Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Sir John Eliot Gardiner's personal curation of Easter Choral music inspired by his family's annual Easter Play at his home in Springhead, Dorset. A companion to the Monteverdi Choir's 1998 recording Once as I remember, which told the story of the Springhead Christmas Play. Structured around a series of tableaux, narrating through a combination of the different Gospel accounts, it is a dramatic retelling of the Resurrection story, employing disparate musical styles and frequent shifts of focus and perspective, all held together by the creative vision of a Dorset mother and her son. He writes: "This personal selection of music for Easter from the 11th to the 20th centuries tells the story of the Resurrection and Christ's appearances to his disciples. It is based on my experience of compiling and directing the music for a mimed Easter play, performed in village churches in Dorset every year between 1963 and 1984, the brainchild of my mother, Marabel Gardiner, to whose memory this recording is dedicated."

Classical Music

This album brings together six English composers whose combined careers span more than a century – Byrd, Tallis, Morley, Philips, White and Tomkins. The title Vigilate! (Be watchful!) epitomises the clandestine character of recusant music-making in Elizabethan England, by undercover Catholic composers of the time. The pieces on this recording display the richly imaginative, devout and diverse responses of musical craftsmen who worked with unfailing creativity in difficult times. The album comes in our usual casebook packaging and contains a 36 pages booklet with notes by Kerry McCarthy and texts in German, English and French.

This is a disc of pure delight.

This brilliant release features a live recording of the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by Sir John Elliot Gardiner performing Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2 in A Major. The recorded concert took place in November 2016 inside the stunning acoustics of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 was written mainly in September 1816 and was completed on October 3 of that same year just six months after the completion of his prior symphony. In character, the writing is often said to resemble Mozart; Schubert was infatuated with the composer at the time he composed it. Brahms’ second Serenade was written in 1859 and dedicated to Clara Schumann. The five movement work is scored for chamber orchestra, including double woodwinds but omitting violins, trumpets, trombones and percussion.

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REVIEW:

In matters of colour and timing, the playing of this early-Romantic repertoire has undergone its own revolution in the past 30 years. Under Goodman and Mackerras, even Minkowski, the Minuet of Schubert’s Fifth is neat but plain by comparison with Gardiner. Every phrase of the Andante is weighted and cherished. For its combination of tenderness, gravity and springtime joys, the performance may be set alongside Klemperer’s Philharmonia (with a first flute, Marlen Root, who has nothing to fear by comparison with Gareth Morris). The conclusion is quickly faded, but applause is retained after the Brahms. It’s a disc of pure delight.

– Gramophone

This album made the headlines in 2006 as the UK’s first classical “on the night” recording. CDs were made during the second part of the concert for the audience to take home after the concert. This is the first time this CD has been commercially released.

Symphonies 39 & 41 are among the last composed by Mozart. They use the full eighteenth-century orchestra, complete with trumpets and timpani.

Symphony 39 (K543) shows Mozart at his most exalted in the orchestral passages, while some passages remain intimate and touching, with more delicate themes. The Minuet features the orchestra’s guest artists, the clarinets, in a waltz-like Trio.

The “Jupiter”, Mozart’s final symphony (no 41, K551), belongs to a sequence of grand ceremonial works in C major. Typically for Mozart it juxtaposes a number of different contrasting musical characters and ideas, from the formal and aristocratic to the heartfelt and soulful.

In the finale, the composer’s compositional virtuosity is on display. Through the whole runs an extraordinary spirit, a mixture of intellectual excitement, the feeling of a grand design, and a sense of fun.

Monteverdi’s great opera is a celebration of unwavering devotion, conveyed in some of the composer’s most poignant, heart-breaking music. After two brutal decades of war, the weary Ulysses is washed up on the rocky shore of his home island of Ithaca. There, he discovers the hordes of depraved admirers who have beseiged his faithful wife Penelope in his 20-year absence – and launches into battle to win back her love. Monteverdi’s opera is a celebration of unwavering devotion, conveyed in some of the composer’s most poignant, heartbreaking music. John Eliot Gardiner leads an exemplary cast of world-class singers alongside the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in this live recording from The National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland – part of their critically acclaimed Monteverdi 450 tour in 2017.

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REVIEWS:

Faced with lots of recitative and practically no arias, singers and players abandon themselves to intense arioso, jazzy cross-rhythms between poetry and continuo, and take-no-prisoners dissonances. Furio Zanasi, Lucile Richardot, and Hana Blažiková bring a depth of acting almost without rival.

– BBC Music Magazine

Recitatives flicker and spark with detail. Instrumental textures are spare and speeds swift, and there’s a welcome sense of narrative drive. Text is king, but it’s the rhetoric of the English Baroque Soloists that really counts. Zanasi is a smooth, patrician Uliss. There are more classically beautiful accounts of Il ritorno d’Ulisse available, but perhaps none with quite so much life.

– Gramophone

Nearly twenty years after their acclaimed Beethoven Symphonies recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique returned to this repertoire for the first time last year, in a tour that took them to London, Philadelphia, Washington and New York. The concert in Carnegie Hall was broadcast live by WQXR, who kindly agreed to make the recording available to us to release on our label.

Sir John Eliot’s Gardiner’s reading of these familiar pieces highlights their revolutionary origin. Performing on period instruments, the ORR brings light, clarity and brisk energy, as well as a warm and genuinely thrilling sound.

The album contains a 36 pages booklet with original notes by BBC presenter and music journalist Stephen Johnson.

"The Allegretto was sinuous and haunting, the finale joyously visceral. And from fate’s knock at the onset of the Fifth Symphony, Mr. Gardiner wrought Beethoven fresh and strange, with gutsy, brash and rasping instrumental voices united in triumph." – The New York Times

JOHANN CHRISTOPH BACH Herr, werde dich und sei mir gnädig. Mit Weinen hebt sich’s an. Wie bist du den, o Gott. Der Gerechte, ob er gleich zu zeitlich stirbt. Ach, dass ich Wassers g’nug hätte. Fürchte dich nicht. Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben. Meine Freundin, di bist schön • John Eliot Gardiner (cond); Julia Doyle, Katharine Fuge (sop); Clare Wilkinson (mez); Nicholas Mulroy (ct); Jaes Gilchrist, Jeremy Budd (ten); Matthew Brook, Peter Harvey (bs); English Baroque Soloists (period instruments) • SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG 715 (78:11 Text and Translation)


If you have ever wondered what happened in German music between Heinrich Schütz and J. S. Bach, Bach would have had an answer for you. Most likely he would have mentioned several of his illustrious forebears, and most certainly he would have named his older first cousin once removed, Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703), whom he identified as “a profound composer.” That judgment was seconded by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who described Johann Christoph as a “great and expressive” composer. Both father and son performed the elder Bach’s music in the course of their respective duties. The great Johann Christoph—not to be confused with Sebastian’s like-named older brother—was born in Arnstadt and trained by his father, Heinrich Bach (1615–92). His younger brother, Johann Michael (1648–94), also an important composer, later became Sebastian’s first father-in-law. His first position (1663) was as organist in Arnstadt, but two years later he was appointed organist at St. George’s Church in Eisenach. He eventually became a chamber musician at the ducal court there and held both positions for the remainder of his life. Little is known of Johann Christoph’s private life other than his contentious relationship with his employers and his impoverishment at the end of his life. In Eisenach he often worked with his first cousin, Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645–95), a town musician and father of the younger Johann Christoph (1671–1721) and Johann Sebastian. When Sebastian became orphaned in 1695 a logical move might have been to place him in the custody of the established cousin in Eisenach, but the latter’s financial condition probably dictated the move to his 24-year-old brother’s home in Ohrdruf. Sebastian’s musical training came primarily from his brother. But he was not a distinguished composer. Who can doubt that Sebastian’s inspiration had some roots in his musical memories of Eisenach?


Johann Christoph, of course, composed primarily for the church. Undoubtedly much of his music is lost. The extant catalog is small: two arias, two Konzerte (cantatas), two laments, two dialogues, and eight motets—the most famous of which, Ich lasse dich nicht , is variously attributed to him and to Sebastian. There are 44 organ chorales with preludes and an organ prelude and fugue. A few harpsichord pieces were probably written for the court. His style was progressive for its time and place, but listeners anticipating an appendix to Johann Sebastian’s legacy must be mindful that influence does not flow backward. Vocal parts are relatively undemanding, owing to the level of competence of the available choristers, but the instrumental accompaniments can be quite elaborate. One may find that Johann Christoph’s music has a logic of its own, and also that the younger Bachs were judicious in their assessment of it.


The disc title, Welt, gute Nacht , is not the title of any of the works in the program. It is the last line of the first verse of the valedictory aria, Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben . Most of these eight compositions are solemn—end-of-life arias, laments, funeral motets, and a penitential psalm—but the program has a 24-minute happy ending. Meine Freundin , with a text derived from The Song of Songs , was written for a wedding celebration and shows a lighter side of Johann Christoph’s dour countenance.


Johann Christoph has an ideal champion in John Eliot Gardiner. Gardiner, who, unlike the Bachs, is not plagued by inexpert choral singers, leads an octet of soloists in the choral parts (including the two arias) and a reduced English Baroque Soloists in the larger works. The two laments are beautifully sung as solos by Matthew Brook and Clare Wilkinson. Gardiner finds both expressiveness and profundity in his readings.


The prevailing culture throughout the lifespans of the seven generations of musical Bachs placed a much higher value on newly composed music than on music of the past. Were he to look in on us today, I suspect that J. S. Bach would be amazed and probably gratified to find dozens upon dozens of recordings of the B-Minor Mass and Brandenburg Concerto recordings beyond count. But he would be dismayed, I’m sure, by the sparse representation of Johann Christoph Bach on disc. This is a splendid release, and an important one, highly recommended.


Also recommended, Die Familie Bach vor Johann Sebastian (Archiv 419 253-2, two CDs), performed by Reinhard Gobel, Rheinische Kantorei, and Musica Antiqua Köln—music of Johann Michael, Georg Christoph (1642–97), Johann Christoph, and Heinrich Bach.


FANFARE: George Chien

Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s live Brahms symphony cycle reaches its penultimate stage and once again he illuminates the symphony in question with interesting and relevant choral music. Previous issues in the series have included some vocal music by contemporaries or past masters that Brahms admired but on this occasion Brahms has sole billing. All the music has its own value and interest but it’s especially pertinent to preface the symphony with Gesang der Parzen, the piece that bears the immediately previous opus number in the Brahms catalogue. It’s also an unusual step to follow the symphony with a choral item - which I presume was also done in the live concerts - but I find the lovely Nänie complements the symphony very successfully and its inclusion sustains the calm mood with which the symphony comes to an end. In the notes, which once again take the form of an extremely enlightening discussion between Sir John and the composer, Hugh Wood, Gardiner makes it clear that he constructed a deliberate sequence in which the Third Symphony was surrounded by Gesang der Parzen and Nänie. It’s a typically stimulating, not to say audacious juxtaposition and I find that it works well.

In these two choral works it was instructive to compare Gardiner’s versions with the fine recordings by Claudio Abbado (DG 435 791-2) made between 1989 and 1991. Of course, the performances are radically different in that Abbado uses a much larger choir and the Berlin Philharmoniker. They differ also in that, generally speaking, Abbado’s treatment of both pieces is more spacious than Gardiner’s. I’ve loved Nänie ever since I first had the chance to sing in performances of it in 1997. As it says in the notes to this release, it’s probably the most radiant thing that Brahms ever wrote. I’m not sure that Gardiner quite conveys that radiance. It’s a fine performance, to be sure, and beautifully sung and played but, for me, Abbado, with his slightly greater sense of space, conveys the essence of the piece even more successfully. And at the marvellous moment, marked Più sostenuto, where the choir sings in unison “Aber sie steigt aus dem Meer mit allen Töchtern des Nereus” (‘But she rises from the sea with all the daughters of Nereus’) (Track 10, 5:05 in the SDG recording) Gardiner is impressive but Abbado conveys even more nobility. When I listen to this Gardiner performance I think that Nänie is a fine work; when I listen to Abbado I know it’s a wonderful work.

When it comes to Gesang der Parzen, however, it’s a rather different story - though again one is comparing two fine accounts. Here Gardiner’s lean muscularity is right on the money and he delivers a performance that is dramatic and often fiery. The vivid colourings generated by his fine orchestra are much to be savoured here. And when the final stanza of Goethe’s words - beginning at “So sangen die Parzen” - is reached (track 5, 9:32) Gardiner and his forces realise quite marvellously the spectral nature of the music. Abbado, by contrast, is softer and more mysterious in this passage. Both performances are very impressive in their different ways but I’m very excited by Gardiner’s reading.

The other choral works, whilst less substantial, have much to offer. In particular Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang is quite lovely. And what an inspired accompaniment Brahms provides, choosing the imaginative combination of a harp - suggested by the text, of course - and a solo horn. The performance is beautiful. Though none of the music on this disc is by other composers, one of Brahms’s admired forebears gets a significant look-in with Einförmig ist der Liebe Gram in which Brahms takes thematic material from ‘Der Leiermann’, the concluding song from Schubert’s Winterreise and weaves it into an ingenious and very effective six-part canon for unaccompanied female choir.

I think the performance of the Third Symphony may be quite controversial and I would encourage listeners who may be startled by it to persevere. It was quite a culture shock to come to this performance so soon after appraising Sir Simon Rattle’s new cycle of the Brahms symphonies. However, beyond noting in passing that Sir Simon’s performance of this symphony lasts for 39:12 compared with Sir John’s 33:30, I haven’t made any comparisons whatsoever. The conceptions of each performance, to say nothing of the respective forces involved, would render any such comparisons meaningless and invidious; both have their own validity. As with the previous issues in this series, the most valid comparison of which I can think is with the performance contained in the 1997 Telarc cycle by Sir Charles Mackerras, which, incidentally, takes 35:34.

It’s helpful, I think, to read the notes prior to listening - something that I failed to do until after my first hearing of the symphony! - for then one gets a good idea of how Gardiner views the music. He sees the Third as “a symphony of protest and acquiescence”, believing that in it “Brahms, at the age of fifty, shakes his fist at the march of time and then resigns himself to its inevitability.” That’s a most interesting stance and I’ve no doubt that it explains in particular Gardiner’s way with the first movement. I’d describe his account of that movement as bracing and invigorating - it’s certainly one of the fleetest I’ve ever heard. It’s interesting to note that Gardiner comments that he believes that fairly consistent adherence to one basic tempo for much of the movement is helpful in helping the music cohere “and towards giving it a light-footed grace.” So, having launched the movement, Gardiner doesn’t relax the basic pulse very much at all, whereas Mackerras, whose core speed is not that much different, is more inclined to observe “traditional” rubato. Gardiner’s performance has a bit more edge and quite a lot more drive. I’ll admit I found his approach a bit disconcerting at first but, with repeated listening, I’ve come to relish the directness.

He gives a more “conventional” account of II in terms of pacing and in this movement the fresh, unvarnished colours of his orchestra, the woodwinds in particular, pay dividends. Overall, Gardiner is relaxed and nicely poised in this movement and Mackerras is not dissimilar in his view.

There’s a nice lyrical flow in III. Gardiner allows his players to phrase expressively but never at the risk of heaviness. As in the previous movements, the clarity of texture is admirable. Some may be surprised by the way in which Gardiner moves the music forward in the brief passage from 1:55 to 2:19 and again when this material is reprised. Mackerras adopts much more traditional pacing here.

In the finale Gardiner achieves a real eruption of energy at 0:42 and thereafter the movement proceeds at an exhilarating pace until around 5:45 when Brahms begins to wind the music down to its luminous, accepting conclusion. Mackerras also gives a very extrovert account of the main allegro, though his tempo is not quite so frenetic. However, the sound that his modern instruments produce and the less forward recording means that his reading sounds softer grained. When we reach the coda I thought at first hearing that Gardiner doesn’t relax sufficiently and doesn’t find enough repose in the music. That’s a view I’ve modified with repeated listening. Now I feel that his treatment of the coda works and, of course, it’s at one with his conception of the rest of the movement and, indeed, of the symphony as a whole. Mackerras leads a more expansive, reflective account of the coda. It’s beautifully delivered but I now wonder if it’s not just a little bit too slow.

So Gardiner has given us a very fine Brahms Third. I suspect it may divide opinion but I would urge collectors who may find it too brisk, especially in the first movement, to suspend judgement until they’ve had a chance to listen a few times. This is a fresh, vital performance and whilst it’s certainly not the only way with the symphony, it’s a way that commands respect and which I find refreshing and exciting. And even more so than was the case with the two previous volumes in this series I’d urge collectors to listen to the disc from start to finish in the sequence that Gardiner intended and allow him to lead and stimulate your ears. The final instalment in this series, containing the Fourth Symphony, is eagerly awaited.

-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International  

John Eliot Gardiner's fresh take on Brahms' Symphony No. 2 is only partially about performing forces. The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique's period-based proportions yield impressive ensemble clarity along with bracing instrumental timbres, most notably in the strings, which play sans vibrato. This has a curious effect in Brahms--compared to the accustomed buttery warmth produced by the Vienna Philharmonic or the Chicago Symphony, Gardiner's spare-sounding string band lends a certain curtness to the musical expression, especially so at the start of the slow movement, which here sounds more baroque than romantic. But this quality fits Gardiner's interpretation, with its moderately quick tempos and crisp phrasing. The orchestra's lively playing, most notably the woodwinds, makes Brahms' harmonies sing quite beautifully and makes you listen to the music with fresh ears. Only the finale breaks the spell--Gardiner's rather deliberate coda keeps the grand conclusion firmly on the ground.

The coupled Schubert choral works, of interest primarily to choral music aficionados, really don't add much to the program, although they do set the stage for Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, the opening of which interestingly has stylistic similarities to the Schubert pieces. Nathalie Stutzmann's dark, true-alto voice rings powerfully in the Rhapsody, while the Monteverdi Choir gives compelling performances throughout. Completing the package is recorded sound that's clear and detailed (with a slight emphasis on the high frequencies), fully complementing Gardiner's interpretive approach (especially that decidedly different Brahms Second!). A most welcome release.

--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com