Classical Music

Classical Music

"...Great things were hoped for in Donohoe's new series, the first volume of which features the first five of the composer's nine sonatas. I am comprehensively blown away by the results. There is not a crash-bang-wallop in sight: bags of power, yes, but power focused and targeted at strategic points. What you will hear is a stream of light, pellucid lyricism, from the Romanticism of the early one-movement First Sonata to the delicious classical turn in the opening phrase of the Fifth, along with all the character and acrobatics that begin to emerge through this group. This is Prokofiev as you have not heard him. A major re-evaluation from a towering pianist is under way." - Michael Tumelty, The Herald, Scotland

Classical Music

This third and final volume dedicated to Enescu's piano works shows the unique blend of influences he acquired during his teenage years in Vienna and Paris. These start with his Brahms-like treatment of the piano as a symphonic instrument in the Scherzo and Ballade to the infusion of French late-Romanticism and Faure in the Impromptus. The crowning achievement of these early compositions is the Suite dans le style ancien, Enescu's first public solo piano opus, a stylised evocation of Bach seen through the prism of turn-of-the-century Paris.

The acclaimed Magdalen College Choir celebrates the diversity of the twentieth-century English carol repertoire in a programme that combines well-loved standards and innovative choir favorites ranging in emotion from quiet contemplation to festive joy. The selection of carols and organ solos, led by director and organist Daniel Hyde, culminates in Ralph Vaughan Williams’s celebrated Fantasia on Christmas Carols with renowned baritone Roderick Williams in the solo part. Several carols focus on the sheer joy of the miraculous Incarnation itself. William Mathias’s A babe is born is a lively setting which gives full rein to the composer’s syncopated, jazzy parallelisms. Optimism is also the principal mode of Christopher Steel’s People look east. In its ebullient joy, the piece bounces off into a different key in the third verse and deploys the voices in canon, before swinging back to a final recapitulation, replete with a jubilant descant. Composers for organ have found themselves drawn to this treasury of festive folksongs. The French organist and teacher Marcel Dupre was requested by his daughter Marguerite to write a setting of the carol Il est ne le divin enfant. The resulting piece is a set of variations on the theme, with the rune variously in the pedals, decorated, and finally worked into a masterly fugue. In similar fashion, Herbert Sumsion transformed a number of carols into preludes for the instrument. Among them was The holly and the ivy which plucks little motifs from its source before gradually introducing the tune itself, building up to a grand statement before subsiding into quiet peace.

Classical Music

Schubert did of course write a great deal of music for two pianists to play together, and Goldstone & Clemmow, Britain's top duo, have recorded all of it (on 7 CDs for Olympia Records - no longer available). Almost unknown and certainly neglected are the brilliant transcriptions made by other composers of some of Schubert's masterpieces. These have been unearthed from various places and recorded for the first time. This is a groundbreaking performance which will be required by all lovers of Schubert and of piano music alike. (ALL WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS except Polonaise)

Includes work(s) by various composers. Soloists: Anthony Goldstone, Caroline Clemmow.

Includes work(s) by Baldassare Galuppi. Soloist: Peter Seivewright.

Classical Music

REVIEWS:

"A revelatory version of a Tchaikovsky symphony... A major discovery... A cracking performance... Gloriously played... Mind-blowing." - Michael Tumelty, Glasgow Herald

"There are several good reasons to buy this fascinating programme... The impeccable precision, tonal allure and stylish panache of Goldstone and Clemmow's playing is sheer pleasure, and they are handsomely recorded." - BBC Music Magazine

"Excellently performed... Lovers of the piano duet medium need not hesitate." - Gramophone

"Superlative playing... Highly recommended." - John Phillips, Musicweb

"Fabulous playing and a definite 'grabbit'" - Showcase Magazine

"A tour-de-force... Goldstone & Clemmow bring a subtle intimacy to the music that is really wonderful…pristine presentation, copious notes and stunning recording... A superb disc." - ClassicalNet

"Highly enjoyable... Well worth hearing." - David Denton, Yorkshire Post

English pianist Leon McCawley leapt into prominence at the age of nineteen, when he won both First Prize in the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna, and Second Prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition. He has led a glittering career that includes recitals all over Europe, at Lincoln Center in New York, and appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as several appearances at the BBC Proms. He has worked with Gatti, Paavo J�rvi, Kurt Masur, and Simon Rattle, among many others. On this, his fifth disc for SOMM, the pianist turns to Rachmaninov's Complete Preludes.

Classical Music

Unlike many Bach works adapted for guitar, the keyboard-specific intricacies of the Goldberg Variations do not easily lend themselves to six strings. In the late 1990s Kurt Rodarmer circumvented these limitations via overdubbing and using a custom-made guitar with an extended bass register. He also transposed the piece to D major, a key that lies more comfortably for guitar than the original G major. By contrast, József Eötvös’ contemporaneous solo transcription adhered to the original key and contained all of the music within a solo guitar’s six string range, albeit necessitating slower tempos, contrapuntal compromises, and frequent transpositions of lines up or down the octave.

Marco Salcito shares Eötvös’ essentially purist conception, although he is less shy to incorporate idiomatic flourishes and articulations that guitarists love, such as rolling chords, and sliding or bending into and between notes. He does this extensively when repeating each variation’s “A” and “B” sections, yet the fanciful embellishments enhance rather than obliterate Bach’s melodic lines. In addition, Salcito’s recasting of the scintillating cross-handed variations in more deliberate, guitar-oriented terms is not unlike watching rapid basketball moves played back in slow motion: you lose the dance but you gain the details.

A good example of this is Variation 26’s triplet figurations that ordinarily sprint up and down the keyboard. When slowed down, previously overlooked inner melodies emerge. Granted, the combination of the guitar’s limited dynamic range, Salcito’s leisurely pace, and his observance of all repeats save for the Aria da capo might make this nearly two-hour-long interpretation seem interminable over the course of a single hearing. Yet Salcito’s quiet, compelling mastery and eloquent musicianship, together with Dynamic’s intimate, full-bodied engineering, will win over guitar enthusiasts, and perhaps seduce a few Bach fans as well.

– Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

The Richard Strauss Project: Complete Works for Piano Solo,

Paganini: Unpublished

This new release from Dynamic features Luca Fanfoni on violin and Luca Ballerini on piano. Nicolo Paganini was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time and left his mark as one of the greats of violin technique. The first piece on this album, Sonata a Preghierea, is a premiere complete recording with the rediscovered introduction. Luca Fanfoni has won multiple International Competitions and regularly plays at prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Sala Verdi, Hochschule Music Hall of Vienna, and many more. Luca Ballerini has also won his share of competitions including winning the Premier Prix de Virtuosite avec distinction. He and Fanfoni collaborate regularly. Other musicians included in these Paganini recordings are Daniele Fanfoni, Luca Simoncini, and Fabrizio Giudice.

Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release

James Whitbourn is a Grammy® nominated composer whose music is internationally admired for its direct connection with performers and audiences, The Observer describing him as "a truly original communicator in modern British choral music." Carolae is a fusion of the great Christmas traditions at King’s College Cambridge and Princeton University Chapel, with the Missa Carolæ at its heart. Whitbourn’s love of medieval musical language is reflected in his clever use of original melody with famous carols such as Noël Nouvelet, combined with skillful new arrangements of seasonal favorites such as The Coventry Carol.

Fernando Sor was not only one of the great guitarists of his era but a major composer for the instrument, described by a contemporary critic as "the Beethoven of the guitar". His desire for the guitar to represent a miniature orchestra in timbre is a distinctive feature of his many compositions. The 24 Progressive Lessons, Op. 31 offer a panoramic lexicon for the student, moving from a simple waltz to perpetual motion, whilst the charming Six Little Pieces, Op. 32 further explore technical efficiency and musical expressiveness.

The brilliant young guitarist Kyuhee Park, winner of the 2010 Agustín Barrios and 2012 Alhambra International Guitar competitions, has crafted a recital that focuses on a sequence of sonatas and a quartet of evocative character pieces. The three Scarlatti sonatas exude dance, lyricism and virtuosity respectively, whilst Anton Diabelli’s engaging Sonata in A, heard in Julian Bream’s arrangement, is one of the relatively few extended guitar works of the Classical period. Lennox Berkeley’s Sonatina is both elegant and complex. After Malats’ popular encore piece Serenata Española and Barrios’ sublime Un Sueño en la Floresta and Chopin-inspired Vals, the recital concludes with Lopez’s richly varied Impresiones y paisajes, inspired by Lorca’s first book.

The son of Alessandro Scarlatti, who created a new school of opera in Naples, Domenico Scarlatti is particularly distinguished for his remarkable keyboard sonatas, of which some 555 are known. This significant addition to early 18th century keyboard repertoire was written for performance on the various keyboard instruments of the Spanish court, where he was employed for many years, and in all its variety has long provided a valuable repertoire for pianists. Chinese pianist Duanduan Hao won First Prize in the 2009 Shanghai International Piano Competition.

French organ music from the period of Louis XIV to the Revolution has always held fascination for performers and listeners alike. The kaleidoscope of colors, the rich and varied styles and the sheer exuberance of the music never fail to captivate. Yet, performance practice of this music has never been fully understood. David Ponsford has spent much of his career studying this repertoire, resulting in his book French Organ Music in the Reign of Louis XIV (Cambridge University Press, 2011). This series of recordings, on the most important historical organs in France, is therefore the fruit of many years of research by a seasoned performer whose aim is to combine technical brilliance with intellectual understanding, to bring the music alive with authority and meaning.

On A. Tcherepnin Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4: ”This is another adorable disc of scintillating music brilliantly played and cannot be praised highly enough.” – MusicWeb International

Classical Music