[The Violin Concerto's] last five minutes [are] a most moving elegy which Lydia Mordkovitch plays very beautifully on this excellent new recording. . . . [If] you can surrender to its rhapsodic musings and gusts of passion and forget its obvious debt to Elgar and Delius, then this is as good a performance as you could wish, recorded with the clarity and fidelity that are the hallmark of Chandos recordings. The Ulster Orchestra plays superbly, so that Moeran's attractive and colourful scoring gets its full due; and, of course, Vernon Handley is a sympathetic interpreter. -- Gramophone

These performances are also available on VHS: RCA Victor Red Seal Video 68199.

Chandos features a varied selection of orchestral works by Benjamin Britten, performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox, to mark the great composer's centenary year on this re-release. Included works are the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Suite on English Folk Tunes, the Suite from Johnson over Jordan, and Four Sea Interludes.

Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, performs baroque music on baroque instruments with what the Philadelphia City Paper describes as ‘zest and virtuosity that transcends style and instrumentation’. Under its directors, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, and concertmaster, Emlyn Ngai, the ensemble performs a repertoire ranging from staged opera with full orchestra to chamber music. The group performs without a conductor, as was the practice when this music was new. Tempesta di Mare has been recording exclusively for Chandos since 2004, to worldwide popular and critical acclaim. - Chandos

The third and concluding volume in our series of orchestral works by Bach contemporary Johann Friedrich Fasch includes more premiere recordings of orchestral works and his lute and recorder concertos. - Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra

The celebrated Contemporaries of Mozart series continues apace with the compositions of German composer George Joseph Vogler. The London Mozart Players which celebrates their 60th anniversary in 2009 perform under the direction of Matthias Bamert. Also known as Abbé Vogler, Vogler was idealized in Robert Browning's poem 'Abt Vogler', with its subtitle 'After he has been extemporizing upon the musical instrument of his invention.' In his own day, Vogler was indeed famous for his improvisations. He was also a celebrated teacher, whose pupils included Weber and Meyerbeer; but he seems to have had little renown as a composer, that is, until now. Vogler was born near Würzburg in 1749, the son of a violinist and instrument maker. After studying at Würzburg University, he moved to Bamberg for three years of religious instruction: hence the references to Abbé. In the early 1770s he was appointed almoner, then chaplain, to the court at Mannheim. By 1775 he was appointed the vice-Kapellmeister. Mannheim was the home of a flourishing musical establishment, and the court orchestra had an international reputation: Vogler's colleagues included Christian Cannabich. He would later hold the position of court music director at Stockholm (1786-89) and at Darmstadt (1807-14). The scope of Vogler's musical accomplishment, encompassing sacred vocal works, operas, instrumental ensemble pieces and solo keyboard music, challenges generalization. The surviving symphonies and concertos by Vogler reveal polished craftsmanship and a flair for orchestral colour. He was fond of highlighting wind instruments, and the use of two pairs of horns in complementary keys is a trademark. All the works which here receive their first recording reflect this approach. Although relatively few of Vogler's works achieved wide public recognition, various works were performed in concerts well into the 19th century, and Robert Schumann praised Vogler's music as late as 1838. Recent Contemporaries of Mozart releases: CHAN 10379: Christian Cannabich CHAN 10496 Leopold Mozart CHAN 10458 John Marsh

Recorded in: All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London 16-18 October 2000 Producer(s) Nicholas Anderson Sound Engineer(s) Jonathan Cooper Christopher Brooke (Assistant)

Two of Beethoven's most beautiful melodies in a new guise: the Violin Romances are played here for the first time in the atmospheric version for cello - sung by a male voice, as it were.

SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO 10

MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTO 3, CON

This set is offered at a special price: 5 discs for the price of 4.

Performers include: Gil Evans, George Russell, Johnny Carisi and Rod Levitt.

A lot of unusual music appears on this Bluebird CD. Altoist Hal McKusick (with arrangmeents contributed by George Russell and Gil Evans) performs five numbers (including a version of "Blues for Pablo" that was cut a year before Miles Davis's recording) with a variety of musicians including trumpeter Art Farmer and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland. Arranger John Carisi (heard here on trumpet) interprets seven previously unreleased numbers with an octet and trombonist Rod Levitt performs five of his arrangements with his own advanced octet. Although these performances would have little influence on future developments in jazz (the free jazz movement of the 1960s overshadowed the trend toward using elements of modern classical music in charts), the music still sound quite fresh and unpredictable today.

I reviewed this when Music & Arts first issued it; now it is back, under the same catalog number... My comments remain the same. This disc is of interest mainly to Furtwängler specialists; while both performances are quite strong, neither matches other readings of the same works by this conductor. The Stockholm Philharmonic plays well, but cannot involve itself in Furtwängler's unique world with the abandon and comfort of both the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. Those interested in this coupling with Furtwängler would be better served by a pair of 1953 Berlin performances (DG 415 666 2, no longer available), or the 1954 Salzburg Festival performances with the Vienna Philharmonic, released in wonderful sound by Orfeo (C293921B). In all cases, be prepared for a particularly unusual Eighth, much more massive and weighty than you are used to, and with a few rhythmic quirks that might bring a smile of affection or derision, depending on your receptivity. One important bonus on this Stockholm CD is the rehearsal excerpt from the Leonore Overture No. 3, prepared for the same concert. It offers a fascinating view of Furtwängler's rehearsal technique, is well recorded, and is more substantial (about 11 minutes) than some previous issues. Good transfers, and an insightful (if oft reprinted by Music & Arts) essay on Furtwängler by Neville Cardus.

-- Henry Fogel, FANFARE

Two caveats for prospective customers: One is that Earl Wild makes the once-standard "traditional" cuts in the finale of the Third Concerto; second is that these classic 1965 performances also are available on the Chesky label in less brilliant but more naturally equalized transfers, albeit spread across three full-priced discs. Chandos, however, offers the better bargain. More importantly, Wild is in dazzling form throughout. You'll rarely hear the First and Fourth Concertos sparkle with equal panache and rhythmic acuity, while the pianist's fusion of poetry and flair add up to a Paganini Rhapsody that leaves just about all stereo versions behind. Jascha Horenstein's incisive, colorful support is a major asset, and the Royal Philharmonic plays beautifully for him. If you don't mind the Third Concerto cuts (or already have Martha Argerich's landmark third), these classic performances only get better with age, and the sonics are still terrific. Go for it, piano fans! --Jed Distler

COMPLETE WORKS FOR ORGAN V: 9

Johan Halvorsen spent most of his career writing for the theater, which is probably why his music sounds so effortless, colorful, and well, efficient. This isn't meant to be disparaging. Rather, all of these pieces get right to the point, and none outstays its welcome, not even the Second Symphony, which clocks in at a bit under half an hour. It's conservative, harmonically and formally, but the music really works--it's a pleasure from beginning to end, and wholly convincing. This performance also is the first to correct the zillion errors in the printed score that have gone a long way to preventing the work from entering the repertoire, where it surely belongs.

The other pieces are all, in one way or another, ostensibly Norwegian in sound in a manner quite similar to Grieg. Again, there's nothing wrong with that. What sane person dislikes Grieg? The Suite ancienne, to the memory of Holberg, has every bit as much charm and freshness as Grieg's Holberg Suite, while the other three pieces all feature solo violin. Marianne Thorsen plays splendidly, while Neeme Järvi leads his Bergen forces in performances that are graceful, vibrant, and in the Suite and the Symphony, the last word in impetuosity and excitement. With terrific sound, if you don't know this music, you're missing something special.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

If you thought Mozart's Salzburg serenades were big works, then check out this extravaganza in nine movements, lasting just about an hour. Composed in 1764 and scored for everything but the kitchen sink, the work includes an opening march, two minuets, and major concerto movements for solo clarinet and solo trombone (yes, I did say trombone). Both are often performed separately. Michael Haydn's proto-classical style is, as you might expect, graceful, tuneful, and easy on the ear, and if you are familiar with any of the other releases from Klöcker and his Prague forces, then you know that you can expect lively, elegant music-making (and some terrific clarinet playing). This piece is entirely light and unassuming--entertaining when you want to pay attention, yet unobtrusive if you don't. Even the two marches aren't very militant or rhythmically sharp-edged, but if you're looking for a very pleasant hour of dinner-time music, beautifully recorded, Michael Haydn certainly gets the job done.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

"The Orfeo issue is an absolute ‘must’ for any Fischer-Dieskau collection... Comprising all the recitals Fischer-Dieskau gave with Moore at the Salzburg Festival over 10 years starting in 1956, it is a rewarding compendium of his interpretations of all the most important composers of Lieder. Most have already appeared as separate issues, when I have lavished generous praise on them (and encores have been added that were not on the original issues). Much of the repertory was recorded at least once by the singer throughout his career in the studio, but – as I have frequently pointed out – these offerings have just that extra response an audience engenders.

The two Wolf recitals have not appeared before: one is a delightful CD of songs from the Spanish Songbook, shared in 1960 with Seefried and Werba, a rewarding pairing. The other ‘new’ Wolf CD, also from 1960, can serve as a template of every recital here by virtue of its complete command of every aspect of the Lieder singer’s art. It is devoted entirely to Goethe settings, beginning with a deeply thought-through account of the ‘Harfenspieler’ songs from Wilhelm Meister in which, right at the start of a programme, Fischer-Dieskau is entirely at his ease, piercing to the soul of these mysterious and wonderful pieces. That’s followed by a suitably mellifluous and ecstatic account of the heaven-seeking Ganymed. A sharply characterised Der Rattenfänger, a ruminative Anakreons Grab and a challengingly powerful Prometheus – all masterly settings and all played by Moore with exemplary understanding – are at the very heart of this programme. Among the five encores, the suitably eager Begegnung and a properly cynical Abschied find the singer and pianist at their most relaxed and outgoing.

The first (1956) recital, which I don’t think I had heard before, is another winner. Devoted entirely to Heine settings by Schubert and Schumann to mark the centenary of the poet’s death, it contains some of the greatest Lieder ever written, ideally delivered – Schubert’s six settings included in Schwanengesang and Schumann’s Dichterliebe, in readings as immediate as any by the singer, followed by a treasure-store of encores: soft-grained, warm accounts of Du bist wie eine Blume and Mondnacht among them, followed by a light, wistful Erstes Grün. I shall leave the remainder of these superb offerings (discs devoted to Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and post-Romantic composers) for the reader to discover.

Alan Blyth, The Gramophone

Classical Music

Matthias Bamert’s ‘Contemporaries of Mozart’ project is one of Chandos’ longest-running and most successful series. The unquestionable genius of Mozart has tended to eclipse the accomplishments of many other composers who were writing at the same time as he. Many of these composers, successful in their day, suffered neglect in subsequent decades and in some cases were almost forgotten. Matthias Bamert’s series has shown just how rich this area of the repertoire is, and each of the CDs has received superb critical acclaim. This uniquely compiled box set comprises five of the most successful CDs in the series to date (many of the works are poorly represented in the catalogue, if at all) and provides an ideal introduction to the repertoire – at bargain price.

Each CD offers a wealth of classically elegant melodies wrapped up in imaginative orchestration. There are three symphonies by the Mannheim master Carl Stamitz, replete with crescendos and the then newfangled clarinets in an orchestra that so impressed Mozart. There are shimmering and rhythmic symphonies by the composer, publisher and piano maker Ignace Pleyel and the graceful and introspective symphonies by Pavel Vranicky, including the unusually titled ‘Grand Characteristic Symphony for Peace with the French Republic’, plus delightful symphonies by Kozeluch and dramatic orchestral music by Krommer, who is better known for his woodwind music.

Classical Music

Jaffe: Concerto for Cello & Orchestra, Homage to the Breath,

Dance to the Pops' renditions of Estancia; Malambo Ginastera; Sabre Dance Khachaturian; Rodeo; Saturday Night Hoedown Copland; Dances from the Three Cornered Hat Falla, and more.

Classical Music