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Berlioz: Harold In Italy; Paganini: Sonata Per La Grand Viola / Carpenter, Ashkenazy
Ondine · Aug 2011CD$18.99 -
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Heitor Villa-lobos: Complete Solo Piano Works, Vol. 3 / Marcelo Bratke
Quartz Music · Jan 2013CD$18.99 -
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Bizet: Symphony In C, Jeux D'enfants, Variations Chromatiques / West, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra
Reference Recordings · Sep 2013CD$18.99
Divertimenti e fantasie d'opera per tromba ed organo
Tactus
CD
$21.99
May 15, 2026
The dazzling and spectacular sonority of the "trumpet and organ" duo was etched into contemporary history by the splendid recordings made starting in the 1960s for the label "Erato" by Maurice André and Marie-Claire Alain. Since then, a plethora of performers on both instruments have explored - with varied outcomes - works composed for their ensemble, transcribed and adapted music written for other instruments, and encouraged composers to expand the repertoire. The duo Santi-Arlotti, already established by their concert fame, stands out for their meticulous research and the originality of their musical proposals, which have been appreciated since their first CD, released in 2017 for Tactus (TC850003). This album was entirely dedicated to variations on famous opera themes (Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Dall'Argine) composed by Arban, Forestier, Zanichelli, Cacciamani, Rossari, and Spiga. Their repertoire is the fruit of passionate research, as evidenced by the beautiful Concerto by Bortolotti, drawn from a precious Bolognese manuscript and skillfully adapted for the organ by Marco Arlotti, presented in this recording.
Berlioz: Harold In Italy; Paganini: Sonata Per La Grand Viola / Carpenter, Ashkenazy
Ondine
CD
$18.99
Aug 30, 2011
This is one of those programs that adds up to more than the sum of its parts. David Aaron Carpenter plays a sensational viola, and he’s very capably accompanied by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Helsinki Philharmonic. This would be a very recommendable version of Harold in Italy on its own, even in a quite crowded field. The two central movements have plenty of character and color, and the concluding Orgy of Brigands lacks nothing in fire or excitement. However, there are two specific factors that make this release more than ordinarily interesting. First, Carpenter has restored Berlioz’s original viola part to the first statement of Harold’s main theme. This was presumably a concession to Paganini, who of course wanted a virtuoso piece. It’s no surprise that Paganini wasn’t impressed by this scant minute of barely audible arpeggiation, and that Berlioz replaced it with the more songful, canonic version that we all know and love, but it’s good to hear for a change. Second, and more importantly, Carpenter and Ashkenazy include the work the Paganini wrote for himself instead, and which presumably better represents what he really had in mind. The Sonata per la Gran Viola e Orchestra lasts about thirteen minutes. It consists of an introduction followed by a recitative, a cantabile, and a concluding theme and variations. It is tuneful, splashy, and effectively virtuosic. What stands out particularly, though, is not its obvious bel canto qualities, but the fact that Paganini calls the work a “sonata” in the first place. Many have wondered how he could have asked Berlioz to write a piece for viola at all, given the huge disparity between what Paganini expected and what Berlioz actually produced. We’ll never know exactly what discussions passed between the two men, save that it seems on his own evidence that Paganini was not looking for a typical concerto, but for “something else.” Well, that’s certainly what he got! Harold, of course, offers no opportunity for the soloist to display his virtuoso chops. He’s basically just along for the ride. So it’s good to be able to report that Carpenter isn’t fazed at all by Paganini’s typically ridiculous demands. The work constitutes a fabulous encore to Harold, while the disc-opening Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict makes this release a perfect program for continuous listening. The whole production is excellently engineered, especially when it comes to the tricky issue of balancing the soloist against the larger ensemble. It’s just great when a program is as smartly assembled as it is musically brilliant. -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
Expectations
Divine Art
CD
$18.99
Jan 16, 2026
Divine Art is delighted to present the 16 January 2026 release of Expectations from organist Alexander Ffinch, a musical journey of the seasons featuring original works and arrangements, recorded on the magnificent organ at Cheltenham College. Expectations takes the listener through a journey of the fall, winter feasts and festivals, and highlights the anticipation of opportunities and renewal in the new year. The various colours and choruses of the organ spark the imagination, making a wonderfully visceral listening experience which challenges the expectations of both the organ enthusiast and those new to the world of organ music. In this way, Expectations is a perfect follow-up and partner album to Ffinch's 2024 release Parallels, which featured original works and arrangements alongside music not usually associated with the organ. Ffinch begins our seasonal journey at Halloween with Saint-Saens' spine-chilling Danse Macabre in a transcription by E. H. Lemare. Alexandre Guilmant's powerful Marche Funebre et Chant Seraphique maintains the dark atmosphere, portraying the arrival of a solemn funeral procession. We then look ahead to the Christmas season in a refreshingly colourful new take on the Advent melody Non Komm der Heiden Heiland by the young composer William Mason, intermixed with the exquisitely crafted Air from Brook Green Suite by Gustav Holst and Derek Bourgeois' lighthearted Serenade, which provide a different kind of anticipation, both written for upcoming occasions. Christmas is in full swing with arrangements of the Overture, Russian Dance (Trepak), and Dance of the Reedpipes (des Mirlitons) from Tchaikovsky's festive ballet The Nutcracker, wrapped up together with the dazzlingly inventive Variations sur un Noel by Marcel Dupre, a towering figure of 20th-century organ music. This brings us finally towards the new year with the captivating Epilogue from Fanny Mendelssohn's Das Jahr, a stark yet optimistic depiction of the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Two works by master organist Marcel Lanquetuit complete the album: the centenary of his famous Toccata comes up in 2027, giving the album an ongoing cyclical feel, and we also hear his lesser-known Intermezzo. Just as Ffinch offered an organ 'surprise' along the lines of Coldplay's "Paradise" on Parallels, he also extends the question of expectations with David Bowie's probing song, "Life on Mars?". The release will also mark the 10th anniversary of David Bowie's death and reminds us, 55 years after it's release, that the journey to find ourselves doesn't end with New Year's Resolutions. In "expectation" of the January release, Divine Art will release digital singles of the seasonal works throughout the end of the year. Alexander Ffinch has established himself as a renowned organist with performances spanning the UK, Europe, USA, and Asia. Notable for his role as the College Organist at Cheltenham College since 2004, Alexander oversees daily organ performances in the College Chapel and accompanies choirs while maintaining an active schedule as a recitalist. He has featured previously in the Cheltenham International Music Festival and on BBC Radio 3 live broadcasts. His recordings have also recently featured on Radio 3 programmes. There are forthcoming recitals at Notre Dame and La Madeleine in Paris as well as regular series appearances in Cheltenham and other concerts in both the UK and USA.
Walton: Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, Etc / Daniel, Donohue
Naxos
CD
$19.99
Mar 09, 1999
This disc was Gramophone's "Recording of the Month" for May 1999.
William Walton's 'Spitfire' Prelude and Fugue resulted from a commission for a 1942 film that paid tribute to the designer of the Spitfire plane. Appropriately and exuberantly patriotic, this piece is particularly memorable for the passage for solo violin that rises above a single-note rhythm played by double basses.
Walton's Sinfonia Concertante is a mercurial and stately work that occasionally brings Prokofiev to mind, especially the sparkling final movement, which recalls that composer's third piano concerto. The Andante con modo, an exceptionally beautiful movement, features a lyrical string section against the falling figures of the piano.
Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (drawn from Hindemith's Cello Concerto) was written as a return favor to Paul Hindemith who helped bring about the first performance of Walton's Violin Concerto. The Scherzando is memorable for its percussion while the skittery Vivacissimo is a delight for its carefree spirit. The March was originally intended for the 1959 television series, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. Although this piece (so obviously rooted in Walton's 'Crown Imperial' mode) never made it into the series, it has survived as an occasional concert filler. The English Northern Philharmonia gives it a rousing performance.
William Walton's 'Spitfire' Prelude and Fugue resulted from a commission for a 1942 film that paid tribute to the designer of the Spitfire plane. Appropriately and exuberantly patriotic, this piece is particularly memorable for the passage for solo violin that rises above a single-note rhythm played by double basses.
Walton's Sinfonia Concertante is a mercurial and stately work that occasionally brings Prokofiev to mind, especially the sparkling final movement, which recalls that composer's third piano concerto. The Andante con modo, an exceptionally beautiful movement, features a lyrical string section against the falling figures of the piano.
Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (drawn from Hindemith's Cello Concerto) was written as a return favor to Paul Hindemith who helped bring about the first performance of Walton's Violin Concerto. The Scherzando is memorable for its percussion while the skittery Vivacissimo is a delight for its carefree spirit. The March was originally intended for the 1959 television series, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. Although this piece (so obviously rooted in Walton's 'Crown Imperial' mode) never made it into the series, it has survived as an occasional concert filler. The English Northern Philharmonia gives it a rousing performance.
Heitor Villa-lobos: Complete Solo Piano Works, Vol. 3 / Marcelo Bratke
Quartz Music
CD
$18.99
Jan 01, 2013
Marcelo Bratke continues with Volume 3 of his series devoted to the complete solo piano works of Heitor Villa-Lobos.
"...Villa-Lobos gained significant prestige in the Paris of the 1920s, the period of his boldest and most creative work, before returning to a more orderly approach in the 1930s. In 1928, when the publisher Max Eschig commissioned a few works for students of the celebrated professor and pianist Marguerite Long at the Paris Conservatory, Villa-Lobos wrote one of his most charming and most original compositions, Francette et Pià. He imagined a little Indian boy called Pià befriending a little French girl, Francette. There is a “barbarian” mood from the beginning, with syncopated jazz à la Revue Nègre bringing in French children’s songs such as Au Clair de la Lune or Marlbrough s’en va-t-en guerre, reflections of Brazilian themes, the Marseillaise, and many other references scored in miraculously straightforward language." - Quartz Records, (From the album liner notes.)
"...Villa-Lobos gained significant prestige in the Paris of the 1920s, the period of his boldest and most creative work, before returning to a more orderly approach in the 1930s. In 1928, when the publisher Max Eschig commissioned a few works for students of the celebrated professor and pianist Marguerite Long at the Paris Conservatory, Villa-Lobos wrote one of his most charming and most original compositions, Francette et Pià. He imagined a little Indian boy called Pià befriending a little French girl, Francette. There is a “barbarian” mood from the beginning, with syncopated jazz à la Revue Nègre bringing in French children’s songs such as Au Clair de la Lune or Marlbrough s’en va-t-en guerre, reflections of Brazilian themes, the Marseillaise, and many other references scored in miraculously straightforward language." - Quartz Records, (From the album liner notes.)
Romantic Piano Masters / Mariam Batsashvili
WARNER CLASSICS
CD
$17.28
Sep 29, 2023
ROMANTIC PIANO MASTERS - MARIAM BATSASHVILI - WARNER CLASSICS - "Through Batsashvili, Liszt speaks to a new generation," Pianist magazine has written. Liszt takes pride of place on Mariam Batsashvili's second Warner Classics album, primarily devoted to evocative, technically formidable piano transcriptions of opera, song and organ music. Among the works are Liszt's realisations of the Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, a spectacular take on Bellini's opera La sonnambula from Liszt's great rival, Sigismund Thalberg, and Harold Bauer's adaptation of Cesar Franck's Prelude, Fugue et Variation. Speaking of Liszt, Mariam Batsashvili says: "Whether he was making transcriptions of operatic arias or art songs, he set out to evoke the feelings of the original work's dramatic and poetic worlds without any exaggeration, and in my view he succeeded in this with great strength and truth."
Bach: Goldberg Variations on Guitar / Salcito
Dynamic
CD
$18.99
Jul 29, 2014
Unlike many Bach works adapted for guitar, the keyboard-specific intricacies of the Goldberg Variations do not easily lend themselves to six strings. In the late 1990s Kurt Rodarmer circumvented these limitations via overdubbing and using a custom-made guitar with an extended bass register. He also transposed the piece to D major, a key that lies more comfortably for guitar than the original G major. By contrast, József Eötvös’ contemporaneous solo transcription adhered to the original key and contained all of the music within a solo guitar’s six string range, albeit necessitating slower tempos, contrapuntal compromises, and frequent transpositions of lines up or down the octave.
Marco Salcito shares Eötvös’ essentially purist conception, although he is less shy to incorporate idiomatic flourishes and articulations that guitarists love, such as rolling chords, and sliding or bending into and between notes. He does this extensively when repeating each variation’s “A” and “B” sections, yet the fanciful embellishments enhance rather than obliterate Bach’s melodic lines. In addition, Salcito’s recasting of the scintillating cross-handed variations in more deliberate, guitar-oriented terms is not unlike watching rapid basketball moves played back in slow motion: you lose the dance but you gain the details.
A good example of this is Variation 26’s triplet figurations that ordinarily sprint up and down the keyboard. When slowed down, previously overlooked inner melodies emerge. Granted, the combination of the guitar’s limited dynamic range, Salcito’s leisurely pace, and his observance of all repeats save for the Aria da capo might make this nearly two-hour-long interpretation seem interminable over the course of a single hearing. Yet Salcito’s quiet, compelling mastery and eloquent musicianship, together with Dynamic’s intimate, full-bodied engineering, will win over guitar enthusiasts, and perhaps seduce a few Bach fans as well.
– Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
Marco Salcito shares Eötvös’ essentially purist conception, although he is less shy to incorporate idiomatic flourishes and articulations that guitarists love, such as rolling chords, and sliding or bending into and between notes. He does this extensively when repeating each variation’s “A” and “B” sections, yet the fanciful embellishments enhance rather than obliterate Bach’s melodic lines. In addition, Salcito’s recasting of the scintillating cross-handed variations in more deliberate, guitar-oriented terms is not unlike watching rapid basketball moves played back in slow motion: you lose the dance but you gain the details.
A good example of this is Variation 26’s triplet figurations that ordinarily sprint up and down the keyboard. When slowed down, previously overlooked inner melodies emerge. Granted, the combination of the guitar’s limited dynamic range, Salcito’s leisurely pace, and his observance of all repeats save for the Aria da capo might make this nearly two-hour-long interpretation seem interminable over the course of a single hearing. Yet Salcito’s quiet, compelling mastery and eloquent musicianship, together with Dynamic’s intimate, full-bodied engineering, will win over guitar enthusiasts, and perhaps seduce a few Bach fans as well.
– Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
Bizet: Symphony In C, Jeux D'enfants, Variations Chromatiques / West, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra
Reference Recordings
CD
$18.99
Sep 24, 2013
BIZET Symphony No. 1 in C. Jeux d’enfants. Variations chromatiques (arr. Weingartner) • Martin West, cond; San Francisco Ballet O • REFERENCE 131 (75:27)
While we rightly lament the deaths of Mozart and Schubert, which came much too early, let us also save a few tears for Georges Bizet, who died at age 36 shortly after having composed what is, arguably, the most popular opera ever written, a piece that was admired by such disparate musical figures as Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. He also left behind him such charming pieces as Jeux d’enfants , the L’Arlesienne incidental music, the Symphony in C, and The Pearl Fishers. Jeux d’enfants , a suite of 12 brief pieces, was originally composed for piano, four hands. To simplify my task, I’ll give the names in sequence since I will be referring to them again: 1) “L’Escarpolette” (The Swing), 2) “La Toupie” (The Top), 3) “La Poupée” (The Doll), 4) “Les Chevaux de bois” (Hobby Horses), 5) “Le Volant” (The Shuttlecock), 6) “Trompette et Tambour” (Trumpet and Drum), 7) “Les Bulles de savon” (Soap Bubbles), 8) “Les Quatre Coins” (Puss in the Corner), 9) “Colin-Maillard” (Blind Man’s Bluff), 10) “Saute-Mouton” (Leap Frog), 11) “Petit Mari, petite femme” (Little Husband, Little Wife), 12) “Le Bal” (The Ball). Bizet later orchestrated numbers 2, 3, 6, 11, and 12 and named the result the Petite Suite.
Given the ballet origins of this collection, a little history might be appropriate. In 1932, Leonide Massine choreographed Jeux d’enfants for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, using the five pieces Bizet orchestrated with the rest orchestrated by (I’m guessing here) Sigfrid Karg-Elert. Unfortunately Massine’s autobiography only mentions the sets by Joan Miró—perhaps the name of the orchestrator did not interest him. Antal Doráti did not conduct the opening night, but I assume that as a conductor for the company he was familiar with the arrangement. In 1937, presumably with the limited space of 78s in mind, he recorded 10 of the pieces with the London Symphony Orchestra, omitting numbers 7 and 10, changing the order of two pieces, and making a cut in number one. Though he was quite capable of doing his own arrangements, I am assuming that the five non-Bizet orchestrations were by Karg-Elert. Later, Jeux d’enfants was choreographed by George Balanchine (2–8) and Francisco Moncion (9–12) with number one serving as an Overture. One reference book says the non-Bizet pieces were “orchestrated by an unidentified English composer.” Could it have been Roy Douglas? Still later, Balanchine used only numbers 6, 3, 11, and 12 for a pas de deux called The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
Several conductors have recorded the Petite Suite, but I guess this is the first recording of a complete orchestrated Jeux d’enfants . On this recording, in addition to the Petite Suite excerpts, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra performs five orchestrations by Roy Douglas and two ( L’Escarpolette and La Volant ) by Hershey Kay. Whereas Doráti had to concern himself with fitting the music onto 78 sides and sometimes rushed the tempos, Martin West uses the time available to him and the result is moderate, danceable tempos—I particularly like his relaxed way with “Trompette et Tambour.” Throughout, he allows the music’s simple charm to come through.
I suppose most people are aware of the fact that Bizet’s Symphony in C is a student work, written in 1855 when he was merely 17. Bizet apparently forgot about it, and it did not receive its official premiere until 80 years later when Felix Weingartner led a performance in Basel, Switzerland. Later the music was the basis of one of George Balanchine’s signature ballets, Le Palais de Cristal , eventually simply called Symphony in C . I don’t think I’ve ever heard a recording that does the last movement repeat, but it is used in the choreographed version and West does it. He also does the first movement exposition repeat, which isn’t used in the ballet. Perhaps hearing the piece done by ballet orchestras (usually conducted by Robert Irving) is responsible for my affection for this performance, which is so pleasant and danceable. It is most definitely my favorite recording of the nine that I own (for the record, Ansermet, Beecham, Delacôte, Munch, Pons, Saraste, Stokowski 1 and 2, West) but I wonder if many people will favor it since everyone else takes it faster and skips some of the repeats.
Given that Felix Weingartner was the first conductor to lead a performance of the Symphony, it’s not inappropriate to complete the CD with his orchestration of Bizet’s Variations chromatiques , originally composed for piano in 1868. I imagine that Bizet’s piano music, other than Jeux d’enfants , hardly gets played at all. He wrote very little of it and, while Weingartner’s orchestration adds a welcome element of color and power, the piece still doesn’t exactly fly. Bizet’s biographer, Winton Dean, wrote, “It seems probable that, though he loved to play genuine keyboard music … his greatest interest in the piano lay in its power beneath his fingers to evoke the different colors of the orchestra….His original music for the piano suffers from a double disadvantage: it is too clumsy to reward the concert pianist and too difficult for the moderate amateur.” Even if one discounts the Variations chromatiques (and some may like it more than I do), that still leaves the CD with an hour of delightful music and music-making. It’s beautifully recorded, too.
FANFARE: James Miller
