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David's
Review Corner - March 2006
WAGNER: Das Rheingold. Wolfgang Probst (Wotan), Michaela Schuster (Fricka),
Esa Ruuttunen (Alberich), Eberhard Francesco Lorenz (Mime), Helga Ros Indridadottir
(Freia), Robert Kunzli (Loge), Roland Bracht (Fasolt), Phillip Ens (Fafner),
Mette Ejsing (Erda), Bernhard Schneider (Froh), Motti Kaston (Donner), Catriona
Smith (Woglinde), Maria Theresa Ullrich (Wellgunde), Margaret Joswig (Floshilde),
Stuttgart State Orchestra, Lothar Zagrosek (conductor). Naxos 8.660170-71. (2CDs).
(148' 37").
The release of many 'live' performances of the Ring cycle over
this last few years have made those of us who were brought up on Georg Solti's
landmark recordings, realise that there is more to Wagner than the vast orgasms
of sensual sound created by Decca's recording team in the studio. This first
instalment in Naxos's much awaited cycle comes from the stage of Stuttgart Opera,
with the remaining operas promised over the next few months. Lothar Zagrosek
and his Stuttgart orchestra ideally create the murky depths of the river Rhine
before a shaft of light reveals its swimming Maidens, the young girls appearing
with a playful innocence avoiding that feel of a star-studded team of soloists.
Esa Ruuttunen's arrival on the scene is an Alberich full of guile without sounding
the conventional slimy character, and if Wolfgang Probst's voice takes time
to create a dignified Wotan, his first confrontation with his combative wife,
Fricka, certainly starts the sparks flying. The entrance of the two giants is
a wonderful moment, Roland Bracht and Phillip Ens possessing voices that have
an appropriate weight. As the plot develops Loge is suitably impressive, the
scene between Wotan, Loge, Alberich and Eberhard Lorenz's snivelling and whimpering
Mime being the highlight of the performance. The fourth scene starts well enough
but after the brutal scene of the giant's murder there is a period of restraint.
The rainbow-bridge at last formed, the entrance into the God's castle is sumptuous,
and throughout Lothar Zagrosek's pacing of the score is well judged and thoughtfully
shaped. He has at his disposal a good orchestra, the brass more pungent than
rounded, and the strings lithe rather than hefty. Of course a couple of percussionists
doing their best cannot recreate Decca's avalanche of anvils in Nibelung, and
there are moments when stage noises intrude, though often they help in suggesting
the action the story needs. The recording is derived from the TDK's DVD presentation
of the cycle, the sound quality equitably balancing singers and orchestra, while
keeping the exceptionally good diction of the entire cast. An auspicious start
that whets your appetite for the remainder.
TAVENER: Lament for Jerusalem. Angharad Gruffydd Jones
(soprano), Peter Crawford (counter-tenor), Choir and Orchestra of London, Jeremy
Summerly (conductor). Naxos 8.557826. (54' 35").
John Tavener is today's iconic figure in British music, his
sacred works having that effect of timeless quiet contemplation, the slow progress
of notes elongating phrases in heavenly peace. Born in London in 1944, Tavener
was educated at the Royal Academy of Music, and was still at college when winning
the prestigious 1965 Prince Rainier of Monaco Prize with his cantata, Cain
and Abel. His style of writing has found a ready audience, Lament for
Jerusalem bringing together Christian, Judaic and Islamic texts to establish
the universality of belief in a higher being. One of his most extensive scores,
its fourteen sections use an equal mix of purely choral Stanzas and Cosmic Laments,
with sections for solo soprano and counter-tenor. In 2004 he arranged the original
large-scale score for the more modest forces of the Choir and Orchestra of London
to take on their tour to Jerusalem and the West Bank. It is this version that
now receives its world premiere recording, the performance creating subtle nuances
mixed with the refined tone that evokes the songs of love intertwining through
the score. The soloists could not be improved upon, while the delicate shades
of the orchestral part are beautifully crafted. It is persuasively presented
by Jeremy Summerly's thoughtful musicianship, and to have a taste go to track
8, the sonorities having that scent of burning incense. The engineers bring
that unfettered feel of a large cathedral, reflecting the timelessness of the
music.
SHOSTAKOVICH: The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119.
October, Op. 131. Five Fragments, Op. 42. Charles Robert Austin (bass-baritone),
Seattle Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Gerard Schwarz (conductor). Naxos
8.557826. (52' 22").
As we reach Dmitry Shostakovich's centenary year have we come
any closer to understanding a composer who at the end of his life informed the
world that it should take few of his works at face value? Should we read into
The Execution of Stepan Razin - the story of the 17th century Cossack
who led an unsuccessful revolt against Tsar Alexis - a scenario of the struggle
for freedom of Russian people during the years of Stalin's oppression? Whichever
version you prefer, it is a work of drama played out with chilling reality by
Gerard Schwarz and his Seattle orchestra, tempos driven forward with urgency.
After a tentative opening the chorus come good in the raw emotions expressed
by Evtushenko's words, the tonal quality suitably Slav. Musically it continues
where the Thirteenth symphony ends, Charles Robert Austin, sounding suitably
Russian, his big powerful voice of immaculate intonation. A fine Leipzig version
was once available, but of the three remaining in the catalogue this one would
get my vote. The tone poem, October, is a late compositions, its contents revisiting
previous works, the Seattle brass revelling in the powerful writing of the final
moments of patriotic fervour. The Five Fragments are of little consequence,
Schwarz doing his best to resusitate their limp moments. The recording is high
on impact, yet quite clear in Stepan Razin's deluge of decibels.
HAYDN: Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons). Sibylla Rubens
(soprano), Andreas Karasiak (tenor), Stephan MacLeod (bass), Gewandhaus Chamber
Choir, Leipzig Chamber Orchestra, Morten Schuldt-Jensen (conductor). Naxos 8.557600-01
(2CDs). (130' 54").
He had enjoyed tremendous success with his oratorio, The
Creation, and the prospect of cashing in on that popularity persuading Haydn
to turn his attention to the four seasons of the year as seen through the eyes
of country-folk. Though never achieving the popularity of its predecessor, the
warmth and humanity of The Seasons, has made it one of his most endearing
works. I suppose Morten Schuldt-Jensen's performance would be described as 'traditional',
never looking for earth-shattering revelations, but a good choir and orchestra
support his solid musicianship. The soloists use the music rather than words
to create the mood of the moment, the pure voiced soprano of Sibylla Rubens
unaffectedly shaping her lyrical solo moments, the Spinning Song in Winter
a real delight. The refined tenor voice of Andreas Karasiak is most happy when
in purely lyrical moments, the highly reliable bass of Stephen MacLeod underpinning
the trio sections and distinguished in his solos. Maybe Schuldt-Jensen's view
of Summer lacks a little sunshine, and he seems happy in the cold chill
of Winter or the moments of Spring and Autumn activity,
his jog-trot tempos capturing the rustic atmosphere to perfection. Recits seem
to employ a fortepiano while the mellow quality of the Leipzig orchestra presumably
comes from modern instruments. The catalogue contains some star-studded performances,
particularly those conducted by Karajan and Gardiner, though this stands comparison
with them, the natural sound and super budget price tipping the balance in its
favour.
MAXWELL DAVIES: Naxos Quartets Nos. 5 and 6. Maggini
Quartet. Naxos 8.557398. (55' 39").
We are past the halfway mark in the ten quartets Naxos commissioned
from Peter Maxwell Davies, the series already being described as among the important
additions to the modern chamber music repertoire. Rich in their diversity, the
Fifth is cast in two relatively short movements, the whole score lasting little
over 20 minutes. The composer discloses that it was inspired by the sweeping
beams from the lighthouses near his home on the remote Isle of Orkney. Given
that information you feel the light darting in and out of the opening Largo,
that name rather belying the music's high impact. The following Lento comes
to terms with tonality, the long flowing violin passages leading to a stormy
section recalling the seas surrounding the island before peace is restored.
The Sixth is more elaborate in its six-movement layout, the ghostly apparitions
of the first and third giving way to a slow movement full of sadness. Its overall
context is one of changing moods that rarely allows the music to become settled,
passages of technical difficulty juxtaposed with those of beguiling simplicity.
In both we hear a unique voice paying lip service to no one. The Maggini provide
meticulously prepared performances, and not only show agility, exact intonation
and impeccable balance, but they have equally succeeded in delving deep below
the printed page. The sound quality is exemplary.
TCHAIKOVSKY: The Queen of Spades - Overture. Fatum,
Op. 77. Voyevoda - Overture. The Maid of Orleans - Entr'actes, Act 1 & 2;
Danse des Bohemiens, Act 2; Danse des Polichinelles et des Histrions, Act 2.
Cherevichki (The Slippers) - Danse Russes, Act 3; Danse des Cosaques, Act 3.
The Enchantress - Introduction; Danse des Histrions, Act 1. Mazeppa - Gopak,
Act 1. The Oprichnik - Danses, Act 4. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine,
Theodore Kuchar (conductor). Naxos 8.554845. (67' 36").
It was as an opera composer that Tchaikovsky wished to be remembered.
Sadly with each new work there came disappointment, only Eugene Onegin
finding a regular place in the international repertoire, with The Queen of
Spades and Mazeppa heard more today than any time in their chequered
career. As for the remaining operas they were soon forgotten, and for all the
exuberance of these performances, you have more than a hint that they were never
Tchaikovsky at his most inspired. The overture to The Queen of Spades,
for instance, is too short and gives little indication of the drama that follows.
Yet there were jewels, as you will find in the fast and vividly coloured Cossack
Dance from Mazeppa and the lively Danses from Oprichnik. The
'stranger' in the disc is a symphonic poem Fatum (Fate), the score destroyed
by a dissatisfied composer but reconstructed after his death. Though seldom
heard in the concert hall, it is quite well served on disc with ten recordings
to chose from. Theodore Kucher never indulges in cheap thrills, the purple patches
of Fatum never allowed to protrude from the whole structure. In the National
Symphony of Ukraine he has an ensemble that produces an ideal Russian sound,
the brass strong but never too dominant, the percussion - of which there is
plenty on the disc - tight and of suitable impact. To have a taste go to the
Mazeppa excerpt on track 11. The sound is realistic concert hall perspective.
HARRIS: Symphony No. 3. Symphony No. 4, ‘Folk Song Symphony’.
Colorado Symphony and Chorus, Marin Alsop (conductor). Naxos 8.559227. (72'
33").
It is the Third symphony that keeps Roy Harris's presence in
the concert repertoire, though surely his time must come, for he remains one
of the most interesting musical voices working in the States during the mid-part
of the 20th century. Born in 1898 and reared in a farming community, his employment
as a farm hand and a lorry driver shared a young life with music studies. The
first composition came at the age 24, but he was thirty before he wrote anything
of significance. Then the floodgates opened, dividing his time between teaching
and composing, a vast catalogue of works in every genre was assembled, including
14 symphonies. He was a restless composer, always looking for new modes of expression,
the stark quality of his music from the 1920's eventually giving way to harmonies
that possessed greater warmth. The Third dates from 1937 and shows affinity
and influences of Sibelius's Seventh, both sharing the objective of compressing
a complete symphony into one movement. There is organic growth, the restrained
opening slowly expanding to an outgoing and robust conclusion. It has received
many recordings, most notably from Marin Alsop's mentor, Leonard Bernstein,
who placed three performances on disc. By comparison Alsop's opening is sombre,
Bernstein's hard-hitting conclusion here replaced by restraint to complement
Alsop's very differing approach. By complete contrast the Fourth, composed three
years later, is a choral work in seven movements based on popular songs and
ideas. Almost naive in content it is a work that falls easily on the ear. It
is certainly a rarity, and I am delighted that Naxos has released this very
affable performance from Colorado, the chorus bringing a rustic quality that
is ideal for the score. The recording seems to have been made is a small venue
with inner detail scrupulously clear.
KABALEVSKY: Piano Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op. 9. Piano
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 23. In-Ju Bang (piano), Russian Philharmonic
Orchestra, Dmitry Yablonsky (conductor). Naxos 8.557683. (56' 01").
While the Western world was engrossed in the struggle taking
place between Russian artistic dissidents and a repressive Communist Russian
regime, Dmitry Kabalevsky was producing music that both delighted the authorities
and pleased his audiences. It was summarily dismissed by the outside world,
a cruel response to a composer writing in a style that was long gone, but at
the same time was doing no harm to the progress of music elsewhere. The two
piano concertos are a case in point, their frothy content resembling a Russian
version of Saint-Saens with a passing hint of Prokofiev in his most affable
mood. Succulent melodies sweep through the slow central movements, the multitude
of notes adding vigour to the surrounding movements. The First dates from 1928,
when Kabalevsky was 24, and was the first piece by which he became internationally
known. The Second was completed seven years later the brittle happiness always
engaging and generally considered among his finest scores. But to stand a chance
against today's dismissive music establishment, they need a pianist like In-Ju
Bang, who takes them at face value and fills them with pianistic brilliance.
The nimble fingers of this young Korean know no fear of Kabalevsky's mercurial
demands, and at the same time can fill the big moments with ample power. The
Russian Philharmonic adds nicely balanced support, the woodwind crisp and neat,
and the strings suitably agile. Good sound quality.
BALADA: Symphony No. 5 ‘American’. Prague Sinfonietta.
Divertimentos.Quasi un Pasodoble. Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo
Alonso-Crespo (conductor). Naxos 8.557749. (63' 21").
The world premiere recording of a personal response to those
fateful events that took place in New York, and which have simply become known
as 9/11. Leonardo Balada was born in Spain in 1933, and having moved to the
United States in 1956 to study with Persichetti and Dello Joio, he has since
spent much of his life there. Always pluralistic in his use of tonal and atonal
idioms, Balada is more interested in the sounds he can produce, the opening
of the Fifth symphony a hard-hitting symphonic response to the collapse of the
twin towers. In Memorium second movement is a sombre reflection on life,
the hope for a future where sanity will prevail expressed in a folksy finale
complete with harmonica. In total it is an impressive score to take us into
the present century. The three Divertimentos explore the sound of strings, the
first with pizzicatos, the second playing on harmonics, while the two are brought
together for more conventional sounds in the finale. The pastiche of the Prague
Sinfonietta - with Mozart lurking in the background - I am less sure about,
while the disc is completed by the 'pop'-inspired Quasi un Pasodoble,
a lighweight orchestral romp. The playing is very good throughout and continues
our admiration for the quality and versitility of little-known Spanish orchestra.
I am not sure I am totally in tune with Balada's ever-changing style of composing,
but at this low price I do commend him to you.
FOERSTER: Symphony No. 4 ‘Easter Eve’, Op.54. Festive
Overture, Op.70. Meine Jugend (My Youth), Op.44. Slovak Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Lance Friedel (conductor). Naxos 8.557776. (72' 33").
The Czech born composer, Josef Bohuslav Foerster, lived at
much the same time as Dvorak, his long life taking him deep into the 20th century.
Today his music is little known, though his output included six operas, over
300 choral works, with five symphonies among his orchestral output, of which
Easter Eve written in 1905 was to become his best known concert work.
Maybe he divided his time over too many activities, writing about music and
work as a critic occupying much of his life, while he was a painter far more
able than his claimed 'amateur' status. Stylistically he would have preferred
to be recognised as a national composer, but he had spent too much time in his
formative years in Germany, his essays showing a particular affinity with Mahler,
Bruckner and Wagner. Though his music never contained the sheer weight of their
concept, the quiet ruminative opening to the Fourth has much in common with
Bruckner. In four movements, with a lengthy and heavily scored finale, the happy
second movement giving way to a more introspective Andante. The Festive Overture
(Slavnostai predehra) and Meine Jugend (My Youth) are both receiving
their world premiere recordings, the first a bold and robust score, the second
more lightweight in character but with a rather dramatic central section. The
playing throughout is in keeping with the character of the music, and at this
budget price one would hope the disc gives Foerster a new lease of life.
BACH: St Matthew Passion, BWV 244. Nico van der Meel
(Evangelist), Raimund Nolte (Jesus), Locky Chung (Petrus/Judas/Pilatus/Pontifex),
Claudia Couwenbergh (soprano), Marianne Beate Kielland (alto), Matkus Schafer
(tenor), Hanno Muller-Brachmann (bass), Dresden Chamber Choir, Cologne Cathedral
Boys’ Choir, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (conductor). Naxos
8.557617-19 (3CDs). (161' 07").
Like my favourite pair of slippers, I know that I can slip
into a Helmut Muller-Bruhl performance of Bach with that satisfying feeling
of comfort and warmth. So it is with this reading of the St. Matthew Passion,
an account that avoids the musical exaggerations many conductors use to draw
attention to themselves. Here are tempos we have come to expect and accompaniments
that are lean and purposeful, while the choral sections find a group of suitably
modest size who achieve immaculate diction. The solo instrumentalists are of
high quality, with the chamber organ supportive but never obtruding in recitatives.
The vocal soloists produce a sound that appears to be emerging as a fashionable
Bach style, particularly among tenors who come somewhere between a true tenor
and a countertenor. I have to confess I don't like the trend, so I will avoid
airing my views and move to the nice liquid and silvery toned soprano and alto
voices of Claudia Couwenbergh and Marianne Beate Kielland. They are a joy throughout,
the aria Blute nur, du liebes Herz being a particular joy. Apart from
one uneasy moment early in the work Raimund Nolte's bass-baritone is admirable,
his picture of Jesus often deeply moving. The recording quality is the most
persuasive of any St. Matthew I have heard, having the best features of a studio
and the surrounding acoustic of a modest sized church.
SOLER: Sonatas for Harpsichord: No. 22 in D flat major;
No. 23 in D flat major; No.45 in G major; No.51 in C major; No.62 in B flat
major; No.65; No.127 in D major; No.128 in E minor. Sonata in C. Gilbert Rowland
(harpsichord). Naxos 8.557640. (78' 14").
Whenever I receive a batch of review copies, I put Gilbert
Rowland's Soler disc at the back, on the basis that I have a real treat in store,
and this, the eleventh in the series of the complete sonatas is yet another
masterpiece. As in previous issues Rowland juxtaposes short one-movement works
with more extended scores as here represented by the Sixty-second sonata. It
lasts a little over twenty minutes, its aristocratic opening Rondo and virile
finale encircling a lyrical slow movement and a charming Minuet. Those who are
following the series will know that Rowland is a very outgoing performer, his
big and bold Sonata in C opening the disc with playing of pungent impact. Add
to this the feeling that he is just discovering the music and is excited in
conveying it to you, though Soler is here not always at his best, numbers 45
and 128 going through the correct academic formula, but failing to create the
vital tingle factor. Still in Rowland's emotional response they often splutter
into life. He does have the advantage of a robust harpsichord that will respond
equally to forceful playing and the agility in the jolly opening movement of
the Sixty-fifth sonata. There is a vibration that the microphone picks up in
the loud passages, but it never intrudes on ones enjoyment. I can only urge
you to put it at the top of your CD shopping list.
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonatas No. 2 in C major, D279; No.3
in E major, D459; No. 6 in E minor, D566. Gottlieb Wallisch (piano). Naxos 8.557639.
(76' 00").
Schubert was just eighteen when he completed his C major piano
sonata, a score full of Beethovian vigour as the young composer flexed his virtuosity,
brilliance tempered by passages of radiant beauty. It is this latter quality
that dominates Gottlieb Wallisch's account, passages that can become overheated,
particularly in the left hand, treated with a degree if reserve. He takes an
unusually purposeful view of the Menuetto, reserving the most forceful approach
to passages in the finale. The Fifth sonata is unusual in its five-movement
layout, Schubert's publisher wrongly describing it as Five Piano Pieces, an
easy mistake as they are totally unrelated. Wallisch enlarges on those differences
by pointing to the quite marked changes of mood even within movements. He sees
the work as a composer who was experimenting with frequent changes of direction.
The first of the two Scherzos is agitated, immediately offset by the repose
of the central movement, while the sombre finale counters the good humour of
the second scherzo. The Sixth sonata is a transitory work that bridges youth
and maturity, its carefully laid out structure more praiseworthy than its thematic
content. Wallisch does not deceive by searching to find hidden depths, but is
content to take the piece at face value, his clean articulation bringing considerable
pleasure to the two inner movements. The sound quality has the hallmark of a
good studio.
ARNOLD: Overtures, Op. 8, Nos. 1-6. Incidental music
for Macbeth. Overture to Polly. Toronto Camerata, Kevin Mallon (conductor).
Naxos 8.557826. (76' 27").
It is difficult to believe that towards the end of the 18th
century the most popular British composer was a person called Samuel Arnold,
a name that long ago died with his music. In those heady days after Handel had
revitalised opera on the London stage, Arnold produced a prodigious number of
works that were premiered there between 1769 and 1798. Sadly the accompanying
booklet relates that the music contained on this disc is all that remains of
his orchestral output. The Six Overtures, composed in 1771 for performance at
London's Marylebone Gardens, come in the shape of three-movement cameo symphonies.
Usually opening in boisterous fashion, the central Andantes are lyrical and
give way to a quick finale most of which feature horns. The thematic material
is attractive, the opening of the fourth overture having a very real taste of
Mozart yet to come. The eight sections of incidental music to Macbeth
show Arnold's sense of drama, and if at times his pastiche does sound more Irish
than Scottish, I much enjoyed the end of the Third Act, a piece of real sadness.
Polly, composed in 1777, was intended as a sequel to Gay's The Beggar's
Opera, the work opening with this very lively overture. The Toronto Camerata
is obviously a modern instrument chamber ensemble that plays with abundant enthusiasm,
the Irish-born conductor, Kevin Mallon, using subtle shifts of tempo to bring
variation to overtures that could become repetitive. I make no extravagant claims
for Arnold, but this is a most pleasing and adventurous release.
SINESI: Sonidos de aquel dia. Contramarea. Cielo abierto.
MOSCARDINI: Dona Carmen (Vals Criollo). PUJOL: Elegia por la muerte
de un tanguero. NATALI: Mate dulce. Mate caliente. VILLADANGOS: Hora
libre. Tucututa. FERRER: El Felipe. CORONEL: Imaginario popular
Argentino. SANTILLAN: Estudio No.4 'Mal ando'. GUASTAVINO: Sonata
No.3. Victor Villadangos (guitar). Naxos 8.557658. (66' 39").
This is the second in an on-going series of guitar music from
Argentina, and gathers together music from the 20th century that is listener
friendly, many of the tracks reminding me of the backdrop you often hear in
expensive restaurants seeking to create a feel of relaxed happiness. At times
it enters the world of 'crossover' music, Carlos Moscardini's Dona Carmen
coming close to a 'pop' song. And there are tracks where we return to the classics,
Carlos Guastavino's Third Sonata, with its the slow and sombre Adagio central
movement, being a work of substance that uses the guitar to good effect. It
shares its general mood with Diego Pujol's homage to Piazzolla in the Elegy
for the Death of a Tango Player, its sad and reflective central In Melancholy,
preceding a finale that makes much use of the guitar's wood. Yet for all its
many classical pleasures, I will remember the disc for the pure jollity of Sinesi's
Contramarea, though hearing the music I don't understand a title that
translated means Opposing Tide. Few of the works make major demands on
the soloist, Victor Villadangos happy to let the music speak for itself, his
playing refined, neat and clean-cut. There are a few noisy left-hand shifts
but otherwise his playing is faultless, and the Canadian recording is of the
standard we have come to expect from this immaculate source.
FROM BYZANTIUM TO ANDALUSIA: Medieval Music and Poetry
Peter Rabanser, Belinda Sykes, Jeremy Avis (singers), Oni Wytars
Ensemble.
Naxos 8.557637. (60' 23").
This is a 'must have' release for those deeply into really
Early Music, the disc bringing together the different religious cultures found
around the Mediterranean between the 12th and 15th centuries. Those who are
still getting to know the period will find singing and playing that is superb,
while the pungency of tone will come as a surprise to those raised in today's
concert halls. There are also moments of hauntingly beautiful music, though
as a sampling point I point you to track 4, the Laude novella from 13th
century Italy, the robust quality of the song having real impact. There are
dances here, fervid activity and folk music in its most basic form. As a contrast
we have the restrained 12th century traditional Jewish, Keh Moshe, and
the haunting Galeas, mis galeas, here sung by a solo male voice. We have
to take at face value the musicianship of the Oni Wytars Ensemble whose six
members play a large number of instruments as they seek to create a period and
style that we know only through writings. Let us hope they have it right, as
the results are most persuasive and pervasive. Good sound quality.
GAUBERT: Deux esquisses. Nocturne et allegro scherzando.
Sicilienne. 'Romance. Transcriptions by Philippe Gaubert. Romance. Fantaisie.
Sur l’eau: Alla barcarolla moderato. Ballade. Vif et joyeux. Berceuse. Fenwick
Smith (flute), Sally Pinkas (piano). Naxos 8.557307. (77' 13").
Among flautists the music of the French composer, Philippe
Gaubert (1879-1941), still means something, though I suppose like most of my
readers this series is our introduction to his output. At the heart of the release,
the third in his complete music for flute and piano, are twelve transcriptions
that Gaubert made of popular classics extending from Bach and Gluck to Chopin
and Schumann. They are all very straightforward adaptations, often giving the
melodic line of the original piano score to the flute, with the accompaniment
filling in the rest of the original score. The remainder of the disc is light
and pleasing. Gaubert's music having Debussy lurking in the background. He could
also write in a frothy vein that carries on where Saint-Saens left off, the
Allegro scherzando being an ideal example, while he sets the soloist a searching
test in the Fantasie. It requires some very nimble fingers and draws a sparkling
response from Fenwick Smith. He has a fast fluttering quality at the bottom
end of his instrument and very crisp articulation throughout. He enjoys good
rapport with Sally Pinkas, though the music seldom offers more than a supportive
role highlighted by the close microphone on the flute. If you are just coming
to Gaubert I would start with the more substantial music on the second volume
(8.557306) reviewed in August 2004.
SCHUBERT: Zufriedenheit D501. Das Lied vom Reifen D532.
An die Natur D372. Morgenlied D266. Blumenlied D431. Pflicht und Liebe D467.
Erntelied D434. Zufriedenheit D362. Mailied D503. Die Mainacht D194. Am ersten
Maimorgen D344. An die Nachtigall D497. Daphne am Bach D411. Fruhlingslied D398.
Phidile D500. Die Knabenzeit D400. An den Mond D193. An die Nachtigall D196.
Klage um Ali Bey D496a. Abendlied D499. Winterlied D401. Am Grabe Anselmos D504.
Die Laube D214. Wiegenlied. Birgid Steinberger (soprano), Wolfgang Holzmair
(baritone), Ulrich Eisenlohr (fortepiano). Naxos 8.557569. (62' 27").
Regular readers will know that Naxos is issuing the complete
Schubert song series in the unusual format of bringing together the poets who
supplied the texts, this being the third volume under the title 'Poets of Sensibility'.
I am not sure as to the inference of that title, this disc mainly devoted to
the poets, Claudius and Holty, the latter used by Schubert throughout his life,
the songs often bright and sunny in nature. With the exception of Am Grabe
Anselmos they failed to grab public attention and are now seldom performed
or recorded. Yet there are many delights, Zufriedenheit, with its tinkling
accompaniment high on the piano, and the limpid quality of Morgenlied
are as attractive as anything he composed. I suppose it was simply the fact
that the words he used drew no instantly memorable melody. Most are quite short,
and few offer the pianist any room for personal inspiration. Male and female
voices are used to capture the mood of the story being told, Birgid Steinberger's
light and silvery voice proving a contrast to the darker shades of Wolfgang
Holzmair. The sleeve states a fortepiano is used throughout, though many of
the tracks sound like a modern instrument. Ulrich Eisenlohr is a response partner,
always moving in perfect accord with the voices, the engineers ensuring a nice
balance between voice and piano. At this price a disc or rare Schubert is well
worth hearing.
BRAHMS: Symphony No.3 in F major, Op. 90. Symphony No.4
in E minor, Op. 98. Silke-Thora Matthies, Christian Kohn (piano duet). Naxos
8.557685. (75' 17").
It is strange how impact becomes diluted when you move from
four hands at one piano to the use of two pianos. It is all a matter of concentrated
sound at one point, for as you will discover here the potency of Matthies and
Kohn's recording of Brahms on one piano goes missing when they move to a transcription
intended for two pianos. You do, of course, get more clarity, though the arrangements
do sound too busy, the last movement of the third symphony being a case in point.
The general feeling is of relaxed and spacious interpretations that may be a
plus or minus depending on your view of the music. Certainly I thought the Presto
giocoso third movement of the Fourth was under-powered, and they cannot hide
the fact that without the warmth of string tone the third movement of the Third
sounds thin. But I am being very hypercritical of a duo that I rank at the very
top of the league, their unanimity and shading of music being in a very different
world to most other pairings. The recording is first rate.
BABBITT: Around the Horn. Whirled Series. None but the
Lonely Flute. Homily. Beaten Paths. Play it Again, Sam. Soli e Duettini. Melismeta.
The Group for Contemporary Music. Naxos 8.559259. (75' 16").
Milton Babbitt is one of the most uncompromising American modernists,
his music wedded to atonality as a disciple of Schoenberg's 12-tone serialism.
Born in Philadelphia in 1916, his university education began in mathematics
before changing mid-stream to study music. A period with Sessions reinforced
his affinity with atonality, his working life scheduled to accommodate teaching,
writing about music, and a sizeable output of compositions. He briefly toyed
with writing in a more populist mood when completing a Broadway musical, and
towards the end of the 20th century he made some concessions towards more listener-friendly
music. The present disc contains solo and duo works composed over a space of
eleven years commencing with Melismeta completed in 1982. His atonality
explores the sounds of instruments, often in a way that presents a display of
technique. Around the Horn is in two sections, and by using both ends
of the instrument's compass, you could imagine a conversation taking place,
muted and more brazen sounds being juxtaposed. The fragmented sounds loved by
Babbitt characterise Whirled Series for alto saxophone and piano, while
the flute dances about in isolation for None but the Lonely Flute. I
am not quite sure whether I want to hear four minutes of solo snare drum again,
as it has so little to say in Homily, and I have found no enthusiasm
for the marimba solo in Beaten Paths. Much better is the distinctive
sound of the viola in a husky Play it again, Sam. Flute and guitar combine
for Soli E Duettini, the most extensive work on the disc, Melismeta
for solo violin, brings it to an end. I admire Babbitt's music and his thought
process, though it is not music that will jump readily into your memory bank.
The various members of the Group for Contemporary Music are superb, and are
fully in tune with Babbitt's creativity. Previously available on Koch, the sound
quality is very immediate.
STRAUSS: Ariadne auf Naxos. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
(Ariadne), Rita Streich (Zerbinetta), Irmgard Seefried (Composer), Rudolf Schock
(Bacchus), Karl-Donch (Music-Master), Hermann Prey (Harlequin), Fritz Ollendorff
(Truffaldino), Helmut Krebs (Brighella), Gerhard Unger (Scaramuccio), Lisa Otto
(Naiad), Grace Hoffman (Dryad), Anny Felbermayer (Echo), Hugues Cuenod (Dancing
Master), Alfred Neugebauer (Major-Domo), Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von
Karajan (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.111033-34 (2CDs). (146' 16").
Karajan's 1954 recording of Ariadne auf Naxos has long
been considered one of the great Richard Strauss performances, every member
of the large cast representing the finest singers of the time. Irmgard Seefried
is a very serious young Composer, passionate when he discovers the duplicity
of his employer, yet so tender as he falls in love with the bubbly Zerbinetta,
taken with perky vivacity and fearless agility by the young Rita Streich. She
is surrounded by an ideal group of commedia dell'arte strolling players, while
at the centre of the dispute the mellow baritone of Karl Donch sounds suitably
harassed as the Music-Master. Schwarzkopf was in supreme command of the title
role, her account never surpassed on disc, and if Schock's tenor voice was just
a little tight for the ideal Bacchus, he makes a suitably heroic sound to bring
the work to a close. Yet for all of this wonderful singing, it is the playing
that Karajan draws from the Philharmonia that stamps greatness over the whole
recording. It calls for a myriad of subtle solos all immaculately realised by
the finest musicians the UK had to offer. There is, however, just one small
drawback with Alfred Neugebauer's Major-Domo recorded in a completely different
acoustic and most probably at a different time. He shows indifference to both
parties in the dispute, but only comes over as indifferent to the role he is
taking. That is soon over, and should not make you hesitate for a moment in
obtaining this recorded treasure at the improbably super budget price.
ALBENIZ: Suite espanola No. 1, Op. 47: No.1 Granada
(Serenata); No.3 Sevilla Piezas Características, Op.92: No.12 Torre
Bermeja. GRANADOS: Tonadillas: No.7 La Maja de Goya. Danzas espanolas,
Op.37, No.5 Andaluza; No.10, Melancolica. SCARLATTI: Sonata in
C minor, K11/L352. PAGANINI (arr. Ponce): Grand Sonata for Guitar
and Violin, Op.39: Romanza. RAMEAU: Minuet. PURCELL: A new Irish
tune. DOWLAND: Galliard. SCARLATTI (Alessandro): Gavotte. Sarabanda.
HAYDN: Andante. Minuet. MILAN (arr. Sanz): Tres Pavanas. ANON:
Canzone e Saltarello. TORROBA: Burgalesa y Albada. Suite Castellana:
Arada. LLOBET: Dos Canciones catalanas: El Noi de la Mare. El Testament
de Amelia. TARRAGA: Danza Mora y Minueto. DE VISEE: Entrada y
Giga. Bourree y Minueto. CRESPO: Nortena. PONCE: Sonata clasica:
Allegro - Rondo on a Theme of Sor. Andres Segovia (guitar). Naxos Historical
8.111087. (75' 59").
Listening to the father of modern guitarists, you realise how
far technique has come since his time, and how far backward it has travelled
in terms of musicianship. When Andres Segovia set out the vast quantity of 20th
century music available to today's guitarists was not available, and what there
was did not grab audiences. So much of this disc comes in arrangements made
by Segovia, not always well suited to the guitar, Scarlatti, Purcell and Haydn
simply sounding wrong. Even his arrangements of Spanish music are not always
well suited, and only when we reach the handful of pieces conceived for the
instrument does everything click into place. Yet there is an innate musicianship
that transcends the programme choice, and the moments when intonation and articulation
are compromised. At times he brings problems on himself, Granados's Spanish
Dance taken far too quickly, and his arrangements call for some awkward
and difficult shifts. The recordings were made in the States in 1944, the transfers
of good quality though there is some swish from the original surfaces.
MOZART: An Chole, K524. Die Verschweigung, K518.
SCHUBERT: Die schone Mullerin: Ungeduld, D795, No.7. Im Abendrot, D799.
Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118. Schalfe, schalf, 'Wiegenlied' D498. SCHUMANN:
Die Kartenlegerin, Op.31, No.2. Liederkreis Op.39: No.3 Waldesgesprach;
No.12 Fruhlingsnacht. Du bist wie eine Blume, Op.25 No.24. BRAHMS:
Der Tod das ist die kuhle Nacht, Op.96, No.1. Therese, Op.86, No.1. Meine
Liebe ist grun Op.63, No.5. WOLF: Anakreons Grab. In dem Schatten meiner
Locken. Storchenbotschaft. Der Gartner. Du denkst mit einem Fadchen mich zu
fangen. BALOGH: Do not Chide. GRETCHANINOV: My native land. WORTH:
Midsummer. SODERO: Fa la Nanna, Bambin. CIMARA: Canto di primavera.
BEETHOVEN: Ich liebe dich. TRAD: Schlafe, mein susses Kind. HAHN:
D'une prison. GOUNOD: Vierges d'Athenes. PFITZNER: Gretel.
MARX: Selige Nacht. FRANZ: Fur Musik, Op.10 No.1. Gute Nacht,
Op.5 No.7. JENSEN: Lehn' deine Wang' an meinr Wang'. Lotte Lehmann (soprano),
Erno Balogh (piano). Naxos Historical 8.111093. (78' 51").
By the time Lotte Lehmann recorded this series of lieder she
was already in her late forties and artistry was beginning to take over from
her fresh young voice. The result may be of mixed blessings, but you are always
aware that you are in the presence of a remarkable voice. Her Mozart is absolutely
gorgeous and rhythmically very free, though she had begun to over-characterise
her Brahms and Schumann. Yet to offset any disappointments there are those trademark
floated passages where the voice hangs on air, and those wonderfully translucent
quiet moments that we hear in Hahn's D'une prison. Her Wolf songs have
moments that are priceless, and the jewel comes in the perfectly controlled
singing in Jensen's Lehn' deine Wang' an meinr Wang'. She enjoys some
immaculate piano accompaniments from Erno Balogh, supportive or assertive as
required, and in these fabulous transfers - some of the tracks unissued at the
time of recording - the sound from the late 1930's is better than we dare expect.
BACH: Sonata No.3 in C major, BWV1005. ENESCU: Violin
Sonata No.3 in A minor, Op.25, 'dans le caractere populaire roumain'. PIZZETTI:
Violin Sonata in A major. Yehudi Menuhin (violin), Hephzibah Menuhin (piano).
Naxos Historical
8.111127. (76' 39").
In the mid-1930's, when Yehudi Menuhin recorded the last of
Bach's Three Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas, any thought of creating a style in
the composer's era had yet to dawn. So we have well spread chords in the opening
Adagio, oceans of vibrato and plenty of slides in the third movement Largo,
with the final Allegro assai showing Menuhin's left hand agility. George Enescu
was his mentor, and here he sounds much more comfortable with the music, he
and Hephzibah using the artistic freedom of folk musicians to create the feel
of a Romanian gypsy fiddler. The performance oozes with brilliance and colour,
with a stunning show of vivacity in the finale, violin notes bent and massaged
to capture the national idiom. Composed in 1926 - ten years before this recording,
it became Enescu's best known work, and there are many performances on disc,
but the relationship between composer and performer makes this special. Ildebrando
Pizzetti completed his violin sonata in 1919, and though it remains rarely played,
it is a well-conceived score that often has a freedom of expression you would
relate to a folk idiom. It may seem perverse to conclude with a comment on the
piano, but the disc makes you realise how undervalued has been Hephzibah's superb
playing. It hardly needs saying that Naxos transfers are immaculate.
BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture, Op.62. String Quartet
No.13 in B flat major, Op.130 - Cavatina. Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.55,
'Eroica'. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm
Furtwangler (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.110995. (70' 30").
If you still harbour thoughts of Wilhelm Furtwangler being
a rather ponderous conductor, then just try this 1944 recording of the Eroica
with the Vienna Philharmonic, a purposeful opening Allegro leading to a
performance full of drama. True he almost brings the final bars of the Marcia
funebre to a grinding halt, but even there you have that depth of involvement
he shows through the whole work. By today's clinically clean performances you
may find that the extent of mood swings take you by surprise particularly in
the finale, but by the concluding bars you really do feel if you have journeyed
through a masterpiece. The Vienna strings do at times sound hard pressed, but
woodwind solos are beautifully taken and the brass is more virile than rounded.
In sum it is one of the great accounts placed on disc. You get the general feel
of the disc with the sheer aggression and whiplash chords that get Coriolan
into motion. You do have to try to believe you never heard this gluey Cavatina
from the thirteenth string quartet, and though the general sound of the disc
is pleasing, it was nothing to get excited about in the 1940's.
JOHANN STRAUSS I: Tausendapperment - Walzer, Op.61.
Ballnacht - Galopp, Op.86. Der Frihsinn, mein Ziel - Walzer, Op.63. Pariser
- Polka nach engl Motiven. Robert - Tanze, Op.64. Marianka-Polka. Elizabethen-Walzer,
Op.71. Militar - Quadrille. Cotillons. Versailler - Galopp, Op.107. Rosa - Walzer,
Op.76. Gitana-Galopp, Op.108. Slovak Sinfonietta, Christian Pollack (conductor).
Marco Polo 8.225284. (67' 38").
We have reached volume 8 of the complete music from the father
of the Strauss dynasty, his composing career that began so promisingly being
cruelly cut short by his death in 1849 at the age of 45. He had learned his
craft playing in dance groups before he realised he could it much better himself.
Though he was to slightly expand the size of performing groups of the time,
it was still modest, and that is nicely reflected in these highly enjoyable
performances. Always more persuasive in the short and effervescent galops -
the sprightly Ballnacht with its unusual use of horns being a little
gem - he did not have the outgoing brilliance of his sons. He was less sure
when working on a large musical canvas, repetition of ideas always a problem
in the extended Robert - Tanze, where limited material soon wears thin.
Yet in the Elizabethen-Walzer, with its innovative use of trumpets, Strauss
almost makes a virtue of the slight material he has on offer. In the Cotillons
we see the first signs of the harmonic twists and turns that were to colour
and make so interesting the music of his children. The Slovak ensemble make
a pleasant sound, with that old-hand in this field of music, Christian Pollack,
keeping the tempos bouncing along without inflating the music as we often hear
elsewhere. Most of the items are unavailable on disc, which makes the release
a necessity for Viennese music enthusiasts.
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