Some three hundred compositions by Handel such as Overtures, dances and short instrumental interludes titled Ritornello, Sinfonia or Sarabande are hardly ever perceived as a separate category, despite appearing in his most important compositions. Such observations provided the basis for this concept album. The pre-dominant instruments of the first Suite are the horns, which originally play an important role in the Overture to Handel's great success Samson and the operas Giulio Cesare and Ariodante. In the second group, launched by the Overture to the early opera Teseo, various solo instruments are highlighted: horn, recorder and in particular the traverse flute. The last cycle focuses on the virtuoso trumpet.
The Bamberger Symphoniker’s collaboration with the record label Tudor has evolved in cycles. It began with Joachim Raff’s œuvre, a pioneering step into overlooked repertoire. Then stepped up to the Greats with Schubert’s symphonies: the first recording to follow the new Schubert edition was enthusiastically hailed as a refreshing new departure interpreted with historical awareness. Reaching for the stars under the aegis of Jonathan Nott, the scores of Gustav Mahler then entered the Bamberg Konzerthalle. That whole cycle has won countless prizes and awards, becoming a milestone of Mahler discography.
The next step? Staying in Vienna with symphonies by Johannes Brahms while remaining true to Gustav Mahler’s Bohemian homeland with Antonín Dvořák. The Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša’s cycle of the four Brahms symphonies and Dvořák’s last four symphonies is the first recording to give an overview of their extraordinary universe and cast light on their musical affinity, in a vivid soundscape with a contemporary pulse.
REVIEWS:
This enticing release is a further addition to the ongoing series twinning symphonies by Brahms and Dvořák, a theme validated by the kinship between both the composers and the cross-fertilisation of their styles. The orchestra and conductor here have since 2016 been producing a stream of admirable concerts and releases...
The ominous, growling opening of Dvořák’s Seventh is perfectly realised and Hrůša immediately reveals his mastery of the form through the application of subtle rubato in his phrasing without the musical thread going slack. Again, lovely woodwind playing strikes a pastoral note, recalling the Brahmsian inspiration to the work but the darker, denser, “Germanic” orchestration also underlines that link; this is a lilting, songful and unhurried account which never loses the skein of disquiet lurking beneath the dancing, three-quarter-time melodies and the faintly disturbing, mysterious conclusion with distant horns intoning gnomically leaves the listener in ambivalent mood, paving the way for the similarly enigmatic Poco adagio. As with the first movement, Hrůša presides over relaxed, flowing playing underpinned by a prominent bass line and a solid, rhythmic stability modulated by judicious use of rubato and rallentando. The stately grandeur of the music is maximised, ensuring that Dvořák does not come across as just a lightweight, jolly tunesmith.
This is attractively packaged in a dark green cardboard digipack with colour and black and white photos, trilingual notes and an interview with the conductor by German musicologist and critic Wolfgang Sandner, who describes the unusually warm and friction-free friendship between the two composers whose works make a welcome match for this release, especially, as Sandner remarks, Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony is regarded as the most “Germanic” of his mature works.
The Bamberger Symphoniker’s collaboration with Tudor has evolved in cycles. It began with Joachim Raff’s œuvre, a pioneering step into overlooked repertoire. Then stepped up to the Greats with Schubert’s symphonies: the first recording to follow the new Schubert edition was enthusiastically hailed as a refreshing new departure interpreted with historical awareness. Reaching for the stars under the aegis of Jonathan Nott, the scores of Gustav Mahler then entered the Bamberg Konzerthalle. That whole cycle has won countless prizes and awards, becoming a milestone of Mahler discography.
The next step? Staying in Vienna with symphonies by Johannes Brahms while remaining true to Gustav Mahler’s Bohemian homeland with Antonín Dvořák. The Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša’s cycle of the four Brahms symphonies and Dvořák’s last four symphonies is the first recording to give an overview of their extraordinary universe and cast light on their musical affinity, in a vivid soundscape with a contemporary pulse.
This release also includes 8 of Brahms's Hungarian Dances, each orchestrated by one of these extraordinary contemporaries.
Bach: Preludes & Fugues on the Organ of the Zurich Grossmünster / Vollenweider
Tudor
CD
$19.99Apr 15, 2022
In building the organ for Zurich’s Grossmünster in 1960, the firm of Metzler Orgelbau set a benchmark. Every well known organist wanted to play on this instrument. Hans Vollenweider, organist at the Grossmünster from 1970 to 1986, recorded the works of Bach over several years. The unique musicality and masterly technique of Vollenweider's interpretations are delightful. The spontaneity, immediacy and vividness of his recordings, available for the first time in this format, remain compelling. The present release features J.S. Bach’s Preludes and Fugues BWV 539, 541, 543, and 545-548.
A spectacular album by a superb brass quintet. -- American Record Guide
Baroque masters were already playing to the gallery with brass players’ fanfares; Mozart and Haydn com-posed wonderful concertos for trumpet or horn; then the Romantics Brahms and Dvorak did their bit, followed by orchestral wizards Berlioz and Richard Strauss who triumphantly ushered trumpet, horn and trombone into the symphony orchestra. Jazz brought the great liberation, and light entertainment contributed to the overdue recognition of their possibilities. The wide spectrum of the present album illustrates the boundless popularity of this musical genre. The composers of these works enjoy life, and are proof positive that brass ensembles are to be taken seriously – whether performed in venerable concert halls, the Music Hall or the circus. The Wien-Berlin Brass Quintett radiates a cheerful, vibrant atmosphere, offering musical fireworks, sparkling wit and humor along with quite unique and breathtaking virtuosity.
REVIEWS:
This disc is simply good, clean fun and a sheer delight. The Wien-Berlin Brass Quintett—Gábor Tarkővi and Guillaume Jehl, trumpets; Thomas Jöbstl, horn; Mark Gaal, trombone; Alexander von Puttkamer, tuba; Jöbstl and Gall are members of the Vienna Philharmonic, the other three men present or former members of the Berlin Philharmonic—here kicks back its collective heels to present five entertaining divertissements. All the music is unabashedly tonal and listener-friendly.
The virtuoso, spirited playing of this marvelous brass fivesome [is] captured in brilliant sound. A booklet provides basic notes. Cheerily recommended.
Andreas Blau and his orchestral colleagues of the Berliner Philharmoniker are to be admired for discovering the treasure that is Anton Hoffmeister's Flute Quartets, and they play them superbly well, while placing Hoffmeister's output in close proximity to Mozart and Haydn, and in the vicinity of early Beethoven. The solo parts are evidently tailor-made for the flute, and their virtuoso passages seem modeled on cadenzas from Mozart piano concertos. Their musical sensitivity, evident enjoyment and great orchestral experience ensure the recordings do not just document the artistry of so-called minor masters, but are a valuable addition to our view of the brilliant epoch of Viennese classicism.
10 Concerti grossi a più Stromenti Op. 2 / Sonate - Sinfonie
Tudor
CD
$21.99Mar 05, 2021
Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori (1663 - 1745), "Maestro di capella amenissimo, bravo sonatore di violino", worked predominantly in his hometown of Lucca. His main work, 10 Concerti Opus 2, is an almost visionary achievement, in particular because he expressly called for a powerful orchestral sonority. Each Concerto has it's own varied and multifaceted character. The solo passages of both violins are but short interludes. The accent is on the lively orchestral idiom and it's many surprises; previously unheard of combinations of string instruments are as thrilling as the transparent and lively dialogues within the orchestra. Alessandro Stradella (1644-1682) was constantly involved in love affairs and other incidents: the last ended in his murder on the Piazza Bianchi in Genoa. This did not deter from the quality of his compositions. In many ways his works still appear modern, thanks to his gift for combining different orchestral timbres and volumes, and involving the players in inspiring exchanges and mutual imitations.
This is how Dvorak described his first encounter with the Third Symphony by Johannes Brahms: "I can say without exaggeration that this work surpasses his first two symphonies; if not in grandeur and power of conception, then surely in beauty! It's mood is not often found in Brahms. What glorious melodies are there! It is pure love, and the heart soars as one listens to it!" And in the same vein, we may add that the last two movements perfectly match Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, even if Brahms once said that Dvorak's Eighth was very well crafted as a symphony, but lacked the "most important thing." This contradictory viewpoint makes the present combination particularly informative. Another aspect of this concept album lies in the character of the two works, such as for instance the last movements: Brahms ends with a farewell song- anticipating Mahler, where after solemn, comforting chorales the music falters and dies away... and the audience, overwhelmed, remains silent, too. The contrast with Dvorak's last movement is extreme: this is a turbulent movement which begins with fanfares that almost bring us to our feet, and ends triumphantly, showing that Dvorak has entirely freed himself from the shackles of tradition.
Sinfonie concertanti per 2 flauti e orchestra / Utagawa, Hunziker, Kuentz, Paul Kuentz Chamber Orchestra
Tudor
CD
$19.99Jan 18, 2019
This recording focuses on concertante works for two flutes and orchestra by Italian contemporaries of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There is documentary evidence for Mozart and Cambini having met in Paris. Common to all three works are high-spirited introductory Allegros and brilliantly scored, virtuosic Rondos. The wonderful Largo in Cimarosa’s Concerto is particularly attractive: a true 'Dance of the blessed spirits for two flutes'. Flutists Domique Hunziker and Anne Utagawa have been working together for many years. They founded the group ‘les joueurs de flute’ in 1985. The ensemble features a line-up of eight outstanding performers from Switzerland, Germany, and Japan. For this release, Hunziker and Utagawa are joined by the Orchestre de Chambre Paul Kuentz.
Henze: Neue Volkslieder und Hirtengesange & Kammermusik / Harding, Scharoun Ensemble
Tudor
CD
$21.99Jul 14, 2017
Kammermusik 1958'': for tenor, guitar and eight solo instruments, on the hymn ''In lovely business'' by Friedrich Holderlin, is one of Hans Werner Henze's most scintillating creations. Featuring a wide-ranging tenor part, a virtuosic solo guitar and brilliant contributions by the instruments Schubert chose for his great Octet, this masterpiece imaginatively confronts the mannered style of the Darmstadt school. In ''lovely blueness'' the emphasis is on ''blueness'' - but not only when lovely. The Mediterranean light and the nostalgia for Greek Antiquity give this music a special place in the composer's output: to the element of euphony, of consonance in its widest sense are added grittier sounds and sharper contrasts, as befits the hymn's heavily symbolic content. - ''The idea for 'Neue Volkslieder und Hirtengesange' is closely linked to my activity as cultural animator during the Eighties in the Steiermark. At the time I had made a nice collection of sketches on Styrian folklore and composed songs for an amateur play. From this material I have now assembled this small chamber music in folksong style, hoping to capture some of the atmosphere, of the mood of this melancholy landscape, like a dream or a painful memory''.
As a performer on the hautboy, Giuseppe Sammartini, 'Londinese', was undoubtedly the greatest that the world had ever known. He contrived to produce such a tone as approached the nearest to that of the human voice. His Concerti grossi and his later sets of Concertos have a breadth of invention and sureness of purpose second only the music of Handel. (General History of the Science and Practice of Music, 1776). This album presents neglected works by the lesser-known, younger brother of Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Giuseppe Sammartini.
This recording of “The Bis” by Georges Athanasiades is a joyful album, a Serenade rich in delightful and popular melodies. This soundtrack of emotions displays a liberated Queen of instruments. Born in 1929 in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Georges Athanasiades’ father who was himself a pianist and choir leader initiated him into music. After completing his classical and theological studies, followed by the study of German literature and musicology at the Universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg, Breisgau, he distinguished himself as organist at the Conservatory of Lausanne, where he received the highest diplomas. A Canon of Abbey Saint-Maurice in Switzerland, a priest since 1952 and longtime professor at the Lycee there, he is titular organist in the Basilica, which possesses a remarkable instrument- the same one heard on this outstanding recording.
Smetana’s cycle “My Country” is a pinnacle of symphonic literature. There is nothing quite like it: six musical poems which, while independent of each other, form an organic whole. As a composer, Smetana was in the vanguard. This visionary work is unmistakably personal, connected to the Czech nation’s tragic history and to the Bohemian-Moravian landscape; it is not only about memory, it also gives hope for the future, brilliantly describing landscapes of the human soul. As such it goes beyond time, to create something of a lasting significance. This is music of nostalgia, which sets thoughts and emotions free. After hearing “My Country,” one emerges stronger. Every one of these six pieces has a tremendous energy, and enables one to live with melancholy and sorrow: the work transforms the listener and enriches his soul.
Franz Schubert composed the works on this release at the peak of his career, just before his untimely death at age 31. These works display both his rapture of music making, and his melancholy farewell. These works are presented on a two-disc set, performed by Rachmaninov Trio Moscow. Rachmaninov Trio Moscow is Mikhail Tsinman, Natalia Savinova, and Victor Yampolsky. The group’s interpretation of Russian favorites has already been well received, and they meet the challenge of Schubert’s virtuosity with ease.
The Heavy Metal brigade began it's triumphant progress alongside the magicians of tone colour and orchestration Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss. Jazz and light music also contributed to the emancipation brass players. "Brilliant Brass" inspiringly depicts this via the repertoire of the brass quintet. First with two "classics" by Victor Ewald and Malcolm Arnold (unforgettable as the composer of the music for the film "The Bridge over the River Kwai"), then with works from Austria: a transcription of the melodious "Steyrische Taenze" by Joseph Lanner, "Flotter 5er" by Thomas Gansch, and the Suite "L'homme au Marteau dans la Poche" ("The Man with a Hammer in his Pocket") - two sparklingly witty works of breathtaking virtuosity performed con brio and con moto in such a way that Heavy Metal should now be renamed Heavenly Metal.
Undeservedly overshadowed by his two string quartets and piano trios, the small pieces for violin or cello and piano are among the best of their genre from the “Moscow School”, differing mainly by having partly salonesque titles and a more intimate expression. The Quintet in D major Op. 51 (1900) for piano, two violins, viola and cello exemplifies the 40-year-old composer’s mature style, its cyclic elements and formal density heralding a new departure. The priority given to the piano and the variation movement suggest the influence of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor Op. 50.
For Decades, the Zurcher Sangerknaben Have Been One of the Leading European Boys' Choirs. They Run Their Own Concert Series in Zurich, Give Concerts All Over Europe, in the USA and in China, and Have Performed Under Herbert Von Karajan and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Among Others. The Zurcher Kammerorchester Looks Back on a Prestigious Past. It's Founder Edmond de Stoutz Was a Close Friend of Many Artists: Yehudi Menuhin, Arturo Benedetti Michelangelo and Maurice Andre Were Regular Soloists. Thanks to Sir Roger Norrington, the Ensemble Is Now a Major International Chamber Orchestra. A Particular Attraction of This Recording Is Jonah Schenkel. As Previously in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, This Outstanding Boy Soprano Is Absolutely Thrilling. He Fearlessly Masters Every Difficulty in the Solo Sections; His Voice Is Expressive, Pure and Agile, and He Has Exceptional Personal Charisma: A Most Felicitous Combination.
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" & American Suit
Tudor
SACD
$21.99Mar 10, 2015
Antonín Dvorák crowned his symphonic oeuvre with his Ninth Symphony. After its 1893 Carnegie Hall premiere, the symphony went on to acquire worldwide success, and remains one of the most frequently performed of all symphonic works. He opened the ears of musicians and audiences to Indian folklore and the melodic treasury of black Americans. While certain particularities were inspired by Indian music, the work’s themes are all original Dvorák creations. Here, as in the “American Suite”, Robin Ticciati and the Bamberger Symphoniker can be said to have rediscovered the “New World”.
Jonathan Nott is since 2000 principal conductor of the Bamberg Symphony. Such a lengthy collaboration is rare nowadays, and it has produced unique results with this Schubert-Cycle and the Mahler Symphonies. Successful concert tours, guest performances and engagements as orchestra-in-residence at such festivals as Edinburgh and Lucerne are proof of the international reputation of the Bamberg Symphony and their principal conductor, a success not solely based on the classical and romantic standard repertoire but also on works by Boulez, Berio, Lachenmann and Ligeti.
In 1778, music was booming in Mannheim, thanks to its 90 players- strong orchestra’s unique blend of instrumental virtuosi and innovative composers: Johann and Carl Stamitz, father and son, the most original and prolific composers of the Mannheim school – a still somewhat underrated period. The importance of Carl Stamitz’s clarinet concertos cannot be overestimated; while laying the foundations for similar works by Mozart, Weber and Spohr, he also created inspiring masterpieces. Eduard Brunner is an ideal advocate, fusing the Mannheim idiom with modern sensitivity.
In this series of concerti, one senses a progression. The first six, all in major keys with clear, luminous themes, rely on a varied and singing virtuosity. Magnificently written for the flute, they remain – although more developed – in the tradition. The following concerti show the “French Mozart” at the peak of classical style, but also forward looking, notably through a more demonstrative conception of the Soli and the orchestration. The variety and quality of these concertos reveal François Devienne as one of the great masters of flute literature, and of the concertante genre in France.
•Bruckner's last mass is a masterpiece. Rooted in the traditional Austrian mass, it also contains symphonic elements found only in Beethoven's Missa solemnis, although Mahler can be seen on the horizon. Premiered in Vienna in 1872 to immense acclaim, the work is now performed both in the liturgy and in concert, a permanent part of the repertoire. In contrast to the monumental symphonies, here we encounter a very special soundscape, reaching from soft ethereal sounds to jubilant surges
•The deep theological reasons for participation in sacred music were inherent in boys‘ voices – their purity and innocence suggestive of angelic choirs. The boys choir tradition in medieval cloisters and schools was reinforced after the Reformation, voice training being thought an important component in their personality development.This interpretation of the “Stabat mater” offers an update on the debate about historic performance practice.
The embodiment of the most serious and most sacred artistic will of our time,' said Thomas Mann after the premiere of the Symphony No. 8 to Gustav Mahler. The impressive Mahler Symphony cycle from the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra continues, with a new recording of the Seventh and it's famous 'Night Music' movements. 'The Germans and their conductor Jonathan Nott are proving to be a dream team for Mahler, so we've been eager to hear the latest installment.' - David Nice, BBC Music Magazine.
The Bamberger Symphoniker and Jonathan Nott present Mahler's Symphony No. 7. Mahler's seventh was described as "very problematic" by Otto Klemperer following it's premiere, and as "a weak piece" by Theodor W. Adorno. Mahler himself considered this work to be mainly cheerful and humoristic in content. Here, we encounter a masterpiece of formal construction, instrumentation and, above all, content.
During his short and turbulent life, Robert Schumann often composed as if in a trance. This exuberance, this impulsivity is particularly apparent in his works for piano and orchestra, all closely connected to his love for Clara Wieck. - "A cross between symphony, concerto and great sonata, not a concerto for the virtuoso" was his aim - and this is brilliantly realized; however, these works require a virtuoso with nimble, as well as strong and sensitive fingers, a pianist able to recreate Schumann's unique romantic world. Gerhard Oppitz achieves this in exemplary fashion, flawlessly mastering the technical demands in an interpretation imbued with a very personal passion for one of our greatest composers - all the while supported by and in dialogue with an orchestra ideally suited to his vision: The Bamberger Symphoniker.
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
"The oft-recorded Haydn Concerto is vividly recorded with the signal completely unclouded. This reveals Tarkövi’s peach-tender full fat tone. This is on best display in the Andante of the Haydn which paves the way for the lickety-split allegro. The charmingly decorous two-movement Leopold Mozart Concerto features harpsichord continuo. Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto - like the Hummel work - returns us to the conventional three movement template. Prague-based Neruda wrote 18 symphonies, 10 violin concertos, one bassoon concerto, 34 trio-sonatas and, among much else, this trumpet concerto. It is a fluent work with some very eloquent noble invention in the opening Allegro and many touching and original turns in the solo line in the final Vivace. Hummel opens with sturm und drang before making way for some witty light-on-the-feet material. It is good to be reminded that Hummel wrote such a sweetly inclined concerto. Tarkövi is always pleasingly ripe-toned though he is not always ideally attentive to staccato demands. On the other hand mechanical noise from the pistons is imperceptible except once during the trills at the end of the first movement of the Hummel. There is much to enjoy here among these four concertos written between 1762 and 1803.
It is typical of Tudor that their booklet which is in three languages is a joy to use. It affords plenty of information about the music and the sensible font design and size is kind to the eyes."
