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Riccardo Chailly, Lucerne Festival Orchestra - The First Years

Accentus Music

DVD

$82.99 May 26, 2023

This box set documents Riccardo Chailly's first years as principal conductor of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. In summer 2016, he steps into the office as Claudio Abbado's successor with Mahler's 8th Symphony. In a colorful, fresh and stirring performance of the overture and incidental music to William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" Symphony, Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra bring the musical imagery of both works to life. In summer 2018, the performers transport us to Ravel's musical universes full of colors, scents and flavors: from the pulsating three-four time of the waltzes to the ancient love story of Daphnis and Chloé and the relentless rhythm of the Boléro. A recording from summer 2019 of Rachmaninoff's Third Symphony and Third Piano Concerto with Denis Matsuev marks the various stages in the composer's life and demonstrates once again the close bond between the orchestra and their new principal conductor.

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Riccardo Chailly, Lucerne Festival Orchestra - The First Years
Accentus Music May 2023
DVD
$82.99

Falla: Three-Cornered Hat; Nights in the Garden of Spain / Prieto, Orchestra of the Americas

Linn Records

$20.99 Jul 10, 2020

Following its acclaimed Linn debut recording, Copland & Chávez: Pan-American Reflections, The Orchestra of the Americas releases its sophomore album with its Music Director, Carlos Miguel Prieto. Prieto is joined by fellow Mexican and celebrated pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, who brings his superb musicianship, powerful technique, vibrant imagination and deep passion to this all-Spanish programme. Osorio is the soloist in Falla’s highly atmospheric piano concerto, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a set of symphonic impressions which conjures up the enticing sounds and scents of a summer’s evening. Conductor and pianist received critical acclaim following their performance of this work in Ireland: ‘Prieto elicited a diaphanous palette of colors [and] as Osorio’s arpeggios shimmered up and down the piano we were magnetically drawn into this highly evocative world full of lush sounds and sensuous possibilities’ (BachTrack). Falla’s masterpiece The Three-Cornered Hat is both vibrant and colorful and showcases the ‘superb precision’ of The Orchestra of the Americas. Falla’s finely crafted and meticulous work ensures that the piece’s folklore-based melodies are consistently accompanied by exquisite background music. The programme is completed by the Interlude & Dance from Falla’s La vida breve and the well-known Intermezzo from Granados’ Goyescas.

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Falla: Three-Cornered Hat; Nights in the Garden of Spain / Prieto, Orchestra of the Americas
Linn Records Jul 2020
CD
$20.99

NOW PRESENTS 12 INCH 80S: VOL 2 1983-1984 / VAR

UNIVERSAL UK

Vinyl

$160.49 Oct 24, 2025

Now Music is proud to announce the second of this vinyl series, 'NOW Presents. 12-inch 80s: Volume Two: 1983-1984', as a stunning 5-LP boxset. Kicking off in 1983 with Wham and the 12-inch version of their #2 smash 'Bad Boys' ahead of the massive collaboration between Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson on 'Say Say Say' in it's extended version. Spandau Ballet, Eurythmics and The Cure with the extended version of 'The Lovecats' complete the first side, and Tears For Fears open the flip side with 'Change' ahead of some of the best extended pop from '83, including from Altered Images, Haysi Fantayzee, Men Without Hats, and finishing with the extended version of the debut hit for Marilyn 'Calling Your Name'. LP2's first side is a celebration of 1983's fusion of synth-pop, electronic beats and hip-hop influence and vocals. First up, the most successful 12-inch single of the decade; 'Blue Monday' from New Order, alongside the massive 'I.O.U' (Megamix) from Freeez, Rock Steady Crew's extended version of '(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew' and the genre-melding 'Double Dutch' from Malcolm McLaren - while over on Side B, huge floor-fillers from Lionel Richie with the 12-inch Version of 'All Night Long (All Night)', KC & The Sunshine Band with the #1 'Give It Up', here in it's 'John Luongo Disco Mix', plus Donna Summer, Laura Branigan and Matthew Wilder's enduringly popular 'Break My Stride'. LP3 contains a mixture of essential 12-inches from both '83 and '84, with a trio of iconic tracks opening; extended mixes of Heaven 17's 'Temptation' and The Human League's '(Keep Feeling) Fascination', along with the first Top 10 hit 'Love On Your Side', the 'Rap Boy Rap' version from Thompson Twins. More peerless pop from Bananarama and Adam Ant finish side A - whilst side B celebrates Hi-Energy gold from Frankie Goes To Hollywood with the 'New York Mix' of 'Relax', Evelyn Thomas and the extended anthemic 'High Energy' alongside Bronski Beat with 'Why' and Dead Or Alive's breakthrough chart hit 'That's The Way (I Like It)' in it's extended version. LP4 opens with a side of massive chart hits from Culture Club with their mash-up US 12-inch mix of 'It's A Miracle' and 'Miss Me Blind' and Tina Turner with her signature 'What's Love Got To Do With It' (Extended 12-inch Remix), 'I Feel For You' hit the top spot for Chaka Khan, and Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel had a massive hit with 'White Lines (Don't Do It)' - the 12-inch Long Version is included here. Flip the LP over for more essential h-energy from Hazell Dean and Divine, plus '80s disco favourites from The Pointer Sisters and Miami Sound Machine. The final LP kicks off with the 'Dance Mix' of Duran Duran's huge #1 'The Reflex' ahead of extended versions of 1984's sophisticated synth pop from Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones, plus Scritti Politti with their sublime 'Absolute' (Version), before the side closes with the 12-inch Version of 'Pearly Dewdrops' Drops' - a timeless gem from the Cocteau Twins and over on the last side three incredible 12-inches: 'The Killing Moon' gave Echo & The Bunnymen their second Top 10 single and has become a contemporary classic - featured here as the 12-inch 'Up All Night Version' - Propaganda made their debut with 'Dr Mabuse' and 'Das Testament Des Dr Mabuse' (12-inch Edit for Germany) still sounds as breathtaking 40 years on - and to close this amazing collection, a second appearance from Frankie Goes To Hollywood: 'Two Tribes', was not only their second single in the decade end Top 5, but also spent longer - 9 weeks - at #1 than any other song - and the legendary 'Annihilation' mix is the perfect way to sign off on this stunning collection, bringing 44 essential 12-inch versions together on one vinyl set.

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NOW PRESENTS 12 INCH 80S: VOL 2 1983-1984 / VAR
UNIVERSAL UK Oct 2025
Vinyl
$160.49

Farnon: Westminster Waltz - Orchestral Music / Leaper, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Jul 08, 2022

Frank Sinatra dubbed Robert Farnon ‘The Guv’nor’ in 1962 when the two men first came together in London to work on an album. This summed up Farnon’s reputation as being synonymous with the highest standards of craftsmanship across the widest spectrum of music-making, earning him four Ivor Novello awards and the Order of Canada. His fame was established with BBC wartime radio broadcasts and the ubiquitous Portrait of a Flirt. Further success came with TV themes such as the stirring Colditz March and the impressionistic beauty of such gems as À la claire fontaine. The performances on this acclaimed recording are given with ‘warmth, polish and a remarkable naturalness of idiomatic feeling’ (The Penguin Guide).

Review:

These 17 short pieces are drawn from among the elite of British style light music. Their dates are mostly scattered throughout the 1940s with outliers in the 1950s and 1970s. They were written by a Toronto-born man who was a prince among light music practitioners. He never lacked for work even when the genre began to stagger.

There are plenty of familiar moments including the Westminster chimes in the slippery-gliding polished Westminster Waltz and the unaccustomed gauntness of the Colditz March written later on for BBCTV’s successful Colditz series. Manhattan Playboy has a few Gershwin twists and twirls and streetcar references among Farnon’s usual broad bow-wave melodies. For all his faculty for commercial sheen he never lost touch with his gentle high summer pastoral side, as in Lake of the Woods, How Beautiful is Night, Pictures in the Fire, À la claire Fontaine and In a Calm. Each adds some contrast in what would otherwise have been a little unremitting. The 1946 State Occasion is a foray into Sovereign pomp and circumstance, much as Haydn Wood’s contemporary marches as well as the Empire March by Montague Phillips. Gateway to the West is among the most satisfying of his pieces and reeks of a confident sunny travelogue of the 1940s cinema ‘shorts’.

The collection launches with the well-practised exhilarations of Portrait of a Flirt. Farnon returns to the theme sometimes in comedic garb. Peanut Polka and Jumping Bean both recall the cinema sing-a-longs when a ball would bounce from word to word on screen to encourage the audience to sing and keep time.

This is good and true to style with a nice mix of moods.

--MusicWeb International (Rob Barnett)

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Farnon: Westminster Waltz - Orchestral Music / Leaper, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Naxos Jul 2022
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Overtures Vol 1 / Penny, West Australian Symphony

Naxos

$19.99 Sep 28, 2010

Also available: Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Overtures, Vol. 2 / Penny, West Australian Symphony

CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO Julius Caesar, op. 78. The Taming of the Shrew, op. 61. Antony and Cleopatra, op. 134. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, op. 108. The Tragedy of Coriolanus, op. 135. Twelfth Night, op. 73 • Andrew Penny, cond; West Australian SO • NAXOS 8.572500 (65:07)

Who knew that Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco wrote overtures to 11 of Shakespeare’s plays? Not I and apparently not many others either, as every one of the works on this disc is claimed to be a world premiere recording. Naxos labels it Volume 1, so a companion CD containing the remaining five overtures— The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale , and King John —is expected.

If you know Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968) by anything other than his famous D-Major Guitar Concerto, possibly his Violin Concerto titled “The Prophets,” and perhaps a few of his Jewish-themed choral works included in the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music project distributed on Naxos, you’re doing better than I am. Here is a composer with a catalog of more than 200 works—and that’s just the ones with opus numbers—who has simply never achieved recognition commensurate with the volume and quality of his output.

His “sin,” no more and no less than that of his close Italian contemporaries—Casella, Pizzetti, Malipiero, and Respighi—was to be born at a time and place where composing music in a late-Romantic and Impressionist style was regarded as regressive and reactionary by the modernists elsewhere on the Continent. Of this group, only Respighi seems to have enjoyed more or less permanent staying power. But Castelnuovo-Tedesco (hereinafter referred to as C-T for short) struggled against a second bias. Under Mussolini, Italy’s Jews may not have suffered the same fate as did their German, Austrian, and Polish co-religionists under Hitler, but fascist Italy was still not the friendliest place for a Jewish composer.

So in 1938, C-T left for the U.S., where he soon found work, as did so many other composers who fled Europe in those years, in the film industry. MGM Studios embraced him with open arms, and over the next several years he contributed to the scores of more than 200 films, all the while continuing to compose concert music. He became one of the most sought-after composition teachers in Los Angeles, taking on as students André Previn, Henry Mancini, and John Williams.

The first impression to strike one about these Shakespeare overtures is their made-for-the-movies character. This is not intended to be uncomplimentary; rather, it’s an observation of the vividly colored orchestration and the sweeping cinematic panoramas the music seems to encompass. Of the 11 overtures, six of them were written after C-T had arrived in the U.S. and taken up with the Hollywood crowd. Three of these— A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1940), Antony and Cleopatra (1947), and The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1947)—are on this volume. The earliest numbers—i.e., the five written while C-T was still in Italy—were The Taming of the Shrew (1930), followed by Twelfth Night (1933), The Merchant of Venice (1933), Julius Caesar (1934), and The Winter’s Tale (1935).

All of the overtures were conceived as stand-alone concert works, not as curtain-raisers to operas or incidental music to staged productions of the plays, and not as film music to accompany the rolling of the opening credits. As such, C-T’s overtures avoid storytelling; they do not attempt in a few minutes’ time to telescope the action of the plots. Instead, they take their cue from one or more specific events in the plays and develop a strictly musical narrative around them. This downplays programmatic associations and lends each overture a sense of structural integrity as a complete entity unto itself, worked out entirely in formal musical terms.

Over time, the overtures grew, not necessarily in length—though the 1947 Antony and Cleopatra expanded to nearly 18 minutes—but in ambition of orchestration. Where the 1930 Taming of the Shrew employs strings, double woodwinds, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, harp, piano, and percussion—hardly a modest-sized orchestra—the later overtures triple the winds and add English horn, contrabassoon, tuba, a second harp, tubular bells, glockenspiel, castanets, and a battery of various drums. Moreover, augmented string sections now find their parts frequently divided, and section leaders are highlighted in many striking solo passages. “The more grandiloquent moments,” observe Andrew Penny and Graham Wade in their booklet note, “anticipate the epic sweep of Miklós Rózsa’s film scores for Ben Hur or Quo Vadis of the 1950s.”

While certain parallels may exist, it should be emphasized that C-T’s overtures are serious symphonic works. They are not the stuff of movie soundtracks or, in arrangements, of summer-evening pops concerts. They are, however, not truly of their time—a statement that could apply to Respighi as well—in that they are big, bold, brightly painted musical billboards in a post-Romantic/Impressionist style that feature many of the same exoticisms and techniques one hears in scores like Respighi’s Roman Trilogy.

I take Naxos at its word that these are world premiere recordings; therefore, it is taken as an article of faith that other versions for comparison purposes do not exist. No matter, for the performances here by Andrew Penny and his West Australian Symphony Orchestra sound aces to me, and the recording has plenty of headroom for maximum impact in the music’s most massively scored passages. I can’t imagine why anyone would not be taken with these highly attractive scores. Definitely recommended.

FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

Thank God Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream doesn't sound anything like Mendelssohn: it's just a luscious bit of late-Romantic impressionism, and it's as lovely as it is concise. The big piece here is Antony and Cleopatra, nearly 18 exotic minutes of it, sounding rather like, well, the 1963 film score to Antony and Cleopatra (which was by Alex North, actually). The fact is that Castelnuovo-Tedesco had quite a successful career in Hollywood after swapping the fascism of his native Italy for the escapism of sunny California. The Taming of the Shrew is charming and witty, Coriolanus suitably somber, and Twelfth Night, rather like the play itself, mysterious and curiously elusive. All of the music is well played by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Penny--there are a few moments of iffy ensemble, but nothing to worry about, and the sonics are suitably vivid. Very enjoyable indeed.

– David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Overtures Vol 1 / Penny, West Australian Symphony
Naxos Sep 2010
CD
$19.99

Grainger - Summerhayes: Untold

Nimbus

$16.99 Feb 07, 2020

I love listening to music that feels as if it is being created at that very moment - and whatever I am playing, that is what I hope to access. I first realized how important this is to me as a performer during a live BBC World Service broadcast on which I was featured as a student - spontaneously deciding not to play what I had planned, but just to play and see what happened, introducing it with something like, people say that when I play at my best, it sounds like improvising - so I am going to improvise". That didn't feel like a brave or reckless step at the time, it did not even occur to me that I might dry up - or that some might think that music created live would have less merit than the compositions of the classical masters or an old folk tune. And - still - it doesn't feel like that. That's exactly what this album is." (Adam Summerhayes)

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Grainger - Summerhayes: Untold
Nimbus Feb 2020
CD
$16.99

C.P.E. Bach: Fantasias / Häkkinen

Brilliant Classics

$10.99 ~~$13.99~~ Save 20% May 26, 2023

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was widely known for his passionate, incomparable improvisations on the clavichord, most characteristically in the form of free fantasia. His compositions were unique in style, full of contrasts, and universally admired by several generations; the Vienna Classicists, even Beethoven and Schubert, considered him their musical father. Declamatory, improvisatory style is of course the epitaph of all 18th-century music – exemplified in Johann Sebastian Bach's Chromatic Fantasia BWV903, with its central recitative and broken chords audaciously passing through distant harmonies. Johann Nikolaus Forkel, author of the first Bach biography and part of C.P.E. Bach’s literary circles, transmitted a refined version in his manuscript (P 212) and subsequent edition that may derive from a revised original version once in possession of the Bach sons. C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia in C minor (published in 1753) bears distinct similarities to his father’s Fantasia chromatica, and it has been suggested that it may in fact have been a tombeau to the elder Bach. The deep personal nature and connection between the two works is explicit. For Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the ‘Bachists’, the most expressive and intimate compositions were reserved for the clavichord. It was in the clavichord that one might ‘find the soundboard of your heart. … Have no regrets when alone under the moonlight you improvise, or refresh your soul on a summer night, or when you celebrate a spring evening; ah! then pine not for the strident harpsichord. See, your clavichord breathes as gently as your heart.’ (Ch.F.D. Schubart: Musikalische Rhapsodien III, 1786) Charles Burney, who visited C.P.E. Bach in Hamburg in 1772, described the composer improvising at his legendary clavichord, built by Gottfried Silbermann: ‘He grew so animated and possessed that he not only played but looked like one inspired. His eyes were fixed, his lower lip fell, and drops of effervescence distilled from his countenance.’ The original 18th-century instruments heard on this recording – from Regensburg, Stockholm and Vienna – demonstrate possibilities the like of which would have been known to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Berlin and Hamburg and ultimately derive from the Saxon school of G. Silbermann.

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C.P.E. Bach: Fantasias / Häkkinen
Brilliant Classics May 2023
CD
~~$13.99~~ $10.99

Recent Impressions / Two Songs / High Flyer / Summer Music
Naxos May 2007
CD
$19.99

As Time Goes By & Other Classic Movie Love Songs / Mancini

Sony Masterworks

$17.99 Dec 13, 2007

Track Listing
1. As Time Goes By
2. One For My Baby
3. Everything I Do (I Do It For You)
4. Stella by Starlight
5. Windmills of My Mind
6. Crazy World
7. That Old Black Magic
8. Unchained Melody
9. Mona Lisa
10. Call Me Irresponsible
11. Two For the Road
12. It's All There
13. Summer Knows, The
14. Tender Is the Night
15. Charade

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As Time Goes By & Other Classic Movie Love Songs / Mancini
Sony Masterworks Dec 2007
CD
$17.99

LIVE IN 1947 AT HOLLYWOOD BOWL! (VOL. 2)

GOOD TIME

$13.99 Jan 24, 2025

In the late summer of 1947, the Hollywood Bowl set the stage for a night that would resonate through jazz history. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, already legendary, performed under the stars in an electrifying display of jazz innovation and mastery. By this time, Ellington was much more than a celebrated composer and bandleader; he had emerged as a visionary force, weaving together musical forms to reshape jazz and extend it's reach. This album immortalizes that unforgettable night, capturing Ellington's orchestra at a moment when jazz was evolving into a sophisticated art form with Ellington at the helm.

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LIVE IN 1947 AT HOLLYWOOD BOWL! (VOL. 2)
GOOD TIME Jan 2025
CD
$13.99

Sturm, Hans: Fireflight

Innova Recordings

$16.99 Aug 15, 2000

Fireflight Mimmi Fulmer (soprano voice), Elizabeth Falconer (koto, bass koto), Dane Richeson (percussion), Les Thimmig (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Michael Kocour (piano) 'Taking of the World by Sturm' 'Bassist-composer Hans Sturm stirs up a torrent of creative virtuosity in his recent Innova release Fireflight: Sun Suite. The jazz/new music crossover album is permeated by the haunting sounds of Elizabeth Falconer's traditional and progressive koto playing, which is well nigh in the same league as Miya Masaoka's (in one stretch Falconer sounds remarkably like an oud). Mimmi Fulmer is the glowing and smoky soprano, and she sings wonderfully in consort with the innovative drummer Dane Richeson, who is comfortable with all manner of percussion East and West.' Mark Alburger, Journal of 21st Century Music 'At one moment it sounds like ancient tribal ritual music, and the next, it evokes scenes of natural phenomena - awe inspiring vistas and picturesque landscapes. This group paints pictures with sound that challenge the imagination and mind of the listener... a feast of musical textures and moods, and an imaginative approach to ensemble playing' Todd Coolman, Bass World I have frequently been inspired by a moving sunrise or sunset and was struck by the thought of what it might feel like to not just witness an event of such great beauty, but to be a physical part of it - as if one could become part of the air and light. This thought inspired a series of poems and stories exploring the idea of becoming a disembodied part of the atmosphere, somehow one with the day. These explorations raised the thought of how magical the various parts of the day must have been to early human observers left unburdened by scientific explanations, the incandescent light bulb, and climate controlled environments. Words suggested sounds and ultimately led to the creation of the Sun Suite depicting a single solar cycle. The Sun Suite is comprised of four sections; Sunrise, Daylight, Sunset, and Night which are in turn divided into a total of eight movements. The Sun Suite begins with an Invocation, starting softly with Tibetan Prayer Bowls and moving into a percussion and double bass improvisation that sets the mood for the composition. Invocation is followed by Habanero Sunrise. The Sunrise movement has a Latin American feel and likens the beginning of a hot day to sensuous images of the Sun both as a woman and as hot peppers. Sunrise segues into Fireflight, a movement featuring the bass koto, double bass and voice in a layered melody. The Fireflight movement attempts to impart sonic images of birds awakening in the early morning. Fireflight in turn segues into Daylight and Ellipse. These two short movements were written as duets for soprano and double bass. Sunset follows Ellipse and begins with an extended introduction featuring the Brazilian berimbau, then adding the double bass and finally the koto. This movement features four themes which are tossed about between the instruments and the voice in an effort to give the impression of the complex colorful air found at sunset. Starshower is an instrumental movement and features the clay udu drum along with koto and double bass. The final movement of the Sun Suite is the Night parable, a whimsical children's story about the moon which ends quite softly with the opening Latin vamp from Sunrise, completing the sun's cycle. If the Sun Suite is to be considered ethnic world music, then Smoke and Fire must be considered jazz inspired compositions. Written for soprano Mimmi Fulmer during the summer of 1996

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Sturm, Hans: Fireflight
Innova Recordings Aug 2000
CD
$16.99

SUMMERTIME - MUSIC FOR CLARINET QUARTET
Naxos Feb 2006
CD
$19.99

Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage / Davis, Herincx, Et Al

Lyrita

$37.99 Oct 01, 2006

It is as though Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire were not on show because no one could be bothered to clean it, or as though Wordsworth’s The Prelude had been allowed to go out of print. How can it have taken so long for this great and magical opera to appear on CD?

So many of the expressions of our age have frowned in their contemplation of it, or have turned away to cultivate arcane, private gardens. But here was Tippett in 1955 expressing joy, boundless optimism and faith in beauty and humanity; doing so, moreover, with such richness of imagery that even those who loved it at first hearing were a bit taken aback by its overwhelming abundance.

As so often with his pieces, it took a while to sink in, and for players and singers to get their fingers and their vocal chords around those springing rhythms and sinewy lines. The moment at which that happened was the moment of this recording and the performances that preceded it. Remedios and Carlyle are not simply managing those exuberant hocketings above the stave in their final duet; you would swear that they were enjoying them, and as they do so the image of love as a consuming flame is vividly projected. Burrows and the adorable Harwood are audibly moved by how much tenderness and innocence there is in their music, and they make a real and most touching couple. Herincx is wonderfully suave and bossy as King Fisher; Watts not only survives her forays into the bass-baritone register but makes an awesomely Sibylline figure of Sosostris. And Davis, raptly in love with this score and communicating that to his singers and players so effectively that one is never aware of them gritting their teeth and counting beats as though their lives depended on it, reveals again and again the opera’s magical sonorities. It is a superb performance: after it one can hardly read those early reviews (“incomprehensible libretto”, “too much counterpoint”, “half an hour too long”) without laughing. The recording, too, communicates a real sense of live performance.

A masterpiece, in short, and one that can be listened to again and again without exhausting its exuberant generosity.

Michael Oliver, GRAMOPHONE (1/1996) Review of original CD release

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Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage / Davis, Herincx, Et Al
Lyrita Oct 2006
CD
$37.99

Jazz Club Montmartre - CPH 1988 / Michel Petrucciani Trio

Storyville Records

$24.99 Jan 24, 2025

Storyville Records proudly presents the previously unreleased live double album, Michel Petrucciani Trio, Jazz Club Montmartre - CPH 1988, by the legendary French pianist Michel Petrucciani, due for release on November 15, 2024. Recorded during a memorable performance at Copenhagen's Jazzhus Montmartre on July 3rd, 1988, the album captures Petrucciani in the company of two jazz icons, Gary Peacock on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. While the trio only came together for a brief European tour in the summer of 1988, the chemistry they shared on stage was undeniable. The trio, propelled by a studio session the previous autumn, radiates synergy, as they explore six of Michel's original compositions with a sense of grace and spontaneity. On this recording, listeners will rediscover Petrucciani's unique lyrical universe, as well as his reverence for modern jazz icons, paying tribute to Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Paul Bley with special arrangements of classics like Someday My Prince Will Come, Mr. K.J. and Turnaround. From the explosive energy of She Did It Again to the introspective beauty of Autumn Leaves, Petrucciani's virtuosic playing reveals a rare sense of urgency, joy, and an unrelenting passion for life. As Gary Peacock and Roy Haynes were at the height of their careers-Haynes playing with Chick Corea and Peacock with Keith Jarrett-they were drawn to Petrucciani, recognizing the greatness of his artistry. Together, they formed a trio, bound by a shared intuition and respect for one another, and this performance at Montmartre is a testament to that fleeting moment of jazz brilliance. This concert took place at the midpoint of Petrucciani's meteoric career, 12 years after his Paris debut and 11 years before his untimely passing. Despite the physical challenges posed by glass bone disease (osteogenesis imperfecta), Petrucciani's fierce determination, boundless love for music, and infectious laughter inspired all who knew him. Now, more than 35 years after that magical evening in Copenhagen, we invite listeners to close their eyes and step back in time. July 3rd, 1988... it could have been last night, or it could be tomorrow morning!

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Jazz Club Montmartre - CPH 1988 / Michel Petrucciani Trio
Storyville Records Jan 2025
CD
$24.99

Schütz: Psalmen Davids / Summerly, Cummings, Oxford Camerata
Naxos Jul 1996
CD
$19.99

Obrecht: Missa Caput, Etc / Summerly, Et Al
Naxos Jan 1998
CD
$19.99

The Best Of Tallis / Summerly, Oxford Camerata

Naxos

$19.99 Jun 30, 2009

Impressive throughout … an excellent way to explore his output.

This is a Naxos compilation of works by Thomas Tallis, originally recorded for a range of other discs, performed by the Oxford Camerata under the direction of Jeremy Summerly. The disc features a range of works, in both Latin and English texts, including shorter anthems and mass settings and more extended works. O Sacrum Convivium, written for Elizabeth 1st, features smooth flowing lines and gentle dissonances, and sets the scene for the rest of the disc, with the Oxford Camerata’s blended vocal tone full of expression and resonance. Audivi vocem features plainchant-style sections and choruses, while Discomfort them, O Lord is based on repeated sequences and has a complex monophonic style. Loquebantur variis linguis is a faster work, with imitative entries and rich polyphonic writing interspersed with unison chant settings.

The Sanctus from the Mass for Four Voices is a beautiful setting with strongly characterful word setting, including a bright, major key Gloria and Hosanna. I call and cry to thee, O Lord is an English setting of O Sacrum Convivium and it is interesting to hear the effect of a change of language. The Lamentations of Jeremiah are presented in two separate sets. Set I is well paced, with tempo changes well handled and clearly defined sections. Set II has a beautifully calm and expressive opening, with individual lines entering one by one to build up a stunning five part choral sound. This slow paced music gradually unfolds and provides one of the highlights of the disc.

Videte miraculum features some wonderfully dissonant harmonies, with tension and release an important element of the interaction between the parts. Another slow-moving work, this has a contemplative feel, using mostly simple rhythms and alternating between monophonic writing and polyphony.

The disc ends with the impressive forty-part motet Spem in alium, arguably one of Tallis’s most well-known and dazzling works, with eights choirs of five voices combining to create an elaborate tapestry of sound. Harmonic shifts come like waves, and the full force of all forty voices in the tutti sections has a sense of powerful expression. It is hard to hear definition in the individual parts in this recording (although some come through better than others) and it is difficult to capture the effect of this piece on a recording; this is one piece where a live performance holds an extra dimension, especially if the choirs can be separated around the audience. Nevertheless, the overall effect works well and this is an enjoyable recording.

The choir is impressive throughout this disc, although the blend of voices varies between tracks (presumably because the recordings were made at different times with slight alterations to personnel). Hearing this selection of works by one composer gives a fascinating insight into the range of Tallis’ music, both in terms of compositional style and textural use of the choir. His vocal writing has a sense of naturalness and paved the way for generations of composers after him, defining a style and creating a lineage of British choral music. This disc serves as an excellent way to explore his output, with some beautiful singing from the Oxford Camerata.

-- Carla Rees, MusicWeb International

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The Best Of Tallis / Summerly, Oxford Camerata
Naxos Jun 2009
CD
$19.99

Janáček & Haas: String Quartets / Currie, Escher String Quartet

BIS

SACD

$21.99 Jun 02, 2023

While the concept of the programmatic and autobiographical quartet seems to have been introduced by Beethoven, nowhere has it been taken up more forcefully than in the Czech lands, as the works presented here attest. Leoš Janáček’s first quartet, subtitled ‘Kreutzer Sonata’, is based on a novella by Leo Tolstoy, which deals with such subjects as marriage, adultery and murder, all of which are evoked here by highly expressive music. The second quartet, the last major work he completed, is subtitled ‘Intimate Letters’. The special feature of this unique and miraculous quartet, full of love songs and eruptions, is the intense and euphoric expression of the composer’s inspirational and unrequited passion for a young woman.

Pavel Haas, who studied with Janáček in Brno in the 1920s, composed his second string quartet subtitled ‘From the Monkey Mountains’ in 1925. Although the composer claims that he intended to evoke ‘pleasant summer holidays in the country’, it seems that the work also evokes a love story. A surprise is in store for us in the final movement, entitled ‘A Wild Night’: percussion is added to the string quartet and contributes to the jazzy atmosphere. It is played here by the Scottish virtuoso Colin Currie.

REVIEW:

The Escher’s Janáček is highly recommended, especially to those of you who have not yet become dedicated Janáček freaks; those who have will need a variety of approaches to these highly charged quartets. The Haas should be a keeper for everybody.

-- Fanfare

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Janáček & Haas: String Quartets / Currie, Escher String Quartet
BIS Jun 2023
SACD
$21.99

Montmartre 1964 / Dexter Gordon

Storyville Records

$17.99 Nov 06, 2020

Listening to this album takes you back to the atmosphere and sound of Jazzhus Montmartre on a random night in the 1960s, engulfing you in Dexter Gordon’s enormous aura. Dexter’s arrival in Copenhagen had a tremendous impact that left a lasting impression on the Danish jazz scene. He was handsome and well-dressed. His playing was superb, with a giant sound; his introductions and showmanship were unique and captivating. In addition, Dexter felt the Danish mentality was well-suited for playing and enjoying jazz. “It was always there”, Alex Riel remembers “It wasn’t a case of going to work, even though we played every, single night in June, July and August during the summer of 1964. Dexter and Tete were there solely for the music, and so were Niels-Henning and I. It is so obvious when I hear the music today. Dexter loved being in Montmartre. He often stayed and jammed with the night shift when it took over, playing on till early morning. I clearly remember us standing outside Montmartre one bright summer morning when the milkman came by. In those days the milkman drove around, delivering bottles of milk to the front doors of apartment buildings in Copenhagen. He brought his young daughter along to lend a hand, and it was hard not to notice her ample bosom beneath her thin T-shirt. Dexter took one look, then said, “Really (that’s what he called me), can she just walk around town and there’s no one who ...? You could never do that in New York ... I’m staying right here!’ And Dexter ended up owning Copenhagen!”

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Montmartre 1964 / Dexter Gordon
Storyville Records Nov 2020
CD
$17.99

Hildegard: Celestial Harmonies / Summerly

Naxos

$19.99 May 27, 2008

We remember Hildegard if nothing else for her 1980s "revival", or perhaps from Anonymous 4's hit 1997 recording featuring "Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula" (with the provocative title 11,000 Virgins). Her writings, her prophecies and visions, her poetry and music, and her founding and nearly 30-year leadership of the convent at Rupertsberg established Hildegard as one of the more remarkable and influential figures of her time; the question today is how to best present her music--long sequences of unison chant--which of course was intended for worship and prayer, not for "performance". Some have answered that question by arranging the melodies--for string quartet (Kronos Quartet), brass ensemble (Empire Brass), solo voice and cello (Matt Haimovitz, Eileen Clark)--or even "reworking" them with added percussion, whistles, electronic sounds, and cellos (Richard Souther).

Some performers seek authenticity by employing only female voices, but there is good evidence that her music also would have been sung during her lifetime by men. So this program, its selections taken from Hildegard's collection of 77 "poetical-musical" works known as Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum (Symphony of the harmony of celestial revelations) and presented in their original, unadulterated form (no whistles, cellos, or tubas!), takes a very sensible and listener-friendly route: the eight responsories and antiphons alternate between one group of four women and one of four men. The contrast of timbres from track to track is a nice effect, and thanks to some very well-matched and impressively well-practiced voices, the inflections, phrasing, and even the smallest nuances of textual emphasis achieve the desired uniformity while retaining the interesting tonal character of four combined voices. (We shouldn't be surprised at the high level of technical and musical accomplishment demonstrated here--a glance at the list of singers reveals several of Britain's finest, most experienced and versatile choral musicians.)

Oxford's Chapel of Hertford College proves to be an ideal venue for this pure, unadorned, unaccompanied vocal music, and Jeremy Summerly's short but informative notes provide just enough details to give listeners new to this music a start in understanding the mystique of this fascinating and uniquely gifted celebrity from the 12th-century--a true Renaissance woman long before the Renaissance was invented.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

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Hildegard: Celestial Harmonies / Summerly
Naxos May 2008
CD
$19.99

Cook: Olympus & Apollo

Divine Art

$18.99 Oct 18, 2024

Divine Art presents two stunning organ symphonies by renowned composer James Cook, performed by the eminent British organist, Kevin Bowyer. Making his debut on the Divine Art label, Bowyer brings to life Cook's Symphony No. 8 ("Olympian") and Symphony No. 9 ("Apollonian"), both crafted in 2006 and masterfully orchestrated in 2011. This remarkable recording took place on the majestic organ of Glasgow University Memorial Chapel in 2023. James Cook, a prolific composer born in 1963, studied composition at Oxford University and has since created a vast array of music, including operatic extracts, sacred choral works, and an impressive collection of organ compositions. This new release marks the ninth album of Cook's music by Divine Art, showcasing his continuous evolution as a composer. The Olympian Symphony, Cook's eighth symphony, is an expansive and evocative piece inspired by Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the Greek gods. It consists of four movements: Soliloquy, a meditative and introspective movement that builds to a powerful climax before gently fading away; Anglais, an energetic and angular dance in 2/2 time, contrasting leaping intervals with scalic melodies; Pastorale, a serene nocturnal scene, mostly quiet with a dynamic central section, concluding with a whispering ppp; and Expansum, grand and noble, featuring majestic chords and sweeping passages that suggest an endless journey. Prefacing the symphony, Cook includes a quote from John Trapp: "Should we not be as serious and sedulous in building staircases for heaven as the wicked are in digging descents to hell." The Apollonian Symphony, Cook's ninth symphony, depicts the vibrant and varied experiences of a long summer's day by the seaside in Victorian or Edwardian times. It comprises seven movements: Introduzione, where dawn breaks on a summer morning; Allegro, capturing the excitement of starting the day's adventures; Allegretto, reflecting a mellow, reflective mood at noon; Alla Marcia, as a military band parades by in the afternoon; Presto, with a playful street urchin mocking the band as it passes; Prestissimo, where the day grows more intense as the late afternoon heat gives way to early evening revelries; and Adagissimo, concluding the day as the visitor retreats to the tranquility of a forest, ending the night in peaceful reflection. The finale is titled with Cook's own words: "Fractious day yields to sublime night." Kevin Bowyer, celebrated for his unparalleled skill and daring performances, has captivated audiences worldwide. Born in Southend-on-Sea, Bowyer trained at the Royal Academy of Music and further honed his craft under the guidance of David Sanger. His illustrious career includes numerous accolades, such as the prestigious Medal of the Royal College of Organists and the "Lifetime Award" from the German Record Critics in 2023.

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Cook: Olympus & Apollo
Divine Art Oct 2024
CD
$18.99

Purcell: Fairy Queen / Dexter, Millson, Barrit, Christie [Blu-ray]

Opus Arte

Blu-Ray

$39.99 Jun 29, 2010

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

Also available on standard DVD

Jonathan Kent’s spectacular production of Purcell’s huge semi-opera is joyous, imaginative and witty. Glyndebourne, with its intimate auditorium, provides the perfect setting for a drama which is partly spoken and partly sung. Based on an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the story is lavished with a brilliance that justifies this production’s acclaim. Paul Brown’s inventive designs, Kim Brandstrup’s exquisite choreography, an excellent cast of actors and singers and outstanding playing by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under William Christie combine to make a seamless theatrical experience, here recorded in High Definition and true surround sound.

Henry Purcell
THE FAIRY QUEEN

ACTORS
Titania – Sally Dexter
Oberon – Joseph Millson
Bottom – Desmond Barrit
Puck – Jotham Annan
Hermia – Susannah Wise
Demetrius – Oliver Le Sueur
Lysander – Oliver Kieran Jones

SINGERS
Juno / Mystery - Lucy Crowe
Spring / First Fairy - Claire Debono
Second Fairy - Anna Devin
Eve - Helen-Jane Howells
Night - Carolyn Sampson
Mopsa - Robert Burt
Summer - Sean Clayton
Secrecy / Adam - Ed Lyon
Autumn - Adrian Ward
Phœbus - Lukas Kargl
Drunken Poet - Desmond Barrit
Winter / Sleep / Coridon / Hymen - Andrew Foster-Williams

Glyndebourne Chorus
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
William Christie, conductor

Jonathan Kent, stage director

Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, East Sussex, 17 and 19 July 2009.

Bonus:
- Interview with William Christie
- Interview with Jonathan Kent

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: 221 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 50) R E V I E W:

The Fairy Queen is often referred to snootily as a “semi-opera” because the entertainment staged at Dorset Garden in 1692 was a mix of Purcell’s musical numbers and a bowdlerised adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In fact Purcell’s audience regarded the mix of spoken drama and musical fantasy more simply as “dramatick opera”, and thought nothing odd about rehashing Shakespeare. The subtlety and richness of Shakespeare’s original text was diluted for the occasion in 1692 but that does not mean that the result is not stage-worthy in its own right. Unfortunately, most staged productions of The Fairy Queen have avoided putting Purcell’s music back into its proper quasi-Shakespearean dramatic context. While nobody in their right mind would think it preferable to stage The Magic Flute without any dialogue, ENO’s 1995 production of The Fairy Queen worked hard and unevenly to make Purcell’s music stand alone in isolation from the relevant moments in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Simply using the charm and quality of the music as a springboard for contrived stage action tells less than half the story. The idea of reconciling the score of The Fairy Queen and its original play has for too long seemed too much like hard work for those who could not be bothered to make a serious attempt. So kudos to director Jonathan Kent and the entire production team of Glyndebourne’s fabulous 2009 reincarnation of the music and play reunited.

The reward of such courage and inquisitiveness is lovely to watch. William Christie’s direction has its cons as well as its pros; some songs (“If love’s a sweet passion”) are affected by bulgy exaggerations, tiny unnecessary tricks are employed by the OAE and chorus, and the copious use of battering percussion is irritating to those who prefer organic fare to artificial additives.

However, the production is a treat to watch: Kent has imaginatively realised the connections between the masques and the spoken drama, mixing coherently the three worlds of late-17th-century aristocratic England (Thebes), the modern day (the mechanicals preparing Pyramus and Thisbe), and the Fairy kingdom at night. The stage action is packed with good humour, affection and excellent use of colours and contrasts (although you might want to cover your childrens’ eyes at the rather saucy choreography for giant pink rabbits at the end of Act 3). The masque of the four seasons in Act 4 is a veritable feast on the eye.

Much of the credit for the charm of this production must go to the actors, especially the four confused lost lovers, the quarrelling Oberon and Titania, and, of course, Desmond Barrit’s Welsh Bottom. Of the principal singers, Lucy Crowe has stage magnetism and a terrific voice, but “Hark! the echoing air” suggests that her steely timbre is slightly less at home in 17th-century music than in Handel. Ed Lyon has the lion’s share of tenor solos; he makes heavy weather of some things but his higher-lying passages are excellent. Andrew Foster-Williams sings with gusto and appears comfortable as an extraordinary variety of characters. Carolyn Sampson steals the show in the Plaint, as the mood instantly switches from prior jollity to intense pathos; she sings “I shall never see him more” with devastating pathos but also impeccable style (plaudits also to Alison Bury’s tender violin obbligato). There are a few CD versions that I’d rather listen to for the music alone, but this DVD conveys an exceptionally spectacular event in the theatre. For a visual and dramatic feast, this reunification of play and music for The Fairy Queen is an absolute triumph.

— David Vickers, Gramophone Reviewing DVD version

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Purcell: Fairy Queen / Dexter, Millson, Barrit, Christie [Blu-ray]
Opus Arte Jun 2010
Blu-Ray
$39.99

Weelkes: Anthems / Summerly, Oxford Camerata
Naxos Jan 1996
CD
$19.99

Bax: Orchestral Works Vol 9 / Bryden Thomson, London PO

Chandos

$13.99 Apr 29, 2008

BAX The Truth about the Russian Dancers. From Dusk till Dawn • Bryden Thomson, cond; London PO • CHANDOS 10457 (67:12)

This is Volume 9 of Chandos’s midprice reissues of Bryden Thomson’s extensive survey of the orchestral music of Arnold Bax. The good news for Bax fans is that these are two obscure but major works showcasing the composer’s distinctive and highly personal orchestral style. The bad news is that the music is not qualitatively on the same level as any of his symphonies or major tone poems. From Dusk till Dawn and The Truth about the Russian Dancers were composed respectively in 1917 and 1920 when Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes visited London and immediately captured Bax’s artistic imagination. The Truth about the Russian Dancers (at 46 minutes) is a major score (despite its ridiculous plot), and both works are replete with Bax’s typical colorful orchestration. These ballets also prove that Bax is not to be compared with Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, or Delibes as a melodist. Nevertheless, both pieces have their melodic moments. The lengthy and pivotal “Dance of Motherhood” from The Truth about the Russian Dancers is a characteristic Baxian lyrical effusion. “Karissima’s Farewell” is suitably dramatic in a gentle sort of way, and the final allegro vivace dance achieves a level of dramatic urgency worthy of Prokofiev, who seems to be Bax’s principal influence in these ballets. From Dusk till Dawn contains several examples of lovely tone-painting, such as the aptly titled “Summer Night at the Window.” This may not represent Bax at his best, but there is plenty of gorgeously orchestrated, never-before recorded music here for the adventurous listener.

Bryden Thomson is obviously totally committed to Bax and conducts the music with plenty of rhythmic vitality. The sound is unequivocally Chandos, but on the top end of their game. Any Bax-lover will thoroughly enjoy this worthy presentation of some of his virtually unknown ballet music.

FANFARE: Arthur Lintgen

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Bax: Orchestral Works Vol 9 / Bryden Thomson, London PO
Chandos Apr 2008
CD
$13.99

Through Gold & Silver Clouds - British Music / Hughes, Camerata Wales

BIS

$21.99 Feb 01, 2007

Sir Edward Elgar once described the sensation of flying in an aeroplane to Frederick Delius: 'There is a delightful feeling of elation in sailing through gold and silver clouds. It is, Delius, rather like your music - a little intangible sometimes, but always very beautiful.' On this disc, Camerata Wales - consisting of some of today's finest Welsh musicians - and conductor Owain Arwel Hughes bring together not only Elgar and Delius, but also Holst, Peter Warlock and Welsh composer Arwel Hughes (father of the conductor) in a programme which is certainly both elating and beautiful. St. Paul's Suite and Capriol are both works that have proved almost impossible to sit still to while listening, while in Arwel Hughes' Fantasia, based on 'an old ecclesiastical theme', it is an elegiac melody bathed in nostalgia that sets the tone. Delius's Cuckoo and Summer Night are the most English of all English music - even though the river portrayed in the latter piece is actually French: the Loing, flowing past Delius's home near Fontainebleau. These gems are framed by Elgar's Serenade for Strings, one of his best-loved works and glowing with an identifiably Edwardian warmth throughout, and his Elegy, whose brevity (it lasts around five minutes) belies its depth of emotion.

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Through Gold & Silver Clouds - British Music / Hughes, Camerata Wales
BIS Feb 2007
CD
$21.99