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David's Review Corner - May 2005

FALLA: El Amor Brujo. El Sombraro de tres picos. La Vida breve - Spanish Dance (Act 2, Scene 1). Alicia Nafe, Maria Jose Martos (mezzo-sopranos), Asturias Symphony Orchestra, Maximiano Valdes (conductor). Naxos 8.557800. (68' 00").

Surprisingly this is the only coupling on CD of Manuel de Falla's two popular ballets performed by Spanish artists, and the advantages are soon evident in the crisply cut rhythms mixed with the hazy sounds of shimmering colours. Valdes pulls back from the usual hard-driven virtuoso performances of El Amor Brujo, remembering the original version was for very small forces, retaining a transparent quality that only opens out in moments such as the Magic Fire Dance. Alicia Nafe brings a nice touch of vocal colour, the voice integrating rather than solo status. Valdes is more outgoing in El Sombraro, his taut tempos keeping an urgent pulse, every detail in the score sharply etched. I much enjoyed Maria Jose Martos, a singer with a much lighter voice than we are accustomed to hearing in this work. Throughout the Asturias orchestra is in fine form, horns subtle and heroic, the timpanist adding the appropriate impact. Good sound engineering that assists Valdes' clarity of texture. The disc also comes in realistic surround sound 6.110018 and DVD Audio 5.110018.

BARTOK: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 6. Vermeer Quartet. Naxos 8.557543-44 (2CDs). (154' 08").

Bartok's six string quartets have been amazingly fortunate on disc, and now we can add to that illustrious list a fine new recording from the Vermeer. They take a predominantly romantic view to the First Quartet, smoothing down angular edges to the music, internal balance always exemplary, strong on colour and with a satisfyingly wide dynamic range. That latter quality is pivotal to their view of the Second, the precision so impeccably detailed, scurrying passage in the second movement illustrating the point. The ghostly moments in the finale pass through to the Third Quartet, the uneasy rocking motion at the opening leading to strange apparitions flitting in the background, all fully characterised by the Vermeer. The mercurial central movement takes us back in the finale to the unease of the opening, the strong conclusion leading into the Fourth Quartet's opening Allegro, the Vermeer avoiding the ugly response to the score we find in other recordings. Though the pizzicato chords suitably explode in the fourth movement, the whole view of this score is easier going than many we encounter, the finale becoming a vigorous Hungarian Dance. The Vermeer hack into the opening of the Fifth with suitable vehemence, the slow movement given sadness before Bartok returns to those nightmarish images in the finale. Though composed at a desperately unhappy time in Bartok's life, we turn full circle in the Sixth, the mood returning to the First Quartet, a fact highlighted by the Vermeer's warm and smooth reading. I cannot overstate the quality of these performances, for they belong to the finest quartet recordings in the CD catalogue. Buy without hesitation.

SCHUMAN: Symphony No.4. Symphony No.9, 'Le fosse ardeatine'. Circus Overture. The Orchestral Song. Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Gerard Schwarz (conductor). Naxos 8.559254. (63' 23").

The international neglect of the American composer, William Schuman, is cruel to the point of sadism. Born in New York in 1910, he had by the age of twenty-five composed over 150 popular songs, which may not have been the ideal beginning for a young man with serious musical aspirations. At the age of 26 he settled down to a period of study with Roy Harris at the Juilliard School, and Harris brought his music to the attention of the conductor, Serge Koussevitzky. With his Boston Symphony, Koussevitzky was to give many of Schuman's premieres, establishing his name in the States as one of the leading symphonic composers of the 20th century. Schuman's output is totally approachable, being essentially tonal in concept and following in Harris's footsteps. From the dark opening of the Fourth Symphony, dating from 1941, grows a powerful statement, American folk idioms lurking in the background. A quiet opening to the Ninth, completed in 1968, sets the scene, though compared with the Fourth this is aggressive and very modern music that brings us face to face with the ugly world Schuman viewed in the 1960's. The brief Orchestral Song from 1963, and the rumbustical Circus Overture scored for full orchestra, completes the disc. I presume the Delos label - who made most Seattle recordings - originally released these performances, though I cannot remember seeing them issued. They are superb both in the orchestral playing and the sound quality. In sum I fervently commend the disc to you.

FINZI: I Said to Love. Let us garlands bring. Before and After Summer. Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano). Naxos 8.557644. (61' 19").

Naxos introduce into their English Song Series the singer who I would rank as one of today's finest exponents of music in this genre, the baritone, Roderick Williams. Apart from the outstanding vocal qualities he possesses, his diction is so perfect that every word is absolutely clear. That is extremely important as no other composer has been more keenly aware of words and meaning of the poems he was setting than the British composer, Gerald Finzi. Though he wrote music on a large scale, his songs count among the nation's musical treasures. Written over much of his short life, they were later grouped together to form more extensive works. I said to Love and Before and After Summer are to words by Thomas Hardy, with Shakespeare used for the five songs in Let Us Garlands Bring, all three published towards the end of Finzi's life. The piano part is unusual, Finzi never writing in pianistic terms, but placing the instrument as an extension of the vocal line. I think this is the first time the complete Before and After Summer has been placed on disc, but however many there were these performances would stand as the perfect realisation. Williams has a wonderfully unforced tone, singing right in the centre of every note, and warming the voice with judicious use of vibrato. He works regularly with Iain Burnside a fact evident from their complete unanimity of purpose and understanding. A brilliant shining jewel in the CD catalogue.

DYSON: At the Tabard Inn. Concerto da Chiesa. Symphony in G major. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones (conductor). Naxos 8.557720. (72' 30").

Just how are Anglophiles ever going to repay Naxos for this extensive series of British music recordings, a project we could only dream about a decade ago? My life began early enough to have often played Dyson's choral work, The Canterbury Pilgrims, once popular among amateur English choral societies, a later reworking of its music creating the overture, At the Tabard Inn. Born in the northern industrial heartland of Halifax in 1883 - a town steeped in choral traditions - George Dyson was educated at the Royal College of Music before making a teaching career in various colleges, eventually becoming Director of the Royal College. His important works, including all on this disc, came from the late 1930's and early 40's, his music running parallel in style with Vaughan Williams. Make no mistake, the Concerto da Chiesa, for solo string quartet and string ensemble, is as potent as anything from Elgar's pen. The splendid G major Symphony gets an occasional concert performance in the UK, its four movements impressively orchestrated as it oscillates between drama and lyric beauty. Throughout the Bournemouth are fantastic, superb or any other superlative you wish to add, playing the music with that deep commitment that convinces you they perform it every day. In Lloyd-Jones I think we have the finest living conductor of British music, and here he brings new life to stupidly neglected music. The sound quality is superb. I rest my case, please buy it.

BAX: Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 & 4. Water Music. Winter Waters. Country Tune. O Dame get up and bake your pies. Ashley Wass (piano). Naxos 8.557592. (73' 14").

Last September I begged you to seek out the first in this series of Bax's piano music played by the young winner of the World Piano Competition, Ashley Wass. I can only repeat that exhortation with this second volume. Together they represent two of the finest performances of Bax's music in the CD catalogue, Naxos having the foresight to sign an exclusive contract with a musician who can blend sensitivity with a formidable technique. If you still need persuasion as to the music, I can only repeat that had Rachmaninov been born in England, this would probably have been the works he would have composed. Fashioned in symphonic proportions, Bax did not possess a wealth of easily memorable melodies, but both Sonatas have tremendous strength, the storm-tossed outer movements of the Third encircling a long and sad slow movement. Composed six years later in 1932, the Fourth finds Bax in a more relaxed and jovial mood, the central Allegretto having Debussy shimmering in the background. Two tone poems and a couple of fun pieces complete the disc. The Sonatas require virtuosity and physical stamina, both in ample evidence here, the engineers capturing Wass's large dynamic range with quiet passages of magical quality.

BRITTEN: Gloriana - Symphonic Suite, Op.53a. Peter Grimes - Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia, Op.33. Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 4. London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford (conductor). Naxos 8.557196. (72' 01").

The opera Gloriana was a failure on its Royal Opera House premiere, the subject so ill conceived as a celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation that its musical virtues were overlooked, a fact now thankfully reinstated. Britten set about rescuing the score by creating an extensive orchestral suite that runs for some twenty minutes, a series of Courtly Dances at the heart of the work. Much is pastiche from the time of the first Queen Elizabeth, though the fingerprints of Britten are all over the music. It calls for a small orchestra and is in contrast with the massive seascapes he created for Peter Grimes. The London Symphony here performs them with stunning impact, the percussion so realistic you feel able to reach out and touch them. The pounding timpani that open the Sinfonia da Requiem anticipate all that was yet to happen in the agony of the Second World War. It is a score that tempts the conductor to go to the dynamic peaks too early, Bedford leaving that for that enormous crescendo leading to the central cataclysmic return of the opening music, before the work ends in an uneasy peace. In Bedford I find this a more frightening and deeply moving experience than even in the composer's hands, and totally surpassing all others. The work has been recorded by Naxos before, but this version, briefly issued on the Collins label, is one of the truly great Britten recordings ever issued, and now returns at an incredible low price.

STRAVINSKY: Apollo. Agon. Orpheus. London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Robert Craft (conductor). Naxos 8.557502. (77' 43").

Robert Craft conducted the first performance of Agon, having become Stravinsky's confidant and was helping the ageing composer in the preparation of concert and recorded performances. He also contributed to CBS's extensive recording of Stravinsky's music, now revisiting these works in sound quality unavailable in the 1960's. One presumes the performances reflect the composer's last thoughts, the hard-edged sound we normally encounter in Apollo here softened, and while a razor-sharp quality can excite, I much enjoy Craft's approach. Try track 10, the final Apotheose, as a sampler, immaculately played by the London Symphony. We go to the States for Agon, the basic recorded sound of the St. Luke's so different that it comes as quite a jolt. Craft had been responsible for introducing Stravinsky to the theory of serialism that he employed in composing the ballet. With angular rhythms, sparse and pungent textures, Craft's tempos show urgency with playing that possesses inner clarity. Ten years earlier, and in the grip of neo-classicism, Orpheus is essentially quiet until it finally erupts in a savage outburst. For this we return to the LSO and a more suave recording quality, Craft happy with a quite spacious approach. It is a packed disc and the only single CD where you have all three of Stravinsky's Greek influenced ballets.

BOYCE: Eight Symphonys, Op.2. Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon (conductor). Naxos 8.557278. (61' 42").

Just flicking through the Naxos catalogue I was surprised to find Boyce represented only by one brief organ piece, though he was regarded as the leading British composer of Baroque music. Born in London in 1711, not a great deal is known about his early years apart from the fact that he was a late starter, and was already deaf before he achieved some degree of fame in his mid-thirties. He was to become the Master of the King's Musick in 1757, but seemed to have written little in that capacity, apart from the obligatory ode to mark the New Year and the King's Birthday. The Eight 'Symphonys' (Boyce's own spelling), which were to be his most popular orchestral scores, were published in 1760, though only two were of that time, six probably dating from his twenties. They are not symphonies in today's sense, but a collection of overtures composed for use in the theatre. Beautifully crafted, melodically strong, with a nice sense of orchestration, and if rhythmically predictable, it is music that dances delightfully along. Try track 10 for a sampler. Mallon and his period instrument Aradia Ensemble provide performances of joy, tempos exactly measured and never rushed. Maybe the wooden-headed timpani sticks are a mite too explosive (track 13), but the trumpets are nicely crisp and string intonation is well centred. The sound quality is bright and nicely set back from the ensemble.

SCHUBERT: Der Jungling am Bache, D30. Das Geheimnis, D250. Eine Leichenfantasie, D7. Der Graf von Habsburg, D990. Der Jungling am Bache, D192. Die Erwartung, D159. Das Geheimnis, D793. Der Jungling am Bache, D638. An den Fruhling, D283. Die Gotter Griechenlands D677. Des Madchens Klage, D6. Des Madchens Klage, D191. Des Madchens Klage. D389. Klage der Ceres, D323. Thelka, D73. Thelka, D595 (2 settings). An den Fruhling, D587. Lothar Odinius (tenor), Maya Boog (soprano), Ulrich Eisenlohr (piano). Naxos 8.557369-70 (2CDs). (98' 30).

Schubert was fourteen when he discovered Schiller's poems and immediately began setting them to music, the words offering the dramatic texts that stirred an emotional response in the young man. He was the poet to whom Schubert frequently turned throughout his brief life, often returning to a text when he felt he had something new to add. This linked pair of discs is the third and fourth volumes in the series of Schiller settings, and continues Naxos's novel way of presenting their complete Schubert cycle in collections of songs by certain poets. It was in his wildly active initial period that he composed one of his most extensive settings, Eine Leichenfantasie, at times a rambling score lasting almost twenty minutes. Development over the next five years is found in the expansive Klage der Ceres, the shape of the work now more controlled. Treading the byways of Schubert with little in the way of alternative recordings, we have an excellent performer in Lothar Odinius. His use of words is exemplary, and though the bottom part of the voice is not well supported, overall his intonation is impeccable. Maybe Naxos will consider uncoupling this from its partner sung by Maya Boog, a reliable soprano whose voice at times sounds stressed by Schubert's demands in the three Des Madchens settings. Throughout both discs Ulrich Eisenlohr's accompaniment is most responsive, though you feel he is particularly happy in the dramatic songs where Schubert gave the piano a major contribution. Sound quality and balance on both discs recorded in Switzerland is all one could wish.

STAINER: The Crucifixion. James Gilchrist (tenor), Simon Bailey (bass), Stephen Farr (organ), Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Tmothy Brown (conductor). Naxos 8.557624. (66' 45").

It is a pity that the disc comes a couple of months too late to link with the annual Christian commemoration of the crucifixion of Christ. The score is still frequently performed in the UK, though it is almost the only work by which they remember John Stainer, a composer who by the second half of the 19th century had become the most important church musician in England. The Crucifixion dates from 1887, and musically it is uncomplicated, speaking to the listener in very direct terms. The fact that it is well within the scope of amateur performers increased its accessibility, and if Stainer had composed nothing else, the beauty of the unaccompanied chorus, God so Loved the Word, would surely have deserved lasting preservation. Timothy Brown allows the opening sections time to bring their message, his tempos unhurried yet never allowed to sentimentalise the music. James Gilchrist remains one of the UK's finest tenors in this field of music, while Simon Bailey is ever reliable. I much enjoy the sound of Clare College with singing that is typical of the best British church choirs. You will find you have to replay the disc at a very advanced volume setting to bring the sound to life, Guildford Cathedral's acoustic providing a sacred atmosphere and a nice bloom to the voices.

BRIAN: The Jolly Miller Overture. Violin Concerto in C major. Symphony No.18. Marat Bisengaliev (violin), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Lionel Friend (conductor). Naxos 8.557775. (54' 43").

I am not going to make extravagant claims on behalf of Havergal Brian (1876-1972), though listening to the complex and virtuoso Violin Concerto would tempt you to place him among the great composers of the 20th century. It is a score that came from a self-taught musician who spent a life of daily drudge as a mundane clerk, learning to write music by studying scores and working with amateur choirs and orchestras. By his death he had completed a vast number of works, including thirty-two symphonies, twenty-seven written in his last twenty-four years. If that is bizarre, the story of his Violin Concerto is more improbable. Having completed the work he left the score on the train taking him to work, every morning for years afterwards calling at the lost property office to see if it had been found. Eventually he decided to start again, incorporating in the score as much as he could recall. Brian's story became increasingly sad, his old age lived in such poverty that friends bought him manuscript paper and a radio so that he could hear his works being belatedly performed. The concerto is fiendish for the soloist, though in no way courting showmanship, the big dramatic moments balanced by lyrical passages that recall Elgar. Marat Bisengaliev is absolutely superb, his account ranking among the most remarkable fiddle playing on disc. The BBC Scottish orchestra tackle their horrendous part best they could, but were happier in the less demanding and quite short Eighteenth Symphony. The disc originates from the Marco Polo catalogue, the BBC sound quality reliable.

HANDEL: L'Allegro, Il penseroso ed il Moderato. Linda Perillo (soprano), Barbara Hannigan (soprano), Knut Schoch (tenor), Stephan MacLeod (bass), Junge Kantorei, Frankfurt Barockorchester, Joachim Carlos Martini (conductor). Naxos 8.557057-58 (2CDs). (130' 39").

You travel a long way from Handel's Messiah to reach the delights of L'Allegro, wondering as you go why we rarely hear this inventive score. In two very differing parts, 'The cheerful man' and 'The melancholy man', with a final reconciliation in 'il Moderato', a part often omitted in concert performances. Handel poured the most beautiful melodic invention into a score, and the fact that he conducted it many times would indicate his pleasure in its outcome. Completed in February 1740, two years before the Messiah, it contains a series of arias that give the soloists every opportunity to show their skills, particularly in terms of dexterity. In the years that followed additions were made to the original score, and I am not going to comment on the contents of this disc, except to say that it mirrors the version on the Hyperion label described as 'complete'. Martini opens with an Overture that wastes no time, and though he gives room to shape the recitatives, he moves the arias with equal urgency. The solo team are wonderfully fresh, the soprano, Linda Perillo, a singer of rare quality, while the Junge Kantorei is secure and well intended, the fact that this is a 'live' performance being evident in moments of indecisive orchestral intonation. The recording expertly balances the performers, the baroque organ - which has a sizeable solo movement - and the lute being perfectly weighted. I cannot understand why following a long gap at the end of the performance the applause is then included, as the audience numbers seem at best to have been sparse.

COPLAND: Piano Fantasy. Piano Sonata No.1. Piano Variations. Benjamin Pasternack (piano). Naxos 8.559184. (63' 06").

Copland the composer of piano music was a very different person to the populist writer of orchestral works. Here we have naked atonality, uncompromising in its use of sparse textures for the Piano Fantasy from 1930, as if Copland was urging himself to be a disciple of Schoenberg, yet fleetingly falling back into the rhythms and textures that characterised his symphonic output. It is a long work - here lasting over half an hour - and though rarely making demands on the soloist's technique, such open textures require a pianist who can anchor our attention. The three-movement Piano Sonata is shorter and flirts with those jaunty rhythms that were to win him a place in the orchestral repertoire, while retaining his atonal credentials. It is in the closing minutes of the finale that we find peace and brief tonality. Benjamin Pasternack takes the three works at face value, never softening the textures as we have heard in other recorded performances. It is a view well served by a recording that concentrates on a cold clarity. His dynamic range is well proportioned; his dexterity, as demonstrated in the Sonata's second movement, is exemplary, and above all he has a total empathy with the music. There are a number of recordings of the Sonata, but none that have this very obvious coupling.

BACH: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006. Jaap Schroder (Baroque violin). Naxos 8.557563-64 (2CDs). (142' 55").

Jaap Schroder has built an enviable reputation for his work in the sphere of Baroque violin music, and a particularly strong relationship with the music of Bach. There is certainly no lack of recordings of the Sonatas and Partitas, at the one extreme with the tartness of the baroque violin as represented by Rachel Podger's fine account, and at the other end within the comfort zone of Nathan Milstein's silky smooth approach. That begs the question as to where you stand in the world of Bach scholarship. Schroder's interpretation sits happily in the uncomplicated zone, setting the scene with the profusion of three and four-note chords held very tight so as to avoid the spread that became fashionable in the last century. Schroder does not subscribe to the extremes of dynamics, remaining most of the time just a little both sides of forte. He stresses the rhythmic aspects, sometimes at the expense of long flowing lines, pointing to the overall structure of each movement rather than the intricate details from which they have been created. He does not forsake traditional slowing at the end of each dance, the music sitting nicely at Schroder's speeds. In sum these are performances you can live with in the long term, and apart from one passage early on, intonation, including pages of double-stopping, is spotless. He does grunt a little, which is captured in very good sound quality.

AKUTAGAWA: Rapsodia for orchestra. Ellora Symphony. Trinita Sinfonica. New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Takuo Yuasa (conductor). Naxos 8.555975. (54' 06").

If you live outside of Japan it's unlikely you have ever heard a note of music by Yasushi Akutagawa, though, as this disc demonstrates, the Tokyo-born composer has produced mainstream symphonic music of the highest quality. Unusual in having studied almost exclusively in Japan, that background has not given orientalism a priority in an output strongly influenced by Western culture. Akutagawa was also active on the world stage as a conductor, his concerts in Russia developing a relationship with the major Soviet composers of the 20th century. Yet it is the Americana of Copland and his contemporaries that is apparent in the Rapsodia, a work scored for large orchestra and very listener friendly. The orchestration of the Ellora Symphony sounds like Respighi with a triple dose of adrenaline, cataclysmic climaxes and blazing primitive colours daubed onto the musical canvass with tremendous vigour and authority. The earliest score, the Trinita Sinfonica from 1948, is in three movements and written while a student at the Tokyo Music School. A thoroughly pleasing piece, having in style and texture a resemblance with British Light Music of that time. I take Yuasa's performances on trust, and he certainly seems to be enjoying himself in such outgoing music. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's playing has thrilling impact that benefits from stunning sound quality. Released last year in Japan, it is music that travels well, and at the low Naxos price is well worth exploring.

BARTOK: For Children. Jeno Jando (piano). Naxos 8.555998. (76' 17).

The young Bela Bartok could have enjoyed a brilliant career as a concert pianist, but decided composition should become his first consideration, a desire linked with a need to explore his nation's folk music. In this he was joined by Kodaly, the two composers spending considerable time notating the songs they heard. In 1907 Bartok began a series of arrangements for piano, 85 of the most simple and basic melodies gathered into Gyermekeknek (For Children) completed in 1909. Though they caused considerable interest within musical circles they did not enjoy widespread circulation, and only after his death was a revised set of 79 pieces published internationally. It is this second edition chosen by Jeno Jando as part of his ongoing cycle of Bartok's piano music. Technically they do not make demands on the soloist, most well within the range of a child, but there is an art of making simple things interesting. The recording quality reflects the nature of the pieces, being charming and uneventful.

BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No.2 in A major, Op.26. Waltzes Op.39 Nos. 1-5.

Silke-Thora Mattheis, Christian Kohn (piano duo). Naxos 8.554821. (52' 22").

How nice, at long last, to hear this superb partnership performing music that Brahms actually intended for piano duo. Completed in 1865 the sixteen waltzes came before his major orchestral scores, and marked the beginning of a long period when he deserted keyboard composition. The Second Piano Quartet, a score more extended than his symphonies, was completed three years earlier, and seemingly much inspired by Schubert. Though Brahms writes effectively for the piano, it is the flowing lyrical warmth of the strings that characterises the score. That is something the percussive piano cannot recreate, and however generous you wish to be towards this arrangement for four hands, it is simply a million miles from the Piano Quartet. Forget that aspect and look at the piece as a work for piano duo and it has many attractions, the chattering scherzo falling nicely on the keyboard, with Mattheis and Kohn launching into the finale with considerable power. Their playing of the waltzes perfectly captures the irresistible lilt and joy of the music, though it does sound as if the waltzes come from totally different sessions with changed microphone placing, though both are equally attractive.

REGONDI: Premier Air Varie, Op. 21 · Reverie, Op. 19 · Etude No. 4 (b); Deuxieme Air Varie, Op. 22. MERTZ: Bardenklange, Op.13. Polonaises Nos. 1 - 7. Ricardo Gallen (guitar). Naxos 8.555285. (71' 47").

Living most of his life in London, where his dazzling displays of virtuosity made him one of the most popular guitarists of the 19th century, Giulio Regondi came from Italy, having been born in Genoa in 1822. By the age of eight he was touring Europe as a child prodigy, later becoming the greatest living exponent of the eight-string guitar. To demonstrate his brilliance he composed works of considerable difficulty intended to thrill his audiences, while the lyric passages could have come from Italian opera. Ricardo Gallen has a few ugly slides and he is not immune to noisy left-hand finger movements, but you have to admire a right hand that brings such clarity to the most horrendously difficult passages, stamping him out as a fine performer. The disc is completed by movements from Johann Kaspar Mertz's extensive score, Bardenklange (Bardic Sounds), issued in fifteen volumes and originally intended for piano. For the guitar the score is daunting, each piece a sound-picture inspired by the Scottish poet, James Macpherson. That the Slovak-born composer was well versed in his contemporaries, Schumann and Mendelssohn, is often evident, the adapted guitar score requiring considerable dexterity in both hands, the melodic line frequently set within its own complex accompaniment, giving the impression that a duo is involved. Technically Gallen has the measure of the music, shaping it with affection. The recording is close to the instrument and set in a rather neutral acoustic.

IBERT: Macbeth - Concert Suite from film score. Golgotha - Concert Suite from film score. (orch. Adriano). Don Quichotte - Chansons de Sancho. Henry Kiichli (bass), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adriano (conductor). Naxos 8.557607. (77' 17").

Jacques Ibert was one of the first composers to make film music into an art-form, bringing symphonic status in place of the mood snippets that was usual in the industry. It not always met with universal acceptance, his 'modern' scores hardly courting public acclaim. Today it all sounds rather innocuous scene painting, and reminds us that Ibert studied dramatic art before turning to the serious study of composition. His works, in general, did oscillate between a character that followed where Debussy left off, while looking for a personal voice in a rapidly changing society. Strangely it was in film music that he experimented most, though for the 1932 film of Don Quichotte he provided Sancho Panza with some gorgeous and moving songs. Golgotha came four years later, an esoteric score exploring unique sounds. Maybe the most controversial - at the time - was Macbeth scored for large orchestra, the music at odds with the traditions of Shakespeare's play. The Slovak orchestra plays very well, the sound of this original 1991 Marco Polo release being reliable.

BORODIN: Prince Igor. Andrei Ivanov (Prince Igor), Evgeniya Smolenskaya (Yaroslavna), Sergei Lemeshev (Vladimir), Alexander Pirogov (Galitski), Mark Reizen (Konchak), Vera Borisenko (Konchakovna), Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Alexander Melik-Pashayev (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.111071-73 (3CDs). (201' 10")

The overture sets the scene for a Price Igor brimming with years of Bolshoi tradition, a view that today would be described as idiosyncratic were it not for the fact that the recording takes us back, warts and all, to the days of grandiose gestures. It dates from 1951 and was recorded by Melodiya at a time when the Bolshoi was taking shape after war-torn years, the omission of act 3 being traditional at the time. Today most of the cast names are forgotten save for the distinguished bass, Mark Reizen, one of the great Boris Godunov's from the 1930's to the mid 50's. That noble voice and immaculate diction brings many moments when this performance is indispensable and worth more than the modest cost. Among the cast was the highly promising young Vera Borisenko, who became principal mezzo at the Bolshoi, her thrillingly low voice taking a range of Russian and Italian roles. The company's long standing principal tenor, Sergei Lemeshev, had been at the theatre over twenty years by the time of this recording, his lyric tenor having become tight at the top. From the family of Pirogovs, Alexander was already a veteran of almost thirty years with the company. In the name role, Andrei Ivanov, who died in 1970, was an imposing baritone whose name has now been forgotten. The Georgian conductor, Alexander Melik-Pashayev, came to the Bolshoi in 1931, introducing many new operas to the theatre, and was appointed principal conductor just after this landmark recording was made. His tempos are spacious, never spotlighting arias, the Polovtsian Dances just part of the story. He obtains good playing, though the heavy vibrato horns dilute heroic moments. More than passable sound for its era, this remembrance of Bolshoi traditions is extremely welcome. Sundry recordings of arias complete the third disc, some more welcome than others.

BELLINI: Norma - Casta Diva, Act 1. I Puritani - O rendetemi la speme; Qui la voce sua soave, Act 2. Son vergin vezzosa, Act 1. DONIZETTI: Lucia di Lammermoor - Il dolce suono: Ohime! Sorge il tremendo; Ardon gli incensi, splendon le sacre faci; Spargi d’amoro pianto, Act 3. PONCHIELLI: La Gioconda - O madre mia; Suicidio!, Act 4. VERDI: La traviata - Libiamo ne’ lieti calici; E’ strano! E’ strano!; Ah! fors’ e lui, Act 1. PUCCINI: Tosca - Mario! Mario! Mario!; Ora stammi a sentir, Act 1. Vissi d’arte, Act 2. WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde – Liebestod, Act 3. Maria Callas (soprano), Various orchestras and conductors. Naxos Historical 8.111082. (68' 09").

Over the period 1949-53 Maria Callas was making her first group of official recordings for Columbia and the Italian label Cetra, both recognising the tremendous potential of the American-born Greek soprano. To many ears these early sessions resulted in the finest performances she placed on disc. Callas then a sizeable young woman possessing the vocal power to essay the role of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde which she sings in an Italian translation. We can only speculate on the performances that would have followed had she decided to continue with the heavy soprano roles. Sadly the Turin Radio Orchestra used by Cetra could be described as 'functional', and at this stage of her career supporting singers were not always the best. It was a period when her voice was radiant, and if tempos were set so that she could luxuriate in her Bellini arias, we certainly take pleasure hearing the voice in such fine shape. Savour those fast and tight trills in Ardon gli incesi to hear a unique artist. Though in later life she made a thrilling sound from a flawed lower register, it is here perfectly supported and integrated into her range, Qui la voce sua soave demonstrating these features as the voice goes on high without the pungent quality that later entered her singing. As a portrait of the young artist this is a most desirable release, the original sound often tidied up and never having sounded better on disc.

MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in D minor. Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64. BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 26. Yehudi Menuhin (violin). RCA Victor Orchestra; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor); Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (conductor). Naxos Historic 8.110991. (73' 29").

On the face of it this is a standard reissue until you look at the orchestras involved, and you will realise that the two versions of the Mendelssohn concertos have not been available for several decades. The D minor was recorded in 1952, two days after Menuhin gave the first performance of the newly discovered work, and marked his recording debut as a soloist and conductor. It was replaced by a second version made just over a year later. Likewise the 1952 version of the E minor, was his second recording, and for no obvious reason was soon replaced in the catalogue. During the 1940's Yehudi Menuhin was greatly troubled by problems of technique, the advent of taped recordings with their editing abilities helping to rehabilitate his public image. The very fine account of the early D minor Concerto removed any hint of intonation fallibility, though he was less fortunate in the recording of the E minor concerto. Since his 1951 version of the Bruch concerto was made, the work's popularity has soared, soloists concentrating on its virtuosity. By comparison Menuhin comes from a much more sober era, today's mad dash through the finale replaced by a weighty approach. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is quite gritty in tonal quality, and even with Naxos's team working on its restoration, it fits uneasily with the excellence of the two Mendelssohn recordings.

BEETHOVEN: Rondo in A major, WoO 49. Minuet in E flat major, WoO 82. Bagatelles, Op. 33. Six Variations, Op. 34. Variations and Fugue, Op. 35, 'Eroica'. Fantasia in G minor, Op.77. Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59, 'Fur Elise'. Artur Schnabel (piano). Naxos International 8.110764. (79' 29").

Having completed Schnabel's legendary cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas - which no collector should be without - Naxos turn to his other recordings of the composer on this generously filled disc. Though at the time of issue he was accused of recklessness in tempos and exaggerated dynamics, Schnabel made people more conscious of the stature of Beethoven as a piano composer. Where the sonatas gave him ample scope, the contents of the present disc is at a lower level of inspiration, and Schnabel responds with a rather innocent approach to many of the works, the sixth of the Bagatelles (track 8) being a wonderful essay in quiet repose. Of course given half a chance, he drags us back to the great man with playing of trenchant power. That these discs were made in one unedited take speak volumes as to his technique, the fluidity of his fingers as he ripples through such passages as the sixth of the Variations (track 16) is a marvellous moment. If Schnabel has been chastised for excess, sample the uneventful statement of the Eroica theme, the work growing rather than exploding onto the scene, his general treatment rather subdued. That provocative streak does return in the Fantasia, Schnabel often charging into the work, his general approach being one of fantasy to reflect the work's name. There is evidence of surface noise from the original discs recorded in 1938 and 1939, but Naxos has chosen to maintain the full frequency range of the original 78's, and even by today's standards the sound is more than acceptable.

DE CURTIS: Soltanto tu, Maria; Ti voglio tanto bene. MELICHAR: Anima mia. BACH / GOUNOD: Ave Maria. BIZET: Agnus Dei. FRANCK: Panis Angelicus. SCHUMANN: Il fior di loto (Die Lotusblume) GRIEG: Un reve (En drom). CILEA: L’Arlesiana - E la solita storia, Act.2. BECCE: Tu sei la vita mia. CURCI: Notte a Venezia. BLANC: Giovinezza. PUCCINI: Inno a Roma. La Boheme: O soave fanciulla, Act 1. VERDI: Aidi - Se quel guerrier io fossi.Celeste Aida, Act 1. BIXIO: Ninna nanna della vita. TOSTI: La serenata. L’ultima canzone. Marechiare. CINQUE: Mattinata veneziana. DENZA: Occhi di fata . ROSSINI: La danza

Soltanto tu, Maria. Beniamino Gigli (tenor), Maria Caniglia (soprano), Various orchestras. Naxos Historical 8.110270. (73' 27").

Though they took Beniamino Gigli into homes that would never have bought his complete opera recordings, making him the best-known tenor of his time, regular readers will know that I am not his most fervent fan when he sings popular Neapolitan songs. To my ears he sounds like an operatic tenor trying his best to be a late night cabaret artist. Sobs and sliding around notes were his formula, using a creamy voice to seduce ears. Ave Maria, Agnus Dei and Panis Angelicus are strong on commercialism but short of sacred intent, a fact highlighted by the Hollywood-style choral and orchestral backing. Then we reach track 8, E la solita storia, and everything clicks into place, and you forgive his indiscretions elsewhere. Briefly we return to opera for two tracks, but Gigli was not in his best voice. So maybe one for Gigli fans who have to have everything, Naxos restoring the sound of these 1936-38 recordings made in Milan, Berlin and London to their usual immaculate standards.

SPOHR: String Quartet No.32, Op.141. String Quartet No.34, Op.152. Concertino String Quartet. Marco Polo 8.225307. (66' 04").

Last month we had two of Louis Spohr's String Quartets to add to Marco Polo's ongoing series, and for those just discovering these often fiendishly difficult pieces, let me briefly recap by setting the scene. Spohr had become accepted as Germany's most gifted virtuoso violinist in the early 19th century, so that his teaching of a large number of students influenced the development of string playing in Germany deep into following generations. He was to write a massive amount of music, its style out of date long before his death in 1859. At his most inspired his scores are both interesting and abounding in melodic invention, and if he stands accused of spreading it too thinly over too many works, sample the third movement of the Thirty-fourth quartet (track 7) and you will reject such a stricture. Both works on the disc are in four movements, and full of challenging passages, the leader having pages of double stopping in a role often of concerto proportions. Any quartet who could emerge unscathed in intonation terms would be remarkable, the Concertino having moments when all is not perfect, but you feel that they are making every effort to take us to the heart of the music. The clear recording unravels complex strands to make good sense of the music.

CHINESE MUSIC MEETS WESTERN EARS

Each month I will be reviewing two discs from the large catalogue of Chinese music that is available wherever you find Naxos and Marco Polo discs. In the Western world you may have to place an order with your retailer.

CHINESE SONGS AND DANCES: Drung; Dai; Oroqen; She; Hani; Yugur; Tujia; Russian; Mulam; Tajiks; Tibetan; Korean; Zhuang; Ahchang; Monba; Tatars; Gin; Baoan; Benglong. Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Cao Peng (conductor). Yellow River 82015. (62' 22").

I was intrigued by the third volume in Yellow River's series of Chinese Songs and Dances reviewed in March, and have looked out the first two discs, and find them equally engaging. I cannot understand why the Western 'middle-of-the-road' composers haven't plundered them for their likeable and catchy melodies. In China's multicultural society there are at least 56 recognisably different races, each contributing to the nation's musical inheritance. The present disc contains 19 tracks each devoted to one race, opening with a quietly seductive mountain song from Drung in the south-west, the disc moving between lyric music and the more outgoing dances from such regions as Tujia (Track 7). The booklet fails to give the person responsible for these attractive orchestrations, seemingly aimed at a Western audience. A pity, for I could have congratulated their imaginative handling, the Stravinsky-style approach to the dance from the Buddhist region of Anchang (track 14) being particularly attractive. The Shanghai Philharmonic, occasionally augmented by traditional Chinese instruments, play with a nice easy-going quality, the hauntingly slow dance from the Gin people - given a Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet treatment - is quite beautiful (track 17). Dating from 1992, the sound quality is very good.

CHINESE SONGS AND DANCES: Uygurs; Xibo; Tu; Sala; Bulang; Jingpo; Pumi; Manchus; Shui; Kazakhs; Yao; Nu; Ewenkis; Lisu; Gelao; Han; Khalkhas; Bouyei; Hui. Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Cao Peng (conductor). Yellow River 82016. (64' 54").

Hovering between Offenbach and Richard Rodgers is the dance featured in the first track from the Uygurs region, or is it the orchestration that makes it so Westernised? This second disc could easily fit into the 'East Listening' category, as we continue the journey around the regions, something a little different coming with the introduction of a voice in music from Tu, the flower-song picturing red-embroidered clothing (track 3). More than in the disc above, I feel the impact of music from Arabia, which must have transferred to China centuries ago, and nowhere more so than in the meandering melody from Pumi (track 7) and the slow dance from Lisu (track 14). There are moments when I wondered how much we are hearing of the folk tune, the orchestration at times sounding very modern. Still let us not complain, as the whole package makes most pleasant listening, the orchestra and sound engineers doing their part to complement our enjoyment.