TÁRREGA 16 Preludes. Las dos Hermanitas. Adelita. Marieta. Mazurka. Maria. Receurdos de la Alhambra. Rosita. Pepita. Capricho árabe. Paquito. Gran vals. Alborada. Isabel. Vals. Pavana. Estudio brillante de Alard • Mats Bergström (gtr) • NAXOS 8.572365 (61:45)


Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909), a noted composer of guitar music and its most influential Spanish virtuoso performer of the 19th century, lived in an era when not much fuss was made about intellectual property rights, I’d guess, because though he was an able composer he borrowed from some of his predecessors and contemporaries. For example, he did credit Johann Strauss II for writing the waltz Tárrega renamed Isabel . But during this more permissive era he was not above appropriating the works of others into his “imaginative transcriptions,” much as jazz musicians include standard riffs of jazz masters, such as Duke Ellington’s signature phrases, as homages. As Mats Bergström in his album notes points out, Preludio sobre un tema de Mendelssohn is an arrangement of a section near the end of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, while Oremus is an extract from Robert Schumann’s Albumblätter , op. 124. The introduction to Las dos Hermanitas found in at least one edition of the work is almost identical to that of Frédéric Chopin’s Valse brillante , op. 34. Isabel is an arrangement of two themes from the Kuss-Walzer by Johann Strauss and Estudio brillante de Alard is a transcription of Study No. 2 for solo violin by the French composer Delphin Alard (1815–1888). Finally, Bergström mentions that “measures 13–16 of Gran vals must be one of the most frequently heard tunes of our time: It is the ring tone for Nokia mobile phones.”


While Tárrega is noted for compositions of his own, particularly the 16 Preludes, he has proven an ingenious borrower of music he liked, and enjoyed writing these sections into his own, often larger, compositions. This makes him somewhat unusual, and somewhat more fun to listen to. Personally, I like playing “Spot that quote!”


The Swedish soloist Mats Bergström, with a nod to authenticity, plays a replica guitar, a one-to-one copy of Tárrega’s favorite (1888) instrument. He plays as well as any guitar virtuoso I’ve heard: robustly, yet with great control and subtlety, respect for the music, and an authoritative sense of how Tárrega must have played these pieces (probably garnered from Tárrega’s own notes, and/or third-party written descriptions of his concerts). Bergström seems to have a bit of the historian about him, if his album notes are any indicator. In all, that makes the album a thoroughly enjoyable one, a Bergström-led tour through Tárrega’s works with some scholarly notes displaying a new angle on the compositions, making us listen intently to have the fun of spotting the next quote, all played with a tasteful and accomplished hand. Highest praise to Bergström for the research, album notes, and playing in the reincarnated style of Tárrega. And a tip of the hat to the Naxos engineers, who, once again, seem to get the acoustic just right. Very highly recommended.


FANFARE: Ilya Oblomov

On the whole, this recording ranks as one of the best available interpretations of this music. I can recommend it to anyone wanting the complete solo guitar works of Villa-Lobos on one disc.

– Andy Daly, MusicWeb International

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, Biedermeier poets, and Heine.

Nashville Symphony Box album for sale by Retail Limited Edition was released Sep 02, 2014 on the Naxos label. Nashville Symphony Box CD music is a 11-disc set with 124 songs.

SOR: 6 Bagatelles, Op. 43 / Progressive Pieces, Op. 44

HELLO AGAIN - 16 Easy-Listening Melodies

The first German artist to win the international Naumburg Violin Award in New York, Axel Strauss was acclaimed for his recording of Mendelssohn' Songs Without Words as 'an excellent violinist who plays these with wit and verve'.

Based on Shakespeare’s most famous romantic play, Prokofiev’s realization of Romeo and Juliet as a full-length narrative ballet was audacious in its day. It was written during a period of artistic turmoil under a Soviet regime in which arguments raged over such fundamental aspects as the choice between a happy or tragic ending. Famous movements such as the ‘Dance of the Knights’ have helped maintain Romeo and Juliet as Prokofiev’s best-loved stage work. Marin Alsop’s acclaimed cycle of Prokofiev’s Symphonies has been described as “an outstanding achievement” by BBC Music Magazine. Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene who passionately believes that “music has the power to change lives.” She is recognized across the world for her innovative programming and for her deep commitment to education and the development of audiences of all ages.

REVIEW:

This recording is typical of Alsop’s clear-headed approach, revealing her thorough mastery of details, balanced phrasing, close attention to the orchestral sound, and fidelity to the score, which provides many challenges in its episodic structure. This first-rate performance may remind listeners of the classic complete recordings by Previn and Ozawa, and even though those recordings are still readily available, Alsop’s shows that Romeo and Juliet can still inspire a fine interpretation in the digital era, making this recording essential listening for Prokofiev fans.

– AllMusicGuide.com (B. Sanderson)

Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto is a wonderful, wholly characteristic work. The fact that it ends softly probably accounts for its lack of popularity in concert, but it's been very lucky on disc. Almost all of the available versions are very good, and this one is no exception. Ashley Wass offers a scintillating account of the opening Toccata, alternately brilliant and delicate, a lovely and lyrical Romanza, and an aptly gutsy fugue and finale. Having James Judd on the podium virtually guarantees sharply focused, idiomatic accompaniments. He's one of Naxos' most reliable and interpretively characterful conductors.

The couplings are also quite appealing. The complete Wasps suite is another excellent work that you'll probably never hear in concert, at least outside of England, and more's the pity. Judd delivers a flavorsome performance. His tempo for the overture is particularly well-judged, not as slow as Boult's but not as slick and swift as some prefer. Rather, he finds a sturdy liveliness of pace and gruff good humor that comes across as quintessentially English. The Folk Song Suite and Running Set march are charming and never seem to lose their tuneful freshness, while the entire program is very well played by the RLPO. Very good sonics too. A treat for RVW fans.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Includes work(s) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Mieczyslaw Weinberg is now recognized as one of the outstanding Russian composers of the second half of the twentieth century. Fêted for his symphonies and string quartets, he also wrote a sequence of Violin Sonatas crucial to the development of his distinctive and elusive musical idiom. Shostakovich's influence is evident in the Third Violin Sonata, as are Jewish melodic elements, while the Fourth Violin Sonata is alternately somebre and hectic. His masterpiece is the Fifth Violin Sonata, symphonic in scale but subtle in form, and containing some of his most affecting writing.

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REVIEW:

Weinberg has his own way of moving between moods, is often serious, and can be suave, gruff or playful. He is estimably served by the thoughtful and responsive Russian violinist Grigory Kalinovsky, who brings clarity and variety of tone to the music, and is in turn strongly supported by Tatiana Goncharova. Together they form a terrific partnership able to project this repertoire with unstinting verve and delicacy.

– Classical Ear (Ivor Solomons)

For me, the real "Best of Satie" would include at least excerpts from the opera Socrate and the ballet Parade. But this is a nice overview of the eccentric composer's keyboard gems, culled from Klára Körmendi's excellent Satie cycle for Naxos. Many pianists take Satie's wistful melodic sensibility as license to let the music wallow and droop. Körmendi will have none of that. Her sensitive, expertly colored playing brings uncommon, refreshing urgency to the first three Nocturnes, the well-worn Gymnopédies, and all six Gnossiennes. Moreover, she has a way of making the composer's idiosyncratic expressive indications audible without hitting listeners over the head. The disc concludes with the Gymnopédies in their familiar orchestrations by Debussy (Nos. 1 & 3) and Roland-Manuel (No. 2). The French orchestra plays rather patchily in the first but redeems itself with some very nice playing in the other two. No. 3 features a lovely oboe soloist surrounded by silvery, reed-organ-like high strings. If you're looking for a Satie piano music start-up kit, this is the one. --Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

When I come back to this composer after months or years away from him I find his music rewarding. Some of it is also very attractive. I would recommend this sampler so you can get to know him. I suspect that you will end up, like me, with a handful of other P�rt discs.

Whether or not you follow a particular form of meditation, meditate for a specific reason, or simply need some quiet time to yourself, the music selected for Classical Meditation can help you to relax your mind and body, focus your thought, and refresh.