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Beethoven: Symphonies No 5 And 8 / Herreweghe, Et Al

PENTATONE

SACD

$21.99 Nov 20, 2007

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

3150440.az_BEETHOVEN_Symphonies_5_8.html

BEETHOVEN Symphonies: No. 5; No. 8 • Philippe Herreweghe, cond; Royal Flemish P • PENTATONE 5186 316 (Multichannel hybrid SACD: 54:16)

This disc represents Volume 2 of a set of the complete Beethoven symphonies currently in progress (the first volume, on the Talent label, included Symphonies 4 and 7 and was reviewed by Colin Anderson in 29:2). In a clumsily translated note Herreweghe refers to “nature” trumpets and “Baroque kettle drums with modern tuning”; these would appear to be the only concessions to period practice—by all accounts, the Royal Flemish orchestra employs modern instruments. This series would appear, then, to be comparable to the latest set conducted by Roger Norrington, with the orchestra of the Stuttgart Radio, on Hänssler.

Unlike Norrington, Herreweghe is unhampered by a tendency toward extreme tempos or self-conscious gestures. Though the tempos of the Fifth Symphony are analogous in swiftness to those of Benjamin Zander on his splendid Telarc recording, there is no sense of the kind of schizoid recklessness that marred Norrington’s Fifth, in which a furious first-movement exposition followed a more sensibly paced opening motto. What we hear instead is a superbly performed and exciting rendering of Beethoven’s war-horse. Orchestral execution is everything one could wish for, with crisp phrasing and spirited ensemble. The conducting illuminates the genius of the conception without in any way calling attention to itself.

In the slow movement, Herreweghe expertly conveys the sense of forward momentum without scrimping on the lyrical richness of Beethoven’s melodic invention. There is no sense of bombast in the triumphant finale, just a very satisfying feeling of rightness—for Beethoven’s creation and for this recreation of it. Herreweghe includes the first movement exposition repeat but follows Beethoven’s revision and eliminates the one in the Scherzo. The sound is resonant yet precise, antiphonal violins aiding in the natural balance. The listener’s perspective is intimate but not airless, allowing for atmosphere and impact. One interesting anomaly: the oboe extends the cadenza in the first movement recapitulation, replacing the one Beethoven wrote, but I found this to be an interesting and idiomatic gesture.

Herreweghe injects a muscular element, propelled by the timpani, into the Eighth Symphony, invigorating what has sometimes in the past been simply a lighthearted romp; there is lightness here, too, but the overall feeling is of vitality. Norrington, by contrast, tends to lurch through the first movement, so that whatever humor there is seems heavy-handed. The sound production he received possesses less resonant fullness than that on the PentaTone disc; strings, for one example, often sound thin and scrappy on the Hänssler CD.

The elegant little Allegretto, under Herreweghe’s hands, verges on the slightly pompous, while the third movement minuet becomes, for all intents and purposes, a scherzo, full of badly placed accents and miscues—all of which, in the words of annotator Tom Janssesns, “indicated that the Classical symphony now truly belonged to the past.” We are then propelled into the finale and its sprightly touches that clearly point to the future, and especially to Mendelssohn. Herreweghe and his Belgian colleagues dispatch the piece with panache.

This is a delightful and highly entertaining disc containing two fine performances of music that never sounds tired or routine. I look forward to the next installment with keen anticipation.

FANFARE: Christopher Abbot

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Beethoven: Symphonies No 5 And 8 / Herreweghe, Et Al
PENTATONE Nov 2007
SACD
$21.99

SYMPHONY NO 3
NONESUCH Jan 2016
Vinyl
$30.99

Pavlova: Symphony No 5, Elegy For Piano And String Orchestra

Naxos

$13.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 30% Apr 24, 2007

PAVLOVA Symphony No 5. Elegy for Piano and Strings • Vladimir Ziva, cond; Andrei Korobeinikov (pn); Moscow Tchaikovsky RS0 • NAXOS 8.570369 (52:04)

Alla Pavlova is a Russian-trained composer and musicologist who has lived in New York since 1990. Recordings of her previous four symphonies, as well as the suite from her ballet, Sulamith have been released by Naxos, some reviewed in these pages (see, for instance, Fanfare 29:6, pp. 174–175). This disc combines her most recent symphony with a shorter work, originally conceived as film music.

In the notes accompanying the CD, Pavlova describes her symphony, written in 2005–06, as having a “spiritual program.” The first movement expresses her personal feelings about life; the second is a meditation on a white lotus flower; the third suggests a startled return to the mundane; the fourth is a prayer; and the fifth is a realization that life is a path toward God. The crux of the musical argument in this 47-minute work is largely delegated to the strings. With the exception of occasional solos, the winds play a largely supportive and ornamental role. Horns are the only brass instruments employed and the percussion writing is discreet. The second and third movements feature extended violin solos of great sensual beauty, superbly performed here by Mikhail Shestakov.

Pavlova’s musical language is firmly grounded in tonality with, not surprisingly, certain unmistakable Russian characteristics, especially in terms of melodic inflection. Her sensitive and beautiful orchestration evokes a sense of vastness reminiscent of Sibelius or late Mahler. Nevertheless, Pavlova speaks with an original voice. She draws in the listener with the gentlest of means—no demands, nothing flashy or jarring. Her harmonic syntax would be perfectly suitable within a symphony written at the turn of the 20th century, or even earlier. Her rhythmical procedures are the subtlest imaginable, yet there’s always a strong sense of forward momentum. From the first hearing this music unfolds perfectly comprehensibly, if never predictably. But despite its disarming accessibility, this music strikes me as far from simplistic. The symphony’s dream-like textures, achieved with the utmost economy of means, traverse a vast terrain of emotional states. Pavlova’s compelling discourse, direct and unaffected, ends up being quite moving, even if it’s difficult to explain exactly why.

Rounding out the disc is Pavlova’s Elegy for piano and orchestra, which originated as title music for a 1998 film, The American Healys . Andrei Korobeinikov is the capable pianist in this most unobtrusive of obbligato parts.

The recording was made in June 2006 in a studio of the Russian State TV & Radio Company and seems to capture all the sonorous delicacy of Pavlova’s music perfectly. The excellent Vladimir Ziva conducts the Tchaikovsky SO of Moscow Radio with great sympathy and conviction. An excellent recording of unconventional and curiously fascinating music. Recommended.

FANFARE: Patrick Rucker

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Pavlova: Symphony No 5, Elegy For Piano And String Orchestra
Naxos Apr 2007
CD
~~$19.99~~ $13.99

OTELLO
VIDEO ARTISTS INT'L Oct 2007
DVD
$37.49

LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS

VINYL PASSION

Vinyl

$28.99 Jul 25, 2025

The Rite of Spring: Scenes from Pagan Russia in Two Parts. It was Igor Stravinsky who dragged classical music, kicking and screaming, into the twentieth century. Sure, his contemporaries had paved the way. No longer was the Romantic melody-rich work the dominant force. The new way was about orchestral colors and tone painting. But it was Stravinsky who broke altogether with the Romantic past and created Modernism. It was almost as if all the old rules had not just been bent but completely destroyed. In the modern world, anything goes. Stravinsky made a name for himself at a very early age. In his twenties, his work, Fireworks brought him to the attention of Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballet Russes, who commissioned from Stravinsky a ballet based on the Firebird legend. It was a huge success and Diaghilev commissioned two more. The results were Petrouchka and The Rite of Spring. The story of the premier of The Rite of Spring is famous. The audience was first treated to Les Sylphides, a ballet based on the music of Chopin. The Rite of Spring was to follow. No doubt lulled into a pleasant, dreamy state by the earlier work, and expecting something similarly pastoral with the Rite, named after all about the most pleasant of seasons, they were in for a rude shock. A clue comes from it's subtitle: Scenes from Pagan Russia. It opened with a bassoon bleating way higher than any bassoon was ever supposed to go and then descended into 30 minutes of barbarism and pagan ritual sacrifice. The music was jarring, dissonant, difficult. The huge percussion sections pounded out primitive rhythms, and Nijinsky's provocative choreography challenged the audience's sensibilities. This version was recorded at the Ballroom of the St. George Hotel, Brooklyn, NY, January 5 & 6, 1960 with The Columbia Symphony Orchestra. TRACKLIST: SIDE A: Premier Tableau : L'adoration de la Terre Part 1 - Adoration Of The Earth 1. Introduction 2. Augures Printaniers - Danses Des Adolescentes 3. Jeu Du Rapt 4. Rondes Printanieres 5. Jeu Des Cites Rivales 6. Cortege Du Sage 7. Le Sage 8. Danse de la Terre SIDE B: Second Tableau: Le Sacrifice Part 2 - The Sacrifice 1. Introduction 2. Cercles Mysterieux Des Adolescentes 3. Glorification de L'elue 4. Evocation Des Ancetres 5. Action Rituelle Des Ancetres 6. Danse Sacrale (L'elue)

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LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS
VINYL PASSION Jul 2025
Vinyl
$28.99

SYMPHONY NO. 1
Urania Records Jan 2005
CD
$18.99

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SYMPHONY NO. 40: SYMPHONY NO.
PENTATONE Sep 2008
CD
~~$19.99~~ $14.99

WEBERN: Passacaglia / Symphony / Five Pieces

Naxos

$19.99 Jan 01, 2002

If you’re new to the music of Anton Webern, this superb budget CD is just the introduction you need. Until now, there’s been nothing much to tempt those unwilling to pay top price for Herbert von Karajan’s seminal recordings, or the equally engrossing and sometimes more revelatory DG remakes with the Berlin Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. In contrast, Takuo Yuasa isn’t a household name, and his Ulster Orchestra isn’t in the big league, but don’t let those factors deter serious evaluation of this release alongside the best available alternatives.

Yuasa’s account of the Op. 1 Passacaglia affords striking evidence of the high quality of his ensemble. The playing is fine-grained and exact, and the cumulative effect of the performance is mightily impressive, with the vehement 16th variation especially telling. Webern’s Symphony Op. 21 may only last seven minutes or so, but Yuasa manages to pack a terrific wealth of detail and vast emotional range into its diminutive time-frame. There are some superb moments in the performance, none more shattering than the fearsome outburst from the first horn during the second section.

Equally shocking is the whip-crack violence Yuasa unleashes in the third of the Five Pieces Op. 10, played very fast and with impressive precision by this accomplished team. The awesome funeral march (No. 4 of the Six Pieces Op. 6) hasn’t quite the impact of Karajan’s, and Boulez’s is more monstrous yet; but Yuasa’s skill at building angst-ridden crescendos comes into its own in one of the finest of many outstanding moments on this recording. The muted trumpet solo in No. 5 (with celesta and glockenspiel) has the required eerie quality, and the uneasy stasis of the close is persuasively attained.

In sum, although the Ulster Orchestra’s solo and ensemble work is of high order, the principal benefit of the Karajan and Boulez recordings is that the Berliners produce playing of unrivalled tonal beauty side by side with those moments of near-seismic disturbance that are the true essence of Webern’s music. By choice, I’d opt for Boulez, whose more recent recordings are finer than DG’s earlier ones with Karajan; but Yuasa’s accounts have the spare, skeletal feel and expressive economy that makes them very rewarding indeed. An outstanding achievement.

— ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

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WEBERN: Passacaglia / Symphony / Five Pieces
Naxos Jan 2002
CD
$19.99

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4
Challenge Classics Jan 1996
CD
$11.99

Tansman: Symphonies Vol 1 / Caetani, Melbourne So
Chandos Mar 2006
SACD
$21.99

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 6 in A major, WAB 106 / BACH: Prelude
SWR Jun 2002
CD
$20.99

SYMPHONY NO. 5
RCO LIVE HOLLAND Nov 2008
SACD
$21.99

Tabakov: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 4

Toccata

$20.99 Jul 05, 2019

The music of the Bulgarian composer-conductor Emil Tabakov (b. 1947) explores the darker side of the human spirit in epic scores as austere as they are powerful. His mighty Fifth Symphony, a work almost an hour in length, is obsessive and violent, with the two outer movements, wild kaleidoscopes of whirling colors and driving energy, framing a tragic slow movement and a sardonic march. The much earlier Double-Bass Concerto, which sits downstream from Shostakovich, shows the same grim sense of humor in the teeth of the dancing indifference of fate. A critic once wrote of Tabakov's music: "In his concert music as well as in his symphonies, Emil Tabakov insists on selection and dynamics, on the large-scale development of a small in volume, but focused, thematic material. Tabakov's music is the music of movement, it rarely carries us into spaces of contemplation or frozen calm; it's movement forward in time is determined by the composer's magnificent technique with which he works the material, turning it into music and theses and antitheses, of culminations and lows."

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Tabakov: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 4
Toccata Jul 2019
CD
$20.99

SYMPHONIES 2 & 3

LPO

$15.99 Oct 05, 2018

For collectors of Tchaikovsky Symphonies these recordings of Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, taken from the Complete Tchaikovsky Symphonies box set are available as a separate release for the first time on the LPO label and along with this re-release of the Manfred Symphony join previous releases of the numbered symphonies as a complete set. Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski is a renowned conductor of Tchaikovsky. The previous release of Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 was a Gramophone recording of the month, number 19 in the Sunday Times 100 best records of the year, a Classic FM album of the week, and one of the Arts Desk's Top Classical albums of 2012. Jurowski's Tchaikovsky has been praised for it's nuance, musical empathy and intelligent phrasing.

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SYMPHONIES 2 & 3
LPO Oct 2018
CD
$15.99

Mahler: Des knaben Wunderhorn, Adagio from Symphony no 10 / Boulez, Cleveland [Blu-ray]

Accentus Music

Blu-Ray

$37.99 May 31, 2011

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

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Also available on standard DVD

Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra
Soloists: Magdalena Kožená and Christian Gerhaher

Gustav Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10
Twelve Songs from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn"

“Boulez’s Mahler has surely gained a degree of intensity over the years. Rather than sacrificing his legendary intellectual rigor, he has wedded it to a profound visceral understanding of this music.” -- WCLV classical FM

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Mahler’s birth and just one month short of his own 85th birthday, composer-conductor Pierre Boulez marked his forty-five-year collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra by directing this very special Mahler-only concert at Ohio’s splendid Severance Hall. Following the Adagio from the unfinished Tenth Symphony, he presented Twelve Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn with soloists Magdalena Kožená and Christian Gerhaher, both much-sought-after opera and concert singers on the world’s leading stages.

Bonus:
- Interview with Pierre Boulez

Picture format: 1080i Full-HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 88 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 25)

R E V I E W:

The performances heard on this video are identical to the program released on CD by DG and reviewed by me in Fanfare 34:4. It therefore behooves me to suggest that the only reason to acquire the video is the dramatic difference in the respective sound productions.

The beautiful interior of Severance Hall, with its Art Deco accents, makes a very pleasant backdrop indeed. In contrast to the CD, the program starts with the Adagio from the 10th Symphony. The performance, a very good one, is greatly improved in its surround-sound version, especially on Blu-ray. It must be said, though, that watching Boulez with his minimal gestures and dour expression is not terribly exciting.

The occasional clever use of split screen provides a discrete frame each for the singer’s and conductor’s faces, though in this case the contrast between the animated vocalists and the stone face of the conductor is somewhat unnerving. As I wrote in my review of the CD, this is not my ideal version of this program, though Magdalena Kožená can hold her own with the best of the competition. Christian Gerhaher is a fine baritone but is not as dramatically convincing and lacks the heft of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau or Thomas Hampson, two of my preferences for the male voice. Of the two singers, Kožená is more fun to watch, too, as her facial expressions bring character to her songs.

The bonus interview program provides Boulez’s thoughts on Mahler’s music and the specific program performed in Cleveland, his observations on the orchestra and its hall, the future of classical music, and some personal observations. The questions appear written on the screen (typos and all), and then Boulez is shown answering. The interview can be heard in English, German, and French. Also included (from the Severance Hall stage) is a short tribute to the conductor on his 85 birthday with Franz Welser-Möst and the management of the Cleveland Orchesta, which includes an audience-particapatory sing-along.

FANFARE: Christopher Abbot

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Mahler: Des knaben Wunderhorn, Adagio from Symphony no 10 / Boulez, Cleveland [Blu-ray]
Accentus Music May 2011
Blu-Ray
$37.99

GUAN XIA EARTH REQUIEM

Erato

$18.99 Jul 02, 2013

The "Earth Requiem" is a gigantic work performed and recorded in Beijing in May 2011 in remembrance of the devastating Sichuan earthquake in 2008. This is the first Chinese Requiem ever composed. This massive work by renowned Chinese composer Guan Xia is scored for 100 instrumentalists, a choir of 150 singers, an organ and 4 vocal soloists. The well-established China National Symphony Orchestra invited the legendary French conductor Michel Plasson, who has long had a close association with EMI Classics, to work on the project. This partnership between West and East gives the recording a universal breadth as well as an overarching theme: The Earth. The emotional strength of the work is empowered by it's gargantuan scale.

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GUAN XIA EARTH REQUIEM
Erato Jul 2013
CD
$18.99

Mahler: Symphonie No. 8

Tudor

SACD

$21.99 Nov 19, 2013

The embodiment of the most serious and most sacred artistic will of our time,' said Thomas Mann after the premiere of the Symphony No. 8 to Gustav Mahler. The impressive Mahler Symphony cycle from the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra continues, with a new recording of the Seventh and it's famous 'Night Music' movements. 'The Germans and their conductor Jonathan Nott are proving to be a dream team for Mahler, so we've been eager to hear the latest installment.' - David Nice, BBC Music Magazine.

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Mahler: Symphonie No. 8
Tudor Nov 2013
SACD
$21.99

Handel: Messiah / Davis, Toronto Symphony

Chandos

SACD

$21.98 ~~$43.99~~ Save 50% Nov 18, 2016

Experience the transcendent glory of Messiah in Sir Andrew Davis’s majestic, must-hear edition of Handel’s beloved classic. Recorded live on SACD, this unique version makes use of all the colours available from the modern symphony orchestra to underline the mood and meaning of the individual movements. Without detracting from the innate power of the original, the conductor’s score calls for moments of drama, pathos, and even, sometimes, whimsicality. It is supported by substantial brass and woodwind forces, and several percussion instruments (including marimba!).

REVIEW:

The performance is lightly cut, mainly toward the ends of Parts II and III, and both da capo arias (‘He was despised’ and ‘The trumpet shall sound’) have only the A section. Most of the ornamentation, including simple appoggiaturas, is omitted, as well as most occasions for what I call justified rhythms, where, say, upbeat eighth notes are taken as sixteenths to match other parts. Where choices are available, the common ones prevail, as in the 4/4 ‘Rejoice’ and the duet version of ‘He shall feed his flock’.

Tempos are crisp and modern, and the performers are all very good. The four soloists (with mezzo, not countertenor) are first rate; and the choir, which must number around 150, sings with the agility of much smaller groups. This is a “big” Messiah with none of the problems we normally associate with such endeavors. I guess we could call it “historically informed” because tempos are brisk and the spirit is not at all romantic. It also struck me as a gentle repudiation of Musicological Correctness—and that is no doubt a good thing. I dare say that if you had a contest lining up all the approaches to Messiah and had a review panel consisting of people with no musicological prejudices, this would be the winner.

-- American Record Guide

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Handel: Messiah / Davis, Toronto Symphony
Chandos Nov 2016
SACD
~~$43.99~~ $21.98

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3

Sony Masterworks

$11.98 Apr 23, 2021

Sony Classical releases the second installment of Christian Thielemann’s complete cycle of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic – the orchestra’s first Bruckner cycle under a single conductor.

Christian Thielemann, Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival since 2013 and Music Director of the Bayreuth Festival, is his generation’s most esteemed interpreter of the Romantic Austro-German repertoire. In the midst of a mutually stimulating relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic, he conducted his first New Year’s Concert with the orchestra in 2019.

Thielemann’s interpretations of Bruckner’s music are rooted on deep expertise and sympathy. Few conductors can match the solemnity and patience he finds in composer’s symphonies, or his ability to draw on the unparalleled beauty of the orchestra’s sound and the special acoustic of its home in Vienna, the Musikverein.

Bruckner conceived the Symphony No 3 as a tribute to his musical guiding light, Richard Wagner. The result is a monolithic memorial that manages to convey deep intimacy – the first symphony in which Bruckner properly revealed his own musical voice. The work heralded a sense of breadth and awe new to symphonic music.

REVIEW:

The Viennese players give Thielemann everything he commands, elegantly shaping and sculpting the bigger structural pillars and bringing crafted nuance and color to the shorter phrases. The sound of the Vienna Philharmonic is nothing less than beautiful, most noticeable in the more complex textures.

– The Classic Review

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Bruckner: Symphony No. 3
Sony Masterworks Apr 2021
CD
$11.98

RACHMANINOFF: PIANO CONCERTOS 1-4; PAGANINI

HYPERION

Vinyl

$66.49 Jun 19, 2026

Stephen Hough's four Rachmaninov Piano Concertos have long been viewed as reference recordings of this iconic repertoire, the standard by which others must be judged. Bolstered by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Litton, Hough made a conscious return to the fast and lean performance tradition of the composer himself, avoiding the sentimental 'Hollywood' approach that had become so prevalent, for this triumphantly successful, awards-lavished Rachmaninov cycle. A 3LP set.

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RACHMANINOFF: PIANO CONCERTOS 1-4; PAGANINI
HYPERION Jun 2026
Vinyl
$66.49

SYMPHONY NO 6
RCO LIVE HOLLAND Jun 2006
SACD
$25.99

Aho: Symphony No 1; Hiljaisus: Violin Concerto / Gräsbeck, Vänskä, Lahti Symphony

BIS

$21.99 Mar 01, 1989

Given Sibelius’s reputation as one of the great symphonists of the last century, contemporary Finnish composers may be forgiven for feeling a little overshadowed. Fortunately for the young Aho, Rautavaara’s advice and support proved decisive in shaping this symphony, which began life as a string quartet. The work is in four movements, the mysterious opening and ascending brass figures of the Andante strongly reminiscent of Shostakovich. Indeed, this is confirmed by the noted music publisher Fennica Gehrman, in a short article on the Finnish Musical Information Centre website.

There is no obvious programme here, but in his refreshingly unpretentious liner-notes – a welcome feature of this entire cycle – Aho does speak of ‘nightmares’ and ‘psychological crises’. Even without these pointers the Andante has a certain bleakness – desolation, even – although there’s none of the trenchancy one associates with Shostakovich in similar mood. That said the grim little waltz in the Allegretto could so easily be attributed to DSCH, not to mention the quiet but insistent tread in the lower strings.

By contrast the Presto kicks off with an arresting moto perpetuo that drives this fugue like a musical dynamo. This movement has some of the most individual writing so far. That said the shade of Shostakovich hovers nearby, the laconic waltz tune and a splintered remnant of the opening theme bringing the symphony to an enigmatic close.

The other works on this disc – Hiljaisuus (Silence) and the Violin Concerto – date from the early 1980s. According to Aho, Hiljaisuus, a Finnish Radio commission that was to last no more than five minutes, was intended as an introduction to the recently completed Violin Concerto. It’s a strange swirl of a piece, a mix of unsettling glissandos and unearthly sonorities. Sample the short passage at 4:02 and you may be forgiven for thinking you’re listening to Ligeti.

The Violin Concerto has more momentum and contrast than Hiljaisuus, although it shares the latter’s concentrated, more dissonant idiom. It isn’t the most grateful start to a violin concerto, the solo part – sensitively played by Manfred Gräsbeck – rather less prominent than one might expect. That said it would be difficult to hear it above the orchestral eruptions that punctuate the first movement. At 8:30 the soloist is given some insistent phrases that rise above muted timps, culminating in an equally restrained close.

The repeated phrases at the start of the second movement – marked Leggiero – lead into music that fluctuates between light and shade. The soloist has some rhapsodic passages all to himself before we plunge into the spectral waltz of the finale. La Valse this isn’t, but the wild, somewhat demonic element is certainly present. Gräsbeck phrases these tunes like a Mahlerian Ländler – listen to the passage beginning at 3:37 – before he is crushed by a massive orchestral climax worthy of Bartók in Miraculous Mandarin mode.

Whatever hints there may be of other sound worlds Aho has fashioned something altogether individual here, combining a range of ear-pricking sonorities with music of considerable punch and power. Nothing quite prepares one for the gentle, introspective close to this concerto which, as I have discovered, is something of an Aho trademark.

Despite its obvious influences the symphony is remarkably assured for a student work. It’s economically scored, light on its feet and direct in its appeal, the chamber-like qualities much enhanced by the airy recording. The concerto is more roughly hewn; it’s a protracted tussle between soloist and orchestra, yet it has real presence and power. All credit to the Lahti Symphony Orchestra – just 40 years old when this recording was made – who play these scores with commitment and care. An excellent entrée to Aho’s distinctive sound world.

-- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

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Aho: Symphony No 1; Hiljaisus: Violin Concerto / Gräsbeck, Vänskä, Lahti Symphony
BIS Mar 1989
CD
$21.99

American Classics - Schuman: Symphonies No 7 & 10 / Schwarz

Naxos

$19.99 Oct 18, 2005

During his time William Schuman (1910?1992) was a notable part of American musical life, as a teacher, administrator, and composer. His legacy of musical compositions is significant and distinctive, and this release couples two striking examples of his art.

Symphony No. 7, premiered by Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony in 1960, is in four movements played continuously, beginning with a pregnant, sinewy, and dark, slow movement that is succeeded by a brief Scherzo that is typically pugnacious and characteristically scored, not least in the percussion. The slow mood returns for a radiant Cantabile intensamente that grows in emotion, and the symphony concludes with a propulsive finale that begins skittishly (reminding us of Copland and developing an exuberance that suggests Leonard Bernstein) and ends in thrilling clamor. Whether this lively movement is quite the expected corollary to what has gone before is a moot point, although there is no doubting the sheer quality of the music, and the uplift of the final measures.

Symphony No. 10, ?American Muse,? was first heard in Washington, DC, in 1976, Antal Dorati conducting the National Symphony Orchestra. Leonard Slatkin and the Chicago Symphony then took it up, and Slatkin recorded American Muse , dedicated ?to the country?s creative artists, past, present and future,? and other works of Schuman, for RCA with the Saint Louis Symphony in either 1991 or 1992 (RCA?s booklet doesn?t specify what was recorded when). It?s a great piece, the last of Schuman?s 10 symphonies (the first two were withdrawn by the composer), a vindication of writing real symphonic music, and begins with a sustained, brass dominated Con fuoco that is a virtuoso display of considerable import; a tidal wave of communication. The lengthy Larghissimo that follows is hauntingly beautiful, very personal, even private, but it steals to the listener?s heart, and the finale, having begun in exploratory fashion, is an optimistic summation.

Both Slatkin and Gerard Schwarz are deeply sympathetic conductors of Schuman?s music, but I imagine Slatkin?s version of ?American Muse? is now deleted. Schwarz?s leading of both symphonies is excellent; so, too, the sound quality; and the music is superb. With Schuman 4 and 9 already released from Seattle, one hopes the other four symphonies will follow. Very important.

FANFARE: Colin Anderson

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American Classics - Schuman: Symphonies No 7 & 10 / Schwarz
Naxos Oct 2005
CD
$19.99

Wordsworth: Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 / Gibbons, Liepaja Symphony

Toccata

$20.99 Jun 01, 2018

The music of London-born William Wordsworth (1908–88) – a great-great-grandson of the poet’s brother Christopher – lies downstream from that of Vaughan Williams and Sibelius; like that of his contemporary Edmund Rubbra, Wordsworth’s music unfolds spontaneously, as a natural process, with a sense of grandeur perhaps enhanced by his move to the Scottish Highlands in 1961. Three of the four works recorded here display the sober dignity of the instinctive symphonist; the Variations on a Scottish Theme reveal a sly sense of humor behind the serious countenance. John Gibbons has conducted most of the major British orchestras. He has been Principal Conductor of Worthing Symphony Orchestra- the professional orchestra of West Sussex- with which he has given many world premieres of neglected works. He studied music at Queens’ College, Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, winning numerous awards as conductor, pianist and accompanist. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, vice chairman of the British Music Society, and choral director at Clifton Cathedral. His own music has been performed in various abbeys and cathedrals as well as on the South Bank, London.

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Wordsworth: Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 / Gibbons, Liepaja Symphony
Toccata Jun 2018
CD
$20.99

Oswald Kabasta - 1943/44 Broadcasts

Music and Arts Programs of America

$19.99 Aug 07, 2013

This is one of the most exciting "New World"s I've ever heard... [C]laims were made that it was a 1941 recording made by Wilhelm Furtwängler... It wasn't until the 1990s and detective work by German discophiles that the truth came out... The "Romantic" is remarkable for the flexibility that Kabasta builds into his brisk tempos; his Bruckner breathes... In short, this is a fascinating issue, and one well worth exploring for anyone who admires Furtwängler's athleticism.

-- Raymond Tuttle, www.classical.net

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Oswald Kabasta - 1943/44 Broadcasts
Music and Arts Programs of America Aug 2013
CD
$19.99