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Passacaglia
CAvi-music Mar 2014
CD
$19.99

WEBER - SPIRIT OF GERMAN ROMANTICISM

WARNER CLASSICS

$59.99 Jun 05, 2026

Despite a difficult start in life and an early reputation as a "conceited brat" (not helped by a father who tried to market him as a "new Mozart") Carl Maria von Weber developed into a disciplined professional through rigorous training under Abbe Vogler and years of practical experience managing theatres in Breslau, Prague, and Dresden. His breakthrough as a composer was closely tied to his collaboration with clarinettist Heinrich Joseph Baermann - Weber's mastery of the clarinet's technical possibilities leading to the famous concertos that paved the way for his operatic triumphs. His masterpiece, 'Der Freischutz' became a cultural phenomenon, praised for it's "Wolf's Glen" scene and it's balance between romantic nature and demonic forces. After a life of great musical discipline amidst continued adversities, Weber died in London at only 39 years old, shortly after the successful premiere of his final opera 'Oberon'. This box celebrates the range of Weber's genius via the selection of several highly recommended reference recordings.

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WEBER - SPIRIT OF GERMAN ROMANTICISM
WARNER CLASSICS Jun 2026
CD
$59.99

Weber: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Concertino, Overtures / Spangenberg, Orchester M18

MDG

SACD

$24.99 Jun 01, 2012

Rübezahl storms wildly through the Riesengebirge, and the elves in Oberon's retinue scurry like the wind. At the height of the romantic era Carl Maria von Weber composed musical pictures of suggestive power. He produced emotional suspense of the highest concentration not only in his opera overtures but also in the purely instrumental music of his clarinet concertos - as Martin Spangenberg impressively demonstrates to the ear in his debut with the Orchestra M 18. And this in the 3D sound of 2+2+2 recording technique - a virtuosic sound feast for the senses!

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Weber: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Concertino, Overtures / Spangenberg, Orchester M18
MDG Jun 2012
SACD
$24.99

A Musical Journey - A Musical Tour Of Bavaria

Naxos AudioVisual

DVD

$13.99 May 26, 2009

BAVARIA

The Places
The Road of Romance, in South Bavaria, leads through the countryside to the great castle of Weikersheim, former residence of the Counts and Princes Hohenlohe. Further exploration of Bavaria and the Bavarian Forest leads to Prunn Castle on its rocky eminence, and finally to Würzburg on the River Main and the Marienberg Fortress.

The Music
Max Bruch, a native of Cologne, enjoyed a career that took him, as a conductor, to Liverpool, Coblenz, Breslau and Bonn, before his final years in Berlin. His first Violin Concerto remains among his most popular works. Carl Maria von Weber led an even more varied life that took him to musical centres in Germany and Austria. He was a pioneer of German romantic opera, and three opera overtures are chosen here. Der Freischütz (The Marksman) evokes the spirit of the German forest, while Euryanthe explores more exotic territory, as does Oberon, Weber's final opera, written for London in 1826, the last year of his life.

Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: Dolby Digital / DTS Surround
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 53 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (US and Canada)

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A Musical Journey - A Musical Tour Of Bavaria
Naxos AudioVisual May 2009
DVD
$13.99

Weber: Overtures / Wit, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Naxos

$19.99 Dec 16, 2008

Delicate contrasts of mood and bright clear recording.

Of particular interest in this collection of Weber’s uplifting overtures are those from Der Beherrscher der Geister, Turandot, Jubel and Silvana. Der Freischütz, Euryanthe and Oberon need little introduction.

Those overtures from the forgotten Weber operas have shed their obscurity in the opera house for favourite status in the concert hall. Following Beethoven and Mozart, Weber’s works for the stage were considered fresh, and seen to carry a blend of strong orchestral craftsmanship, coupled with inspired lyricism and this is evident from the overtures.

In the various recordings of popular Weber overtures one is often aware of the presence of either a ‘robustly mechanical’ or ‘sensitive’ reading. Here, the New Zealand orchestra under Wit engage in delicate contrasts of mood coupled with a bright and clear recording. This puts them in the same league as some of the more prestigious recordings.

This is the first time I have heard Abu Hassan played with such vitality and speed. This approach certainly adds spice to Weber’s bustling score. The warm wind section in a fine acoustic - against subtly balanced shimmering strings - provides real appeal in their rendering of Der Freischütz. The Turandot music was completely unknown to me. Its simple pipe opening comes across as particularly British yet it was written for Stuttgart in 1809. I find from the notes that the ‘folk music’ opening was Weber’s interpretation of the Chinese idiom!

The elegance of Preciosa is charming with contrast provided by the sedate introduction and the energetically dynamic central section with crisply defined first violins.

One may be surprised that the Jubel Overture ends with the British National Anthem. This work however was composed after the Battle of Waterloo and celebrated the 50 ^th anniversary of the then King’s accession. Its majestic opening gives the necessary pomp and splendour.

Antoni Wit is an accomplished conductor who studied in Krakôw and works with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and with Polish Television and Radio. We remember his excellent interpretation of the Prokofiev piano concertos and later of the Messiaen Turangalila symphony in 2002.

The notes in English are fairly generous and give more than adequate background to the overtures.

--Raymond J Walker, MusicWeb Intenational

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Weber: Overtures / Wit, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Naxos Dec 2008
CD
$19.99

OBERTO
Orfeo Feb 1987
Vinyl
$53.99

Brilliants

Genuin

$20.99 Jun 07, 2024

Where do piano music and the noblest of all diamonds meet? Nobility, technical finesse, and the beauty of reflection can only explain a part of our fascination for diamonds - there remains a mystery, an inexplicable depth. It's the same with the musical works that pianist Johannes Obermeier has brought together in his GENUIN album "Brilliants". Schumann's radiant "Carnaval", Ravel's sparkling "Valses nobles et sentimentales", Chopin's and Godowsky's dazzling etudes, and Obermeier's own variations on a Schumann motif are mirrors and reflections of each other. This CD production is part of the Carl Bechstein Special Prize of the ARD Music Competition 2022 - one of numerous awards the young exceptional musician has earned in the past two years. A promising debut album!

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Brilliants
Genuin Jun 2024
CD
$20.99

Berg: Wozzeck / Albrecht, Dutch National Opera, Netherlands Philharmonic

Naxos AudioVisual

DVD

$30.99 Nov 09, 2018

Also available on Blu-ray

Based on real events and drawing on Georg Büchner’s revolutionary play, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck turns a grimly tragic narrative of violence and murder into one of the most powerful and original operas of the 20th century. Berg’s uncompromising portrayal of brutality and madness generated much controversy, but the significance of Wozzeck was soon recognised; its compelling lyrical expansiveness, large-scale dramatic gestures and remarkable musical structures producing music of overwhelming emotional intensity. The Financial Times declared this to be "a beautiful, moving, engrossing production… this is a consummate Wozzeck, blending clarity, lyricism, compassion and crushing force."

-----

REVIEW:

Marc Albrecht embeds Wozzeck within a lineage of lyrically sprung, dance-driven operas from Weber’s Oberon to Der Rosenkavalier, taking in Lortzing and Die Fledermaus along the way. The singing is accomplished with style, especially the astonishingly secure Captain of Marcel Beekman and the engagingly sinister comic turn of Willard White as the Doctor. Even were it not among the most beautifully played and sung accounts on record and film, this Wozzeck would command attention for Krzysztof Warlikowski’s staging.

– Gramophone

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Berg: Wozzeck / Albrecht, Dutch National Opera, Netherlands Philharmonic
Naxos AudioVisual Nov 2018
DVD
$30.99

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

LIVE AT OBERLIN COLLEGE 1965

GOOD TIME

$14.20 May 01, 2026

Son House proves his towering influence on the blues, pouring his raw voice, slide guitar, and candid storytelling into this visceral document of a legend still commanding the crowd and reaffirming the power of the Delta tradition. Recorded live at the Oberlin College, Ohio, 1965.

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LIVE AT OBERLIN COLLEGE 1965
GOOD TIME May 2026
CD
$14.20

Mix & Match

Haydn: Keyboard Trios, Vol. 7 [nos. 16, 17, 35, 37 & 41] / Oberlin Trio

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Jun 24, 2022

Much of Joseph Haydn’s musical life was spent in service at the palace of Eszterháza on the Hungarian plains, a complex of buildings to rival Versailles in magnificence. Haydn’s reputation abroad was, however, already considerable by 1790, and he was invited to travel to London where the delightfully lively and at times brilliantly virtuosic trios Hob.XV:16and 19were published. Further trios from the 1760s express music of sheer joy, all performed here by the acclaimed Oberlin Trio.

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Sale

Haydn: Keyboard Trios, Vol. 7 [nos. 16, 17, 35, 37 & 41] / Oberlin Trio
Naxos Jun 2022
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Auber: Le Maçon (Sung In German)

Orfeo

$16.99 Nov 15, 2019

Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber (1782-1871) was long considered as one of the most typically French and most successful opera composers of the 19th century. His overtures were once favourites of the light Classical repertoire. This opera francais, first performed on 3 May 1825, relates to the venerable tradition of the rescue opera, topical since the French Revolution. Both book and score were equally successful. The opera represents a decisive development in Aubers style, a turning away from imitation of Rossini to Boieldieu’s simplicity and thereby to a specifically French tradition. It was the first of Auber’s mature opera-comiques, an international success, characterized by an Italianate sparkle with French grace and lyricism. The work remained in the repertoire from 1825 to 1896 and was performed 525 times. By the 1850s it had been translated into German, Danish, Swedish, Polish, Czech and Hungarian. On German stages this opera remained one of Auber’s most popular works, given as late as 1950 in Vienna.

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Auber: Le Maçon (Sung In German)
Orfeo Nov 2019
CD
$16.99

Rands at Oberlin

Oberlin Music

$16.99 Jul 17, 2020

Bernard Rands boasts a catalog of more than 100 published compositions, among them his vocal and instrumental work Canti del Sole, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1984. The centerpiece of Rands at Oberlin, a new recording on the Oberlin Music label, is a work commissioned by Oberlin Conservatory in honor of its 150th anniversary and intended for English horn player Robert Walters, a professor at Oberlin and longtime member of The Cleveland Orchestra. Rands’ Concerto for English Horn received its world-premiere performance by Walters and The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall in November 2015. It makes its recorded premiere on this release, which features Walters performing alongside the Oberlin Orchestra, under the direction of Raphael Jiménez. Rands at Oberlin also features Canti del Sole, which describes a day’s progression from dawn to dusk. It is performed here by Norwegian tenor Magnus Staveland with Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, under the direction of Timothy Weiss.

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Rands at Oberlin
Oberlin Music Jul 2020
CD
$16.99

Zeller: Der Obersteiger
CPO Jun 2010
CD
$36.99

Diamonds
BIS Mar 2003
CD
$21.99

LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN
ERATO May 2016
CD
$21.99

JOSEPH KRIPS EDITION: VOLUME 2

ELOQUENCE AUSTRALIA

$120.64 Jul 12, 2024

Mozart was Josef Krips's yardstick in music: 'My maxim is that everything has to sound as though it were by Mozart, or it will be a bad performance. ' Collected here are his Mozart symphony recordings with the Concertgebouworkest for Philips (1972-73), including a rehearsal sequence for Symphony No. 33, as well as the celebrated 1955 Vienna Don Giovanni for Decca. These are surrounded by the rare 'live' recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, his stereo Decca recordings of symphonies by Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, and a previously unpublished overture by Weber. LIMITED EDITION. By the time stereo technology had become standard in the mid-1950s, Josef Krips had built an impressive recorded legacy for Decca documented in a companion set of mono recordings from Eloquence (Josef Krips Edition - Volume 1). Decca captured the conductor in several stereo remakes of canon repertoire - the last two symphonies of Schubert, Schumann's Fourth, the 'Haffner' and 'Jupiter' of Mozart - always with something deeper and wiser to say about repertoire which he had been exploring for 40 years and more, affording absorbing comparisons with his mono versions. Complementing his mono-era version of Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Krips recorded a stereo Don Giovanni, now with a more international, less Viennese cast headed by the vocally sensuous Don of Cesare Siepi and complemented by Fernando Corena as Leporello. Other vocal treasures in the set include Inge Borkh on imperious form in Beethoven, Weber and the closing scene of Strauss's Salome. Also located in the Decca archive was a stereo recording of Weber's Oberon Overture, now published for the first time. With the Vienna Symphony Orchestra we have a live recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with star soloists Fritz Wunderlich and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Too little of Krips's work outside the Austro-German canon was preserved on record, as the beautifully moulded shape and definition of his 1958 Vienna Philharmonic version of Tchaikovsky's Fifth demonstrates. You would easily guess from it that Mozart was Krips's yardstick in music, and for Philips he finally made a thorough-going survey of the mid-period and mature symphonies, from No. 21 onwards, which he had performed throughout his life. When released in France in harness with the early symphonies led by Marriner, the set included Krips leading a rehearsal sequence of Symphony No. 33 with his characteristically affable authority, and this has been released internationally for the first time on CD. As for the symphonies themselves, Krips sustains them with a natural warmth and breathing pulse that has always placed them in the top rank of 'traditional' performances. The conductor's legacy is addressed in a new essay by Niek Nelissen. Photos and original jackets evoke the 50s and 60s as much as Krips's music-making.

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JOSEPH KRIPS EDITION: VOLUME 2
ELOQUENCE AUSTRALIA Jul 2024
CD
$120.64

Obrecht: Missa Scaramella / Kirkman, Binchois Consort

HYPERION

$18.33 Aug 30, 2024

The challenges and rewards of performing early music are here vividly illustrated by The Binchois Consort, as creative scholarship comes to the aid of two substantial-but fragmentary-works by Jacob Obrecht, and an audacious recorded sound attempts to recreate the experience of the original performers 500 years ago. A novel twenty-first-century motet is also included, emerging from the prevailing Renaissance textures to reflect on themes of mourning and loss.

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Obrecht: Missa Scaramella / Kirkman, Binchois Consort
HYPERION Aug 2024
CD
$18.33

Robert Fuchs: The Piano Quartets Opp 15 & 75
Thorofon Jan 2003
CD
$24.99

SONGS OF ANGELS

ORCHID CLASSICS

$16.50 Mar 13, 2026

Songs of Angels marks the 400th anniversary of Orlando Gibbons' death, with a thoughtfully curated program of choral music forming a landmark recording in Ora Singers' Reflections series. Here, Renaissance masterworks inspire living composers to respond in their own voices - not in imitation of Gibbons, but in dialogue with him across the centuries. Performed by the highly acclaimed choir under Suzi Digby OBE, the album places the ten complete surviving full anthems by Orlando Gibbons at it's centre-ranging from favourites such as O clap your hands and Hosanna to the Son of David to lesser-heard masterpieces including I am the resurrection and O Lord, how do my woes increase. Several works appear in modern reconstructions by David Skinner, allowing these pieces to be heard complete. Interwoven throughout are Gibbons' hymns from Hymns and Songs of the Church (1623), reimagined for the 21st century in jazz-inflected arrangements by pianist and arranger Harry Baker, combining choir and piano in a fresh yet respectful sound world. Continuing Ora Singers' commitment to commissioning, across a stellar decade of activity as one of the UK's foremost chamber choirs, new works by Marco Galvani, Nicola LeFanu, Cecilia McDowall and Will Todd respond directly to Gibbons' originals-offering a vivid contemporary counterpart to his clarity, balance and depth of feeling.

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SONGS OF ANGELS
ORCHID CLASSICS Mar 2026
CD
$16.50

Mix & Match

Auber: Overtures, Vol. 9

Naxos

$19.99 Aug 14, 2026

Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber was one of the most successful opera composers of the 19th century. His overtures were favourites of the light Classical repertoire with gracious melodies and dance rhythms that were hugely influential on the genre of Romantic comic opera, especially in Germany. The unexpected complexities of Le Domino noir result in Auber's most subtle and refined overture, while the often vivacious and joyful music in Gustave III, ou Le Bal masque corresponds to the expectations of the grand-opera tradition. All of these contrast with a closing Marche funebre composed to accompany the interment of Napoleon's ashes in the church of Les Invalides.

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Auber: Overtures, Vol. 9
Naxos Aug 2026
CD
$19.99

Mix & Match

Urspruch: Das Unmoglichste von Allem / Yinon, Broberg, Maier, Fendl, Wieben

Naxos

$35.99 Sep 24, 2013

Anton Urspruch was Franz Liszt’s favourite pupil and saw himself as a ‘progressive modernist’. His music, whilst influenced by his teacher, and by Wagner, diverged from the paths taken by contemporaries such as Reger and Richard Strauss. His masterpiece, the comic opera Das Unmöglichste von Allem, is constructed on a symphonic scale with a series of amusing plot lines powered by tuneful and inventive writing. Although the opera was well received early on by both critics and musicians, after Urspruch’s death it fell into oblivion until triumphantly revived by the forces on this live recording, the first performance of the original, uncut version of the opera.

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Urspruch: Das Unmoglichste von Allem / Yinon, Broberg, Maier, Fendl, Wieben
Naxos Sep 2013
CD
$35.99

Herzogenberg: Quintet Op 43, Trio Op 61 / Oliver Trindl, Orsolino Quintett

CPO

$18.99 May 27, 2008

HERZOGENBERG Quintet in E?. Trio in D • Orsolino Qnt members; Oliver Triendl (pn) • cpo 777 081 (51:16)

Readers will already know from prior reviews, both mine and those of other contributors, that of Brahms’s many contemporaries and wannabes Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843–1900) was the closest of all of them to the elder composer, both professionally and personally. After all, they shared a romantic interest in the same woman, Elisabet von Stockhausen, who came close to marrying Brahms, and who then married Herzogenberg when Brahms dumped her. The relationship between the two men could not have been a comfortable one, and Herzogenberg didn’t help matters any with his toadying behavior towards Brahms, as if merely breathing the master’s exhaled air would somehow fill his own sails with the winds of inspiration. But not even modest talent, let alone genius, is transferable through osmosis.

Herzogenberg did in fact possess a modicum of talent of his own, most evident when he wasn’t trying so hard to imitate Brahms. And that comes through in these two delightful chamber works. The E?-Major Quintet, written in 1883, is scored for the unusual combination of oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano. Few such works exist for this combination of instruments, Mozart’s K 452, Beethoven’s op. 16, and Friedrich Witt’s op. 5 being the best-known—possibly the only known—examples. All share the same key of E? as the most logical compromise and accommodation to the two transposing instruments, the clarinet and the horn. Though Herzogenberg’s quintet would not be as easily mistaken for Brahms as some of his other works, it does exude something of the relaxed, engaging character of Brahms’s much earlier A-Major Serenade. And its last movement, as well as the third movement of the oboe trio, with its running triplets, does call to mind Brahms’s op. 40 Trio for violin, horn, and piano.

The Trio in D for oboe, horn, and piano was written in 1889 during Herzogenberg’s stay in Nice, where he had gone, with Elisabet, to recover from a serious illness. Described by the composer himself as “jolly and so new,” the piece is obviously one of good spirits that reflects the warm Mediterranean clime and Herzogenberg’s improved state of health. In terms of its instrumentation, the trio has even fewer precedents than the quintet, an 1886 work by Carl Reinecke being the only known example, and one that apparently Herzogenberg was unaware of when he wrote his own trio.

The two works on this disc make two things about Herzogenberg abundantly clear. First, he had a life independent of Brahms, and a fairly rich one at that. A Bach scholar of no mean accomplishment, he took up residence in Leipzig where, with Philipp Spitta, he established the Leipzig Bach-Verein, which dedicated itself to the revival of Bach’s cantatas. During his 10-year directorship of the institute, he taught composition to a number of students, one of whom was Ethel Smyth. Relocating to Berlin, he then took up the post of professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik, where he advised Vaughan Williams to study with Max Bruch. Herzogenberg’s catalog of compositions is far larger than current listings of recordings would indicate. It includes major choral works, among which is a requiem, a mass, a number of large-scale oratorios, eight symphonies, a violin concerto, and a vast amount of chamber music.

The second thing we learn is that as a composer, Herzogenberg was not just a conservative—in itself not an indictment, as many composers of this time and milieu, which included Fuchs, Reinecke, and Bruch, among others—were also “old-school” traditionalists—but that he lacked their gift for lyrical melody and the grand Romantic gesture. As one listens to the quintet and trio on this disc, what emerges is a sunny, somewhat carefree disposition, one in which the rustic charm and blithe surfaces are never rippled by any momentous or memorable events. Despite their four-movement classically structured forms and their chamber-music category titles, in musical character these are serenades or divertimento-type works—likeable enough but unremarkable.

Remarkably good, however, are the performances by the Orsolino Quintet, a young German-Austrian ensemble founded in 1996. This is one of those groups from which individual members are drawn on an as-needed basis, depending on the scoring of the work at hand. The services of flutist Walter Auer, for example—one of the Orsolino’s permanent five—are not required in this instance. All players are also members of major orchestras: Jochen Tschabrun is principal clarinet in Frankfurt-am-Main’s RSO; Anne Angerer is principal oboe in Stuttgart’s Southwest RSO; Jan Wessely is deputy principal horn in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; and Marion Reinhard is double-bassoonist in the Berlin Philharmonic. Thus, it comes as no surprise that articulation, intonation, phrasing, and ensemble balance are at the highest professional levels. Joined by pianist Oliver Triendl, and given every advantage by cpo’s excellent recording, these performers make as good a case as any can for a composer who, despite the heroic efforts on his behalf, is not likely to rescind the “DNR” stamped on his medical chart.

FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

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Herzogenberg: Quintet Op 43, Trio Op 61 / Oliver Trindl, Orsolino Quintett
CPO May 2008
CD
$18.99

Berlioz: Herminie, Les Nuits D'ete; Ravel: Sheherazade / Veronique Gens

Ondine

$18.99 Jun 26, 2012

This is an absolutely wonderful program. Of course Les Nuits d’été and Shéhérazade are old discmates, most famously on an outstanding disc featuring the late, great Régine Crespin. A dramatic soprano, Crespin’s voice was quite a bit larger than the comparative lightness and purity of Gens, but these songs aren’t Wagner, and each soloist does the music full justice in her own way. Especially in Les Nuits d’été, which isn’t really a song cycle, Gens and conductor John Axelrod team up to produce a performance that actually makes you forget that the work consists of two quick numbers enclosing four long, droopy ones. “Absence” and “Au Cimetière” seldom have sounded more flowing and purposeful.

Gens’ deft handling of the poetry also pays major dividends in the long first song of Shéhérazade, a travelogue that all too easily degenerates into a sort of impressionistic, French version of “I’ve Got A Little List”. Not here, with Gens conveying an unexaggerated feeling of wonderment, ably seconded by Axelrod’s colorful accompaniments. The brief concluding songs, “La flûte enchanté” and “L’indifférent”, are sexy but not smarmy, beautifully capturing Ravel’s delicately etched vocal lines. I can’t help but think, despite wonderful performances by non-French singers (Ely Ameling especially), how much it helps to have a native speaker take the part.

However, what makes this disc particularly desirable is the presence of Herminie, an early cantata by Berlioz that’s almost always passed over in favor of the more popular La mort de Cléopâtre. Herminie is not only a very enjoyable work in its own right, but it begins with a tune that’s nothing less than the “idée fixe” that later found a home in the Symphonie fantastique. The tune returns in the middle section of the aria “Arrête! Arrête! Cher Tancrède”, where it becomes an accompaniment to the vocal line (sound sample). As with everything on this program, the work is compellingly sung by Gens and conducted with conviction. The engineering is also excellent, with Gens’ voice captured with truly striking naturalism. Highest recommendation.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Berlioz: Herminie, Les Nuits D'ete; Ravel: Sheherazade / Veronique Gens
Ondine Jun 2012
CD
$18.99

Rorem: Double Concerto, After Reading Shakespeare

Naxos

$19.99 Dec 12, 2006

Ned Rorem describes this performance of his Double Concerto for Violin and Cello as "perfect", so it would be presumptuous to challenge his opinion of it technically. Certainly the playing of Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson is excellent, as is that of the IRIS Orchestra under Michael Stern. Like some of Rorem's other concertante works, this takes the form of a series of short movements, eight in all, save that one of them (Conversation at Midnight) isn't so short, lasting for nearly a quarter of an hour, or about half the concerto's total time. The two soloists offer admirably focused playing here, with a real feeling of dialog both between themselves and with the orchestra. The scoring is Spartan--strings, eight woodwinds, and four brass--but there's no lack of color or incident. In short, this is a lovely addition to the string concerto repertoire, and a terrific piece for chamber orchestras to consider programming.

What keeps this disc from getting the highest rating is an admittedly personal issue, one that you may not share. After Reading Shakespeare, a suite for solo cello, was also written for Sharon Robinson, and it is very sympathetically performed (listen, for example, to how vividly she characterizes "Titania and Oberon"). Nevertheless, the pairing of an orchestral piece with this most chamber-like of chamber compositions strikes me as unconvincing, coming as it does after the concerto. In his notes Rorem emphasizes the fact that the movement titles of this piece should not be taken literally, the music having preceded some of them. If so, then why use them at all? And why suggest as opening and closing movements such weighty subjects as "Lear" and "Othello and Iago"? They really beg the question of whether or not Rorem's inspiration is up to Shakespeare's, and we don't want to go there, do we? There are times when composers might do better to resist the temptation to offer verbal clues, even if they are perfectly valid ones. Still and all, the music and performances themselves are self-recommending to the composer's many admirers, and on that basis I can recommend this fine new release without further qualification.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Rorem: Double Concerto, After Reading Shakespeare
Naxos Dec 2006
CD
$19.99