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Anderson: Sleigh Ride & Other Holiday Favorites / Slatkin, BBC Concert Orchestra
Naxos · Oct 2008CD$19.99 -
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Klughardt: Lenore - Symphonic Poem, Op. 27; Gernsheim: At A Drama / Mayrhofer, Anhaltische Philharmonic
Sterling Records · Aug 2013CD$20.99 -
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SaleIan Partridge 85th Birthday Tribute - Stimme der Liebe (The Voice of Love)
SOMM Recordings · Jun 2023CD$20.99$15.99 -
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Vivaldi: L'eleganza Capricciosa / Plewniak, Cappella Dell'Ospedale Della Pieta
Evoe · Jan 2020CD$18.99 -
Weinberg: Symphony No. 19, Banners Of Peace / Lande, St. Petersburg Symphony
Naxos · Nov 2012CD$19.99 -
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Sirens' Song / Christophers, The Sixteen
Coro
CD
$10.49
$20.99
Save 50%
Sep 01, 2023
What would singing be without words? When you combine wonderful poetry with exquisite music, the result is magical. In a rare break from the sacred collections they are famed for, this album from The Sixteen features a whole program of secular music devoted to English partsongs. From Stanford’s cycle of Eight Partsongs based on the sparing yet infectious poetry of Mary Elizabeth Coleridge to Bridges’ lyrically descriptive writing in Finzi’s Seven Poems of Robert Bridges and Imogen Holst’s six idyllic partsongs Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow using verses by John Keats, each setting captures the mood of the poem brilliantly.
Handel: Messiah
Château de Versailles Spectacles
CD
$29.99
Nov 17, 2023
When one of the most illustrious sopranists of our time becomes a conductor, he chooses nothing less than Messiah! Franco Fagioli paints a fresco of Handel's masterpiece with a Latin exaltation, drawing this great English Baroque oratorio in the colours of the Mediterranean, together with the famous Barcelona choir and their Caravaggesque chiaroscuro, which gives the work a shimmer of moiré. The Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal provides the backdrop for the splendours revealed by the soloists, who take us on a journey of joy and sorrow through the life and Passion of Christ: "Behold, I tell you a Mystery … "
Haydn: String Quartets Vol. 6 / Leipziger Streichquartett
MDG
CD
$23.99
Sep 01, 2013
HAYDN String Quartets, op. 33/1, 3, 5 • Leipzig Str Qrt • MDG 3071812 (64:55)
The Leipzig Quartet is a group that subscribes to the historically-informed religion of straight tone; thus when this disc begins one hears the group playing a held chord that sounds a bit like cats whining. This impression never quite leaves one, but it does dissipate; as soon as the music changes you become aware that this group is really stylish. They understand phrasing and dynamics; nothing in these performances smacks of streamlining, of just rattling out the notes as quickly as possible to achieve maximum excitement. The modern proclivity towards “fast and furious” is not in their musical lexicon. As a result, these performances really speak to you. They have something interesting to say. Despite the persistent straight tone, they are truly lovely, suggesting at different times humor, elegance, melancholy or joy in turn. In short, I really liked these recordings. This is how I want my Haydn to sound (the straight tone excepted).
This set is marked as Vol. 6 in an apparently ongoing series of Haydn quartets. I’d certainly be interested in hearing the other discs, particularly of the early quartets which are so often played in a flippant and uninteresting manner. I will refrain from saying, as the liner notes do, that they are “one of the most exciting string quartets” (thank goodness they didn’t add the tag line “of their generation”), because I do not equate outstanding artistic interpretive qualities with “excitement.” That belongs to those Italian HIP orchestras that play everything in a rattletrap, full-speed-ahead zip-a-de-doo-dah manner. The Leipzig Quartet is made up of musicians, and that is more than enough for me. Highly recommended.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
Anderson: Sleigh Ride & Other Holiday Favorites / Slatkin, BBC Concert Orchestra
Naxos
CD
$19.99
Oct 28, 2008
It's hard not to like Leroy Anderson, a skilled orchestral craftsman with a rich supply of clever ideas, an ingratiating musical imagination, and, thank heaven, a sense of humor. Most of his music embodies the term "American light classical", and you can't listen to pieces such as Sleigh Ride or Bugler's Holiday without a smile and feeling just a bit lighter of spirit. The selections featured here, billed as a "collection of Leroy Anderson's holiday music", are taken from Naxos' excellent multi-volume series devoted to Anderson's orchestral music. Although it's not clear why such numbers as Horse and Buggy, The Waltzing Cat, and The Golden Years are here, in style and mood they take nothing away from the more obvious Christmas/holiday pieces. And while it's possible to imagine just a bit more personality and panache in the articulation in some places (à la Boston Pops), Leonard Slatkin is an unqualified expert in this repertoire, and he leads his British orchestra with consummately entertaining style, all of it most favorably recorded.
Four years ago Decca released A Leroy Anderson Christmas, which contains many of the same works featured on this program--performed both by the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler (Sleigh Ride) and by Anderson conducting his own orchestra. Although that one is worthy for its historical aspects, this one is superior for its consistently high-quality performances, much more satisfying ambience, and first-rate sound. Highly recommended.
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
Four years ago Decca released A Leroy Anderson Christmas, which contains many of the same works featured on this program--performed both by the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler (Sleigh Ride) and by Anderson conducting his own orchestra. Although that one is worthy for its historical aspects, this one is superior for its consistently high-quality performances, much more satisfying ambience, and first-rate sound. Highly recommended.
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2, Sonatensatz & Notturno / Busch Trio
Alpha
CD
$20.99
Oct 23, 2020
After its recording of Dvorák’s complete chamber music with piano, the Busch Trio now tackles three works by Franz Schubert, including his famous Piano Trio no.2. While the dying composer dedicated this masterpiece ‘to nobody, save those who find pleasure in it,’ as if urging them to enjoy the life that was gradually ebbing away from him, his “Notturno” for piano trio D 897 expresses an anguish and a sense of tragedy that makes it one of the most eloquent examples of Romantic lyricism. Schubert’s early period is represented by his very first piece for piano and strings, the single-movement Sonatensatz D28, which he composed at the age of fifteen. Written following the youthful Schubert’s expulsion from the Imperial Choir School in Vienna after his voice broke (he lost his mother the same year), this piece, still heavily influenced by Classicism, offers a troubling counterpoint to the works of his Romantic maturity, which reflect both the joy of creation and the suffering wrought by illness.
Verum Gaudium
Genuin
CD
$15.99
$20.99
Save 25%
Jul 05, 2024
In a time when life seemed to offer little joy for many people, at least that is how it seems to us today, they sought inner, "true" joy and poured their thoughts and feelings into music, capturing this radiance, this wellspring, and transforming it into sound: on their new GENUIN album, Consort Ripieno Concertino presents Baroque ensemble music that brings joy to our hearts and a smile to our faces! The program features works by Johann Ludwig and Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Sammartini, and Jean-Marie Leclair - delicately scored, transparently, and melodiously played. A source of warmth from days gone by.
Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 6 / Meyer, Opella Musica
CPO
CD
$18.99
Oct 15, 2021
Vol. 6 of this complete recording presents what might be termed the opposite ends of the broad spectrum covered by Kuhnau’s music, both in formal matters and in chronological respects. On the one hand, in “Ihr Himmel jubiliert von oben” and “Lobet, ihr Himmel, den Herrn” we have two magnificent Ascension cantatas for large ensembles from Kuhnau’s late period as St. Thomas music director. On the other hand, “Bone Jesu, care Jesu” and “Laudate pueri Dominum,” works of Italian stamp scored for chamber ensemble from Kuhnau’s time as a St. Thomas organist with a wide range of activities, offer exemplary illustrations of the sacred concerto of the late seventeenth century. “Ich freue mich im Herrn” for four concertists, choir, and strings occupies a middle position between these works and offers an interesting mixture consisting of the concerto-aria-cantata popular in the late seventeenth century and the rondo form and is borne musically by the affection of joy. Once again the Opella Musica ensemble of soloists founded by Gregor Meyer in 2011 and the historically oriented Camerata Lipsiensis orchestra interpret the cantatas on the basis of the recently published critical musicological edition.
QUIET CITY
WARNER CLASSICS
CD
$17.28
Sep 29, 2023
Quiet City - Alison Balsom, Scott Stroman, Britten Sinfonia - "This album has been an utter joy to make [...] The concept of this project began decades ago, when I decided that Copland's Quiet City was a work that everyone needed to hear - especially so as Copland reveals the scene so brilliantly via the solo trumpet and cor. There is a true melancholy in this work that only a certain type of trumpet playing can achieve, and across the collection on the album I've tried to show that through the unique lens of the trumpet, the wonderful bridge and mutual respect between the classical composers and arrangers, and the jazz greats can be seen. For many of us, the sentiment behind Quiet City is pertinent at the moment, as we emerge from the loneliness of the pandemic and into another chapter of darkness in today's turbulent world." Warner Classics
IN CHICAGO
ERMITAGE
Vinyl
$21.49
Mar 28, 2025
Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago is revered among jazz aficionados as an essential document of late 1950s hard bop. It captures two of the greatest saxophonists in jazz, Adderley and Coltrane, at a time when they were both at a creative peak. The album is a vital recording from a golden era in jazz, featuring a rare and electric partnership between two saxophone giants. It's hard bop foundation, infused with hints of modal jazz, places it among the most important recordings of it's time. The album was recorded the February 3, 1959 during a time when Adderley was playing as part of Miles Davis' group, and it captures the quintet during a pivotal moment in jazz history. On Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, you can hear Coltrane at a transitional stage, balancing between his earlier bebop style and the modal, more avant-garde approaches he would later pursue. His interaction with Adderley is fascinating because it blends his dense harmonic language with Adderley's more traditional, bluesy approach. Cannonball Adderley had been recruited by Miles Davis in 1957, joining what would become one of the most influential jazz groups of all time. Adderley's style was deeply rooted in the blues, and he brought a strong sense of soulfulness and swing to the Davis group. While Davis' style was often cool and restrained, Adderley's alto saxophone was the opposite: robust, fiery, and emotional. Adderley's command of the instrument was remarkable, and his ability to balance technical prowess with a highly accessible, bluesy feel is on full display throughout Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago. His solos are expressive and lyrical, often imbued with a sense of joy and exuberance. This makes for a perfect contrast to Coltrane's playing, which at this point was becoming more dense and harmonically complex
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
DECCA
Vinyl
$27.49
Apr 21, 2023
Vinyl LP pressing. There is no stopping Jeff Goldblum and his inimitable style, especially when it comes to something as close to his heart as playing the piano. Goldblum, together with his longtime band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, delivers sheer joy with his idiosyncratic take on a collection of standards that are amongst the best songs ever written. Here, the actor yet again brings his on-screen charisma and eccentricities to the keys, with a groove that is totally unique.
BOTH WORLDS
DIGGERS FACTORY
CD
$15.49
Feb 27, 2026
Both worlds : two worlds... at the same time ! As in "the best of both worlds," where one undoubtedly wants to have everything but also offer the best of each universe. Both Worlds, a new step for Michel Petrucciani, or how to juxtapose distinct (id)entities and bring together the best of reciprocal elements, for the duration of a tour, a record, a wide-scale project. Dualism, then, but also balance. Geographical, from Paris to New York, and cultural, with three European musicians and three Americans. Both Worlds is clearly the testimony of the fruitful encounter between two worlds, between a composer and an arranger; the collaboration of two creative spaces that are dissimilar yet compatible. For the first time in his career, Michel Petrucciani entrusted his most accomplished compositions to another tailor of jazz and poet of made-to-measure, Bob Brookmeyer. The result is a magical undertaking, retaining that particularly distinctive "two worlds" character in the pianist's work: a writing imbued with classics and standards, over one of the most modern rhythm sections. Joy, melancholy, humor and moods, this recording displays a rich emotional palette and a few nods to Rodgers & Hart (Petite Louise), Return to Forever (35 Seconds of Music and More), Maurice Chevalier (On Top of the Roof) and Hollywood musicals (Chloe Meets Gershwin referring to A Foggy Day and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers by Johnny Mercer). Within an abundant discography, Both Worlds innovates and profiles the pianist's work in a new light. For the first time as well, Michel Petrucciani assembles a genuine group and builds a homogeneous formation where his presence and role are no longer perceived as dominant elements. While in many of his previous records the piano seemed to leap out of the rhythm section for an obvious highlighting, Both Worlds deliberately inserts Petrucciani within the group, and makes the pianist an integrated element of the whole, allowing him to be the leader without acting like one. Another novelty: Michel Petrucciani uses the horns here as never before; they no longer intervene only as soloists but in a new context, as accompaniment and counterpoint. If this record could only come to life thanks to an intense collaboration between composer and arranger, the unexpected production work of drummer Steve Gadd surely contributed to it's creation. Thanks to his experience in the most diverse contexts and to a solid friendship with Michel Petrucciani, he was able to provide knowledgeable suggestions and above all appropriate structural ideas. Both Worlds like the two flat faces of the same coin, the work of a Michel Petrucciani thus doubly generous and in a language that is as simply universal as possible. Thierry Peremarti, New York, September 1997
Klughardt: Lenore - Symphonic Poem, Op. 27; Gernsheim: At A Drama / Mayrhofer, Anhaltische Philharmonic
Sterling Records
CD
$20.99
Aug 01, 2013
KLUGHARDT Symphony No. 2, “Lenore” 1. GERNSHEIM Zu einem Drama 2 • 1 Manfred Mayrhofer, 2 Klaus Arp, cond; 1 Anhaltische PO; 2 SWR Kaiserlautern SO • STERLING 10962 (51:07)
This disc is a bit of an oddity with respect to the contents. While released only in 2012 and coming to me this year, the recordings on it were made respectively on October 14, 2002 (a live concert performance of the Klughardt) and July 6, 1995 (a studio recording of the Gernsheim). No explanation is provided as to why the issuance of either item was so long delayed. At any rate, these are world premiere recordings of two works by two significant but hitherto neglected German composers of the Romantic era, whose music has only in the last decade or so become somewhat better known. As I have approvingly reviewed previously issued discs of other works by both composers in these pages, I happily return to both of them again.
In 34:5 and 36:4 I favorably reviewed CDs of chamber music by August Klughardt (1847–1902): two different recordings of his Piano Quintet, coupled respectively to ones of his String Quartet and Piano Quintet. While noting that he became an avowed disciple of the Liszt/Wagner “New German School” after meeting Liszt (an event variously dated to either 1871 or 1873 in different sources; 1871 appears to be correct), the major influences on his chamber music were Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms, with some Liszt thrown in at points for good measure. By contrast, in this Symphony, Klughardt’s allegiance to Liszt and Wagner—albeit the earlier Wagner of Rienzi and the scenes of pageantry in Tannhäuser and Lohengrin —is complete and self-evident.
The “Lenore” Symphony has a decidedly complicated background story. Klughardt worked on the score between 1871 and 1873, immediately upon first meeting Liszt. At this time he also met Joachim Raff, who was likewise identified with the New German School to the extent that he approved of and wrote program music. Unaware that Raff also was working on a symphony (his No. 5) based on the poetic ballad Lenore by Gottfried August Bürger (1747–1794), Klughardt discussed the poem with Raff and played portions of his draft score for him. Raff apparently said nothing to Klughardt and proceeded to finish and premiere his own work first. When Klughardt later became aware of Raff’s Symphony, he wrote Raff a letter in which he apologized to him for poaching on the latter’s turf. Moreover, he then published his own work as a symphonic poem rather than a symphony, though he continued to number it as a symphony in his personal catalog. This in turn has led to confusion among writers as to whether Klughardt wrote six or seven symphonies. To complicate the numbering of Klughardt’s symphonies further, there are: a) an unpublished early Symphony in F Minor, performed in 1871 but then withdrawn by the composer; and b) another Symphony in F Minor, dating from 1876, that was numbered and published as his Symphony No. 2. Thus, depending on who has counted what, this “Lenore” Symphony has been variously referred to as an unnumbered symphonic poem, Symphony No. 1, or Symphony No. 2.
The “Lenore” Symphony is cast in four movements, although the second and third ones are joined together such that they form one continuous movement and effectively reduce the total to three. The music follows the plot of the poem quite closely (Klughardt prefaces each movement with a quotation from the ballad). The young maiden Lenore anxiously awaits the return of her sweetheart Wilhelm, who has been fighting as a soldier in the army of King Frederick II of Prussia in the Seven Years’ War. The war has ended and soldiers are returning, jubilant, from the battlefield. When Wilhelm fails to appear, the distraught Lenore utters a blasphemous attack upon God, which causes all to withdraw from her in horror. Deserted, she suddenly hears a knock at the house door; she opens it and to her joy Wilhelm is there, clad in armor. He tells her that he has come to take her to their wedding bed; they mount his steed and gallop off. As they ride, the increasingly agitated Lenore asks her lover a series of questions, to which she receives increasingly cryptic and ominous replies. At their destination they dismount; Wilhelm now reveals his true form as a skeleton, and escorts Lenore to their wedding bed—the grave. Her wish is fulfilled, albeit not as she had hoped.
The first movement ( Heftig bewegt —Violently turbulent) represents the anxious vigil of Lenore. It opens with a dramatic, declamatory theme on the lower strings—one which recurs throughout the entire work—that sounds startlingly like the motif that Modest Mussorgsky later created to signify the brutal boyar Ivan Khovansky in his Khovanshchina . A contrasting lyrical second theme appears occasionally; I presume that this signifies Lenore’s love. The succeeding Scherzo is dominated by a brashly vulgar and raucous march tune, accompanied by loud percussion, depicting the triumphal parade of the returning soldiers. This segues without pause into the third movement ( Langsam, aber durchaus leidenschaftlich —Slow, but passionate throughout), which depicts Lenore’s despair and her blasphemous outburst with music of a gentle, sweet melodiousness that belies the putative subject matter. The Finale ( Mässig —Moderately) opens with a dotted eighth-note theme representing Lenore’s and Wilhelm’s ride, and then at various points recalls material from the previous movements, ending with the opening theme of the first movement transformed into a peaceful close in the major key.
The first time I listened to this piece, without having read the booklet notes in order to avoid creating any a priori prejudices, I was thrown for a loop and heartily disliked it, thinking it was a piece of ramshackle incompetence because the movements did not follow standard symphonic structures such as sonata or rondo forms. The second time I listened to it, after reading the booklet notes and re-approaching it instead as an extended symphonic poem (or as a symphony after the manner of the Dante and Faust symphonies of Liszt), it began to grow on me, and after several more hearings I have come to like it a great deal, admiring its unconventional boldness. Klughardt reported to friends that Wagner, the work’s dedicatee, said to him: “After reading through your symphony I must confess that I regard you as a notably gifted person: it is no small achievement to bring such a score to this world.” However, the booklet notes for one of the Klughardt chamber music CDs I previously reviewed state that Wagner rejected the dedication with the dismissive comment that he “perceived the whole merely as a study very much in need of correction in terms of style.” Whether only one or both of these is true, I cannot ascertain; I can only say I enjoy it thoroughly.
I have sung the praises of Friedrich Gernsheim (1839–1916) on several occasions, including a review in this issue of a disc of his symphonies Nos. 1 and 3. Zu einem Drama , his one other major orchestral work apart from his four symphonies, was composed in 1902 and published in 1910. Here, Gernsheim’s oft-noted close similarity to Brahms is quite evident; indeed, this work is a step-brother of Brahms’s Tragic Overture, not only musically but also thematically in that their titles do not point to any more specific programmatic content. Gernsheim’s work has its own distinctive traits, however; it is far more ambitious in scope, lasting almost 18 minutes as opposed to about 12 for the Tragic Overture, and the orchestration is more brilliant in a way that shows Gernsheim was not impervious to the music of Wagner and Richard Strauss. Laid out in a modified sonata form with contrasting interludes, it is a work of great substance and integrity that grows upon me with each new hearing.
The Anhaltische Philharmonie is based in Dessau, the city where Klughardt spent the last two decades of his life; the Kaiserlautern Symphony is located in the city of that name in the southern Rhineland, very close to Worms where Gernsheim was born and raised. Both orchestras play very well for their respective conductors, who are able interpreters. The recorded sound for both items is excellent; the hall in Dessau obviously has first-rate acoustics. A bit oddly, in the “Lenore” Symphony the audience noise between movements is neither edited down to a seamless transition nor left intact; instead, a few seconds of noise is left after each movement, followed by the sudden break of a silent interval between CD tracks. The very informative program notes for the “Lenore” Symphony are written by Klughardt scholar Alan Krueck; those for Gernsheim’s Zu einem Drama by the noted British music critic Malcolm MacDonald. If you are someone who is interested in exploring lesser-known 19th-century orchestral repertoire, this disc provides a most inviting portal into that realm; heartily recommended.
FANFARE: James A. Altena
QUIET CITY
WARNER CLASSICS
Vinyl
$27.99
Sep 29, 2023
Vinyl LP pressing. 2022 release. "This album has been an utter joy to make [...] The concept of this project began decades ago, when I decided that Copland's Quiet City was a work that everyone needed to hear - especially so as Copland reveals the scene so brilliantly via the solo trumpet and cor. There is a true melancholy in this work that only a certain type of trumpet playing can achieve, and across the collection on the album I've tried to show that through the unique lens of the trumpet, the wonderful bridge and mutual respect between the classical composers and arrangers, and the jazz greats can be seen. For many of us, the sentiment behind Quiet City is pertinent at the moment, as we emerge from the loneliness of the pandemic and into another chapter of darkness in today's turbulent world."
COMETA
SUNNYSIDE
CD
$16.49
Aug 25, 2023
The music on Luciana Souza and Trio Corrente's new album, Cometa, comes from a place of love and joy. As a group, they hope to celebrate the reemergence of hope in Brazil with a collection of inspiring music highlighting the power of Brazilian song and the limitless expression of jazz. Grammy award winning vocalist and composer Luciana Souza has been a fan of the outstanding, Grammy award winning, Sao Paulo based piano group, Trio Corrente, since their inception. She had initially met the Trio's drummer, Edu Ribeiro, while teaching. Pianist Fabio Torres is well known as a member of guitarist Chico Pinheiro's different ensembles, while bassist Paulo Paulelli was familiar for his work with the great Rosa Passos. It was Torres who invited Souza to return to her native Brazil to collaborate and tour together in the Fall of 2022. It struck Souza immediately that they should make a recording that unites their collective love of Brazil's uplifting music and jazz.
Jul med Linnekvintetten
Swedish Society
CD
$20.99
May 26, 2015
Linnékvintetten has since 1986 been a dynamic element in the Swedish music scene. Ever since it's inception, the ensemble has gone in to renew the Swedish repertoire for brass quintet, which meant about 40 premieres of Swedish music. On this release of joyful and evocative music associated with Advent and Christmas in Sweden the listener will find 16th c. variations on the hymn 'There is a rose in flower' alongside carols, hymns and a new Swedish 'classic', the theme-music from the TV-program 'Karl-Bertil Jonssons Christmas'. Recorded in Hagby church February 2013 during a howling blizzard.
Ian Partridge 85th Birthday Tribute - Stimme der Liebe (The Voice of Love)
SOMM Recordings
CD
$15.99
$20.99
Save 25%
Jun 30, 2023
SOMM RECORDINGS is delighted to pay tribute to the British tenor Ian Partridge on his 85th birthday on June 12 with Stimme der Liebe (The Voice of Love), a collection of iconic songs by Schubert, on which he is joined by his pianist-sister Jennifer Partridge and pianist Ernest Lush. The great German lyric baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau hailed Partridge’s Schubert interpretations as “a pure joy”, an accolade that these 20 performances of Lieder, taken from BBC Radio broadcasts between 1968 and 1972 – and available now for the first time on disc – readily illustrate. They reveal Partridge’s unique, insightful affinity with the complexity and nuance of Schubert’s response to matters of the heart, a quality Fischer Dieskau described – in a facsimile letter to the singer included in the booklet – as his “respect and love for the music”. Among familiar works such as ‘Im Frühling’, ‘Das Fischermädchen’ and ‘An den Mond’, are relative rarities such as ‘Vor meiner Wiege’, which Partridge describes in his booklet interview with Jon Tolansky exploring his “life-long love affair” with Schubert’s Lieder, as one of the composer’s “most inspired creations”.
With a repertoire ranging from Monteverdi and Elizabethan lute songs to Schoenberg and Britten, Ian Partridge is one of the most acclaimed lyric tenors of his generation. He is especially known for his success with songs and Lieder and regarded as one of the great modern Schubert interpreters. His hugely successful partnership with his pianist-sister, Jennifer, saw the duo giving more than 430 recitals and making numerous recordings over their 52-year-long partnership. The booklet also includes informative notes, texts and translations by Richard Stokes, Professor of Lieder at London’s Royal Academy of Music, and author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Restoration of the original recordings has been undertaken by audio expert and long-time SOMM collaborator, Lani Spahr.
PHILANTHROPY
CITY SLANG
Vinyl
$32.99
Oct 20, 2023
For Volker Bertelmann, aka Hauschka, music is not solely about it's sound, but also a means to facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster meaningful interactions between individuals, revealing his fascination with human connection and engagement. Despite being known for his distinctive prepared piano sound, the Academy Award-winning composer intentionally named his 15th solo studio album PHILANTHROPY to express his compassion and openness. The album's song titles, such as "Diversity," "Nature," "Loved Ones," and "Altruism," perfectly align with their respective musical compositions. Hauschka's albums often serve as a platform to provoke dialogue on specific themes, and PHILANTHROPY follows this pattern, aiming to offer optimism and energy in response to the challenges of recent years. The album combines upbeat and pensive pieces, featuring moments of joy, introspection, and peaceful interludes. Overall, PHILANTHROPY showcases Hauschka's compositional prowess and serves as a gift that sparks reflection and celebration. A1. Diversity A2. Searching A3. Inventions A4. Detached A5. Limitation of Lifetime A6. Nature B1. Science B2. Loved Ones B3. Generosity B4. Magnanimity B5. Altruism B6. Noise
Vivaldi: Cello Sonatas
Brilliant Classics
CD
$13.99
Nov 18, 2016
This new release from Brilliant Classics features Vivaldi’s complete Cello Sonatas on period instruments. Antonio Vivaldi was one of the first composers to feature the cello, then a relatively new instrument, as a mature solo instrument. This new release contains the six sonatas for cello and basso continuo. Vivaldi displays an astonishing variety and inventiveness in these works, using the instrument’s possibilities to the utmost; these sonatas still offer a serious challenge, both technical and musical, for any professional cellist. Apart from that they are vintage Vivaldi, they also feature an enormous range of emotional extremes, from deep heartfelt sadness to infectious joy. These are performances on period instruments by one of the leading cellists in this field, Francesco Galligioni. Galligioni is the solo cellist of the Venice Baroque Orchestra led by Andrea Marcon, and has recorded for Archiv/DH and other prestigious labels. Federico Guglielmo, the Early Music veteran, inspires his L’Arte dell’Arco to brilliant and passionate playing.
Pipkov: Piano Music, Vol. 2
Toccata
CD
$20.99
Nov 01, 2024
Lubomir Pipkov (1904-74) was one of the leading members of the so-called 'second generation' of Bulgarian composers. In later life he became fascinated with the ancient heritage of Bulgarian folk-music, writing a series of what he called 'metro-rhythmical studies' - piano miniatures that combine melodic immediacy and rhythmic complexity, with a character that might be loosely characterised as sounding like 'Prokofiev meets Bartok in the Balkans'. Indeed, Pipkov saw in the irregular rhythms of Bulgarian folk-dance a parallel with the rhythmic experimentation in contemporary composers like Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky.
On Christmas Night / Nethsingha, Choir of St. John's
Chandos
SACD
$21.99
Oct 25, 2011
This excellent and most enjoyable disc will be a high quality Christmas present for a musical friend - or to give to yourself!
It’s four years now since Andrew Nethsingha moved from Gloucester Cathedral, where he had been a distinguished Director of Music, to St. John’s College, where as part of his training he had once been the Organ Scholar, under George Guest. Having established himself securely with the college’s choir he’s begun recording with them for Chandos and the partnership has already produced some impressive results. These include a very fine Howells collection, an equally good mixed recital of church music and a disc of music by Lassus, which I haven’t heard but which impressed my colleague, Gavin Dixon. Their latest offering is of music for Advent and Christmas; in every respect it maintains the high standards set by their previous releases.
Before commenting on the music, can I commend Chandos for the quality of the booklet? This label is always strong on documentation but there must be a temptation for record companies to economise a little on such releases - “it’s only carols”. In fact, Chandos provide all the texts and, best of all, a really useful and thorough essay by Martin Ennis, which includes a separate and interesting paragraph on every one of the twenty-four items on the programme. The essay, in fact, is a model of its kind and the best I can recall seeing for a release of seasonal music.
The programme has been very carefully chosen and includes a welcome mix of the familiar, the unfamiliar and the familiar in slightly less-than-familiar guise. Into this latter category would come items such as the exuberant and effective arrangement by Philip Marshall, the former organist of Lincoln Cathedral, of I saw three ships. The version of Ding! dong! merrily on high would also fall into the exuberant, indeed flamboyant, category. It was made by the Music Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and requires two organists. The organ features strongly - and most effectively - in Stephen Jackson’s arrangement of Noël nouvelet. Indeed, the organ writing is a key element in giving the setting its pronounced French flavour. It’s good to see Andrew Nethsingha give a bow to one of his predecessors at St. John’s, Christopher Robinson. Instead of the usual - and excellent - Willcocks descant to Hark! the herald angels sing we hear Robinson’s descant and a jolly good one it is!
Moving to the unfamiliar elements in the programme we find Christopher Robinson there too. I’d not heard before his setting of Make we joy - a text more famously set by Walton. I like this Robinson setting very much indeed; it’s buoyant and strongly rhythmic. Also new to me was Michael Finnissy’s Telling. Written in 2008, this is a setting for unaccompanied choir of an anonymous sixteenth century text. Martin Ennis draws attention, rightly, to the “refined harmonic sensibility” of the piece. I think it’s a beautiful composition and, in an intelligent piece of programme ordering, we find that Kenneth Leighton’s fine Coventry Carol, which comes next in the running order, complements the Finnissy nicely. Mention should also be made of Matthew Martin’s Adam lay ybounden. This is very different from some other settings - one thinks of Boris Ord’s celebrated setting, for starters. Martin’s piece is slow and reflective and it’s good to have another slant on this well-known text. I also liked the item by James Burton, perhaps best known as Director of the Oxford Schola Cantorum. His Balulalow eschews trebles - the altos take the top line - giving an interesting, darker texture. Some of the harmonies are quite close and I think it’s a lovely piece.
And so to the familiar seasonal items. It’s right to include them to give the programme balance. Nethsingha and his singers pay these pieces - and their listeners - the important compliment of taking as much care over them as they have done over the less conventional fare. Harold Darke’s classic piece is given a lovely performance and lovely too is the choir’s account of Philip Ledger’s sympathetic arrangement of Silent Night - good planning, too, to place this immediately after his equally good arrangement of the Sussex Carol. Ledger’s predecessor at King’s College, Sir David Willcocks, is represented by his justly popular Tomorrow shall be my dancing day. O little town of Bethlehem, mainstay of innumerable carol services, makes an equally welcome appearance. It wouldn’t be a Christmas programme without John Rutter. When you hear his lovely What sweeter music, which, as Martin Ennis justly observes, contains “one of his most winning melodies”, you realise just why for so many people Rutter has become synonymous with Christmas music. The present performance is first class, with every little detail of Rutter’s music nicely observed.
The singing on this disc is very fine indeed. Solos are well taken and the choir as a group blends extremely well and sings with excellent tone and great clarity. Several of the pieces are accompanied by organ and the college’s Senior Organ Scholar, John Challenger, does a marvellous job. I relished especially his splendid contributions - very different from each other in character - to the Jackson and Mathias pieces.
It only remains to say that the Chandos sound is up to the label’s usual exalted standard - I listened to this hybrid SACD as a conventional CD. This most enjoyable disc will be a high quality Christmas present for a musical friend - or to give to yourself!
-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International
It’s four years now since Andrew Nethsingha moved from Gloucester Cathedral, where he had been a distinguished Director of Music, to St. John’s College, where as part of his training he had once been the Organ Scholar, under George Guest. Having established himself securely with the college’s choir he’s begun recording with them for Chandos and the partnership has already produced some impressive results. These include a very fine Howells collection, an equally good mixed recital of church music and a disc of music by Lassus, which I haven’t heard but which impressed my colleague, Gavin Dixon. Their latest offering is of music for Advent and Christmas; in every respect it maintains the high standards set by their previous releases.
Before commenting on the music, can I commend Chandos for the quality of the booklet? This label is always strong on documentation but there must be a temptation for record companies to economise a little on such releases - “it’s only carols”. In fact, Chandos provide all the texts and, best of all, a really useful and thorough essay by Martin Ennis, which includes a separate and interesting paragraph on every one of the twenty-four items on the programme. The essay, in fact, is a model of its kind and the best I can recall seeing for a release of seasonal music.
The programme has been very carefully chosen and includes a welcome mix of the familiar, the unfamiliar and the familiar in slightly less-than-familiar guise. Into this latter category would come items such as the exuberant and effective arrangement by Philip Marshall, the former organist of Lincoln Cathedral, of I saw three ships. The version of Ding! dong! merrily on high would also fall into the exuberant, indeed flamboyant, category. It was made by the Music Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and requires two organists. The organ features strongly - and most effectively - in Stephen Jackson’s arrangement of Noël nouvelet. Indeed, the organ writing is a key element in giving the setting its pronounced French flavour. It’s good to see Andrew Nethsingha give a bow to one of his predecessors at St. John’s, Christopher Robinson. Instead of the usual - and excellent - Willcocks descant to Hark! the herald angels sing we hear Robinson’s descant and a jolly good one it is!
Moving to the unfamiliar elements in the programme we find Christopher Robinson there too. I’d not heard before his setting of Make we joy - a text more famously set by Walton. I like this Robinson setting very much indeed; it’s buoyant and strongly rhythmic. Also new to me was Michael Finnissy’s Telling. Written in 2008, this is a setting for unaccompanied choir of an anonymous sixteenth century text. Martin Ennis draws attention, rightly, to the “refined harmonic sensibility” of the piece. I think it’s a beautiful composition and, in an intelligent piece of programme ordering, we find that Kenneth Leighton’s fine Coventry Carol, which comes next in the running order, complements the Finnissy nicely. Mention should also be made of Matthew Martin’s Adam lay ybounden. This is very different from some other settings - one thinks of Boris Ord’s celebrated setting, for starters. Martin’s piece is slow and reflective and it’s good to have another slant on this well-known text. I also liked the item by James Burton, perhaps best known as Director of the Oxford Schola Cantorum. His Balulalow eschews trebles - the altos take the top line - giving an interesting, darker texture. Some of the harmonies are quite close and I think it’s a lovely piece.
And so to the familiar seasonal items. It’s right to include them to give the programme balance. Nethsingha and his singers pay these pieces - and their listeners - the important compliment of taking as much care over them as they have done over the less conventional fare. Harold Darke’s classic piece is given a lovely performance and lovely too is the choir’s account of Philip Ledger’s sympathetic arrangement of Silent Night - good planning, too, to place this immediately after his equally good arrangement of the Sussex Carol. Ledger’s predecessor at King’s College, Sir David Willcocks, is represented by his justly popular Tomorrow shall be my dancing day. O little town of Bethlehem, mainstay of innumerable carol services, makes an equally welcome appearance. It wouldn’t be a Christmas programme without John Rutter. When you hear his lovely What sweeter music, which, as Martin Ennis justly observes, contains “one of his most winning melodies”, you realise just why for so many people Rutter has become synonymous with Christmas music. The present performance is first class, with every little detail of Rutter’s music nicely observed.
The singing on this disc is very fine indeed. Solos are well taken and the choir as a group blends extremely well and sings with excellent tone and great clarity. Several of the pieces are accompanied by organ and the college’s Senior Organ Scholar, John Challenger, does a marvellous job. I relished especially his splendid contributions - very different from each other in character - to the Jackson and Mathias pieces.
It only remains to say that the Chandos sound is up to the label’s usual exalted standard - I listened to this hybrid SACD as a conventional CD. This most enjoyable disc will be a high quality Christmas present for a musical friend - or to give to yourself!
-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International
Vivaldi: L'eleganza Capricciosa / Plewniak, Cappella Dell'Ospedale Della Pieta
Evoe
CD
$18.99
Jan 10, 2020
Stefan Plewniak writes of his new release with the Cappella dell’Ospedale della Pieta: “It is like rock and roll for a violinist to discover his music. So many different patterns within a definite form. So much passion in Vivaldi to push our instrument to its limits, as far as he could. For me, this music expresses the joy, sun, excitement, vitality, passion, and all the feelings and experiences you encounter in Venice, including the light, different smells, colors of the sky and buildings, the sounds of the crowd, the special energy of the people. Vivaldi’s music is strongly connected to the Carnival. Even if mainly operas were written for that period, the music business was strongly focused on this, the most festive time of the year. I feel that instrumental music was no less affected by this Carnival energy than opera.”
Weinberg: Symphony No. 19, Banners Of Peace / Lande, St. Petersburg Symphony
Naxos
CD
$19.99
Nov 13, 2012
The subtitle of this symphony Bright May would normally lead one to think that, being written by a Soviet composer, it alluded to 1 May and the workers’ holiday. In this case you would be wrong since it refers to the month the ‘Great Patriotic War’, (the Second World War to most of us) ended. In the first of three linked movements Weinberg describes the devastation left by the war with an overwhelmingly sad introduction. This finally gives way to a calm pastoral episode that continues until disturbed by an insistent and ominous theme heavy with foreboding. This mood finally returns to the pastoral calm. Merging almost seamlessly the second movement opens with a gentle theme that once again is disturbed by a threatening passage leading to a central climax during which percussion and brass dominate before peace returns once more. This leads us into the symphony’s final movement that, like the other two, is a sequence of calm interludes interrupted by ominous passages. The symphony finally ends on a positive note.
It has often been the case that composers horrified either by the looming threat of war or its unleashing, felt compelled to express this horror in music. However, it is unusual for a composer to take a war as a theme for, in Weinberg’s case, a set of three symphonies, so many years after its end. I wondered if the passage of time leads to a better historical view of it musically or whether memory is dulled over the decades. I can’t answer that as I’m not yet acquainted with symphonies 17 and 18 but I can say that this one certainly does express the joy that must have been felt when that terrible war, whose cost was so appalling, was finally over. The continuing disturbance of that joy expressed by the gentle pastoral sections, by the dark clouds of martial sounding passages and thunderous brass and percussion can surely mean only one thing; to emphasise that winning the peace would be as challenging as winning the war. After all, Stalin was still ruling Russia with all that implied.
Weinberg could never have been described as a ‘Party’ hack, though like many other Soviet composers, including Shostakovich, he did write some works that could be described as “socialist realist”. These were linked to aspects of Soviet policy. An example is Weinberg’s 1985 Symphonic Poem The Banners of Peace. This followed shortly after the 19 th Symphony and was dedicated to the 27 th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. Apart from some references to revolutionary songs such as the Varshavianka the music is not overtly propagandist nor is it bombastic in any way; rather it could be construed as a critique. After all, the words of the Varshavianka, which is quoted throughout, include “We will drown our enemies in their own blood, Death to the ruthless, To all pests of the workers, Death to tsars and plutocrats!”. In 1985, over 80 years after the song’s first appearance, these words seem at odds with the concept of peace. I regard this work more as another example of Weinberg’s ability to make powerful statements and this in music that is expressive and exciting. Viewed as such this work forms another worthy addition to the increasing amount of his music available in recorded form. We should be grateful.
Both works are given committed performances full of colour from an orchestra that will surely have this music in their blood. It is conducted with verve and enthusiasm by Vladimir Lande.
-- Steve Arloff , MusicWeb International
It has often been the case that composers horrified either by the looming threat of war or its unleashing, felt compelled to express this horror in music. However, it is unusual for a composer to take a war as a theme for, in Weinberg’s case, a set of three symphonies, so many years after its end. I wondered if the passage of time leads to a better historical view of it musically or whether memory is dulled over the decades. I can’t answer that as I’m not yet acquainted with symphonies 17 and 18 but I can say that this one certainly does express the joy that must have been felt when that terrible war, whose cost was so appalling, was finally over. The continuing disturbance of that joy expressed by the gentle pastoral sections, by the dark clouds of martial sounding passages and thunderous brass and percussion can surely mean only one thing; to emphasise that winning the peace would be as challenging as winning the war. After all, Stalin was still ruling Russia with all that implied.
Weinberg could never have been described as a ‘Party’ hack, though like many other Soviet composers, including Shostakovich, he did write some works that could be described as “socialist realist”. These were linked to aspects of Soviet policy. An example is Weinberg’s 1985 Symphonic Poem The Banners of Peace. This followed shortly after the 19 th Symphony and was dedicated to the 27 th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. Apart from some references to revolutionary songs such as the Varshavianka the music is not overtly propagandist nor is it bombastic in any way; rather it could be construed as a critique. After all, the words of the Varshavianka, which is quoted throughout, include “We will drown our enemies in their own blood, Death to the ruthless, To all pests of the workers, Death to tsars and plutocrats!”. In 1985, over 80 years after the song’s first appearance, these words seem at odds with the concept of peace. I regard this work more as another example of Weinberg’s ability to make powerful statements and this in music that is expressive and exciting. Viewed as such this work forms another worthy addition to the increasing amount of his music available in recorded form. We should be grateful.
Both works are given committed performances full of colour from an orchestra that will surely have this music in their blood. It is conducted with verve and enthusiasm by Vladimir Lande.
-- Steve Arloff , MusicWeb International
Absence
Neue Meister
CD
$27.99
Oct 12, 2018
John Metcalfe, who arranges songs for big names such as Coldplay, Simple Minds and The Pretenders, has produced albums with Peter Gabriel and has been touring for decades as a member of the Duke Quartet. Now he releases his debut album on the Neue Meister label. Metcalfe has always been surrounded by music. As a child, he would listen to his father sing opera, before a love of Kraftwerk and Joy Division led to a stint as a drummer in a high school band. But it was a move to Manchester that really accelerated his development as an artist, and led to him finding his true calling. Joining cult band The Durutti Column, then signed to legendary label Factory Records, brought him into the orbit of Tony Wilson and the Hacienda, formative events that would help foster his renegade spirit. Unimpressed with the strictures demanded by the classical recording industry, Metcalfe persuaded Wilson to launch the ground-breaking Factory Classical Label, aimed at unearthing exciting - and unconventional - new British talent. It was here that Metcalfe found a home, and the group that would come to define his musical career; the Duke Quartet. For nearly 30 years, they've existed at the vanguard of contemporary British music, innovating and delighting in equal measure. Working with world-renowned artists across the entire cultural spectrum, from pop, dance, film, TV, and theatre, Metcalfe honed his arranging and producing skills; he's now one of the UK's most sought after arrangers, regularly working with some of biggest names in music. As a solo artist, Metcalfe explores electro-classical soundscapes and the boundaries between genres. His finely tuned compositions are neat yet grand in scale, both in terms of sound and the conceptual ideas underpinning them. Absence, the fifth record to bear his own name, is something of a departure for Metcalfe, framing bold images and themes with some of the most conventional song structures he's ever employed. But it's also his most affecting, deconstructing a subject he's been interested in since his childhood in New Zealand: Dealing with loss.
The Mystery of Christmas
Divine Art
CD
$9.99
$19.99
Save 50%
Nov 16, 2018
There is a tradition among the Greek peoples of the singing of carols ('Kalanda') on Christmas Eve. This album is a set of carols newly composed by Greek-Cypriot composer Cilia Petridou. As musical works they also qualify as art-song in fine performances by three excellent sopranos. For those who love Christmas music but want something new, this album will fit the bill. The three sopranos each take a number of solo carols and form a trio for the last two; Lesley-Jane and Alison have both worked with the composer for some time and also made several highly-praised recordings for Divine Art and Metier. Cilia Petridou was an accomplished pianist until her career was ended by major surgery since when she has concentrated on composition. Moving with her family to the UK after the Turlish invasion of north Cyprus which destroyed their home town of Famagusta, her music is often informed by that political tragedy, but her Kalanda are bright and full of joy.
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan - Original Soundtrack
Sony Masterworks
CD
$11.98
Jul 12, 2011
The sweeping yet intimate drama based on the best-selling novel by Lisa See, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, tells the unforgettable story of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them throughout their lives. Directed by Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB), the film, which takes place in 19th-century China, is a timeless portrait of female friendship. The original motion picture soundtrack is composed by AcademyAward-winner, Rachel Portman.
