The “The Last Judgment” by Louis Spohr is one of the most important oratorios of the early 19th c. Accompanied recitatives, short contrapuntal solos and above all great choruses characterize the musical structure. Contrary to other apocalyptic compositions, Spohr focuses on a positive, comforting fundamental attitude of joyful anticipation, making manifest the praise of God and the portrayal of omnipotence, kindness and righteousness. Frieder Bernius and the Stuttgart Chamber Choir together with the Bremen Chamber Philharmonic present the oratorio on this recording.

Verdi: Messa da requiem - Rossini: Stabat Mater

Körnerscher Sing-Verein, Dresdner Instrumental-Concert, Peter Kopp

Music by Josef Seger, Johann Georg Schürer, Johann David Heinichen, Giovanni Alberto Ristori (world premiere recordings)

The music of the present CD convey to the listener a musical picture of the celebration of Christmas Eve which took place in the Church of the Court of Dresden in around 1750. The works recorded here all belong to the first flowering of Catholic church music at the Court of Dresden, which began in the 1720s and ended with the Seven Years War (1756–1763), which proved disastrous for Saxony. The demands of August the Strong and his son August III to display prestige led composers such as Johann David Heinichen or Giovanni Alberto Ristori to compose in a separate style for the Catholic Court Church in Dresden a wide-ranging repertoire of Catholic church music for the entire church year. In the holdings of the Sächsischen Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek there are numerous of these works which have survived as handwritten autographs. The music from the present CD is also drawn from the rich storehouse of music in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek. They lay undiscovered, hidden away in cabinets for over two centuries and with this world premiere recording they are now being present to the public for the first time.

The orchestra of the Court of Dresden was considered to be one of the most established orchestras in Europe. The Körnersche Sing-Verein Dresden and the Dresdner Instrumental-Concert, who are dedicated to presenting compositions of the 18th-century in historically accurate performances, allow the excellent quality of the music of the Court Church of this time to live again. In addition, the internationally renowned soloists draw on their wealth of experience in the performance of baroque music.

Classical Music

BLOCH Schelomo 1. BRIDGE Oration, Concerto elegiaco 1. HOUGH The Loneliest Wilderness 2 • Steven Isserlis (vc); 1 Hugo Wolff, cond; 1 German SO Berlin; 2 Gábor Takács, cond; 2 Tapiola Sinfonietta • BIS 1992 (SACD: 67:40)


Steven Isserlis joined Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra in 1988 for a very fine and critically well-received recording of Bloch’s Schelomo for Virgin Classics. Also on that disc was a more than respectable account of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Except for the benefit of surround-sound audio and improved sonics on this new BIS release, I’m not prepared to say that Isserlis betters his previous account. At 58, he’s still in his prime and at the height of his game technically, but the years seem not to have aged Isserlis’s ancient King of Israel. If anything, Isserlis and Hugo Wolff now put a bit more spring into Solomon’s step, though the difference of only 23 seconds—21:45 in 1988 vs. 21:22 in 2012 is simply too small to notice over the given timespan.


The album comes with a title, In the Shadow of War , and a theme. Bloch, as is well known, was deeply depressed over the grim events unfolding during World War I, and for solace and understanding, he turned to the words of despair and wisdom in the Book of Ecclesiastes, believed to have been authored by Solomon 2,000 years earlier. It was from this that in 1916 Bloch drew inspiration for his magnificent rhapsody-cum-tone poem, Schelomo , for cello and orchestra.


Frank Bridge’s Oration, Concerto elegiaco for Cello and Orchestra is far less well known than Bloch’s opus, but it, too, has received a previous recording by Isserlis and Hickox with the City of London Sinfonia on EMI. Unfortunately, I don’t have that disc, so I can’t compare the performance to this new one, but it doesn’t go back as far as Isserlis’s Virgin Classics Schelomo . The Isserlis/Hickox/EMI CD, coupled with Britten’s Cello Symphony , was released in 2007. We don’t have a description of Bridge’s Oration in the composer’s own words, as we do a description of Schelomo from Bloch himself, so we can only speculate on Bridge’s motives for writing the piece and its precise meaning. In 1930, the date of Oration ’s composition, World War I had long ago ended and World War II was yet to come. Yet everything about this work paints the most grisly, gruesome portrait imaginable of war’s death and destruction. Isserlis, who has written his own album note, describes the music minute by minute, evoking images of “men hurling themselves into enemy fire” and “the leaden march of doomed soldiers.” The solo cello is the fallen soldier who, in the end, is left to expire alone, “his final desolate thoughts fading into empty nothingness.”


Nearly 30 minutes in duration, Bridge’s Oration is not an easy work to listen to, or to play, I’m sure, so it’s not surprising that it hasn’t achieved anything close to the popularity of Bloch’s Schelomo . Besides Isserlis’s own previous recording of the piece, it hasn’t received much attention on disc, but the attention it has received has come from major-league cellists, namely, Rafael Wallfisch, Alban Gerhardt, and Julian Lloyd Webber.


I have to admit that before listening to it, Stephen Hough’s The Loneliest Wilderness shouted, “Raise shields! Raise shields!,” as would any piece for me dated 2005. Well, it only took a matter of seconds before the music cried out to me, “Lower shields! Lower shields!” I would buy this disc for The Loneliest Wilderness alone. The piece was originally composed for bassoon and orchestra, but Isserlis persuaded Hough, composer, pianist, and good friend, that the lyrical nature of the solo part was ideal for cello. Since the ranges of the two instruments are reasonably close to each other, I don’t know if it was necessary for Hough to make any adjustments in the solo line or not, but this is one gorgeous outpouring of poignant, moving, heartfelt music. Bless Stephen Hough for composing it, and bless Steven Isserlis for including it on this disc. The work, according to the note, was inspired by Herbert Read’s poem My Company , and I can’t think of any other way to describe it than to say it’s a rapturous rhapsody in full neoromantic bloom.


This may prove to be the best cello and orchestra recording of the year, and it’s urgently recommended.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

The Naxos Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition: Schubert set the poetry of over 115 writers to music. He selected poems from classical Greece, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from eighteenth-century German authors, early Romantics and Biedermeier poets.

HANDEL Joshua • Peter Neumann, cond; Myung-Hee Hyun ( Achsah ); Alex Potter ( Othniel ); James Gilchrist ( Joshua ); Georg Poplutz ( Angel ); Konstantin Wolff ( Caleb ); Cologne CCh; Collegium Cartusianum (period instruments) • MDG 332 1532 (2 CDs: 122:40 Text and Translation)


Joshua is not one of Handel’s great oratorios. Although it is patterned on the previous year’s Judas Maccabaeus with a perfunctory love story tacked on, Morrell’s mediocre libretto did not inspire Handel to the heights of their earlier collaboration. But there are some very good things in Joshua , and second-rate Handel is better than music from some composers’ top drawer, so Joshua is worthy of the occasional performance and recording.


My only previous encounter with Peter Neumann’s Handel is his excellent Athalia , which I consider the preferred recording of that work. His work here is on the same high level. He paces the work well, giving scrupulous attention to Handel’s tempo markings. In the few da capo arias, ornaments are tasteful and appropriate. Orchestra and chorus perform at a very high level, and one is almost unaware that English is not the choristers’ native tongue.


As with other period-instrument recordings that have come my way in recent months, I am puzzled by the use of continuo keyboards. The organ is sometimes used in place of the harpsichord in recitatives and arias. Neumann even goes further, sometimes using organ, harpsichord, and lute together, contrary to correct historical practice.


The soloists are a very accomplished group. James Gilchrist, one of only two native English soloists, is excellent as Joshua. He is very responsive to the words he is singing, projecting what drama there is in his role when he is given the opportunity. Despite the fact that most of the other soloists are German-born, they sing the English words with practically no hint of an accent. Myung-Hee Hyun was born in Korea, but has studied in Germany. Her diction is also excellent, as of course is that of Alex Potter, the other native English singer. None of these singers need yield anything to the soloists on Robert King’s recording on Hyperion, the main competition to this recording.


There are two additional recordings of Joshua in the current catalog. I have not heard the recording conducted by Budday on K & K, but it received a negative evaluation in Fanfare 31:5. The recording conducted by Palmer on Newport has its attractions, but is outclassed by slightly better competition. Anyone looking to add Joshua to his collection could not go wrong with either King or Neumann.


FANFARE: Ron Salemi

Classical Music

Classical Music

“Choral Music for Christmas” presents the very best of Advent and Christmas choral music from the Carus catalog. Contemporary arrangements of popular Christmas carols by composers such as Fredo Jung and Giacomo Mezallira feature alongside works by well-known composers including Handel, Bach, Heinichen, and Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The performers, including the Calmus Ensemble, the Kammerchor Stuttgart conducted by Frieder Bernius, the Dresdner Kammerchor conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann, and the ensemble L’arpa festante, guarantee an absolute choral treat.

On May 28th May Mitsuko Shirai celebrated her 70th birthday. She looks back on life rich with musical performances: lieder, concerts, and also operas. The Lied duo Mitsuko Shirai / Hartmut Holl have created their own vast library of songs with numerous recordings and set new standards with concerts and releases. ''I prize all the recordings of Mstuko Shirai and Hartmut Holl, a historically great partnership in song, and I cherish the memory of the many times I heard them live.'' (Richard Dyer, Boston Globe)

After a miraculous triumph over a four year battle with a rare form of misdiagnosed Cancer that had him at death's door, internationally renowned pianist/composer Michael Wolff continues to celebrate his incredible recovery and life on "Memoir, " his first studio album in four years, set for release August 2, 2024 on Sunnyside Records. The highly anticipated collection will be available on Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, and Wolff's website (www. Michaelwolff. com) or wherever you purchase your music. Wolff is known for playing with a Who's Who of jazz legends from Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderly, and Sonny Rollins, to his mentor and friend, Bill Evans, to Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, (he was also her musical director, ) Sheila E. , Christian McBride and so many more. In pop culture he's best known for his five-year run as the musical director and bandleader for Arsenio Hall on the star's award-winning, late night TV talk show. "Memoir" features Wolff in his trio with longtime collaborators bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard, the 11-track collection is a deeply inspired compilation of new music and fresh interpretations of some of Wolff's favorite unreleased original compositions he decided to revisit. True to it's title, "Memoir" is a rhythmically dynamic, yet simultaneously soulful exploration that showcases the rich, intricate quality of Wolff's playing and the musicianship of all three artists. With over 21 solo albums to his credit, "Memoir" is one of Wolff's most personal and significant records to date. "I wanted every note and song to resonate emotionally with the listener and reflect the journey of my experiences. This album conveys a feeling that's very personal and thoughtful, but still has great energy, " stated Wolff. That 'personal feeling' is expressed in several ballads reflective of Wolff's more contemplative playing and composition, most notably on the charming and seductive "Afternoon" written spontaneously at the piano while his wife, actress/writer/director Polly Draper was busy in the kitchen on a sunny New York afternoon. A melancholy feeling is also expressed in another reflective piece, (and the album's sole cover, ) "You've Changed. " Originally popularized by Billie Holiday, Wolff's interpretation evokes an emotional and tactile feeling, motivated by his memory of finally waking up after so long and beginning the process of exploring his inner self. The record is a musical expression of Wolff's amazing life story and how his experiences have impacted his evolution as a musician whose fresh perspectives continue to move his music forward. "Memoir" follows the publication of Wolff's recent Amazon best-selling autobiography, "On That Note: A Memoir of Jazz, Tics and Survival, " which chronicles his life and musical career from his unique roots growing up in the segregated south, his lifelong struggle with Tourette's Syndrome, to his rise to fame in the jazz world and pop culture, and ultimately his amazing conquest over the grueling, life-threatening battle with the rare cancer that almost stole his life. "The pieces on 'Memoir' truly reflect who I am today as an artist and person, " he adds. "Having gone through the frightening cancer battle and facing my mortality has made me a more mature artist. Writing the book was like finding myself and this music reflects and builds on my personal story of struggle and ultimately triumph over the odds. " Wolff explains. "My intention was to create an album that would be an important testament to my life and music. I wanted to make everything as meaningful as I could, not pushing for anything specific, but simply going with the feeling. With this material I was a musical explorer, able to find the melody within the melody, always at the mercy of inspiration.. " Wolff expressed.

Modern day record producers often find themselves in the unfortunate position of hiring studio fixers and technology experts to make presentable records. This project required none of that. Simply putting 4 masters of the craft together on stage at a jazz club in Los Angeles and engaging a Grammy winning recording engineer to capture it all over 2 magical nights of live performance was all that was required. The fact that Michael Wolff, Mark Isham, Mike Clark and John B. Williams had known each other for their entire careers only enhanced the whole enterprise. The camaraderie and mutual respect is apparent in every track. From the heartfelt ballads of Wolff and Wayne Shorter to the high energy of Wolff's Lagniappe" (the 13th treat of a baker's dozen), to the groove of Clark's "Loft Funk", the listener is included in improvisational music making at it's finest. So sit back and enjoy the ride..." -Nic. tenBroek, Producer (Los Angeles, CA)

Acclaimed jazz pianist Michael Wolff has confirmed a February 7th, 2020 release date for his joyful new album,'Bounce'. Exuberant, beautiful and able to convey a range of emotions, 'Bounce' reflects Wolff's upbeat state of mind following his 'miraculous' recovery from aggressive cancer. He comments, "Isn't it great to be alive? I'm celebrating life every day. This album is dedicated to that celebration. Come Bounce with us!!!!!! I have the good fortune to play with these fantastic musicians: Ben Allison on bass and Allan Mednard on drums. Their playing, ideas and vibes imbue this music with creativity and soul. It's really a listenable album. I thought about what I'd like to listen to at home, and tried to make that album."