HAYASAKA: Piano Concerto / Ancient Dances on the Left and on

Although better known for his nine Symphonies and his film scores, Malcolm Arnold made a significant contribution to chamber music. His two string quartets form a fascinating contrast. The first comes early in Arnold's career, whereas the second was written.

The subtitle of this symphony Bright May would normally lead one to think that, being written by a Soviet composer, it alluded to 1 May and the workers’ holiday. In this case you would be wrong since it refers to the month the ‘Great Patriotic War’, (the Second World War to most of us) ended. In the first of three linked movements Weinberg describes the devastation left by the war with an overwhelmingly sad introduction. This finally gives way to a calm pastoral episode that continues until disturbed by an insistent and ominous theme heavy with foreboding. This mood finally returns to the pastoral calm. Merging almost seamlessly the second movement opens with a gentle theme that once again is disturbed by a threatening passage leading to a central climax during which percussion and brass dominate before peace returns once more. This leads us into the symphony’s final movement that, like the other two, is a sequence of calm interludes interrupted by ominous passages. The symphony finally ends on a positive note.

It has often been the case that composers horrified either by the looming threat of war or its unleashing, felt compelled to express this horror in music. However, it is unusual for a composer to take a war as a theme for, in Weinberg’s case, a set of three symphonies, so many years after its end. I wondered if the passage of time leads to a better historical view of it musically or whether memory is dulled over the decades. I can’t answer that as I’m not yet acquainted with symphonies 17 and 18 but I can say that this one certainly does express the joy that must have been felt when that terrible war, whose cost was so appalling, was finally over. The continuing disturbance of that joy expressed by the gentle pastoral sections, by the dark clouds of martial sounding passages and thunderous brass and percussion can surely mean only one thing; to emphasise that winning the peace would be as challenging as winning the war. After all, Stalin was still ruling Russia with all that implied.
 
Weinberg could never have been described as a ‘Party’ hack, though like many other Soviet composers, including Shostakovich, he did write some works that could be described as “socialist realist”. These were linked to aspects of Soviet policy. An example is Weinberg’s 1985 Symphonic Poem The Banners of Peace. This followed shortly after the 19 ^th Symphony and was dedicated to the 27 ^th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. Apart from some references to revolutionary songs such as the Varshavianka the music is not overtly propagandist nor is it bombastic in any way; rather it could be construed as a critique. After all, the words of the Varshavianka, which is quoted throughout, include “We will drown our enemies in their own blood, Death to the ruthless, To all pests of the workers, Death to tsars and plutocrats!”. In 1985, over 80 years after the song’s first appearance, these words seem at odds with the concept of peace. I regard this work more as another example of Weinberg’s ability to make powerful statements and this in music that is expressive and exciting. Viewed as such this work forms another worthy addition to the increasing amount of his music available in recorded form. We should be grateful.
 
Both works are given committed performances full of colour from an orchestra that will surely have this music in their blood. It is conducted with verve and enthusiasm by Vladimir Lande.
 
-- Steve Arloff , MusicWeb International

Now regarded as one of the most important composers of the second half of the twentieth century, Toru Takemitsu was the first Japanese composer to gain international status.

In both volume and artistic distinction there is little doubt that Reger was the greatest German composer for the organ since Bach. He relished Lutheran chorales and employed them freely, a sense of grandeur and gravity permeating his music for the instrument. The Suite No. 1 in E minor was completed in 1895, and admired by Brahms. It's four movements offer a compendium of Reger's genius for both complexity and transparency. His later Suite No. 2 in G minor, cast in seven taut movements, similarly employs contrast, imitation and variety whilst ending in a glorious and triumphant Fugue. Kirsten Sturm has won prizes in various organ competitions including first prize in the Hermann Schroeder Competiton in 1999. She was organist at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Frankfurt from 2006 to 2010. Since 2010 she has taught at the University for Ecclesiastical Music in Rottenburg.

The music of Fernando Lopes-Graca, one of the most significant Portuguese composers of the twentieth-century, went through several phases of development. Though rooted in folk music, it absorbed influences not only from much earlier composers such as Scarlatti and Seixas, but from contemporaries such as Bartok. These influences are potent in the Piano Concerto No. 1 of 1940, a highly personal, atmospheric and superbly orchestrated work imbued with bittersweet romanticism. Though the Iberian Baroque permeates it's finale, the Piano Concerto No. 2 is a much darker and more ambivalent work, marking a new milestone in his development.

The only other serious competition in this repertoire, and it’s not as complete as this release (the Aida items are missing), is an old Philips Due mostly conducted by the late Antonio de Almeida. Those are good performances, but they don’t outclass these, either interpretively or sonically. You might say that it doesn’t take much interpretive insight to conduct Italian ballet music, but ultimately the goal is always the same: to avoid boredom. This may be even harder in music whose purpose is largely decorative and expressively limited. It’s to Serebrier’s (and Verdi’s) credit that there isn’t a bar here that fails to entertain, or that doesn’t make an excellent case for believing that this music is of much higher quality than its reputation suggests.

The ballet from Aida is well known, of course, but that from Otello is a minor masterpiece in a strikingly similar vein. “The Four Seasons” ballet from I vespri siciliani is Verdi’s largest, lasting a solid half an hour, and it’s wonderfully performed here. It has moments that you might mistake for Delibes or Tchaikovsky. Don Carlos is also fully mature Verdi, while the ballet in Macbeth is pretty well known as it’s often included in modern performances of the opera (the witches’ waltz at the end is particularly fun). The two big “finds” for most listeners will be the extensive ballet music from Jérusalem (a.k.a. I lombardi), and the similarly large-scale (20 minutes) dance episodes from Il trovatore. This last item quotes the “gypsy” tunes from the opera’s first act, including the Anvil Chorus, and it’s really delightful. The sonics are clear and vivid, and with a playing time of nearly two hours, this set easily becomes the modern reference for this undervalued repertoire.

-- ClassicsToday.com

A relatively small but significant part of his output, John Ireland's choral music has been neglected in comparison to his songs and instrumental msuic. This is Volume 1 of 3 the complete choral music.

Considered one of the foremost soloists of his day, Aurelio Magnani was the father of the modern Italian clarinet school. His pupils filled prestigious positions in orchestras worldwide. He was also a composer, having studied in Bologna, and in addition to operas wrote extensively for his own instrument. These fantasies, paraphrases and melodies embrace florid virtuosity and melting lyricism alike, and are inspired and sophisticated works revealing the best in Italian style. Sergio Bosi is Principal Solo Clarinet in the Orchestra Regionale delle Marche and teaches at the G. Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. As a promoter of Italian repertoire he records for Naxos, Bongiovanni, Arcam Cambridge, Mondomusica EMI, winning critical acclaim and awards.

Originally written as a set of piano pieces, Mussorgsky's splendid Pictures at an Exhibition translates the artistry of the composer's friend Victor Hartmann into unforgettable music. Peter Breiner's new orchestration creates a showpiece for our times, achieving contemporary sounds through unusual instrumental combinations, and right up to a spectacular Great Gate of Kiev performed by 104 musicians. Mussorgsky's remarkable song cycles contrast encounters with death against the often uneasy world of children in the Nursery.

HIGDON Soprano Saxophone Concerto. WEILL Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra. CHEN Dragon Rhyme • Glen Adsit, cond; Carrie Koffman (s sax); Anton Miller (vn); Hartt School Wind Ensemble • NAXOS 8.572889 (56:44)


The present CD was a particularly welcome arrival from Fanfare central—unlike some reviewers for this magazine, I seldom request particular CDs to review, Pictures at an Exhibition excepted, so I never know what to expect when I open a parcel. I have heard little of Jennifer Higdon’s music to date, but what I have heard has whetted my appetite for more. The disc also includes an old friend, Weill’s Concerto for Violin and Winds, and a completely new and welcome discovery, the music of Chen Yi.


Higdon’s Soprano Saxophone Concerto is an arrangement of her oboe concerto. Given the very similar range of the two instruments, a number of composers (including Hilary Tann in her Shakkei ) have made a single work do double duty for these two instruments. Saxophonists, always looking for new repertory for their instrument, approached Higdon to make this arrangement, which she was glad to do, given her positive estimation of the power and beauty of the saxophone. The opening of the work is characterized by gently flowing lines in the solo part that are underpinned by a beautiful sequence of chords in the ensemble. Not long afterwards, rhythmic activity increases and the colorful writing flowers into full bloom. A subcurrent of modality runs throughout the musical canvas, and the parts of the various instruments, including that of the solo saxophone, intertwine in clever and creative ways. The solo part is virtuosic to a degree, but the virtuosity is never on display for its own sake. I can guess that the work is as rewarding to play as it is to listen to, and Carrie Koffman’s saxophone playing is suave, subtly nuanced, and technically secure in its every gesture.


The Hindemithian Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra of Kurt Weill has received enough performances and recordings to put it at least almost in the standard repertory category. In the LP era, it appeared on a number of labels, including Candide, Westminster, MCA, MHS, French RCA, and DGG, the latter with Nona Lidell and David Atherton, and likely the best known of the bunch, judging by the number of copies that came through my hands during my years as a record dealer. On CD, there are at least 15 currently available versions. Consequently, it is likely that most readers interested in this work already own it, but the present recording is at least as excitingly and brilliantly rendered as any of the several recordings of the work that I’ve previously heard. Violinist Anton Miller plays with accuracy and flair to bring the work off in splendid fashion, and is ably supported by the Hartt School Wind Ensemble under the direction of Glen Adsit. Indeed these performers have brought to my mind a new appreciation for this work of a composer that I find uneven in the quality of his output.


Chen Yi’s Dragon Rhyme is a very recent (2010) work in two movements, commissioned by the National Wind Ensemble Consortium Group and premiered by the forces who present it here. The first movement, “Mysteriously-harmoniously,” evokes an aura of mystery through trills and fluttering in the upper woodwinds, and these continue in various ways throughout the work, sometimes underlying other solo instruments, the brass choir, and so on. The second movement, “Energetically,” is based upon the same material (intervals drawn from those typical of Chinese opera), but uses them in more vivid fashion. The image of a dragon is evoked through layering and dynamic textures, although hearing the piece unaware of its title or connotations, one might well come up with other mental images. Nevertheless, it’s a very exciting and dramatic work, and I would be surprised if Dragon Rhyme does not enter the band repertory. As in the other pieces, Glen Adsit and his forces brilliantly bring the music to life in stunning recorded sound. My only complaint is that the review copy hung up in the last band in both of my CD players, a problem I trust not universal in the production of this otherwise splendid CD. Very highly recommended.


FANFARE: David DeBoor Canfield

This third album in the Wieniawski Quartet's much-admired traversal of the complete Krzystof Meyer String Quartets includes his most recent, No.13.

Symphony No. 5 'American' (2003) explores two styles in the same work in an evolutionary structure. One of these styles identifies with my avant-garde period, which is dramatic and angular and spans from the mid sixties to the mid-seventies. During that period, in works like Guernica (Naxos 8.557342) and Steel Symphony, I used a long list of technical resources: atonality, aleatoric devices, clustered harmonies, no tunes, no traditional harmonies, strong rhythms and big contrast of dynamics. Then in 1968 with Sinfonia en Negro - Homage to Martin Luther King, a new style came to the fore which was fully implemented in 1975 with Homage to Casals and Sarasate (Naxos 8.557342). In this new period I blend the ways of the avant-garde with ethnic ideas, creating a symbiosis of these two worlds. Symphony No. 5 uses these two styles. The symphony, in three movements, is a kaleidoscope of emotions. The work evolves from one stage of darkness at the beginning to a high point of light and unrepentant optimism at the end. In the first movement, 9/11: In Memoriam, dry, loud, ugly, and desperate sonorities are presented in the most abstract way in a tense and driven manner. 9/11 was in my mind, as was my childhood trauma caused by the bombings by German airplanes in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War when I composed Guernica forty years ago. The interval of a sad minor third is heard almost persistently throughout, performed sometimes by the strings but more often by the keyboard percussion, harp and piano in what suggests fatal bells. That third is surrounded by tone clusters, which often filter into minor triadic chords with a most deceptive feeling. The minor third interval of the first movement is also a constant in the second and the third movements, but it's function here is completely different. In the second movement, Reflection, this interval is part of a delicate fabric of melodic lines based on a Negro spiritual. These lines are designed by several instruments in layers. Here all is quiet, peaceful and hopeful and to a degree melodious. In the third movement, Square Dance, this minor third is part of some American folk-tunes gathered together to build a brilliant square dance, strongly rhythmic, tireless in it's perpetual motion and expression of happiness. Altogether it is a trip from the abstract to the ethnic. The symphony was composed from April 2002 to April 2003, commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony when Mariss Jansons was Music Director, with the support of The Heinz Endowment Creative Heights Artist Residency Program in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University School of Music. The world premi�re took place on 30th October 2003 at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, in Pittsburgh, performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf.

In the summer of 1781 Mozart described his new home Vienna as 'the land of the piano'. He soon set about presenting his own subscription concerts, offering the three newly-composed concertos on this disc for publication 'either with a large orchestra.

William Alwyn was a consummate film composer, as capable of creating powerful marches as he was atmospheric waltzes. In these exciting arrangements by Martin Ellerby for wind band, the full variety of Alwyn' inspiration can be appreciated.