WAGNER, S.: Bruder Lustig

Liu Zhuang: Piano Concerto "The Yellow River"

Chen Gang: Violin Concerto "Wang Zhaojun"

GIANNEO: Piano Works, Vol. 3

The "Romantic" symphony by Carlo Garofalo (1886-1962) was revived under Joel Spiegelman in Moscow in June, 1994; this was only the second time that the 40-minute-long composition (admired by Toscanini and Nikisch) had been performed. It requires a large orchestra, and in overall structure, sonority, and instrumentation it's frequently suggestive of Bruckner. The opening Largo sets a mood of deep concentration and leads to a sonata-form Allegro moderato. The slow movement (Andante) is placed second, before a massive Scherzo (where Bruckner's influence comes most strongly to the fore) and a tripartite finale. The symphony ends as it began, in a mood of static contemplation.


Also receiving its world-premiere recording here is Garofalo's violin concerto, which soloist Sergei Stadler plays with insight, energy, and impressive skill. It's an equally lavish and expansive piece, cast in characteristically Germanic colors and with an extravagantly difficult solo part. Both works receive fine performances, and the level of commitment and attentiveness that Spiegelman secures from his players guarantees a compelling and fascinating listening experience. The 1999 recording from the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall has rich amplitude and abundant orchestral detailing, though Stadler's violin is closely miked and the orchestral brass can be overpowering in fortissimos.
--Michael Jameson, ClassicsToday.com

Zhonghu Concerto & Pieces for Erhu and Orchestra

Eduward Strauss was overshadowed by his more famous elder siblings Johann II and Josef but his music from the 1870s and 1880s easily stands comparison with theirs, and in the dance genres of the quick polka and the gallop he was in a class of his own. These world premiere recordings of ‘handsome Edi’s’ music include the beguiling waltz Freie Gedanken or “Free Thoughts” written for the ‘Hesperus’ Artists’ Association, and the charming polka-mazurka Schmeichelkatzchen (‘Little Flatterer’), which was popular enough with Viennese audiences to be reprised throughout that season. Volume 1 of this edition was considered ‘energetic and beautiful’ by the American Record Guide.

More lost gems are unearthed in this fourth volume of music by contemporaries of the Strauss family. This programme takes us from rousing gallops and polkas to gentler salon pieces and waltzes, including music from the era of the fateful Titanic and the changing tastes of the 1920s. It includes orchestral premieres and reconstructions from scant sources, representing a vivid cross section of popular music from a century and more ago. Some of these composers have already been represented in previous volumes, but some will be entirely new even to enthusiasts of this musical period. So much material was destroyed during the two world wars that we are fortunate to have much of this music at all, but it is also thanks to dedicated research and conductor John Georgiadis’ reconstructions that it all sounds so freshly minted in this excellent recording.

LUMBYE: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4

ARNOLD, M.: David Copperfield / The Roots of Heaven

CIMAROSA: Overtures

Throughout his life, Eduard Strauss's compositions were unfavorably compared with those by his elder brothers, Johann II and Josef, yet many of his works, especially those dating from the 1870's and 1880's, easily stand comparison with those crafted by his two famous siblings. Moreover, in two particular dance genres - the quick polka and the galop - Eduard was in a class of his own. As the Strauss authority Professor Franz Mailer stated: ''Posterity must make restitution to Eduard Strauss.'' It is to be hoped that, at the very least, this present recording will encourage a reassessment of ''handsome Edi's'' unique musical genius.

Romantic Orchestral Music by Flemish Composers, Vol. 2

KOMZAK I / KOMZAK II: Waltzes, Marches, and Polkas, Vol. 1

In reviewing Bill Worland's memoirs 'Fumble Four Bars In' (British Music Society News 80 page 246) I said I would love to hear some of his music. Now, courtesy of Marco Polo and the highly accomplished RTE Orchestra, brilliantly directed by the young Gavin Sutherland, I have my wish. Worland, born in 1921, was a pianist in dance bands and light orchestras either side of the Second War and turned his hand to composition at a time when British light music was going into something of a decline in public appreciation. He is not easily discouraged, however, and has continued composing, achieving broadcast and some live performances and now a CD to himself in Marco Polo's admirable series. And an attractive one it is, too, and quite varied. Worland, like not a few light music composers, derives inspiration from Latin American and Spanish rhythms, as we can hear from the Tres Señoritas suite and the movements Latin Lovers, Pepita, Sombrero, Happy Hacienda and Bossa Romantica, all in this disc, all tuneful and entertaining. I also enjoyed In the Shadow of Vesuvius, a suite, or sequence in several sections, which conveys the colour of Italy nicely. But Worland can portray British scenes and people too; Scottish Power, another suite/sequence, Dreaming Spires, Leeds Castle, To Eleanor (wife of Edward I) and the moving Rhapsody Tristesse, dedicated to his one time piano teacher. As he says in his insert notes the lively Shopping Spree (track 1) was reckoned to resemble Robert Farnon. Indeed it does; Worland's piece of train music is Farnonish too - hardly surprising in view of Farnon's long-held, high status in light music this side of the Atlantic. Some of the music, like Millennium Celebration March and Scottish Power, have been recently composed, for the recording in fact. Bill Worland will be a new experience for many of you, but hopefully an enjoyable one. I hope there is more to come from his pen.

-- Philip Scowcroft, MusicWeb International