La Serva Padrona(Maid as Mistress) is a work written by Pergolesi, which was composed initially as an intermezzo in two parts. The libretto was written by Gennaro Antonio Federico, and this story shows the librettist’s understanding of how ordinary citizens of the time spoke. This release also includes the one part intermezzo Il maestro di cappella.

Includes work(s) by various composers.

“The Paganini violin concertos are above all else an exhibition of artistic effects. But when they are played, as Ingolf Turban does, with all piquant bravado and wit and taste, then they are musical fun … He played the concertos with a very taut and steely tone which was able to elicit a smile, even considering the indescribable wizardry of technique. One could not miss hearing how Paganini understood Rossini´s artistry with song He had fused some of this artistry into the parts for violin, as was brought out by Ingolf Turban through his ever elegant, glitteringly clear, and supremely singing production of tone. And to top it all, Turban´s playing of Paganini lacked neither a drew-like fresh fantasy of sound nor an extraordinarily playful vigor. And thus one could enjoy these concertos of that satanic violinist enveloped by legend.” We naturally listen to music today differently from the public of Paganini´s time. But we must be aware of the circumstances of that time, and have an ear for relationships. The need is all the more for a rational stance that is equally joyful and anxious. Smiling is only one aspect of Paganini. When our senses fade while facing the bravura, so do our hearing and sight dim before the tremendous plunges that this music conceals within itself, from heaven to earth and then out again to the infinite. The only comparison can be with Chopin at the piano. He performed such plunges, from so soft as to be barely audible to abrupt change of touch. There is eloquent testimony that bears this out. Ingolf Turban, in his attempt to revive the characteristics of happening for the Paganini concertos wants to do justice to both of these dimensions.

A grand collection of the most popular operetta arias featuring the best of opera singers.

� A comprehensive, multi-layered documentary portrait of this 80 years young (2013) composer. � Includes his personal and career reflections, dialogue and musical extracts. � The film follows Penderecki from Krak�w to Munich, Vienna to Leipzig, and to his country estate in Luslawice. � Interviews with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mariss Jansons and Lorin Maazel, among others. � To be premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, February 2014. � Availability: Blu-ray and DVD � Subtitles. 814337011550 CMAJ715504BR 26016962 .00 37.99 .18 C MAJOR BLU-RAY MOVIE DOCUMENTARY 03/25/2014 https://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/b/500/6/8/6/3/2523686.jpg 13 1 N BUSONI / BACH / SLOTCHIVER VISIONARY 3 044747339627 CAV3396.2 27775257 .00 18.99 .20 CENTAUR COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC & RECITALS 02/10/2015 https://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/b/500/6/1/4/9/2839416.jpg 15 1 N NEUBAUER / PUNTO / DEMACHI / HAGEL / CAPELLA NASSAU COURT MUSIC Searching for traces of once-admired Nassau court music in European and American libraries made it apparent that, despite large losses, there still survives a corpus of court music, though hard to fully assess due to it's size and geographical scattering. The majority of these autographs and manuscripts are unheard pieces, condemned to two and one-half centuries of oblivion. The 350th birthday of Count Johann Ernst of Nassau-Weilburg (1664-1719) provides an appropriate occasion to let the brilliance of the Nassau court music be heard again.

Mravinsky recorded in studios from 1938 to 1961. His interpretations of Tchaikovsky set standards that hold to this day and his Shostakovich performances enjoy the intimate authority of the connoisseur, but he was also altogether at home in the standard Classical and Romantic repertoires. That said, he was often able to emphasize nuances that other, “Western” conductors did not bring out. This series of recordings includes one of the three instrumental pieces from the operas of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) as well as an astonishingly urgent, brisk reading of Anton Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. Listening to the grandiose Poème de l’Exstase by Alexander Skryabin (1872-1915) conducted by this precision fanatic, it is easy to imagine that one is hearing details and structures that other conductors may allow to be absorbed into the overall sound. The inner-Soviet renaissance of the Skryabin contemporary and late Romantic melodist Vasily Kalinnikov (1866-1901) received decisive impetus from Mravinsky – not least thanks to his energetic reading of the composer’s Second Symphony. Mravinsky was, in the words of music commentator Norman Lebrecht, "the most capable of all Soviet conductors".

Regarded as one of the most acclaimed violinists of his generation, Frank Peter Zimmermann brings his intelligence and brilliance to this new album of Mozart’s violin concertos and Sinfonia concertante. Zimmermann’s concerts have taken him throughout Europe, Japan, Australia, South America and the United States, and he has collaborated with the finest orchestras in the world.

“Zimmermann’s poise, sweet expression and unforced athleticism were a constant pleasure, and the ruminative approach into the first-movement cadenza was dovetailing par excellence. Best of all was the relaxed approach to the finale, normally rushed off its feet, but here mercurial and shapely.” - Classicalsource.com

Classical Music

A highly desirable account.

Elijah ( Elias in German) is one of the pinnacles of Mendelssohn’s output and is probably the most famous of all nineteenth century oratorios. It’s his oratorio, a late work completed in 1846 just a year before the composer’s untimely death. As he had done with his earlier oratorio St. Paul ( Paulus in German) Mendelssohn requested that the theologian pastor Julius Schubring assist him in preparing the text. Mendelssohn fashioned Elijah from Old Testament texts largely from the first book of Kings based around significant events in the life of the Biblical prophet Elijah. Designed in two parts the score was supplemented by texts from Kings II, Psalms, Isaiah and other Old Testament writings.
 
Mendelssohn himself conducted the première to great acclaim before a packed audience at the Music Festival held at the Birmingham Town Hall in England. A score much loved by audiences and choral societies alike it has remained a staple of the choral music repertory. For this recording the sound quality is excellent and the Profil label is to be congratulated for providing full German texts with an English translation. 

Doris Hagel has since 1986 held the position of cantor at the Weilburger Schlosskirche. The German town of Weilburg is located roughly between Cologne and Frankfurt. Hagel and lutenist Lutz Kirchhof were responsible for creating the concert series ‘Alte Musik im Weilburger Schloss’ of which Hagel is artistic director and manager. Founded in 1992 the ensemble Capella Weilburgensis come together at the invitation of Hagel to perform sacred choral music at the Weilburg festival series or for special projects. Notably they play on period instruments employing period-informed performance practice. The Kantorei der Schlosskirche Weilburg specialise in sacred choral music singing throughout the main feasts of the church year. They have become known for their impressive performances of oratorios. In addition to their unaccompanied choral work the choir collaborate closely with the Capella Weilburgensis and L'arpa festante Munich orchestras. 

The desolate mood of the brass-laden Overture commands the attention and pertinently reflects the suffering of the drought-stricken Israelites. Splendidly sung by the Kantorei der Schlosskirche Weilburg the chorus proclaim their anguish: Hilf, Herr! Hilf, Herr! ( Help, Lord! Help, Lord!. Worthy of special note is Mendelssohn’s darkly coloured orchestral writing here played with real assurance.  

No.2 Herr, höre unser Gebet! ( Lord! bow thine ear to our prayer!) includes a beseeching duet Zion streckt ihre Hände aus ( Zion spreadeth her hands for aid) between two Israelites sung by soprano Christine Wolff and alto Britta Schwarz. The two soloists together with the Schlosskirche choir sing with a sure sense of piety and untarnished harmony. Obadiah’s aria in No.4 So ihr mich von ganzem Herzen suchet ( If with all your hearts ye truly seek me) is sung by tenor Markus Schäfer with clear diction and appropriate reverence. Scored for double quartet the Angels sing Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir ( For he shall given his Angels charge over thee) (No. 7). This is a wondrously tender and inspiring pronouncement that God has commanded the Angels to “protect thee”. No.8 Was hast du an mir getan, du Mann Gottes! ( What have I to do with thee? O man of God?) contains the affecting widow’s aria. This is sung by soprano Christine Wolff imploring God to help her dying son. Wolff is radiant of voice and she projects magnificently. Giving reverential attention to the text Klaus Mertens as Elijah makes a moving request to a compassionate God to help the widow’s son. In their duet proper at 6:18 Wolff’s and Mertens’ voices combine in the words Von ganzer Seele ( with all my soul) - all inspiring devotional intensity. In the memorable No. 11 Baal, erhöre uns! ( Baal, we cry to thee) with the people of Israel appealing to God for a response the Kantorei der Schlosskirche sing with fervour yet maintain a fine unison. Elijah’s admonition aria No.14 Herr, Gott Abrahams, Isaaks und Israels ( Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel) has a certain consoling quality. With his expressive bass-baritone and striking enunciation Klaus Mertens beseeches the Lord for affirmation for his deeds on behalf of the Israelites. No.17 Ist nicht des Herrn Wort wie ein Feuer? ( Is not his word like a fire?) is sometimes known as Elijah’s rage aria. Here the rich and assuring tones of Klaus Mertens with his clear diction serve to accentuate Elijah’s stern and unsettling warning. A lyrical arioso No.18 Weh ihnen, daß sie von mir weichen! ( Woe unto them who forsake him!) is a stark warning to transgressors that destruction will fall upon them. It is beautifully sung by alto Britta Schwarz. With highly appealing timbre Schwarz’s compelling and resounding tones are suffused with pathos.
 
Part 2 commences with section No.21 Höre, Israel, höre des Herren Stimme! ( Hear ye, Israel, hear what the Lord speaketh). This is a substantial and brilliant soprano aria written by the composer with Jenny Lind ‘the Swedish Nightingale’ in mind. Here we find magnificently reverential singing from Christine Wolff - a real highlight of this release. Throughout I was struck by Wolff’s agreeable and extremely bright tone together with her splendid projection and diction. At 3:00 I especially enjoyed her assured delivery of the text Ich stärke dich! ( I will strengthen thee!). The renowned aria No.26 Es ist genug, so nimm nun, Herr, meine Seele ( It is enough, O Lord, now take away my life) is Elijah’s movingly sung plea to the Lord for death. The tessitura of the writing admirably suits Klaus Mertens marvellous bass-baritone voice. Another well known section is No.28 Hebe deine Augen auf zu den Bergen ( Lift thine eyes to the mountain) for the trio of Angels. We are treated to quite delightful singing from the sopranos Elke Rehwald-Stahl and Almut Diemer, and alto Dorothée Zimmermann; I assume that they are members of the choir. Another highlight follows with Britta Schwarz as the Angel in No.31 Sei stille dem Herrn und warte auf ihn ( O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for him). Schwarz is mightily impressive and gives a smoothly expressive and marvellously controlled account of her radiant alto aria. Also notable is the long lyrical line of bass-baritone Klaus Mertens as Elijah in the arioso No.37 Ja es sollen wohl Berge weichen ( For the mountains shall depart). Weaving in and out of the vocal line the solo oboe obbligato adds significantly to the appeal. The tenor aria No.39 Dann werden die Gerechten leuchten ( Then shall the righteous shine forth) is given a comforting rendition by Markus Schäfer. His fluid and attractive tenor seems perfect for the part. An extended dramatic outburst opens No.41. From 3:44 the section of the quartet Wohlan alle, die ihr durstig seid ( O come everyone that thirsteth) begins with the superb Wolff then followed in turn by Britta Schwarz, Markus Schäfer and Klaus Mertens. There is outstanding interplay between the skilfully controlled quartet of voices who pay appropriate attention to the sacred text. Movement No.42 Alsdann wird euer Licht hervorbrechen ( And then shall your light break forth) closes the oratorio. I found the mighty dramatic outburst from the Weilburg choir simply stunning. Hagel directs with assurance, at a beautiful pace and with appropriate reverence. The choir and orchestra are in immaculate form and can stand comparison with the finest. 

Rubbing shoulders with this 2011 recording using period instruments is my other first choice conducted by Frieder Bernius with the Kammerchor Stuttgart and Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart on Carus (SACD) 83.215. Bernius’s control is memroable and often exhilarating. The soloists Letizia Scherer (soprano), Renée Morloc (alto), Werner Güra (tenor) and Michael Volle (bass) are well chosen. This is fresh and responsive singing informed by a sense of devotion. Bernius recorded the oratorio in 2007 in the sympathetic and clear acoustic of the Evangelische Stadtkirche, Schwaigern, Germany. An English translation of the German text is provided together with an exemplary English essay from eminent Mendelssohn biographer Prof. R. Larry Todd. Bernius’s double set is the final volume in a twelve volume Carus collection of Mendelssohn’s Complete Sacred Choral Music.
 
Also on Profil is Wolfgang Sawallisch’s splendid live 2001 Munich recording. Sawallisch’s superb Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Choir meet all the requirements for this marvellous oratorio. The fine cast of soloists are Michael Volle (bass), Andrea Rost (soprano), Marjana Lipovsek (alto), Herbert Lippert (tenor), Letizia Scherrer (soprano), Thomas Cooley (tenor) and Barbara Fleckenstein (soprano). Recorded in the excellent acoustics of the Herkulessaal, Munich, the first class sound quality impresses with much fine detail and well judged balance (Edition Günter Hänssler PH07019.  

For those wanting a recording sung in English I can recommend the account conducted by Paul Daniel using the period instrument forces of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. An added attraction for many is distinguished bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in the role of Elijah. Clearly dividing opinion Daniel’s account emphasises more of the dramatic element and is not quite as reverential as many other versions. Released in 1997 Daniel’s cast also includes Renée Fleming (soprano), Patricia Bardon (mezzo) and John Mark Ainsley (tenor). It’s on Decca London 4556882. 
 
In summary, Doris Hagel directs a highly desirable account of Mendelssohn’s Elijah.  

-- Michael Cookson , MusicWeb International

On her third solo release, Miki Aoki features works by the members of Les Six, a group of early 20th century French composers who were blazing their own trail. The music of Francis Poulenc is what's really touched Miki's heart. Ever since she was invited to play his Violin Sonata about eight years ago, she's been obsessed with his unique character. "It's got this humor and irony." - Miki Aoki

Works for violin and piano occupy a special place in the compositional output of Nikolay Medtner (1880-1951). He wrote a large number of pieces for piano and voice. Where his chamber music is concerned, however, his emphasis was on the genre of the violin sonata. Medtner wrote three sonatas for violin and piano. They are written, like his one great piano quintet, on an almost symphonic scale. There are also the pieces for violin and piano that Medtner produced while he was working on a violin sonata. Presenting these works is Russian violinist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky. A soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and winner of international music contests, he represented Russia at the Eurovision Young Musicians 2002, which made him a household name in his home country. He is joined by esteemed pianist Ekaterina Derzhavina.

MARTHA MÖDL: THE PORTAIT OF A LEGEND • Martha Mödl (sop, ms); various vocalists; various conductors; various orchestras • PROFIL 12006 (2 CDs: 158:17) Live: 1950–82


WAGNER Rienzi: Gerechter Gott! Tristan und Isolde: Doch nun von Tristan; Begehrt, Herrin was ihr wünscht; War Morold dir so wert; Nicht Hörnerschall tönt so hold; Dein Werk? O tör’ge Magd! So stürben wir, um ungetrennt; Mild und leise. Wesendonck Lieder. Die Walküre: Der Männer sippe; Du bist der Lenz. Götterdämmerung: Starke Scheite … Grane, mein Ross, sei mir gegrüsst. R. STRAUSS Elektra: Was willst du? Seht doch dort! FORTNER Bluthochzeit: Nachbarinnen! Mit einem Messer. REIMANN Melusine: Heut, hier und jetzt wird es entschieden. TCHAIKOVSKY Pique Dame: Schweigt doch endlich! BEETHOVEN Bitten. Die liebe des Nächsten. Vom Tode. Die ehre Gottes aus der Natur. Gottes Macht und Vorsehung. Bußlied


I can’t claim to be an expert on the recordings of Martha Mödl, but to the best of my knowledge Profil has issued all of these for the very first time. At least, the company claims so on the CD insert, and I for one have never seen commercial recordings by her of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder or any of the Beethoven songs.


Mödl’s strengths as a singer were, ironically, her defects as well. Although she had a superb voice that was well trained, once she was onstage singing she let herself go in a way that was as exciting as it was harrowing. With no thought of technique, she threw herself into the music, often sacrificing tonal security or beauty for a complete identification with the character or words she was singing. The liner notes compare her to Callas, and that is a fair assessment, but I find it ironic to remember that she was not always considered a legend when she was still alive. I still recall, when Furtwängler’s RAI Ring cycle was issued on Seraphim LPs, how many critics who shall remain nameless actually apologized for Mödl’s contribution, although, to be fair, they usually added that when you saw her in person you overlooked the explosive, blown-out high notes because of the intensity of her interpretations. I also heard from an acquaintance of mine that once, in a performance of Elektra with Astrid Varnay in the title role and Mödl as Klytemnestra (which she sings in the excerpt on this set), Varnay got so caught up listening to Mödl that she almost forgot to re-enter.


From a strictly vocal standpoint, her voice is under better control on CD 2 than it is on CD 1. So many of the high notes on the first disc are attacked with such vehemence that you are almost afraid that she is going to blow the voice out, then and there, especially the two high Cs (feared by Flagstad, but apparently not by Mödl) in Isolde’s act I curse. Ludwig Suthaus was a fine singer, but not necessarily for Tristan, which lay very uncomfortably in his range, but he gives it the old college try and, sparked by Mödl, is far more intense here than in his 1952 commercial recording with Flagstad and Furtwängler. The Tristan excerpts go back and forth between two different venues and three different performances (the love duet excerpt with Wolfgang Windgassen was performed at London’s Royal Festival Hall, but not, apparently, with the Royal Philharmonic), and the singers sound rather off-mike in the 1958 Munich performance, but regardless of time or place Mödl is locked into the character with an almost psychic intensity. It’s interesting to hear such an intense vocal actress performing the Wesendonck Lieder , but this is where her high notes are more out of control than anywhere else in the set.


Turning to CD 2, we hear at the outset a much more in-control Mödl, her voice intense but warm and well placed for Sieglinde’s two act I excerpts and a phenomenal Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung conducted by Georges Sebastian. Mödl often said that this was her favorite role of all, and she certainly makes you think the world is coming to an end! Following this, we jump a decade to a 1967 performance as Klytemnestra (unfortunately, not with Varnay) in which she is appropriately intense, but by now the voice has a wobble. The two excerpts from modern operas, Wolfgang Fortner’s Bluthochzeit and Aribert Reimann’s Melusine, are not really my kind of music (this is from the Ugly 12-Tone Era), but they do show that Mödl was not only a great stage actress but an excellent musician, capable of learning any style of music and infusing it with dramatic energy. The liner notes indicate that Reimann composed this scene especially for Mödl.


More interesting is her fascinating performance as the old Countess in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. Though sung in German (I hadn’t realized that Germany was still performing foreign operas in the vernacular as late as 1982), she delineates the character of the old woman with perfect feeling and a meaning for the text.


Oddly, this survey of Mödl’s career ends with the earliest performances on the set, a series of Beethoven Lieder from 1950. Her voice is at its freshest here (perhaps Profil wanted to leave us with that sound in our ears), her interpretations are all excellent and not all over the top, and it’s interesting that her accompanist is Michael Raucheisen, who had recorded a large group of Lieder performances with the legendary tenor Leo Slezak back around 1928. They make an excellent pair, and these readings are exceptionally fine in every respect.


Despite the flaws, this set is absolutely indispensable for Mödl fans (and I’m certainly one), for Wagner lovers, and for anyone who wants to hear one of the most intense artists of the 20th century. We’ve had so many cookie-cutter Wagner sopranos in recent years that it’s nice to remember a time when, for some of them at least, performing this music was more than a job. It was almost a matter of life and death.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

According to her extraordinarily long list of stage roles, Maria Callas appeared over 600 times in 41 different operas and two operettas between April 2, 1939, and July 5, 1975. An astonishing number of these performances have been captured on fascinating recordings. This compilation release features six of the finest recordings in chronological order, selected by Dieter Fuoß primarily on the basis of artistic worth and secondarily on the basis of sound quality. Greek-American soprano Maria Callas was one of the most influential opera singers of the twentieth century. Critics worldwide praised her bel canto technique, wide range, and dramatic interpretations. Her skill, musicality, and dramatic talents led her to being hailed as La Divina. 12 discs.

These performances, captured shortly before Sinopoli's untimely death, make a fine memento of his art. His commercial recording of Mahler's Ninth was a decadent mess: slow, heavy, flaccid, and cavernously recorded to boot. This performance also is extremely slow--more than 90 minutes in fact--with a finale that seems to go on forever. But the playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden has so much more color, rhythm, and clarity that it makes all the difference. The first movement in particular now has shape and structure, with real impact at the climaxes. The first scherzo limps along with appropriate awkwardness, and Sinopoli successfully differentiates the three basic tempos. I do wish the Rondo: Burleske had more bite and sheer excitement, but it's certainly not tame, and the Dresden strings sustain the slow tempo in the finale very well indeed.

Sinopoli's New York recording of Death and Transfiguration possibly was the slowest version of that work on disc: slower even than Celibidache's rendition. This one is a couple of minutes quicker, and it's all to the good. Of course this was and remains an incomparable Strauss orchestra, and while I prefer Kempe's lighter and fleeter view of the music with the same ensemble, Sinopoli certainly manages a resplendent projection of the "transfiguration" episodes. The sonics in both performances are very good, with horns and winds sometimes a touch backward, but warm and natural even so.

Certainly these highly individual interpretations won't be to all tastes, but especially in the Mahler Sinopoli's quirks never turn into annoying mannerisms, and the superiority of the orchestral execution goes a long way toward selling the concept. Yes, he takes some big risks, but here at least they pay off.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

An enduring audience favourite Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 continues to maintain a firm hold on the concert repertoire with an abundance of choice in the record catalogues. It’s a work that can make a deep emotional impression. I can still recall an Olympian performance of the Symphony No. 5 that I attended in 2011 at Berlin by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck. With the performance being given on actual day of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the New York’s World Trade Center the performance had an extra poignancy.

The orchestra on this Profil release the Hamburg based NDR Sinfonieorchester was established after the war in 1945 under the name of the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Hamburg. Berlin born Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt was the founding conductor and its concerts were played at the Hamburg Musikhalle renamed the Laeiszhalle. The orchestra’s present name the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg (North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Hamburg) was chosen in 1956 following the splitting of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (Northwest German Broadcasting) into two regions the NDR and WDR. Principal conductors of the Hamburg orchestra have included Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph Eschenbach, John Eliot Gardiner, Christoph von Dohnányi and Klaus Tennstedt the conductor here.

Klaus Tennstedt responds to the multifarious moods of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with passionately commitment and enthralling drama. From the first note to the last there's a judicious balance struck between stunningly expressive playing and care for the overall structure. In the opening of the Trauermarsch (Funeral March) the intensity of nightmarish expression and the sheer weight of sound send a shiver down the spine. Overall Tennstedt takes the movement slower than I was expecting. Immediately I noticed the excellent condition of the brass with the strings also radiating a glorious bloom. Such a magnificent creation; in the uplifting second movement who could fail to be impressed by playing that swells gloriously into determined climaxes. The overtly pictorial Scherzo feels like open-air music, a refreshing stride through verdant Alpine vistas with Tennstedt's penetrating clarity communicating the stunning sights and sounds along the route. One could almost be reading intimate pages from Mahler’s holiday diary. Especially striking is the wonderful horn playing and the distinctive rich and firm tone of the cellos. In this movement Tennstedt directs a climax that was shattering in terms of exhilaration, volume and force, almost pinning me back into my seat. Mahler’s declaration of his deep love for wife Alma, the justly famous Adagietto, feels so intense and emotionally persuasive it could break the stoniest of hearts. Imbued with a captivating sense of optimism and vigour the Rondo-Finale just trips along buoyantly, generating great excitement. In the rumbustious final pages the reserves of sheer energy that Tennstedt demands from his responsive Hamburg players is produced in spades. This is a highly engaging live 1980 Laeiszhalle recording from Tennstedt. It can confidently rub shoulders with many of the acclaimed accounts. Nevertheless, I will continue to reach for my treasured live 1981 Herkulessaal, Munich recording from Rafael Kubelik and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks on Audite.

Mahler composed his orchestral song cycle Kindertotenlieder (Songs for dead children) in 1901/04 to texts by Friedrich Rückert. Following the deaths of two of his children, Rückert wrote over four hundred poems collectively titled Kindertotenlieder. Alma Mahler strongly expressed her discomfort with the subject matter as if composing Kindertotenlieder would somehow tempt fate. Subsequently Mahler and Alma became haunted by the death of their own child Maria in 1907. Given the sombre nature of the inspiration it is not surprising that an achingly poignant mood cloaks these songs. At times I can hear shades of the exotic sound-world that Mahler established a few years later in Das Lied von der Erde. In this live 1980 Kieler Schloss recording of the Kindertotenlieder cycle the sadness and sense of total despair produced by Brigitte Fassbaender’s implacably expressive vocal is almost too sad to bear. It is striking how she is able to deepen and darken her tone to great effect. Overall this is a fine performance without quite matching the intensity of her own compelling 1988/89 Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin account with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Riccardo Chailly on EMI. Another classic account of Kindertotenlieder that stands out from the crowd is the remarkable 1967/69 Abbey Road, London recording from Janet Baker with the Hallé Orchestra under John Barbirolli on EMI.

Recorded live in 1980 these two engaging performances are welcome additions to the Mahler catalogue. The sound quality of these made-for-radio broadcast recordings is excellent with satisfying clarity and balance. Regrettably the Rückert Kindertotenlieder texts and English translations are omitted.

- Michael Cookson, MusicWeb International