Myaskovsky
Complete Symphonies
NIKOLAI MYASKOVSKY (1881-1950): Symphonies Nos. 1-27, Salutation Overture in C, Op. 48, Slavonic Rhapsody in D Minor, Op. 71, Ouverture pathétique in C Minor, Op. 76, Alastor, Op. 14, Silence, Op. 9, Serenade in E Flat, Op. 31/1, Sinfonietta in C Minor, Op. 32/2, Lyric Concertino in G, Op. 32/3, Divertissement, Op. 80, Zvenya, Op. 65, Sinfonietta in A Minor, Op. 68/2. First - some corrections of what we said in May's catalogue and in phone conversations with the many of you who've reserved copies. This cycle was recorded in 1991-93, commissioned by Melodiya. Then, the Soviet Union collapsed, entities became independent and, under the new laws, Melodiya was forced to pay the orchestra for their work. They either couldn't or wouldn't but they did illegally release two discs with four symphonies in 1991 on old, short-lived Russian Melodiya CDs. The Symphony No. 3 was recorded in 1965 and Nos. 19 (the wind band work) & 22 in 1970 and are ADD. All the remainder are DDD. Perhaps wanting to ensure that this important cycle be disseminated in some form, Evgeni Svetlanov has made a limited edition of 300 copies at his own expense. This was produced for him by the successor organiztion to the old Soviet-era All-Union Recording Studio which is called Russian Disc (this was the entity in partnership with American Russian Disc began business back in 1994); the cover inlays bear the Russian Russian Disc logo and catalogue numbers. In last month's catalogue, we said that we thought that we could only get a couple of dozen. Now we have been told that we may be able to get as many as 60 to 75. At the time of writing this, the reservation list is up to 42. If anyone is interested in having what will certainly become a collector's item, please don't hesitate since dealings in Russia tend to be rather, shall we say, fluid and what you think obtains one day can suddenly change 180 degrees the next! List of works, timings and track numbers but no notes. 16 CDs in 4 quad-boxes. State Symphony Orchestra of Russia; Evgeni Svetlanov. Russian Disc RDCD 00652-00667 (Russia) 06C001 $271.98
JOSÉ VIANNA DA MOTTA (1868-1948): Sonata in D, Cenas portuguesas, Opp. 9 & 18, 2 Barcarolles, Op. 1, Ballada, Op. 16, Adeus, minha terra, Op. 15/2. The sonata is a youthful work of 1885, the year Da Motta studied with Liszt in Weimar with a moderate tempo first movement which mounts in Lisztian intensity, a Chopinesque Adagio and a light-hearted allegro scherzando to close. Except for the first barcarolle (1884), the remainder of the pieces use Portuguese folk themes or folk-like material, the two sets of "Portuguese Scenes" being particularly colorful. Sequeira Costa (piano). Marco Polo 8.225116 (New Zealand) 06C002 $14.98
CHARLES TOURNEMIRE (1870-1939): L'Orgue Mystique, Vol. 3 - Offices Nos. 34, 35 & 40. No, you didn't miss vol. 2; it hasn't been offered yet... The most striking piece here is Office No. 35, for Assumption. It follows the structure of the entire series: Prélude à l'Introït, Offertoire, Elévation and Communion - all short, quiet pieces written for use during the actual service - and then a Pièce terminale: in this case a remarkable Carillon which is a burst of musical exaltation combining two hyms and intertwining them with clusters of chords with bell-effects to depict the Gates of Heaven. Sandro Müller (Rieger organ of Abtei Marenstatt, Westerwald). Cybele 050.103 (Germany) 06C003 $16.98
CHARLES TOURNEMIRE (1870-1939): Poème Mystique for Piano, Op. 33, Sagesse for Voice and Piano, Op. 34, Sonate-Poème for Violin and Piano, Op. 65, Musique Orante for String Quartet, Op. 61. A fine selection of Tournemire's chamber works (French radio recordings from 1972 and 1973) with a student of his at the piano in three of them. Sagesse sets poetry by Verlaine which deals with the conflict between the torments of the flesh and the aspirations of the spirit. Struggle and exhaustion finally end in an ecstatic conclusion, as happens also in the Poème mystique, a triptych also inspired by Verlaine which has a striking, carillon-inspired second movement and which, while harking back to Franck in its harmonies also anticipates Debussy. The 1936 violin sonata is a similarly austere style covering an intensely lyrical message that also makes use of bell-sounds and a modal atmosphere. French texts. Bernard Plantey (tenor), Devy Erlih (violin), Henriette Puig-Roget (piano), Quatuor de l'O.R.T.F. INA Mémoire Vive IMV 006 (France) 06C004 $16.98
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959): String Quartets, Vol. 6 - Nos. 4, 9 & 11. The fourth quartet (1917) comes from the composer's "Brazilian" period, tonal, melodic and expressive but with rich harmonies (some melodies recall those used in such orchestral works as Uirapurú); the ninth (1945) is marked by conplexity of form and density of expression and based on complex contrapuntal treatment and an austere atonality with a few excursions into bitonality while the eleventh (1948) is a neo-classical work in a lighter vein combining motives from Brazilian popular music with those of the lighter styles of European classical music. Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Dorian DOR-93229 (U.S.A.) 06C005 $17.98
MIGUEL DEL ÁGUILA (b.1957): Conga-Line in Hell, ARTURO MÁRQUEZ (b.1950): Danzón No. 4, CONLON NANCARROW (1912-1997): Primera pieza para pequeña orquesta, ROBERTO SIERRA (b.1953): Cuentos, ALEJANDRO GARCÍA CATURLA (1906-1940): Primera suite cubana, CAMARGO GUARNIERI (1907-1993): Flôr de Tremembé. This collecton of mostly tonal, highly rhythmic and Latin American symphonic music is divided between three younger composers and three of two generations before them. Del Águila's attention-grabbing title describes a grotesque, humorous and sarcastic inferno traversed by a conga line dancing to rhythms using unusual percussion and rhythmic structures with many instruments playing at the extremes of their registers in a non-stop progression which starts out as from afar and ends up quite in-your-face. Márquez' Danzón is more sophisticated, alluring and insinuating while Sierra's Cuentos expresses the collision of North, Central and South American cultures using freely expressive dissonance. Nancarrow's piece dates from 1943, before he stopped writing for human performers, and contains many of the ideas which he would continue to develop - multiple tempos, repeated rhythmic motives and juxtaposition of contrasting rhythmic layers. Caturla's 1932 suite is based on popular Cuban dance music and Guarnieri's (1937) makes delighful contrapuntal use of chamber orchestra, harp and some exotic Brazilian percussion. Camerata de las Américas; Joel Sachs, Duane Cochran (piano). Dorian DOR-93230 (U.S.A.) 06C006 $17.98
NOTE:
Although not received in time for publication, we expect to have on hand sometime in June:
JOHN ALDEN CARPENTER (1876-1951): Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 2, Adventures in a Perambulator. National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine; John McLaughlin Williams. Naxos American Classics 8.559065 (U.S.A.) 06C00X $5.98
If you want it and don't need to read about it, ask for it when ordering!
A London Symphony - Original Version
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958): A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2), GEORGE BUTTERWORTH (1885-1916): The Banks of Green Willow. The original 1913 score of A London Symphony was lost in Germany in 1914 and reconstructed for a 1915 performance. Later Vaughan Williams revised the work three times, the 1933 revision being the one published and known today (the fact that some of the orchestral parts from a 1920 revision continued to circulate in the U.S. means that Goossens' 1941 recording with the Cincinati Symphony sounds different from the 1936 final version but is not the original version heard here). Bax lamented "the loss of a myesterious passage of strangeand fascinating cacophony with which the first version of the Scherzo closed" and Bernard Herrmann felt that the deleted bars of the slow movement removed some of "the most original poetic moments in the entire symphony". The Epilogue at the end of the work is significantly longer in the original version too while the first movement remained unchanged. The composer's widow allowed this recording but has refused to permit any performance of the original version. London Symphony Orchestra; Richard Hickox. Chandos 9902 (England) 06C007 $16.98
KENNETH LEIGHTON (1929-1988): Oboe Concerto, Op. 23, MICHAEL HURD (b.1928): Concerto da Camera, JOHN GARDNER (b.1917): Concerto for Oboe and Strings, Op. 193, PHILIP LANE (b.1950): 3 Spanish Dances, WILLIAM BLEZARD (b.1921): 2 Celtic Pieces. This compendium of light music for oboe and orchestra also includes a work by Leighton dating from 1953 which had its first performance only last year. Lane's and Blezard's pieces bring local color into play and Gardner's and Hurd's concertos are firmly in the light-music camp but Leighton's is not only the longest piece here (just over 20 minutes) but also quite a bit beyond "light" with its sense of a hidden sadness and stifled passion always lurking beneath the surface of even the faster-tempo movements. Jill Crowther (oboe), English Northern Philharmonia; Alan Cuckston. ASV White Line WHL 2130 (England) 06C008 $11.98
FREDERIC AUSTIN (1872-1952): The Sea Venturers, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL MACKENZIE (1874-1935): Prelude to Columba, Op. 28, CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD (1852-1924): Shamus O'Brien, RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934): Enigma Variations, Op. 36. Although two-thirds of this disc are devoted to the Elgar and Vaughan Williams (a house disc, it needs to showcase its orchestra which, surprisingly, had never recorded the Elgar before), it also offers world-premiere recordings of Austin's 1934 tone-poem portraying Liverpool's bustling wharf life and two briefer opera overtures by Stanford and Mackenzie (1896 and 1883 respectively) as vital and approachable as one would expect from their other symphonic works which have been recorded on several labels. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Douglas Bostock. RLPO Live RLCD 310 (England) 06C009 $14.98
FREDERICO DE FREITAS (1902-1980): Images of Earth and Sea, Nazaré. Two Portuguese ballet scores dating from 1943 and 1948 respectively. Images contains a significant amount of polytonality and some strident dissonances which mark it off from De Freitas' earlier symphonic works while Nazaré deals with loves and jealousies in a fishing village in an almost cinematic language. Images live recording from 1975, Nazaré studio from 1962 (mono). National Symphony Orchestra; Frederico de Freitas. Strauss/Portugalsom SP 4242 (Portugal) 06C010 $14.98
RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949): The Unknown Richard Strauss, Vol. 12 - 2 Preludes from Guntram, Love Scene from Feuersnot, Prelude to Act 3 of Arabella, 3 Preludes and Intermezzo from Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Interludio to Idomeneo by Mozart, Popourri from Die schweigsame Frau, Introduction (Sextet) and Moonlight Music from Capriccio. A Straussian "Opera without Words", this release offers more than 36 minutes of music which you will not have heard unless you have complete recordings of Guntram, Feuersnot and Arabella. In addition, a real rarity: an intermezzo added between Acts 2 and 3 of Mozart's Idomeneo of which the central portion is by Mozart and the outer ones by Strauss (part of a thorough revision of the work by Strauss and Lothar Wallerstein in order to make it "fit" for a 20th century audience). Bamberg Symphony, Munich Chamber Orchestra; Karl Anton Rickenbacker. Koch Schwann 3-6520-2 (Germany) 06C011 $16.98
MIKLÓS RÓZSA (1907-1995): String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22, String Quartet No. 2, Op. 38, Sonata for 2 Violins, Op. 15a. Rózsa always claimed that he kept his film-score writing entierely separate from his "private development" and his first quartet, dating from 1950, makes the point - taut and highly concentrated, the ghost of Bartók hovers over both atmosphere and linear form of the piece. The second quartet is from 1981 and is similarly tightly controlled, sharing an all'Ungherese-type scherzo with the first but its finale has chase-like feel to it which recalls the style of Rózsa's scoring of his film noir soundtracks. The sonata (1933, rev. 1973) has a distinctively Hungarian flavor to all three of its movements. The Flesch Quartet. ASV DCA 1105 (England) 06C012 $16.98
HERMANN ZILCHER (1881-1948): Rameau-Suite in F for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 76b, Schubert'sche Tänze for Piano Trio, Op. 96a, Mozart'sche Tänze for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 96b, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in A Minor, Op. 90. Zilcher remained a late Romantic all his career and his clarinet trio of 1938, in variation form, has a full, Brahmsian harmony. The Rameau-Suite is a transcription of an orchestral work which is more conservative than Reger's exercises in similar genres while the Schubert and Mozart pieces are delightful trifles, an unreconstructed Romantic's tribute to the Classical past. Carl-Heinz März (piano), Nikolai Marangozov (violin), Rolf Weber (clarinet), Hans-Peter Besig (cello). Largo 5145 (Germany) 06C013 $16.98
JACQUES ANDRÉ FRANÇOIS D'AGINCOUR (1684-1758)/GUILLAUME-GABRIEL NIVERS (1632-1714): Feste de Pentecoste au couvent des Visitandines. Organist Niquet has made a virtue out of necessity and taken the few, battered remnants of D'Agincour's pièces de orgue and added Nivers' plainsong to recreate a Mass for the Pentecost as it may have sounded in early post-Louis XIV France. Hervé Niquet (organ), Les Dames de St. Jean (plainchant). Glossa GCD 921701 (Spain) 06C014 $18.98
NICOLA PORPORA (1686-1768): Violin Sonatas Nos. 2, 5, 6, 8, 11 & 12. Published in 1754, Porpora's sonatas both look back to the Baroque and ahead to the Classical, appropriating elements and techniques from vocal music and anticipating the style galant with virtuosity tempered by the lyrical qualities of the Neapolitan school. The use of the rare pedal harpsichord as a continuo instrument adds to the novelty of the release. Anton Steck (violin), Christian Rieger (pedal harpsichord). MD&G 620 1034 (Germany) 06C015 $17.98
JOHAN HELMICH ROMAN (1694-1758): Suite in D "Lilla Drottningholmsmusiken", Cantata "Piante amiche", Suite in G Minor "Sjukmans Musiquen". This 1991 release provided the first recording of the eight-movement "Little Drottningholm Music", apparently written in the same year as its big brother (1744) since it shares its Rococo lightness and elegance. The "Invalid Music" is probably from the late 1720s judging from its late Baroque style. The cantata may or may not be by Roman but it shares an intensity and mentality with a number of other Roman pieces. Pia-Marie Nilsson (soprano), The Nationalmuseum Chamber Orchestra; Claude Génetay. Proprius/Musica Sveciae PRCD 9047 (Sweden) 06C017 $16.98
JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH (1735-1782): Salve Regina, Laudate pueri Dominum, Si nocte tenebrosa. First recordings of all three of these Roman Catholic settings which date from around 1760. The Salve Regina provides the soprano soloist with many opportunities for vocal display in slow and fast coloratura; the Laudate pueri (believed lost and rediscovered in Russia only three years ago) is a predominantly cheerful song of praise using both soloists and the motet which closes the disc is another homage to the Blessed Virgin which ends with an Alleluia remarkably similar to that in Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate composed over a decade later. Latin-English texts. Emma Kirkby (soprano), Markus Schäfer (tenor), L'Orfeo Barockorchester; Michi Gaigg. CPO 999 718 (Germany) 06C018 $15.98
Flemish Classical Symphonies
PIETER VAN MALDERE (1729-1768): Symphonies in G Minor, Op. 4/1, in D, Op. 5/1, in A with Viola Obligata & in F. This little-known Flemish symphonist turns out to be an important link in the construction of the high Classical symphonic form. These works recorded here show a fairly early application of what became the classic use of "sonata form" in their first movements and the symphonies themselves are reminiscent of those of Haydn's middle period or Mozart's early period. The Academy of Ancient Music; Filip Bral. Klara MMP 012 (Belgium) 06C019 $16.98
JOÃO RODRIGUES ESTEVES (c.1700-1751): Missa a 8 vozes, DOMENICO SCARLATTI (1685-1757): Laetatus sum, FRANCISCO ANTÓNIO DE ALMEIDA (c.1702-c.1755): In dedicatione Templi, GIOVANNI BATTISTA BASSETTI (?-?): Lauda Jerusalem, CARLOS SEIXAS (1705-1742): Sonata No. 75 in A Minor, BERNARDO PASQUINI (1637-1710): Sonata in C, ANON. (17th cen.): Fantaisa de 5o Tom, Obra de 2o Tom. The works assembled here are taken from many others which were part of a two-and-a-half hour concert put together in 1998 to re-construct a series of concerts in 1730 when Portuguese King João V consecrated a new basilica. The choral works are all accompanied by a continuo bass and, apart from the Mass, are in concertato style. Interspersed are several organ works of the sort likely to have been performed between choral pieces on such an occasion. Lisbon Chamber Choir; Teresita Gutierrez Marquez, David Cranmer (organ). Portugalsom SP 4292 (Portugal) 06C020 $16.98
GIOVANNI BATTISTA MARTINI (1706-1787): 3 Toccatas, 11 Sonatas, Largo, Andante, Grave. Written in a genial, galant style, many of these pieces were intended for liturgical use but those which weren't have a cheerful humor and sparkling wit. A rare example of Padre Martini's compositions rather than his theoretical writings! Ennio Cominetti (organ of San Giovanni di Bellagio, Como). MD&G 606 0998 (Germany) 06C021 $17.98
JOHAN AGRELL (1701-1765): Oboe Concerto in B Flat, Concerto in B Minor for Flute and Harpsichord, FERDINAND ZELLBELL (1719-1780): Cello Concerto in D, Bassoon Concerto in A Minor (1st movement), HINRICH PHILIP JOHNSEN (1717?-1779): Concerto for 2 Bas-soons in F. These five concertos have an ornamental and improvisatory diversity which was typical of the Swedish Rococo period. Originally released in 1994. Maria Bania (flute), Åsa Åkerberg (cello), Lars Henriksson (oboe), Anders Danman (harpsichord), Mats Klingfors & Christian Beuse (bassoons), Concerto Copenhagen; Andrew Manze. Musica Sveciae MSCD 411 (Sweden) 06C022 $16.98
C.E.F. WEYSE (1774-1842): Piano Sonatas No. 5 in E, No. 6 in B Flat, No. 7 in A Minor & No. 8 in G Minor. Weyse's sonatas are inspired by C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, Clementi and Mozart but exhibit singable themes peculiar to their composer and these, his final four, are weightier, more mature in form and more intense in expression. Thomas Trondhjem (piano). Marco Polo/Dacapo 8.224140 (Denmark) 06C023 $14.98
JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809): Lo Speziale. Written in 1768 for the opening of the new opera house at Eszterháza, this dramma giocoso to a Goldoni libretto lacks its third act but its comic situations draw much spirited music from the young composer, still inexperienced in drama. Italian-German libretto. Giuseppe Morino (tenor), Barbara Meszaros (soprano), Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss; Johannes Goritzki. Berlin Classics 0017122BC (Germany) 06C024 $16.98
JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809): The Battle of the Nile, The Spirit's Song, 2 Italian Duets, Piano Trios Nos. 18 in A & No. 19 in G Minor, Andante with Variations in F Minor for Piano. The two 1794 trios, the former demonstrating Haydn's favorite double variation technique and the latter his mastery of a dramatic, narrative sonata form, surround a ghostly, sentimental romance (The Spirit's Song), two witty, bite-sized pieces of badinage between the sexes and the colorful, amusing and heroic narrative of Lord Nelson's Egyptian victory of 1798 (setting some pretty awful poetry by Nelson's mistress - but what fun Haydn has with the commission!). The surprisingly intimate, introspective Andante with Variations (1793), marrying High Classicism with empfindsamkeit sits at the program's emotional center. The Four Nations Ensemble, Ann Monoyios (soprano), Nils Brown (tenor). ASV Gaudeamus GAU 219 (England) 06C025 $16.98
JAN KRTITEL KUCHAR (1751-1829): Complete Organ Works, JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809): 9 Pieces for Musical Clock, WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791): Andante in F, K. 616. 56 of the 78 minutes on this disc deal with Kuchar's organ output - ten pieces of which three are on a large scale: a Partita in C and two Fantasias in D Minor and in E Minor. These works lend support to documentary evidence of Kuchar being Bohemia's premiere organist of the Rococo style although Mozart has influenced him too. The recently restored organ is the same one Mozart and Haydn played when they performed in Prague. Jaroslav Tuma (Wambesser organ of Sts. Simon & Judas, Prague). Supraphon SU 3551-2 (Czech Republic) 06C026 $16.98
ÉTIENNE OZI (1754-1813): Six Grandes Sonates for Bassoon and Basso Continuo. A rare outing for one of the most difficult period instruments to play musically and expressively offers works by the French bassoonist who did much to deliver his chosen instrument from the ridicule or disinterest it elicited in Classical Paris. Pieces date from 1803 and graft all of the difficulties peculiar to the bassoon onto sonatas written in the tradition of salon divertissements. Danny Bond (bassoon), Richte van der Meer (cello). Accent ACC 20142 (Netherlands) 06C027 $17.98
JOSEPH MARTIN KRAUS (1756-1792): Funeral Music for Gustav III. This 1987 recording was the first to couple both the Sinfonia funèbre with the 46-minute Funeral Cantata - a work of remarkably concentrated emotion. 32-page booklet (all in English) with translations of the texts. Hillevi Martinpelto, Christina Högman (sopranos), Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö (tenor), Tomas Lander (baritone), Uppsala University Chamber Choir, Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble; Stefan Parkman. Musica Sveciae MSCD 416E (Sweden) 06C028 $16.98
Classical Finnish Violin Concertos
ERIK FERLING (1733-1808): Violin Concerto in D, 3 Contradanses & 3 Minuets, ERIK TULINDBERG (1761-1814): Violin Concerto in B, Op. 1, FREDRIK LITHANDER (1777-1823): 2 Arias for Baritone and Orchestra, THOMAS BYSTRÖM (1772-1839): Quadrille. A welcome addition to the history of the classical period in Scandinavia brings us two bright and cheerful concertos in the style of Mannheim/early Haydn along with several occasional works of similar charm. First recordings. Kreeta-Maria Kentala (violin), Herman Wallén (baritone), Sixth Floor Orchestra; Jukka Rautasalo. Ondine ODE 971-2 (Finland) 06C029 $17.98
JOÃO DOMINGOS BOMTEMPO (1775-1842): Symphony No. 1 in E Flat, Op. 11, Symphony No. 2 in D. Surprisingly, Portugalsom issue another recording of these two extant (of seven, alas...) symphonies by Portugal's premiere Classical pianist and composer, newly set down in 1999 in the finest sound and the finest performances of any available yet. These works, especially the second symphony, deserve to stand alongside those of Clementi and Witt among late Classical symphonies by unjustly forgotten composers. Hannover Philharmonic Orchestra; César Viana. Strauss/Portugalsom SP 4291 (Portugal) 06C030 $14.98
MICHAEL HAYDN (1737-1806): Mass & Vespers for the Feast of Holy Innocents. This partial reconstructin of a Mass and Vespers for Holy Innocents Day as may have been sung in Salzburg in the early 19th century uses the St. Leopold Mass (written for Holy Innocents Day in 1805), the Vespers for Holy Innocents of 1793, a Gradual of 1783 - all by Michael Haydn, along with church sonatas by Mozart substituted for propers and plainsong of the day. The orchestra omits violas and uses only two horns in addition to double bass and organ (both continuo and solo). Period instruments. The American Boychoir, Members of the New York Collegium; James Litton. Linn Records CKD 152 (Scotland) 06C031 $17.98
CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH (1714-1788): Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, Wq 240. This 1778 "dramatic cantata" sets poetry by Karl Wilhelm Ramler (no dramatic personages - just unnamed personae) in music of reflective lyrical and passionate sentiment fully part of the empfindsamkeit style in which Bach worked so proficiently. EMI Special Import first released in 1992. German-English texts. Hillevi Martinpelto (soprano), Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Peter Harvey (bass), Choir of Collegium Vocale, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Philippe Herreweghe. Virgin Classics 0777 7590692 9 (England) 06C032 $17.98
JUAN & JOSÉ PLA (fl. mid 18th c.): 5 Trios and El Concierto Favorito for Flutes, Strings and Continuo. These trio sonatas, dating from between 1754 and the late 1760s, show a combination of the Spanish idiom (most vividly depicted in the D minor trio with its fandango-like finale) and the international galant style. Musicians of the Old Road, La Fontegara, Guiomar Turgeon (violin), Anne Trout (double bass). Meridian CDE 84419 (England) 06C033 $17.98
DAVID MORITZ MICHAEL (1751-1827): Parthien 10-14. The third release of American Moravian composer Michael's wind serenades in the style of Mozart and Haydn offers five more well-crafted, highly musical pieces for pairs of clarinets, horns and bassoons (with a trumpet added in No. 11 and one bassoon subtracted in Nos. 13 and 14). Pacific Classical Winds. New World 80580 (U.S.A.) 06C034 $16.98
MUZIO CLEMENTI (1752-1832): Symphonies in B Flat & in D, op. 18, Symphonies No. 1 in C, No. 2 in D, No. 3 in G "The Great National"and No. 4 in D, Overtures in C and D, Minuetto Pastorale. Everything but the Piano Concerto has made it on to this mid-priced duo from the 3 CDs set of the complete Clementi orchestral music, so anyone who has not yet discovered his fine symphonies (two from his early years, in the style of Salieri, the rest from 1810-24 when he had assimilated the music of late Haydn and Beethoven) should not hesitate. 2 for price of 1. Philharmonia Orchestra; Francesco d'Avalos. ASV DCS 247 (England) 06C035 $16.98
ANDREAS ROMBERG (1767-1821): Clarinet Quintet in E Flat, Op. 57, ROBERT FUCHS (1847-1927): Clarinet Quintet in E Flat, Op. 102, CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD (1852-1924): 2 Fantasies for Clarinet Quintet. From the Haydnesque Romberg to the late Romantic Fuchs, a small treasure of clarinet chamber music in a re-issue of a 1991 Hyperion recording. Mid-price.Thea King (clarinet), Britten String Quartet. Helios CDH55076 (England) 06C036 $10.98
ANSELM HÜTTENBRENNER (1794-1868): String Quintet in C Minor, FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828): Adagio and Rondo concertante in F for Piano Quintet, D 487, Octet in F (unfin.) for 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns and 2 Bassoons, D 72, String Trio in B Flat (frag.), D 471, 3 Menuets for 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns, 2 Bassoons and Trumpet. In an odd outcome, it is Schubert's friend and benefactor Hüttenbrenner's quintet which is dark, anxious and serious while its Schubert disc-mates, predominantly youthful works, which bubble with carefree joy. 1977 EMI recording in cpo's Dieter Klöcker Edition. Mid-price. Consortium Classicum; Dieter Klöcker. CPO 999 801 (Germany) 06C037 $10.98
RICHARD WAGNER (1813-1883): Polonia, American Centennial March (Grosser Festmarsch), Rule Britannia, Imperial March (Kaisermarsch). Another really early Marco Polo release (recorded in 1983) comes back at budget-price: four occasional compositions, two from 1836 (Polonia and Rule Britannia) used as calling-cards and two from the 1870s used as money-makers. Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra; Varujan Kojian. Naxos 8.555386 (New Zealand) 06C038 $5.98
FRANZ VON SUPPÉ (1819-1985): Die schöne Galathée. This 1865 one-acter was Suppé's acceptance of the challenge represented by Offenbach and which brings the latter's social satire into a native Austrian form, creating a new musical theatre tradition. German-English libretto. Andrea Bogner (soprano), Juliane Heyn (soprano), Hans-Jürg Rickenbacher (tenor), Michael Kupfer (baritone), Chorus of the Koblez City Theatre, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie; Thomas Eitler. CPO 999 726 (Germany) 06C039 $15.98
JOACHIM RAFF (1822-1882): Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 102, Piano Trio No. 4 in D, Op. 158. The renaissance of one of the most important and popular composers in the 19th century has now made it to his chamber music (two string quartets were offered last month - 05C044). Raff's four piano trios were writen between 1861-70; the first is a riveting exercise in bold strokes, taut rhythms and the composer's characteristic melodic gift with three boisterous fast movements surrounding a gorgeous, dreamy slow one. The fourth trio is generally more dreamy, Brahmsian almost in its easy flow of one lovely, autumnal melody after another with a rousing Allegro to round it off. Mid-price. Trio Opus 8. CPO 999 616 (Germany) 06C040 $10.98
ANTON RUBINSTEIN (1829-1894): Symphonies, Vol. 1 - Symphony No. 1 in F, Op. 40, Ivan the Terrible, Op. 79. The 21-year-old Rubinstein's first symphony is a cosmpolitan work showing the influence of Mendelssohn, full of tunes, vivd colors and dynamic rhythms. The 1869 tone poem is freer, showing the influence of both the Russian nationalist composers and of Liszt. Re-issue of a 1989 Marco Polo recording. Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice); Robert Stankovsky. Naxos 8.555476 (New Zealand) 06C041 $5.98
JOHANN VESQUE VON PÜTTLINGEN (1803-1883): Die Heimkehr, Vol. 3. The third and final volume of this remarkably fine and unknown setting of Heine's extended series of poems, which, if anyone notices, ought to be a major addition to our knowledge of the 19th century German lied. German-English texts. Markus Schäfer (tenor), Christian de Bruyn (piano). Signum X106-00 (Germany) 06C042 $17.98
ANTON ARENSKY (1861-1906): 12 Préludes, Op. 63, 6 Essais sur des rythmes oubliés, Op. 28, 12 Études, Op. 74, 6 Arabesques, Op. 67, 3 Morceaux, Op. 42. In his piano works, idiomatic and subtle, Arensky is not inspired by the works of the Russian Nationalists; Chopin, Schumann and Mendelssohn are the reference points here. Some require real virtuosity although many more entice through seductive harmonies and delicate figuration. Anthony Goldstone (piano). Olympia OCD 692 (England) 06C043 $16.98
JULES MASSENET (1842-1912): Piano Concerto in E Flat, Papillons noirs, Papillons blancs, Eau dormante, Eau courante, 10 pièces de genre, Op. 10, Valse folie, Valse très lente, Devant la Madone, Toccata, Musique pour "bercer les petits enfants". The concerto is not an early work (1902) yet it doesn't seem to really have a voice of its own until the final movement, a work-out using Slovak airs makes you think you've known it for ever. The Papillons and Eau pieces are personal, intimate pieces with impressionistic hints while the op. 10 (1866) and the remainder of the solo pieces are in the 19th-century French salon style. Mid-price. Aldo Ciccolini (piano), Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra; Sylvain Cambreling. EMI CDM 7 64277 2 (France) 06C044 $11.98
JOACHIM RAFF (1822-1882): Symphony No. 3 in F, Op. 153 "Im Walde", Italian Suite. The latest release in Tudor's ongoing Raff orchestral series contains the finest available performance of the Italian Suite and another very good one of the Third, which is rapidly catching up to the Lenore in its modern-day exposure. Bamberg Symphony; Hans Stadlmair. Tudor 7088 (Switzerland) 06C045 $16.98
NIKOLAI TCHEREPNIN (1873-1945): Tàti-Tàti for Orchestra, Prelude to La Princesse Lointaine, Op. 4, Suite from Le Pavillon d'Armide, Op. 29a, Overture to the Opera Svat. The father of the Tcherepnin composing dynasty gets a hearing here with works from all periods of his career, from the 1899 prelude (Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov very present) to 1929's Svat overture (neo-classical but still strongly Russian). In between are the two main works - the suite from La Princesse (1907) where French Impressionism has a look-in (Tcherepnin was once called "Debussy-Ravelovich" by friends) and Tàti-Tàti, an orchestration of one of those multiple-Russian-composer piano works full of elegant, virtuoso orchestral writing. Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; Igor Blazhkov. Olympia OCD 693 (England) 06C046 $16.98
HEINRICH VON HERZOGENBERG (1843-1900): Piano Quartet in E Minor, Op. 75, String Trio in A, Op. 27/1. The 1892 piano quartet is Herzogenberg's finest creation, coming out of the heartbreak of watching his wife die of a heart condition over several months in Italy where they had gone for health reasons on both their parts. Its first movement is all anguished desperation, the second a simple "song without words" seeking release from suffering, the scherzo convulses mournfully with a nervous trio written on the day his wife lost her sight while the finale is a radiant song of love written after her death. Like all of Herzogenberg's works, it was dismissed by critics as more Brahmsian epigonism; Joseph Joachim, however, thought it the finest thing Herzogenberg had composed. The 1879 string trio actually got praise from the recalcitrant Brahms and, in fact, is one of the first works Herzogenberg wrote after deciding to leave Wagner behind and cast his vote with Brahms' circle of artists. Mid-price. Andreas Frölich (piano), Belcanto Strings. CPO 999 765 (Germany) 06C047 $10.98
HANS PFITZNER (1869-1949): Piano Trio in B Flat, Piano Trio in F, Op. 8. The rarity here is the early (1886) B flat trio, one of three without opus number but the only one which has survived and, even then, perhaps not in its entirety since its three movements - a big first one full of youthful romantic exuberance and a charmingly rapturuous romance - end with a slightly jolting and clumsy dancing scherzo in a dark D minor key which ends pianissimo. Regardless, it is an enjoyable piece and a wlecome addition to the Pfitzner discography. Mid-price. Robert Schumann Trio. CPO 999 736 (Germany) 06C048 $10.98
SIR HUBERT PARRY (1848-1918): Fantasia and Fugue in G, Chorale Fantasia on an Old English Tune "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross", Chorale Fantasia on "O God, our help", 7 Chorale Preludes, Set I, Elegy, Toccata and Fugue "The Wanderer", 7 Chorale Preludes, Set II, Chorale Fantasia on "The Old Hundredth", Elégie, Fantasia and Fugue in G (later version), A Little Organ Book in Memory of Sir Hubert Parry with works by Parry, Stanford, A. Herbert Brewer, Alan Grey, Charels Macpherson, Ivor Atkins, Frank Bridge, Harold E. Darke, Charles Wood, Walter G. Alcock, G. Thalben Ball, H.G. Ley and Walford Davies. Extensive annotation supports this set of Parry's complete organ music, much of it taken up by the two sets of chorale preludes (1912 and 1916) which explore the cycle and character of the Anglican liturgy and are exclusively taken from hymns in Hymns Ancient & Modern. The Fantasia and Fugue in G, a Romantic, neo-Gothic essay founded on the rhetoric of the North German organ style, exists in two versions (1882 and 1913) and a "garland" of pieces put together by Parry's friends, colleagues and students and played at his funeral at St. Paul's is also included - across-section of late Victorian and Edwardian organ music and style. 2 CDs. James Lancelot (organ of Durham Cathedral). Priory PRCD 682 AB (England) 06C049 $33.98
ALEXIS CHAUVET (1837-1871): Grand Chur in C, À 2 claviers, Andante con moto, THÉODORE SALOMÉ (1834-1896): 3 Canons, ÉMILE BERNARD (1843-1902): Scherzo-Caprice, SAMUEL ROUSSEAU (1853-1904): Offertoire, Trio, Scherzo, Lamento, Grand Chur, HENRI LIBERT (1869-1937): Prière, JOSEPH CALLAERTS (1838-1901): Toccata, CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR (1844-1937): Marche Américaine, CÉSAR FRANCK (1822-1890): Symphonic Interlude from Redemption (arr. Roth). This collection presents a group of French (and one Belgian) composers contemporary with and influenced by Franck. Chauvet was a fellow pupil of Franck's and was one of the most promising composers of the 19th century French organ school before his early death cut short that promise; Bernard's Scherzo-Caprice (1871) is highly original and enjoyable; Salomé was choir organist at La Trinité when Guilmant was main organist and Rousseau was in similar professional relation to Franck at St. Clotilde (his five pieces are all delightful, full of cheer, good humor for the most part). Callaert's is the most roof-shaking, an exercise in mighty bravura with an air of improvisation about it. Gerard Brooks (Cavaillé-Coll organ of St. François de Sale, Lyon). Priory PRCD 667 (England) 06C050 $16.98
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886): Works for Organ, Vol. 1 - Präludium und Fuge über den Namen BACH, S260, Evocation à la Chapelle Sixtine, S658, 3 Consolations, S172, Légende: Saint François d'Assise, S175, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, S180. This series will tell us how many transcriptions for organ the inveterate old transcriber made! Here, two monstrous prodigies of music which push even the most powerful organ to its limits surround five transcriptions of original piano pieces; that of St. François really is delightful on the organ, which offers more resources of color and registration for the depiction of the bird-lecturing saint. Andreas Rothkopf (Sauer organ of St. Petri Dom, Bremen). Naxos 8.554544 (New Zealand) 06C051 $5.98
RARE AMERICAN-PERIOD DVORÁK
ANTONÍN DVORÁK (1841-1904): The American Flag for Alto, Tenor, Bass, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 102, Suite in A "American", Op. 98b, Te Deum for Soprano, Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 103, Old Folks at Home for Soprano, Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra. While head of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, Dvorák wrote much more than the New World Symphony and the sometimes-recorded American Suite but who has seemed to care? Not the Americans who invited him and commissioned the works. We've discovered this 1995 Czech recording which offers two works which (to our knowlege) have never been readily available in this country - certainly not on CD. Dvorák received the commission for a celebratory choral/orchestral work to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' "discovery" of America well before he left for New York but the text came too late for him to set. Thus, we have the joyously celebratory Te Deum which was premiered in New York in October, 1892. But the text which he belatedly received was also set - a poem from Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820), The American Flag, written in 1815 in the victorious aftermath of the War of 1812. Here, in addition to the Te Deum and American Suite which have been at least frugally recorded, we have not only the whole The American Flag but also a setting of Stephen Foster's Old Folks at Home which was premiered at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23, 1894 by the famous black American artists, soprano Sissierette Jones and baritone Harry T. Burleigh, to whom Dvorák dedicated the composition. The latter is strangely moving as sung by Czechs unfamiliar with American pronunciation - at least they have the desire to perform it! Ditto for The American Flag; the unfamiliarity with English is almost a badge of honor for a work which has been abandoned by the country which commissioned it and which Dvorák put aside only because he could not find singers even remotely able to try an English text after he returned to his homeland. Texts included. Eva Urbanová (soprano), Roman Janál (baritone), Drahomíra Drobková (alto), Milan Bürger (bass), Leo Marian Vodicka (tenor), Prague Philharmonic Choir, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra; Vladimír Válek. Clarton CQ 0013-2 (Czech Republic) 06C052 $16.98
FRANZ LEHÁR (1870-1948): Frühling, Elfentanz, Magyar Abránd for Violin and Orchestra. Premiered in Vienna in 1922, Frühling was Lehár's last and most ambitious one-act operetta. Abandoning the same old operetta formulas, Lehár set this one in a typing office and alludes to contemporary concerns like housing shortages. The characters are working-class and, in the ten numbers, the composer ranges over a broad musical spectrum, from one-step, shimmy and fox-trot to sweeping waltzes, preludes and interludes while the size of the theatre limited him to an exquisitely used small orchestra of piano, single woodwinds, strings and obbligato typewriter (!). Filling up the 78-minute CD are an 1892 concert waltz and an 1897 mini-fantasy for violin and orchestra. German-English libretto. Stefanie Krahnenfeld, Alison Browner (sopranos), Robert Wörle (tenor), Markus Köhler (baritone), Mark Gothoni (violin), Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss; Johannes Goritzki. CPO 999 727 (Germany) 06C053 $15.98
SIEGFRID KARG-ELERT (1877-1933): Piano Works, Vol. 2 - Walzerszenen, Op. 45, 4 Stücke, Op. 23, Aus dem Norden, Op. 18, Patina - 10 Miniaturen, Op. 64, Reisebilder, Op. 7. All but Patina are early works; the spirit of Grieg still hangs over the 1895 Reisebilder and the interest in Nordic atmosphere is still present in the 1903 Aus dem Norden while the Klavierstücke of the same year are far more difficult both emotionally and pianistically. The eight waltzes of op. 45 (1901) are sparkling gems with a touch of the mordant humor associated with Karg-Elert's mature pieces like Patina (1924) - a set of 10 18th-century dance forms written using early 20th-century techniques and language. Mid-price. Ernst Breidenbach (piano). CPO 999 711 (Germany) 06C054 $10.98
JOAQUIN TURINA (1882-1949): Complete Piano Works, Vol. 15 - Rima, Op. 6, Rima, Op. 26/3, El Crísto de la Calavera, Op. 30, La Venta de los Gatos, Op. 32, 3 Poemas, Op. 81, Los 7 Dolores de la Vírgen, w/o op., Sinfonía del mar, w/o op. The penultimate volume of this series is devoted to two songs, a three-song cycle and two piano suites either set to or inspired by the poet Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, the latter two offering richly Romantic fodder (a medieval love triangle and a meditation on Seville) for Turina's musical imagination. Closing the disc is the piano score of a "Symphony of the Sea" (1945-6), left incomplete at the composer's death. Maria José Martos (soprano), Antonio Soria (piano). Moraleda 6415 (Spain) 06C055 $16.98
FERRUCIO BUSONI (1866-1924): Sonatinas Nos. 1-6, Indianisches Tagebuch, Toccata. This disc and the Naxos release alongside give a useful cross-section of Busoni's piano music, and demonstrate his importance as one of the visionaries of 20th-century music. The Sonatinas have never been over-represented in the catalogue, and hearing the complete set, one is reminded forcibly of the breadth of Busoni's ability within a single unifying vision. Mid-price. Roland Pöntinen (piano). CPO 999 702 (Germany) 06C056 $10.98
FERRUCIO BUSONI (1866-1924): An die Jugend, Fantasia Contrappuntistica, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, BACH/BUSONI: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. The solo version of the Fantasia Contrappuntistica is in many ways the most satisfactory representation of Busoni's colossal architectural restoration after Bach. The suite An die Jugend - to youth, but mature music, not necessarily intended for young players - contains a summary of much of what Busoni is about - transcription, composition both forward- and backward-looking, crowned by the extraordinary "Epilogue" which uncannily predicts, in a few short minutes, many of the prominent trends of 20th-century music. Wolf Harden (piano). Naxos 8.555034 (New Zealand) 06C057 $5.98
BENJAMIN FRANKEL (1906-1973): Symphony No. 7, Op. 50, Symphony No. 8, Op. 53, Overture to a Ceremony, Op. 51, A Shakespeare Overture, Op. 50. Frankel's symphony cycle comes to its end with this final release bringing us symphonies from 1970 and 1971, an overture from 1956 and one from 1970. The symphonies (as are all eight) are serial works but (as always) accessible to a degree which surprises those who have not heard any of them. As Frankel said, "Melody is the ineluctable stuff out of which music is constructed"; Mozart was his most beloved composer. Only people who have not heard Frankel can still complain about the dry academicism of twelve-tone music. The overtures are in a tonal idiom, the Shakespeare having been written for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Ceremony for a St. Cecilia's Day Royal Concert. Queensland Symphony Orchestra; Werner Andreas Albert. CPO 999 243 (Germany) 06C058 $15.98
NECIL KÂZIM AKSES (1908-1999): Violin Concerto. A Turkish violin concerto of Mahlerian proportions from one of Turkey's most eminent composers, a member of the "Group of Five" which first brought Western musical composition to their native land. Composed in 1969, this concerto is in two huge movements, a 26-minute first movement allegro with the typical primary and secondary themes, development, recapitulation and cadenza which are expected but whose time-frame is more Eastern than European, moving at its own compelling pace while providing a lot of work for its soloist. The second movement is in lied form (slow-fast-slow with another cadenza at the end) whose slow sections provide some of the exotic colors and atmosphere which let you know that this music is from outside the European continent. Tonal, lavishly orchestrated using large forces with dissonance serving expressive needs, this is a violin concerto which should appeal broadly to collectors of contemporary music. Cihat Askin (violin), Hannover Radio Philharmonic of the NDR; Rengim Gökmen. CPO 999 799 (Germany) 06C059 $15.98
JOHN SPEIGHT (b.1945): Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 2 for Soprano and Orchestra, Clarinet Concerto "Melodious Birds Sing Madrigals". This Englishman turned Icelandic citizen has had that Nordic effect seep into his music - the strong, clear orchestration, a sense of that rarified Northern quality of light which one associates with Rautavaara or Englund - and these works, tonal, approachable and often dramatic (the second symphony was inspired by the outbreak of Desert Storm) will appeal to all collectors of Scandinavian tonal modern music. Einar Jóhannesson (clarinet), Julie Kennard (soprano), Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Pál P. Pálsson, Anne Manson, Jean-Pierre Jaquillat. Icelandic Music ITM7-14 (Iceland) 06C060 $18.98
MEYER KUPFERMAN (b.1926): Speculum Symphony, Flight Alone for Large String Orchestra. Flight Alone is a 26-minute piece from 1995 which represents the final form of 20 years of striving to represent the overpowering fear, torment and anger felt by a refugee attempting to flee the Holocaust. Now and then, section soloists appear from a harshly dissonant background which shrieks, boils and crawls like fear up the spine (using some techniques akin to Penderecki and 1960s' Ligeti), speak and are swallowed up again in the maelstrom; the work ends in an uneasy consonance. The symphony (1999), like Frankel's above, demonstrates how a composer who is looking to provide orchestral color by relying on rich harmonies, motivic design and lavish orchestration can turn out to have been doing it using serial procedures but, but! Wait! That didn't sound bad at all.... Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman. Soundspells CD 131 (U.S.A.) 06C061 $16.98
HUGH AITKEN (b. early 1920s): Aspen Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Rameau Remembered for Flute and Orchestra, In Praise of Ockeghem for String Orchestra. A student of Persichetti, Bernard Wagenaar and Robert Ward, Aitken spent his career at Juilliard and at a college in New Jersey as a teacher. His Aspen Concerto (his second, from 1989) has outer movements predominantly of a Hindemithian purposefulness which surround a slow movement of shadowed lyricism. All is bright and cheerful, however, in the 1980 Rameau suite, written for Julius Baker and which makes use of motives from Castor and Pollux and Les Indes Galantes - personally treated, not a facile transcription. The Ockeghem work (1977) was originally written for an orchestra of period instruments and later transcribed for strings, using both Ockeghem motives (a few) and Aitken's own responses to that composer's idiom. Elmar Oliveira (violin), Scott Goff (flute), Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz. Artek AR-0004-2 (U.SA.) 06C062 $16.98
JEROME DAVID GOODMAN (b.1934): Stockbridge Overtones, Dance Patterns, Double Concerto for Cello, Clarinet and Orchestra, Violin Sonata. A child prodigy cellist, Goodman was invited by Pierre Monteux to join the San Francisco Symphony but ended up studying medicine and becoming a psychiatrist. In the late 80s, he went back to what he had left (as many of us no doubt wish we could also) and these are some of the results. The 1996 double concerto is expressive and romantic with attractive melodies and much high tessitura for the clarinettist. Stockbridge Overtones (1997) is an expressive impression of the western Massachusetts town of the same name making use of an extended percussion section and with a general French Impressionist atmosphere. Dance Patterns (1998) depicts a rehearsal in a dance studio, rhythmically fecund with attendant stops and starts. The 1990 sonata was is expressionistic with a finale devoted to country fiddling, ragtime and swing elements. Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra; Vladimír Válek, New York Chamber Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, Raymond Davis (cello), Richard Stoltzman (clarinet), Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, Jana Herajnova (violin), Jan Petr (piano). MMC 2097 (U.S.A.) 06C063 $16.98
JOONAS KOKKONEN (1921-1996): 5 Bagatelles, Religioso, Sonatina, 2 Little Preludes, Pielavesi Suite, Impromptu. Instantly approachable works from 1939-69 which chart a course from simple Nature impressionism through stages to the composer's mature language of free tonality and chromaticism (but with the natural landscape always behind it). Janne Mertanen (piano). Alba ABCD 127 (Finland) 06C064 $16.98
SCOTT EYERLY (c.1960...): The House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne's story of human nature, with its implications concerning the consequences of our actions, sometimes not realized for generations, and the moral obligations, too often ignored, that are placed upon us, makes a splendid subject for an opera in these self-analysing times. Eyerly's libretto and music tell the story directly and eloquently, in a vocabulary which owes much to the early 20th century operatic tradition of Europe; lyrical, melodic and vocally satisfying, wholly apart from the post-second-Viennese tradition in dramatic vocal writing. Bartók's Bluebeard and the operas of Janácek are not inappropriate comparisons, and similarly this work is both dramatically and musically exceptionally satisfying. Complete libretto. 2 CDs. Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater; David Gilbert. Albany TROY 447 (U.S.A.) 06C065 $33.98
PAUL PATTERSON (b.1947): Comedy for Five Winds, Wind Quintet, Westerly Winds, LUIS TINOCO (b.1969): Autumn Wind, JAMES OLSEN (b.1982): Imbroglio, GUSTAV HOLST (1874-1934): Wind Quintet in A Flat, Op. 14. Patterson's 1967 piece is an early yet remarkably accomplished work, surprisingly astringent and modern-sounding, written when he was still a student, while the Comedy, from five years later, has a neoclassical elegance and humor. The Holst was missing for a good part of the century, and is a welcome addition to our knowledge of the composer. Olsen's piece is quirky and humourous, and Tinoco, a young Portuguese composer, plays up the contrasts between instruments and material, and is based on poems by Philip Larkin. Galliard Ensemble. Meridian CDE 84429 (England) 06C066 $17.98
LORENZO FERERRO (b.1951): Mare Nostro. Readers will remember Ferrero from the Naxos release of La Nueva España, a full-length tale in several tone poems of Cortes' conquest of Mexico which used an easily approachable, post-Modern style which mixed minimalism with cinematographic quality music to paint a compelling picture. This 1991 opera buffa uses similar tools to animate a genre which, at the time, seemed to the composer to be rather in a corner stylistically. Ferrero uses not only the typical 19th century Italian opera-type libretto and plot structure (larger-than-life characters engaged in easily misunderstood dealings on a Mediterranean island complete with sorceress and storm sequence) but even a couple of arias in the style of Bellini and Verdi. He supports the structure with music of traditional, minimalist and rock styles which interchange almost seamlessly (electric guitar and bass and drum kit are included in the orchestra), leaving the listener feeling both familiar with the territory yet somewhat time-warped nonetheless. 2 CDs. Italian-English libretto. Danilo Rigosa (bass), Amelia Felle (soprano), Claudio di Segni (tenor), Chorus and Orchestra of the "F. Venezze" Conservatory of Music of Rovigo; Gianfranco Masini. BMG Ricordi RFCD 2016 (Italy) 06C067 $37.98
HANS WERNER HENZE (b.1926): Symphony No. 7, Barcarola for Large Orchestra. Very good to see this one back. Both are big-boned works, based in tonality, and dealing with matters of weighty import in what is very much an offshoot of the Romantic symphonic tradition. It is hard not to detect the figure of Mahler in the background here, as in the case of various works of Shostakovich, who also comes to mind not infrequently. Echoes of Sibelius, especially in the brooding textures and concentration of argument, are also definitely present. Most highly recommended. EMI Special Import. Original 1993 release. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Simon Rattle. EMI CDC 754762 2 (England) 06C068 $17.98
OLDRICH F. KORTE (b.1926): The Pirates of Fortunia. Inspired by the pirate radio stations which Czech youth were listening to in the late 60s and early 70s, bringing them all the Western pop music their Communist government denied them, Korte (whose Philosophical Dialogues for violin and piano is available elsewhere in this issue) wrote this musical between 1970-73 about a group of students who find a pirate ship beached in a meadow and who use it to jam the airwaves and send adult authorities an ultimatum and instructions about changing their behavior and saving the planet (so, as if Aristophanes were Czech and composed Hair...). Dated but quite charming, with a brilliantly rhymed English translation which obviously took a lot of time and care. Premiered in Vienna in 1975, the Czechs did not hear it, of course, until 1989. Czech-English libretto. Soloists, Kühn Mixed Choir, Film Symphony Orchestra; Libor Pesek. Clarton CQ 0044-2 (Czech Republic) 06C069 $16.98
GÓSTA NYSTROEM (1890-1966): Ängest, ALGOT HAQUINIUS (1886-1966): 5 Songs from Kung Eriks Visor, 3 Songs, HARALD FRYKLÓF (1882-1919): 3 Songs, JOSEF ERIKSSON (1872-1957): 4 Lagerkvist Songs, Op. 42, 3 Songs, JOSEF JONSSON (1887-1969): 3 Songs, KNUT HÅKANSSON (1887-1929): 4 Songs. Musica Sveciae's "Modern Classics" series turns to the Swedish romans which has had an almost 200 year history dating back to the days of Adolf Lindblad and Erik Geijer in the 1820s. In keeping with the mandate of the series, we are given an overview of songs written in the first half of the 20th century by many composers who will be new to collectors. Swedish texts/English summaries. Karin Ingebäck (soprano), Gabriel Suovanen (baritone), Hans-Erik Goksöyr (piano). Phono Suecia/Musica Sveciae PSCD 707:1 (Sweden) 06C070 $16.98
SIGURD VON KOCH (1879-1919): 4 Songs from Gammalsvenska Vijsor, GUSTAF NORDQVIST (1886-1949): 7 Songs, INGEMAR LILJEFORS (1906-1981): 3 Gullberg Songs, 2 Songs, MOSES PERGAMENT (1893-1977): 4 Songs, ÅKE UDDÉN (1903-1987): 3 Chansons de Bilitis, LILLE BROR SÖDERLUNDH (1912-1957): 2 Songs, INGMAR MILVEDEN (b.1920): 3 Songs, KARL WOHLFART (1874-1943): 4 Selander Songs, Op. 17, HILDING HALLNÄS (1903-1984): 5 Ekeloöf Songs. Devoted to timeless things like love and nature, faith, fate and death, these works achieve a universality aided by an approachable musical idiom. Swedish texts/English summaries. Malena Ernman (mezzo), Olle Persson (baritone), Bengt-Åke Lundin (piano). Phono Suecia/Musica Sveciae PSCD 707:2 (Sweden) 06C071 $16.98
ALUN HODDINOTT (b.1929): Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Op. 128, JOHN MCCABE (b.1939): Clarinet Concerto, EDWARD HARPER (b.1941): Clarinet Concerto, ELIZABETH MACONCHY (1907-1994): Concertino for Clarinet and Small Orchestra. The Hoddinott is harmonically rich and eloquent, making much of the solo instrument's singing tone. Similarly tonal and Northern-European in idiom, the McCabe is a compact and satisfying work in four movements, including a particularly lovely lament as a slow movement, which seems to have some affinity with Vaughan Williams, a presence detectable at points thoughout this disc. Harper's concerto, a passacaglia and rondo, is slightly more dissonant and spiky, though with the same lyrical undertones as the other works here while the Maconchy is the most 'serious' work here, though not without its lighter touches, and contains some highly concentrated and economically expressed musical argument. Janet Hilton (clarinet), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Rumon Gamba. Clarinet Classics CCD034 (England) 06C072 $17.98
LADISLAV SIMON (b.1929): Requiem for the Dead for Soprano, Baritone, Mixed Choir, 2 Jazz Bands and Organ. Well, this is different. It really is a Requiem, and it commemorates musicians both famous and unknown, both in the public limelight and obscure. It sets the text of sections of the Requiem mass, in Latin. It is a big-band jazz work, using two jazz bands placed antiphonally, chorus, organ and soloists. The music derives from Ellington, Bernstein, Eisler, and those inflated rock-orchestral extravagances of the 70s (the composer seems to know his Pink Floyd pretty well). Does it work? Yes, actually, surprisingly well. If you are offended by Bernstein's Mass, don't bother, but if this vernacular approach to serious matters strikes you as refreshing, or entertaining, or you don't see why philosophy shouldn't swing, then give it a try. The worst you're likely to be is entertained and amused. Lucie Bílá (soprano), Jess Webb (baritone), Vladimír Roubal (organ), Kühn Mixed Choir, RK Band AUS Praha, Big Band U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Vladimír Válek. Clarton CQ 0003-2231 (Czech Republic) 06C073 $16.98
IB NØRHOLM (b.1931): Piano Trio, Op. 22, Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 77 "Essai Prismatique", Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 155 "Essai in Memoriam". Nørholm's three piano trios mark out a definite progression , both in the composer's own attitude to composition in the 20th century, and in the history of Danish music since Nielsen. The first, from 1959, is very much a product of its time; strictly serial in a post-Webernian sense, adhering closely to the compositional preoccupations of the time. T he second still uses elements of serial technique, but by 1979, Nørholm was more concerned with expression and less with technique for its own sake, and the piece is notably more harmonically rich. By the third trio, one of his most recent works, the composer is writing in an almost neo-Romantic style, certainly one which has much more in common with Shostakovich than Webern. More expansive and generous than its predecessors, the work gives a strong sense of the composer having arrived at a personal and satisfying vocabulary after a long and concentrated quest. The Copenhagen Trio. Kontrapunkt 32315 (Denmark) 06C074 $16.98
O.F. KORTE (b.1926): Philosophical Dialogues for Violin and Piano, LUBOS FISER (b.1935): Hands for Violin and Piano, LEOS JANÁCEK (1854-1928): Violin Sonata, CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918): Violin Sonata, EUGÈNE YSA×E (1858-1931): Ballade, Op. 27/3. Repertoire collectors will be looking at this disc for the Fiser and Korte, and it is good to report that either work is worth the price of the disc. The Fiser, which is effectively a dramatic sonata which may have some associations with the biblical Passion (though for political reasons the composer was not able to make these explicit in 1960, when the piece was written) is a largely tonal work, somewhat reminiscent of Enescu, Bartók or Janácek, and not noticeably inferior to these major figures. Alternately passionate in declamation and emotionally intense and philosophical, this is an unforgettably powerful piece that belies its relative brevity, at under a quarter of an hour. Korte's Philosophical Dialogues are less extrovert, but share a similar eloquent vocabulary and accessibility, while still providing plenty of musical food for thought. Ivan Straus (violin), Walter Haley (piano). Clarton CQ 0040-2 131 (Czech Republic) 06C075 $16.98
CESARE GIUSEPPE CELSI (1904-1986): Concerto for Organ, Trittico for Organ, Fantasia for Organ and Trumpet, Scherzo, Pastorale, 4 Momenti Musicali for Organ. Celsi was a noted composer of sacred music in the middle decades of the 20th century, and it is not hard to see why. A prolific and dedicated composer working within the Church, he contributed considerably to the canon of religiously-inspired music of our time, in a fashion matched by few others apart from the obvious example of Messiaen. While similarities to Messiaen's coloristic harmonic preoccupations are unquestionably detectable, this organ music has more in common with Baroque and Romantic models, being opulent and symphonic in scope and utilising established forms and compositional methods. The contrapuntal writing is intricate and mellifluous, and the dramatic elements of the music passionately projected in a manner recalling Liszt paying homage to Bach. Roberto Marini (Mascioni organ of the Basiliva della Santa Casa, Loreto), Claudio Gironacci (trumpet). Symphonia SY 00179 (Italy) 06C076 $18.98
INGRAM MARSHALL: Dark Waters for English Horn and Tape, Holy Ghosts for Oboe d'Amore and Live Digital Delay Processing, Rave for Tape. The sound of the oboe and its relatives is frequently described as 'haunting', and Marshall has taken this aspect of the instrument to its most extreme conclusion in these sumptuous and darkly sonorous electroacoustic works. Dark Waters uses electronically transmogrified cor anglais material set in a misty matrix of processed material from a 78rpm recording of Sibelius' Swan of Tuonela, to create a work that is both an homage to the Finnish master and a sombre meditation on the shadowy afterlife in its own right. Holy Ghosts creates overlapping polyphonic textures based on fragments from Bach's B Minor Mass through the use of electronic delays, suggesting both a minimalist use of the material and a kind of rich choral texture. Rave uses bird sounds and Asian instruments in a dance score suggesting a fantastic gamelan in some unearthly, echoing environment. An unusual yet unusually approachable integration of electronics into concert music. Libby van Cleve (english horn, oboe d'amore). New Albion NA 112CD (U.S.A.) 06C077 $16.98
ALFRED SCHNITTKE (1934-1998): Symphony No. 8, Suite from The Census List. Haters of Schnittke's cacophonous, polystylistic, rabble-rousing symphonies of the 60s and 70s will be delighted to find a deeply moving, expressive symphony built around a Mahlerian central slow movement in this work from 1994. Written just before the illness which left his right hand paralysed, this work seems to show Schnittke belatedly embracing the great Germanic symphonic tradition in its post-Romantic period. In five movements (the last is a brief series of ascending scales apparently expressing the composer's reaction to his fatal illness) of mostly slow tempi, using a large orchestra but in groups (the full orchestral almost never plays at the same time) and producing a rarified, almost ascetic sound quality, this piece is a moving testament to the peace and fulfillment a prodigiously talented maverick seems to have found in his final years. The suite dates from 1978 and is another example of the hot-blooded, satiricial, thumb-in-the-eye "other" or "primary" Schnittke. Russian State Symphony Orchestra; Valeri Polyansky. Chandos 9885 (England) 06C078 $16.98
ADOLF BRUNNER (1901-1992): Markus-Passion for Soloists, 2 Choirs, Orchestra and Organ. A student of Schreker and Jarnach, Brunner devoted much of his compositional career to the study of and the composition of music for the Protestant Church's renewal of sacred music. He chose St. Mark's Passion for his 1970-71 setting because of its dramatic, tight, stripped-down nature, moving rapidly along in six sections from the anointing in Bethany and Judas' betrayal to the Crucifixion. Organ solos based on chorales give the chorus (which takes the narrator's role) necessary breaks throughout. Using a highly extended tonality, Brunner's music grows increasingly dissonant as the story proceeds and uses the orchestra's sections tellingly for the sparing way in which woodwinds or trumpets or deep brass are used to underscore the events in the text. 2 CDs. German texts. Ulrich Studer (baritone), Dieter Agricola (tenor), Martin Bruns (baritone), Christof Nät (bass), Heinz Suter (bass), Regula Zimmerli (soprano), Heiner Kühner (organ), Berner Kantorei, Collegium voale und Collegium musicum der Evangelischen Singgemeinde; Klaus Knall. Musikszene Schweiz MGB CD 6176 (Switzerland) 06C079 $37.98
LOU HARRISON (b.1917): Music for Violin with Various Instruments, European, Asian and African, Jahla for Harp and Percussion, Avalokiteshvara for Harp and Percussion, Music for Bill & Me for Solo Harp, Beverly's Troubadour Piece for Harp and Percussion, Labyrinth #3 for 11 Percussionists, Songs in the Forest for Flute/Piccolo, Violin, Vibraphone/Marimba and Piano, Serenade for Guitar and Percussion, Praises for the Beauty of Hummingbirds for Muted Violins, Flute, Celesta and Percussion, In Praise of Johnny Appleseed for 3 Bamboo Flutes and 7 Percussionists. This third volume of Dynamic's "Homage to Lou Harrison" brings another staggeringly varied array of musical styles and instruments which covers 37 years of Harrison's career, from 1941's Labyrinth #3 (the longest piece here, at 21 minutes and inspired by pre-Columbian Mexico and the Indians of the American southwest) to the 1978 Serenade. A riot of sound (brake-drums, flower-pots and procelain bowls are just some of the "instruments") and color! Támmittam Percussion Ensemble; Guido Facchin. Dynamic CDS 359 (Italy) 06C080 $17.98
MATILDE CAPUIS (b.1913): Cello Sonatas No. 1 in C Minor, No. 2 in D Minor & No. 3 in F Sharp Minor. There is little biographical information on this Naples-born composer who has spent her entire career as a pedagogue in Italy but these sonatas speak of a heart and soul firmly entrenched in the high Romantic period. The only date given is 1952 for the first sonata and all three are in three movements of predominantly slow tempos in which the intensely expressive middle movements have the dark, charred quality of late Liszt (think of La lugubre gondola in its cello version). Romantics need not hesitate! Duo Capuis. Corona/Fermate FER 30007 (Germany) 06C081 $16.98
KLEMENT SLAVICKY (b.1910): Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon, 3 Compositions for Piano, Friendship Sonata for Violin and Piano, Oh, My Heart for Mezzo-Soprano and Piano. Slavicky's main influences are Novák and Janácek, and the latter's sharp, tart way with wind instruments is present in the 1937 trio and spiky, percussive way with solo piano audible in the Compositions (1947) and the piano part of the 1954 sonata. Novák's influence comes in the admirably idiomatic settings of Moravian folk poetry Oh, My Heart. Jana Borzková (oboe), Ludmila Peterková (clarinet), Frantisek Herman (bassoon), Jarmila Kozderková (piano), Bohuslav Matousek (violin), Petr Adamec (piano), Dagmar Pecková (mezzo), Jaroslav Saroun (piano). Clarton CQ 0012-2 (Czech Republic) 06C082 $16.98
POUL RUDERS (b.1949): Star-Prelude and Love Fugue, Three Letters from the Unknown Soldier, Piano Sonata No. 1 "Dante Sonata", Piano Sonata No. 2. Ruders' early music was founded on minimalism and this is to the fore in the Three Letters of 1967 and the Dante Sonata (1970), the former filtered through Penderecki and the latter also employing free-tonality and a constant concern with beauty of sound and the colors available to the grand piano. The second sonata (1982) demonstrates Ruders' employment of "change-ringing" techniques in two of its four movements while still offering piano sound glowing and, sometimes, icily frigid in its color. The prelude and fugue (1990) are example of the minimalist technique completely assimilated to the composer's mature style. Rolf Hind (piano). Marco Polo/Dacapo 8.224148 (Denmark) 06C083 $14.98
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975): Music from The Human Comedy, The Bedbug, Conditionally Killed, Hamlet, Salute, Spain!, Russian River, King Lear and The Golden Age. This collection of theatre music in piano reductions by the composer and Lev Solin not only offers some unfamiliar music but gives an example of what one might have heard from Shostakovich himself at the piano in the preliminary stages of a theatre production. Rustem Hayroudinoff (piano). Chandos 9907 (England) 06C084 $16.98
ANDRZEJ PANUFNIK (1914-1991): Piano Trio, ARTUR MALAWSKI (1904-1957): Piano Trio, ROMUALD TWARDOWSKI (b.1930): Piano Trio. Firmly rooted in late Romanticism or neo-Romantic, devoid of pointless complexity or academicism, gripping and enthralling, this group of two-and-a-half generations of Polish piano trios should appeal to all collectors of tonal 20th century chamber music. Panufnik's trio (1934) is tightly constructed, strongly expressive and completely independent of contemporary composition styles; destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising, Panufnik reconstructed it in 1945. At almost 27 minutes, Malawski's piece from 1951-53 is the longest here and its four-part structure as well as its emotional content is late Romantic in affect. The youngest composer's trio dates from 1987 and is in a single, 10-minute movement which eschews the radical experimentalism of so many of his compatriots in favor of the traditional opposition between drama and lyricism in the name of poetic expression. Trio Cracova. CD Accord ACD 087-2 (Poland) 06C085 $17.98
PETR EBEN (b.1929): Organ Music, Vol. 2 - Faust, 4 Biblical Dances. Possibly Eben's two most immediately approachable organ works: the 1980 symphonic poem on Goethe's immortal figure, whose seven sections are framed by a prologue and epilogue - full of colorful and brilliant tone-painting ("Student Songs" a riot of different such items being sung by drunken students; "Gretchen" a quiet yet compelling picture; "Walpurgis Night" cacaphonous and cackling, etc.) and 1992's set of dances - three fast ones, boisterous, highly rhythmic and full of energy (Messiaen's outbursts of joy are comparanda) and the Shulamite's dreamy, lyrical one. Full of appeal for lovers of full-throated, tonal, colorful modern organ repertoire. Halgeir Schiager (organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm). Hyperion CDA 67195 (England) 06C086 $17.98
EBEN IMPROVISES - LIVE RECORDING
PETR EBEN (b.1929): The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart. In a live recording made January of 1996, composer Eben improvises to the texts of 17-century Czech theologian and hymnologist Jan Amos Komensky's work "The Labyrinth..." which depicts a pilgrim walking through the world, discomfited and turning to God for comfort. The work is in 14 sections with a prologue; Eben uses chorales from one of Komenius' Amsterdam hymn-books as the basis for his improvisations which, like the text, convey a bitter, satirical, bizarre and even apocalyptic look at the world. A rare recorded example of the dying art of improvisation from a master composer/organist. Marek Eben (reciter), Petr Eben (organ of the Dvorák Hall of the Rudolfinum, Prague). Clarton CQ 0022-2 (Czech Republic) 06C087 $16.98
CHRISTOPHER BOWERS-BRODBENT (b.1945): Duets and Canon, PHILIP GLASS (b.1937): Dance 2, Dance 4, Satyagraha - Act III Finale. The Glass works, which are the most prominently advertised on the cover, are of course readily available in their original versions, and while it is debatable whether the dances benefit from being transplanted from their natural habitat on electronic keyboards, hearing them and the organ arrangement from Act III of Satyagraha played on a fine-sounding acoustic instrument by a performer of Bowyer's stature is quite a treat. About a third of the disc is given over to the premiere recording of Bowers-Broadbent's work. Bowers-Broadbent, a prominent figure in the English organ world is also an established composer, and this work, based on plainsong and the church music so familiar to a cathedral organist, is a rhythmically vital and lively meditation, which uses the unique capabilities of the organ in an inventive and appealing fashion, without paying obvious homage to familiar 20th century models in organ writing. Kevin Bowyer (Marcussen organ at Tonbridge School, Kent). Nimbus NI 5664 (England) 06C088 $17.98
KJELL MØRK KARLSEN (b.1947): Hommage à Widor, Op. 81/3, Vision, Op. 81/6, Organ Symphony No. 1, Op. 99, Sinfonia Arctandriae, Op. 105 (Organ Symphony No. 2), Organ Symphony No. 3, Op. 116. Beginning with an Hommage which takes as its starting point the famous Toccata of the Fifth Symphony, this collection is not only a demostration of the long-term influence of the French organ school on Norwegian composers (of which details are argued in the notes) but also a recital of a variegated body of striking, for the most part easily apprehended and enjoyable music which should appeal to both organ fanciers and collectors of Nordic music. The latter is particularly represented in the Sinfonia Arctandriae (all three organ symphonies were written between 1991 and 1996) which is inspired by song traditions from medieval Iceland which contains both granitic, savage rhythms and mystical quiet. Vision is based on a Norwegian folksong while the third symphony is brief and neo-classical in style with the first the only one dabbling (here and there) with atonality. Halgeir Schiager (organ of Basilika Vierzehnheiligen, Staffelstein, Germany). Aurora ACD 5020 (Norway) 06C089 $17.98
ERNST KRENEK (1900-1991): Tanzstudie, Op. 1b, 5 Klavierstücke, Op. 39, Der Augenblick, 8 Klavierstücke, Op. 110, Miniatur, Op. 136, 6 Measurements, Op. 168, Echoes from Austria, Op. 166, Piano Piece in 11 Parts, Op. 197. As the pianist here puts it "This CD is a collection of works from eight composers travelling under the name of Krenek". Spanning the period 1920-67, comprising forty tracks, this collection effectively demonstrates that Krenek never stopped evolving as a composer and that, even when the composer is at his thorniest (the Measurements or the Piano Piece in 11 Parts which receives its world premiere recording here), he is never merely academic. Marc Reichow (piano). Telos Music TLS 034 (Germany) 06C090 $17.98
BRIAN FERNEYHOUGH (b.1943): Lemma-Icon-Epigram, RICHARD BARRETT (b.1959): Tract, CHRISTOPHER FOX (b.1955): IIiK.relliK, CHRIS DENCH (b.1953): Topologies, JAMES ERBER (b.1951): You done torn your playhouse down. A sort of complexicist manifesto in piano music, and very much the sort of thing that Ian Pace has become known for, this disc couples Fernyhough's bristling Lemma-Icon-Epigram with works by the younger generation of British composers whose adherence to a hard-edged, even aggressive approach to instrumental writing owes a great deal to the example of the older composer. Fox's two-part work, with its pounding rhyhtms, is less ornamentally complex than the other works here, acknowledging its non-classical inspirations, while the other pieces mainly explore post-Boulez non-linearity in piano writing, functionally atonal and full of restless activity. Ian Pace (piano). NMC D066 (England) 06C091 $17.98
JUDITH WEIR (b.1954): Arise, arise! you slumbering sleepers, DAVID KNOTTS (b.1972): Coyote Star Song for Piano Trio, HOWARD SKEMPTON (b.1947): La gora di mulino, PIERS HELLAWELL (b.1956): a white room, PHILIP CASHIAN (b.1963): music for the night sky, RORY BOYLE (b.1951): Campani in Aria (Berceuse), GERALD BARRY (b.1952): Snow is white, ELENA FIRSOVA (b.1950): Frozen Time, JOHN WOOLRICH (b.1954): toccata, calmo and nocturnal from 5 Pieces, EDWARD RUSHTON (b.1972): Combat inthe Year Thousand for 2 Violins, Cello and Piano, DAVID MATTHEWS (b.1943): Y Deryn Du (The Blackbird) for Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass and Piano, PAVEL NOVÁK (b.1957): White Landscape (January), Dance (June), and First Falling Leaf (November) from Year of a Bird, OWEN LEECH (b.1971): when the moon tree... (six relfections on a hungarian folksong) for Piano Quintet, COLIN MATTHEWS (b.1946): Waltz and March for Piano Trio, SALLY BEAMISH (b.1956): HAUNTED HOUSE for Piano Trio, STEPHEN WARBECK (b.1953): Less Fighting for Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass and Piano, DARYL RUNSWICK (b.1943): Follow, Follow for Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass and Piano, ROXANNA PANUFNIK (b.1968): Let me B, JEAN HASSE (b.1958): Next Dance. 20 little pieces for strings and piano by many of the NMC usual suspects, written as part of a project to encourage chamber music playing by children and amateurs. Not surprisingly, the pieces are relatively uncomplicated and there is much tonality in evidence. Rhythmic complexity is also largely absent, though it would be wrong to give the impression that these pieces are unsophisticated, or that they might be more interesting to play at playing than to listen to. There are moments of real beauty - the Cashian and Boyle, for example, and depth of expression - the Firsova, which at six minutes is the most extended piece here. At the least, these brief pieces might suggest composers whose more extended essays would appeal to you, so treat this either as a sampler or a light contemporary recital in its own right. The Schubert Ensemble (all works for Piano Quartet unless specified). NMC D 075 (England) 06C092 $17.98
BORIS TISHCHENKO (b.1939): Concerto for Clarinet and Piano Trio, GALINA USTVOLSKAYA (b.1919): Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano, DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975): Piano Trio, Op. 8. The Tishchenko is an extended work of considerable breadth and power, obviously cast in the Shostakovich mold, and arguably somewhat conventional by the older master's standards. From elegiac beginnings, the work gathers tension, depicting the Finnish territory where the composer spent the post-war years, a land of glacial natural grandeur against which the memories of wartime atrocities were etched. Ustvolskaya's trio is more musically advanced, and very personal; the impression is of the three instruments taking the role of actors, each delivering linked soliloquies on themes of passion, suffering, death and redemption. Again, Shostakovich is the obvious model, though Ustvolskaya's voice is very individual. The coupling is the teenage Shostakovich's early trio - not a masterwork like the second, but undeniably the work of a great composer nonetheless. St. Peters Trio, Julian Miklis (clarinet). Beaux 2023 (Germany) 06C093 $17.98
GUNTHER SCHULLER (b.1925): Concerto for Contrabassoon, ERVÍN SCHULHOFF (1894-1942): Bass Nightingale for Solo Contrabasson, BURRILL PHILLIPS (1907-1988): Concert Piece, CARL PHILIPP STAMITZ (1745-1801): Bassoon Concerto in F. Don't be too quick to turn the page and think that this disc could only appeal to the most fetishistic of woodwind enthusisasts - a whole disc of contrabasson music? Yeah, to put with my ocarina CDs, right? Well, no - this is a very lovely disc, actually, and the music is really very good; appealing, sometimes humorous, though not in some slapstick, galumphing, elephantine way. The Schuller is especially fine, written with an exquisite feeling for the melodic and lyrical possbilities of the instrument's unusual register. Susan Nigro (contrabassoon), Russell Hodgkinson, Leslie Amper (piano). GM Recordings GM2069CD (U.S.A.) 06C094 $17.98
TORU TAKEMITSU (1930-1996): Riverrun, Water-Ways for 8 Players, Rain Coming for Chamber Orchestra, Rain Spell for 5 Players, Tree Line for Chamber Orchestra. Takemitsu's mellifluous and sonorous vocabulary is well showcased in this useful cross-section of works, with something of a common theme in the composer's preoccupation with natural forms, especially the free-flowing ones associated with water. Messiaen harmonies and frequent tonal references rub shoulders with a quasi-improvisatory quality which is especially apposite in a work like riverrun, where it approximates the free-associative and homophonic wordplay of Joyce. While undemonstrative and soothing all these nature pieces share an attention to detail and a level of restless activity that prevents their ever subsiding into a purely static, meditative state. This disc is probably one of the best samplers of Takemitsu's music available. EMI Special Import. Original 1991 issue. London Sinfoniettta; Oliver Knussen. Virgin Classics 0777 7590202 0 (England) 06C095 $17.98
INGOLF DAHL (1912-1970): Fanfares, KENT KENNAN (b.1913): 2 Preludes, SAMUEL ADLER (b.1928): Capriccio, HALL OVERTON (1920-1972): Polarities No. 1, MILTON BABBITT (b.1916): Partitions, MIRIAM GIDEON (1906-1996): Piano Suite No. 3, SOL BERKOWITZ (b.1922): Syncopations, BEN WEBER (1916-1979): Humoreske, Op. 49, PAUL A. PISK (1893-1990): Nocturnal Interlude, MEL POWELL (1923-1998): Etude, MORTON GOULD (1913-1996): Rag-Blues-Rag, ALAN HOVHANESS (1911-2000): Allegro on a Pakistan Lute Tune, Op. 104/6, GEORGE PERLE (b.1915): 6 Preludes, Op. 20b, NORMAN CAZDEN (1914-1980): Sonata, Op. 53/3, JOSEPH PROSTAKOFF (1911-1980): 2 Bagatelles, PEGGY GLANVILLE -HICKS (1912-1990): Prelude for a Pensive Pupil, ERNST BACON (1898-1990): The Pig Town Fling, ROBERT HELPS (b.1928): Image, MARK BRUNSWICK (1902-1971): 6 Bagatelles, EARL KIM (1920-2000): 2 Bagatelles, JOSEF ALEXANDER (1907-1989): Incantation. Originally released on RCA in 1966, this collection of "New Music for the Piano" by American composers was reissued by CRI in 1971 and now makes its first CD appearance. The composers are both native-born Americans and immigrants and the variety of idioms and styles is a great as their creators' sources - from the jazz-inflected Syncopations of Berkowitz, Overton's Polarities and Gould's Rag-Blues-Rag to the Eastern preoccupations of Hovhaness to the hard, crystalline serial pieces of Powell and Babbitt to the folk-influenced compositions of Bacon, Cazden and Dahl - and many now-unfamiliar names are rescued briefly from oblivion. Robert Helps (piano). CRI Archival Release CD 874 (U.S.A.) 06C096 $17.98
DON'T PANIC ! - 60 Piano Pieces of 60 Seconds by 60 Composers
DAN WARBURTON: Speed Study I, JONATHAN KATZ: WENDIGO, DANIEL LANDAU: Losing it Again, CARL FAIA: What if I just said..., ROGER KLEIER: Step out of the Car, DONAL FOX: The Scream, JAMES BAIYE: Database of Desire, ROBERTO ANDREONI: "scendi un minuto", BRIAN ESCRIV: Mason and Dixon, ANNIE GOSFIELD: Brooklyn, October 5, 1941, PAUL BEAUDOIN: re: dance (PNMR), MAREK ZEBROWSKI: Ex tempore, LOUIS ANDRIESSEN: non (an) anfang, CHRISTOPHER CULPO: Spangles, ISAK GOLDSCHNEIDER: 42 Second Piano, RICHARD BROOKS: Conflict of Interest, DANIELLE BAAS: Joke, CHARLES SHADLE: Cowboy Song, SOPHIE DE WIT: Who asked you?, PEPE-TONINO CARAVAGGIO: EIGHT 8, T.J. ANDERSON: Watermelon Revisited, PAUL VON HIPPEL: Kodaly Music Box, EILON AVIRAM: NA'OU'RA (the Wedding Dance), JONATHAN NORTON: 59" of Piano, ALAN FREDERICK SHOCKLEY: cold springs branch, 10 p.m., MORITZ EGGERT: Hämmerklavier XI, DEREK BERMEL: MEDITATION, TUYET A. TRAN: Tonal Imagery, FRITZ LAUER: Slusha, for C.E., WILLIAM BOLCOM: A 60-second Ballet (for chickens), JOSHUA CODY: Two-Chord Warp, JOANNA BAILIE: GIRO I, MARTIAL ROBERT: I' de Tonio Kröger, PATRICIA ELIZABETH MARTINEZ: Absolutis-s, RICCARDO VAGLINI: PASSATEMPO, GENE PRITSKER: im afraid you might ask for a fragment of my soul, NEWT HINTON: Nakano-ku (à S.D.), KETTY NEZ: Moondrunk, PATRICK CALLAHAN: xxx.rhapsody, YOICHI TOGAWA: prelude I, BARBARA ENGEL: Punch and Judy's Waltz, JOSEPH ROVAN: Miro Sketch: Mostly Yellow, FREDERICK FRAHM: Sonata Moirai, VICTOR EKIMOVSKY: Jenseits des Guten und des Bösen, ALPER MARAL: Verschiebung, STÉPHANE LEACH: Piano Piece for Guy, KETZEL COTEL: piece for paws, VANESSA LANN: DD (Double D), WALTER HAVEN: Minute Rice, GIOVANNI MANCUSO: Saltarello for Guy, SERGIO PALLANTE: Polis, D. ANDREW STEWART: réveil, ELLIOTT SHARP: Snaps, ROBERT EIDSCHUN: Specks, LIONEL SAINSBURY: Prelude, RICHARD CARRICK: Slowness, WALTER SANCHEZ: Thinking, ATSUSHI YOSHINAKA: HARU NO YOI - Miyabi no Uta, ATANASIO KHYRSH: Parce que je le vaux bien, LANSING D. MCLOSKEY: Theft. Not really possible to write a blurb about this, is it? Even the booklet must forward readers to "www.parisTransatlantic.com/sixty" for biographies of the composers. Still, it's all sorts of fun and you really can listen to it all the way through since the pieces vary so widely. Six pieces use percussion or prepared piano and three tape or electronics, all handled by the very busy performer. Guy Livingston (piano, percussion & tape effects). Wergo WER 6649-2 (Germany) 06C097 $19.98
GIACINTO SCELSI (1905-1988): Pranam I for Voice, 12 Instruments and Tape, Ko-Tha for Percussionist Playing an Amplified Guitar, I presagi for 11 Instruments, Riti: I funerali di Alessandro Magno (323 A.C.) for Ensemble, Trio for 3 Percussionists, Manto per quattro for Voice, Flute, Trombone and Cello, Kya for Saxophone and 7 Instruments. Made by Radio France in 1987-88 these recordings offer important documents of two vocal works (Pranam I and Manto per quattro) in performances by the Japanese performer whose astounding extended vocal techniques make these works nearly inapproachable for most performers as well as an eight-minute conversation in French with Scelsi. The booklet notes are among the most detailed of any Scelsi issue, both in respect to Scelsi as a composer and his career as well as to the specific works recorded here which are a good cross-section of this mysterious, hieratic music in which silence and space is as important as the musical notation and which can seem to emanate from unguessed depths of the human psyche. Michiko Hirayama (voice), Maurizio Ben Omar (percussion), Federico Mondelci (saxophones), Nuovo Ensemble Italiano, Gruppo Musica Insieme; Aldo Brizzi. INA Mémoire Vive IMV009 (France) 06C098 $16.98
BRUNO MADERNA (1920-1973): Violin Concerto, Widmung for Solo Violin, Grande Aulodia for Flute, Oboe and Orchestra. For a composer who was a Darmstadt pioneer, the thing that is perhaps remarkable about Maderna, especially in his later, large-scale works, is the degree to which he had stopped being concerned with whether they were 'fashionable' or not. Far from breaking with tradition, the avowed intent of many of his contemporaries and colleagues, he frequently employed a language in which boldness of gesture and even a tendency towards long-breathed lines which sound suspiciously like melody not infrequently occur. This, combined with his restless imagination and ear for clarity and beauty in sound, makes one suspect that his music will be among that from the second half of the 20th century that will definintely last, and not be dismissed by posterity as a piece of music history to be read about but not listened to any more. Well worth getting to know, even if you are wary of the 'avant garde'. Myriam Dal Don (violin), Omar Zoboli (oboe), Claudio Santambrogio (flute), Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan; Sandro Gorli. Stradavarius STR 33546 (Italy) 06C099 $17.98
MALCOLM ARNOLD (b.1921): Music from the Films The Roots of Heaven and David Copperfield. The story of the shooting of The Roots of Heaven in 1958 in the hot, humid wilds of French Equatorial Africa and the toll it took on the crew's and actors' mental and physical health is worth the price of the disc alone. Fortunately, Arnold could work on the score in the comfort of London and director John Huston let him go at it as he pleased although Daryl Zanuck had Alfred Newman rescore a few sections which Arnold approved. David Copperfield was an American TV-movie, shot in 1969 and aired the following year and was Arnold's last film score and is entirely original, using no 19th century pastiche techniques. Moscow Symphony Orchestra; William Stromberg. Marco Polo 8.225167 (New Zealand) 06C100 $14.98
ALFRED NEWMAN (1900-1970): The Razor's Edge - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. W/two cues cut from the 1946 film and two alternate takes. Tsunami TSI 0622 (Switzerland) 06C101 $16.98
CARLO MARTELLI (b.1935): The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. This 1964 film was Martelli's first for Hammer and he got to use a nice, large orchestra for it. GDI provides a reminiscence by the composer, an extensive note on the making of the film and an appreciation of Martelli, all with the usual color photos in the full-color booklet. GDI CD016 (England) 06C102 $18.98
ALEX NORTH (1910-1991): Symphony for a New Continent, Suite from Africa. North's 1967 score for a four-hour TV documentary featured a 100-piece orchestra and two dozen (many unusual) percussion instruments. North's own master tapes were used in this re-issue which will be quite a treat to collectors (who will find that the "Main Theme" to North's "lost score" to Kubrick's 2001 turns out to be the Main Title theme from Africa!). Graunke Symphony Orchestra; Alex North, Henry Brant. Prometheus PRC 509 (Belgium) 06C103 $18.98
MIKLÓS RÓZSA (1907-1995): The World, The Flesh and the Devil - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The mood of this 1959 score falls somewhere between Rózsa's two usual genres - film noir and historical spectacular - with one being able to find both romanticism with Hungarian touches as well as the more jazzy and bluesy music which helps enhance the post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the film's setting. Tickertape tt 3018 (Germany) 06C104 $16.98
JULIUS FUCIK (1872-1916): Victory Trophies, Op. 297, Concertino for Bassoon, Op. 131, Ballet Overture, Op. 319, Starry Night, Op. 114, Symphonie Scandaleuse, Op. 29, Jocular Serenade, Op. 19, The Last Shot, Op. 303, Confession of Love, Op. 277, Gigantic, Op. 311. A set of mostly world-premiere recordings of light music for brass band by this still largely forgotten Boheman musician/composer. Czech Army Central Band; Karel Belohoubek. Clarton CQ 0043-2 (Czech Republic) 06C105 $16.98
FRANZ VON SUPPÉ (1819-1895): Overtures, Vol. 6 - Der Gascogner, Die Hammerschmeidin aus Steiermark oder Folgen einer Landpartie, Dolch und Rose oder Das Donaumädchen, Dame Valentin oder Frauenräuber und Wanderbursche, Reise durch die Märchenwwelt, Die G'frettbrüderln, Kopf und Herz, Unterthänig und Unabhängig, 2 Pistolen. These rarely recorded overtures display an Italian gift for melody and the composer's usual colorful and theatrical personality. Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice); Christian Pollack. Marco Polo 8.223865 (New Zealand) 06C106 $14.98
MAX TRAPP (1887-1971): Piano Concerto in D, Op. 26, SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873-1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C, Op. 18, LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827): Egmont, Op. 84. Don't know Max Trapp? He was one of Germany's best and brightest during the 20s, 30s and 40s, performed by Furtwängler, Walter and, as here (on Oct. 24, 1935), Gieseking and Mengelberg. But, when the Nazis came to power, he went along to get along and come the end of the war - poof! Forget about Max Trapp! The concerto is from 1931 and in the style of Richard Strauss and Reger. Good stuff from a guy who made the wrong choices. Walter Gieseking (piano), Concertgebouw Orchestra; Willem Mengelberg. Audiophile Classics APL 101.542 (Netherlands) 06C107 $15.98