Richard Tunnicliffe's recording of the Bach cello suites was released in 2012; the culmination of many years of study and countless performances, it has been very warmly received by critics: The Sunday Times praised it's "clear-sighted, intelligently informed yet emotionally engaged performances" and The Independent chose the album as one of the 'best classical releases of 2012.' Performing Bach's iconic suites has become a rite of passage for many cellists and Tunnicliffe's extensive experience and virtuosity has allowed him to create a recording that highlights the distinct personality and individuality of each movement. Tunnicliffe's chosen instruments (a four-string attributed to Leonhard Maussiell and a five-string piccolo by Pierre Malahar) add a welcome authenticity to his performance since both are contemporaries of Bach's suites. His concert performances of the six works have been acclaimed in Europe and Australia as well as at numerous venues in Great Britain, including Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London.

The pieces selected by Bruno Borralhinho and Christoph Berner for this recording were written between 1883 and 1894. Three youth works are juxtaposed, in which Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler and Alexander von Zemlinsky assure themselves equally of their mastery of their compositional craft and in which, for the first time, an unmistakable signature of their own can be heard. The portuguese cellist Bruno Borralhinho is a member of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Ensemble Mediterrain. His professional activity includes regular soloist performances in solo recitals, with orchestra or with piano accompaniment. Among his highlights is the unanimously acclaimed interpretations of Bach's 6 Suites with the Montagnana Suggia and Beethoven's Complete Works for Cello and Piano with the Stradivari King of Portugal, both in Lisbon. He led Masterclasses in Brazil, Portugal and Spain. Christoph Berner’s enormous stylistic spectrum and musical versatility is shown to audience and critics alike in his impressive discography of the last few years. The recording of the Johannes Brahms’ complete works for clarinet and piano with Laura Ruiz-Ferreres, the highly regarded recordings with the acclaimed tenor Werner and the release of Fin de siècle songs with the successful mezzosoprano Anke Vondung were awarded prestigious prizes, including the BBC Classic Award, the ECHO, the German record critics’ award and the Diapason d’or.

A student of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg, Hans Erich Apostel (1901-1972) was a composer who was strongly influenced by visual artists of his time. The piano works presented on this CD specifically take inspiration from the drawings of Oskar Kokoschka and Alfred Kubin. But you don’t need to know that in order to appreciate Apostel’s creativity on its own terms.

The Op. 1 Variations, recorded here for the first time, are generally sparse in texture and packed with the kind of quirky chromatic movement typical of early Ernst Krenek. Apostel’s style emerges fully formed in the 10 piano pieces collectively titled Kubiniana, composed in 1945. For instance, the fourth selection starts off with dour sustained notes in the bass register that suddenly break out into jagged lines darting upward, followed by declamatory repeated phrases and muddy bass rumbles: not a predictable moment in the course of a minute and a half. There’s a caustic march that Berg might have welcomed in Lulu, and a whimsical high-register study that one might describe as the dodecaphonic interloper that snuck into Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives.

Sechzig Schemen Nach Zeichnungen Von Alfred Kubin comprise a continuous half-hour suite of 60 aphoristic character pieces that include marches, tangos, folk-like melodies, enigmatic clouds of clusters, and the like. Despite their brevity, these masterful miniatures flow easily from one to the next in a unified arc.

Thérèse Malengreau’s cultivated pianism serves Apostel’s sound world to a proverbial tee. She commands a luscious tone, a wide dynamic range, and a diverse palette of articulations. Furthermore, Malengreau possesses uncanny rhythmic equilibrium that manifests itself through her sense of timing and spacing. A good example of this can be found in the Marcia Moderato, which is the second of the Kubiania pieces. The attack and release of each phrase is pinpointed with the utmost care and specificity, so much so that you can hear the rests between the notes. In this sense, Steffen Schleiermacher’s interpretation on MDG sounds more generalized by comparison. BIS’s exemplary sonics plus Malengreau’s detailed and scholarly annotations add further value to a release that will readily appeal to those interested in obscure yet worthy and substantial keyboard rarities.

– ClassicsToday (Jed Distler)

Autumn Colors Suite

The music of Ravel begins and ends this recital by Chun Wang, winner of the 59th Jaen International Piano Competition in 2017. The virtuoso magic of Jeux d’eau is balanced by the dazzling beauty and wit of the Concerto in G major. Two vividly contrasting examples have been selected from William Bolcom’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 12 New Etudes, whilst Bartok’s Out of Doors suite remains one of the 20th century’s most imaginative keyboard masterpieces. The mandatory work at the competition was Bonnin de Gongora’s Fantasia Jiennense, a vivacious piece based on folk songs from Jaen. Trained at the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School, Chung Wang completed his studies in China at the Beijing Central Conservatory. His principal teachers have been Solomon Mikowsky, Robert McDonald, Jin Zhang, Yifu Yang and Joel Sachs. He won First Prize in the 59th Premio Jaen International Piano Competition in 2017 and has taken important awards in contests including the New York Concert Artists/Carnegie Debut Recital Audition.

On this release, lutenist Toyohiko Satoh plays music from the court of Vienna around 1700. A special discovery on this album is the suite by Adam Franz Ginter, who was a famous castrato singer in that time, but who also composed some pieces for the lute. This recording is a tribute to this largely forgotten musician who most probably had a short and rather sad and lonely life. The following suite by Saint-Luc contains a “Tombeau for Francois Ginter” and was composed to lament the early death of this extraordinary singer, lutenist, and composer. Toyohiko Satoh studied at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. His first recital was at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan concert hall in 1965. He went on to study lute at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and just two years later, in 1970, he recorded the first album devoted entirely to the solo baroque lute. Since then he has been involved in numerous lute recordings, and has concertized throughout the world.

Robin A. Smith has had success in so many different genres, having studied composition at the Royal College of Music. He has conducted, composed and arranged for some of the greatest artists in the world, including Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Aretha Franklin and Burt Bacharach. He conducted the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics for Mike Oldfield. Le Weekend is a suite of music written as small scenarios, imagining a couple in France and the feelings they have for each other, expressed through music. The titles evoke each unspoken emotion that the lovers feel sharing time together in a beautiful village anywhere in France.

ACRONYM's exploration of the wild music attributed to H.I.F. von Biber includes several pieces recorded here for the first time. Works include programmatic battle music, Latin church music, and dance suites. ACRONYM (Anachronistic Cooperative Realizing Obscure Nuanced Yesteryear’s Masterpieces), an “outstanding young early music string ensemble” (The New Yorker), is dedicated to giving modern premieres of the wild instrumental music of the seventeenth century. Since 2014 the band has released seven critically acclaimed recordings. ACRONYM’s performances have been praised for their “consummate style, grace, and unity of spirit.” (The New York Times)

Musical life in Greece draws on a legacy that has as much richness and depth as the nation’s long and complex history. The vibrant and colorful works on this recording, while representing the country’s lively contemporary music scene, make use of traditional melodies and rhythms combined with wider stylistic influences. This unique programme of premiere recordings includes works dedicated to the Aeolos Woodwind Quintet. The Aeolos Woodwind Quintet was formed in 2009 in Athens by leading woodwind soloists. Their aim is to draw attention to the rich Greek repertoire that remains largely unknown, promote Greek composers, and enrich the existing repertoire with commissions for new works.

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REVIEW:

If you do not readily connect Greece as a haven for Wind Quintets, you will be surprised and delighted to discover this disc of works from 20th century Greek composers. Vannis Constantinidis’s folk-music inspired piano collection, 44 Children’s Pieces on Greek Folk Tunes haa a simplicity to which he adds a degree of pungency when played by a wind quintet. Using a similar starting point, Takis Kalogeropoulos’s Epirote Chronicle is much more complex score, subjected to the added sounds of modern contemporary influences.

Alkis Baltas’s Little Suite, five contrasting movements lasting just over six minutes, gives members of the quintet some pleasing solo moments. Georgios Poniridis’s Quintet promises to be in ’absolute dissonance; don’t be put off, this is modernity in friendly guise that never offends the ear. A Blackbird in the Cricket’s Gorge, by Giorgos Koumendakis, is a charming work. Theodore Antoniou’s Second Wind Quintet is in his own sound world not far removed from tonality. Andreas Makris’s 1993 Woodwind Quintet goes all the way back to tonality in the West European culture.

The Greek-based Aeolos Woodwind Quintet are obviously a very fine group who sweep away technical demands, and individually are outstanding in solo passages. Very good and immediate sound quality.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

Encompassing his first collaboration to his last, this four- album collection celebrates Joseph Swensen’s tenure as Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (1996–2005). Swensen combines his role as conductor and soloist in acclaimed recordings of popular concertos by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorák and Prokofiev. Written within a hundred years of each other these concertos not only provide Swensen with the opportunity to display his mastery of formidable technical demands, but also demonstrate each composer’s individual expressive and melodic expertise. Swensen’s dual role as both conductor and soloist creates a special collaboration with the musicians of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, who remain acutely attuned to his intentions. In addition they perform a wonderful selection of orchestral music together to complement the concertos: Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, Dvorák’s Nocturne for string orchestra and Czech Suite, Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave and ‘Scottish’ Symphony, plus Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 and his Five Melodies (orchestrated by Swensen for solo violin and orchestra).

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Excerpts of reviews for some of the previously released titles included in this set:

Brahms: Violin Concerto & Hungarian Dances


This remarkable performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto stands among the finest available--indeed, it's just about perfect, and all the more remarkable coming from a soloist who also (at least nominally) conducts. As a conductor in the Hungarian Dances Swensen proves himself no less adept.

– ClassicsToday

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No 2, Symphony No 1


The Classical Symphony is marvelous: exceptionally paced, exquisitely phrased by the violins in the slow movement, effervescent in the finale, texturally pellucid, with characterful wind playing. In a word, it's perfect. The Violin Concerto thrills me less as a piece, but not this performance, which in its shaping and poise reminds me of Milstein's, only with much better playing and sonics.

– ClassicsToday

Dvorak: Violin Concerto, Czech Suite, Etc

Both the Nocturne and the Waltz Op. 54 No. 1 come off splendidly, and as usual LINN's sonics are superb whether in stereo or multi-channel formats. In sum, there's a great deal here to enjoy, and I applaud Swensen's independence and well-thought-out approach.

– ClassicsToday

The Italian-born violinist and dancer Jean-Baptiste Lully revolutionized music at the French court in the 17th century. Not only did he transform ballet entertainments into a spectacular new genre, the tragedie lyrique, but he set new standards in orchestral playing- with him the ‘modern’ orchestra was born. The Suite from Roland exemplifies the majesty of his ouvertures, the beauty of his dance movements, and the expressive depth of his chaconnes. Both Georg Muffat and Marin Marais were profoundly influenced by Lully, as their inventive suites show, and Muffat’s own preserved performance instructions have been closely followed on this recording. Named one of the top 25 ensembles in celebration of Early Musi cAmerica’s 25th anniversary in 2011, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra is dedicated to excellent and exuberant performance of 17th and 18th century music on period instruments. It is led by its artistic director, Barthold Kuijken.

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REVIEW:

Despite the rarity of these works, all the music breathes the spirit of the French court, with the influence of Lully clearly at work throughout. Is there more of this music in the pipeline? If not, please, Naxos, get back to Indianapolis and record it post-haste.

– MusicWeb International

“Working with forces unknown to me has always been an exciting challenge,” says Elliott Sharp, “especially when those forces are in the form of younger musicians, highly skilled and enthusiastic.” For his work with the musicians of the Veni Academy, he chose three previously composed works that would be easily adaptable to a large ensemble whose instrumentation was not the result of prior design plus one newly composed for the occasion. The chosen pieces were based on well-defined processes that made use of instant decision-making on the part of both the players and the conductor, and finally, some graphic notation. Composed in 2003 for string quartet, The Dispersion of Seeds uses a simple algorithm of arpeggiation of nine chords throughout its arc to create shifting verticalities. The piece would be different with every performance yet would retain its distinct identity. The composition Flexagons is based on permutations of composed fragments ordered in time with instructions on how to flex and fold them. Augmenting the flex is the possibility of players “popping out” with short improvised statements that may be acted upon by the other players and thereby revealing another facet. The Hidden Variable is a suite of graphic scores originally conceived for solo guitar using “alternate bows” to generate sounds on the guitar. Palimpsest was composed for the occasion and a world premiere. Historically, a palimpsest manuscript could be reused by scraping or erasing the text. While the removal of the original texts might be quite thorough, elements of the original items might still be evident, whether explicitly or subliminally, creating a “palimpsest.” Here Sharp’s "original texts" are sample measures taken from previous scores, compiled as raw materials in this new work, superimposed on the now-erased substrate, the “manuscript.”

This recording brings together music from some of Leonard Bernstein's best-loved scores with seldom heard occasional works and premiere recordings. From the iconic musical West Side Story, the hot-blooded dance number 'Mambo' embodies the show's dramatic tensions. 'Slava!' celebrates Bernstein's friend and colleague, the cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich, in music reworked from the daring show 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, from which the Suite rescues further highlights. 'CBS Music' has not ben heard since the broadcasting giant's 50th anniversary celebrations in 1978, while the 'Birthday Bouquet' takes the form of affectionate musical tributes from eight composer colleagues to one of the twentieth century's greatest musicians. Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene who passionately believes that "music has the power to change lives." She became music director of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and made history in 2013 as the first female conductor of the BBC's Last Night of the Proms, which she returned to conduct in 2015. As a student of Leonard Bernstein, Alsop is central to his 100th anniversary celebrations, conducting Bernstein's 'Mass' at the Ravina Festival, where she serves as musical curator for 2018 and 2019.

PARMA Recordings presents Legends & Light, a compilation album featuring works by composers Hans Bakker, Jan Järvlepp, Clive Muncaster, and Shirley Mier. Each has a different, unique story to tell, and the narratives are brought to life by the orchestra and string ensemble. Hans Bakker showcases his ‘Canzona III: Hidden in Her Light’ in ternary form. Described by the composer as a “hymn to the sun,” this tone poem is reminiscent of the symphonic storytellings of such greats as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov — with a heritage of folk melodies and rhythms to boot. The extraordinary balance between strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion is expressed so fluidly, yet individually, the listener is immediately enveloped into the epic saga Bakker is telling. Jan Järvlepp expresses his unique composition style in Suite for Strings. In this incredible pedagogical work, Järvlepp brings the listener through a gamut of emotions. Clive Muncaster’s Redcliffe Gardens Suite for Strings follows suit perfectly with a romantic “Petronella,” enormously expressive in every way. “Pastorella” takes it down a notch, toeing the line between major and minor, somewhat demonstrating the complexity of romantic love. But, obviously, love wins. “Stella” is the heroic ballad to profess it. “Fuga Romantica” layers the sweetness together using one of composition’s most complex forms. Shirley Mier’s Of Lakes and Legends, a programmatic work written for the Century Chamber Orchestra, closes the album. Each movement is set at White Bear Lake in Minnesota, the city where the Century College and the ensemble are located. This celebration of music is tinged with nostalgia, as it both recalls these concerts and reflects on the fact that they now exist only in time past. This, hands down, is contemporary composition at its best. This album has been perfectly curated to offer continuity in the listening experience. PARMA patrons, old and new, will find enormous satisfaction in this collection.

With its unique combination of instruments, the Vienna Reed Quintet creates a new and refreshing sound that differs significantly from that of the conventional wind quintet. This programme opens up three very special keyboard works to these exhilarating sonorities, starting with the virtuoso dances of Rameau’s descriptively titled suite La Triomphante. Mozart’s Fantasia has all the stately grandeur of a Bach fantasia, while Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin is a tribute both to his great musical ancestor and to friends who fell during the First World War. The Vienna Reed Quintet is a first on the Austrian chamber music scene with its combination of single and double reed instruments in a chamber ensemble. With Heri Choi on oboe, Heinz-Peter Linshalm on clarinet, Alfred Reiter on saxophone, Petra Stump-Linshalm on bass clarinet and Sophie Dartigalongue on bassoon, five strong musical personalities present a fresh and unusual wind ensemble.