who are equipped with SACD technology. The new collection will of course have the "Alpha touch": fine presentation, book-like, accurate and complete texts, numerous quality pictures. By introducing instruments chosen in the entire world for their exceptional features, we wish to create a close relationship with the public so as to make the personality of each instrument more reachable. The first reference of the collection (Alpha 650) will be devoted to the organ of Cintegabelle (France), a magnificent instrument build in the early 1740's, whose sound colours emphasizes an original programme of transcriptions compiled from Jean-Philippe Rameau's operas, interpreted by Yves Rechsteiner. Why the name of Ugab? Because the organ's original ancestor appears (presumably) under that name in the Old Testament, back in the mists of time...

Around 1700 Naples was one of the most important centres of music in Europe, a melting pot of different cultures brought in by composers from all over Europe who came there to study with the great Italian masters.
This new recording brings together an astonishing range of keyboard music written by known and unknown masters: Trabaci, De Macque, Valente, Rodio, Storace, Strozzi, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti. The music is of a high level of virtuosity and invention, Italian cantilenas, rich ornamentation and instrumental brilliance go hand in hand.
Played on harpsichord and organ by Stefano Innocenti, who did extensive research into this fascinating part of music history, a true scholar, and an excellent soloist.
Booklet notes by the artist, texts on the composers, the music and the historic instruments used.

Other information:
Contains notes on the pieces in English and Italian.
Contains notes on the artist.
Contains notes on the instruments used in the recording.
Recorded in 2013 in Parma (harpsichord) and at the Auditorium Giani Casa d’Organi, Corte de’ Frati, Cremona (organ), Italy.

This exquisite collection of Italian and Spanish music for Vihuela de Mano – a guitar-shaped instrument with six double or paired strings common to Spain, Italy and Portugal in the 15th – 16th centuries – is played by Italian lutenist and vihuelist Massimo Marchese (b. 1965), a specialist in this repertoire. + Mr. Marchese has been an active recitalist both as soloist and ensemble member since 1980.

• Charlotte Mattax Moersch extends her series of recordings for Centaur with this new release. • Couperin wrote some of the finest harpsichord works of the 18th-Century; these works among them.

This selection is a 2-disc set, containing an audio-only (i.e., with no video content) Blu-ray disc playable only on Blu-ray players as well as a standard CD.

Sono Luminus presents this uniquely engaging collection of music that embodies the American spirit in Americana, the latest release by Modern Mandolin Quartet.

Expressing their opinion on their choices of musical selections for this album, the quartet writes “This music attracted us because of the wonderful way it sounds on our instruments, particularly the Dvorák. Since the musical character of the pieces is based on various forms of American music, it lends itself extremely well to the mandolin. While many selections for piano and string music rely on idioms and techniques that may not transpose well to the mandolin, the pieces included on this disc were chosen for their vitality and the way they jumped right off the page.”

The Modern Mandolin Quartet was formed in 1985 to give a new voice to that most American of musical instruments, the mandolin. Following the tradition of the mandolin orchestras and chamber groups from the early twentieth century, the Modern Mandolin Quartet uses the instruments of the mandolin family which correspond to the conventional string quartet (two mandolins, mandola, and mandocello). To date the Quartet has arranged and performed over 90 works originally written for orchestra, chamber ensemble, piano, guitar and string quartet.

“MMQ play dead-straight, spot-on, and packed with freshness and vitality of a kind that is rare in material of this type. These are not down-scaled, make-em-easy, just-for-kicks charts either - they are a Major Thing. TRIPLE MUST!” – Fanfare

Homilius's choral preludes are rooted in the contrapuntal tradition propounded by his teacher Bach; not, however, without characteristics belonging to the more affective aesthetic movement of Empfindsame Stil for which Bach's son CPE is now best known. Thus there are some bold modulations which Father Bach would never have imagined or countenanced, such as the oscillation between C minor and C sharp minor in Ach Herr, mich armen S�nder, or the (then still) unusual B flat minor key of Wer nur den lieben Gott l�sst walten. This appears to be the first recording to include all the great organ chorales so far authenticated as the work of Homilius - many of them remain unpublished. It is made by a Venetian keyboard musician specializing in early music, on a modern (2007) instrument tuned to Werckmeister III - as close as is practicable to the tuning that Homilius would have known.