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SYMPHONY 1: FINLANDIA TUONELA KARELIA SUITE
ALTO Jul 2010
CD
$11.01

Telemann: Suite And Concertos For Recorder / Rothert, Et Al
Naxos Jul 2002
CD
$19.99

Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Varese: Romeo & Juliet; The Firebird Suite; Ameriques / Jansons, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

BR Klassik

$19.99 Mar 03, 2023

What made Mariss Jansons different from many of his colleagues? What was the key to his success? And most importantly, after all his artistic experiences, what brought about his maturity and artistic completion In addition to his own willpower and his work ethic, his extraordinary musical life was determined by many factors; they included an open-minded and supportive environment, and an orchestra of outstanding musicians. One important aspect was certainly the fact that Jansons despised any kind of routine. Even when rehearsing Beethoven's Eroica for the umpteenth time, he was always inspired anew by the work - discovering the as yet undiscovered. Routine would have prevented any change in his perspective, and hampered his enthusiasm. Moreover there was Jansons' meticulous and analytical approach to his work, which started long before he mounted the podium. He began by reading biographical information on the composer, scholarly information on the work, texts about its era and its milieu - everything he could lay his hands on. During rehearsals, he then passed on his profound knowledge and his resulting interpretive approach to the musicians. Jansons considered it his task, as early as the first rehearsal, to bring all the musicians up to the same level of knowledge. He wanted them to understand his thought processes, to recognise the explained concept behind the work and, ideally, to be able to feel the same way during their performance as he did on the podium. In the concerts, this synchronous implementation by one hundred musicians of the musical content of a work and of the concept inherent in it duly brought about that incredible pull that almost all of Janson's interpretations exert(ed) on his listeners. In addition to this collective aspect of everyone pulling together, Jansons also worked on the sound that is genuine for each composer. In this regard, for instance, he condemned accusations of kitsch where Tchaikovsky's music was concerned. He was aware of the danger of music being played too sweetly. For him, it was simply Tchaikovsky played wrongly, and was like pouring "sugar into honey". It meant a lot to Jansons to bring out the emotions in Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, of course - the emotional drama, the tragedy, the depression - but he would never force, exaggerate or emphasise them merely for the sake of effect. When the Sixth is performed as sensitively as it is by Jansons, Tchaikovsky's music acquires its true depth of meaning. "A conductor," said Mariss Jansons, "is like a director on the podium" – he analyses, stages and interprets the work. This principle, resulting from his opera conducting, was one that he transferred to the many levels of meaning in symphonic music, and here he developed a kind of directorial concept with precise approaches to interpretation. Works such as Stravinsky's Petrushka or Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique were primarily suited to this, because as programme music they sparked the visual imagination and demanded a certain musical "realism". He wanted the fairground music in Petrushka to sound shrill and out of tune, and asked the musicians to have the courage to articulate their part in just the same manner, rather than trimming it to the expectations of high culture. The contrabassoon was to play roughly, even vulgarly. Jansons was against any attempt to make the music sound pleasant here – he wanted the orchestral barrel-organ to sound out of tune, and the symphonically portrayed drunken passer-by to sound very drunk indeed. Similarly, in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, the March to the Scaffold passes us by as a musically realistic nightmare, gripping right to the end – when the head of the executed man, severed by the guillotine, falls very audibly to the ground. Jansons also worked especially intensively on modifying the sound of the strings, above all when a phrase had to assume a subtle and psychologically important function. He differentiated playing styles very precisely in individual passages - rough, melancholy, brisk, cynical, gloating, whispering, giggling or radiant – and here he particularly influenced the bow stroke, the pressure on the string and the stroke length.

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Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Varese: Romeo & Juliet; The Firebird Suite; Ameriques / Jansons, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
BR Klassik Mar 2023
CD
$19.99

Bach: Orchestral Suites 2 & 3; Chaconne - Transcribed for Organ / Wolfgang Rübsam

Brilliant Classics

$6.99 ~~$13.99~~ Save 50% Nov 17, 2023

Over the course of more than half a century, Wolfgang Rübsam has consistently brought new insights to bear on the keyboard music of Bach, firstly in sets of the canonic organ music for Philips, then the same for Naxos. In the last few years, his musicianship and understanding of Bach enriched by those decades of experience, he has turned to the harpsichord/piano repertoire for Brilliant Classics. A series of critically acclaimed albums has shed new light on The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas and Toccatas with Rübsam’s performance of them on a lautenwerk – a ‘lute-harpsichord’ with a distinctive chime and colour which Bach himself would have been familiar with. Rübsam now returns to the organ, with new transcriptions and recordings of two Orchestral Suites and Chaconne from the D minor Partita for solo violin. While the Chaconne has attracted transcribers and arrangers ever since the 19th century, drawn magnetically to its evolving variations on a ground bass which accumulate an emotional power unusual even for Bach, the Orchestral Suites are much less often encountered outside their original garb. Yet we can be sure that Bach himself would have embraced Rübsam’s idea with enthusiasm. The Suites themselves are compilations of dances, probably not all originally designed for their eventual destination as high-class entertainment music for the concert series at Café Zimmermann in Leipzig, and Bach repurposed some of their movements as sinfonias and even choruses for his church cantatas. As in his fairly free transcription of the Chaconne, Rübsam has made full use of the instrument at his disposal, a magnificent Casavant instrument (1998) at the Church of St. Louis, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The booklet includes a full disposition for the organ as well as an essay introducing both the works and Rübsam’s uniquely imaginative approach to them. ‘If the sound of the lute-harpsichord highlights Bach’s debt to French lute music, especially in the First Prelude, the instrument clarifies that homage while Rübsam’s interpretation transcends it.’ (Fanfare, November 2018, The Well-Tempered Clavier, 96750)

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Bach: Orchestral Suites 2 & 3; Chaconne - Transcribed for Organ / Wolfgang Rübsam
Brilliant Classics Nov 2023
CD
~~$13.99~~ $6.99

Robertson: Vallarta Suite / Armore, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra

Navona

$16.99 Aug 11, 2017

New Zealand born, Canada based composer John Robertson’s album VALLARTA SUITE showcases the continuation of classic orchestral traditions into the present day. The album’s three works testify to Robertson’s flexible compositional voice, which expresses playful, grand, and romantic materials within a welcoming style based on nineteenth century, and early twentieth century precedents. Performed expertly by the Jánacek Philharmonic Orchestra, VALLARTA SUITE is defined by beautiful melodies, confident orchestration, and classic musical forms. The album’s anchors are its multi-movement works, Vallarta Suite, op. 47, and Symphony No. 2, op. 63. Vallarta Suite is a musical postcard to the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta and, like George Gershwin’s Cuban Overture or Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony, uses a variety of contrasting textures and materials to illustrate its geographical subject. For example, the work’s third movement, “Excursion para hacer compras (Shopping excursion)”, is the most concise and literal example of Robertson’s portrayal of Puerto Vallarta. Here, a series of playful and syncopated themes encourage the listener to imagine strolling through the city’s markets. The work’s other movements, namely, “Las Ballenas (The Whales)” and “La Noche en la Zona Romantica (The Night In The Romantic Zone)”, are more abstract and varied in their materials and form. “Las Ballenas”, for instance, is less thematic than other movements, but leans heavily on the orchestra’s brass to express the stately grace of whales. The two other works on VALLARTA SUITE present much more traditional music structures. Strut In – a March, as the title suggests, is Robertson’s take a classic March, and, as one might expect, features jaunty themes and more percussion than is typical to the rest of the album. Unlike Sousa, Robertson crafts a longer, more dramatic structure for his march, and, in particular, uses a wide range of textures to build towards the arrival of its culminating and triumphant melodic material. Robertson’s Symphony No. 2 stands out on VALLARTA SUITE as the only piece that is not wholly defined by a reference to a specific musical style or non-musical reference. Robertson excels in the more abstract setting of the Symphony, the first movement, in particular, is a tremendously crafted voyage of thematic and textural energy. The work’s final movement, “Passacaglia”, suggests, as well, that Robertson always has an eye to the past, as its title refers to a type of instrumental music that originated in the Renaissance. Marked by its grand orchestration, the “Passacaglia” serves as an intense and brilliant finale to the Symphony and VALLARTA SUITE, as a whole. Consider the potential differences between the works based on extra-musical references (i.e. Vallarta Suite and Strut In) and the Symphony, which is more of a statement of ‘absolute music’. There is great consistency in Robertson’s treatment of melodic themes, rhythm, and orchestration across the album, which may act as evidence in assessing his overall compositional style

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Robertson: Vallarta Suite / Armore, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra
Navona Aug 2017
CD
$16.99

Life Suite
First Hand Records Jul 2014
CD
$21.99

HUMORESQUES OP 101 / AMERICAN SUITE OP 98
ALTO Feb 2009
CD
$11.01

Bizet: Symphony in C Major, Carmen Suite No. 1 & L'Arlésienn

Danacord

$12.49 ~~$24.99~~ Save 50% Nov 03, 2017

This is the first recording featuring the new chief conductor of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Marc Soustrot. The Maestro has chosen a programme of French music by Bizet. It is a winning combination of an orchestra famous for its brilliant Delius recording and an idiomatic French conductor. These works by Bizet can hardly be bettered. And with sound to match, this is truly "magnifique"! Marc Soustrot is considered a specialist of French orchestral literature. He is also well-known for his deep involvement in contemporary music, which he has cultivated since the beginning of his career. He has been the chief conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de la Loire, the Beethoven Orchester Bonn and Het Brabants Orkest Eindhoven. He has been chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra since the 2011/12 season and has led the orchestra in concerts in Sweden as well as on international tours. In addition, he has just recently taken on the position as chief conductor of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra from the 2015/16 season onwards. The Danish city of Aarhus has been named European Capital of Culture in 2017. "Marc Soustrot manages the great feat of making the orchestral music, which blossoms out of its own unique world under his hands, serve the singer's sphere." - Frankfurter Neue Presse

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Bizet: Symphony in C Major, Carmen Suite No. 1 & L'Arlésienn
Danacord Nov 2017
CD
~~$24.99~~ $12.49

Bach, J.S: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 3 and 5
Ars Produktion Jan 2009
SACD
$21.99

Bach: Cello Suites / Kliegel

Naxos

$14.99 ~~$29.99~~ Save 50% Feb 22, 2005

Bach wrote his six Suites for unaccompanied cello at Cöthen, about the year 1720. It is thought that the first four, at least, were written either for Christian Ferdinand Abel, bass viol player at Cöthen, or for Christian Bernhard Linike, more probably the latter. Abel, appointed to Cöthen in 1715 is not known to have been a cellist, while Linike was distinguished rather as a player of the cello and in this capacity had been appointed to the musical establishment of the court in Cöthen in 1716, thus rejoining former colleagues from the Prussian court musical establishment, disbanded in 1713 by Friedrich Wilhelm I on his accession to his father's throne. Both musicians were friends and colleagues of Bach. The original autograph of the suites is lost and the earliest copy is that made by the Gräfenroda organist and composer Johann Peter Kellner in about 1726. This is followed by that in the hand of Bach's second wife, Anna Magdalena, made probably in 1727 or 1728 for the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel chamber musician Georg Heinrich Ludwig Schwanenberger, who had visited Leipzig at the time and taken lessons in thoroughbass from Bach, for whose daughter Regina Johanne he stood as godfather. Each of the six cello suites opens with a Prélude. Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007, has an introductory movement in which the changing harmonies are made clear in arpeggiated form. The usual Allemande and Courante are followed by a slow Sarabande, with a repeated Menuet II framing a G minor Menuet II. The suite ends, as it should, with a Gigue. Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008, opens again with an elaborate Prélude, ending with a series of grandiose arpeggiated chords. Once again the Allemande and Courante lead to a Sarabande and a D minor Menuet I is repeated to frame a D major Menuet II, before a lively final Gigue. Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009, has a Prélude that is marked Presto in a slightly later source. This opens boldly with a descending scale and an arpeggio that ends on the resonant bottom string of the instrument. A relatively elaborate Allemande is paired with a simpler Courante, followed by a stately Sarabande, a well-known movement that leads to the still more familiar pair of Bourrées, the second in C minor. The suite ends with an energetic Gigue. The fourth of Bach's cello suites, the Suite in E flat major, BWV 1010, opens, like the others, with a demanding Prélude. An Allemande follows, paired with a Courante, leading to a contrasting slow Sarabande. A busier first Bourrée is followed by a second that is simpler in texture and in the same key. The last movement is a lively Gigue. The fifth and six of Bach's cello suites differ in various ways from the first four. The fifth, the Suite in C minor, BWV 1011, was originally written in scordatura, a practice sometimes found in string music of the period, with the top A string of the instrument tuned down to G. The opening Prélude has a slower, embellished introduction before an extended faster fugal section in triple metre, it's fugal texture largely implied. An ornamented Allemande is duly followed by it's companion Courante and a slow Sarabande that strangely avoids the chordal pattern of it's predecessors. A first Gavotte is repeated after the unusual compound rhythm of the second Gavotte and the suite ends with a Gigue in dotted rhythm. The sixth of the suites, the Suite in D major, BWV 1012, is written for a five-string instrument, with an additional top string tuned to E. It has been suggested that Bach wrote this more difficult suite for the viola pomposa, a five-string viola that found occasional use from 1725 to about 1770. It seems, however, that Bach designed this work for the violoncello piccolo, a smaller form of cello, designed for more elaborate solo work and one that he uses elsewhere. The Prélude opens with the characteristic sound of bariolage, as the player repeats the note D on alternate strings. The Allemande has elaborate figuration and the companion Courante again exploits the wider possible range of the five-string instrument. A Sarabande is followed by a pair of Gavottes, played in alternation, and the suite ends with the customary and here demanding Gigue.

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Bach: Cello Suites / Kliegel
Naxos Feb 2005
CD
~~$29.99~~ $14.99

Bach: French Suites Nos. 1-6 - Schoenberg: Piano Suite
Bridge Records Nov 2008
CD
$37.99

Langlais: Suite Medievale - Cinq Meditations sur l'Apocalyps
Naxos Jan 1996
CD
$19.99

Suite A major
Carpe Diem Oct 2019
CD
$20.99

Bach: Suites No 2, 3 And 6 / Maxim Rysanov

BIS

SACD

$21.99 Apr 29, 2014

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

In the early days of CDs, it always was cause for special comment in reviews (and a high rating for sound!) whenever you came across a recording so realistic and natural it seemed as if the performer was right there in the room with you. This disc would have received that production accolade, and happily gets similarly high marks for its first rate, reference-quality performances.

This is certainly not the first time Bach’s suites for solo cello have been performed on viola–a perfectly natural adaptation and transposition, the viola strings identically configured, their tuning an octave higher than the cello–and while there’s no definitive version of the score, there are contemporary copies of these pieces that enable an arranger/adapter such as Simon Rowland-Jones (in this case) to create a performing edition that’s both faithful to Bach and idiomatic to the instrument in question.

And speaking of faithful, violist Maxim Rysanov plays with a respect for the score–no distracting affectations here!–but also distinguishing his interpretations with a well-considered assertiveness in tone and articulation that confirms the viola’s voice as, if not equal in depth and sheer sonic power to that of the cello, at least as technically impressive and musically satisfying. Rysanov performs these three suites on his 1780 Guadagnini viola, and proudly explains his decision to perform Suite No. 6, originally written for a five-stringed instrument, in its original key–D major–in spite of the difficulty this presents for a player on a four-string viola. (This same approach was successfully executed by violist Patricia McCarty in her viola-traversal of the cello suites for Ashmont several years ago–read review here).

That “up-close and realistic” digital sound we marveled at back in the 1980s often had one drawback, due to the newness of the technology, or simply to the ignorance or unawareness of the production team: along with the timbral realism of the strings or flute or piano or whatever came the presence of the equally, frighteningly natural breathing and wheezing and occasional humming and groaning of the performer, or the clicking and clacking of valves or keys, not to mention the squeaking and screeching of fingers sliding on guitar strings. Thankfully, although we do occasionally hear evidence of Rysanov’s physical, breath-taking existence, it’s minimally distracting (unless you choose to clap on the headphones and turn up the volume).

Rysanov recorded the other three suites for BIS on an earlier CD, and it’s clear that in these confident, exemplary readings he confirms these works as legitimate viola concert pieces rather than simply useful studies or “borrowed” material for an instrument short on its own substantive solo repertoire. In fact, in Bach’s own time and place, “authentic” Bach sometimes meant recycled, re-purposed Bach–keyboard concertos from violin concertos; mass movements from cantata movements; sacred works from secular ones. The idea of making transcriptions or arrangements of Bach is as old as the composer himself.

Many violists besides Rysanov have taken on the cello suites (in several different editions)–but of course this practice doesn’t stop with the viola: Bach made an arrangement of the C minor suite BWV 1011 for lute, and indeed the lute and guitar are the instruments of choice in many modern transcriptions. And the ready adaptability of these pieces to other instruments or ensemble forms isn’t confined to plucked and bowed strings–or even to the world of the traditional classical music stage. Let’s enjoy a great example, from the Gigue of the C major suite BWV 1009–an energetic, sometimes feisty little piece that brings out the livelier side of two very different interpreters: Rysanov with his solo viola, and the Swingle Singers of 1964. Whatever your preference, you have to agree–it’s Bach, and it works.

-- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

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Bach: Suites No 2, 3 And 6 / Maxim Rysanov
BIS Apr 2014
SACD
$21.99

Schreker: The Birthday of the Infanta - Suite / Falletta, Berlin Radio Symphony

Naxos

$19.99 Oct 12, 2018

Franz Schreker was a prominent figure in early 20th-century Austro-German music, his reputation as an opera composer rivaling that of Richard Strauss. The Prelude to a Drama is the concert overture of Schreker’s acclaimed opera Die Gezeichneten, a lurid drama involving murder and madness. Conceived as a theatrical pantomime, The Birthday of the Infanta adapts Oscar Wilde’s tragic tale of an ugly dwarf who dies of a broken heart, while the Romantic Suite fully explores the composer’s colorfully detailed and translucent orchestration and lyrical expressiveness. The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra dates back to the beginnings of music broadcasting in 1923. Since then it has developed its position to become one of Berlin’s top orchestras, and today is ranked in the highest echelon of German radio orchestras. JoAnn Falletta became the first female conductor to lead a major American ensemble upon her appointment as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1999.

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REVIEW:

Falletta obtains excellent playing from the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra with enormous climatic moments, opportunities for which are readily at hand in his late-Romantic, opulent orchestral scores. The sound quality from the German Radio is way beyond today’s norm. Unreservedly recommended.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

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Schreker: The Birthday of the Infanta - Suite / Falletta, Berlin Radio Symphony
Naxos Oct 2018
CD
$19.99

SIX SUITES FOR VIOLONCELLO SOL

Eigenart

$23.99 Jan 28, 2014

• J.S. Bach's Six Cello Suites occupy a very special place in the history of western music. Dozens of recordings exist, many more have certainly be made and many more will surely come. • Claus Kanngiesser, who studued with Pablo Casals, has now undertaken a recording of these pieces for Edition EigenArt at TACET. • With a distinctive and personal way of playing, he questions interpretative rituals and taboos of playing technique, supplying information on these matters in the accompanying booklet.

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SIX SUITES FOR VIOLONCELLO SOL
Eigenart Jan 2014
CD
$23.99

Bernstein: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite, Slava!, CBS Music & A Bernstein Birthday Bouquet / Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Oct 12, 2018

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.

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Bernstein: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite, Slava!, CBS Music & A Bernstein Birthday Bouquet / Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra
Naxos Oct 2018
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben & Der Rosenkavalier Suite / Sondergaard, RSNO

Linn Records

$20.99 Apr 12, 2019

This recording is the first in a new series with Thomas Søndergård and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The programme features music by Richard Strauss: the concert suite from Der Rosenkavalier and Ein Heldenleben, a work they have performed together in concert to critical acclaim. The tone poem tells the epic story of an imaginary hero and offers a stirring introduction to the world of the German Romantics. Strauss demands uncompromising virtuosity from both the orchestra and the horn player who is tasked with portraying the bold hero. Following a concert performance of Ein Heldenleben in March 2018 The Scotsman stated: “From the swaggering confidence of Strauss’s bounding heroic theme to the gleefully grotesque carpings of his critics, Søndergård delivered a bold, utterly committed account – this is clearly music that matters to him.” Closing the recording is the concert suite from Der Rosenkavalier in which Strauss’s colourful and evocative orchestration recalls many favourite moments from his most popular opera.

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Strauss: Ein Heldenleben & Der Rosenkavalier Suite / Sondergaard, RSNO
Linn Records Apr 2019
CD
$20.99

SIBELIUS SUITES: PELLEAS & MELISANDE KARELIA KING
ALTO Oct 2019
CD
$11.49

Elgar: Wand Of Youth Suite, Etc / Del Mar, Thomson

Chandos

$13.99 May 01, 2007

Childhood-related but mature and attractive music, well performed and recorded.

Bryden Thomson had something of a reputation for slowish tempi, savouring the music a little too much as he went along. I find this less irksome in his performances of Bax, for example, than some reviewers, and it is not too much in evidence here. He is often faster than Boult; only rarely is he slower.

The Slumber Scene (track 6) is one exception: here, at 4:27, he is exactly a whole minute slower than Boult’s 3:27. EM, who has already reviewed this recording – see review – also noted that Thomson takes whole minute longer over this movement than Handley – at least, I think he meant to say that Thomson was slower, not shorter.

Not recalling that I had thought this movement at all slow in my first run-through, I let several days elapse before listening carefully to the Boult version, fully prepared to think his timing too rushed. It was no such thing – he captures the spirit of the piece perfectly. Having put on the Boult recording in order to check the one track, I just couldn’t resist playing the whole thing. This is a wonderful recording and EMI should urgently consider reissuing it, perhaps more appropriately coupled – the music and performance are even worthy to sit alongside the Enigma Variations. I note that JQ welcomed its most recent appearance on EMI British Classics with enthusiasm.

Then I played the Thomson again and derived equal pleasure from it. At first I thought the recording not quite as full as the Boult – EMI’s ADD sound is very good for its age – but that is an aural delusion resulting from the fact that the EMI transfer is at a slightly higher rate: turn up the Chandos a notch and the illusion disappears. Both performances and recordings deliver plenty of power where it is need.

Did Thomson’s Slumber Scene sound too slumberous? Only marginally – heard on its own, without comparison, it’s perfectly fine. I’ve said so often that tempo indications don’t always tell the full story that it’s time that I got it into my own noddle. I do think, however, that the March which begins the second suite (tr.8) is a touch slow at 4:58 against Boult’s 4:26.

The Nursery Suite and Dream Children also receive fine performances – the latter from Norman del Mar, always idiomatic in English music – well recorded. At its new price, this recording is very welcome. In the absence of the Boult (temporary, I hope) this will do very nicely.

If you enjoy these pieces, you will probably react favourably to Elgar’s other piece of childhood-related music, The Starlight Express, Op.78 - not to be confused with the West End musical of that name; there’s a wonderful budget-price Vernon Handley version on Classics For Pleasure 5859072.

-- Brian Wilson, MusicWeb International

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Elgar: Wand Of Youth Suite, Etc / Del Mar, Thomson
Chandos May 2007
CD
$13.99

Bach: Orchestral Suites - Transcribed for Piano Duet by Eleonor Bindman

Grand Piano

$19.99 Nov 11, 2022

To watch a live Q&A with pianist Eleonor Bindman discussing the recording of her transcriptions of Bach's Orchestral Suites, click here.

Eleonor Bindman’s new arrangement of Bach’s Orchestral Suites for piano duet follows her widely admired recording of the six Brandenburg Concertos (GP777–78). Once again, the transcription reimagines Bach’s writing using the modern piano, in this case a Bösendorfer. Bindman and her Duo Vivace partner, Susan Sobolewski, draw upon the suite’s dance movements to suggest how Bach might have distributed the material, ordering them for maximum contrast, and succeeding in conveying the music’s vitality and beauty in a new medium.

REVIEW:

This is the world premiere recording of Eleonor Bindman’s arrangement for four hands at one piano of Bach’s four Orchestral Suites. Much like Bindman’s arrangements of the Brandenburg Concertos, this is not a small undertaking. Bindman’s partner for the Brandenburgs was Jenny Lin, and here Susan Sobolewski fills that role admirably. The pianists trade places on the piano bench, so each gets two suites playing the upper part and two playing the lower.

Nothing I heard in these arrangements seemed out of place, and the phrasing and dynamic shaping of the lines were exceptional. This new set is satisfying and very musical. It will give you a fresh look at some of Bach’s greatest works in piano arrangements that work quite well.

-- American Record Guide (James Harrington)

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Bach: Orchestral Suites - Transcribed for Piano Duet by Eleonor Bindman
Grand Piano Nov 2022
CD
$19.99

J.s. Bach: Six French Suites Bwv 812-817; Little Preludes

Musica Omnia

$25.99 Oct 10, 2011

Bach's French Suites are pieces that underwent many revisions. Unlike Bach's Partitas, which were published and therefore frozen in their state at the time of publication, the French Suites were didactic pieces, with many variants. Some early versions appear in the 1722 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which contains two full suites (BWV 815 and 816) together with parts of the first two suites. Peter Watchorn discusses how Bach used these suites for teaching in his interesting liner-notes. These take the form of an imaginary interview with Johann Sebastian Bach.

The first thing that strikes the listener is the clear, rich sound of the harpsichord, a Zuckerman copy of a Christian Vater instrument from 1738. Not only does this harpsichord offer an extremely balanced sound from the low end to the treble, but the recording itself enhances the musicality of the instrument. It sounds warm and full, without the sometimes harsh high end that can be tiring to listen to. Also, it is worth noting that Watchorn uses Bradley Lehman's tuning scheme, described here.

Watchorn's performances here are delightful. His playing ranges from dainty to powerful according to the needs of each specific movement. He takes full advantage of the wide spectrum of sounds his harpsichord can voice, offering tasteful ornamentation and subtle accents when desirable.

One thing that Watchorn does here that sets this recording apart from others involves interpolating preludes into those suites that lack a prelude. He has restored the prelude to the 4th suite, and plays other preludes before the suites that do not contain any. His reasoning, laid out in the liner-notes, is in part due to the fact that Bach and his sons would "improvise" preludes when playing these suites. To this end, he uses preludes from a variety of sources: The Well-Tempered Clavier, other uncollected preludes, and even BWV 999, a prelude that Bach wrote for the lute, and which is well-known.

I am very familiar with the French Suites, having long appreciated these beautiful works. Adding preludes to them is interesting, but when one has listened to them without these preludes for so long, it can be jarring to hear them with what seem like "intruders", especially those preludes that are familiar from The Well-Tempered Clavier, or the prelude for lute. I admire the research that has gone into this choice, but I will choose to listen to the French Suites without these additional movements. It is like Bach's Art of Fugue. For a long time, it was thought that the unfinished fugue was the final part of the work; it certainly sounds like a summation of the rest of the fugues, and its ending in suspension is a fitting ending for the entire work. But musicologists have shown us that its position in the work was much earlier. Nevertheless, I simply cannot listen to it in its proper position.

This set also contains the twenty "Little Preludes", other didactic works from the Clavierbüchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Among these works, Watchorn "completed" the prelude BWV 932, which existed as a fragment. I find the Little Preludes interesting, but they certainly don't stand up to the French Suites. These are not works I return to often, though Watchorn's recordings are up to the same standards as the French Suites.

To sum up, this is a fine recording of the French Suites, with the odd aspect of the additional preludes. It is up to the listener to decide whether or not he or she wishes to hear the suites in this manner. Given the quality of the performances and especially the excellent recording, this set is among the best harpsichord recordings of these works.

-- Kirk McElhearn, MusicWeb International

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J.s. Bach: Six French Suites Bwv 812-817; Little Preludes
Musica Omnia Oct 2011
CD
$25.99

Khachaturian: Othello Suite, Battle of Stalingrad Suite / Adriano

Naxos

$19.99 Jul 08, 2014

This disc was one of Ian Lace’s Recommended Original Film Score Recordings when first issued at full price as Marco Polo 8.223314. Here it resurfaces at upper bargain price.

Khachaturian, like many another composer, major and lesser, in Soviet Russia, turned his hand to the cinema and did so pretty extensively. This was a great leveller, a ready source of income and a means of reaching out to mass audiences across the Union. The pity is that we see so few of those films. If we think at all about them we much more readily accept seeing them written off as the work of political hacks. The composer’s first effort – of eighteen - was the film Pepo written for the Armenian Film Board a few years before his First Symphony (1934). His last film dated from 1960.

Here are suites assembled from the music for two of Khachaturian’s cinema scores. They are played for all they are worth. Adherents of this composer and of twentieth century music of the USSR will want to hear how he fared in dealing with the silver screen.

The Battle of Stalingrad original score ran to some two hours. The titles give us some impression of what is featured in this suite: I. A City on the Volga - II. The Invasion; IIIa. Stalingrad in Flames; IIIb. The Enemy is doomed; IV. For our Motherland; To the Attack! - Eternal Glory to the Heroes; V. To Victory - VI. There is a Cliff on the Volga. Much of this is urgent and not specially subtle – then again this is not meant to be about subtlety. The music often has a furious seething energy typical of the militaristic bravado found in the music for the Roman legionaries in Spartacus. We also hear little half-echoes of The Great Gate of Kiev. There are some glowing interludes such as that to be found in the almost Bridge-like battlefield bleakness of tr. 3 and at the close of tr. 4 (Eternal Glory to the Heroes). There are also moments that seem to evoke the composer’s great ballets – especially Spartacus. The cheery brassy march that is To Victory is noticeably purged of the ferocity to be found in the turbulent flag-waving first movement. This could almost be a march by Arthur Bliss. There’s a brass band version of the suite on Lawo which Nick Barnard did not think much of.

Both Chandos and Capriccio have done extensive series of the film music of Shostakovich. No such thorough efforts have gone in Khachaturian’s direction. There has been this single disc from Naxos and some film suites from ASV. Indeed fifteen minutes of Loris Tjeknavorian’s take on The Battle of Stalingrad was issued on Alto. It was originally issued with the Second Symphony.

If the Stalingrad score’s gaudy virtues are embraced, often at the expense of the more understated and nuanced, Othello from 1955 is much more multi-faceted. This is as befits a presumably fairly classy Shakespeare film in a translation made by Boris Pasternak – he of Doctor Zhivago fame. The Prologue and Intermezzo is especially touching with a memorable tolling solo violin which returns in the finale. There’s also some extremely inventive writing in a mode recalling Prokofiev who had died two years before this film. The Desdemona Arioso is a swellingly emotional vocalise for soprano with orchestra with more than few links with the famous Adagio from Spartacus. The little Venice Nocturne (tr.4) is a lovely miniature, showing as does much of this score, that Khachaturian is much more than a peddler of crushingly loud music. The grey psychological aspects of Nocturnal Murder make way for the intensity of Othello’s Despair. The urgently rushing A Fit of Jealousy will have you thinking of the ruthlessly athletic music for Crassus in Spartacus. If Khachaturian indulges in a Hollywood-style choir in the Finale – well, why not, and it is by no means cheesy.

The recording is extremely good despite its 25 year vintage. The notes by the conductor are helpful in placing the score and the films from which this music is drawn.

I hope that at some time, in a world where there are seemingly hundreds of film channels, we will get to see these films.

There you have it: specialist territory maybe but two very welcome substantial suites from the world of Khachaturian’s film music.

– Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

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Khachaturian: Othello Suite, Battle of Stalingrad Suite / Adriano
Naxos Jul 2014
CD
$19.99

Saariaho: Emilie Suite; Quatre Instants; Terra Memoria

Ondine

$18.99 Jan 13, 2015

Helsinki–born Parisian Kaija Saariaho’s music sounds like little else, its kaleidoscopic magic evoking Debussy refracted into the twenty-first century. This album includes the ghostly Terra memoria for string orchestra, expanded from a chamber original for the Emerson String Quartet. The beautifully scored vocal suite from Emilie, a 2011 one-woman opera about pioneering eighteenth-century scientist Emilie du Châtelet, will appeal to those beguiled by Saariaho’s dazzling first opera, L’Amour de loin (the works share a librettist, too, French-Lebanese poet Amin Maalouf). One can’t imagine the high-flying vocal role’s originator, Finnish diva Karita Mattila, being much better than French soprano Karen Vourc’h is here, nor in the shimmering song cycle Quatre Instants, also written for Mattila.

– Bradley Bambarger, Listen Magazine

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Saariaho: Emilie Suite; Quatre Instants; Terra Memoria
Ondine Jan 2015
CD
$18.99

Prokofiev: On Guard For Peace, Queen Of Spades Suite / Jarvi, Tchistjakova, Docherty, Royal Scottish NO

Chandos

$21.99 May 26, 2009

PROKOFIEV On Guard for Peace. 1 The Queen of Spades: Suite (elab. Berkeley) • Neeme Järvi, cond; Irina Tchistjakova (mez, nar); 1 Niall Docherty (boy sop); 1 Royal Scottish Natl O, Junior Ch, 1 Ch 1 • CHANDOS 10519 (66:05 Text and Translation)

Neeme Järvi has made a considerable reputation by conducting and recording music that is peripheral to the mainstream repertoire. In so doing, he does not have to compete with A-list conductors and makes listeners interested in this seldom performed music happy at the same time. When he ventures into the standard repertoire, the results are frequently mediocre at best (his Chandos Brahms symphonies are a case in point). Järvi can legitimately be called a Prokofiev specialist. His Chandos cycle of the complete Prokofiev symphonies was generally well received despite some pretty fierce high frequency harshness from a sonic standpoint. In keeping with his reputation, Järvi also recorded many obscure Prokofiev works as fillers, in addition to important albums featuring orchestral suites from The Stone Flower and War and Peace , among others. So, a CD containing The Queen of Spades Suite and the oratorio, On Guard for Peace , is hardly surprising.

The Queen of Spades is described on the album cover as a symphonic suite containing rediscovered music from an unrealized film score arranged and elaborated by Michael Berkeley. Clearly, from that description, this is not all pure Prokofiev. The lengthy but somewhat nebulous program notes confirm that Berkeley actually composed some of the music, and a portion of Prokofiev’s original material actually appeared elsewhere (for example, the second section is built on a melody also heard in the third movement of the composer’s Fifth Symphony). Not to worry. There is more than enough here to satisfy Prokofiev lovers, even if it is a bit of a pastiche that does not contain much of his most personally individual music. Berkeley succeeds in arranging all of it into a dramatically effective orchestral suite. This happens to be very appropriate because of the fact that Prokofiev is probably first and foremost a suite writer (as opposed to a natural symphonist like Shostakovich).

In the context of the political propaganda emerging from Russia at the time, the title On Guard for Peace does not sound promising. The orchestral contribution is fine and has Prokofiev’s unmistakable sound, but the fairly extensive narration (in Russian) is not very listener friendly. The vocal soloists aren’t much better, including a wobbly mezzo-soprano (who doubles as the narrator) and a boy soprano desperately searching for the correct pitch. The text is blatant propaganda (there is nothing like a children’s chorus to proclaim the party line joyfully). Some of it does sound a little bit like Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible , but the level of inspiration is infinitely lower. Järvi is quite ideal as a conductor of obscure Prokofiev, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra seems to have those typical sonorities in their blood. The sound is typical for Chandos with a little haziness and high frequency harshness. Anyone who values Järvi’s Prokofiev series should enjoy this release.

FANFARE: Arthur Lintgen

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Prokofiev: On Guard For Peace, Queen Of Spades Suite / Jarvi, Tchistjakova, Docherty, Royal Scottish NO
Chandos May 2009
CD
$21.99