For everyone who has ever read a Jane Austen novel or seen a Jane Austen movie, this disc is a must. It captures the atmosphere of Austen's world with classical works from the period she lived in. Tracks include selections from Mendelssohn, Hayden, Fasch, Bach, Boyce, Mehul and Schubert.

ONLY COMPLETE RECORDING. Sir Arthur Sullivan wrote his light opera Haddon Hall when he was at the height of his considerable creative powers. Despite his intention to turn away from writing "lighter" works so that he could concentrate on more serious fare, Sullivan's love of the good-life forced his return to the rather more lucrative stage of the Savoy Theatre, and the world of comic opera. Sydney Grundy presented him with a libretto based on an actual historical incident, namely the elopement of Dorothy Vernon, with her lover John Manners, from Haddon Hall, her ancestral home. The opera was completed and presented at the Savoy Theatre on 24th September 1892. The reception to Sullivan's music (though not the libretto!) was ecstatic. Bernard Shaw thought Haddon Hall to be the very best of the Savoy Operas, and for a while the piece beat even the Mikado in box office receipts. We hope that, after hearing this new recording, you will agree that Haddon Hall is an unjustly neglected work of great charm, fully worthy of Britain's most famous composer of the 19th century, Sir Arthur Sullivan.

The kind of ‘popular’, socially functional dance music which is quite prominent in the work of, say, Haydn and Mozart plays a less central role – for all kind of obvious reasons – in the output of Beethoven. But such music does exist, and here is a fine, richly enjoyable anthology of it.

The twelve German Dances (WoO 8) were written for the annual masked ball of the Pension Society of Viennese Painters, held on 14th November, 1795. The society had a tradition of commissioned distinguished composers to write new music for the ball – Beethoven’s predecessors included Haydn and Dittersdorf. The young Beethoven’s contribution is, by his standards, rather slight in nature, but the dances have real charm and are not without a degree of sophistication. No.6, for example, employs some unexpected accents over a pseudo-rustic drone in a manner that is quite engaging. No.5 has some pleasant writing for the clarinets; no.10 makes entertaining use of the piccolo and of the triangle and tambourine in a kind of alla turca idiom. No.12 has a surprising coda, with a solo for posthorn, before a rather grand conclusion – so grand, indeed, that it must surely have taken the dancers by surprise!

The six minuets (WoO 9) belong to the same period, but are for strings alone (supplemented here by a harp). They are simple pieces, pleasantly melodic and largely unambitious in execution. In no.3 the alternations between pizzicato and arco are attractive; in no.5 the triplet accompaniment by the second violins has a particular grace.

Beethoven’s 12 contredanses (kontretänze) (WoO 14) were again written for the ballrooms of Vienna, a few years after the earlier sets of dances. They are lively and politely brilliant. In some of them one seems to detect touches that belong to Beethoven rather than just to the genre in which he was writing. It is certainly interesting to note that the seventh and the 11th dances share material with Beethoven’s ballet music The Creatures of Prometheus; the seventh is also echoed in the final movement of the Eroica.

The final set of dances on this CD belongs to a later period. The eleven ‘Mödlinger’ dances were, it seems likely, written in the wooded suburb of Vienna which bears that name, in 1819. That, we should remind ourselves, is the year of the Hammerklavier sonata and of the commencement of the Ninth symphony. These, in short, are the work of a fully mature Beethoven. Beethoven had real financial problems at this time, so it may well be that these dances were written for primarily commercial reasons; but it would, I think, be wrong to imagine that Beethoven didn’t take their composition at all ‘seriously’. Certainly they are far more sophisticated than the dances considered so far. They explore a range of forms – there are four waltzes, five minuets and two ländlers. There is a genial smile to all of the music; there are plenty of sparkling passages as, quite without condescension, Beethoven writes wonderfully accessible music. But it is also music that gets better at second and third hearings. These are delightful, small-scale masterpieces, in their own way just as worthy of attention as the far greater works that Beethoven wrote at much the same time.

The performances of L’Orfeo Barockorchester, playing on period instruments and directed by Michi Gaigg, are exemplary. The sense of scale is perfectly judged, distinctions of tempo and rhythm are clear but unexaggerated; the sound of the winds is particularly well-blended and the strings play with zestfully clear articulation. The sense is of an orchestra that sounds as though it is enjoying its work and is eager to share its own pleasure. One doesn’t often get the chance to hear these dances – and one certainly doesn’t often get the chance to hear them played so well, with both energy and sensitivity.

-- Glyn Pursglove, MusicWeb International

This new release from Divine Art is a selection of tracks from the Burkard Schliessmann album ‘Chronological Chopin’ which won a silver medal at the Global Music Awards 2017 as well as glowing reviews from music critics the world over. An audiophile collection recorded and mastered at 24-bit quality, this is a very rare opportunity to obtain new recordings of Chopin’s masterpieces in the best sound and by a compelling interpreter. German pianist Burkard Schliessmann is a performer with a passion and vision – to seek out and interpret the forms, colors and textures, indeed the soul and expression: the poetic impact, of works we believe have already been fully explored. His previous recordings have received worldwide acclaim - “Schliessmann is too good a pianist for anyone to pass on this” – American Record Guide; “without equal” – Fanfare. Chopin is above all his composer of choice to whom he has devoted endless hours of study and appreciation.

Classical Music

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*** This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD or HD DVD players. ***



HÉROLD-LANCHBERY La fille mal gardée • Anthony Twiner, cond; Marianela Nuñez ( Lise ); Carlos Acosta ( Colas ); William Tuckett ( Widow Simone ); Jonathan Howells ( Alain ); Royal Op House O • BBC/OPUS ARTE 7021 (Blu-ray Disc: 112:00)


La fille mal gardée has a long and convoluted history dating back to its first production in 1789 at the Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux, where it was staged by Jean Dauberval to a largely anonymous score utilizing various contemporary popular tunes. It then entered the repertoire of the Paris Opéra in 1828 with new music composed and arranged by Ferdinand Hérold. He retained a few melodies from the original score, composed a substantial amount of his own music, and added some popular operatic excerpts by Rossini, Donizetti, and others. Peter Ludwig Hertel composed a new and much more heavily textured score for the Berlin Court Opera in 1864. This was more in tune with the tastes of the time. Hertel’s version was subsequently produced at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1885 and survived in various forms until Frederick Ashton decided to revive it with a new score freely adapted and arranged by John Lanchberry for the Royal Ballet in 1960. It was clear to Lanchberry that in order to achieve the delightful pastoral tone envisioned by Ashton that it would be necessary to base his arrangement on Hérold’s superior version, interspersed with passages actually composed by Lanchberry himself. The 1960 Covent Garden production was a spectacular success and has become a ballet classic revived repeatedly throughout the world. This lengthy history of La fille mal gardée is important because every version contributed in some way to the triumph of the Ashton-Lanchberry masterpiece. The Clog Dance is apparently the only surviving section based on elements of Hertel’s score.


Music-lovers and audiophiles were introduced to the seductive, melodic charms of La fille mal gardée by the sensational sounding 1962 Decca recording of extended excerpts played by the very same Covent Garden Orchestra conducted by Lanchberry. That performance and the ongoing success of the ballet led to a complete Decca recording by the same artists in 1984. This Blu-ray disc is stunning. The brilliantly colorful sets and costumes perfectly project Ashton’s delightful vision originally inspired by Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony. Marianela Nuñez (Lise) and Carlos Acosta (Colas) generate remarkable chemistry as the young lovers. Nuñez accomplishes the near impossible: she not only holds her own, but is clearly the star of the show opposite the charismatic Acosta. Her dancing has a soft, lyrical elegance that fits the bucolic atmosphere of La fille mal gardée ideally without slighting her technically dazzling footwork. She connects directly with Acosta and the audience. If you think that this is a long way from Acosta’s macho turn in Khachaturian’s Spartacus ( Fanfare 32:5), you are correct, but Acosta pulls it off convincingly. He projects an appropriately boyish charm, and his natural charisma prevents him from being a mere prop for Nuñez. This is great stuff! William Tuckett is also delightful in the comedic role of the Widow Simone. Despite the personal virtuosity of the principals, they blend remarkably with the production overall. Conductor Anthony Twiner doesn’t match the incisive, rhythmic snap of Lanchberry’s speedier interpretation, but his emphasis on the lyrical aspects of the charming music works well.


This is probably the most technically gorgeous Blu-ray disc I have seen so far. As such, it is required viewing and listening for ballet-lovers. La fille mal gardée is also an ideal vehicle to introduce reluctant new viewers to the world of ballet. Clearly Want List material.


FANFARE: Arthur Lintgen
Picture format: 1080i High Definition, NTSC 16:9 Sound format: PCM 2.0 and 5.1
Region code: 0 (All regions)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: French, German, Spanish, Italian
Running time: 108 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD50 disc)

Classical Music

The 'sheer visual sophistication' of Annabel Arden's Barbiere serves 'a triumphant celebration of Rossini's musical genius', featuring de Niese's 'powerfully sung' Rosina, Burger's 'gale-force' Figaro and Stayton's 'pure and mellifluous' Almaviva - a leading trio 'musically and dramatically beyond compare' (The Independet - 5 stars). Contributing to the 'ensemble precision', the rest of the cast includes a 'scene-stealing' Berta in Kelly, a 'suavely unctuous' Basilio from Stamboglis and Corbelli's Bartolo, 'an object lesson in comic understatement' (The Guardian). With Enrique Mazzola at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, 'the score bubbles along on a Puckish current of merry mischief' (The Telegraph

RUBINSTEIN: Kamenniy-ostrov, Vol. 2

Classical Music

Includes nocturne(s) for pno by Frédéric Chopin. Soloist: Bernard d'Ascoli.

Friedrich Gernsheim’s chamber music figures significantly in his extensive oeuvre, where it occupies a position next to his symphonic music. Along with his works scored for piano and his diverse sonatas, it is above all in the genre of the string quartet that Gernsheim achieved great merit. On Vol. 1 of our complete recording the Diogenes Quartet interprets his first and third quartets. It is primarily in the latter work that he demonstrates his masterful command of compositional technique. The first movement requires performers with a firm metrical feel; agogic insertions occasion the blurring of time structures. The last movement is a variation movement and again a masterpiece, and after a lento it leads to a powerful and sonorous conclusion. Once you’ve heard these string quartets, you’ll wonder why after the leaden years prior to the war and then after it this genius never again returned to the concert halls. Why was there no Gernsheim revival, when Mendelssohn and Mahler revivals took place in German concert halls? Our four previously released albums and these quartets by this composer demonstrate that quality could not have been the reason for his exclusion.

This CD usefully gathers together the four most significant works in Brahms’s output for chorus and orchestra, with the obvious exception of Ein deutsches Requiem. Readers will already have noticed the rather niggardly playing time so let me hasten to assure them that it is only in this respect that the disc offers short measure: the music and the performances are of high quality.

The young English conductor, Robin Ticciati, has attracted a great deal of favourable notice in a relatively short space of time. Already installed as chief conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (from the 2009/10 season) he will become First guest conductor of the Bamberger Symphoniker from the 2010/11 season. This, I suspect, is his first recording with the orchestra and in it he reveals himself to be a fine Brahmsian.

The Alto Rhapsody is the best-known piece on the programme and I was very pleased to see the British mezzo, Alice Coote in the solo role. I saw her sing the piece on television a year or two ago at the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. Here, freed from the necessity of projecting into such a vast auditorium as the Royal Albert Hall she can sing with the proper intimacy that much of the piece requires. It’s a remarkable work in many ways. The later Gesang der Parzen has a surprisingly large amount of dissonance in its harmonies but the way is surely paved in the searching music of the Rhapsody. Ticciati conducts it with maturity and is successful at laying out the stark winter landscape portrayed in the opening pages. Alice Coote sings very well; her vocal production is unforced and her warm, expressive tone gives much pleasure. Throughout the piece her voice is in good focus and I especially admired her poise at the telling phrase “Die Öde verschlingt ihn”. Ticciati accompanies his soloist considerately and his orchestra realises the textures of the music very well. Miss Coote is successful in putting across the introspective side of the piece and then, when the famous heart-easing melody appears - “Ist auf deinem Psalter” – her delivery of it is lovely, with the male voices of the choir in good support.

I came to know Nänie several years ago through taking part in a series of performances; it’s a very fine piece. It is, as Colin Anderson says in his booklet note, a work that contains “music of rapt contemplation and remarkable loveliness”. Indeed, the oboe melody that’s heard near the start is of a stature comparable with the theme for the same instrument in the slow movement of Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Ticciati leads a splendid performance. The music unfolds with due spaciousness and warmth but without any suspicion of wallowing. The choir is full-toned and well balanced. They produce some fine quiet singing but, when required, there’s ample power without any need to force the tone. It’s a very satisfying performance and to my ears Ticciati seems to get everything just right.

Gesang der Parzen is, musically, a very different proposition. This was the composer’s last work for choir and orchestra and it contains a good deal of turbulent, dark music. The darkness is emphasised by elements of Brahms’ scoring. He includes parts for a contrabassoon and a tuba while the choir is divided into six parts, including two alto parts and two bass parts. The piece begins quietly and from the outset a marked and appropriate degree of tension is present. The volume is increased significantly for the second stanza of the words, which are by Goethe, beginning “Der fürchte sie doppelt” (“Let he [who is raised up by them] fear them doubly”) and the choir rise to the occasion with some exciting singing. The whole piece is concentrated and is tragic in tone. Ticciati directs his forces with admirable energy. The spectral end, in which the contrabassoon is a discreet but telling presence, is well managed.

Schicksalslied mixes the sublime and the dramatic. The spacious introduction, in warm E flat major, is one of the most radiant passages of Brahms that I know. In this account the muted violins sing out the main theme most affectingly while the timpani pound quietly underneath. The gentle entry of the choir – led excellently by the altos – sustains the mood of the introduction perfectly. Later, at “Doch uns ist gegeben”, the music plunges abruptly into C minor and Brahms’ music is bitingly dramatic, recalling “Tod, wo ist dein Stachel” in Ein deutsches Requiem. Finally, Brahms relents and revisits the music of the introduction, but this time in C major. This is balm after the storm and I always think that the prominence of the flute in this reprise emphasises the lightening of the textures and the parting of the storm-clouds. The whole performance of this fine work strikes me as a complete success.

There have been comparable couplings of these four short masterpieces in the past. Claudio Abbado did them all to excellent effect with the Berliner Philharmoniker for DG in the early 1990s (435 791-2) and they were also recorded for Decca by Herbert Blomstedt in 1989, during his time in San Francisco. However, I’m not sure that either set of recordings is currently available. Even if they are, this newcomer offers an excellent alternative. Not only are the performances very good but also the recorded sound is very satisfying – I listened to this hybrid SACD in conventional CD form. My only reservation about the otherwise well-produced booklet is that the English and French translations of Nänie and of Gesang der Parzen are not aligned with the German words.

On this occasion I’d urge collectors to overlook the short playing time. These are very fine examples of the art of Brahms and they’ve been well served in these excellent recordings. I hope this is a harbinger of the forthcoming partnership between Robin Ticciati and this distinguished German orchestra.


-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International

In his Opus 300 Carl Czerny compiled a unique keyboard compendium of all the stylistic facets of European music from the Baroque until far into the Romantic era – an audio history of music en miniature featuring preludes as our guides and an overwhelming variety of characters, forms, and pianistic invention. The 120 finely chiseled preludes range from the aphoristic extreme of ten to twenty seconds in length to the just as aphoristically packed narrative and rhapsodic forms of a maximum of three to four minutes. Their numerical midpoint is formed by sixteen very short interludes that are brilliant examples of modulations, each proceeding from C major to all the other major keys. Like most of the preludes from No. 60 to No. 71, they represent variants of this art form originally distinguished by improvisation: as interludes they build audio bridges from one (imaginary) work to the next and link what would appear to be beyond linking. The work of course is interpreted in its entirety on this release – by none other than Kolja Lessing, one of the most versatile musicians of our times and a violinist and pianist who combines interpretive and musicological work in his many significant contributions to music culture.

MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 2, 'Hymn of Praise'

Lars Vogt continues his Ondine recordings with a new cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos. Conducting the Royal Nothern Sinfonia from the keyboard Lars Vogt shows the brilliance and the beauty of these two majestic works of the classic piano concerto literature.

Beethoven made an early reputation for himself as a keyboard player. Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 5 feature two opposite sides in Beethoven’s career: the 1st concerto is a masterpiece by a young composer in his 20s who is already looking into new dimensions of musical expression. Although it was his first published piano concerto Beethoven had already made serious attemps in the genre – large part of the material to his 2nd concerto also predate the 1st concerto.

The 5th concerto, commonly known as the Emperor concerto, was written between his 6th and 7th Symphonies when Vienna was under Napoleon’s occupation. During bombardment Beethoven, now 39 and increasingly deaf, had sheltered in the cellar of his brother, covering his head with a pillow against the noise of the cannons. Beethoven dedicated the work to Archduke Rudolph who had fled the city. Despite of its joyful, optimistic and hopeful character, occasionally echoes of war disrupt the work creating a strong impact. The work was premiered two years later in November 1811.

Lars Vogt was appointed the first ever “Pianist in Residence” by the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003/04 and enjoys a high profile as a soloist and chamber musician. His debut solo recording on Ondine with Bach’s Goldberg Variations (ODE 1273-2) was released in August 2015 and has been a major critical success. The album’s tracks have also been streamed online over 6 million times. Lars Vogt started his tenure as Music Director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia in September 2015.

Also available on Blu-ray

Giselle remains one of the most popular Romantic ballets of all time. The story brings together an engaging mix of human passions, supernatural forces, and the transcendent power of self-sacrificing love. The production by Sir Peter Wright catches the atmosphere of this great Romantic ballet, especially in the perfection of its White Act, with ghostly maidens drifting through the forest in spectacular patterns -- one of the most famous of any scenes for the corps de ballet. Giselle dances with lightness and fragility, giving the impression of floating through the mist.

This is one of The Royal Ballet's most loved and admired productions, faithful to the spirit of the 1841 original yet always fresh at each revival. This performance features former Bolshoi star and now Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova in a breath-taking interpretation of the title role.

Adolphe Adam
GISELLE

Giselle - Natalia Osipova
Albrecht - Carlos Acosta
Hilarion - Thomas Whitehead
Wilfred - Johannes Stepanek
Berthe - Deirdre Chapman
The Duke of Courland - Christopher Saunders
Bathilde - Christina Arestis
Myrtha - Hikaru Kobayashi
Moyna - Elizabeth Harrod
Zulme - Akane Takada

Royal Opera House Orchestra
Boris Gruzin, conductor

Marius Petipa, choreographer
John Macfarlane, set and costume designer
Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, January 2014

Bonus:
- The Romance of Giselle
- The Corps de ballet in Giselle
- Cast Gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2. 0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles (bonus): English
Running time: 113 mins (ballet) + 10 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

Press Reviews
"There has never been a choreographer that I can think of who could produce three such contrasting works, and you sit watching in wonderment at the fertile imaginings of his mind." (The Daily Telegraph )

"It's grisly, and yet horribly exciting in its momentum, as the men show off to each other like skateboarders, flinging themselves into barrel turns while knotting and unknotting their legs." (The Independent )

"As far as I am aware there are no other versions of Elite Syncopations or Concerto currently available on DVD and as mentioned these are significant works in the MacMillan canon so pretty much an obligatory purchase for admirers of his work. As a programme this strikes me as an excellent triple bill as diverse in its emotional range as it is accomplished in its technical excellence from every department." (Musicweb International )

Tristan: Robert Dean Smith
Marke: Robert Holl
Isolde: Iréne Theorin
Kurwenal: Jukka Rasilainen
Melot: Ralf Lukas
Brangäne: Michelle Breedt
Junger Seemann: Clemens Bieber
Ein Hirt: Arnold Bezuyen
Ein Steuermann: Martin Snell
Bayreuther Festspiele Chorus/Eberhard Friedrich
Bayreuther Festspiele Orchestra/Peter Schneider
Stage Director: Christoph Marthaler
rec. live, Bayreuth Festival, 9 August 2009.
Special Features: include ‘Kinder, macht was Neues!’ The making of Tristan und Isolde.
Video Tracks: 16:9
Audio Tracks: 5.1 DTS Surround, PCM Stereo
Subtitle Tracks: English, French, German, Spanish
OPUS ARTE OA 1033 D [3DVDs: 292:00]

As I reported last year this performance of Tristan und Isolde was chosen for only the second live relay from the ‘Green Hill’ following Die Meistersinger in 2008. Katharina Wagner who now controls Bayreuth alongside her half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier, wishes to open up the Festival to a much wider audience. So again the Bayreuth Festival joined forces with the city of Bayreuth and a leading German engineering company, Siemens, to present the Siemens Festival Night. This allowed several thousand people the opportunity of a free event at the Bayreuth Festplatz. In addition, the opera, like last year’s, was available on the Internet.

As I look back on what I wrote last August as the reviewer of this performance I was in no danger (in mid-January) of bright sun shining on my TV screen and creating the problems I had initially with the outdoor showing. I had reported on Christoph Marthaler’s 2005 anti-romantic staging of Tristan und Isolde from the theatre in 2008 and most of what I wrote both then and again last year stands without much significant alteration. The Prelude introduces us to the circles of light that are the light bulbs and the recurring imagery for the ocean liner in which the ‘action’ is set. Katharina Wagner has called Marthaler ‘a master when it comes to staging boredom, standstill and desperation’ though whether this is damning him with faint praise I cannot tell. In his metaphysical interpretation there is little eye contact — or any contact for that matter — between the characters. It must not be forgotten that Katharina had little — if anything — to do with this production as, at the time it was planned, the Festival was solidly in the hands of her father, Wolfgang, and late mother, Gudrun.

As revived here by Anna Sophie-Mahler little does happen in this Tristan und Isolde but Michael Beyer’s direction for TV puts our attention directly onto the faces of the singers and the truth they showed holds the viewer’s attention. In the opera house you are distanced from the facial expression of the singers but here we can focus on crucial small moments to mostly good effect. Iréne Theorin as Isolde is revealed to be quite a stunning actress and her best moment remains near the end of Act I when she is quite deranged at ‘Nun lass uns Sühne trinken!’ Here having drunk the ‘wrong’ potion she is beginning to feel the effect of passion and not her death; she very subtlety undoes her top button and then takes her pulse. Robert Dean Smith, as Tristan, also benefits from the close-ups particularly in his Act III ravings. As before, the other highlights include Michelle Breedt’s concerned Brangäne trying to snatch back the Todestrank from Isolde in Act I, King Marke’s pain at being deceived being etched so clearly on Robert Holl’s craggy features and the passing of the knife that fatally wounds Tristan from Marke on to Melot then Tristan and back to Melot and finally returned into Marke’s hands. Then significantly there is Tristan staring straight at Kurwenal (Jukka Rasilainen) convincing me that his coming back to life in Act III is all in his faithful retainer’s mind. Much of this might be missed if – as a member of the theatre audience – you were looking elsewhere.

The walls of the hold where Tristan is shown ‘lying in state’ look even more mildewed and graffiti-covered in the final Act here on DVD than on the night of the relay. Some moments also still look ridiculous such as Tristan and Kurwenal’s Act I hand gesturing when the latter sings about Lord Morold, though this is not now blown up on a huge 90m² screen.

The sound from my DVD player was reasonably faithful to the live transmission though arguably more vivid than before because of the work of the engineers. The voices sound mostly very even and the orchestra under Peter Schneider’s experience baton seems faultless and perfectly balanced though, as outdoors in August, it still seems a little louder than you would get in the Festspielhaus.

As an extra there is a short backstage self-congratulatory feature entitled ‘Kinder, macht was Neues!’ Sadly this urge by Richard Wagner to future generations to ‘do something new’ has often been taken too literally. Here we get rehearsal footage, comments and a justification for the production by those involved and even a plug for the sponsors, Siemens.

Katharina has stated that she aims to ‘make the Festival accessible to a wide public’ and for ‘a strategy of transparency while setting artistic standards for future interpretations of Wagner and winning new opera fans’. With the long wait for Bayreuth tickets it is now more possible to keep up-to-date with what is going on than ever before. It is no good some critics complaining that things are not what they were at Bayreuth without the Wagnerian, as well as the general opera-loving public, having the evidence to discuss the work going on there. At least the recent two DVD releases, along with the Ring CDs conducted by Thielemann, can only help promote the debate that I am sure Katharina and Eva surely welcome from those distanced from — what the blurb on this Tristan calls — ‘the spiritual home of Wagner’s work’.

This imbues this DVD with an historical importance but it is recommended for so much more — and even though the supporting singers are not the same quality — there are still world-class performances from Iréne Theorin’s committed, radiant Isolde and Robert Dean Smith’s lyrical, inexhaustible Tristan. It is also extremely well conducted by the Bayreuth veteran, Peter Schneider and, together with the two central performances; it is often possible to be transported to a realm far away from the drabness of the stage designs.

— Jim Pritchard, MusicWeb International

This exciting new program of Violin Sonatas by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) comes from award-winning violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt as the latest volume in their highly successful series of violin chamber works. These sonatas were composed between 1878 and 1888, and are among the greatest 19th century chamber music masterpieces. . This release also features a Scherzo movement from the F. A. E. Sonata, which was Brahms’ contribution to a composite sonata with Albert Dietrich and Robert Schumann in 1853. Christian Tetzlaff maintains an extensive performance schedule and is one of the world’s leading international violinists. He has won numerous awards including “Instrumentalist of the Year” from Musical America, and the “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik” for his recording of violin concertos by Mendelssohn and Schumann.

REVIEWS:

A breathtaking balance of poise and daring. Tetzlaff and Vogt take obvious pleasure in details without losing sight of the larger picture, whether it’s a phrase, a movement or an entire work. Indeed, they sharply delineate the individual character of each sonata.

– Gramophone Magazine

I get the impression that Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt want to drag the composer out of his book-lined study and seal the door. It’s beautiful playing, tonally and expressively, and very musical, but it’s also surprisingly open – Brahms after an expensive course of Viennese psychotherapy.

– BBC Music Magazine

This new release from Ondine is the first installment in a series of Brahms recordings with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra and their chief conductor Jaime Martin. Together with the orchestra, Martin offers delightful interpretations of these two early examples of Brahms' orchestral writing. Jaime Martin became the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra in 2013. During recent years orchestral engagements have led the rising conductor to collaborate with several prominent orchestras around the world. Martin is also Chief Conductor of the Orquestra de Cadaques and known for his active career as a solo flautist. The two Brahms' orchestral Serenades heard here were written in the late 1850's and together with the first Piano Concerto, offer the earliest surviving examples of his orchestral writing.

REVIEW:

Anyone who champions Brahms’s gloriously eccentric, lyrical, and capacious Serenades deserves full attention. Here they get it. There’s some lovely playing, with warm woodwind and horns and nice, crisp syncopations. Martín does not allow the tempi to drag: important in works that need to be kept agile and alert to reveal their special charm.

– Guardian

Following Lars Vogt's massively popular recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, this new recording features much-loved piano works by Franz Schubert. Vogt was appointed the first ever "Pianist in Residence" by the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003-2004 and enjoys a high profile as a soloist and chamber musician. Schubert's Impromptus, D. 899 and the famous Moments musicaux are some of his most well-known pieces that are featured on this release.

Star conductor Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden present a brand new recording of all four symphonies of Robert Schumann, who lived in Dresden from 1844 to 1850 and wrote his second symphony there. His symphonies are considered masterpieces amongst German romantic symphonic works. This cycle, which was recorded live at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, receiving great critical acclaim, is a new milestone in Schumann interpretation. "The Staatskapelle's sumptuous playing is hard to fault..." (The Guardian) A bonus on this release is "Discovering Schumann," which features Christian Thielemann talking about Schumann�s Symphonies and his interpretations.

Overtures and Finales

The final part of Anthony Goldstone's brilliant triptych of recitals including transcriptions, variations, fantasias, and arrangements of music from public 'spectacles' - the first two CDs attracted enormous critical praise and this volume is no less fine, containing perhaps a few more well-known themes, such as those from Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, but in fresh and new arrangements by the performer - indeed most of the music here is receiving it's first recording.

Already during his lifetime George Onslow was known as the "French Beethoven." This extraordinary distinction earned above all for his manifold chamber music does not do complete justice to his special rank. On this release, Markus Becker teams up with the Ma'alot Quintet for a closer look at Onslow's virtuoso side. Functioning as virtuoso concertos for the salon, both the Wind Quintet op. 81 and the Sextet op. 30 fully satisfied the discriminating taste of Parisian high society. Onslow began his occupation with wind instruments relatively late. The flute and other members of the wind family first inspired his interest when innovations like the ring-keyed technique developed by the inventive Theobald Bohm enormously expanded the range of possibilities for their use. Especially the late wind quintet op. 81 shows a wide scope: as for the musical substance Onslow puts the airy, serenade-like genre on the same level as the alleged graver chamber music for strings. In this respect the Sextet op. 30 is a singular exception and even a double one: certainly more out of business considerations than for artistic reasons, Onslow also published the salon concerto in a version with string quintet. The Ma'alot Quintet and Markus Becker present the wind version with captivating verve. The fine resolution of the instrumental colors and the room sound registered with filigree precision of course come across especially well on this recording.

Airy, transparent, light as a feather – if any composer’s music answers to these attributes, then it is that of Maurice Ravel, including his Piano Trio, even if this work too has its more serious moments. On its newest Super Audio album the Vienna Piano Trio brings together this marvelously unique achievement and a very differently gripping trio by Ernest Chausson – a fascinating contrast and one most beautifully celebrated by our Vienna threesome. Chausson composed his trio as an act of defiance. He had abandoned his study of composition without a diploma and had recently retired to the countryside. As if he wanted to show all his critics and especially the jurors of the Prix de Rome what he could do: in the Piano Trio an impetuous artist assumes a revolutionary and romantic expressive stance. This begins already in the impassioned first movement, to whose themes he repeatedly returns during the course of the other parts, and reaches its high point in the great breadth and unforgettable melodiousness of the third movement.

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REVIEW:

The Trio's finely honed interpretation of the Ravel is charactized by finesse, maturity, and lucidity. Chausson’s Franck-inspired Trio makes a great pairing. There are some breathtakingly lyrical moments in the violin and cello here, and the rich piano figuration never feels laboured.

– Gramophone