In 1980 the Queen Elisabeth Competition was played out in the context of the Cold War: the Russian candidates were absent, too many Soviet laureates having taken advantage of their success to cross to the other side of the Iron Curtain. The Americans therefore arrived confidant they would be giving a demonstration, yet this was to neglect the contribution of Japan, which had three laureates among the top four. And, a remarkable fact, all came from the teaching environment of their own country. Belgium was in delight as it discovered the winner of the competition that year: Yuzuko Horigome. She had already made a big impression during the semi-final, notably with her performance of a sonata by Ysaye that showed remarkable clarity and determination. This formidable musician of 22 years confirmed in the final this excellent impression with a magnificent Brahms' First Sonata performed in thoughtful silence. Her Sibelius Concerto galvanized the orchestra and roused the public to a passion for one of the very finest performances of this concerto in the history of the competition. Since this first success of an Asian laureate at the competition, Yuzuko Horigome has pursued a superb career in Europe and in her native country as a soloist yet also as a renowned teacher. Every day she shows that knowledge and talent, with regard to Western music, have been universal for a very long time.

75 Years Ysaÿe and Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.


This is a stunning disc. Rautavaara continues to operate at the peak of his form, despite suffering a serious heart attack in mid-composition of Book of Visions that kept him hospitalized for six months. It's a remarkable work in four movements (or "tales") lasting some 40 minutes. Each tale has a tantalizing title (Night, Fire, Love, and Fate) vague enough to leave the specifics to the listener's imagination, but full of musical possibilities that Rautavaara seizes with relish. You might call this new work a "Four Lemminkäinen Legends" for the new millennium, since as always that indefinable Finnish sensibility is quite audibly present but is always expressed in the composer's own personal idiom. The music is gorgeous: evocative, mysterious, luminously scored, and extremely well-crafted--and it practically goes without saying that dedicatee Mikko Franck does a spectacular job conducting this premiere. This is a major statement, make no mistake.

Rautavaara's First Symphony has often been revised, from a four-movement original, down to two movements, and back up to the present three, which, as the composer notes, provides a more balanced sequence than previously. It was written when Prokofiev and Shostakovich were major influences, but with the passing of time the lyricism of the first movement now seems fully characteristic of Rautavaara. Adagio Celeste is yet another example (there are many in Rautavaara) of how music based on a 12-note theme can still be very beautiful and approachable. In this regard he recalls Swiss composer Frank Martin. It's a lovely work scored for small orchestra (the "string orchestra" designation on the tray card is incorrect). Once again the performances of this work and the symphony are all that anyone could ask, and the sonics, whether in stereo or multichannel formats, are fully up to the quality of the interpretations. A knockout, not to be missed!

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Ever since the memorable Václav Talich recording in the Fifties, Josef Suk's (1874-1935) Asraël symphony has never really benefited from a reference recording. Yet this symphony, of a dimension worthy of Mahler, written a century ago by a man crucified by pain, is slowly finding its way into the limelight. Walter Weller grew up between Vienna and Prague, at a time when Talich was still active, and has known Czech music since the cradle. With the Belgian National Orchestra, he leads us into an intimate comprehension of this partition, written after the death of Suk's father-in-law - Dvorák - and for part of the work, struck by the death of his young wife, Otilie. Asraël (Angel of Death) is a unique reflection upon death, where sadness, anger, resignation and the overcoming of pain form an extraordinary storyline, a combination of intimacy and remarkable fullness of sound. Extremely rare in discography, the complementary work will be of interest to all the amateurs of Czech music and of works inspired by the war: Legend of the Dead Victors is Suk's tribute to the Czech soldiers who died during World War I; an extraordinary short piece suggesting another vision of how to overcome death.

Classical Music