[André Watts] meets [the Liszt Sonata's] super-human demands heroically, and keeps faith with the introspective and contemplative facets of the work. The second version of Liszt’s Paganini Études finds Watts in audacious mood, and his bravura playing is masterful. Reminiscences de Don Juan, Liszt’s Mozartian fantasy, and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 are effectively played by Charles Rosen, and remastered sound is pleasing.

-- Michael Jameson, BBC Music Magazine

Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.

Principal cast includes: Vincent Price (Priam Farll), Patricia Routledge (Alice Challice), Brenda Forbes (Lady Vale), Peter Woodthorpe (Oxford), Teddy Green (Alf), and Charles Welch (Henry Leek).

Producers: George R. Marek, Andy Wiswell.

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York, New York in 1968. Includes liner notes by Steven Suskin.

Digitally remastered by Bill Rosenfield and Marian Conaty.

"This is one of the most witty, melodic and underrated Broadway scores ever, and those who love big, well-built musical comedies are in for a real treat with this beautifully remastered recording. . . . If you want to hear the latest 're-discovered' musical, grab a copy of this recording ASAP!" -- John Kenrick, Musicals101.com

Tracks:
1. Overture
2. He's A Genius Performer: Vincent Price (Singer), Peter Woodthorpe (Singer), Charles Welch (Singer)
3. To Get Out Of This World Alive Performer: Vincent Price (Singer)
4. It's Enough To Make A Lady Fall In Love Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer), Teddy Green (Singer), Marc Jordan (Singer)
5. A Gentleman's Gentleman Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer), Vincent Price (Singer), Teddy Green (Singer), Marc Jordan (Singer), Mitchell Jason (Singer)
6. Let's See What Happens Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer)
7. Panache Performer: Peter Woodthorpe (Singer), Brenda Forbes (Singer)
8. I've Got A Rainbow Working For Me Performer: Vincent Price (Singer)
9. Money, Money, Money Performer: Teddy Green (Singer), Marc Jordan (Singer), Reid Klein (Singer)
10. That Something Extra Special Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer)
11. What Makes A Marriage Merry Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer), Vincent Price (Singer), Joy Nichols (Singer), Beth Howland (Singer), Teddy Green (Singer), Marc Jordan (Singer)
12. Not On Your Nellie Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer), Teddy Green (Singer), Marc Jordan (Singer)
13. Sunset Tree Performer: Patricia Routledge (Singer), Vincent Price (Singer)
14. Butler In The Abbey Performer: Vincent Price (Singer)
15. Finale

Includes galop(s) by Josef Lanner. Ensemble: Vienna Ensemble. Soloists: Paul Guggenberger, Tibor Kovac, Peter Götzel, Josef Pitzek.
Includes polka(s) by Josef Lanner. Ensemble: Vienna Ensemble. Soloists: Paul Guggenberger, Tibor Kovac, Peter Götzel, Josef Pitzek.
Includes waltz(es) by Josef Lanner. Ensemble: Vienna Ensemble. Soloists: Paul Guggenberger, Tibor Kovac, Peter Götzel, Josef Pitzek.

Persuasive performances that exhibit the true essence of the old trumpet.

From the opening strains of Stradella's wonderfully invigorating Sonata for solo trumpet (placed midway between a richly scored accompaniment of two string choirs), it is immediately apparent how the limitations of the natural trumpet provide it with the freedom to produce its own special range of tonal characteristics. This is the canvas Steele-Perkins has been championing for years: the scope in colour, articulation and subtle timbral nuance which characterize 'natural' trumpet playing at its most honest—in other words without all the modern paraphernalia which may make the instrument easier to play but destroys the capacity for expressive variety.

This is, then, a notable release, not least because there are so few current recordings of this type for solo natural trumpet (let alone for the slide trumpet whose mellow tones grace the Handel selection of 'airs' at the end of the disc). Steele-Perkins figured prominently on a Hyperion disc entitled ''Italian Baroque Trumpet Music'' recorded in 1987, though this latest project reveals more of the fibrous quality of the natural trumpet, sounding especially wholesome on David Edwards's copy of a 1667 instrument by Simon Beale of London. The accompaniment, too, is altogether more cultivated and immediate from Tafelmusik. A comparison of the Stradella sonata (the only work common to both discs) shows a greater resonance in the earlier recording but less vitality overall, and also less of a distinction between the two string groups.

Of the other works, the Biber sonatas are a joy (again, Steele-Perkins has already recorded them for Hyperion—1/86, nla—but the same observations apply here as with Stradella) and the Telemann Concerto for trumpet and two oboes is a paragon of homogeneity between instruments, which in their original form have more in common than is usually supposed. John Thiessen makes a fine impression as the co-principal in the two-trumpet works and there is a pleasing blend here too. The work described as Albinoni's Concerto for trumpet and three oboes is spurious (published erroneously as such by Sikorski in 1966) and sounds remarkably German to my ears. 'Attrib.' at the very least, please. A tiny gripe in an otherwise excellent release. I am not aware of a solo recording at present which exhibits so persuasively or musically the true essence of the old trumpet.

-- Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone [4/1995]

This reissue of two concert performances--from London's Wigmore Hall in 1963 and Conway Hall in 1969--makes delightful and frequently very compelling listening, given the superlative musical selections (22 of the period's finest songs) and the facility and inherent compatibility of the two great artists who perform them.

Reviewers of tenor Peter Pears' performances so often feel compelled to mitigate praise for his artistry with some comment about, or apology for, the voice's quality--that it's one of those "love it or hate it" voices. Nonsense. I say it's a wonderful voice, its unmistakable timbre pleasingly distinctive, its somewhat bright edge accompanied by a warm, natural, unforced, open-throated resonance. And especially in English songs, Pears was a master storyteller, shaping the musical lines with a poet's sense of textual nuance and clever inflection, often delivered with a twinkle in the eye or, especially with Dowland, a tear or two. His lovely rendition of Dowland's "Come, heavy sleep" is about as close to perfect as we'll ever hear a song sung.

Of course, Pears' partner in this recital, Julian Bream, was a master of Dowland's solo music and is more than comfortable in his significant supporting role here. Pears and Bream performed many concerts together over a period of many years, beginning around 1963 when the earliest of these tracks were recorded, and you simply can't listen to such gems as Philip Rosseter's "What then is love?", Morley's "It was a lover and his lass" and "Absence", or Dowland's "Weep you no more, sad fountains" without being grateful for this rare and rewarding partnership. The sound tends to favor the treble on some tracks, but your ear adjusts to this quickly, readily and happily attending to the singing and playing, enjoying the promise of the disc's title.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

MOZART Allegro in g, K 312. Andante and 5 Variations, K 501. 1 Minuetto in D, K 355. Marche funèbre, K 453a. Andantino, K 236. Klavierstücke in F, K 33b. Adagio for Glass Harmonica, K 356. La‚t uns mit geschlungen Händen, K 623. Rondo in F, K 494. Theme and 2 Variations in A, K 460. Fantasia in d, K 397 (2 versions). Sonata in D, K 381 1 • Christopher Hogwood (clvd); Derek Adlam (clvd) 1 • DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 82876 832882 (73:46)


Mozart played on the clavichord? What at first may seem an odd concept has ample documentary evidence to support it. As anyone who has been to the Geburtshaus in Salzburg will probably recall, Mozart himself owned a clavichord that he used as a compositional tool for his last major works, according to his widow Constanze’s testimony. And as Christopher Hogwood reminds us in his notes, Mozart makes frequent reference to the instrument in general in his correspondence. As Bach, and Handel before him, then, it seems extremely likely that Mozart used this quietly intimate instrument in domestic music-making.


Hogwood’s recital is played on three instruments, including Mozart’s own, an unfretted instrument of unknown provenance conforming to the simple construction methods of late 18th-century German clavichords. It is the brightest and clearest of the three, with an attractive bell-like sonority in the upper register that makes it highly suitable for the late Adagio for Glass Harmonica, and a “buzzy” quality in bass, as heard in the final passage of the F-Major Rondo, the final movement of the composite Sonata, K 533/K 494. The oldest instrument, used for the first three works in the heading, is an unfretted clavichord by the Hamburg maker Johann Albrecht Hass, signed and dated 1761. The sound (at least as recorded) is to my mind rather on the “tubby” side, with a veiled quality that works particularly well in the chromatic intensity of the Minuetto in D.


Finally, Hogwood plays four works on an unfretted instrument by the Bavarian builder Johann David Schiedmayer. Interestingly, this late example (1791) is the one that approaches most closely the sound of a fortepiano, although I’m not sufficient of an expert on the subject to know if this was a conscious aim of later makers. Among the works played on it are both versions of the familiar Fantasia in D Minor, one of Mozart’s most unsettling keyboard works. The original breaks off on a dominant cadence, while there is another with a 10-bar completion by another hand, possibly August Müller. Hogwood plausibly suggests that the incomplete version was intended as the introduction to a work in D Major (he is not, as he implies, the first to do so; Alfred Einstein advanced the same theory 60 years ago), and consequently uses it as a lead-in to the Sonata in D, K 381, a not altogether convincing solution since the latter is for four hands. The sonata, much the most substantial work on the disc, is given a high-spirited performance by Hogwood and Derek Adlam, who achieve excellent ensemble (listen to the unanimity of the detached eighth-notes at the start of the second half of the opening Allegro), while making much of the concerto-like texture of the finale.


In general, Hogwood’s performances are as accomplished as would be expected from such a seasoned performer. Tempos are sensible, with andantes and allegrettos kept moving purposefully, while fingerwork is clean and well articulated. Ornaments are added where appropriate. Occasionally, I felt the touch was a little heavy and that rhythms were rather unyielding. A little more flexibility and expressivity would not have come amiss, but the recital is nonetheless highly rewarding both as to repertoire and as the rare opportunity to hear what Mozart sounds like on the clavichord. The CD is the third in a series devoted to the clavichord and entitled “The secret . . .”, previous issues having been devoted to Bach and Handel (both on Metronome). To come are “The secret Haydn,” and “The secret Beethoven.”


FANFARE: Brian Robins

What poses the greater danger for a young violinist? Recording unusual repertoire that will appeal only to a few (unfamiliar showpieces by obscure composers, avant-garde repertoire, manuscript Baroque works, and on and on) or taking the plunge and recording the 198th and 206th (not actual numbers) versions of war-horses committed to disc in this decade alone that will, again, appeal to only a few? What?s a young man to do? Nicolaj Znaider has chosen to record Beethoven?s Violin Concerto and to couple it with Mendelssohn?s. The two concertos, he contends (in snippets from an interview that Eric Wen included in the booklet) call forth the essential qualities a violinist must possess. At one time, critics?reserving judgment to find out how they later met more substantive challenges?tended to give short shrift to violinists who initially recorded less than significant repertoire. Of course, the bold and the brave would then be mercilessly compared with Heifetz, Szigeti, Oistrakh, Milstein, Francescatti, and others. Znaider has strong partners in Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, who play with abundant nuance in Mendelssohn?s Concerto and with powerful solidity to Beethoven?s. Occasionally, even seemingly ordinary phrases in Mendelssohn?s Concerto benefit from their attention, which consistently sets Znaider in a warmly nurturing context. And the monumental opening tutti (as Mehta and the Orchestra make it) throws a strong spotlight on the soloist in its equally prepossessing entry. The engineers? balance of soloist and orchestra (Znaider?s far enough forward to be clearly prominent yet not unnaturally dominant) provides an ideal. Znaider plays the 1704 ex-Liebig Stradivari, on loan to him, with sleek elegance, producing an even response in all registers. His sound?s never quite lush, but it?s commanding and appropriately subtle. When he?s unaccompanied in Beethoven?s first movement, his flexible tone production doesn?t require an underlying blanket to convey harmonic meaning. If he doesn?t sound sprightly in Mendelssohn?s Concerto, he never forces the piece into the Procrustean bed of late-Romantic expressivity, either. His playing?s never supercharged, like Maxim Vengerov?s (which, of course, risks mannerism), and it just as seldom flows so naturally as did Anne-Sophie Mutter?s early interpretations. But his technique shows itself to advantage in Kreisler?s first-movement cadenza, which he strops to a keen technical edge but also graces with penetrating musical insight. Has he solved the problem he explicitly set himself in Beethoven?s Concerto?making the omnipresent scales and arpeggios assigned to the violinist serve structural ends? In collaboration with Mehta and the orchestra, he?s made a good stab at it. These readings seem undergirded by a strong partnership and, in themselves, display all the virtues. What could be missing? My grandmother told my father about how easily recognizable Kreisler?s manner had been. Vengerov and Mutter, though not so individual as Heifetz or Oistrakh, can still be picked out after careful listening. Some violinists seek to solve musical problems, believing that in their solution they will find the Holy Grail. Breughel?s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus portrays the small figure of Icarus falling in a vast landscape, with all the countryside simply going about its own business. Of course, Icarus hadn?t solved his technical problems; but if he had, and had continued to soar, would the folk be portrayed watching him? Heifetz could bolt everybody to attention with a few notes, and I?m not sure that he did so by dint of having solved intellectual problems. What will my son tell his children about Nicolaj Znaider?


For anyone seeking this particular partnership of great violin concertos (and it?s not the most common coupling?the last Schwann Opus lists only several examples, some of these in sets) Znaider?s offers such a wealth of musical and violinistic virtues, that nobody could withhold a recommendation. But still, some unfulfilled desire to discern a personality, a human face with recognizable features, prompts me to issue that recommendation with less enthusiasm than the musical merits of the performances might otherwise deserve.


FANFARE: Robert Maxham

The soundtrack includes multiple versions of one of the film's key dances, "My Funny Valentine," performed by Elvis Costello, Kronos Quartet and Chet Baker. Tracks from Julee Cruise (of "Twin Pea ks" Fame), Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma plus score music by Van Dyke Parks round out the album.

Nikolaj Znaider's star shines brightly in the constellation of up-and-coming violinists of the next generation. Since winning the Queen Elizabeth Competition 1997, Znaider's career has steadily mounted with international performances and critically-acclaimed recordings of violin concertos of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Glazunov and others. His new release on RCA, entitled Bravo!, sets a smaller stage with a collection of showpieces for solo violin, accompanied on most tracks by Israeli pianist Daniel Gortler.

Znaider's playing throughout is limber and precise, his immaculate technique inherited from Juilliard violin maven Dorothy De Lay, the teacher of Itzakh Perlman and Cho-Liang Ling, among others. Znaider fairly burns through the imposing demands of Eugène Ysaÿe's "Ballade" Sonata, but it's the refreshing lyrical parsimony in the slow stuff that demands notice. The two transcriptions of Chopin Nocturnes echo the kind of dry romanticism of the earliest violinists of the recorded era. In the famous Rachmaninoff Vocalise the effect of that reserve is magical; Znaider spins an endless thread of emotive melody that refuses to wear its heart on its sleeve. As with any good encore, you're grateful for the bonbon but left wanting another. What a boon to be able to simply repeat the track; an action we found ourselves repeating again and again with Znaider's Bravo!.

David Simmons, WQXR