harmonia mundi usa NEW RELEASES
JORDI SAVALL LA SUBLIME PORTE VOIX D’ISTANBUL 1400-1800
DECEMBER 13, 2011
news & highlights
CLASSICAL
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On Alia Vox’s La Sublime Porte (p.5), Jordi Savall revives vocal traditions from the Ottoman Empire, Armenia and the Jewish Diaspora. Aparté presents Arias for Anna De Amicis (p.7), the much-anticipated release from soprano Theodora Gheorghiu. She is accompanied by the brilliant Les Talens Lyriques directed by Christophe Rousset. On Channel Classics, Rachel Podger and Joan Rodgers perform Duo Sonatas (p.9) by Mozart and Michael Haydn. Hyperion offers a rare major release in December – a live recording from London’s Royal Albert Hall of Havergal Brian’s Gothic Symphony (p.13), performed by a multitude of performers led by Martyn Brabbins. New label La Dolce Volta debuts this month with four titles, headlined by an album of Mozart Piano Sonatas (p.15) performed by the great Aldo Ciccolini. Also in December, Bernard Haitink leads the London Symphony Orchestra in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 (p.18), Kirill Karabits leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in a disc of Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky (p.21) and SFS Media continue their reduced-price reissues of Michael Tilson Thomas’ Mahler with the Symphony No. 3 (p.28).
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IN THE PRESS
Andreas Staier wins Gramophone Award for Baroque Instrumental
Andreas Staier, Freiburg Baroque Orchestraharmonia mundi • HMC 902083
CPE Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, Wq43
Marabi Mariinsky Mélisande Mirare M'ister Productions MN Records Mondomix Network Ocora Onyx Classics Opella Nova Opera Rara Orange Mountain Otá Paradizo Penguin Cafe Philharmonia Baroque Piano Classics Piranha Plus Loin Ponderosa Praga Radio France RCOC RCO Live Retrospective Revival SFS Media Signature SmallsLIVE Sound Grammar Spirit of America Tahra Testament Van Cliburn Wahoo Wergo Wisdom Mountain World Village Ysayë
“Unusual and boldly colliding key relationships, shock dynamic changes and experimental movement layouts rescued from apparent craziness by forwardlooking cyclical procedures.”
Gerald Finley wins Gramophone Award for Solo Vocal “He is excellent: the De la Mare mini-cycle Tit for Tat, the tall story of the wonderful crocodile, the hauntingly dissatisfied Greensleeves.” —gramophone
—gramophone
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COMING NEXT MONTH
The seductive voice of Mariusz Kwiecien
Mariusz Kwiecien (baritone) harmonia mundi •HMW 906101
our labels
Accords-Croisés Actes Sud Ad Vitam Albion Records Alia Vox Ambronay Aparté APO APR Archie Ball Armide Asphalt Tango Channel Classics Chant du Monde Classic Records Contre-Jour Daqui Dawn of Freedom Dutton East Meets West Eloquentia First Hand FRA Musica Frémeaux Gimell Gloriae Dei Cantores Gramercy Park Music harmonia mundi Helicon Howe Records Hyperion Institut du Monde Arabe Iris K617 Keltia III KML Records La Dolce Volta Long Distance LSO Live Lusafrica
Page 39
Slavic Heroes
CONCERT CALENDAR
NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS
Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien has won over audiences in many of the world's greatest opera houses with his powerful interpretations (not to mention his rugged good looks). For his first solo recital recording and harmonia mundi debut, Kwiecien employs his mellifluous and burnished voice to great effect in a fascinating selection of favorite Polish, Russian and Czech arias. The result is a winning collection of operatic gems, both familiar and rare. Kwiecien is accompanied by the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lukasz Borowicz on the first release from harmonia mundi's new production office in the United Kingdom.
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Gerald Finley, Julius DrakeOtá Records • Hyperion • CDA 67778
CONCERT CALENDAR
Street Date: December 13, 2011
Britten: Songs and Proverbs of William Blake
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contents
harmonia mundi . . . . . . . . . . . . Actes Sud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alia Vox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ambronay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aparté . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . Dutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eloquentia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hyperion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K617 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . La Dolce Volta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LSO Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mélisande . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onyx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opera Rara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paradizo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Piano Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Praga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SFS Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tahra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ysayë . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exhilarating Haydn harmonia mundi
HAYDN String Quartets Vol.2
Jerusalem Quartet harmonia mundi • HMC 902030
Hk948 1c( @$@XN Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
“It has been a long time since I have been so taken with any readings of Haydn Quartets. This disc strikes me as the ideal gift... I certainly cannot resist its charm; at first hearing, it brightened a gray day, and its smile has not faded.”
IMPORT Previously Available as HMX 2962030 (794881910328) Deleted November 2011 Israel’s first professional chamber group, the Jerusalem String Quartet was formed in 1993 when the members were still students at the Jerusalem Music Center. Since that time, they have become one of the most acclaimed ensembles in the world. This collection of Haydn quartets features works from three distinct periods in the composer’s output. The early Op. 20 No.5 is paired with the ‘middle’ Op.33 No.3 and the ‘late’ Op.76 No.5. Originally released in a limited edition Haydn series, this disc is now a welcome part of the regular catalog.
— FANFARE
Also available harmonia mundi • HMC 902076 (794881984527)
“Immaculate, spirited playing... exhilarating and satisfying performances.” — THE TIMES
December 2011
Mozart: String Quartets K157, K458 & K589
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Original instrument Stravinsky harmonia frémeaux actes mundi sud
STRAVINSKY L’oiseau de Feu; works by Glazunov, Sinding, Arensky & Grieg Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth Actes Sud • ASM 06
D14opw8c) !*@ s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT After the success of the Paris season of the Ballets Russes in 1909, Serge Diaghilev commissioned Stravinsky for a ballet inspired by the traditional Russian tale, The Firebird. In June 1910, the ballet was performed to great acclaim at the Opéra de Paris. In 19 scenes, the ballet tells the story of Ivan Tsarevich, the young prince who sets out in search of the firebird and ends up captive in the enchanted garden of Kashchei the Immortal. A century later, François-Xavier Roth and his period instrument orchestra Les Siècles have recreated the orchestra that accompanied the Ballets Russes in 1910. They have also reconstructed the ballet Les Orientales, which was first performed as a prelude to The Firebird at its premiere and features music by Glazunov, Sinding, Arensky and Grieg.
December 2011
Also available from Les Siècles
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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Actes Sud • ASM 02 (794881962624)
“The performance has a raw, an authentic energy as if the location inspired the players to exceptional efforts.” — THE TIMES
Saint-Saens: Symphony No.3
Actes Sud • ASM 04 (794881976928)
“These fine live-recorded performances display a fresh and very musical response to Saint-Saëns’s music.” — CHOIR AND ORGAN
Jordi Savall returns to Istanbul alia vox
La Sublime Porte Voix d’Istanbul 1400-1800
Montserrat Figueras (soprano), Gusory Dincer, Lior Elmalich (vocals), Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall Alia Vox • AVSA 9887
H6q9o8yc#(* & s Price Code: A24
(Suggested Retail Price: $24.98)
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD The Sublime Porte (Sublime Gate) was the name of the open court of the sultan, led by the Grand Vizier. It got its name from the gate to the headquarters of the Grand Vizier in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, where the sultan held the greeting ceremony for foreign ambassadors. It was an ancient Ottoman practice to make the gates of cities and kings’ palaces places of assembly. Later the name came to refer to the Empire’s position as gateway between Europe and Asia. Following the success of the album Istanbul, Jordi Savall crosses new boundaries between Orient and Occident. This time, the vocal traditions of the Ottoman Empire, Armenia and the Jewish Diaspora are brilliantly resuscitated. Instrumental interludes enable us to enjoy this journey through time and space. In addition to Hespèrion XXI, this album features the elite of Turkish traditional musicians under the inspired direction of Maestro Savall.
“Jordi Savall is a fearless performer who is fascinated with facilitating musical dialogues between Eastern and Western traditions.” — NPR
Also available Alia Vox • AVSA 9870 (7619986398709)
“A very polished, sophisticated sound world... it leaves the realm of early music behind.” — GRAMOPHONE
December 2011
Istanbul — Dimitrie Cantemir
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ambronay
A rarely-heard Italian oratorio FALVETTI Il Diluvio Universale
Cappella Mediterranea, Choeur de chambre de Namur, Leonardo García Alarcón Ambronay • AMY 026
D76pqe5c!) @^@s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT What image is more powerful than the Great Flood for a composer from a city ravaged by earthquakes and tidal waves? In 1682, this was the theme that inspired Messina resident Michelangelo Falvetti to write his oratorio Il Diluvio Universale. The subject is splendidly suited to dramatic treatment, and librettist Vincenzo Giattini and Falvetti take full advantage of this throughout the piece. Leonardo García Alarcón is regarded as one of the key artists of the new generation of conductors specializing in Baroque music. In 2005 he founded Cappella Mediterranea, which he directs here.
Connecting East and West Paz, Salam & Shalom
Canticum Novum, Emmanuel Bardon Ambronay • AMY 033
D76pqe5c!) # )s
December 2011
Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
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IMPORT Paz, Salam & Shalom explores music at the crossroads of the Middle Ages, highlighting the various Jewish, Christian and Islamic influences in Western classical music. Emmanuel Bardon leads Canticum Novum in an album that mixes Sephardic songs, music from the Muslim tradition and Alfonso X el Sabio’s famous Cantigas de Santa Maria in a program that focuses on the subject of ‘peace’ as seen from several perspectives. The blend of instruments, melodies and timbres born in this period soon became an integral part of the classical tradition.
Teodora Gheorghiu’s solo debut Arias for Anna De Amicis
harmonia mundi aparté
Teodora Gheorghiu (soprano), Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset Aparté • AP 021
D14opw8c) %*@)s Price Code: A19
(Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT This album is dedicated to Anna de Amicis, the famous soprano who first created the role of Giunia in Mozart’s Lucio Silla. In addition to works by the young Mozart, this disc includes works by Jommelli, J.C. Bach, Gluck and others. Up-and-coming Romanian soprano Teodora Gheorghiu studied with Niculina Mirea and Gheorghe Rosu in Romania and has won several prizes including the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2004. She made her debut with the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest singing the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. Outside of the opera house, her career has also flourished in recital and concert appearances. Gheorghiu is supported here by the brilliant conductor Christophe Rousset leading his orchestra Les Talens Lyriques.
“Teodora Gheorghiu radiated with luminous high-notes, making proof of her exceptional art of legato and an acrobatic ease which are very rare to find.” — OPÉRA MAGAZINE
Also available Aparte • AP 015 (794881993222)
“Excitably and excitingly conducted by Christophe Rousset, the recording is sensational. Cyril Auvity, sexy and heroic, is stupendous as Bellérophon...” — THE GUARDIAN
CHOICE
December 2011
Lully: Bellérophon
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aparté
Bridging the classic & romantic MOZART String Quartet No.19 K.465 SCHUBERT String Quartet No.13 D.804
D14opw8c) %(@(s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
Chiaroscuro Quartet Aparté • AP 022
IMPORT This recording brings together two quartets composed almost forty years apart. Mozart’s ‘Dissonant’ was the last of his set of six quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn and marked the apogee of Classicism. Schubert’s ‘Rosamunde’ was his first mature string quartet, written at the dawn of Romanticism and in the shadow of Beethoven. The juxtaposition offers a lesson in both contrasts and connections. Played here by the period instrument Chiaroscuro Quartet (which features violinist Alina Ibragimova), the power and beauty of these works are explored with virtuosity, wit and verve.
December 2011
channel classics
The many facets of Gustav Mahler
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The Mahler Album MAHLER Adagie o from Symphony No.5, Adagio from Symphony No.10 BEETHOVEN (arr. MAHLER) String Quartet No.11
Hk23 85c#!%! \R Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson Channel Classics • CCS SA 31511
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD The Amsterdam Sinfonietta is an ensemble of twenty-two gifted musicians who perform under the direction of Candida Thompson, the group’s artistic director since 2003. The ensemble’s defining feature is the strong involvement and artistic drive of each individual member. This disc focuses on music that demonstrates Mahler’s ability to weave the natural intimacy of chamber music into the fabric of an orchestral texture. A fascinating transcription of one of Beethoven’s late quartets is paired with two of Mahler’s most famous slow movements, from the fifth and tenth symphonies.
Symphonic string duets harmoniaclassics channel mundi
Duo Sonatas MOZART Duos for Violin and Viola K.423 & 424, Menue o K.487 HAYDN, M. Duos for Violin and Viola Nos.1 & 2
Rachel Podger (violin), Joan Rogers (viola) Channel Classics • CCS SA 32411
Hk23 85c#@$! +U Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD Mozart’s Duos for violin and viola are perennial favorites, both to the musicians that play them but also to audiences lucky enough to hear them in concert. These works never cease to amaze — Mozart uses the two instruments so effectively and with such exquisite craftsmanship that he never leaves one wondering where the rest of the string quartet might have gone. The virtuosity of the viola parts hints that they may have been originally written for Mozart himself. They are paired here with less well-known but very charming Duos by Michael Haydn. The character of these pieces is often reminiscent of Austrian folk music and it really seems as if you can hear yodeling bouncing off the mountains in timely echoes. Violinist Rachel Podger is joined by violist Jane Rogers for this gorgeous recording of rarely heard chamber music.
“Podger does not transport us, she brings us home... Life is too short for second best Mozart.” — POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Also available Channel • CCS SA 29309 (723385293095)
“Podger polishes the simplest thematic material into something rather thrilling...” — INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
December 2011
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante
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Budget priced reissues from Dutton dutton
MOERAN
SCHUBERT
Rosamunde Overture, Symphony No.6
Symphony in G minor
IRELAND Piano Concerto in E flat Eileen Joyce (piano), Hallé Orchestra, Leslie Heward Dutton Laboratories • CDBP 9807
MOZART Symphony No.39 STRAUSS Acceleration Waltz, Roses from the South Waltz London Symphony Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra, Josef Krips Dutton Laboratories • CDBP 9810
Hk65387c(*)&@[Q Hk65387c(*!)@?K
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT MOZART Piano Concerto Nos. 18 & 9, Unfinished Sonata for Piano and Violin, Rondo in A
SZYMANOWSKI Violin Concerto No.1 RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Tsar Saltan Suite Op.57 TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.3 Eugenia Uminska (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Grzegorz Fitelberg Dutton Laboratories • CDBP 9808
Lili Kraus (piano), Szymon Goldberg (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Walter Goehr Dutton Laboratories • CDBP 9811
Hk65387c(*)*@ZP Hk65387c(*! @+U
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT RACHMANINOV Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
ROUSSEL Le Festin de l’araignee, Suite in F, PetiteSuite BIZET Symphony in C SAINT-SAËNS Danse Macabre Op.40 London Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris Conservatory Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Charles Munch
Sergei Rachmaninov (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Dutton Laboratories • CDVS 1918
December 2011
Dutton Laboratories • CDBP 9809
10
Hk65387c(*)(@YO Hk65387c!(!*@ZP
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT
Price Code: A11 • (Suggested Retail Price: $11.98) IMPORT
Viennese élan Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
Trio Latitude 41 Eloquentia • EL 1129
eloquentia
D76pqp7c$) @(!s
SCHUBERT Piano Trio Op.100, No urno
IMPORT During his short life, Schubert had always been in the habit of making music with others — instrumentalists and singers, amateurs or professionals. Unlike Mozart, for example, who traveled throughout his (also very short) lifetime, Schubert rarely strayed far from his native Vienna, where he lived a simple, modest life, and organized with his friends the musical gatherings that came to be known as the “Schubertiads.” It was these sorts of settings that Schubert had in mind when he wrote his piano trios. The Op.100 trio heard here is paired with the lovely Notturno and both are played with Viennese élan by Trio Latitude 41.
A Liszt recital
D76pqp7c$) #)&s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
LISZT Un Portrait La Danza — Tarantella napoletana, Funérailles, Bagatelle sans tonalité, Saint-François de Paule marchant sur les flots, Consolations, Valée d’Olbermann, Rêve d’amour — Nocturne No.3, Rhapsodie hongroise No.2
Guillaume Coppola (piano) Eloquentia • EL 1130
December 2011
IMPORT Guillaume Coppola is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished French pianists of the younger generation. After being awarded a Premier Prix for piano and chamber music at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM), he went on to win many international distinctions. The International Holland Music Sessions offered him the New Masters on Tour concert series, he won the Cultures France/ French Government Prix Déclic, First Prizes from the Lion’s Club, FLAME, Fondation de France, Fondation Cziffra and ADAMI. This disc celebrates the Liszt year with a recital featuring some of the composer's best-loved works.
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The many colors of the saxophone Aria
harmonia firstmundi hand
Gerard McChrystal (saxophone), Shiroma de Silva (piano), Craig Ogden (guitar), Smith Quartet, Codetta, Trinity Laban String Ensemble First Hand • FHR 13
F0yp21yc#$) *!s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
ADVANCE REVIEW “It’s arguable whether the saxophone’s particular qualities are better employed serving the dynamic freedoms of jazz than the tonal rigours of classical music, but McChrystal here makes a good case for classical composers to write more for the instrument.” — THE INDEPENDENT
December 2011
IMPORT This brilliantly devised CD from Gerard McChrystal is a deeply personal album; at times melancholic, the music is always beautiful and captivating. Indeed, Aria has similar qualities to Jan Garbarek’s Officium and will appeal to this fan-base. Featuring soprano and alto saxophone with a colorful array of different ensemble accompaniments — string orchestra, choir, guitar, piano, solo, string quartet and electronics. Baroque music blends seamlessly with contemporary; Handel resolves into Michael Nyman, Debussy’s Syrinx morphs into Ravel’s Pièce en forme de Habanera. Other selections include original works by Billy Cowie, Karen Tanaka, Andy Scott and Michael McGlynn (from the vocal group Anúna who featured in Riverdance). McChrystal is a multiaward winning saxophonist who has performed as a soloist in over 30 countries with many of the World’s leading orchestras and ensembles.
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TRACK LIST HANDEL (arr. McChrystal): Largo from Concert grosso, Op.3, No.2 NYMAN (arr. Humphries): Why? MCGLYNN: Aisling VILLA-LOBOS (arr. McChrystal): Aria (Cantilena) from Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 GLASS: Façades SCOTT: My Mountain Top BOZZA: Aria COWIE: Romance No.2 MCGLYNN: Behind the Closed Eye FAURÉ (arr. McChrystal): Les Berceaux from 3 songs, Op.23, No.1 COWIE: Romance No.1 DEBUSSY (arr. Londeix): Syrinx RAVEL (arr. McChrystal): Pièce en forme de Habanera TANAKA: Night Bird NYMAN (arr. Humphries): If? COWIE: Romance No.3 MCGLYNN: From Nowhere to Nowhere
Brian’s thrilling Gothic Symphony BRIAN
hyperion
Symphony No.1 “The Gothic” Susan Gritton (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano), Peter Auty (tenor), Alastair Miles (bass), The Bach Choir, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Brighton Festival Chorus, CBSO Youth Chorus, Côr Caerdydd, Eltham College Boys’ Choir, Huddersfield Choral Society, London Symphony Chorus, Southend Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs, David Goode (organ), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins Hyperion • CDA 67971
Aa34571c!&(&!VL Price Code: 2A19 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $39.98)
CONCERT REVIEW
“Brabbins and his hordes did a truly magnificent job, and those who were there are unlikely to forget the experience.” — THE GUARDIAN
Also available Hyperion • CDH 55029 (034571150291)
“The performance is powerful, the recording superb...” — THE NEW YORK TIMES
December 2011
Brian: Symphony No.3
IMPORT In July 2011, over 800 performers gathered in London’s Royal Albert Hall to give a rare performance of Havergal Brian’s Symphony No.1 in D minor — “The Gothic”. Although tickets for this Prom sold out within 24 hours, we are fortunate that Hyperion recorded the performance, making it available to all. The symphony is a phenomenal work. Responding to the challenge set by Sir Henry Wood, the composer has thrown just about every known orchestral instrument into the mix, then adding a double chorus of over 500, plus children’s choirs, for an hour-long Te Deum that makes up the symphony’s finale. Martyn Brabbins leads these massive forces in a benchmark performance. Whether or not you were lucky enough to be there on the night, this is a recording not to be missed.
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k617
Music from 18th-century Latin America
D38etq0c) @ *!s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
Hombres de Maíz
Ensemble Lucidarium K617 • K 617228
D38etq0c) @#@*s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
Chants et Danses Baroques de l’Amazonie
December 2011
Ensamble Moxos, Raquel Maldonado K617 • K 617232
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Hombres de Maíz is a disc devoted to “poor” music. It features the anonymous songs of the peoples of Latin America, those who since time immemorial have called themselves “men of maize,” and the music of their Italian alter egos, the modest inhabitants of town and countryside who adopted maize (corn) as their staple diet as early as the sixteenth century, shortly after the discovery of the New World. At this time in history, Italy was a colony and a conquered territory for Spain, which directly or indirectly controlled the country for centuries. On this fascinating collection, Ensemble Lucidarium finds the musical connections between these seemingly disparate cultures. Chants et Danses Baroques de l’Amazonie explores the mysteries of artistic creation and transmission behind the ceremonies of the young Moxeno Indians of eastern Bolivia. These guardians of an archive of Baroque music, which they collected on their voyages up the river Mamoré, maintain a centuries-old tradition — the music born in Jesuit missions of Amazonia, which was until recently thought to be entirely the work of the Italian composer Domenico Zipoli. Raquel Maldonado leads Ensamble Moxos in a collection of Baroque sonatas and sacred music from the Amazon region.
Introducing La Dolce Volta la dolce volta
La Dolce Volta wants to change the public’s perception of CDs so that they see them once again as luxury items. Although we seem to be living more and more in the virtual world, La Dolce Volta’s mission is to revive interest in recordings as physical objects that you will want to hold and treasure. Their discs will be designed as works of art, to create a notion of elegant rarity and a desire to belong to a club of musical epicureans. Each project will be the result of a unique collaboration with an artist (a photographer, designer or painter) whose work will be like a jewelry box for the recordings. La Dolce Volta will release only five new recordings per year to allow time to support and promote each CD to the maximum possible level. Their strategy also includes a strong focus on digital tools and social networks. Each CD will feature a QR code that will point to video and musical content and bonus features. The label’s artist roster includes pianists Aldo Ciccolini, Claire Chevallier and Jean-Philippe Collard, the Talich Quartet, cellist Gary Hoffmann, harpsichordist Frédérick Haas, the Contraste Ensemble and the George Sand Trio. La Dolce Volta has also acquired the entire back catalogues of the Talich Quartet and organist André Isoir from the Calliope label.
new label
Mozart — Alla Turca MOZART Piano Sonatas Nos.2, 11 & 13
Aldo Ciccolini (piano) La Dolce Volta • LDV 03
D77p p1c()!@ )s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
“Ciccolini’s playing is pliant and graceful, and under his fingers the music seems to breathe and come alive.” — AMAZON
December 2011
IMPORT Italian born pianist Aldo Ciccolini began studies at the Naples Conservatory in 1934 at the age of nine. While there, he studied piano with Paolo Denza, a pupil of Ferruccio Busoni. Today, Ciccolini is particularly celebrated as an interpreter and advocate of the piano music of French and Spanish composers. His discography of over 100 recordings includes the complete sonatas of Mozart and Beethoven and two separate cycles of the complete piano works of Erik Satie. Still an active performer and recording artist well into his eighties, as recently as 2002 Ciccolini was awarded the Diapason d’Or for his recording of the solo piano works of Janácek. This new disc from La Dolce Volta features three favorite Mozart sonatas including the “Turkish March” and finds the celebrated pianist still on top form.
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la dolce volta
Two perspectives on Liszt
D77p p1c()!@!#s
new label
Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
Franz Liszt — Fever LISZT Andante lagrimoso, Mephisto Waltz No.1, la legubre gondola No.2, Saint-François d’Assise — La Prédication aux oiseaux, SaintFrançois de Paule marchant sur les flots, Funérailles, Wiegenlied Claire Chevallier (piano) La Dolce Volta • LDV 02
D77p p1c()!%!)s
Price Code: 2A13 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $27.98) IMPORT LISZT Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses, Rêves d’Amour, Romances, Ballade
December 2011
Pascal Amoyel (piano) La Dolce Volta • LDV 107
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Pianist Claire Chevallier is much in demand across Europe for solo recitals, chamber music and concertos. Highly acclaimed for her concerts and award winning recordings, Chevallier specializes in period performance practice, focusing on the music of the Romantic and early Modern periods. A musician-researcher, she collects French historical keyboards and owns six instruments covering the time span 1842-1920. Since 2004, she has been teaching fortepiano at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. This disc in celebration of the Liszt year features seven of Chevallier’s favorites played on an 1876 Érard piano. Voted “Solo Instrumental Discovery of the Year” at the Victoires de la Musique in 2005, Pascal Amoyel is fast becoming known as one of the most remarkable French pianists of our time. After receiving a Licence de Concert from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, he was awarded Premiers Prix in piano and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique. He was also awarded scholarships by the Menuhin and Cziffra Foundations, and won first prize in the Paris International Competition for Young Pianists. He appears regularly as a recitalist and soloist in Europe, the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan and China. The music of Franz Liszt has long been a key element in Amoyel’s repertoire. This disc focusing on the Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses marks his debut on La Dolce Volta.
The Talich plays Mozart la dolce volta
MOZART Complete String Quartets
Talich Quartet La Dolce Volta • LDV 100
D77p p1c()!%)#s (7 CDs for the Price of 2, Suggested Retail Price: $39.98)
new label
CDS for the Price of IMPORT Previously available as CAL 9241 (713746079529) Deleted February 2002 The Talich Quartet, originally formed in Prague in 1964, belongs to a distinguished lineage of musicians and represents Czech music and culture all over the world. Their unique style, remarkable virtuosity and keen interpretive skills have brought the quartet multiple international awards. This reissue features the group’s acclaimed Mozart quartets, recorded in the years 1984-1993 and originally issued on the Calliope label. Fully remastered and offered in a new deluxe presentation, these exceptional performances make a welcome return to the active catalog.
— GRAMOPHONE
December 2011
“The Talich Quartet strikes the imagination by its luminous beauty and original approach. Mozart has rarely achieved such perfectly judged fullness or proven so charming and joyful. Everything here is light and happiness.”
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Masterful Bruckner from Bernard Haitink lso live
BRUCKNER Symphony No.4
London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink LSO Live • LSO 0716
Il2 231c!&!^@VL Price Code: A17 (Suggested Retail Price: $17.98)
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD Bernard Haitink is internationally renowned for his interpretations of Bruckner and is widely recognized as the world’s leading Bruckner conductor. Bruckner’s fourth, nicknamed the Romantic, conjures up visions of mediaeval knights, huntsmen and enchanted woodlands, particularly through the prominent use of the horn. One of his most popular pieces, it was treated to many revisions by the composer. This recording features Haitink leading the London Symphony Orchestra in the second version of the 1877/8 Nowak edition (published 1953) with the 1880 Finale.
December 2011
Also available
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Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie LSO Live • LSO 0689 (822231168928)
“Well-played and meticulously crafted.” — FANFARE
CONCERT REVIEW “There is no safer pair of hands in this music than Bernard Haitink. His sense of pacing and spacing, of the larger picture beyond the fine detailing, is second to none.” — THE INDEPENDENT
Berganza teaches Mozart mélisande
Teresa Berganza Master Classes Mozart: Le nozze de Figaro, Don Giovanni Films by Dominique Lucie Brard Teresa Berganza (mezzo-soprano) Mélisande • MEL 001
D14opw8c) ) (@s Price Code: A23 (Suggested Retail Price: $23.98)
new label December 2011
IMPORT All zones/ 116 minutes/ Stereo Over the course of her long and distinguished career, Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza has been frequently praised for her technical virtuosity, musical intelligence and beguiling stage presence. She was most closely associated with the operatic roles of Rossini, Mozart and Bizet. Berganza made her debut as Dorabella in Così fan tutte in 1957 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. That same year, she debuted at Teatro alla Scala and the following year debuted at Glyndebourne. She currently teaches singing at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid and gives master classes all over the world. This DVD from Mélisande Films features two such master classes, recorded in the spring of 2009 and 2010 at the Villa Viardot in Bougival, France and focusing on Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. In these fascinating encounters between master and student, a remarkable group of young vocalists from all over the world revealed their special talents.
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mirare
Great pianists on Mirare FAURÉ Complete Works for Piano Vol.2 Jean-Claude Pennetier (piano) Mirare • MIR 100
D76pqw7c@ !) %s Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
IMPORT An unclassifiable figure among his contemporaries, the French composer Gabriel Fauré created a new and wholly original style on the piano. This discreetly individual artist was inspired by the resources of the instrument to conceive piano music whose luminous, diaphanous sonority is always coupled with a firm transparency of texture. A specialist in this repertoire, French pianist Jean-Claude Pennetier continues his survey of the solo works of Fauré. Volume two in the series includes the Romances sans Paroles paired with a selection of Nocturnes, Barcarolles and Impromptus.
MOZART Works for Piano
December 2011
Zhu Xiao-Mei (piano) Mirare • MIR 152
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D76pqw7c@ !%@$s Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
IMPORT Chinese pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei was born into a family of artists. She began music studies at a very young age, and had already played the piano on radio and television in Beijing when she was only eight. At age ten, she entered into the National School of Music for exceptionally gifted children. Unfortunately, her studies were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution and she spent five years in a labor camp. Despite those difficulties, she managed to practice the piano in secret. In 1979, she left China for the US, where she was immediately hailed for her exceptional musicality. Now a resident of France, Xiao-Mei is a regular on the concert scene in Europe. This interesting selection of solo piano works by Mozart spans a wide period of the composer’s output.
Russian orchestral masterworks onyx
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.2 MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on the Bare Mountain
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits Onyx Classics • ONYX 4074
Il80 40c$)&$@XN Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
IMPORT Following on the success of their first release for Onyx, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kirill Karabits turn to music from the Ukraine. The ‘Little Russian,’ Tchaikovsky’s most overtly nationalistic symphony, uses folk songs from the Ukraine and is the nearest the composer came to fulfilling the musical and cultural ideals proposed by ‘The Mighty Handful.’ This group of composers — Borodin, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui and Mussorgsky — rejected the Western influences on Russian culture and looked to the music, folklore and history of Mother Russia for inspiration. Mussorgsky composed A Night on the Bare Mountain in 1867. It is a striking work, quite shocking in its modernity. Inspired by paintings by his friend Victor Harmann, the suite Pictures at an Exhibition was originally written for piano in 1874 and was orchestrated by Maurice Ravel in 1922. It further displays Mussorgsky’s supreme gift for graphic evocation.
“Karabits’ gift for the endless, questing phrase, mirrored by the orchestra’s facility, makes this the perfect match.” — THE GUARDIAN
Also available Onyx • ONYX 4063 (880040406327)
“First class in every respect. Not to be missed.” — GRAMOPHONE
December 2011
Khachaturian: Spartacus & Gayaneh
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onyx
Songs of Schubert and Britten SCHUBERT Winterreise
Florian Boesch (baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano) Onyx Classics • ONYX 4077
Il80 40c$)& @?K Price Code: A21 (Suggested Retail Price: $21.98)
IMPORT Florian Boesch’s debut disc on Onyx was the highly acclaimed Schumann Heine Lieder. For this release he again teams up with Malcolm Martineau for the journey through the bleak and wintry landscape of Schubert’s Winterreise. Composed in 1827, work on the settings of Wilhelm Müller made Schubert agitated and disturbed according to friends. Indeed the songs shocked his friends when first heard — so powerful is the emotional content of the music that it still has the ability to shock and move the listener. The journey starts with ‘Goodnight’, as our traveler walks away from us into the moonlit snowy landscape. At the end of the cycle, ‘The Signpost,’ he takes the path to his death.
BRITTEN Complete Songs Vol.2
December 2011
Elizabeth Atherton (soprano), Jennifer Johnston (mezzo-soprano), Allan Clayton, Benjamin Hulett, Nicky Spence, Robin Tritschler (tenors), Benedict Nelson (baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano) Onyx Classics • ONYX 4079
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Il80 40c$)&(@]T Price Code: 2A17 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $35.98)
IMPORT As before, on the second volume of Onyx’s highly praised survey of all Britten’s songs for voice and piano, the great song cycles rub shoulders with individual songs and early works. Pianist Malcolm Martineau teams up with the cream of young British singers for a benchmark recording that will be as eagerly awaited and successful as the first volume in the series. Philip Reid’s incisive booklet notes provide a rare insight to Britten’s song writing — a form of composition that occupied the composer from his earliest compositions through to his last year.
Schumann chamber music favorites Price Code: 2A17 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $35.98)
Peter Laul (piano), Gringolts Quartet Onyx Classics • ONYX 4081
onyx
Il80 40c$)*!@XN
SCHUMANN String Quartets Nos.1-3, Piano Quintet
IMPORT Ilya Gringolts and friends complete their survey of the Schumann chamber music with the string quartets and one of the composer’s finest works, the Piano Quintet. Following the so-called ‘Year of Song’ (1840) during which Schumann poured out almost 140 of his finest Lieder, the newly married composer turned to instrumental music. 1842 was a veritable ‘Year of Chamber Music’ in which Schumann composed the three String Quartets of Op. 41, the Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet. Although clearly influenced by the late quartets of Beethoven and the quartets of Haydn and Mozart, Schumann’s chamber works are masterpieces in their own right. The Romantic sensibility is constantly in evidence in their musical inventiveness, youthful exuberance and poetic sensitivity.
Donizetti at his most melodramatic Price Code: 2A25 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $51.98)
Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano), Enkelejda Shkosa (mezzo-soprano), José Bros, Loïc Félix, Christopher Turner (tenors), Graeme Broadbent, Riccardo Simonetti (baritones), Christopher Purves, Brindley Sherratt (basses), The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mark Elder Opera Rara • ORC 44
December 2011
IMPORT According to the late Donizetti expert William Ashbrook, Maria di Rohan is the composer’s, “tautest, most melodramatic opera” and shows him, “in complete control of his musico-dramatic goals.” The work was first performed in Vienna, but Donizetti revised it for its Paris premiere. Working from the new critical edition of the score, with the period-instrument Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Sir Mark Elder, Opera Rara has recorded the original Vienna version as well as some of the appendices from the Paris revision. Recorded in the studio this set comes with a lavishly illustrated book including a complete libretto with an English translation, comprehensive article and synopsis by the eminent 19th-century musical scholar, Jeremy Commons.
opera rara
Hk92938c) $ @[Q
DONIZETTI Maria di Rohan
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A dazzling tour of the French Baroque paradizo
La Belle Danse Music by Lully, Marais & Muffat
Capriccio Stravagante, Skip Sempé Paradizo • PA 0010
F4wt01oc(&@!)#s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT Skip Sempé, distinguished for many years as a master interpreter of the French classical harpsichord repertoire, has recently been hailed as “the quintessential ambassador of French Baroque music.” With his ensemble Capriccio Stravagante, Sempé presents a fascinating collection of orchestral repertoire from the seventeenth century. La Belle Danse revives the tradition of the 24 Violons of Versailles — the most celebrated orchestra of seventeenth century Europe. The album transports the listener to Versailles at the time of Louis XIII and Louis XIV with a dazzling tour of ouvertures and suites by Lully, Marais and Muffat. A selection of rare repertoire that influenced the first generation musicians of the 24 Violons is also included, with dance and theatre music by Michael Praetorius, William Brade and Luigi Rossi.
December 2011
Also available
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Telemann: Ouverture for Recorder
Paradizo • PA 0002 (5425019972028)
“Performance standards in this repertoire have gone higher and higher over the last several decades, and just when I thought that a plateau had been reached, Martin, Sempé, and Capriccio Stravagante come along and raise the standard even further.” — FANFARE
Masters of the keyboard play Liszt harmonia piano classics mundi
LISZT Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2, Totentanz, Transcendental Etudes
Boris Berezovsky (piano), Philharmonia Orchestra, Hugh Wolff Piano Classics • PCLD 0020
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Price Code: 2A13 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $27.98) IMPORT
LISZT Don Juan Fantasy, Mephisto Waltz & Polka, Etudes Earl Wild (piano) Piano Classics • PCLD 0021
LISZT B Minor Sonata, Transcendental Etudes, Années de Pelèrinage Suisse, Rhapsodie Espagnole Lazar Berman (piano) Piano Classics • PCLD 0022
F0yt0 qc*^#$ *s
Price Code: 2A13 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $27.98) IMPORT
F0yt0 qc*^#$% s
Price Code: 2A13 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $27.98) IMPORT
December 2011
Piano Classics offers three double-CD sets featuring three of the finest interpreters of Liszt of the past half century. After his studies in Moscow with Elisso Virsaladze, Boris Berezovsky has enjoyed a hugely successful international career, performing as a soloist and with all the world’s major orchestras and conductors. Previously released on Warner Classics, this recording of Liszt’s Piano Concertos and Transcendental Etudes has been hailed as a gold standard of Liszt playing. When Earl Wild passed away in 2010, the world bade farewell to one of the greatest pianists from the Golden Age of the Piano. A dazzling virtuoso, he made the music of Liszt a central point in his repertoire. This 2-CD set offers some of the finest Liszt playing on disc. Lazar Berman astounded the world with performances of superhuman dimensions. However, during the Soviet era, his talent was little known to the outside world. Once he was allowed to travel, he quickly became a sensation, performing concerts with Von Karajan and making recordings for DG. The live recordings on this 2-CD set span from 1950 to 1972 and catch him at the peak of his powers.
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piano classics
Grubert plays Schumann SCHUMANN Etudes Symphonies, Fantasie Naum Grubert (piano) Piano Classics • PCL 0018
F0yt0 qc*^#$!&s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT A native of Riga, Naum Grubert’s principal studies were with the famous professor Gutman in Moscow. In 1978, he was a prizewinner in the Tchaikovsky Competition after having won the 2nd prize at the International Piano Competition in Montreal in the year before. On this album of Schumann, Grubert delves deep into the music’s vivid characters and intense emotions in a powerful example of thoughtful pianism. Grubert finds poetry in every phrase — no detail escapes his imagination and his deep and penetrating touch reveals a world of unheard, magical sounds.
Ursula Oppens, grande dame of the avant garde RZEWSKI The People United Will Never Be Defeated
December 2011
Ursula Oppens (piano) Piano Classics • PCL 0019
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F0yt0 qc*^#$@$s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT Frederic Rzewski is a prominent composer of the American avant-garde. A student of Milton Babbitt and Walter Piston, Rzewski’s works have a strong socio-historical background, inspired by his deep political conscience. One of his best-known works is the colossal set of piano variations on a Chilean protest song by Sergio Ortega, The People United will Never be Defeated. This fascinating set of 36 variations explores new pianistic techniques, new sonorities, use of extreme registers and improvisational elements (whistling of the performer, slamming the piano lid...) all of which present a huge challenge to the pianist. This recording is a classic, as pianist Ursula Oppens is the dedicatee of this work and the ideal interpreter, given her specialization in 20th Century piano music.
Chamber music classics on SACD Price Code: A22 (Suggested Retail Price: $22.98)
Zemlinsky Quartet Praga • PRD 250277
praga
Hk948 1c(^#%@WM
ZEMLINSKY String Quartets Nos.2 & 4, Two Movements for String Quartet
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD Typically minimalist, Anton Webern summed up each of Zemlinsky’s four quartets with single word descriptions. “Aufbruch” (departure) corresponded to No.1 and getting out from under Brahms’ shadow. “Wende” (the turning point) described No.2, an Expressionistic work of Mahlerian proportions. His choice for No.3 was “Reduktion” with its burlesque, sardonic wit, and “Maskenspiel” (mask game) described No.4, a ‘lyric suite’ in homage to Alban Berg. On this SACD from Praga, the Zemlinsky Quartet offers definitive readings of the second and fourth quartets.
Hk948 1c( ^@ XN Price Code: A22 (Suggested Retail Price: $22.98)
BORODIN Piano Trio, String Sextet, String Trio, Serenata alla Spagnola — Chamber Music Vol.3
Kinsky Trio Prague, Prazák Quartet Praga • PRD 250288
December 2011
IMPORT SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD The youthful Kinsky Trio continues the venerable tradition of the Czech chamber music school with their idiomatic performances of works by their countrymen and impassioned readings of works by other composers. For the third volume of their survey of the chamber music of Alexander Borodin, the group is joined by violinist Pavel Hula and violist Jan Peruska in a program that includes the String Sextet and Serenata Alla Spagnola.
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MTT’s award-winning Mahler sfs media
MAHLER Symphony No.3, Kindertotenlieder
Michelle De Young (mezzo-soprano), San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Pacific Boychoir, Michael Tilson Thomas SFS Media • 60045
Il21936c) $%@YO Price Code: 2A12 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $25.98)
DOMESTIC SACD Hybrid/ Stereo & Multi-channel/ DSD Previously Available as 60003 (821936000328) Deleted October 2011 One of the finest and most critically acclaimed releases in Michael Tilson Thomas’ award-winning Mahler cycle with the San Francisco Symphony, the third is the most expansive of Mahler’s symphonies. There are moments of angst here, but the overwhelming message is of love’s redeeming power. The peaks this great work scales are some of the most glorious in all music. Featured performers include mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, the Women of the SFS Chorus, the Pacific Boychoir and the San Francisco Girls’ Chorus. The album also includes Mahler’s heartbreaking Kindertotenlieder. This reissue from SFS Media maintains the Hybrid SACD format favored by many classical consumers, whilst streamlining the packaging to jewel case and thus providing excellent value.
— LISTEN MAGAZINE
December 2011
Also available
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“Michael Tilson Thomas’s The Mahler Project is the essential Mahler cycle of the twenty-first century.”
Mahler: Symphony No.1
SFS Media • 60043 (821936004326)
“This is probably the best-played and most vividly engineered recording of Mahler’s First Symphony I’ve yet heard. The strings are silky, the woodwind solos dewy fresh, and the brass retain a brilliance from the first climax to the last.” — GRAMOPHONE
Essential historical recordings Price Code: A18 (Suggested Retail Price: $18.98)
tahra
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Eugen Jochum — Rare Recordings
Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum Tahra • TAH 720
IMPORT The eminent German conductor Eugen Jochum made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 1926 in a program which included Bruckner’s seventh symphony. In the same year, he was appointed conductor at the Kiel Opera House, where he conducted seventeen operas in his first season. In 1934, Jochum succeeded Karl Böhm as musical director of the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Philharmonic. Throughout the Nazi era, Hamburg remained, as Jochum put it, ‘reasonably liberal,’ so that he was able to keep his post despite refusing to join the party. After World War II, Jochum became the first chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. During the “Jochum Era” (1949-1959), the conductor transformed a simple radio orchestra into a first class ensemble of worldwide reputation. The recordings on this CD are first-time releases taken from the original masters. Tracks include Strauss’ Four Last Songs with Annelies Kupper and Mozart’s Rondo for Piano and Orchestra with Edwin Fischer.
Price Code: A20 (Suggested Retail Price: $20.98)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli Testament • SBT 1469
December 2011
IMPORT Queen Elizabeth II laid the foundation stone of the new Coventry Cathedral in March 1956 and the formal dedication took place in May 1962. Benjamin Britten composed his War Requiem for the occasion and it received its first performance at the ceremony. During the spring of 1961, the Provost of the Cathedral visited the director of the Berlin Philharmonic. It was his wish that, with the opening of the Cathedral, a clear sign of reconciliation, peace and friendship should be made publicly and he extended an invitation. In June 1962, the orchestra gave two concerts as a gift from the city of Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. Eugen Jochum conducted the first and Sir John Barbirolli the second, with works by Vaughan Williams, Haydn and Brahms. Unfortunately, all that remains of the concert in Coventry is this recording of Brahms’s second symphony.
testament
Hk4967 c!$^(@YO
BRAHMS Symphony No.2
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The immortal Michael Rabin The Studio Recordings 1954-1960
testament
Michael Rabin (violin)
Testament • SBT6 1471
Hk4967 c!$&!@+U Price Code: 4A20 (6 CDs for the Price of 4, Suggested Retail Price: $83.98)
CDS for the Price of
TRACK LIST
December 2011
IMPORT The story of the amazing violinist Michael Rabin is complicated and ultimately tragic. When his career should have been reaching the height of his success, Rabin was without an active recording contract and most of his existing recordings were deleted due to a ‘crisis in the classical music business’ (sound familiar?). His accidental death at age 35 ended the sad story of one of the greatest violinists of all time. The good news is that Testament’s collection of EMI recordings released here exists as a fitting memorial to this great artist. In addition, in 2012 the label will release a further set of unreleased Rabin performances taken from private tapes belonging to Bertine Rabin.
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PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No.1 GLAZUNOV: Violin Concerto SAINT-SAËNS: Havanaise, Introduction & Rondo capriccioso TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto RAVEL: Tzigane WIENIAWSKI: Violin Concerto No.1 BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy BACH: Sonata No.3 PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No.1 WIENIAWSKI: Violin Concerto No.2 YSAŸE: Sonatas Op.27 Nos.3 &.4 PAGANINI: Caprices Nos.1-24 Mosaics The Magic Bow
The Ysaÿe Quartet plays Haydn & Schumann ysaÿe
HAYDN String Quartets Op.54 Nos.1-3
Ysaÿe Quartet Ysaÿe • YR 501
D76pqr2c@#%)!*s
SCHUMANN String Quartets Op.41 Nos.1-3
Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
Ysaÿe Quartet Ysaÿe • YR 502
D76pqr2c@#%)@%s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT Pecuniary difficulties seem to have been at the root of the six quartets which Haydn began composing in the early summer of 1788. Normally meticulous and thoughtful in his work, Haydn here showed himself singularly capable of swift, instinctive writing. He went straight to the heart of the problem, concentrating his efforts and distilling music from sudden flashes of inspiration. The Ysayë Quartet offers transcendent performances of these important works in Haydn’s chamber music oeuvre. Schumann imbues his string quartets with an expressive aspect which is found nowhere else in his output, revealing his secret garden as well as what might be the calmer part of his inner self. They also bear the double stamp of overflow and restraint, and are without doubt one of the most highly developed examples of symbiosis between the expressive needs of romanticism and the formal demands of writing for sixteen strings. Performed here by the Ysayë Quartet, these gems of the Romantic era shine in all their glory.
December 2011
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frémeaux ysaÿe
Chamber music classics with Ysaÿe Quartet & friends
MOZART Clarinet Quintet, Kegelsta -Trio, Adagio & Fugue Michel Portal (clarinet), Jean-Claude Pennetier (piano), Ysaÿe Quartet Ysaÿe • YR 504
D76pqr2c@#%)$(s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
MAGNARD String Quartet Op.16 FAURÉ String Quartet Op.121 Ysaÿe Quartet Ysaÿe • YR 505
D76pqr2c@#%)%^s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
BEETHOVEN String Quintet & Rare Works for Strings
Shuli Waterman (viola), Ysaÿe Quartet Ysaÿe • YR 506
D76pqr2c@#%)^#s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98) IMPORT
December 2011
Mozart’s compositions featuring the clarinet are among his most tuneful and expressive works. From the soaring clarinet solo in the Serenade to the virtuosity of the concerto, there is clearly a special bond between composer and instrument. This disc featuring members of the Ysayë Quartet joined by clarinetist Michel Portal and pianist Jean-Claude Pennetier includes the quintet and trio coupled with the Adagio and Fugue. The quartets of Albéric Magnard and Gabriel Fauré appeared in the wake of the long wave that had begun in the 1880s and culminated in the blossoming of a veritable chamber music school in France. The Ysayë Quartet gives remarkable readings of these two seminal masterpieces of 20th Century French music. When we are dealing with a personality of Beethoven’s stature, the discovery of new works goes beyond the interest of mere exhumation and can constitute a genuine event or enable us to penetrate the secrets of the composer’s laboratory. This is the case with the five short individual pieces for string quartet or quintet which appear on this CD featuring the Ysayë Quartet.
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CLASSIC ROCK A Cat Stevens classic Tea for the Tillerman
apo
Cat Stevens APO • CAPP 9135SA
Hk5308 c(!#%^XN Price Code: A40 (Suggested Retail Price: $40.98)
DOMESTIC SACD Hybrid/ Stereo/ DSD File In: Pop / Rock Tea For The Tillerman is one of Cat Stevens’ finest albums and a gem in the crown of early 1970s singer/songwriterdom. Stevens manages to have his cake and eat it too, simultaneously achieving pop accessibility and artistic relevance. The feel is decidedly gentle and spare. Apart from the occasional string section, Stevens is accompanied only by a three-piece band as he sings his introspective lyrics with appreciable favor.
December 2011
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JAZZ archie ball
The jazz mastery of Archie Shepp First Take
Archie Shepp, Siegfried Kessler Archie Ball • ARCH 0104
D76p p2c!#^*( s
Gemini
Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
Archie Shepp Archie Ball • ARCH 0701
IMPORT File In: Jazz It is obviously a considerable event to find two old accomplices teaming up once again. Indeed Siegfried Kessler and Archie Shepp have known each other since the 70s and have toured Europe together extensively. This jam session features these two jazz masters in a selection of both originals and standards that exemplifies the glories of the free jazz style that Shepp pioneered. Archie Shepp’s album Gemini features a pairing of albums with completely different stylistic approaches. The first is a studio set that blends elements of blues, rap (with Chuck D of Public Enemy fame) and gospel into Shepp’s already potent mix. The second disc is a live performance from a jazz festival in Souillac, France from 2002. This band features Amina Claudine Myers on piano, Cameron Brown on bass and Ronnie Burrage on drums. Although Shepp’s free bop style is given a good workout, the overall mood is decidedly mellow and melodic.
December 2011
Also available
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Wo!Man
Archie Ball • ARCH 1102 (3149028003024)
“Wo!man is a resplendently lyrical album. Shepp’s signature rough edges and periodic free flights are intact, but so too are his retentions of balladeers Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, both formative influences: this is above all an album of lush romanticism.” — ALLABOUTJAZZ
D76p p2c!#& *)s
Price Code: 2A19 (2 CD Set, Suggested Retail Price: $39.98)
JAZZ Archie Shepp’s latest discovery Mutation Majeure
archie ball
Benjamin Sanz Quintet Archie Ball • ARCH 1101
D14opw8c) %^@ s Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
IMPORT File In: Jazz Archie Shepp’s label Archie Ball presents Mutation Majeure, the debut album by the Benjamin Sanz Quintet. These musicians play impetuous, passionate music, fed by a common bond of improvisation. Their style is firmly in the bop tradition, tempered by influences from African roots music. There is an active search for balance between dynamic interaction, risk-taking and control of an overall sound. The disc’s eight tracks are all originals by members of the band and the overall result is an auspicious first album from a group that demands to be heard.
December 2011
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JAZZ black saint/soul frĂŠmeaux note
Black Saint/Soul Note reissues
The Complete Remastered Recordings
The Complete Remastered Recordings
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Paul Motian Black Saint/Soul Note • BXS 1008
Price Code: 2A17 (6 CDs for the Price of 2, Suggested Retail Price: $35.98) IMPORT
December 2011
CDS for the Price of
36
Bill Dixon Black Saint/Soul Note • BXS 1009
Price Code: 2A19 (9 CDs for the Price of 2, Suggested Retail Price: $39.98) IMPORT
CDS for the Price of
The Complete Remastered Recordings
David Murray Black Saint/Soul Note • BXS 1010
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Price Code: 2A17 (5 CDs for the Price of 2, Suggested Retail Price: $35.98) IMPORT
CDS for the Price of
File In: Jazz Jazz drummer, percussionist and composer Paul Motian first came to prominence in the late ‘50s with the pioneering trio of pianist Bill Evans. Motian has since worked in an array of contexts, and has led a number of groups. He is one of the most influential modern drummers, having played an important role in freeing the drummer from strict time-keeping duties. This set features six of Motian’s classic albums at a special low price. Bill Dixon organized and produced the ‘October Revolution in Jazz’ in New York City and founded the Jazz Composers Guild. He was relatively little recorded during this period, though he co-led some releases with Archie Shepp and appeared on Cecil Taylor’s Blue Note record Conquistador! in 1966. He played the trumpet, flugelhorn and piano, often using electronic delay and reverberation as part of his trumpet playing. This set features nine of Dixon’s classic albums at a special low price. David Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically for many record labels since the mid-1970s. Murray was initially influenced by free jazz musicians such as Albert Ayler and Archie Shepp. He gradually evolved a more diverse style in his playing and compositions. Murray’s use of the circular breathing technique has enabled him to play astonishingly long phrases. This set features five of Murray’s albums at a special low price.
JAZZ Gypsy jazz from Romane Romane Frémeaux • FA 539
Price Code: A18 (Suggested Retail Price: $18.98)
frémeaux
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Quintet — Complete Romane Vol.2
IMPORT File In: Jazz The second record made by Romane as a leader confirmed his incomparable talent and showed his aptitude for paying tribute to tradition — in a very Quintette du Hot Club de France manner. On this album, Romane’s compositions (today standards in the genre) are enhanced by the presence of Florin Niculescu, who drives swing back into its rightful corner while spurring Romane onward to nothing short of pure excellence.
Middle Eastern-influenced jazz Price Code: A19 (Suggested Retail Price: $19.98)
December 2011
IMPORT File In: Jazz Ibrahim Maalouf is a jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger. Born in Beirut and now living in France, Maalouf was born into a family of intellectuals and artists. Classically trained, he earned prizes at most of the major classical trumpet competitions in the world. His music blends a wide variety of styles and influences into a heady mix that defies easy categorization. Diagnostic marks the third and final chapter in a musical triptych Maalouf began in 2007 with Diasporas, his first album, and enriched with Diachronism some two years later. Diagnostic is above all Maalouf ’s most personal work: a kind of original soundtrack in which the trumpeter has staged — with remarkable powers of suggestion — the affective life of a musician who has always seen his chosen art-form as therapy, with all that such a commitment implies in terms of sincerity and abandon.
m'ister productions
D14opw8c) *&@ s
Diagnostic
Ibrahim Maalouf M’ister Productions • IBM 3
37
Concert Calendar • CLASSICAL December 2011
38
Artist
Label
Date
City
State
Venue
Anonymous 4
harmonia mundi
Richard Egarr
harmonia mundi
James Ehnes
Onyx Classics
Gerald Finley Vivica Genaux Marc-André Hamelin Angela Hewitt Steven Isserlis
Hyperion harmonia mundi Hyperion Hyperion Hyperion
Olga Kern
harmonia mundi
Piers Lane Dejan Lazic
Hyperion Channel Classics
Robert McDuffie
Orange Mountain
Nash Ensemble Garrick Ohlsson
Onyx Classics Hyperion
Miah Persson Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas
harmonia mundi harmonia mundi
Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 5 Dec 6 Dec 8 Dec 9 Dec 15 Dec 16 Dec 18 Jan 6-7 Jan 27 Jan 26 Jan 27 Jan 28-29 Jan 7-8 Jan 12-14 Jan 19, 21-22 Dec 1-3 Jan 25 Jan 26-28 Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Jan 19 Jan 22 Dec 2 Jan 5-7 Jan 12-14 Dec 2-4 Jan 5-8 Jan 17, 19, 21 Jan 13 Jan 22 Jan 13-15 Dec 2 Dec 3-4 Dec 6 Dec 10 Dec 13-14 Jan 26 Jan 27 Jan 28-29 Jan 13 Jan 19-20 Jan 27 Dec 3 Dec 7 Dec 10 Dec 13 Dec 14 Dec 16 Dec 17 Dec 18 Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec 5-6 Dec 7 Jan 8-9 Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec 6 Dec 9 Dec 10 Dec 12 Jan 27 Jan 7 Dec 16 Jan 23 Jan 17 Dec 6 Jan 22 Jan 26
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CA CA NM UT CO AZ NY PA IL DC VT CA CA CA FL MN GA MA CA WA MA MI MD MD MD NY GA CA CA TX NY CA NY CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA IN TN MO WA MI WI NC VA NH MA NY VT CA CA OR AZ CO CA CA OR MO IL NY NJ NY MI NY NY TX AL NM SC
Culver Center of the Arts First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica Cathedral Basilica Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Gates Concert Hall Virginia G. Piper Theater Metropolitan Museum Holy Trinity Church Fullerton Hall National Cathedral Recital Hall Center for Performing Arts Herbst Theatre First Congregational Church New World Center Orchestra Hall Symphony Hall Symphony Hall Walt Disney Concert Hall Benaroya Hall Jordan Hall Seligman Performing Arts Center Shriver Concert Hall Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Meyerhoff Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage Atlanta Symphony Center Segerstrom Concert Hall Copley Symphony Hall Meyerson Symphony Center Kaufmann Concert Hall Sherwood Auditorium 92nd Street Y Walt Disney Concert Hall Herbst Theatre First Congregational Church First United Methodist Church Zellerbach Hall Walt Disney Concert Hall Center for Performing Arts Herbst Theatre First Congregational Church The Studio Theater Tennessee Theatre Folly Theatre St. James Cathedral St. Andrews Episcopal Church Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Davidson United Methodist Church Camp Concert Hall Johnson Theater St. Paul Church Corpus Christi Church Mahaney Center for the Arts Ace Gallery Hertz Hall Lincoln Performance Hall Leo Rich Theater Grusin Music Hall Our Lady Sorrow Church Mendelssohn Hall St. Mary's Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Church of St. Mary the Virgin Richardson Auditorium Zankel Hall Seligman Performing Arts Center First Unitarian Church Kaufmann Concert Hall Bass Performance Hall Birmingham Museum of Art Duane Smith Auditorium First Presbyterian Church
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Richard Egarr harmonia mundi Yeol Eum Son
harmonia mundi
Maurice Steger Stile Antico
harmonia mundi harmonia mundi
Christianne Stotijn Takács Quartet
Onyx Classics Hyperion
Tallis Scholars
Gimell
Theatre of Voices, Paul Hillier Tokyo String Quartet Shai Wosner
harmonia mundi harmonia mundi Onyx Classics
Joyce Yang Haochen Zhang
harmonia mundi harmonia mundi
Label
Date
City
State
Venue
C.J. Chenier
World Village
Zakir Hussain
Network
Kayhan Kalhor
World Village
Klezmatics
Piranha
Ana Moura
World Village
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
World Village
Catherine Russell
World Village
Sierra Maestra
World Village
Talvin Singh Tinariwen Marta Topferova
World Village World Village World Village
Mar 18 Jul 13 Mar 21 Mar 24 Jan 28 Feb 2 Dec 11 Dec 19 Feb 25 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 10 Feb 17 Feb 18 Dec 9 Feb 4 Mar 3 Dec 5 Dec 7 Dec 8 Dec 9 Dec 31 Feb 18 Mar 6 Mar 30-31 Apr 13 Mar 23 Mar 24 Mar 29 Apr 1 Apr 4 Apr 5 Apr 7 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr 21 Apr 12 Dec 1 Dec 29 Feb 18
Webster Augusta Los Angeles Berkeley New York San Francisco Jackson Hole Los Angeles Bloomington New Bedford Amherst New York Santa Monica Berkeley Miami Urbana Berkeley Minneapolis Okoboji Iowa City Riverside Madison North Adams Seattle New York Washington Madison Chicago West Lafayette Napa San Francisco Los Angeles Albuquerque Santa Fe Manchester New York Los Angeles Seattle Brooklyn Marlboro
NY ME CA CA NY CA WY CA IN MA MA NY CA CA FL IL CA MN IA IA IA NJ MA WA NY DC WI IL IN CA CA CA NM NM NH NY CA WA NY NY
The Harmony House Le Festival de la Bastille: Pete Gagne Memorial Park Walt Disney Concert Hall Zellerbach Hall Metropolitan Museum of Art: Grace Rainey Rogers Herbst Theatre Center for the Arts Walt Disney Concert Hall Bloomington Centre for the Performing Arts Zeiterion Theatre University of Massachusetts Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts The Broad Stage Zellerbach Hall Adrienne Arsht Center: Knight Concert Hall Krannert Center: Tryon Festival Theatre Zellerbach Hall Dakota Jazz Club Pearson Lake Arts Center: Lauridsen Performing Arts The Mill Restaurant and Club Riverside Casino Shanghai Jazz Mass MOCA S. Mark Taper Foundation: Benaroya Hall Jazz at The Lincoln Center Kennedy Center Jazz Club Wisconsin Union Theater Old Town School of Folk Music Purdue University: Loeb Playhouse Napa Valley Opera House SF Jazz Skirball Center National Hispanic Cultural Center The Lensic Saint Anselm College: Dana Center Town Hall Skirball Center Showbox SoDo Barbes The Falcon
Concert Calendar • POPULAR
Artist
December 2011
39
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