Ginastera: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Maurice Ravel's incomparable skill in orchestration and command of orchestral color is evident both in his own works and in his orchestrations for ballet, while new life was given to his late friend Debussy's Sarabande et danse at the request of publisher Jean Jobert. Ravel's iconic orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition makes telling use of a large orchestra, vividly depicting scenes that range from the playful to the macabre.

"This second recording, atmospherically recorded at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of Holy Trinity New York, boasts marvellously committed fervent singing from the Clarion Choir under Steven Fox and deserves the widest possible dissemination." - BBC Music Magazine

"...the success of this recording has to be attributed to this excellent chorus, 30-plus voices who collectively project a serious love for this music with a vibrant, shimmering tone, perfectly judged dynamics, and consistently fine balance and intonation. We can appreciate the care that went into this production–not only in bringing this beautiful unknown work to the world’s attention–but also in the excellent engineering and notes, which happily include full texts and translations. Strongly recommended." - ClassicsToday.com

Passion Week is a long-lost choral masterpiece composed by Rimsky-Korsakov's favorite student, heir apparent and son-in-law, Maximilian Steinberg. A product of his interest in the sacred and mystical, it is a tour de force of the systematic use of medieval Church Slavonic chant melodies and shares with Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil the colorful use of choral textures. Steinberg's settings are complex and rich, with a diverse and sometimes daring harmonic pallette, offering eleven movements of distinctive and expressive content that reveal an artist's search for at a time of increasing hostility to religion.

Alexander Moyzes is considered one of the leading composers of his generation, his style skillfully fusing inspiration from both his Slovakian heritage and contemporary European trends. The premiere of his Ninth Symphony took place in 1971, only three years after the Soviet-led invasion of his homeland, and the work’s dark and dramatic atmosphere depicts the tragedy and hopelessness of this period. By contrast, the serene colors of the Tenth Symphony avoid political connotations, and the piece is stylistically typical of the composer’s last decade in its technical virtuosity, formal elegance and brilliant artistic design. The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra was established in 1929 as the first professional symphony orchestra in Slovakia. The orchestra is currently led by conductor Mario Kosik.

László Lajtha was one of the leading Hungarian composers of the first half of the twentieth century. Of his nine symphonies, Symphony No. 2, from 1938, is an intense, sombre and brooding work as if foreshadowing the horrors of the war to come. Volume 1 of this original Marco Polo series can be heard on 8.573643. A Marco Polo reissue. With his contemporaries Bartók, Kodály, and Dohnányi, László Lajtha was one the leading Hungarian composers in the first half of the twentieth-century, and his position as the country’s greatest symphonist is unrivalled. Of his nine symphoniesSymphony No.2, Op.27 dates from 1938 and is an intense, sombre, and brooding work as if foreshadowing the horrors of war to come. Asked to compose incidental music for the film of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral Lajtha responded with a magnificent score, which can also be enjoyed as an autonomous composition called Variations, Op.44.

CUI: 25 Preludes, Op. 64

Composed in London, Spohr's Second Symphony was received with real enthusiasm at its premiere, the audience responding to the work's tasteful Haydn-esque flourishes, wide emotional palette and delightful writing for wind instruments. Written in 1850, a year after the re-imposition of authoritarian rule in Germany, Symphony No. 9 "The Seasons" is no mere programmatic work but a symbolic journey from the winter darkness of political oppression through the "Garden of Eden" imagery of Spring and the vibrant colors of Summer, ending with Autumn whose positive finale is a celebration of the composer's belief in the political rebirth of Germany.

Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release

Although Haydn’s operas are rarely performed today, many of them were incredibly popular during the composer’s lifetime. They were frequently performed far beyond the reach of the affluent Esterhaza court, for which they were penned. The subject matter ranges from dark, supernatural productions, to light-hearted escapades. In one such story, a character is fooled into thinking he is on the moon. The overtures featured here display Haydn’s talent and flair, condensing the emotions of the operas as a whole.

Enrique Soro rose to great esteem not only as Chile's leading composer but as a distinguished pianist, conductor and teacher. The Sinfonia romantica was the first symphony to be composed in Chile and remains the most important example of the genre in the country's musical history. Soro's melodic distinction, mastery of orchestration and his sense of form are equally distinguished. The Tres aires chilenos espouse a kind of nationalism, fusing Chilean folk music, specifically the tonada, with the European classical tradition. The rousing Danza fantastica is a perfect concert opener.

RUBBRA: Nine Tenebrae Motets / Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis

Pancho Vladigerov is considered by many to be the most influential composer that Bulgaria has yet produced, gaining fame between the World Wars and earning the admiration of Shostakovich. The three works recorded here are a testament to Vladigerov's mission to bring Bulgarian music to international attention, successfully combining elements of folk music with European classical tradition. The Vardar Rhapsody has been called 'the Bulgarian equivalent of Chopin's Polonaise in A,' and the lively and exotic Seven Symphonic Bulgarian Dances is among the most notable of a series of works that fuse joyous regional melodies with sophisticated Western orchestration.

Jacques Paisible (c. 1656-1721) seems to have had a real influence on musical life in London, even though his name is long forgotten. He spent about 40 years in the city and was a prolific composer of music for the theater. His main reputation as a performer was as a recorder virtuoso, and he published many works for the instrument in various combinations, including the Six Setts of Aires for two Flutes and a Bass performed here. Published in 1720, they provide good evidence for Paisible's talents both as a player and composer, which turns out to be craftsmanlike and idiomatic, with no virtuoso pretensions.

The English term "Sett" is analogous to the French "Suite", a form that included various traditional dance movements, and Paisible enhanced his minuets, sarabandes, and gavottes with an occasional rigadoon, march, or "Scotch Aire", spicing his lyrical melodic lines with an appealing sensuality. This music must have been perfect for theater intervals: it would offend no one, nor would it be too memorable to distract from the next scene.

The five members of Musica Barocca (recorders, viola da gamba, theorbo, harpsichord) all contribute excellent work here, making the most out of Paisible's pleasing melodies and sturdy, serviceable bass lines. The sound is ideal for these instruments--clear, warm, and detailed, with no dryness or harshness.

--David Preiser, ClassicsToday.com

Includes work(s) by Richard Rodgers. Ensemble: Richard Hayman Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Hayman.

Includes work(s) for piano by Manuel de Falla. Soloist: Daniel Ligorio.

Choral music holds a central position in Villa-Lobos’s catalogue of works, but among these famous pieces is a series of little-known transcriptions for a cappella choir taken from the standard classical repertoire. They were intended for a teachers’ chorus and for use in schools, and through astonishing alchemy they achieve a true ‘orchestration’ of largely piano originals, adding a fresh new repertoire for vocal ensembles. This album also includes the first ever recording of Villa-Lobos’s complete set of a cappella transcriptions from Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier.

REVIEW:

Unbelievable Villa-Lobos Choral Transcriptions

The Bottom Line: Don’t miss this disc! These transcriptions for unaccompanied choir of keyboard music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Villa-Lobos himself have to be heard to be believed. They are extraordinary. Check out the sound samples in the video and add this splendid Naxos release from the São Paulo Symphony Choir under Valentina Peleggi to your collection post haste.

ClassicsToday.com

These transcriptions for unaccompanied choir of keyboard music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Villa-Lobos himself have to be heard to be believed. They are extraordinary.

– ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

CONTENTS:

• Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Book 2 (6), Op. 30, No. 3
  
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 8 in E♭ minor, BWV853
• Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15, No. 7 ‘Träumerei’
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1, No. 1 in C major, BWV846: Fugue
• Schubert: Schwanengesang, D957, No. 4: Ständchen
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 21 in B♭ major, BWV866: II. Fugue
• Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C# minor, Op. 64 No. 2
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 22 in B♭ minor, BWV867: Prelude
• Rachmaninoff: Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3, No. 2 in C# Minor, Prélude
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 14 in F sharp major, BWV883: Prelude
• Massenet: Elégie
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 5 in D major, BWV 874: Fugue
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 'Pathetique': Adagio cantabile
• Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 for chorus or string orchestra

MUFFAT: Concerti Grossi Nos. 1 - 6

Paul Juon's musical education provided him with a direct link to the German Romantic style of Mendelssohn and Schumann, and he has even been called the 'Russian Brahms.' These three violin sonatas represent an important artistic statement by this neglected master, also showing his artistic evolution. The First Sonata is reminiscent of Tchaikovsky in it's melodic beauty, the Second Sonata enriched with Scandinavian flavor in it's mercurial character and chromatic intensity. The masterful and dramatic Third Sonata evokes an epic imagined landscape full of natural and supernatural beings.

SPOHR: String Quintet No. 7 / String Sextet, Op. 140 / Potpo

Carissimi: 10 Motets

Selections recorded at the Moscow State Broadcasting and
Grand Studio no 5, Recording House, Moscow, Russia.

Alexander Koryakin, winner of the 2019 Jaén Prize International Piano Competition, has selected two perfectly paired masterpieces for his first Naxos recording. Liszts Vallée dObermann is inspired by his travels in Switzerland, and is a true symphonic poem for piano. Francks Piano Quintet in F minor, which Liszt himself found shockingly intense, is a cyclical work of passionate extremes, and a masterpiece of Franco-Belgian repertoire. Also included are Debussys LIsle joyeuse, which offers crystalline brightness, and Jorge Sastres Jaenera Ecos y temple, with virtuoso expression drawing on a wide range of influences. Alexander Koryakin began playing piano at the age of nine, gave his first recital at the age of ten and at eleven won his first competition. Over the course of his career, Koryakin has given over 500 recitals throughout Russia and Europe, including appearances at the Piano Loop Festival in Croatia and Gegen den Strom Festival in Germany.

Volume 58 of the critically acclaimed Liszt Complete Piano Music edition spans Canzone napolitana and the Hungarian Folk Songs to a paraphrase of God Save the Queen. Includes numerous rarely recorded rarities. Performed by award-winning pianist Domonkos Csabay, a native of Hungary. This is his debut on Naxos. Based in the UK since 2015, Hungarian accompanist, répétiteur and chamber musician Domonkos Csabay performs a wide range of classical repertoire. Domonkos has won numerous prizes in the last two years, including first prize in the Brant (now renamed as ‘Birmingham’) International Piano Competition. He played as a pre-concert showcase performer for concerts by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and pianist Paul Lewis and made his debut on BBC Radio 3 in 2018, broadcasting the famously virtuosic Eroica variations by Beethoven.

The three previously unpublished and unrecorded chamber works in this programme were all written after Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s enforced move to the United States from his native Italy. Evoking the emotional day on which the composer sailed into New York for the first time, the Third Violin Concerto was composed for Jascha Heifetz specifically as a duo for violin and piano. Established as a highly regarded teacher and composer of film music, Castelnuovo-Tedesco rediscovered the joy of chamber music making as part of the Hollywood musical community. He considered the Sonata for Violin and Cello, Op. 148 his finest in this genre, while the String Trio, Op. 147 recalls the shores of the Mediterranean.

The connection between Johann Sebastian Bach and Sylvius Leopold Weiss goes beyond their having virtually identical dates. The two men were friends and in his young adulthood, Bach admired the more famous Weiss very much and in my opinion wrote much of his music, if not for Weiss, at least with Weiss or someone like him in mind.

Weiss was the Paganini of his day, his virtuosity amazed and overwhelmed listeners and challenged composers. Bach re-wrote much of his music, probably more than we are aware of because we only have a small number of surviving manuscripts of earlier versions. As a young man, Bach would expect to hear his music played by lutenists and clavichordists, but as these instruments fell out of favor, he could see that this was less and less likely, so he rewrote pieces to make them more suitable for harpsichord, and finally fortepiano, performance. After poring through some German essays on the subject, I am convinced Bach probably did not play the lute himself, but was interested in achieving lute sonority on harpsichords, and had at least one such “lute-harpsichord*” [*Scholars are still unsure just what that instrument was.] in his possession when he died. Recently there have been recordings of the first book of the Well Tempered Klavier which used clavichord, harpsichord, organ, and fortepiano for the various preludes and fugues, but my feeling is that one should also include some performances on the lute as well. By the time of the second volume, it is my opinion that this is a fortepiano work, and that explains why Bach rewrote many of the earlier pieces for inclusion therein, not to make them “better” but to make them more suitable for performance on the fortepiano. Professor Richard Jones particularly needs to study this point. When Weiss died in the same year as Bach, the lute as a solo virtuoso instrument virtually died with him.

Bach wrote an astonishing quantity of the finest preludes and fugues ever done but he also wrote dance pieces for his keyboard suites and his works for solo instrument. Most Bach enthusiasts pay very little attention to these dance pieces, but what is interesting is that Weiss’ pieces in similar forms are very similar in style to Bach’s and heard on the lute they are delightful. Performance of these smaller works of Bach on the lute would probably make them much more comprehensible, and in fact we have just such an instance with Paul Galbraith’s performance of the Sonatas And Partitas for solo violin on his six string guitar. It is the smaller dance pieces which gain most from this arrangement — indeed they become interesting enough to be listened to all by themselves. And that is what we hear on this recording listening to similar dances by Weiss.

A recent biography of Bach by Martin Geck enlarges the spotlight, giving much information about the surrounding circumstances in which Bach lived, deepening our understand of Bach as a man who lived in a culture and reacted to it. Another crippling legacy of Victorian musicology falls; instead of seeing all the musicians around Bach as mere imitators, and hence safely to be ignored, we see instead that they formed a musical culture in which Bach was immersed and with which he interacted profitably. A familiarity with Weiss, who spent his professional life at Dresden, 60 miles from Leipzig, is valuable to an understanding of Bach. For a long time this has been all but impossible as the music of Weiss was unknown and unplayed, presumed lost; but now we have this excellent series.

Recording perspective on Volume 6 is closer than on Volume 2 and finger slide noises are more evident. The introduzione to Sonata No.45 has a fugato section that is somewhat reminiscent of Handel’s “Harmonious Blacksmith” followed by a very Bachian courante. The sprightly bourrée is more syncopated than most Bach. The sarabande is appropriately stately, touching but not sad. The menuet is, again, sprightly with musical leaps not usually heard in a menuet. The presto is just that, but not a fugue as it would be with Bach, but rather reminiscent of the allegro from Bach’s BWV 998, a lute work, likely influenced by Weiss. If someone told you this movement was by Bach — unusually playful Bach to be sure — you would have no reason to doubt it.

The suites are apparently numbered in order of composition, so following No.45, a late work, we come to No.7, a much earlier work, beginning not with a prelude or an introduzione, but directly with a stately and thoughtful allemande, followed by a fast and rather Bachian (but not fugal) courante. The gavotte is graceful, with typical leaps, the sarabande particularly lovely and affecting. The menuet is dramatic, the gigue is as rollicking and Bachian as it can get without being a fugue. Altogether this earlier work keeps its unique personality but is not in any sense lacking in quality. Suite No.23, a work from the middle years, begins with a arpeggiated chordal prelude which leads at once into an entrée, an embellished aria; and on with the usual set of dances, finishing with a swinging saltarella — which could pass for a hornpipe — and is probably the most interesting work on the disk, showing Barto’s skill in saving the best for last, which is also true of Volume 2, the last movement on which is possibly my single favorite work by Weiss.

Throughout Mr. Barto plays with lyricism, rhythmic integrity, expression, sweetness of tone and clarity of voice — that is, amazing skill. Overall he’s every bit as good as Lindberg, perhaps with a little more drama and softness, whereas Lindberg pushes the limit on dexterity and precision. I think I like Barto’s lute, which has many of the qualities of an alto guitar, more than Lindberg’s lute which tends to “run out of breath”, but that could have more to do with the recording engineer.

-- Paul Shoemaker, MusicWeb International

Lutoslawski: Double Concerto for Oboe and Harp / Dance Prelu

Choices, choices! Ole Kristian Ruud’s superb Grieg box on BIS was and remains a reference for this music, and it is just a smidgen more technically polished than these otherwise excellent performances. However, Engeset has a couple of points in his favor that may weigh significantly with collectors who don’t want to lay out the funds for both eight-CD sets (I did, and I don’t regret it). First, Engeset features even more orchestral music than Grieg actually wrote. To be fair, everyone does. The Norwegian Dances, for example, were orchestrated by Hans Sitt, and there are other short works scored by everyone from Anton Seidl to Johan Halvorsen.

Engeset, however, offers two welcome novelties: three of the Slatter orchestrated by Oistein Sommerfeldt, and most interesting of all, the massive Ballade for piano arranged for large orchestra by 20th century Norwegian composer Geirr Tveitt. This massively scored transcription really brings out the music’s tragic power, and it’s very intensely performed by Engeset and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The other advantage that Engeset has over Ruud is a finer soloist for the piano concerto in Havard Gimse. Noriko Ogawa, on BIS, is perfectly fine as far as she goes, but Gimse goes quite a bit farther in terms of imaginative phrasing and tone color.

Otherwise, the two sets are very equally matched. Both conductors sound equally at home in the music, with versions of the Symphony, Norwegian Dances, Old Norwegian Romance with Variations, and Symphonic Dances that are equally persuasive and equally well performed. The Peer Gynt incidental music comes complete on both sets, and is played, sung, and spoken to the hilt. Vocal soloists (Inger Dam-Jensen in the Six Orchestral Songs) are fully involved and fully comparable. In most of the shorter pieces, direct comparison often reveals timings within a few seconds of each other (Bell Ringing is an exception, with Engeset notably slower than Ruud). What the heck, just get both.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Mozart married Constanze Weber in 1782, and it is thanks to her diligent curation of ‘these marvellousrelics’ that we have these rarely heard fragments including fugues which reveal the influence of Bach anddemonstrate Mozart’s agility with sophisticated contrapuntal techniques. The more substantial Rondoshave gained popularity with their memorable themes and musical depth, while forays into Baroque stylecan be heard in the unfinished Suite. These, the improvisational Fantasias and a mocking parody of aFuneral March all highlight neglected facets of Mozart’s oeuvre.

This disc is just a peach. Jules Massenet’s ballet music brings together all the most charming musical trends of the 19th century: the new French ballet tradition, the lightness of Offenbach’s operettas, the lush tunes of Strauss’s Vienna, the big splashy orchestration of late-century “exotic” potboilers. The music keeps getting better and better as the CD goes along.

First I listened out of order and decided the opener, Bacchus, was my least favourite. Then I went in order and, mid-Bacchus, wondered what I had been complaining about. Yes, “Chasseresses et Bacchantes” has an early role for a percussion instrument so wimpily played that I’m not sure what it is, but then the most glorious Johann Strauss parody waltz breaks out and all is forgiven. Yes, the final bacchanale isn’t as crazy as Saint-Säens’ or Roussel’s, but what music is?

Hérodiade is an opera about Herod, where he’s the central character, in contrast with Richard Strauss’s Salome. The ballet music comes from a banquet where Herod entertains guests with dances by exotic slave girls from various foreign lands. It’s the shortest selection here.

Then we have big suites from Thaïs and Le Cid, each over 20 minutes, the highlights of the disc. Those who know Thaïs only for its “Meditation” will be happy to hear that the rest of the opera is also jam-packed with beautiful music. It’s varied, too, from the stern timpani roll of the opening andante to the perky Pierné-like flute and piccolo solos of the sixth movement, to the unexpected two-minute church-like organ solo. Le Cid is a festival of Spanish tropes, tunes and clichés from the very start. The inevitable cor anglais solo, in ‘Madrilène’, is just gorgeous. It’s as tuneful and colourful as the Spanish pastiches of Chabrier and Debussy, which is to say it’s a ton of fun.

The Barcelona Symphony plays excellently throughout, that one wimpy percussion issue confined to a single track. They seem to especially enjoy the Le Cid music, but who wouldn’t? Patrick Gallois continues to prove himself an extremely skilled, sensitive conductor of ballet music. You could imagine people dancing to this album. Given how good the music is, it’s extremely rare to have it collected on disc without the full operas alongside. Frémaux and Marriner have recorded Le Cid but for sound, panache and comprehensiveness, it’s hard to beat this. What fun.

– Brian Reinhart, MusicWeb International

Heinrich Scheidemann’s significance as a composer lies in his absorption of the influence of his teacher Sweelinck, and his subsequent forging of a new, independent style in North German music in the first half of the seventeenth-century. Volume 7 includes one of his significant settings of the Magnificat and presents chorales, liturgical extemporisations, and keyboard realisations of vocal motets. Also included are some brief dance pieces showing Scheidemann’s lighter side.

Heinrich Scheidemann flourished as a key figure in the development of keyboard music amidst the Hanseatic prosperity of 17th-century Hamburg and the luxurious tonal qualities of Northern European organ playing. This programme includes early works reflecting the influence of Scheidemann’s teacher Sweelinck as well as fashionable dances, and is crowned with majestic transcriptions and variations on secular and Lutheran vocal music. Julia Brown’s many Naxos recordings include Vols 3–5 and the forthcoming final Vol 7 of Scheidemann’s organ works. MusicWeb International described Vol 5 (8.557054) as “wonderful music…compellingly played.”