Pop music is theatrical, it lives on stories, constantly creating new characters of art. So, it seems high time to open the doors of the opera to a new visitor. With its symphonic elements, dramatic singing lines and ethereal choir vocals, Vespertine seems to be the perfect model for such a complex project. (Oehms Classics)

After the signal event that was World War I, gifted young composers trooped into the French metropolis full of hope. In 1925, the publisher Michel Dillard coined the term L’École de Paris (‘The Paris School’) in reference to the foreign composers then living in Paris, principally the Hungarian Tibor Harsányi (1898–1954), Poland’s Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986), Bohuslav Martinu from Czechoslovakia (1890–1959), Russia’s Alexander Tcherepnin (1899–1977), and the Romanian Marcel Mihalovici (1898–1985), all of whose works he specialised in disseminating. These composers came to Paris from Eastern Europe and all, with the exception of Martinu [and Swiss composer Conrad Beck (1901–1989)], died there. All five initially addressed the difficult task of translating their countries’ folk music idioms into standard musical notation. Several works on this programme are heard in their world premiere recordings.

In 1841, Carl Loewe created his oratorio about the Bohemian theologian Jan (or Johann) Hus (or Huss) as a kind of "opera without a scene". A good 100 years before the appearance of the reformer Martin Luther, Hus had taken a hard stance on the official church and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415 in Constance after being condemned by the council. Carl Loewe created the work to a libretto by August Zeune and premiered it on December 16, 1841 in and with the Berliner Singakademie. The rarely performed work deserves more attention and is now finally available in a premiere recording with the Arcis Vocalisten and the Baroque Orchestra L'arpa festante conducted by Thomas Gropper.

Gustav Mahler described his Third Symphony as ‘a work in which the whole world is indeed reflected’, a claim supported by its large, six-movement structure and the use of huge orchestral and choral forces, plus a part for alto solo. The first performance of the symphony took place on 9 June 1902 in Krefeld under Mahler’s direction. This is the third recording of a Mahler symphony by the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Tomáš Netopil. They are joined here by Bettina Ranch (alto), the Aalto Children’s Choir, the ladies of the Essen Philharmonic Choir and the children’s choir of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

This new recording from the Staatskapelle Weimar under Hansjörg Albrecht presents a rarely heard compilation of Richard Wagner’s themes from Tristan und Isolde, arranged for orchestra by Henk de Vlieger (b. 1953). This is Hansjörg Albrecht's follow-up Wagner recording to his album Der Ring ohne Worte (OC1872). The Staatkapelle Weimar dates back to 1491, making it one of the oldest orchestras in the world, and one that is more than familiar with the works of Richard Wagner.

With the project "The Duplex Coupler Grand Piano" Florian Uhlig and David Stromberg breathe new life into a forgotten idea. The composer Emanuel Moór, whose works combine wonderful melodies and surprising harmonic twists, developed the "Duplex Coupler Piano" with a double keyboard. The coupled, octavated notes help the works achieve special shades of sound. In the recording of the cello sonatas by Moor, Richard Strauss and Ernst von Dohnanyi by David Stromberg and Florian Uhlig, this unique instrument now comes into focus.

With the fourth part of the “Ring des Nibelungen”, the curtain descended on the central work of Richard Wagner. After “Siegfried, OehmsClassics presents “Götterdämmerung” from Hamburg with an excellent cast. Simone Young created a sensation with the Hamburg Philharmonic at the premiere; Claus Guth’s directing concept was well received by public and press.

The features of the 4-CD box are of high quality, as with the previous productions from Hamburg: alongside an extensive preface by Udo Bermbach, the booklet also includes the libretto in German and English.

REVIEW:

I was very taken with the Walküre from this same source, praising in particular the conducting of Simone Young. Again here, in the Cycle’s final installment, Young is impressive...her sense of dynamics, her feel for the one-on-one moments versus the crowd scenes, the tender versus the violent, seem to me to be ideal. The Waltraute/Brünnhilde scene is the most humanly interactive I’ve ever heard, and the summoning of the Vassals, with the Hamburg Chorus at its best, is as rousing as anyone might want. And if Young doesn’t quite reach the heights and depths of feeling that she does in Walküre, this is still a reading to be proud of.

John Tomlinson, also moving on in years, still makes a scary Hagen, perhaps not in the gigantic Gottlob Frick sense of the role, but in nuanced nastiness to be sure. Robert Bork’s Gunther is a bit of a vulgarian, but that’s fine; Anna Gabler’s Gutrune is appealingly desperate. Petra Lang’s Waltraute is excellent, as is Wolfgang Koch’s Alberich. The sonics are superb. Pictures of Claus Guth’s production in the accompanying booklet make you grateful for a lack of video presentation.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Robert Levine)

Every member of the cast has something impressive to bring to this production. Christian Franz is an expressive and believable Siegfried. Deborah Polaski is similarly secure in her pitching as Brünnhilde. I found her performance very endearing, her natural tone, even at the top, making her the focus of attention in all the scenes she sings. This allows the Immolation Scene to be all the more definitive, with the audience really feeling Brünnhilde’s transcending compassion. The small role of Waltraute is given a similarly endearing reading by Petra Lang.

The baddies are just as convincing. This might well be the first recording of John Tomlinson singing Hagen, and if it is, it is worth buying for him alone. Wolfgang Koch is similarly menacing as Alberich…

There is some great ensemble singing from the Norns, the Rhinemaidens and the chorus, and the orchestra is also on good form...this Götterdämmerung gets my recommendation on the strength of the singing…the principals are all more than up to Wagner’s many challenges, and equally surprisingly, the supporting cast is too. 

-- MusicWeb International

Of all Hamburg Ring Cycle premieres, the third waystation, Siegfried, has received the most applause until now. Audience members were exuberant not only about the singers and orchestra under the direction of Simone Young, but about the production as well. The transparency of the orchestra allowed the singers to really sing, in contrast to many Wagner productions in which they are often in a pure struggle against waves of instrumental force. Director Claus Guth’s finely wrought protagonists were brilliantly brought to life on stage by the excellent cast of soloists. This Ring is lucid and transparent, even when only heard in the living room. The singers, who include experienced Wagner singers like Christian Franz, Falk Struckmann and Wolfgang Koch, guarantee first-class musical standards.

REVIEW:

We can always find room for another good Ring in the recorded archives. This is shaping up so far to be a fine example. The singing cast is altogether satisfactory, if not star-studded. Every member offers a reasonably forceful and vivid impersonation of his assigned role.

Christian Franz offers a fine Siegfried, the forging scenes in I going well, with vigorous singing and the metallic sound effects as good as they come. Did you know that Siegfried’s actions follow standard metallurgical procedures for forging, annealing, heat-treating and quenching, needed to produce a good weapon? It is true! Wagner wasn’t a metallurgist, but he knew what was needed to keep the action true to life. Falk Struckmann’s Wotan- Wanderer is also forceful and gives a fine rendering of the critical scene with Erda in III. His smooth, dark voice is most effective not only here but also as the Wanderer in I and the opening scenes of II.

I wish I could be as positive about Deborah Humble’s Erda, but to me she sounds wobbly and unsteady. I suppose she’s about par for the part by current standards, which isn’t saying much. Catherine Foster, on the other hand is a good, strong Brünnhilde, not quite in the class of Flagstad or Nilsson, but surely as fine as they come at present. Alberich, Mime, and Fafner are conventionally well performed, also. Finally, Ha Young Lee was a complete newcomer to me, but she sings the forest bird’s songs more clearly, sweetly, and convincingly than anyone I’ve ever heard. Something tells me that this is not the last we shall hear from her.

The Hamburg Philharmonic is absolutely perfect, flawless, indeed thrilling. Its tone is colorful, its ensemble flawless. Simone Young leads an unhurried performance that lasts over four hours. This is usually a recipe for dullness, but she somehow manages to conduct with gorgeous tone and unfailing presentation of detail, as well as flawless presentation of larger issues. I think this must be what Wagner had in mind when he employed the word gesamtkunstwerk. Moreover, Oehms offers sound that is totally realistic without undue intrusion of gimmicks like the ones in Solti’s Decca Rheingold. Finally, there is a 145 page booklet, giving full German texts with their English translations. The introductory notes are outstanding, exploring and explaining every action in detail and the motivations of everyone concerned, including the composer. It is original and thought-provoking—one of the best essays of this genre I’ve ever encountered.

In this booklet also, there are numerous illustrations of the stagecraft, which I would suggest you not even look at, if you can resist the temptation, for they depict the cheapest, most dreary, most totally irrelevant collection of garage-sale paraphernalia you could imagine—dirty, unkempt, randomly scattered about the stage. This isn’t staging; it is a treasonous, subversive, cheap refutation of everything Wagner stood for!

But of course, that is the advantage the CD has over DVD—there’s no temptation to look at it—indeed, there’s no way of doing so. But this little rant is irrelevant to the main point that, for an audio Siegfried, this is about as good as it gets.

-- American Record Guide

After Rhinegold, the first evening of the Ring tetralogy, Oehms Classics released The Valkyries at the same time as the premiere of Siegfried at the Hamburg State Opera, which took place on October 18, 2009.

Including a booklet printed in four colours throughout and containing many impressions of Claus Guth’s production as well as the complete libretto, this is once again an exceptionally elaborate product. While the premiere of the Valkyries suffered due to Falk Struckmann (Wotan) having to pull out at short notice because of illness, this production was recorded during later performances which show Struckmann in full possession of his vocal powers. Simone Young guided her orchestra and the chorus through the famous score in great, irresistible waves of sound while still paying attention to the finest, meticulously rehearsed structural details.

REVIEW:

This performance, recorded live in Hamburg in October, 2008, is a wonderful surprise. Conductor Simone Young brings out the score's mood changes with great drama; you can practically see the shadow of Hunding passing behind the Twins in Act 1, and with each entrance of the tender love music--sometimes just the leitmotif itself--the listener feels a sense of joy.

Young has a particularly youthful-sounding Siegmund in tenor Stuart Skelton, a tireless, intelligent singer without the baritonal low register some prefer, and she emphasizes the brightness of the brass to play against his sound. She also takes the Brünnhilde/Wotan duet in the second act at a nicely quick conversational pace, making it less introspective than usual but also bringing it great urgency. And her final act is glorious, from a thrillingly played and sung ride (complete with trills from the Valkyries), to an ecstatic "O hehrste wonne", through a psychologically exhausting "War es so schmälich", and an exquisite, touching final scene. There isn't a dull moment in this Walküre.

Opposite Skelton's young, impetuous Siegmund we have a mezzo Sieglinde--Yvonne Naef--and rather than this being a drawback, it is a dark-hued, emotionally telling portrayal. There's the occasional strain in the upper register, including at "O hehrste wonne", which, as suggested above, is a knockout--perhaps because it does not sound easy. Mikhail Petrenko's Hunding is too mellow and carries little danger. Jeanne Piland's Fricka is second-rate.

Falk Struckmann's Wotan is brilliantly thought out, and save for a lunged-at high note or five, it's handsomely sung, with a beautiful legato and long breath. His concept of the role (or the director's, or conductor's) is as a loving father to Brünnhilde primarily--hence his rage (which abates) in the third act. He has the authority, but not the inner depth of feeling, of Thomas Stewart or Hans Hotter...I found it poignant in this context.

Deborah Polaski's Brünnhilde, as she nears 60 years of age, seems more solid than ever before. A wobble rarely enters the voice, and though she seems to tire in the third act's second scene, she recovers entirely for her confrontation with Wotan. And when she sings pianissimo, as in the Announcement of Death and "War es so schmälich", she's riveting.

In short, this is a Walküre that is all of a piece, like Furtwängler's, with seamless moves from scene to scene. It isn't nearly as dark or "cosmic", but it is a beautiful reading, and the singing, despite the fact that there are no Varnays or Vickers, is quite fine.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Robert Levine)

Young's balancing of orchestral textures is interestingly calculated, often novel, and most attentive to the written dynamics. …Polaski… is compelling. With Struckmann's Wotan… she achieves a rather wonderful, and sadly beautiful, account of the final duet in the closest communion with Young in the pit.

-- Gramophone

This album is being released in honor of the 90th concert conducted by Hamburg Artistic Director Simone Young. The rarely performed work The Book with Seven Seals is an oratorio by composer Franz Schmidt (1874-1938) and is based on the Revelation of St. John for soloists, choir, organ, and orchestra. The piece was composed between 1935 and 1937. Featured soloists on this recording include Klaus Florian Vogt, Georg Zeppenfeld, Inga Kalna, Bettina Ranch, Dovlet Nurgeldiyev, and Volker Krafft.

REVIEWS:

The performance under Simone Young is terrific. The Hamburg Orchestra plays eloquently, and Krafft’s handling of the critical organ part is of daemonic intensity.

The choruses sing with discipline and beauty—even the complex contrapuntal passages are always clear. The soloists acquit themselves valiantly. Especially praiseworthy are Klaus Florian Vogt as the evangelist-narrator and Georg Zeppenfeld as the voice of The Lord. Their singing is of commanding stature, with expression and enunciation to match.

-- American Record Guide

This performance has much to offer that often only a live performance can give. There is a strong line up of soloists and a first rate chorus combined with expert direction from Simone Young. This is a fine record of a special occasion that stands up well to repeated listening.

-- The Classical Reviewer

This live 2015 performance by Simone Young and the Hamburg Philharmonic is an impressive presentation of the work, and the powerful performance marked the end of Young’s decade-long tenure with the orchestra.

-- AllMusic.com

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of them recorded in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht. The 7th recording was made on the church organ of Hofkirche in Luzern with the transcription of Bruckner’s 6th Symphony by Eberhard Klotz. The bonus track on this volume is the composition “Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini” for organ by the Italian composer Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini.

This Oehms Classics 2CD set presents a complete edition of the four symphonies of Johannes Brahms by the Tonkünstler Orchestra led by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. The Tonkünstler Orchestra is among the most important institutions on the Austrian music scene. The orchestra maintains a concert repertoire from Viennese Classicism to the Romantic period through to music of the 21st c. Mr. Orozco-Estrada, born in Colombia and active on the Viennese music scene since 1997, concludes his music directorship of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, which he’s held since the 2009/2010 season, in September 2015.

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of them recorded in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht. The 6th recording was made on the church organ of St. Margaret in Munich with the transcription of Bruckner’s 5th Symphony by Erwin Horn. The bonus track on this volume is the composition “Poème pour orgue” for organ by French composer Françoise Choveaux who took several notes out of Bruckner’s Fifth and created a window out of the Symphony. (This bonus track is a digital only release.)

“ …the orchestra is generally – a first-class listening delight: with precise reference to the singers, emphasis of significant moments and magnificent soli in the winds – transparent and never in an impasto-style despite all the dramatic excitement – thus Weigle leads his instrumentalists through this extensive world. The palette full of contrasts between lyrical moods and glaring attacks offered the most highly differentiated colors under his polished conducting. Music – “legible“ for the ears and always compliant with the stage. There was thundering applause for this truly excellent achievement.”- Olga Lappo-Danilewski, Giessener Allgemeine Zeitung

REVIEWS:

Among the singers, the real standout performance is from Eva-Maria Westbroek as Sieglinde. She has everything this part needs: warmth, passion, humanity, precision and stamina…her performance here alone compellingly justifies buying the set.

…this is a very fine Walküre…like the Rhinegold before it, this Walküre has the particular advantage of having Sebastian Weigle at the podium. His measured approach isn’t going to be to everybody’s taste, but he is one of the few Wagner conductors working today who does something distinctive with the music. His control of the orchestra is ideal, but so too is his intuition for giving the singers the freedom they need.

-- MusicWeb International

Not having heard of any of these singers and little of the conductor, I did not anticipate the high quality of this performance. Although, to my knowledge, none of the above could be described as international stars, they have combined to produce a Walküre that is greater than the sum of its parts—I find it absorbing from start to finish, partly because the singers are always on message.

The recording balance is just about perfect. The singers even sound like they are on stage and although the orchestra, which plays very well, actually seems to be in front of them, they can always be heard. It’s like having a first-row seat.

In act II, one adjusts quickly to the fact that Susan Bullock isn’t Birgit Nilsson, but “Hojotoho!” is but a small fraction of what Brünnhilde sings, and having a somewhat strident top doesn’t hurt at all in her two important scenes—the long ones with Wotan in acts II and III. Both have a conversational quality to them; once again, one senses the characters reacting to each other instead of merely banging it out. On the other hand, she makes a few unpleasant sounds early in act III when she helps Sieglinde to escape to the forest, but these are mere vocal warts. Terje Stensvold may not be, say, Hans Hotter, but he’s that kind of Wotan, one who can convey emotion in his voice—you know what Wotan is thinking...Martina Dike is a strong Fricka and, as a bonus, we get a set of Valkyries that can hold their own with anybody’s. I have already alluded to the vivid sound (on the dry side, thanks to the audience) and great playing. I was so surprised by my reaction to this set that I A-B’d it against the second acts of Dohnányi, Furtwängler/Vienna, Haitink, Karajan, Levine, and Solti. I have my favorites but I could live with any of them and, basically, Weigle holds his own.

-- Fanfare

In early 2012, the Frankfurt Opera completed its cycle of the “Ring des Nibelungen” with Götterdämmerung. OehmsClassics is proud to now be releasing Siegfried from October 2011; Götterdämmerung will follow in June 2012. Both the audience and press were thoroughly impressed by the outstanding musical performance of the orchestra and singers under conductor Sebastian Weigle. This box set includes extensive texts by the Frankfurt dramatic advisors as well as the complete libretto in German and English.

REVIEWS:

The highlight of the drama is Susan Bullock’s Brünnhilde. The immolation scene is superb…[and she] sings with great assurance, control, and emotional power.

-- Classical Net

Sebastian Weigle’s sensitive grasp of the mammoth score’s multivalent moods ensures that the performance retains a powerful grip on the listener and the vividly characterised orchestral playing is well recorded in a restricted but not excessively dry acoustic. In addition, the tirelessly heroic Ryan is well complemented by the other singers, perhaps most strikingly Jochen Schmeckenbecher, whose Alberich initially sounds more like the soulful Wolfram in Tannhaüser than one of Wagner’s more malevolent villains. Schmeckenbecher proves far from lightweight in the role, however, and his vivid encounters with Wotan (Terje Stensvold) and Mime—the excellent Peter Marsh—show the Frankfurt ensemble working at its best.

-- Gramophone (Arnold Whittall)

Production values for the product itself are…of the first order, including full libretto and English translation, plus synopsis, interesting commentary…and the strangest, most wonderful genogram I have ever seen…

The set begins as it means to go on: purposefully. The opening is fast, but Weigle maintains tension, thanks to the orchestra’s tremendous rhythmic spring. That is not to imply he is relentless, though. He relaxes well into Siegfried’s “Vieles lehrtest du, Mime”…for example, and he sets up the dark atmosphere at the outset of the second act well. The recording ensures there is much to delight the ear. The lower strings at Mime’s “Mein Kind das lehrt dich kennen” are truly gorgeous…Weigle’s identification of the variety of textures available in Siegfried and his musical invocation of them is one of the set’s triumphs. Try his handling of the sparse scoring at the critical structural juncture of Mime’s recounting of Siegfried’s mother’s “death” (where Peter Marsh is himself excellent), or the way he delineates the different scorings for Mime and Wotan in their exchanges. He ensures proper dramatic thrust through the Wanderer/Siegfried scene of the final act. The result: gripping Wagner.

Peter Marsh has a typical Mime voice, and is blessed with great diction. When he opens out his voice, he reveals what a powerful singer he really is. Lance Ryan sounds like a proper Helden-Siegfried right from the start.

The Alberich of Jochen Schmeckenbecher is superb…The Brünnhilde is fresh and sounds young…Kateryna Kasper is a superbly light Woodbird. There is so much to enjoy here…Recommended.

-- Fanfare