Blogger Musical (Beautiful Classical Music): diciembre 2011

Weiss: Lute Concerti

'Stone's playing is agile and confident, his sound round and full. These characteristics are essential to project the instrument's small voice in a concerto. The players of Tempesta di Mare supply a lovely, understated accompaniment that is historically informed but without any ornamental gimmickry.' --American Record Review

'The flautist Gwyn Roberts (soloist in two of the concertos for flute with solo lute accompaniment) deserves a special mention, as does Stone himself.' --Gramophone

'Clearly a lot of work has gone into the reconstructions and they not only convince, they delight. --International Record Review

One of the most sought-after trios in the world, the Eroica Trio thrills audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. Whether playing the great standards of the piano trio repertoire or daring...

“Ehnes has recorded the Caprices before, in 1995, at the age of 19. Since then his view of the music hasn’t changed a great deal… There's the same daring, bold approach, relying on exceptional technique to deliver an inner vision of each piece… what has changed is that Ehnes's technique has got even better, the intonation more precise, the bow control more sensitive. And the new recording adds an extra degree of clarity so that the playing makes a more vivid impact. Even a solitary listener will feel the desire to applaud the Presto section of No 11, with its jaunty rhythms and extraordinary leaps, or the quick staccato scales at the end of No 21.” --Gramophone

"Our Roman set out as a great musician and returned greater still." On his return from England, "the Swedish virtuoso" inaugurated a series of public concerts in Stockholm, the first of their in Sweden. He himself was presumably the soloist in some of the solo concertos presented in this recording.

Thanks to the efforts of the Timpani label, the music of French conductor and composer Gabriel Pierné is being recorded with consistent high quality and thorough coverage, particularly in this series of his chamber works. Pierné's music dates from the late Romantic and early modern eras, a period spanning roughly 50 years between the belle epoque and World War II. As one might imagine, Pierné's works have several features in common with those of his teachers, Franck and Massenet, and to a lesser extent, some traits shared with his contemporaries, Fauré and Debussy; in short, his oeuvre is perhaps closest in attitude and approach to the music of Camille Saint-Saëns.

“Here Claudio Abbado is gambolling among the Brandenburg Concertos in this straightforward TV-style concert film, recorded in the classic 19th-century opera house at Reggio Emilia during an Italian tour in spring 2007. The orchestra is at first glance a curious gathering, mixing 'Baroque' players such as violinist Giuliano Carmignola and harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone with 'modern' names such as trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich and 'un-Baroque' recorder-player Michala Petri. Furthermore, a look round the instruments reveals mostly modern models, some hybrids (for instance Jacques Zoon's wooden, multi-keyed flute) and a sprinkling of Baroque bows. Mind you, most younger players these days are well versed in Baroque style whatever they play on, and the tenor of these performances is firmly consistent with current ideas of what Baroque music ought to sound like.” --Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“She truly was one of the great singers of our time… what we hear now reaffirms it. The performance of the Lucretia cantata alone would be sufficient. …Hunt Lieberson brings nobility to the full range of emotions and … an extraordinary sense of identifications with the suffering woman. The voice itself was a noble instrument: warm, full-bodied and seamless in its passage over the vocal registers.” --Gramophone

“Recorded at the Ravinia Festival two years before her death, this recital of ecstatic, grave and elegant love songs is a testament to the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s interpretive intelligence...Hunt Lieberson’s intoxicating mezzo slides through several centuries of musical styles…” --The Independent on Sunday

“John Neschling draws convincing performances from his São Paolo forces. Stephen Bronk narrates the Schoenberg clearly; Sharon Bezaly and Vadim Gluzman are eloquent instrumental soloists. …Rodrigo Esteves is a completely convincing cantorial baritone.” --BBC Music Magazine

"The Sala São Paolo opened in 1999; judging from this disc, it is a spectacular success. Highly recommended!" --Fanfare

“…these are very fine performances, and the Quintet makes what should be the perfect coupling.” --BBC Music Magazine

“Pahud’s musicianship is unassailable; and star power is star power” --The Time

“This is a very fine disc. Recommended.” --ClassicsToday.com

This CD centres on the lighter side of Shostakovich – or, more accurately, his lighter sides, since the styles range from the pointed neo-Classical wit of the Ninth Symphony to the Keystone Kops mayhem of the First Piano Concerto to the more genial light-music parody of the score to the cinematic comedy The Adventures of Korzinkina. --International Record Review

“Jenkins is probably the finest English composer for instruments of the mid-seventeenth century” --Gramophone

This CD presents the music of Seventeenth Century English composer John Jenkins. Jenkins was a prolific composer who had a long career, spanning the time from Byrd and Purcell. He lived to see great changes in English music and is noted for developing the consort fantasia for viols. The Hamburger Ratsmusik, an ensemble that has won repeated praise from the press for its excellent knowledge of baroque style, performs the Fantasy Suites for violin and viola da gamba.

This light and lively production best serves the coolly elegant Variaciones concertantes and the Harp Concerto, whose magical sonorities are particularly complemented by the transparent recording and chamber deployment of the Orquesta Cuidad de Granada. Both works also enjoy outstanding solo work from harpist Magdalena Barrera and the ensemble's various first-desk players. In fact, there is no better performance available of the Harp Concerto, a piece that successfully inhabits a world between Ginastera's early folk-inspired music and his later expressionist style.

CLASSIC CD 'CHOICE'

'The four orchestral works on this magnificently-performed and brilliantly-recorded release show off Pizzetti’s sumptuous blend of romantic-impressionistic harmony with modally-inflected melody to its richest and most cinematic … If orchestral splendor is the music lover’s chocolate, this disc is a five-pound box of opera creams. Yum' --American Record Guide

This is Anne Sofie von Otter at her most hallowed, and Quasthoff is as quietly witty in the fables as he is harrowing in the military doom-songs. Unsurpassable.

Sound: 5 (Out of 5); Performance: 5 (Out of 5) --BBC Music Magazine

The delightful instrumental works by Hasse on this recording are performed by one of Europe's premiere period instrument ensembles. Epoca Barocca has performed with many of the biggest names in Early Music. Its strength lies in its flexible line-up which allows it to perform unusual works scored for a variety of instrumental combinations.

“Charles Owen has an admirably light touch, playing with great sensitivity whenever there's a danger of piano domination but is able to adopt a formidable presence in virtuoso passages… Natalie Clein is such a communicative player that we feel compelled to follow her line. Her tone is generally warm and expressive, but capable of receding to a chilly senza vibrato - as for the second subject of the Chopin finale - or rising to considerable intensity. ...whenever the cello is given long, sustained melodies - as in the trios of both Scherzos, and the second theme of the Rachmaninov finale - the effect is quite glorious.” --Gramophone

Nuria Rial is one of the leading baroque soloists and is famous for her shining, crystal clear and beautiful voice. In this album she sings, with the world famous Kammerorchester Basel, nine rarely recorded German arias by Georg Philip Telemann. They are taken from rarely performed operas by this underestimated baroque composer: "Emma and Eginhard", "Der geduldige Socrates" and "Germanicus". The aria "Komm, oh Schlaf" from the opera "Germanicus" is a world premier recording, the scores only being found a couple of years ago in Frankfurt. The disc also includes two violin concertos from which the Overtures to “Emma und Eginhard” and “Der geduldige Socrates” are taken.

Classical guitar virtuoso teams up with Melbourne’s hottest string quartet in a display of passion and style for which they are both renowned.

Schaupp and the Flinders do the composers proud, the well-judged tonal and timbral balance as much as the cleanly expressive interpretations ensuring that, frozen/suspended as they are, these performances will withstand repeated listenings. --Limelight Magazine

'A welcome reissue of a fine disc coupling a pair of delightful concertos, in performances of delectable poise and refinement. Recommended' --International Record Review

'One is at home with this music right from the start' --Fanfare, USA

Editor's choice --Gramophone, September 1995

ROSETTE RECORDING Penguin Stereo Guide

'Here is a CD that I recommend with all possible enthusiasm…' --Gramophone

'Lydia Mordkovitch's playing is wonderfully polished and her feeling for Dyson's line and phrasing is intelligently musical.' --The Strad on Dyson's Violin Concerto

"indispensable à la connaisance de ce répertoire." --Diapason

"Un régal." --Monde de la Musique

The engineers of the Aeolus label have brought out every detail of van Dael's masterful playing. --allmusic.com

Superlative performances from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paray. The sound quality is also superb for its era.

The spirit of improvisation fairly bubbles in this imaginative selection of madrigals courtly dances by Monterverdi, Gesualdo and Rossi for Renaissance violin band. Includes 3 further sets of dances from Il Scolaro by Gasparo Zanetti.

"Sublime" --Billboard

"This particular Noyse is a very pretty one indeed" --Stereophile

A young musician and composer causing a stir, not only on the club scene, but also in classical concert venues is probably a world-first. Tristano's idiosyncratic and very personal handling of his musical pioneers, Bach and Cage. Perhaps Tristano is one of the first representatives of a new generation of musicians who no longer belong to a specific school.

“Young French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky… negotiates even the most taxing display pieces with effortless agility. Yet he is more than a mere showman: he shapes the music with subtle nuances and expressive gestures and demonstrates a mature musical sensitivity throughout. There's some bucolic playing, too, from Ensemble Artaserse, captured with resonant detail on this recording.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was in his day considered by no less an authority than Joseph Joachim to be the greatest living violinist, although he is now almost forgotten. He was compared favourably with Paganini, whose style he emulated and with whom he played in concert, and for most of his adult life gave concerts all over Europe, playing his own and other virtuoso concertos and chamber music. The award-winning soloist on this recording, Ilya Grubert, plays a 1740 Guarnieri violin once owned by Henryk Wieniawski.

“Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe, an impressive well matched husband-and-wife team, give a powerful account of the 1968 Shostakovich Sonata. This performance rises to its demands - extremes of tone and virtuoso intensity - the central Allegretto projecting an atmosphere of glittering ferocity. The Jazz Suite No 1 of 1934... takes us back to a very different Shostakovich: the wit may be sardonic but the mood remains light-hearted and upbeat. The Sonata, Auerbach's response to the events of 9/11, is on a far grander scale, with big, even melodramatic gestures. It's a well made piece, imaginatively cast for the two instruments and with some beautiful, inspiring moments...” --Gramophone

All your favourite opera choruses in one CD.

Includes chorus(es) by various composers. Conductors: Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Charles Mackerras, Daniel Barenboim, Otto Klemperer, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti.

“Often derided as the saccharine sister of the saxophone family, Dickson's impressive playing bears witness to the instrument's hidden depth, breadth and versatility. Highly recommended.” --Gramophone

“Amy Dickson plays superbly, with great feeling and a less sterile tone than you expect from classical saxophonists.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

"A fascinating programme of Finnish works from the last decades of the 18th century." --Gramophone

As shown on this new Ondine CD (and as you might expect) the music composed during the Classical age in Finland was stylistically identical to that composed on the continent. And while the featured composers Ferling, Byström, Lithander, and Tulindberg never studied abroad, their music is clearly informed by the traditions of the Mannheim school and its subsequent refinements of Mozart and Haydn. For listeners who delight in discovering obscurities and who have an affinity for music of this period, waste not a moment. Every one of the premiere recordings offered here is inspired, expertly crafted, and at times playfully inventive.

[Otter] 'Die Forelle' is deftly timed and coloured, 'Geheimes' shyly conspiratorial, 'Gretchen' perfectly judged in its mounting ecstatic agitation. Quasthoff, with his warm, noble baritone, is just as compelling, with an impulsive 'An Schwager Kronos' and an extraordinarily tender, mesmeric performance of 'Memmon'. --BBC Music Magazine

Thomas Quasthoff . . . sings these orchestral versions as straightforwardly, effectively, and communicatively as he does piano accompanied Schubert. . . . An Silvia is charming and well shaped; Im Abendrot is a standout-beautifully, simply, and compellingly projected [Otter]. . . . The recorded sound is very good . . . the subtleties of color and dynamics of which this extraordinary singer is capable . . . The orchestral playing is very fine, the conducting very much to the point. --Fanfare

To mark her highly publicised performance at the 2011 Classic Brits, DG are releasing this stunning 2CD set of some of her very best recordings. Arranged chronologically, the compilation’s sequence offers a comprehensive look at Anne Sophie Mutter’s Deutsche Grammophon career — from her Mozart debut in 1978 to her Brahms Sonatas in 2010, with all of her musical partners.

“Finch's… bold tone suits the haughty French Ouverture, she's fearless in the most taxing figurations and profoundly expressive in the meditative Variation 25.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

“…there's colour and drama aplenty - witness the grandeur and sweeping tirades of Variation 17.” --Gramophone

“She adroitly side-steps what would seem to be the harp's principal shortcomings compared to a keyboard – the absence of a sustaining pedal and the lack of a damping device – with a nimbleness that quietly cossets and coaxes with its straightforward hand-for-hand transcription.” --BBC

La Capella de Ministrers y su fundador, el violagambista y director valenciano Carles Magraner, celebran por todo lo alto los veinte años de andadura de un conjunto que es hoy ya una referencia inexcusable en el mundo de la música antigua. Y lo hacen mediante una exposición fotográfica que se acaba de inaugurar en Valencia y dos lanzamientos discográficos: un recopilatorio de su trayectoria, que lleva el inspirado título de Tempus Fugit y una absoluta novedad, el album La Spagna, recorrido por el universo de las danzas del Renacimiento español.

"Fricsay is an easy recommendation for those not minding fast overall speeds. The orchestral playing is well up to the chosen tempi, the recording is first-rate and the whole effect exhilarating." [Rossini Overtures] Penguin Guide, 1966

“The Mariinsky's strongest suit is probably its distinctly Russian tone...Alas, the dramatic engagement one might have expected from an opera chorus is here virtually nonexistent...The Bells itself is beautifully played, but with rather literal fidelity to the score. This approach works well enough in the funereal final movement with its echoes of Isle of the Dead. Noseda's avoidance of rubato, though, rather misses the poetry of the golden bells.” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ***

This newly reissued Warner Apex disc is an excellent representation of the piano music of Sibelius.

Heinonen’s program is a fine one that highlights the more serious and extended piano works of Sibelius. The program includes the Opus 12 Piano Sonata and the piano arrangement of Finlandia. There is also "Kyllikki", a series of three pieces among the more serious of Sibelius’s output.

All three concertos are claimed as first recordings, which I find no reason to dispute. It is fortunate these works have found such ardent advocates. Ars’s packaging is a bit strange. There is no inner tray; the disc rests on the paper insert, which serves as the back cover of the jewel case. On the other hand, the CD booklet is a model of how such things should be done, with full notes on the composers and the compositions in readable type. This is a very enjoyable release.

Boccherini was an accomplished cellist and composed many quintets with two cello parts. The four divertimentos on this recording are part of Op.16, written for two violins, obbligato flute, viola, two cellos and ripieno bass.

According to Roger Lustig's well-researched programme notes, Mozart's self-declared dislike for the flute says more about the circumstances surrounding the composition of his works for the instrument than it does about any real hatred for the instrument itself. Furthermore, the performances of the Flute Quartets by James Galway and the Tokyo Quartet, here under review, speak equally eloquently for Mozart's evident care in their composition—this despite Hans Keller's dismissal of them.

Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world’s most exciting violinists. He gave his first recital at the age of five and, after studying with Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, he went on to win the First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition when he was ten years old. In 1990, aged fifteen, he won the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, confirming his reputation as a musician of the very highest order. In May 2000, Maxim Vengerov signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. Vengerov’s awards and prizes have included Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2002 and Edison Award winner and Grammy Award winner in 2004 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) for the Britten: Violin Concerto/Walton: Viola Concerto.

“the interpretations catch the ear with their blend of subtle phrasing, polish and unanimous zest...A group of charming solo piano miniatures by Massenet complements and at times connects with the styles of Debussy and Ravel, and Bavouzet plays them beautifully.” --Gramophone

“The ebullient French pianist Bavouzet scales the heights in this splendid and generous CD with the BBC Symphony Orchestra...The G major bounces along, though, with reflective asides not forgotten. In the Concerto for Left Hand, Bavouzet winningly balances the grandiose and jazzy.” --The Times ****

"This is a quite remarkable collection...all of which illustrates teh unique response Karajan can get from his Berlin players. Some of the Smetana is "outrageous" in stylin...It is stunning, this collection" (Hi-Fi & Record Review, 1972)

Sonatas, canzonas and dances by two of Monteverdi's contemporaries

'There is some stunningly exuberant virtuosity on display here. A magnificent, exhilarating disc that goes straight into contention for the Want List. Buy a copy and give yourself a rare and special treat'-- Fanfare

Nikos Skalkottas was a versatile, inventive, and prolific composer. This CD offers a nice sample of his writing. Two of the works (Mayday spell and the three Greek dances) are tonal. They both employ Greek folk music motives, arranged in a neoclassical form, and orchestrated in the unique and magical way of Skalkottas. Christodoulou's interpretation is somewhat technical, yet still captures the magic of Skalkottas writing. The Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra is an atonal piece, and will certainly satisfy more sceptical listeners. Expertly crafted music from an obscure genius deserving wider recognition.

That The Planets occupies a place at the heart of the English musical repertoire is indisputable, yet much of the orchestral output of Gustav Holst is unjustly neglected. Chandos’ series devoted to the composer demonstrates that he was a composer whose inventiveness and originality was not limited to one work. The series was to have been conducted by Richard Hickox, but Hickox sadly died in 2009 after completing Volume 1. This was released to great critical acclaim, Gramophone stating that ‘Richard Hickox’s final project, reviving little-known Holst works, is a triumph’. In this second volume, Sir Andrew Davis, an exclusive Chandos artist, has taken the baton, conducting the BBC Philharmonic in a unique programme: The Planets, Holst’s orchestral tour de force, as well as two comparative rarities in the concert hall, the Japanese Suite and Beni Mora.

Geminiani was a pupil of Corelli, and like his teacher he limited his musical output to a small collection of orchestral and chamber works. In this set of six sonatas for cello and continuo, Geminiani follows the Corellian model in the number (four) and order (slow–fast–slow–fast) of movements—except for the last, which is in three movements. Geminiani’s writing for the solo instrument shows an advance on Corelli in the brilliant figuration in the fast movements. Slow movements can sometimes be a bit perfunctory, lasting less than a minute, though this is not always the case. Geminiani apparently enjoyed working with the sonorities created by two cellos, and in his contrapuntal movements sometimes allows the solo and continuo cellos to cross lines.

William Alwyn's Elizabethan Dances cleverly alternates music evocative of Tudor and modern times, recalling the reigns of both Queen Elizabeths. It's a work that deserves to be popular, as does all of this music. The Concerto for Oboe, Harp, and Strings is wholly lovely, while the shorter works reveal Alwyn's typically high level of craftsmanship, discerning use of orchestral color, and ability to spin out a good tune. Two of the pieces, The Innumerable Dance and Aphrodite in Aulis, are receiving their premiere recordings, but all of the performances are excellent and fully comparable to the best of the (admittedly sparse) competition. If you've been collecting Naxos' excellent Alwyn cycle, you can purchase this latest release without hesitation, particularly as the sound is as warm and vibrant as the interpretations themselves. --ClassicsToday.com

Páginas

ACTA es la guillotina de Internet