Haydn: Anne Hunter's Salon, Scottish Folk Songs etc. / Mields, Les Amis De Philippe
CPO
CD
$18.99May 27, 2014
•Dorothee Mields is one of the leading female vocalists in the field of the music of the 17th – 18th centuries and is especially loved by the public and press for her unique timbre and moving interpretations. Possessing in addition a flawless technique and an ethereal vocal clarity, makes her a fortunate choice for the interpretation of Haydn's Scottish songs and English canzonettas. The ensemble Les Amis de Philippe assists her with great sensitivity.
The flourishing genre of the comic opera had its roots in eighteenth-century Italian opera buffa, whose irrepressible brio was soon taken up outside the country’s borders. In France it produced opéra comique and operetta, and in German-speaking countries Spieloper and Viennese operetta. Some of the world’s most popular comic opera overtures, filled with gorgeous tunes, brilliant orchestration and race-to-the-finish endings, are presented here. They include staples of the concert repertoire such as Hérold’s dramatic Zampa, the textual delicacy of Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the vivid colour of Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann.
Dvorák, Caplet: Nadège Rochat / Rochat, Lévy, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Ars Produktion
SACD
$21.99Nov 19, 2021
On this new release, Nadège Rochat performs Antonín Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104, and André Caplet's mystically spiritualized Épiphanie, op. 22, together with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Benjamin Levy. Nadège Rochat is a distinguished expressive voice among young cellists. Besides her wide-ranging musical interests in baroque, classical and romantic repertoire, she likes to explore forgotten composers, world music and contemporary pieces. She started to play the cello at the age of four and first studied in Geneva, then in Cologne with Maria Kliegel. She attended master classes with Heinrich Schiff and Anner Bijlsma among others, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music under Robert Cohen where she now has a teaching assignment. She won several first prizes in Swiss, German and British competitions and won twice the Swiss SUISA prize for the interpretation of contemporary music.
Dance is the final part of a triology of albums following Flight and SEasons. This project started as a concept album, using the title as the inspiration for the works. Though several of the works embrace the composer's background collaborations in ballet, there are other works influenced by violinist Kerenza Peacock's connection with folk music.
Four of Sweden's most innovative choreographers travel to Ingmar Bergman's home on Faro to explore and get inspired. The result is a unique dance film, Ingmar Bergman through the Choreographer's eye. As a film director, Ingmar Bergman was also a choreographer. Throughout his films, and his theatre works, one can sense his refined choreographed language - in the beautiful movement of a head, or an arm, in the blink of an eyelid - revealing painful shortcomings and chasms in close human relationships. His "invisible hand" is constantly directing the actor in a slow dance around the room. The unspoken word through each choreography is transformed into movements instead. The renowned and innovative Swedish choreographers Alexander Ekman, Par Isberg, Pontus Lidberg and Joakim Stephenson, with principal dancers Jenny Nilson, Nathalie Nordquist, Oscar Salomonsson and Nadja Sellrup from the Royal Swedish Ballet, interpret Ingmar Bergman through four unique dance performances reflecting on human relations and intense feelings. The dances are linked together with images of the epic natural beauty of Faro and Bergman's poetic home Hammars, including the voice of the master himself - Ingmar Bergman - revealing his thoughts about movements and music. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Bergman's birth, this movie is not only a tribute to the Swedish cineast's unique aesthetics, but also a way to deepen his search of the ineffable, his reflexion on the visual poetry of movement, and on the emotional powers of silent contemplation. The movie won the Special Mention award at Golden Prague International Film Festival 2017 for exceptional artistic achievement as it "excels in the exhilerating choreography, the vivid lighting, and the brilliant camerawork and editing."
Xiaogang Ye: Winter / Royal Scottish National Orchestra
BIS
CD
$21.99Jul 02, 2021
‘As intriguing as it is beguiling’ was how the ‘east-meets-west soundworld’ of Xiaogang Ye was described in the BBC Music Magazine on the release of a previous disc of his orchestral works in 2016. On that occasion Ye’s music was championed by José Serebrier, who returns here, sharing the task with Gilbert Varga. Between them they conduct the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and four international soloists in five works which highlight the beginning of Ye’s career as well as his more recent works. The Brilliance of Western Liang was written in 1983, during Ye’s time as a student at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and is named after a fifth-century kingdom in northwest China. Five years later, Ye wrote his Op. 28, Winter for orchestra, shortly after the he had gone to stay in the U.S.A. A wintry theme returns in December Chrysanthemum (2006), composed in memory of Ye’s daughter Nini, who passed away as an infant. Two years later, Ye was given the prestigious task of writing a work for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics. His Starry Sky for piano, chorus and orchestra, was performed for a worldwide audience with Lang Lang at the piano. The most recent work on the disc is The Song of Sorrow and Gratification (2012), a cycle of four orchestral songs dedicated to the bass-baritone Shenyang who also performs them here. The work sets texts by Li Shutong (1880–1942), assembled from early poems reflecting the resentment, melancholy and helplessness experienced by a young man during a period of turmoil in the history of China.
Beethoven: Music for Winds / Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists
Linn Records
CD
$20.99Feb 23, 2018
All around the world, critics cheered the SCO Wind Soloists’ previous album of Mozart Divertimenti: ‘superb in every way’ (Fanfare), ‘a joy from start to finish’ (Europadisc), ‘sparkles with joy and chuckles with good humor’ (BBC Radio 3 ‘Record Review’). Continuing to explore the Harmoniemusik repertoire, the Wind Soloists’ new recording features youthful, entertaining and brilliant music by a young man who took Vienna by storm in the 1790s: Ludwig van Beethoven. The underrated Octet is a technically challenging concert piece in the Mozart tradition, but with the flair and unpredictability of the young Beethoven. In the Sextet, Beethoven exploits the differing characteristics of each instrument to great effect with the SCO’s legendary interplay on full display. Another gem is the short but sweet Rondino, which is full of subtle details, exquisite melodies and exhilaratingly high-speed horn playing.
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Everything here comes from the composer's early years. The lively and light-hearted Sextet is crisply played, finding a happy balance between bucolic vigor and expressive delicacy.
Granville Bantock was born into a wealthy family (his father was a highly respected gynaecologist) in central London in 1868. Poor health scuppered his parents plans for a career in the Indian Civil service, and eventually Bantock gravitated to music, studying at both Trinity College and at the Royal Academy of Music. Early conducting engagements took him around the world with a musical comedy troupe, before he was appointed as conductor of the New Brighton Tower concerts in Cheshire. He very quickly expanded the scope of the orchestra, and stage concerts featuring works by Joseph Holbrooke, Frederic Hymen Cowen, Charles Steggall, Edward German, Hubert Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, Corder and others, frequently devoting whole concerts to a single composer. Edward Elgar commented that Bantock had 'the most fertile musical brain of our time', On Elgar's recommendation, he became the first Principal of the new Midland Institute School of Music, in Birmingham, and within seven years had succeeded Elgar as Peyton Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham, a post he held until 1934. His unique musical style combines the romanticism of Wagner with influences of English and Scottish Folk Music, as well as the exoticism of eastern music. He had many champions of his work, including Sibelius, who became the first president of the Bantock society formed after the composer's death in 1946.
In this thoughtful collection of chamber music, Ian Stephens' work reveals a rare balance of melodic clarity and inventive disruption, qualities that have drawn artists like Cate Le Bon, Ian Broudie, and OMD to his arranging talents. Here, Stephens' signature rhythmic vigour, theatrical subtlety, and knack for weaving unexpected moments define each piece, creating a body of work that intrigues as much as it soothes. Celtic Elegy for clarinet and cello sets the tone with a gentle homage to Celtic traditions. Initially inspired by the Irish air She Moved Through the Fair, the piece unfolds it's own melody through understated layers, mirroring the drones and ornamentation of Scottish bagpipes. This composition showcases Stephens' sensitivity to the soul of folk music while remaining efficient in form. Springhead Echoes and the Clarinet Quintet, two works linked by memory and place, extend Stephens' nuanced approach to melody and rhythm. Commissioned in memory of Rosalind and Brian Richards, they explore themes rooted in friendship and place. Springhead Echoes for string quartet channels Brahms with themes that emerge in delicate counterpoint, invoking the charm of Rosalind's lifelong connection to her home in Dorset. Meanwhile, the Clarinet Quintet subtly references Beethoven's opera Fidelio, blending nostalgic elements with Stephens' penchant for inventive structure. In North Country for string quartet, Stephens deftly reinterprets the folk tune The Oak and the Ash, transforming it across three movements: Lilting, Heartfelt, and With Abandon. The tune surfaces and recedes, guiding listeners through a series of evolving textures. From the reflective openness of the first movement to the vibrant, Latin-inspired rhythms of the finale, Stephens showcases his ability to shift seamlessly between tradition and innovation. Finally, the Oboe Quintet offers a poignant tribute to two amateur musicians of the Liverpool music scene. Here, Stephens emphasizes the oboe's natural expressiveness through long phrases and joyful rhythmic interjections, balancing lyrical intimacy with structured dance-like sequences. The Passacaglia, inspired by Bach, builds through symmetrical chords and shifting time signatures, adding depth to the piece's intricate framework. These chamber works not only illustrate Ian Stephens' gift for melody and recontextualization but also his acute attention to instrumental character. Each piece encourages reflection, embodying both the intellect and spontaneity that mark Stephens as a contemporary voice with a profound respect for musical lineage. Ian Stephens, composer: Raised in Devon as a cellist and singer, Stephens studied at the University of Bristol and later worked with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He now teaches at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. His works, including Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz Age Cinderella and Pinocchio, demonstrate his skill in elevating melody with strong rhythmic profiles and theatrical clarity. His Celtic Elegy showcases his ability to blend soul and efficiency, earning him work as an arranger for artists like Cate Le Bon and Ian Broudie.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra joins Ukrainian pianist Svetlana Andreeva, conducted by Sergey Neller, to record works by French composer Christian Schittenhelm. The author of numerous musicals performed throughout France and Europe, he is also the creator of a rich symphonic and concerto output. The lush sonorities of Air, his fourth piano concerto, and his symphonic poem Dawn, to which the musicians of the RSNO lend their sumptuous color, meet here with Debussy's Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, which completes this triptych.
Ronald Binge was one of the most highly respected and successful English composers of his generation. He played a significant role in creating the Mantovani sound, but his big breakthrough came with the Elizabethan Serenade, which became an international hit. The evocative moods and memorable melodies of his best works saw their regular use as themes for TV and radio, and the soothing tones of Sailing By are still in use today as the close-down music for BBC Radio 4.
Bax: Symphony No 2, Etc / Lloyd-jones, Royal Scottish Orchestra
Naxos
CD
$19.99Jun 01, 1999
Naxos is going head to head with Chandos in English repertoire, and while British critics no doubt will circle the wagons in defense of their home-grown product, the fact is that this newcomer beats the Brits at their own game. Not only do we have a British conductor with evident sympathy for the music (which is Bax at his opulent best), but one with an orchestra that Chandos, in its own innumerable releases, demonstrated was clearly superior to the London Philharmonic (led by the late Bryden Thomson in the case of Bax's symphonies). In addition, we also get a recording of excellent technical quality. In fact, Chandos' recording of this piece was cavernous in the extreme, and Thomson's sometimes slack way with the music was anything but ideal. (There's a superb version of this symphony on Lyrita conducted by Meyer Fredman which has never appeared on CD). In short, this recording offers top quality in both performance and sonics irrespective of price, and makes the perfect starting point for anyone interested in sampling the work of this lusciously Romantic composer. [10/3/1999]--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
African American Voices / Gray, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Linn Records
CD
$20.99Oct 28, 2022
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra teams up with its Assistant Conductor Kellen Gray to record works by three of the twentieth century’s greatest African American voices. Released to coincide with Black History Month, the two symphonies by William Levi Dawson and William Grant Still proved to be fundamental in the utilization of Afro-American idioms within the symphonic form. Each composer focused on one of the two original staples of African American music: folk and jazz.
William Levi Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony takes its inspiration from West African folk idioms, American Negro spirituals and early African American folk rhythms and songs from Gullah culture. William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1 draws its influence from elements popular in jazz and pre-jazz popular genres. Although the latter is the more well-known figure in American music, Dawson was every bit as significant in the timeline of African American music, and his only published symphony is astonishingly mature for a composer’s earliest efforts at symphonic writing. This program also celebrates the centenary of George Walker’s birth with the inclusion of his Lyric for Strings.
Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1, Scottish Fantasy / Lin, Slatkin
Sony Masterworks
CD
$11.98Mar 24, 1987
Cho-Liang Lin; Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin. CBS MK 42315 [with Scottish Fantasy; also available with Mendelssohn: Concerto in E minor, and various encore pieces (CBS MDK 44902)] (recorded 1986). Lin’s is a straightforward, expressive reading of the concerto, distinguished by extraordinarily beautiful playing. Bruch was a melodist of the first rank, and the soloist emphasizes that aspect of the music in his warmly phrased account. Leonard Slatkin and the Chicago Symphony provide outstanding support, and the performance is captured in a recording of ideal depth and spaciousness. Two versions of the account are now available; the choice for most buyers is the mid-price recoupling that pairs the Bruch with Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor and encore pieces by Kreisler and Sarasate. – Ted Libbey, author of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection.
Bruckner: Symphony No 1 / Tintner, Royal Scottish National
Naxos
CD
$19.99May 01, 2000
This first-ever recording of the original version of Anton Bruckner's sweeping Symphony No. 1 marked the final great achievement of the acclaimed Bruckner conductor, Georg Tintner, who died in 1999. Following the premiere of the symphony in 1868, Bruckner's devoted conductor friends, all of whom were die-hard Wagnerians like Bruckner himself, championed the work (and Bruckner's other compositions) while subjecting it to their own modifications in order to make Bruckner sound more Wagnerian! Regrettably, the trusting Bruckner sometimes allowed and even abetted these interventions. With the advantage of twenty-twenty hindsight, one can see that Bruckner was, from the beginning, a majestically individual composer and should have been left to his own devices. Under the knowing hand of Tintner, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra reveals this symphony's sprawling orchestral architecture as it was first conceived. The first two movements are surprisingly novel for a fledgling essay in the genre. The second movement already sets the standard for those otherworldly adagio movements, with their glacially unfolding melodies, that populate Bruckner's symphonies.
BALTIC SKETCHES by composer Scott Brickman is a collection of symphonic works inspired by Brickman's Baltic and Slavic ancestry. The album features his Symphony No. 5, which draws on Latvian folk traditions, including folk dances, songs, and Lutheran liturgical music. It also includes Symphony No. 1, an exploration of neoclassical form influenced by contemporary socio-political events, including military conflict in the Middle East and the climate crisis. Symphony No. 6 for wind ensemble explores textural and timbral color and nods to the Lutheran chorale, In Dulci Jubilo. Blending classical forms with asymmetrical dance meters and folk melodies, Brickman's BALTIC SKETCHES finds unexpected connections between time-honored traditions.
Elgar: Cello Concerto; Vaughan Williams: Dark Pastoral / Miyata, Williams, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
MDG
CD
$23.99Sep 04, 2020
Dai Miyata has been playing the cello since he was three years old and has won all competitions since the age of nine. He was also the first Japanese to win the first prize at the 9th Rostropovich Competition in 2009, thus finally climbing the Olympus of the international virtuoso world. In a current co-production with DENON, MDG presents the artist, who is still far too little known in this country, with a very special programme: Edward Elgar's popular cello concerto meets the "Dark Pastoral", which David Matthews has recreated from unfinished drafts by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The Cello Concerto is Elgar's last completed major work. Begun towards the end of the First World War in a rural idyll, it carries a tone of melancholy that is unusual for the Britishnational composer. The four-movement arrangement is more reminiscent of a baroque concerto grosso than of the romantic virtuoso concertos. And yet - or is it precisely because of this? - it continues to enjoy great popularity with the public. But the circumstances of the 1919 premiere were anything but conducive: there was hardly any rehearsal time, the conductor had his hands full with Scriabin's "Poème de l'Extase", so Elgar himself took the podium of the London Symphony Orchestra. " never, in all probability, has so great an orchestra made so lamentable an exhibition of itself" wrote the "Observer" correspondent, not without praising the work itself in the highest tones. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Elgar's pupil, has left only sketches for a planned cello concert for the legendary Pablo Casals. Only the slow movement is available in a fair copy, which however breaks off abruptly. In collaboration with the RVW Foundation, David Matthews has turned it into a playable piece, which he called "Dark Pastoral" because of it's elegiac character.
Roussel: Le Festin de l'Araignee, Padmavati / Deneve, Royal Scottish
Naxos
CD
$9.99$19.99Save 50%Jan 31, 2012
One of Roussel’s most performed orchestral works, The Spider’s Web was composed during his earlier impressionistic period, and depicts the beauty and violence of insect life in a garden. Roussel’s experiences as a lieutenant in the French Navy first introduced him to Eastern influences, and the ‘opera-ballet’ Padmâvatî was inspired by his later visit to the ancient city of Chittor in Rajasthan state of western India. It uses aspects of Indian music to evoke this city’s legendary siege by the Mongols. This is the fifth and final volume in Stéphane Denève and the RSNO’s acclaimed survey of Roussel’s orchestral works. “An excellent disc, splendidly and idiomatically performed and a superb advertisement for composer, conductor and orchestra. Highly recommended.” (Gramophone on Vol. 4 / 8.572135)
In this recording, Brú explores repertoire from the folk dance and song heritage of Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Traditional tunes are blended with musical elements as diverse as baroque, contemporary, and a pinch of heavy metal. Tales about magical beings, spells, hope, and deceit unfold against the alluring backdrop of Nordic nature. The contrast between life and death, love and despair, is sometimes resolved tragically, but at other times with a more humorous, down-to-earth outlook.
Apollo’s Fire conjures early 19th-century rural Americana with an evocative journey through traditional folk songs, fiddle tunes, barn dances, and the indispensable Old Time revivalist meetings. This is music as old as the hills themselves, a melting pot of Irish, English, and Scottish tunes that permeated Appalachian culture and rural America, based on field recordings of old-time and Appalachian singers.
“Dazzling fiddle playing and delicious swing … all done with great spirit and brio.” — Fanfare
