- BEETHOVEN: EGMONT, Olga Bezsmertna, Matthias Brandt, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Dirk Kaftan; MDG 937211 There is no denying the spirit and commitment with which Beethoven’s overture and incidental music to Goethe’s play is performed here by the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn under Dirk Kaftan, but one has to register a significant caveat. The notion that we would want to listen to a flatly spoken German text (sans translation!) interspersed with the music is one that will not tempt many listeners, even German speakers. Admittedly, on some non-SACD players, the pieces might be programmed together (essentially there is 30 minutes of Beethoven here) removing much of the speech, but without the tedious narration, another piece by the composer could have been included– and in the excellent surround sound accorded the piece, it would have made a far more attractive disc.
- BORODIN, WEINBERG, SHOSTAKOVICH: STRING QUARTETS, Dragon Quartet/Channel Classics CCS 40919 This is a penetrating and intensely musical reading of three classic string quartets from Borodin, Weinberg and Shostakovich (the second, fifth and eighth respectively). The Dragon Quartet are up against formidable competition in both the first and last pieces, but a measure of their achievement might be found in the propulsive, muscular string writing of the Shostakovich – – so powerfully done here that it sounds like one of the orchestrations of the piece.
- DEBUSSY: LA MER; IBERIA; IMAGES/PENTATONE SACD PTC5186627 There was a time when those who had embraced the surround sound medium would eagerly leap upon a new recording of a work new to the medium — particularly if it was a late romantic or early 20th century piece that blossomed in the astonishingly detailed aural pictures of the new medium. And although various companies have abandoned the process, there are, thankfully, those for whom the best possible sound (allied, of course to exemplary performances) means that they continue to issue a raft of excellent SACD recordings. Listeners can now sample a wide range of choice in the medium for the Debussy pieces collected here — except for one, and that alone will make it a collectors’ item for aficionados of the composer. That piece is Colin Matthews exquisite orchestration of Debussy’s piano Images, in which (as so often before), Matthews is the perfect conduit from keyboard to orchestra.
- BRAHMS: SYMPHONY NO. 4, DVORAK: SYMPHONY NO. 9, Bamberger Symphoniker, Jakob Hrusa/Tudor SACD1744 This is particularly intriguing coupling – two warhorses, yes, but Jakob Hrusa finds consonances between these two symphonic masterpieces that will strike the listener afresh, so incisive are the performances. And it goes without saying that Tudor’s surround sound recording is (as usual) of the highest quality.
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MARX: ORCHESTRAL WORKS, VOL.: ALT-WIENER SERENADEN, PARTITA IN MODO ANTICO, SINFONIA IN MODO CLASSICO, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Steven Sloane/ Naxos: 8573832 If, like me, your shelves of CDs now boast several discs of the music of Joseph Marx, it can perhaps no longer really be said that he is a neglected composer. Marx’s ripe and refulgent sound world requires performances of total commitment to ensure that the through line of the music is not lost in a wash of gorgeous sound. This new recording finds the perfect balance in this intriguing collection. Joseph Marx was described by Wilhelm Furtwängler as one of the leading figures in Austria’s music scene, and while his music disappeared completely from concert programmes after his death he ‘shaped an era’ and left a profound impression on several generations of composers. Marx made no secret of his admiration for the Classical giants of music, and the late-period works in this programme pay homage to Haydn and others while retaining Romantic sensibilities.
MOZART: STRING QUARTET NO. 14 IN G MAJOR, K387 ‘SPRING’ NO. 15 IN D MINOR, K421, The Auryn Quartet/TACET2334SACD Real surround sound – as defined by the enterprising company Tacet – is literally that with this label. The company does not simply use the rear channels of an SACD for ambient hall noise, but places instruments in all the channels, a tactic that puts the listener right in the centre of the music. Although the company’s orchestral discs are impressive, the strategy works particularly well for chamber music, as with this winning disc of Mozart quartets. But the sound quality alone would not justify purchase were not the performances so musical and sympathetic as they are here.
COPLAND: BILLY THE KID (COMPLETE BALLET), GROHG (ONE-ACT BALLET), Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin/Naxos The Naxos label has done considerable service to the glorious Americana of Aaron Copland. Leonard Slatkin is non-pareil in the repertoire, and his characterful and energetic performances are sui generis. This is the third instalment in Slatkin’s cycle of Copland’s ballet works with the Detroit Symphony. The first release is the complete recording of Rodeo, with Dance Panels, El Salón México and Danzón Cubano, available on 8.559758 (also released in Blu-ray Audio – NBD0037). Copland did as much as anyone in establishing American concert music on the world stage, and his ballet scores proved to be among his most important and influential works. Grohg is the most ambitious example of his Parisian years, a precociously brilliant one-act ballet scored for full orchestra, inspired by the silent expressionist film Nosferatu.
FALLA: LA VIDA BREVE, Soloists / BBC Philharmonic / Juanjo Mena/ Chandos CHAN 20032 Most modern listeners will have become familiar with this quintessential Spanish opera via the classic Victoria de Los Angeles performance, but this new contender is well worthy of attention, sporting almost as much character as its classic predecessor. The conductor Juanjo Mena said ‘I am filled with emotion at the prospect of this recording, because for all Spanish conductors Manuel de Falla’s La vida breve is the highpoint of Spanish opera and a fundamental work in our repertoire.’
SCHUBERT: SYMPHONIES, VOL. 1, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner/Chandos SACD CHSA 5234 It is something of a truism these days to observe that Edward Gardner’s focussed and vigorous approach to familiar (and less familiar) music is guaranteed to bring the scores up fresh as paint – very much the case with these lively readings of Schubert symphonies. Following the ‘Mendelssohn in Birmingham’ series, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with its former Principal Guest Conductor Edward Gardner presents the first volume of a complete Schubert Symphony cycle. Recorded following acclaimed performances in July 2018. Following a highly successful series ‘Mendelssohn in Birmingham’, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with their former Chief Conductor Edward Gardner here presents the first volume in a new surround-sound series: Schubert Symphonies. This first volume comprises of three symphonies spanning across Schubert’s life: 3, 5 and 8.
GOTTFRIED VON EINEM: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA; HUNYADY, LÁSZLÓ; NACHTSTÜCK; SERENADE, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Johannes Kalitzke/Capriccio C5357 One wonders when the rediscovery of music by neglected composers (as a mini-trend) will finally cease – although, thankfully, there is no evidence that it is imminent, as these imaginative and resourceful scores prove. Gottfried von Einem was one of the key composers playing a major role in rebuilding the Austrian music scene post-1945, following the devastating cultural policies of Austro-fascism. These policies were conspicuously hostile to modern trends, even more so than those of the Nazis. We remain indebted to von Einem, not least for his rescuing many scores by banned colleagues from destruction. Catchy thematic and melodic ideas, sharply accentuated rhythms, strong gestural and dance-like energy, a distinct feeling for differentiated timbres:
BACH: SIX CANTATAS, Janet Baker, John Shirley-Quirk, soloists/Eloquence ELQ4829722 Many Bach aficionados will have owned these discs in their vinyl incarnations, and to hear the glorious voices of Janet Baker and John Shirley-Quirk in these pieces again will be more than enough incentive for purchase.
CHAUSSON: POEME DE L’AMOUR ET DE LA MER, SYMPHONIE OP.20, Orchestre National de Lille, Alexander Bloch/Alpha Classics Alpha 441 Chasson’s sumptuous, well upholstered piece has been lucky on record with several recordings doing full justice to its richly coloured canvas. Few, however, have shown such a careful attention to the piece as Orchestre National de Lille under Alexander Bloch, who find facets and nuances in the pieces that elude other interpreters. And while the orchestration calls out for transparent SACD recording, this stereo only issue still manages to capture all the eroticism and drama of the score.
GRACE WILLIAMS: Chamber Music; Violin Sonata, Sextet, Suite for Nine Instruments, Madeleine Mitchell, Violin and Director, London Chamber Ensemble/Naxos You may be familiar by earlier issues with the orchestral music of Grace Williams but as this disc proves, her chamber works are well worth investigating for the more adventurous listener. Grace Williams is widely considered to be Wales’ foremost female composer. She studied with Vaughan Williams at the Royal College of Music and Egon Wellesz in Vienna, composing in many genres throughout her life. Her chamber music, recorded here for the first time, spans 40 years. This release features all world premiere recordings, as works by Williams are rarely recorded.
BEETHOVEN: DIABELLI VARIATIONS, ETC., Imogen Cooper, piano/Chandos CHAN 20085 Over many years, Imogen Cooper has proved herself to be an exemplary interpreter of the music of Beethoven, and this disc consolidates her reputation. As the pianist noted: ‘Each variation tells a whole story, and for all that some are connected in mood, it is no mean feat as a performer to respect the huge scope of Beethoven’s vision.’
TIPPETT: SYMPHONIES NOS 3 & 4 AND B FLAT, Rachel Nicholls, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins/Hyperion CDA68231/22 CD01/03/19 The earlier disc in this dusting-off exercise (which included Tippett’s first two symphonies) was an absolute winner, and if successor does not have the same immediate appeal, that is because the composer’s approach in these works is less ingratiating. Nevertheless, this is a satisfying complement to the earlier disc, and those wo have acquired symphonies one and two may wish to add this to the collection The first opportunity to experience Tippett’s unique symphonic voice stretching across nearly half a century, from the early B flat symphony (here receiving a premier recording).
VON REZNICEK: SYMPHONISCHE SUITE NO. 1; TRAUMSPIEL-SUITE; KARNEVAL SUITE, Weimarer Staatskapelle, Stefan Solyom/CPO 555056-2CD01/03/19 Be honest – if (a decade or so ago) you’d been asked to name a piece by Reznicek, would it not have been the overture Donna Diana? But there’s more to the composer than this calling-card piece. The CPO label has been filling in the gaps in the composer’s representation on disc in welcome fashion, as this latest entry proves. The comprehensive Reznicek edition now presents three very different works – the Symphonic Suite No. 1 (1882), Dream Play Suite (1915/21), and Carnival Suite (1932) – which the composer nonetheless assigned to the suite genre. Taken together, they document his compositional and stylistic development over the decades. Moreover, they are performed by an orchestra that Reznicek himself once had conducted for a short time: the Weimarer State Orchestra. His Symphonic Suite is more like a three-movement symphony for full orchestra. All played here with spirit and enthusiasm.
BRAUNFELS: FANTASTICAL APPARITIONS OF A THEME BY HECTOR BERLIOZ, OP. 25; SINFONIA BREVIS, OP. 69, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Gregor Bühl/ CAPRICCIO C5354CD08/03/19 Who would have thought that the music of Walter Braunfels would now be enjoying a modest revival on disc after languishing in the shadows for so long? This is the second modern recording (complete here) of his Fantastical Apparitions of a Theme by Hector Berlioz, which is his key piece. The Nazis declared Braunfels’ music ‘degenerate art’; and when post-war Germany largely rejected tonal music, with arbiters of taste declaring any form of romantic music (almost the whole pre-war aesthetic) to be tainted, he again suffered neglect. This seventh volume in Capriccio’s Braunfels Edition again demonstrates the considerable range of Braunfels’ colourful music.
- ATTERBERG: CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN, CELLO AND ORCHESTRA (FIRST RECORDING); BAROCCO; SINFONIA PER ARCHI, Amus Kerstin Andersson, Mats Levin, Örebro Chamber Orchestra, Thord Svedlund/ DANACORD DACOCD836 Those who have acquired Atterberg’s symphonies will know that the music of this composer is crammed full of spirit and colour. Those qualities are perhaps a little less in evidence in the pieces here, but enthusiasts for the composer need not hesitate. Atterberg said that the Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, alternating between G minor and C major, is the last piece of his music worth performing. He wrote music for plays such as The Old Play of Everyone, Androcles and the Lion (Shaw), Fedra (Racine), Sister Beatrice (Maeterlinck) that became the beloved Suite No. 3, the music to Turandot (Gozzi) that was transformed to Suite no 4, while Hassan (Flecker) became Suite No. 6, and he wrote music for great Shakespeare dramas such as Hamlet, Twelfth Night and As You Like It.
- BERLIOZ: L’ENFANCE DU CHRIST, Soloists / Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus / Sir Andrew Davis/Chandos CHSA 5228(2) The Chandos surround sound recording does full justice to the composer’s limpid and affecting choral and orchestral writing, and this new disc becomes – at a stroke — the definitive reading of Berlioz’s winning piece. Sir Andrew Davis conducts the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and an outstanding team of soloists.
- BERNSTEIN: CHAMBER WORKS, Various artists/AV1855311 If you come to these pieces expecting the jazzy Americana that characterises so much of Leonard Bernstein’s music, you may be disappointed. For the most part, these are challenging and uningratiating pieces, written in a much more modern post-tonal idiom. Bernstein completists, however are unlikely to find a more comprehensive collection of his chamber music than here.
- BEETHOVEN: COMPLETE STRING TRIOS, VOLUME 3,Van Baerle Trio/Challenge Classics CC7271 SACD Those who have been collecting this beautifully recorded (and exceptionally well played) sequence of Beethoven’s music for piano trio will need little recommendation to purchase the third volume which has now appeared. It goes without saying that the performances by the Van Baerle Trio fully understand the musical logic of the composer who many would argue is the greatest in the history of music, and even taking into account the many excellent performances these pieces have enjoyed in the past, it’s hard to think of any as recommendable as this.
- FRENCH MUSIC FOR BALLET: IBERT, SAUGET, MASSENET, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi/Chandos CHAN 20132 If the truth be told, there is one ballet here which really deserves rediscovery and sprucing up, and that is Ibert’s’ lively and colourful Les Amours de Hercules. Nevertheless, the other pieces here, while hardly undiscovered masterpieces, offer considerable pleasure. The hardworking Neeme Järvi also explores a lesser-known ballet by Sauguet and the Ballet Suite from Massenet’s opera Hérodiade.
- BACH: CONCERTOS FOR PIANOS, Koroliov & Viinitskaya, pianos, Kammerakademie Potsdam/Alpha Classics 46E listeners – particularly those of mature years – will remember when the fashion in the Bach keyboard works was for a stately and studied approach. The liveliness and pointedness of these performances of these pieces are very much in what is now the modern style – although it has been around so long, perhaps a different nomenclature is required. One’s only regret is that the recording — while admirable — does not have the full bloom of an SACD recording. Nevertheless, a recommendable disc.
- ARRIAGA: HERMINIE, SYMPHONY IN D MINOR, Berit Norbakken Solset, BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena/CHANDOS CHAN 20077 French composers such as Debussy and Ravel were well aware of the glittering Latin appeal of Spanish music, but if your taste is for something more authentic than French recreations (however accomplished), this may be a disc of interest. Although Arriaga is not the equal of such composers as Falla, his music has its modest charms. The Spanish music specialist Juanjo Mena continues the series ‘La Música de España’ with works by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, known for years after his early death as the ‘Spanish Mozart.’
- MARTINŮ: THE COMPLETE MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohuslav Matousek (violin), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Christopher Hogwood/Hyperion 44611 (4 discs) For the dedicated Martinů admirer, it has been something of a chore to piece together (from a variety of sources) the composer’s lively and colourful violin concertos, invariably involving duplication – until, that is, the start of this excellent series, now collected here. This box is the perfect way to assemble all the pieces in modern sound; it is, what’s more, an exceptionally well played collection. Even the most passionate Martinů admirer will, however, admit that there are moments of note-spinning in his work, and for that reason it may not be a good idea to play these pieces one after the other. Nevertheless it’s hard to imagine them getting better advocacy, and the recording does full justice to the attractive music of the composer.