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Haydn, M.: Missa Sanctae Ursulae / Mozart, W.A.: Ave Verum C

SCHUBERT Fantasies: in C, “ Grazer”; in C, “Wanderer.” 3 Klavierstücke, D 946. Variations on a Theme by Hüttenbrenner • Michael Endres (pn) • OEHMS 731 (73:31)


Michael Endres, one of today’s leading German pianists, received his early training in Munich and then at Juilliard with Jacob Lateiner. He has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the International Schubert Competition in Dortmund, and his recordings include impressive accounts of the complete piano works of Ravel as well as a fine three-CD survey of Schumann’s works. I have not yet heard his complete sonatas of Mozart and Schubert (the latter on a six-CD set for Capriccio), but this disc makes me eager to do so. Here, his unforced playing and engaging musicality make him a perfect Schubertian. The “Grazer” Fantasy, probably written in 1818, is a lovely work that was not discovered until 1962. It opens and closes with an original and lyrical idea, some components of which get used in the substantial central polonaise. The textures are varied and the writing includes some virtuosic passages. Endres is a most persuasive advocate of this work, responding to its mood swings and holding the episodes together in a seamless manner. The rarely heard Hüttenbrenner Variations , also from around 1818, is of less interest, for the writing tends to be formulaic and lacking in character. Endres plays it intimately and sympathetically.


The Klavierstücke are among Schubert’s last works, and they are technically challenging and often musically arresting. In the first, Endres plays with real urgency without forcing his sound, and the contrasting material is ethereal, as if composed without bar lines. Beautiful balances and noble sentiment characterize the second, which is musically and pianistically the most original of the set, with its highly dramatic episode. And I like the way he eases into No. 3 and lingers a bit during the lovely Trio section; the final page couldn’t be more exciting. Endres’ subtle interpretation is on a par with the excellent ones by Uchida and, more recently, Perianes.


There are many very fine recordings of the great “Wanderer” Fantasy—by Curzon, Richter, Pollini, Brendel, Perahia, and Kissin, among others—and Endres’ belongs to that elite group. He has the technique to vary his sound, even during the most intense and loud passages; and in the more lyrical moments he plays with a flexibility that seems just right, never exaggerated. His left-hand octaves are equal to anyone’s in the notorious passage near the end of the first section. The slow variations flow with unusual continuity and control of texture. The tight rhythms of the Scherzo are contrasted with perfect ease in the Trio. The finale benefits from a less clangorous approach than usual, making the brilliant closing pages all the more welcome. Here, as in the demanding conclusion of the Scherzo, he takes no prisoners, and the playing is immensely exciting. I look forward to hearing this fine pianist’s survey of Schubert’s sonatas and to his hoped-for recording of the eight impromptus.


FANFARE: Charles Timbrell


The sensitive, refined, and somewhat understated qualities of Michael Endres' 1990s Schubert sonata cycle released on Capriccio similarly inform these 2008 recordings. He plays down the dynamic surges, hurling accents, and dramatic contrasts others have brought to the D. 946 triumvirate, focusing instead on tonal beauty, sophisticated pedaling, and melodic strands that often remain buried within accompaniments.

Those who seek virtuosic power from the Wanderer Fantasy's daunting keyboard challenges might complain that Endres scales down the work's monumental dimensions, and indeed, he sounds relatively small-scaled next to Richter, or even Perahia. Yet Endres' technical aplomb allows him to keep an even keel throughout the finale's unwieldy textures and to play the first section's rapid octaves absolutely in tempo, as written.

In addition to his poetically phrased and thoughtfully unified Hüttenbrenner Variations, Endres shines best in the Grazer Fantasie. The central Alla Polacca's salon-like patterns charm and scintillate, as do the finale's shimmering scales. It contrasts to bigger-boned, more overtly urgent interpretations (Peter Rösel, for example, or Lili Kraus' superb world-premiere recording once available on a Columbia/Odyssey LP). If you fancy intimate Schubert playing, give this disc a try.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

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Prokofiev, S.: Eugene Onegin

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Handel, G.F.: Apollo E Dafne

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DVORÁK Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” SUK Pohádka, op. 16 • Bertrand de Billy, cond; Vienna RSO • OEHMS 745 (72:09)

There seems to be a never-ending river of recordings of Antonin Dvorák’s Symphony “From the New World.” This particular stream flows down the Danube from Vienna to upset my notion that I’d heard all that might be done with a work deservedly known as this composer’s masterpiece. I have accumulated more than a few recordings of it: LPs by Arturo Toscanini with the NBC SO and Rafael Kubelík and the VP; CDs by Alexander Titov and St. Petersburg’s O “New Philharmony,” Pavel Urbanek and the PFO, and Marin Alsop and the BSO. These recordings span over a half-century, exposing the diligent listener to shifts in orchestral styles and gradual improvement in recording technique. The most recent, by the Vienna RSO under Bertrand de Billy, is either the culmination of these trends and developments, or merely the most recent (an Oblomovian paradox, depending on how you look at it). De Billy’s reading has its own fascinations.

For some time I had come to view Urbanek and the PFO’s traditional reading my fave, until Alsop’s version, also in the grand tradition, with the BSO took the top spot on my list. This reranking was mostly owing to improvements in recording sophistication. Now, along comes Billy—pronounced Bee-Yee, as in Puilly (or Pwee-Yee) Fuissé—who is willing to take some unorthodox risks in his interpretation, and I find myself weakening. Fickle is the heart of the record reviewer (Ovid).

Surfing quotables in my volume of The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music , I came upon a doozie. “Dvorák’s music is a particularly happy result of the major influences on his art: Wagner, Brahms, and folk music.” It encapsulates in one sentence a perhaps century-long conflict between the followers of Brahms and Wagner—an argument between Brahms’s pure music for its own sake and Wagner’s nationalistic music in service of the state. Or, in other terms, it highlights Brahms’s adherence to the classical forms vs. Wagner’s insistence upon totally new forms. Pardon this reduction to an oversimplified view, but to give both sides their due would take volumes. De Billy has a knack for bringing out the best in both points of view, to mine the series of big emotional moments and to honor adherence to form.

In the slow second movement’s second theme (4:40 in), there are passages that remind me of Wagner’s “Forest Murmurs,” and others of his original orchestral inventions. And then (8:00 in) the horns blare forth, not with the sustained force of Siegfried’s funeral music, but with enough force to prepossess one and call Wagner to mind. Shortly (at 9:30), there is a passage that reminds me of Brahms in its precise delicacy of the woodwinds. So, listening closely, one can hear Brahms and Wagner in this Dvorák Symphony. All through the work, de Billy uses subtle reversals of emphasis, bringing from background to foreground, or playing loudly what is usually played softly. Here, I must emphasize that de Billy does not choose to make such reversals each and every time the possibility arises. He is not slavishly doctrinaire about it; rather, he seems to decide on an ad hoc basis. All of the score’s notes are represented in performance, but their presentation is subtly changed, perhaps to be ironic and introduce a postmodern flair to the performance. He’s not telling.

Which brings to mind the following notion: certain music would retain its coherence even if parts were played in reverse. In Terry Riley’s In C , any musician may enter a bar and stay as long as he/she wishes by inventing variations on the notes in the score before moving on to the next bar as long as he/she remains in the key of C; and in certain of Bach’s pieces that were written for one instrument and then adapted ( by Bach ) to suit another, and owing to the qualities of one or the other (say, the slow organ instead of a quick harpsichord, with its faster action) can require more playing time to stretch out the score, and actually wind up much slower in performance though composed of the same notes. These are just two examples of music that is so formally strong the idiosyncrasies of performance can only add to its ambiance, hence interpretation, and give the music wider emotional scope to the listener and more opportunity for playfulness to the conductor.

By playing Dvorák’s very familiar “New World” Symphony with his personal vision of how some loud passages might be better if played softly, of how with the woodwinds “backing up” the strings, some passages might be bettered by emphasizing the winds and letting the strings serve as “back up.” Employing such stratagems, de Billy brings a new spotlight to the bas-relief of the score. By shining his spotlight at slightly different angles, he creates new relationships among the shadows. It is still the same Symphony, but with slightly different emphases in the presentation, de Billy has made it new. He has traded in a tired, if venerable, old warhorse for a high-spirited young one. To add to this, the recording engineering is very, very clear and crisp. On a high-resolution system, say a good headphones rig, you can hear every damned thing; and such a recording will bring out the best in nearly all stereo rigs.

I’m only familiar with one other recording of Josef Suk’s (Dvorák’s son-in-law) symphonic suite, Fairy Tale , and that one is played by Jirí Bêlohlávek and the Czech PO (1992) for Chandos. De Billy’s elapsed time for this piece is about 29:30, and Belohlávek’s is about 30:00. This makes the difference in elapsed times about 1.5 percent and pretty indistinguishable. De Billy’s version was recorded in 2008, and, owing to whatever technological advances, profits by each individual instrument’s better definition and the complete ensemble’s better balance. Suk was a very solid composer; though it was hard for him to step outside the shadow of his father-in-law, he does. Fairy Tale has considerable charm, and de Billy, aided by the ORF (Austrian National Radio) engineers, brings it to the fore more than his predecessor managed to do.

If you are the kind of record collector who is always on alert for the analogy to a very unique wine, like an Australian Rosé made from rich Shiraz grapes, you might like this album. It contains a richly flavored Dvorák Symphony “From the New World” at its best, and a zesty and charming Pohádka , both benefitting from very fine recording engineering. Highly recommended.

FANFARE: Ilya Oblomov

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Claudio Monteverdi was a musical revolutionary who championed the new style of music that replaced intricate Renaissance counterpoint with the more theatrical music of the early Baroque. Yet he was a master in both these styles, as this selection.

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In celebration of Norrington's 75th birthday, this special DVD is released featuring performances of these Haydn symphonies plus a newly produced portrait of conductor Norrington, an invaluable contribution to understanding this modest man.

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This 2009 recording includes mezzosoprano Marilyn Schmiege, and violinist Ingrid Seifert, alongside the Cappella Coloniensis orchestra. (Phoenix)

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MOZART, W.A.: Symphonies (Essential), Vols. 1-6 (Norrington)

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