Before television or radio, the piano was the focal point of the home. Holiday recordings such as Jacqueline Schwab's DOWN CAME AN ANGEL evoke the spirit of days gone by.
Best known for her solo piano soundtracks to Ken Burns's PBS documentaries, Schwab has a quaint, inviting touch on the keyboard and a wonderful appreciation of Appalachian musical tradition. The result is a warm, familiar Christmas sound filled with nostalgia. Schwab's piano shimmers with a delightful tone, like a parlor with a fireplace on a snowy day.
Though the album is entirely instrumental, the traditional hymns, carols, and spirituals were meant to be sung. To that end, the producers have included lyric sheets, giving families the opportunity to gather around the piano once again to experience a Christmas tradition.

No Baroque composer is more beloved than Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), and no contemporary ensemble brings to his music more joy than Musica Pacifica. Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin, and Judy Linsenberg, recorder, lead a stellar ensemble on oboe, cello, lute, and harpsichord, in performances of great elegance and flair. Full of elation and engaging vitality, this CD is a delight from start to finish. Priest, teacher, and composer, Vivaldi produced an enormous amount of music, including more than 500 sonatas. This program consists of sonatas and 'chamber' concertos, including one of his most famous works, 'La Notte' (The Night) RV 104.

Sonatas & Theatre Music

Classical Music

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"The opening and closing choruses of the Ascension oratiorio contain some of Bach’s most irresistible, catchy music, and this chorus and orchestra really give it their all, from the brilliant trumpets and insistent syncopated rhythms to the invigorating choral singing...once you get into this Bethlehem Bach Choir production, it’s impossible not to like it."

-- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensembles: Pomerium Musices, Baltimore Consort, Altramar Medieval Ensemble, Les Violons du Roy, La Rondinella, Apollo Ensemble. Conductors: Alexander Blachly, John Hsu. Soloists: Julianne Baird, Ronn McFarlane, Colin Tilney.

Classical Music

From the first few seconds of this new recording from Brian Jones and his Trinity Choir, you know it's Christmas. The flute and bell sounds, the dancing rhythm from the organ, the prodigiously joyful voices, and the catchy, unmistakably Rutter-esque melody combine to set off the sparks that promise a bright, happy, thoughtfully and lovingly compiled program. I say "lovingly" because this is the type of programming that, as usual with Jones, is not made with the "snooty" or "snobbish" in mind, but comes purely from the heart and from the experience of a director who knows and cares about the real listening tastes of his audience. (You've got to admire anyone who convincingly and with conviction programs "The Holy City" alongside works by Britten and Vaughan Williams, as he did on an earlier recording for Gothic Records.) And, as reflected here, those tastes, especially in Christmas music, cover a fairly wide range--from Rutter (three pieces) to Poulenc (O magnum mysterium) to Luboff (his well-loved arrangement of the Austrian carol Still, still, still).


The opening tune indeed is by John Rutter, a setting of the 15th-century text "Sing we to this merry company", and it's quickly followed by the Luboff arrangement, Gerald Near's setting of Ding! dong! merrily on high, and the well-known Pearsall version of In dulci jubilo. The combination of familiarity and audience-favorite continues throughout the rest of the 21 selections, with classics such as Rutter's all-time most-popular What sweeter music, Elizabeth Poston's Jesus Christ the apple tree, and Poulenc's motet O magnum mysterium. But mixed in among these revered gems are many less well-known pieces, including a snazzy, bluesy Noël nouvelet arranged by Stephen Jackson, Michael Head's charming and lovely The little road to Bethlehem, and of course a Charles Wood arrangement, Once as I remember (Wood is a Jones favorite).


The choir, one of North America's treasures, always is a treat to hear, displaying not only an enormous stylistic command but also uncommon technical range and interpretive sensitivity. I've said this before, but it's still true: The soprano section would be the envy of any choir. However, the entire ensemble manages a consistent cohesiveness and sonic refinement that's rare among amateur choirs in any part of the world. Even in small details, the choir shows extraordinary care and attention--for instance, in the perfectly rendered endings to the simple but so-often-troublesome "Gloria" line in Ding! dong! merrily on high. And for sheer strength and unity of sound, listen to the choir's rendition of Holst's On this day earth shall ring. Other highlights include Bob Chilcott's Mid-winter, a setting of the Christina Rossetti text "In the bleak mid-winter" that's become an instant favorite all over the world. Jones himself contributes a very effective arrangement of O little town of Bethlehem that joins the two "competing" tunes St. Louis and Forest Green. Although I would prefer a warmer, softer-edged sound in the Poulenc to really capture the "mysterium" in the work, and slightly better-tuned tenors in some places (What sweeter music, for example), this is a first rate recording that will satisfy all listeners looking for an ideal all-around Christmas choral collection. The sound, made in Boston's Trinity Church, captures the detail of choir, organ, and occasional percussion while faithfully capturing the fullness and resonance of the church's magnificent space.
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Bach, J.S.: Cantatas - Bwv 12, 172, 182 (3 Weimar Cantatas)

REVIEW:

"Conga-Line in Hell" is one of those rare discs that not only makes thematic sense but also happens to be hugely enjoyable from beginning to end. The disc's somewhat alarming title is taken from the delightful opening piece from 1994, the Uruguayan Miguel del Águila's sly conga that layers Latin American dance rhythms over a repeating piano figure (think Philip Glass, but with a sense of humor). Don't let the title (or the cover art) put you off: this is a great sampler of new and 20th-century music from the Americas, an area that has long been of interest to Joel Sachs, who is probably best known for his work in New York directing two new-music groups, Continuum and the New Juilliard Ensemble. His conducting on disc, as in live concerts, always is sharply articulated and well-thought-out. The Camerata de las Américas is a top-notch group of players who sound as if they've been playing this repertoire forever (showing incredible tightness and focused sound), but also as if they are still completely entranced by the many charms of this music.

And so they should be; it's a terrific program. The Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, whose early works were heavily influenced by Messiaen and Berio, eventually turned to the music of his youth for inspiration. 1988's Danzón No. 4 is one result, in which the melody is sinuously carried by the oboe, flute, and saxophone, fed from a spring of strings and percussion. Conlon Nancarrow, the American who left for Mexico and who perhaps is the best-known name in this group of composers, is represented by 1943's First Piece for Small Orchestra, a rhythmically piquant but tonally blues-flavored work. The Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra's 1997 piece Cuentos (Tales) spans three evocatively-titled movements: the explosive shrieks of "Lenguas desconocidas (Unknown Languages)"; "Lo que pasó en las nubas (What Happened in the Clouds)", reminiscent of Messiaen's shimmering textures; and "Batata-Coco", a wild mambo homage to the great bandleader Pérez Prado.

Another composer to make use of Caribbean dance sounds is Nadia Boulanger's Cuban student Alejandro García Caturla, whose First Cuban Suite from 1932 draws as much from the son, comparsa, and danza styles as it does from Stravinsky. (Listen to the ominous opening of the movement titled "Comparsa" and compare it to the first sounds of the Rite of Spring.) Another piece from the '30s rounds out the program: 1937's Flôr de Tremembé (Tremembé Flower) by Brazilian composer Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, which starts out in something of a fugue propelled by Brazilian percussion, then blossoms into a festive whirl of color. The sound is great: wide, but still very crisp.

--Anastasia Tsioulcas, ClassicsToday.com

You certainly may be forgiven for not knowing the works of 18th century French composer/violoncellist Jean Baptiste Masse, but you may be suspected of faulty aesthetic development if you don't immediately fall under the seductive spell of these fine, often outstanding, works for two cellos and continuo.

In the general musical sense, these pieces (Masse actually wrote five volumes of cello sonatas) are well crafted and thoroughly engaging compositions that combine elements of French and Italian style; as cello works, they represent a significant developmental stage in the history of virtuoso cello playing, posing substantial and nearly equally distributed technical demands on both performers. Cellists Douglas McNames and Vivian Barton, along with harpsichordist Karen Flint, take to these six four-movement sonatas with just the right blend of seriousness and abandon to impress us with the music's artful dialogues and daring virtuosic forays. The two soloists approach the music with a certain deliberateness in articulation that, combined with the astonishingly realistic, clearly detailed, resonant sound, gives an almost palpable presence to each instrument and to all the individual lines.

Although Bach got sounds like this out of only one cello (with no continuo), Masse's sonatas are in their way no less extraordinary for their ability to entertain and frequently amaze. This is a wonderful disc; a celebration of the cello; a real find. 

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Rossi, S.: Songs of Solomon (The)

'Slavyanka' is a San Francisco-based, a cappella male chorus whose members are mostly non-Russian speakers. Apparently there is an authentic Russian heritage in San Francisco, as the group takes its name from the name given by early 19th-century Russian colonists to the river near their settlement, just north of the San Francisco Bay area. Slavayanka and their director, Gregory Smirnov, have selected a program of late 18th-20th century folksongs for this recording.

Slavyanka brings gusto and energy to their interpretations of these songs, some of which might be familiar to most listeners. The famous "Song of the Volga Boatmen" receives a darkly beautiful performance that is rich with atmosphere and highlighted by a solo from bass Bob Raber. The group is also solid in less familiar songs, notably "Birch Switches," a tune that is driven by animated rhythms and tricky counterpoint. Best of all is "Come Savior, Today," a hymn that mixes Byzantine chant and multi-tone singing to the accompaniment of a Tibetan bell--it's haunting music.

This hypnotically appealing recording of 13th century Galician-Portuguese songs and dances of love and longing for the absent beloved will enchant and soothe even the most agitated listener. The musical achievement that is CANTIGAS DE AMIGO, or "Songs for a Friend," owes far more than usual to the performers, for here, save for in six of the seven songs by Martin Codax, the performers have had to supply the music! The medieval cantigas exist as five hundred texts without music, so the performer must be trained in the history and style of performing for this time (the 1200s) and place (the Iberian Peninsula). One need only listen to the one Codax song that has come down to us without its music to assess the marvelous accomplishment of the combined forces of Ensemble Alcatraz, Kitka, and Angelorum. As an experiment, listen to all seven Codax songs (before reading the liner notes) and try to guess which song's music was newly composed for this recording-that's how good these performers are.

This recording serves as a wonderful sound bite from Naples in the early 18th century, when it was a hotbed of far-reaching musical developments. Francesco Mancini's Concerti da camera, or chamber concertos, both register those developments and capture the excitement of that moment. They are, strictly speaking, neither solo concertos nor concerti grossi (which consist of several featured instruments against the backdrop of a larger string ensemble). Mancini drew freely from both types of concertos and also looked to opera and church music, and the resulting works show a wonderful mix of styles. The gracious slow movements owe a debt to Handel, while certain fast movements, such as the last movement of Sonata No. 10 in B-flat Major, anticipate the frothy textures of the comic operas of Pergolesi, Mancini's younger fellow Neapolitan. Featured in several of the concertos, the recorder is often given the most lyrical passages. Musica Pacifica's Judith Linsenberg breathes these melodies with a lovely, controlled tone, and is supported by a terrifically coordinated ensemble of musicians.

Guitar Recital: Timofeyev, Oleg - OVCHINNIKOV, V.A. / KUSHEN

Classical Music

Includes fugue(s) for org by Johann Pachelbel. Soloist: Antoine Bouchard.

Includes work(s) for organ by Johann Pachelbel. Soloist: Antoine Bouchard.

Scarlatti, A.: Concerti da Camera

It's hard to say just what kind of market there is for a disc of Renaissance harp music, but there's no denying the agreeable, even soothing sound of these instruments--and there are several different types featured here--played with such conviction, clear articulation, and sensitivity by harpist Becky Baxter. Although among plucked stringed instruments we more often hear from the guitar, lute, and theorbo, in Renaissance Europe the harp held enough importance that, although comparatively small in quantity, music was published specifically for it, most notably in Spanish manuscripts. Given the nature of the instrument, primarily its role in accompanying songs and dances, much of the harp's solo music reflects its association with those traditional, popular forms, from engagingly melodic chansons to highly rhythmic dance styles. We get a fair selection of all of these kinds of pieces among the disc's 25 tracks, but on several tunes Baxter also is joined by instruments such as Baroque violin, an additional harp, guitar, and even bagpipes. For the pieces with bagpipe, the harp is fitted with "brays", which are special wooden pins set in the soundboard so the vibrating string will buzz against them. Together, the reedy sound of the bagpipes and the buzzing harp strings produce a wild and very colorful effect that's impossible to ignore. Baxter is one of the world's most accomplished and versatile masters of these difficult instruments, and she makes it all sound effortless. She also supplies informative liner notes and presents the whole program in excellent sound. --David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com