Vyacheslav Artyomov is considered by many to be Russia's greatest living composer. After the fall of the Soviet regime his music has travelled the world to great acclaim. It is deep, ultimately spiritual and brilliantly crafted, with influences from the Russian symphonic tradition colored by Mahler, Scriabin, Honegger and Messiaen to name a few - but melded into a unique voice. Following the critical acclaim of his first two Divine Art albums, this program includes his Concerto for Chamber Orchestra 'Tempo Costante' and two suites from the ballet 'Sola Fide' ('only by Faith') which is based on the novel The Road to Calvary by Aleksey Tolstoy; it shares an ethos and much music with Artyomov's celebrated Requiem hence the choral elements found in the ballet score. These premiere recordings herald a series of another 6 albums of music by Artyomov.

Underplayed, under-recorded, and quite underappreciated, the repertory for two unaccompanied violins rose in popularity in the first decades of the eighteenth century. But few listeners are aware that Antonio Vivaldi was among the first to experiment with this genre, in a little-known set of four sonatas which, according to a fascinating hypothesis, he might have composed for performance in tandem with his father during his tour of central Europe in 1729-30. The leader of Il Giardino Armonico, Stefano Barneschi, and Chiara Zanisi, who has already appeared on the Arcana label (Bach’s violin and harpsichord Sonatas with Giulia Nuti), take us on a journey through this relatively small literature, from Vivaldi to Berio by way of Leclair, Telemann, Tessarini and others. The programme is framed by a piece by the brilliant Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima, written especially for this project. Its last movement, Alleluja, is a tribute both to the finale of Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and to the church of Sant’Antonio Abate (Milan), where the premiere of Mozart’s early piece took place and where this programme was recorded.

A French overture necessarily preceded every performance mounted at the French court in the late 17th century. As developed by Lully, this typically Baroque entrance music fit for the King was played by fairly large forces. Characterized by double-dotted rhythms, the solemn, stately outer sections framed a fugal allegro and flaunted, as it were, royal dignity, grace and power. The overture introduced selections from that evening’s performance but soon was combined with a type of collection of dances that had been evolving since the 16th century. The word “overture” originally designated the first movement but in time synecdochically yielded its name to the entire suite. This release features two Suites that are staples in the flute repertoire- Bach’s Suite No. 2 in B minor and Telemann’s Suite in A minor, performed by flutist Julius Baker, keyboardist and conductor Anthony Newman, and the Madeira Festival Orchestra.

After a Mozart release with the Quatuor Voce, Juliette Hurel has devised a programme focusing on Bach, featuring two staples of the flute repertoire: the Suite for orchestra no.2 with its famous Badinerie and the Partita for solo flute, his only work for the unaccompanied instrument. To complement this, she has chosen to assemble the most celebrated arias with a prominent part for solo flute, very rarely played outside the works for which they were written: the Easter Oratorio (‘Seele, deine Spezereien’), the St Matthew Passion (‘Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben’), the Coffee Cantata (‘Ei wie schmeckt’) and the Cantata Ich habe genug. For this recording, she plays a modern wooden flute and was keen to work with a Baroque ensemble performing on period instruments and a soprano well versed in this music, Maïlys de Villoutreys, a rising vocal star of French scene. The magnificent Trio Sonata BWV 1038 completes the programme in the spirit of chamber music.

Playing the guitar has always been a passion for Piotr Przedbory. A skilled musician, he brilliantly performs guitar repertoire from every era from classicism to the present day. He is the winner of more than twenty international and Polish competitions, including 19 first places and 3 Grand Prix. This new release is Przedbory’s second album, and is a recital composed of mainly the most outstanding transcriptions or guitar studies, and pieces from the classical repertoire. Holding a special place on this album is a transcription of a Bach piece originally written for harpsichord, a transcription of Vivaldi’s violin concerto, and closing the album is the transcription of Seville from the Spanish Suite Albeniz, which is an obvious reference to the musical sources that serve as Przedbory’s inspiration.

Kristen Flagstad was born in Hamar, Norway in 1895, into a life filled with music; both her parents were professional theatre musicians in Norway’s capital. Throughout her childhood, music was a part of her life from morning until evening. Via her parents’ acquaintances, Kirsten was introduced to a broad repertoire; she would accompany herself at the piano in Schubert Lieder, revue songs by Vilhelm Dybwad, operettas by Franz Lehar and Emmerich Kalman, as well as in the arias of Puccini and Wagner. Her debut as an opera singer took place at the National Theatre in Oslo, in December 1913, where she sang the part of Nuri in Eugen d’Albert’s Tiefland, under the baton of Johan Halvorsen. Despite the fact that Kirsten Flagstad is remembered as a singer mainly of large-scale works, with a voice that was suited to the largest venues, she had a particular love of Lieder and art songs. From her teens and throughout her career her repertoire included a significant number of German and Nordic songs. Her distinctive voice and ability made Kirsten Flagstad a source of inspiration to composers all over the world.

After this vibrant program of Ernest Bloch’s music for viola and piano was recorded in 2001, the tapes disappeared for fifteen years. When they resurfaced, artists Paul Neubauer and Margo Garrett were thrilled that the tapes were not only salvageable, but also featured playing that they felt presented their best possible efforts to bring these works to life. Among the works offered here are Bloch’s powerful Suite for Viola and Piano, hailed by one critic as “the greatest work for viola in musical literature.” We are also treated to the Suite Hebraique, an artful and engaging synthesis of Jewish themes with multiple musical influences, typical of Bloch’s mature style. Paul Neubauer’s solid reputation as one of the great violists of our time is enhanced by his collaboration with award-winning pianist Margo Garrett.

Bruce Levingston is one of today’s celebrated figures in contemporary classical music. The New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” with “a gift for innovative and glamorous programming.” The title of pianist Bruce Levingston’s haunting new album is taken from the beautiful suite by acclaimed American composer James Matheson, heard here in its world premiere recording. This evocative, richly-colored work depicts the exquisite stained glass windows of Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse inspired by ancient imagery and scripture. These works, which reflect a myriad of overlapping artistic influences, led Levingston, an artist known for his cutting-edge programming, to seek out other composers who have been inspired by multiple art forms. Robert Schumann was an immediate choice. His intimate Kinderszenen, a series of distilled little jewels that offer fleeting glimpses of childhood, is paired with the urbane, elegant Arabeske.

Distinguished British-American composer David Bruce is also heard here in the premiere recording of his touching work, The Shadow of the Blackbird, inspired by the music of Schumann as well as the moving poetry of Wallace Stevens. It seemed fitting for Levingston to program these three inspired, and inspiring, composers together. Their works, old and new, represent aural windows through which their extraordinary visions may be heard, sensed and felt.

REVIEW:

The label's resonantly ample engineering particularly lends itself to Matheson’s vibrant writing and Levingston’s compelling, colorful pianism.

– Gramophone

D.J. Sparr not only lives on the mystical high plains of the Wild West, he also embodies an unconfined nature when it comes to making music. As comfortable playing a guitar concerto with a major orchestra as he is employing Tibetan singing bowls and banjos for a film score, his ears are as open as his horizons are wide. Electric Bands brings together four of his works for electronically-improved chamber ensembles; a format that allows for moments of magical realism. You might detect traces of layered Nancarrow-type rhythms deftly executed with guitar pedals or you might not; either way, Sparr’s effortless combination of composer-thinking and guitarist mind make his music as satisfying for the head as for the heart. I Can Hear Her Through the Thin Wall Singing for electric guitar and soprano imagines what kind of song cycle Debussy might have written if he’d had the full range of modern guitar effects available to him. Meta444 was inspired by a conversation between Killer Mike and Stephen Colbert. It is traditional ritual music for a religion and a place that exists only in the imagination. Sparr’s string quartet, Avaloch, for the Momenta Quartet, sprang from a place that very much exists- Avaloch Farm Music Institute, New Hampshire- and its attendant apple orchards and walks in the woods. But it’s a place where time is illusory, and the inhabitants are free of stress and dance with boundless joy. Earthcaster Suite was composed for a documentary about artist Thomas Sayre. Sayre’s work blends art and science, addresses the past and future, and joins the natural and man-made in a sometimes-dangerous dance of gravity and grace.

Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release

What’s not to love? JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic offer another appealing and wholly successful program. Granted, there are wilder version of the Dances of Galánta out there, particularly from the likes of Reiner (Sony-mono) and Ormandy (also Sony), but Falletta’s view of the work is as cogent in its steady build to a brilliant climax as just about any. She’s even more effective in a remarkably well-sustained and unified Peacock Variations, and an irresistibly lively Dances of Marosszék.

Best of all, we get a virtuosic and characterful performance of the relatively rare Concerto for Orchestra instead of the obvious Háry János Suite. That makes this collection unusually generous as well as desirable, especially when the playing of the orchestra clearly rises to the challenges that Kodály presents. The sonics, as usual from this source, as very good indeed. Here are seventy-seven minutes of music that you really can sit down and play straight through. Give it a try and listen for yourself.

– ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)

Pianist Charles Owen and his regular duo partner Katya Apekisheva turn to Rachmaninov’s diverse Suites for two pianos, and the composer’s atmospheric Six Morceaux, for their first joint recording for AVIE. The cofounders of the London Piano Festival delve into the quintessentially Russian Suite No. 1, also known as “Fantasise-Tableaux,” with its poetic inspirations, and the more traditional Suite No. 2 which marked Rachmaninov’s compositional comeback after a four-year hiatus. Rounding out the album, Charles and Katya share the piano bench for the atmospheric piano four hands Six Morceaux. “…Together Owen and Apekisheva are not just one-plus-one, but virtually a third entity…in Rachmaninov’s heavenly Suite No. 2, its dizzying waltz delivered with extraordinary precision, yet full of subtle, pearly coloring… played with tremendous panache.” (The Arts Desk)

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REVIEW:

This new Avie release combines the two Suites for two pianos with the attractive collection of six Morceaux, Opus 11, the latter for four hands on one instrument. The Suite No. 1 begins with a beguiling Barcarolle which gradually builds in complexity as it proceeds, and the clarity of the textures as presented here are the result of much careful rehearsal combined with the splendidly balanced recorded sound. These strengths, moreover, set a standard that can be experienced throughout the recital. However, it is the final movement – Pâques – which makes the strongest impression of all, with Rachmaninov’s favourite bell-sounds ringing forth in joyful sonority: a wonderful sound, vividly realised.

The Second Suite is more ambitious still, and magnificently realised by Owen and Apekisheva from the opening bars. The exuberant enthusiasm of the performance reflects the very nature of the music, until in the final Tarantella the balancing of virtuoso rhythmic precision at a fast tempo with clarity of phrasing represents a veritable triumph.

The six Morceaux of 1894, written when the composer was aged twenty-one, were composed in tribute to two recently deceased supporters: Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Zverev. Be that as it may, Rachmaninov was trying to develop his career as a professional composer, so these duets were intended for early publication and sale in order to ‘balance the books’. Therefore the music is slighter than that of the two Suites, but always beautifully judged, and sometimes captivating, as when another opening Barcarolle, as in the Suite composed during the preceding year, sets the tone for the whole sequence.

– MusicWeb International

Opera News Critic's Choice

Composed by multi-award-winning artist Michel Legrand and written by American poets Alan & Marilyn Bergman, this album is made up of a cycle of songs. It tells the story of a woman’s life from birth to death, passing by all of its highlights: childhood, adolescence, first love, and motherhood. Composed and written in the 70’s, the project was never completed. Thanks to Natalie's input, Michel Legrand rewrote the score and Alan & Marilyn Bergman rewrote the lyrics especially for her in order to give a second life to this project. This masterpiece was recorded last September in London at the Air Studio with the London Studio Orchestra, conducted by Michel Legrand.

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REVIEW:

Dessay is a worthy interpreter. The range of Between Yesterday and Tomorrow is well suited to her new voice, and she is able to delineate each of these songs—and each of these stages, from infancy to dotage—with the acting skills that have long marked her stage career. She is even called on at times to imitate the voice of a young child, and she does so without coyness. Legrand’s score is sweeping, reminiscent of the best of his film music, and it includes some irresistible jazz waltzes as well as low-key, conversational, closely miked passages.

– Opera News

Toke Møldrup's virtuosic new set of Bach's six cello suites was recorded on a 1697 David Tecchler cello and culminates with a wildly decorated 6th suite performed on a five-stringed Italian instrument. Møldrup is principal cellist of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, and professor of cello at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. The release set also includes Viggo Mangor's charming arrangement of Suite no. 1 for two violins, organ and cello. The Danish cellist Toke Møldrup, 36, recently received Queen Ingrid’s Honorary Award for his achievements on the Danish music scene. In the 20 years of his career so far, he has performed both across Europe and in the United States, South America, Japan and the Middle East at venues such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and the Berlin Konzerthaus. A frequent guest at Danish music societies, Møldrup has performed as a soloist with Danish and international symphony orchestras under conductors such as Aldo Ceccato, Sanntu Rouvali, Thomas Søndergaard and Joshua Weilerstein.

German composer Andreas Willscher has won many awards for his compositions, which range widely from symphonic forms and oratorio to cabaret jazz and rock. His organ works are especially fine and varied – involving often a melange of post-tonal modernism, minimalism, and jazz and rock elements. Willscher is also an active writer of literary and scientific articles and as a collector and preserver of ‘lost’ and forgotten music of the past. Organ Symphony Nos 19 and 20 were both composed in 2017 so are truly contemporary. They are lively, thrilling works with great rhythmic vitality. The third work is a suite – The Beatitudes – composed in 1974 at the beginning of the composer’s career. Carson Cooman is organist of the Memorial Church at Harvard University and also a most prolific composer, writer and teacher. His works have appeared in many recordings and have been played in every inhabited continent. This is his second recording of Willscher’s music for Divine Art as performer, and the label has already released eight CDs of Cooman compositions with many more planned. The recording was made on the Schulze organ (1868) in St. Bartholomew, Armley, Leeds in a live performance using the Hauptwerk system.

It was the great Linus himself who taught Orpheus, the ancient singer par excellence, how to perform music before his jealous father Apollo killed him. André Jolivet’s “Chant de Linos,” a highly expressive song of lament composed as a tonally virtuosic competition piece, impressively concludes this entertaining SACD portrait bringing together the flute soloist Helen Dabringhaus and her piano partner Sebastian Berakdar. Schubert’s “Trockene Blumen” and Bartók’s “Suite paysanne hongroise” form other highlights, both feared and loved, of the flute literature: here they encounter the moderated modernism of Hosokawa’s magical tones and – in its recording premiere – Carl Frühling’s romantic “Fantasie,” which is extant only in this piano version. A richly varied program distinguished by finesse and the very best!