Bach, J.S. / Vivaldi: Violin Concertos

TOMKINS / GIBBONS / BYRD: Consort and Keyboard Music

FAMOUS SYMPHONIC POEMS, VOL. 1

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor / Chopin: Sonatas Nos. 1 and

PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli / ALLEGRI: Miserere

MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4 / TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6, '

BYRD / TALLIS: Masses

Stravinsky went through three very differing periods during his life, the first being essentially inspired by his Russian background; the second, a neoclassical phase, and finally, a period in which he embraced serial techniques. All three works on this disc are essentially from his second phase, the Symphony in C dating from 1938, and first performed by the Chicago Symphony, to celebrate their 50th Anniversary It is in the customary four movements, opening with a brilliant and rhythmically incisive first movement; the second with it's haunting theme for solo oboe, while the remaining two movements are rhythmically complex, but in essence, were designed to bring the work to a customer-friendly conclusion. Sketches for the Symphony in Three Movements began in 1942 with the work completed in 1945, when the composer was largely living in Hollywood, and the work has often been described as a Concerto for Orchestra with a concertante part for piano. It is indeed a virtuoso work that demands the overtly brilliant style of performance that the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra can bring to music of this period. Indeed many of the musicians of this orchestra come from the West Coast of America, and the brittle impact of the work is here fully realized. To conclude the disc, we have the original 1920 version of the short Symphonies for Wind Instruments, a pungent work which bridged the gap between his Russian and Neoclassic period, as he exploits every tonal facet of the wind section. The recording was made in Wellington, on 4th and 5th April 1995, with Murray Khouri as the producer.

MOZART: Gran Partita / Divertimento, K. 205

DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 / BORODIN: Symphony No. 2

BACH, J.S.: Famous Works

Sibelius & Elgar: Violin Concertos

Grieg: Piano Music, Vol. 12

The music of the Paraguayan guitarist-composer Augustin Barrios (1885-1944) has come to the attention of guitarists through the efforts of such artists as John Williams. The music of Barrios is typical of the acculturation that was present in the works of Latin American composers at the turn of the century. His compositional style shows both the influences of European Romanticism and of the nationalistic trends that were prevalent in Latin-American music in the latter half of the nineteenth century. His use of forms ranges from European staples such as the mazurka and waltz to South-American folk-music such as the Danzas Paraguayas. Though not as conspicuously programmatic as some of his other works, La Catedral is said to be based on a personal experience of the composer. Though perhaps apocryphal, the story provides a colorful backdrop to the piece. Finding solace near a quiet church in the bustling city of Montevideo, Barrios was inspired to compose the Andante religioso, with it's chorale-like textures and plaintive harmonies. The ensuing Allegro Solemne is said to represent his return to the noisy soundscape of the city. The prelude, initially composed as a single movement saudade in tribute to his wife, was later added to the piece.

Grieg: Piano Music, Vol. 13