JUN-JUL 2012
NEW RELEASE GUIDE THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Sergei RACHMANINOV
William SHAKESPEARE
(DVD) 711108 / (Blu-ray) 711204
2L-090C-LP
FR-704
Lloyd JONES Doin’ What It Takes
OA1079D
PRD/DSD 350 056
8.572350
Peter MAXWELL DAVIES
SOUVENIR
Giuseppe VERDI
OPOZ56019CD (2 CDs) (DVD) OPOZ56017DVD / (Blu-ray) OPOZ56018BD
2742190.92
2066808
András Schiff Plays SCHUBERT II
Ray CHARLES The Complete ABC Recordings 1959-1961
Giacomo PUCCINI
Naxos International (Far East) Limited 5B, Blue Box Factory Building, 25 Hing Wo Street, Tin Wan, Aberdeen, Hong Kong Tel: 2951 9557 Email: info@naxos.com.hk
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Ferruccio BUSONI (1866-1924) Clarinet Concertino, Op 48 Flute Divertimento, Op 52 Rondò arlecchinesco, Op 46 Gesang vom Reigen der Geister, Op 47 Tanzwalzer, Op 53 Eine Lustspielouvertüre, Op 38
Ugo Guagliardo (bass) • Domenico Colaianni (buffo) • Laura Catrani (soprano) • Ricardo Mirabelli (tenor) • Hans Ever Mogollon (tenor) • Giulio Mastrototaro (baritone) San Pietro a Majella Chorus, Naples Czech Chamber Soloists, Brno • Antonino Fogliani
Giammarco Casani (clarinet) Laura Minguzzi (flute) Gianluca Terranova (tenor) Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma • Francesco La Vecchia
World Première Recordings
All six of these orchestral works exemplify Busoni’s personalised classicism. The Lustspielouvertüre (Comedy Overture) is light, and almost Mozartian in clarity, whilst Gesang vom Reigen der Geister (Song of the Spirit Dance) is a delicately scored chamber piece, forward-looking in both style and content. Both the Concertino for Clarinet and the Flute Divertimento reveal Busoni’s affinity for solo instruments; the former is deftly organised and the latter more obviously capricious. The spirit of Johann Strauss II haunts the infectious Tanzwalzer and the Rondò arlecchinesco unleashes Busoni’s broadsides of wit.
A contemporary of Rossini and Donizetti, Saverio Mercadante was one of Italy’s most productive 19th century operatic composers. Don Chisciotte alle nozze di Gamaccio was written during the composer’s stay in Spain, and is based on a chapter of Cervante’s Don Quixote in which the hero prevents the forced marriage of a poor farm girl to the wealthy Camacho. Magnificently entertaining and dramatically innovative, Don Chisciotte combines fashionable Neapolitan style with Spanish folk music elements in an unforgettable melodrama giocoso. It is heard on this recording in its first modern performance.
In 2002 Francesco La Vecchia was appointed Artistic Director and Resident Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma. Under his leadership the orchestra has rapidly achieved success in Europe and in highly successful tours to St Petersburg, Madrid, Belgrade, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, London, Athens, Berlin, Beijing and Shanghai.
Antonino Fogliani’s many conducting engagements have taken him to leading international opera houses and concert halls. For Rossini in Wildbad he has directed Ciro in Babilonia, L’occasione fa il ladro, Mosè in Egitto, La scala di seta, Il signor Bruschino and Otello, as well as Vaccaj’s La sposa di Messina.
8.572922
Peter MAXWELL DAVIES (b 1934) Symphony No 3 Cross Lane Fair
Mark Jordan, Northumbrian pipes • Rob Lea, bodhran BBC Philharmonic • Peter Maxwell Davies
8.660312-13 (2 CDs)
Franz Xaver DUSSEK (1731-1799) Four Symphonies in: G major (Altner G4) • B flat major (Altner Bb2) A major (Altner A3) • B flat major (Altner Bb3) Helsinki Baroque Orchestra Aapo Häkkinen
Peter Maxwell Davies’ Symphony No. 3 is the product of symmetry and proportion based on the principles of Renaissance architecture. It is also a dynamic and thrilling seascape, one that both invokes medieval chant and summons up the violent buffeting of the waves, and the stirring cliff-face full of nesting birds. The dual inspirations of proportion and the natural world are seamlessly coalesced, and the Symphony teems with evocative sounds and brooding passages both expansive and timedefying in their beauty. Cross Lane Fair is a lighter work, scored for Northumbrian pipes, bodhran (an Irish drum) and chamber orchestra, inspired by the memories of a fairground that Maxwell Davies visited as a child.
Mozart’s friend Franz Xaver Dussek (in whose summer villa he completed Don Giovanni) was a pianist, celebrated teacher and the leading composer of instrumental music in Prague. Like his compatriot Wanhal, Dussek completed his musical training in Vienna and, unsurprisingly, his works reflect the strong influence of composers such as Hofmann, Haydn and Dittersdorf. Dussek’s symphonies, most of which appear to have been composed in the 1760s and 1770s, are works of great charm and vivacity, cleverly orchestrated and full of striking melodic ideas as this recording amply demonstrates.
Universally acknowledged as one of the foremost composers of our time, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has made a significant contribution to musical history through his wide-ranging and prolific output. He lives in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland, where he writes 8.572350 most of his music.
In 1998 Aapo Häkkinen won second prize at the Bruges Harpsichord Competition. He was also awarded the NDR special prize for his interpretations of Italian music. Since then, he has appeared as soloist and conductor in most European countries, in Israel, in the United States and in Mexico. 8.572683
Qunihico HASHIMOTO (1904-49) Symphony No 2 • Three Wasan • Partita
Akiya Fukushima, baritone • Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia • Takuo Yuasa World Première Recordings Qunihico Hashimoto was one of the leading Japanese composers in the first half of the twentieth century. His synthesis of Japanese and European musical forms was founded on two years of study and travel in the West. Symphony No. 2 was commissioned to celebrate Japan’s new postwar Constitution, but combines jubilation with an introspective nostalgia. Three Wasan sets Buddhist texts which describe the beauty of ‘pure land’ or heaven, merging traditional chant with bel canto expressiveness. Innovative for its time, the early Scherzo con sentimento melds Japanese music with Western neo-classicism. Hashimoto’s Symphony No. 1 can be heard on 8.555881.
8.572869
2
Saverio MERCADANTE (1795-1870) Don Chisciotte alle nozze di Gamaccio
Zoltán KODÁLY (1882-1967) Háry János Suite • Dances of Galánta Ernö DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960) Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra, Op 12 János Starker, cello • Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz
When Kodály constructed a suite of music from his opera Háry János, he further immortalised the braggart soldier of the title. Dreamlike and fantastic, the six scenes are imbued with imaginative writing of sweeping intensity, embracing a love-duet, a mock-epic battle, a folk song, and a vigorous recruiting dance. In the Dances of Galánta he again employed the Hungarian verbunkos recruiting dance tradition to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic Society. The Konzertstück of his compatriot and near-contemporary Ernö Dohnányi is a full scale cello concerto of considerable lyric beauty.
8.572749
JUN-JUL 2012
TRISTAN’S HARP Arthurian Medieval Music
Dietmar Berger, viola da Gamba
Capilla Antigua de Chinchilla José Ferrero
The Manchester Gamba Book is the largest extant manuscript of 17th century viol music, now kept in the Watson music collection in Manchester. Different in many regards from the later cello, the secrets of viola da gamba performance style are revealed in this priceless volume, including Gervise Gerrarde’s Paven, the most richly ornamented piece in the instrument’s literature. Other contributions include settings of popular English songs of the period, and from otherwise unknown musicians such as Stephen Goodall and Richard Sumarte.
The feats of King Arthur and his Knights have inspired artistic creation in many art forms. In this disc we hear how troubadours spread their stories and we journey through twelfth-, thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Europe to encounter the Arthurian musical traditions of Germany, Spain, France and England. Full of allusions to legend, and also to contemporary events, the songs are masterpieces of their time. The composers include Alonso X el Sabio of Spain and Richard the Lionheart, whose Je nulls homs priz is one of the most beautiful of all medieval songs.
Dietmar Berger now lives in Cologne and plays the cello as well as the viola da gamba in renowned ensembles such as the Delos Trio Köln (with Gudrun Höbold, violin, and Hubert Käppel, guitar) both in Germany and abroad; he appears as a soloist on numerous television and CD recordings. 8.572863-64 (2 CDs)
Tenor José Ferrero studied singing in Valencia with Ana Luisa Chova and has appeared as a soloist with distinguished conductors and colleagues, performing in Europe’s principal theatres and festivals. His interest in early music led to the foundation in 2002 of the ensemble Capilla Antigua de Chinchilla, also recorded on Endechar (Naxos 8.572443). 8.572784
ENGLISH MUSIC FOR VIOLA AND PIANO
Andrés ISASI (1890-1940) String Quartets, Vol 1 String Quartet No 0 in E minor, Op 83 String Quartet No 2 in A minor, Op 27
Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) Christian Wilson (piano)
World Première CD Recording The four English composers represented on this disc were all born within a generation, and were inspired by the pioneering violist Lionel Tertis. Bainton’s 1922 Viola Sonata veers restlessly between autumnal song and militaristic intensity, possibly influenced by his wartime experiences. Theodore Holland’s Suite in D is a theatrical, wide-ranging work full of ingenious themes, whilst York Bowen’s Piece for Viola is brief but ardent. Bantock’s Viola Sonata, by contrast, is a large-scale, powerful and rhapsodic statement full of profuse lyricism and romantic feeling.
8.572761
Isasi Quartet
Andrés Isasi’s youthful promise can be heard in the easy romance of his Grieg and Dvořák influenced String Quartet No. 0. This falls outside the numbered sequence of his quartets but retained the composer’s affection and was never withdrawn from circulation. Given its première performance by the Isasi Quartet in 2010, the substantial String Quartet No. 2 is more symphonic in manner, and Isasi re-used movements in orchestral works such as the Suite No. 2 (8.557584). This is the first of three volumes of Isasi’s complete string quartets.
8.572463
HIDDEN WATERS
Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788) Prussian Sonatas, Wq48
ChromaDuo (Tracy Anne Smith & Rob MacDonald, guitars) Described by Classical Guitar Review as “nothing short of inspirational”, this début recording by Tracy Anne Smith and Rob MacDonald unveils a refreshing and innovative programme of works by some of the most exciting living composers of our time. Stephen Goss’s contrasting miniatures in The Raw and the Cooked reference musical greats from Django Reinhardt to Astor Piazzolla, and Still the Sea is a homage to Toru Takemitsu. Christopher William Pierce’s mellifluous sound world explores the sensual, the ornate and the spectacular. Following his innovative and rhythmic Niterói, Roland Dyens brings us home with the succulently melodic Comme des Grands.
8.572757
Susan Alexander-Max (Hofmann grand piano)
“El ciego tañedor” or “the blind keyboardist”, Antonio de Cabezón was one of the most inspired masters of his day and a protégé at the court of King Philip II (whose favourite painting, reproduced on the cover of the booklet, came into his possession while Cabezón was with him in Brussels in 1555). Keyboard music was attaining a status equal to vocal polyphony at this time, and Cabezón’s sophisticated Tientos are at the forefront of a rapid rise in a new intensity of expression. Where the Tientos relate to vocal styles the Variations can frequently be traced to popular songs and dance tunes such as the Folía.
8.572674
David DEL TREDICI (b 1937) GOTHAM GLORY: Complete Piano Works, Vol 1 Marc Peloquin (piano)
Generally recognized as the father of the American Neo-Romantic movement in music, David Del Tredici has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. His recent energetic output for piano solo is due partly to a close artistic collaboration with Marc Peloquin, resulting specifically in S/M Ballade, a “pianistic terror”. The finale of Gotham Glory is another virtuoso test, Del Tredici’s celebration of New York closing with a Grand Fantasy derived from a waltz by Emil Waldteufel. This is the first of three volumes of David Del Tredici’s complete piano music, with its generously rewarding combination of achingly expressive romanticism, subtle references and ever-present sense of covert and overt drama. Pianist Marc Peloquin is the creator and curator of KeyedUp MusicProject, concerts dedicated to musical explorations with piano as the essential element. In these programs, Peloquin brings audiences new perspectives through a thematic approach to repertoire and the juxtaposition of works from different periods and styles.
8.559680
JUN-JUL 2012
3
CLASSICAL MUSIC
THE MANCHESTER GAMBA BOOK (c 1660)
CLASSICAL MUSIC
STREET SONG
D Ray McClellen (clarinet) Ellen Ritchey (soprano) Anatoly Sheludyakov (piano) University of Georgia Wind Ensemble • John P Lynch The expressive range and versatility of the wind ensemble is exemplified in this program from one of the world’s leading ensembles of its kind, which presents classics of the genre alongside new works. Wayne Oquin’s Tower Ascending pulsates with urban power whilst Richard Lorenz explores a web of Latin American music. Michael Tilson Thomas distils old and new perspectives and James Mobberely offers affecting Words of Love. We also hear Copland’s indelible Fanfare for the Common Man, Vaughan Williams’s intricate Toccata Marziale and Stravinsky’s brilliantly virtuosic Concerto.
8.572917
Alan HOVHANESS (1911-2000) Symphony No 1 ‘Exile’, Op 17 No 2 Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op 211* Symphony No 50 ‘Mount Saint Helens’, Op 360 Ron Johnson, marimba • Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz
One of the most intriguing and individual of 20th century American composers, Alan Hovhaness rejected the cosmopolitan modernism of other leading composers of the 1930s and ’40s. The connection Hovhaness felt with his Armenian heritage is evident in his Exile Symphony, which commemorates the flight forced upon those people by the Ottoman Turks after World War I. Delicacy, charm and vitality in the Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints evoke the composer’s love for Japan, and the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens inspired the Symphony No. 50, with its remarkable evocation of the violent power and hauntingly mystic beauty of nature in “startlingly realistic engineering” (Gramophone).
8.559717
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Symphony No 2 in B flat major, Op 52, ‘Lobgesang’
Margaret Chalker (soprano) Madeline Rivera (soprano) Vinson Cole (tenor) Seattle Symphony Chorale Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz Mendelssohn wrote his Second Symphony or Lobgesang (‘Hymn of Praise’) in 1840, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of movable type. This symphony-cantata, as the composer termed it, is duly permeated with a rich and often jubilant spirit, and patterned after Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in its solo vocal and large choral forces. The rich orchestral palette is supplemented by thrilling and expressive vocal writing, which includes solos and duets of great beauty, and culminates in a blazing fugal ending.
8.571209
Piotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (Highlights)
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra • Andrew Mogrelia The second of Tchaikovsky’s three full length ballets, The Sleeping Beauty was initially given a lukewarm reception by the Tsar. Today it is regarded as the greatest achievement of Russian ballet music in the 19th century. Based on the Perrault fairy-tale La belle au bois dormant and choreographed by the legendary Petipa, this work overflows with radiant and joyous inventiveness. These highlights are taken from the complete recording on Naxos 8.550490-92, given *** recommended status by The Penguin Guide which praises Andrew Mogrelia’s conducting for its ‘warmth, grace and vitality’.
8.572931
Peter MENNIN (1923-1983) Moby Dick Concertato for Orchestra Symphony No 3 • Symphony No 7, ‘Variation-Symphony’ Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz
Peter Mennin was a leading member of the school of American symphonic composers who came of age in the 1930s and 1940s, a group that includes David Diamond, William Schuman and others. Cast in a traditional design of three movements in a fast-slow-fast pattern, Symphony No. 3 is a work of great contrapuntal energy, percussive accents and propulsive rhythms. The composer described the passionate slow movement as “an extended song ... making use of sustained voice-weaving.” Symphony No. 7 develops in a single movement of remarkable contrasts and intensity. An exception to Mennin’s “pure” compositional approach, the concertato Moby Dick depicts “the emotional impact of the novel as a whole.” This recording has been acclaimed as “a fine tribute to an inexplicably neglected figure of the century’s American music scene” (Chicago Tribune). 8.559718
Sergey PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Suites Nos 1 & 2 from Romeo and Juliet, Op 64a & 64b Allegro meditativo from Two Pushkin Waltzes, Op 120 No 2 Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz
Sergey Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet was completed after the composer’s final repatriation to Soviet Russia after a period abroad. It was written for the Kirov Ballet but early productions faltered, and Prokofiev soon adapted his music to the concert hall. The Suites avoid narrative sequence, selecting crucial moments such as the famous “balcony scene”, and dramatic climaxes such as The Death of Tybalt. Composed to celebrate the famous author’s 150th anniversary, the Pushkin Waltzes are relaxed, easygoing, and with a typically witty edge.
8.571210
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) • Daphnis et Chloé (Complete Ballet) Alan HOVHANESS (1911-2000) • Meditation on Orpheus, Op 155
Scott Goff (flute) • Seattle Symphony Chorale • Seattle Symphony • Gerard Schwarz Sergey Diaghilev commissioned Ravel to write music for the ballet Daphnis et Chloé with choreography by Michel Fokine: Daphnis was danced by Nijinsky. This ‘choreographic symphony’, in Ravel’s words, is a pastoral romance that drew from the composer a succession of beguiling scenes paying tribute as much to the France of the late eighteenth century as to any Greek setting. The score is masterly, ranging from the luminous to a Bacchanale, in a musical fresco of unrivalled beauty. Alan Hovhaness’s Meditation on Orpheus evokes the mystery and charged energy of ancient Greece. Daphnis is Ravel’s longest single work, a luminous and beautiful ballet creation of great subtlety and suggestive power. There are a number of available versions, ranging from Dutoit to Gergiev – but interestingly both of these add the same two other works by Ravel, the Pavane and La Valse. Our disc offers the more left field Hovhaness work, but it picks up the theme of myth and Ancient Greece perfectly.
8.571211
4
JUN-JUL 2012
Idil Biret (piano)
Miss Biret is one of the finest natural Schumann players I have ever come across. In fact I cannot recall ever hearing a better all round performance of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke in any concert hall in this city.’ The Montreal Star, Canada
8.571291
Johann STRAUSS (1825-1899) Prinz Methusalem
Jana Frey • Jessica Glatte • Frank Ernst • Gerd Wiemer • Andreas Sauertopf • Elmar Andree • Frank Oberueber Chor der Staatsoperette Dresden Orchester der Staatsoperette Dresden • Ernst Theis Prinz Methusalem is the third discovery of an unknown operetta by Johann Strauss II to be released on cpo. Like Der Carneval in Rom (Carnival in Rome) and Das Spitzentuch der Königin (The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief), this is another collaboration between cpo and the Dresden State Operetta under the baton of Ernst Theis.
777 747-2 (2 CDs) Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1877) Northern Sinfonia • Mario Venzago
Cpo’s unique Bruckner cycle under Mario Venzago continues with the Second Symphony performed by the Northern Sinfonia. As in the case with Symphonies Nos. 0 & 1 (777617-2), Venzago has chosen a top orchestra of relatively small instrumental dimensions: the Northern Sinfonia from Newcastle, one of Europe’s most exciting and innovative orchestras.
777 735-2 Mieczyslaw WEINBERG (1919-1996) Chamber Music for Woodwinds Elisaveta Blumina (piano & artistic concept) • Wenzel Fuchs (clarinet) • Henrik Wiese (flute) • Mathias Baier (bassoon) • Nimrod Guez (viola) • Uta Jungwirth (harp)
The extensive and highly significant oeuvre of Mieczyslaw Weinberg is gradually getting the recognition it deserves in the West. Cpo has championed the music of Weinberg and last year released a successful disc of his piano music with Elisaveta Blumina. If in his early piano compositions Weinberg created surprises with his unexpected musical maturity, then the chamber works for woodwinds selected here display even more emotional depth, seriousness, and drama. 777 630-2
Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660-1725) Secular Cantatas Adriana Fernandez (soprano) Gabriele Cassone (trumpet) Concerto de’ Cavalieri Marcello Di Lisa
As with cpo’s previous release featuring Scarlatti’s Sacred Cantatas which came “highly recommended” by Gramophone, the three Secular Cantatas presented here, L’Arianna, L’Olimpia, and Su le sponde del Tebro all confirm his status as a baroque master.
777 748-2
JUN-JUL 2012
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Piano Concertos 1 & 2 Hamlet Suite op. 32a
Valentina Igoshina (piano) Thomas Hammes (trumpet) Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss Lavard Skou-Larsen This new Shostakovich disc on cpo features the young Russian pianist Valentina Igoshina in enthralling and fresh performances of the two Piano Concertos. Also included is the original 1932 version of the Suite from the Incidental Music ‘Hamlet’, op.32a 777 750-2
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Complete Violin Concertos Vol. 4 L’Orfeo Barockorchester Elizabeth Wallfisch (solo violin & direction)
As with volume 3 cpo presents another set of large-scope concertos in overture form. Telemann was very inventive and delighted in experimenting with the mixing of genres. As with the previous volumes, Elizabeth Wallfisch and her Baroque orchestra are the ideal interpreters.
777 242-2 Ignaz PLEYEL (1757-1831) Prussian Quartets 4-6 Pleyel Quartett Köln
Cpo’s discovery of Pleyel’s String Quartets continues with his Prussian Quartets Nos. 4-6 performed by the Pleyel Quartet of Cologne. Pleyel’s appealing artistic writing style, his feel for drama, and the soloistic demands placed on each and every quartet member earned his string quartets by far the highest performance figures in London during 1785-1800.
777 551-2
5
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Idil Biret Solo Edition, Vol 4 Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Abegg Variations, Op 1 • Piano Sonata No 2 in G minor, Op 22 Fantasie in C major, Op 17 • Toccata in C major, Op 7
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Apollo Icebreaker BJ Cole
Engaged in an exploration between recorded electronic and live acoustic sound, the innovative 12-piece ensemble Icebreaker and renowned pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole present their “moving and sublime” performance of Brian Eno’s Apollo in a definitive and invigorating recording. Widely regarded as Brian Eno’s best and most influential ambient album, Apollo was composed by Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois for Al Reinert’s 1983 documentary on the Apollo space missions, For All Mankind. Eno jokingly referred to it as an attempt to write “zero gravity country and western”, since that was the astronauts’ preferred on-board listening and the long reverberations of the pedal steel guitar evoke the vast emptiness of space. Music from the album was also used in the movies 28 Days Later, Traffic, and Trainspotting. CA21071
Arnold SCHÖNBERG (1874-1941) Complete Songs
Franz SCHUBERT (1727-1797) Complete Piano Sonatas Complete Dances for Piano
Claudia Barainsky • Melanie Diener (sopranos) • Anker Vondung (mezzo-soprano) • Christa Mayer (contralto) • Konrad Jarnot (baritone) • Markus Schäfer (tenor) • Urs Liska (piano)
Michael Endres (piano)
This is a re-release of the acclaimed Schubert Piano Sonatas with Michael Endres. It is now released in a 10 CD box together with the complete recording of all Dances, Waltzes and Ecossaises at a very special price.
First complete recording of the Songs for Voice and Piano by Arnold Schönberg on a special priced 4 CD set.
C7120 (4 CDs for 3)
C7125 (10 CDs for 4)
Ludwig Van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete Songs for Voice and Piano
Hermann Prey (baritone) • Pamela Coburn (soprano) Heinrich-Schütz-Kreis-Berlin, Leonard Hokanson (piano) This is a re-release of Beethoven’s Complete Songs for Voice and Piano, sung by Hermann Prey and Pamela Coburn. It was one of the best-selling CDs from the Capriccio back catalogue but is now released at a very special price along with a complete booklet with original song texts.
C5140 (3 CDs for 2)
Trombone All Styles Fabrice Millischer
Fabrice Millischer (trombone and sackbut) Maiko Kato (orgue & clavecin) Nathanael Gouin (piano) Fabrice Millischer, voted “Revelation” at the last French Classical Music Awards (“Victoires de la Musique Classique”), is the first trombonist to have won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. This recording, tracing the history of his instrument from Renaissance times to the present day, and from the sackbut to the trombone, shows what a talented and exciting artist this young man is.
AP 029
Bent LORENTZEN Erotic Hymns
Jens E. Christensen (organ) Morten Frank Larsen (baritone) Joanna Stroz (percussion) Bent Lorentzen (composer) Erotic Hymns (1998) is a sacred song cycle in which composer Bent Lorentzen (b. 1935) combines Baroque and contemporary Danish poetry in a fascinating exploration of the relationship between erotic and religious experience. This world premiere recording by baritone Morten Frank Larsen and organist Jens E. Christensen also features three of Lorentzen’s major organ works and concludes with a chorale motet cycle, balancing the CD in beautiful symmetry.
8.226568
6
Electronic Music Produced at DIEM The story of DIEM (The Danish Institute of Electronic Music) is the story of 25 years of believing that the newest technology can move existing musical boundaries, create new sounds, new structures, and pioneer the development of the music of the future. This double CD presents a broad selection of works produced at DIEM from 1987 to 2012; all of them presented in their original form and many of them released for the first time.
8.226559-60
JUN-JUL 2012
Hansjörg Albrecht playing the Metzler organ in the church of St. Cyriakus, Krefeld-Hüls
Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne Markus Stenz (conductor)
While composing his first symphony, Gustav Mahler was uncertain whether it should become a symphony or a symphonic poem. During first performances, he tried to make it more palatable to audiences by entitling it and its movements. The subtitle “Titan”, which was sometimes used, for example, refers to the novel of the same name by Jean Paul. At the Hamburg performance in 1893, Mahler provided a completely workedout program, which he soon withdrew, however, realizing that it could completely lead the audience down the “wrong path”. Only after the work was printed in 1899 did it receive the four-movement form and regular title “Symphony No. 1” that we know today. OC 646
In regard to this finale (OehmsClassics began with Part IV of the Clavier-Übung), we would like to let the interpreter have his say: I hope that this performance on the instrument closest to Bach, the organ, will encourage listeners to hear the Six Partitas with new ears, to reflect on “The Silence of the World before Bach” and to perceive the great baroque master yet again as Leonard Bernstein once said about him: “Bach was a man and not God, but he was a man of God and his music was blessed by God from the beginning to the end.”
OC 684 (2 SACDs)
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2 Preludes (4)
Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) The Firebird Symphony in C The Wedding Histoire du Soldat Stravinsky’s ongoing Russian inspiration, clad in the opulence of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestration in 1910 and then moving towards a more dodecaphonic writing (1966, Requiem Canticles), not forgetting the consumate Noces - ‘not a ballet but a divertissement…in two parts‘ (to quote the composer). A unique blend of earthy rusticity, profound humanity and religious faith.
Svjatoslav Richter (piano) Kurt Sanderling (conductor)
Richter only played Rachmaninov’s first two concertos before embarking on his international career in 1960. A logical compilation of two live performances plus four Préludes which were to remain his favourites for the next 50 years. A unique programme which today’s cutting edge techniques have attempted to render in all their original glory.
PRD/DSD 350 057 (2CD)
PRD/DSD 350 056
Nine Solos for Nine Violinists
Guro Kleven Hagen Christopher Tun Andersen Ann Hou Sæter Madelene Berg Melinda Csenki Miriam Helms Ålien Sara Chen Sonoko Miriam Shimano Welde og Victoria Putterman
ACD5067
Knabenchor Hannover
Mysterium Crucis Graces & Voices
Jörg Breiding
Gregorian Chants for the Feasts of the Cross Erected as a monument against the oppression under Communist rule, the impressive scenery of the Lithuanian Hill of Crosses has inspired the singers of Graces & Voices to record a selection of the most beautiful and moving Gregorian chants for the two Feasts of the Cross: inventio crucis (Finding of the Cross), and exaltatio crucis (Elevation of the Cross).
ROP6067
JUN-JUL 2012
Critics have applauded the ensemble’s purity of sound, its controlled sensuality, and the profundity of its music-making: since Jörg Breiding took over the direction of the Knabenchor Hannover (Hanover Boys Choir) ten years ago, he has expanded the choir’s comprehensive repertoire with works by less-known composers. Excerpts from previously published CDs and from so-far unpublished recordings present a musical portrait spanning five epochs of European choral music.
ROP7014
7
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Johann Sebastian BACH Sechs Partiten
Mahler Symphonie 1 Keyboard Concertos, Volume 18
CLASSICAL MUSIC
A Change of Worlds
The Complete Harpsichord Works of Rameau
Ensemble Galilei
Prepare to be musically transported by A Change of Worlds, the latest release from Ensemble Galilei and Sono Luminus. Through the unique combination of old Irish tunes, traditional American folk melodies, and inspired original selections, A Change of Worlds transcends a myriad of musical genres. Comprised of very talented and capable members who are both classically trained and traditional musicians, Ensemble Galilei brilliantly melds a wealth of technical capability with an abiding passion for ancient music. Through their infectious improvisational energy, the vibrancy of this ensemble captivates the listener, from the downbeat of the first tune, to the final chord on the album.
DSL92153
Jory Vinikour
In an incredible illustration of virtuosic performance, Sono Luminus brings you The Complete Harpsichord Works of Rameau, with world reknowned harpsichordist Jory Vinikour. Rameau’s compositional penchant for combining technical prowess with musical artistry is brilliantly showcased on this two disc set of solo harpsichord music. Rameau’s output as a composer for solo harpsichord must be considered among the most important in French 18th century keyboard repertoire, along with that of François Couperin. The musical and harmonic ingenuity demonstrated throughout these works, as well as Rameau’s uniquely idiomatic approach to the harpsichord, ensure these works a permanent place in the repertoire of all harpsichordists. DSL92154
Couperin: The Complete Organ Masses James Tibbles
When Couperin set out to compose two organ masses he couldnʼt possibly have imagined the interest that these youthful compositions would stimulate amongst generations of performers and audiences since they came to the attention of musicologists in 1929. My decision to record these organ masses on the Rozay organ (it being a rare extant example of the 17th century French organ building school, and, moreover, an instrument that is so closely associated with the young Couperin) was not a difficult one to make. The fact that the keyboards of this instrument are the only surviving example of 17th century French organ keyboards, and that Couperin himself certainly played them, are added bonuses. There are other wondrous French organs that could have been considered, including those at Houdan, SaintGervais or Poitiers. These instruments have a strongly 18th century flavour, and are all well known. It is my hope that this recording will help further establish the reputation and significance of the Rozay instrument, and that Couperinʼs music will speak afresh through its 17th century voice. (James Tibbles) PMR 0020 (2 CDs)
SIMAX
classics
Perspectives
Tromsø Chamber Orchestra • Kolbjørn Holthe (leader/conductor) • Dan Styffe (solo double bass) The base and identity of the orchestra are given in the coordinates for the town of Tromsø (69°42” north | 19°00” east). It is from this vantage point their perspective on five European composers is applied; five composers who in turn exist in mutual contrast and perspective. The works on this recording embrace ninety-nine years of European music history and are balanced by paradoxical opposites; the programme is dominated by moods of the long, arctic winter night - grief, longing, absence - and the midnight sun’s unceasing orgy of light and life. Kolbjørn Holthe and his inspired orchestra display both playful virtuosity and extreme serenity in their interpretations of this repertoire.
PSC1302
Percy Sherwood Complete Works for Cello and Piano Joseph Spooner (cello) David Owen Norris (piano)
The Anglo-German composer Percy Sherwood, born in 1866, seems to have slipped through the cracks of history, although he has an impressive output of orchestral, chamber, choral and instrumental music to his credit. He was once an important figure in his native Dresden, where he owned an imposing villa, but after moving to Britain at the beginning of the First World War he faded from view and by the time of his death in London in 1939 his music was as good as forgotten. This first CD in a series of Sherwood recordings – the firstever dedicated to his music – reveals a major lost Romantic, with a style that is both lyrical and passionate.
TOCC0145
8
DIE BREMER BLECHMUSIKANTEN Sándor Balogh (Musik & Dirigent) Klaus Wallendorf (Text & Sprecher) Blechbläserensemble der Berliner Philharmoniker
TUD 7189
JUN-JUL 2012
Domenico Dragonetti Works for double bass and piano
Sergio de Pieri organ
Either because it was too virtuosic or too expensive a hobby, keyboard music was rarely printed for the most part of the 16th century. In an attempt to provide for amateurs, however, printers did start to publish ‘intabulations’, or arrangements, of popular vocal music; it is these collections that rank among the earliest known repertoire for keyboard. Four significant composer-performers who had such music published form the focus of this release: father and son Cavazzoni, and uncle and nephew Gabrieli. Even with Marco Antonio Cavazzoni’s early 1523 collection, there is already a maturity of development in contrast to equivalent arrangements for lute, and this idea of progress continues right through the century. Documenting ricercares, chansons, hymns and even Andrea Gabrieli’s pioneering of the toccata, the compilation reveals to the listener the gradual cultivation of a more relaxed style, where simple transcriptions give way to extended passagework and freer arrangements.
8802132
Michele Veronese (double bass) Luca Ferrini (piano)
Born in 1763, Domenico Dragonetti stands as one of the most significant musicians of his day. A phenomenal bassist who was particularly renowned for his radical approach to bowing, he is credited with having raised the profile of the instrument from accompanist to soloist. This release focuses on a small but inspiring collection of his compositions. All of the works featured are taken from the Venetian’s solo output and point towards a virtuosic talent previously unmatched. Containing many of Dragonetti’s favourite melodic and rhythmic ingredients, the pieces typically open with a lyrical exposition of a theme that is followed by a set of variations exploring the scale and arpeggio sequences as well as harmonics best suited to the Classical period’s three-stringed bass. The resulting effect of this formal approach is a deft negotiation of the instrument’s warm sonority, beautifully complemented by the piano’s contrasting timbres, rhythmic interjections and impetus. 8802133
Giovanni Legrenzi Sonatas and balletti Opp. 8, 10 & 16 Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca Giorgio Fava • Luigi Mangiocavallo • Marialuiza Brandao Moreira • Enrico Parizzi (violins) • Enrico Parizzi (viola) • Walter Vestidello • Elisabetta de Mircovich (cellos) • Alberto Rasi (violone) • Giancarlo Rado, Ivano Zaneghi (chitarroni) • Andrea Marcon (organ and harpsichord) Giovanni Legrenzi is one of the Baroque period’s most important figures, a composer who enjoyed success in opera, oratorio, cantata and chamber music. Having spent the last twenty years of his life in Venice, where he was appointed maestro di cappella of St Mark’s Basilica in 1685, Legrenzi is best remembered today for his cultivation of chamber music. This release is dedicated to the final three of Legrenzi’s five large instrumental collections, with the first of the featured trio (Op.8) marking the beginning of a more ambitious and expansive style. Highlights include the Sonata La Cremona, notable for its use of four rather than two violins, and La Basadonna, a work whose antiphonal treatment of two trio-sonata ensembles was ahead of its time. The CD also features Legrenzi’s most musically complex collection, published as Op.10. Two extracts from Op.16 complete the line-up: based on the stately balletto and lively corrente dances, No.3 and No.9 are unusual for their respective attacca and chaconne-based structures.
Carlo Gesualdo Six books of madrigals for five voices Quintetto Vocale Italiano Karla Schlean (soprano) Clara Foti (mezzo-soprano) Elena Mazzoni (contralto) Rodolfo Farolfi (tenor) Gastone Sarti (baritone) Dmitri Nabokov (bass)
A fascinating compilation detailing the highly expressive music of Prince, composer and murderer Carlo Gesualdo – one of history’s most colourful figures. Gesualdo’s first six books of madrigals remain his best-known music. While Nos. 1 and 2 rely on mastery of traditional counterpoint, it is in Books 3 and 4 that Gesualdo’s compositional idiosyncrasies – subtle rhythmic irregularities and unusual harmonic intervals – begin to dominate. By the time we reach the final two books, a fully mature style is in evidence: abounding in rich chromaticism, these collections contain a wealth of striking songs in which extremes of emotion are represented. Gesualdo’s daring and forward-looking language was born out of his belief that music must be subservient to textual meaning, and his status as a nobleman allowed him to pursue this position unhindered. Featuring Quintetto Vocale Italiano’s pioneering performance of the works, this release movingly traces the development of a composer whose intensely expressive music was centuries ahead of its time.
8802134
8802136 (6 CDs)
Songs of the World
Albert Roussel Complete Symphonies
Stefano Sciascia (double bass) Mara Corazza (piano)
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France • Marek Janowski
From Newton Classics comes an innovative new compilation: fourteen ‘songs’, all transcribed for double bass, hailing from countries all over the world. Providing a fascinating insight into the variety of culture found across the globe, Sciascia blends the familiar with the lesser known to present a compilation that brims with colour. The talented bassist’s choice of cantabile repertoire reflects his longstanding wish to play the double bass as if it were a human voice, and he has achieved just that: this is an admirable follow-up to Sciascia’s last Bottesini recording for Newton, revealing once again how an instrument not generally associated with solo repertoire is capable of holding its own – and to great effect.
8802135
JUN-JUL 2012
starters.
France’s symphonic tradition may not compare to the immensity of Germany’s, but it has produced a number of impressive works. This release is dedicated to those by Albert Roussel, one of classical music’s most distinguished late-
The compilation begins with the delightful Poème de la forêt – Roussel’s first great work of importance and one whose strong Impressionist flavour is revealed through the use of picturesque movement titles. From the Second Symphony’s powerful proportions to No.3’s cyclic nature, we encounter a composer whose music was beginning to harbour a fierce and concentrated energy. His final work in the genre, written three years before his death in 1937, represents for many the apex of his achievements.
8802173 (2 CDs)
9
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Gabrieli and Cavazzoni Organ Works
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Bernard Haitink conducts Mahler Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 9 Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Bernard Haitink (conductor)
Two years before his death, Gustav Mahler composed his Ninth Symphony, the last one he was able to complete. In view of his serious heart condition, the composer concerned himself in this work with the resulting existential change in his life. Bernard Haitink is a regular guest on the podium of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. In December of 2011, the conductor from the Netherlands led the orchestra in this work, replacing Mariss Jansons, who was indisposed at the time and he was highly praised for his “old-wise” interpretation. Following Bruckner’s 5th Symphony, this is already the second release Bernard Haitink has presented with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks on the BR-KLASSIK label. 900113
The United States Military Academy Band
West Point Band & Cadet Glee Club From the West Point Military Academy comes this great album that presents the Military Academy Concert Band and Glee Club. These wonderful organizations have a rich history, and continue to perform many concerts throughout the year that draw in thousands of listeners. This album features music for West Point including “The Official West Point March,” “Pride of the Point,” and “Alma Mater,” along with patriotic classics like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Led by Lieutenant Colonel Frank G. Dubuy, the U.S. Military Academy Band and Glee Club play beautifully on each piece, allowing the listener to experience exactly what the Band sounds like “in concert.” It is the diversity, excellence in performance, and technical showmanship of the Academy Band that places it at the top of its class. ALT70062
Sugarland Run
Boudleaux • Bryant Us Navy Country Current Sugarland Run is a fantastic album containing outstanding performances by the talented musicians of The United States Navy Band’s Country Current ensemble. Country Current, the premier country-bluegrass group of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., showcases a five-member acoustic ensemble performing traditional, contemporary, and original bluegrass compositions. The extraordinary talents of the musicians are evident throughout this album and continue to set the standard for the group even today. ALT70072
TrondheimSolistene SOUVENIR Part II
How do we listen to music? Indeed, how do we listen to anything? What we as listeners encounter here is sheer auditory bliss. TrondheimSolistene take a new step towards bridging the gap between themselves and their audience. It is not the gap between the live performance and the recording which they attempt to close. It is the gap between the recording and the living, ever open human ear. Inspired by Morten Lindberg’s extensive work with choral music, the Tchaikovsky’s SERENADE was recorded with the ensemble placed in mixed voices, meaning no one is sitting beside anyone playing the same part, creating a totally new soundscape to the music. Carl Nielsen’s SUITE opus 1 is recorded in a more “traditional” way in these sessions.
2L-090C-LP
Alla Marcia Chevallard
Hanson Us Air Force Band of Golden Gate Recorded by the Air Force Band of the Golden Gate, Alla Marcia contains a series of marches for band. No other musical genre packs as much punch into a small package as does the march. The basic composition of the march is fairly simple: movement, dynamically portrayed, using the basic elements of rhythm, melody, and logical form. On Alla Marcia, Captain Chevallard and the Air Force Band of the Golden Gate illustrate these components with the power and subtlety characteristic of the march style. The tracks on this album represent eight nationalities, providing diverse music with universal appeal.
ALT70262 Journeys
US Navy Band and Sea Chanters Chorus The United States Navy Band and Sea Chanters Chorus recorded this album in order to pay tribute to the many journeys that have enriched the lives of its performers. The music on Journeys ranges from deeply moving to whimsical and has become associated with the ensemble during the geographic and emotional journeys they have taken. This album is truly a timeless expression of the more than 48 years that the Sea Chanters have been providing the world with wonderful music.
ALT70502
The Legacy of Hank Levy
US Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors This album is the second in a series of recordings honoring the lives and music of individuals who have made significant contributions to big band jazz and to music education. The Legacy of Hank Levy honors a man who made his life’s work the composition and teaching of a specifically American musical genre, jazz. Levy’s arrangements consistently employed unusual time signatures and harmonies. He served as an arranger for Stan Kenton and the Don Ellis Orchestra, as well as founder and long-time director of Towson University’s Jazz Program. The Jazz Ambassadors of the United States Army Field Band recorded this album in 1997 at Devers Hall in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Representing some of the finest musical talent in America, The Jazz Ambassadors are the United States Army’s Premier touring jazz orchestra. The Legacy of Hank Levy features some of Levy’s greatest works including “Time for a Change” and “Chain Reaction.” Honoring the memory and innumerable musical contributions of Hank Levy, this album is both inspiring and captivating.
ALT60712
10
JUN-JUL 2012
8802125 AUDITE 21.415 AP 029
Fabrice Millischer Trombone All Styles Maiko Kato, orgue & clavecin Nathanael Gouin, piano
TMK 1013 CD2
DSL-92151
www.naxos.com.hk |
GP 612
J.S.BACH: Goldberg V i ti BWV988 * JJanne Variations, Rättyä (classical accordion)
COR 16102
Naxos International (Far East) Limited ષሬȞሉݍȟ୮аԤ३ϴѧ Tel: 852 2951 9557 Email: info@naxos.com
Great European Choral Works The Sixteen Harry Christophers
The RIAS Bach Cantatas Project Projec with ith Karl K l Ristenpart Ri t t
ODE 1209-2
GRIEG: Cello Concerto 8 S ll & O h t • Songs ffor C Cello Orchestra Raphael Wallfisch, cello • LPO, Vernon Handley
777 720-2
Cavi 8553249
BRAHMS: Symphonies BRAHMS S h i Nos.1-4 N 1 Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze
Frederica von Stade D t A i S Duets, Arias, Scenes & S Songs
ODE 1209-2
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pagea Pageant LPO id P LPO, D David Parry
BEETHOVEN C l t Piano Pi T i Complete Trios Trio Wanderer
MITROPOULOS BEETHOVEN, BEETHOVEN TCHAIKOVKSY Solistes : Rudolf Serkin, Van Cliburn • Philharmonic-Symphony
CD DCA 1176
LPO-0063
SDG 716
RACHMANINOFF: Moments musicaux op.16 . Sonata no.2 Rvgenia Rubinova, piano
CDC 015
MNR BKCD 100
BIS-SACD-1599
J.S. J S BACH: Motets, Motets BWV225-230 BWV225 23 Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
Davis, C Charlie Ch li Chaplin Ch li City Lights
OPOZ56023 (DVD) / OPOZ56024 (Blu-ray)
MAHLER: Symphony no.9 Th i Orchestra O h t The IIsreall Philh Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein
SUBLIME photo book and music by Michael Nyman (Limited edition)
Ecstatic Drumbeat Works W k for f Percussion P i and d Chinese Orchestra
HMC 902100.03
Mahler: Symphonie Nr.9 Nr 9 Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Bernard Haitink
RAFF, J.: Piano Works, Vol. 2 (Tra (T Nguyen) N )
Emil Gilels Early E l Recordings R di •3
HEL 02-9656
900 113
PRD/DSD 350 056
RACHMANINOV: Piano Concertos Concert Nos.1 N 1&2;P Preludes l d (4) Svjatoslav Richter, piano Kurt Sanderling, g, conductor
BANKS, T.: SIX Pieces for Orchestra O h t (City (Cit off P Prague Philharmonic, Englishby)
MOZART: Don Giovanni Opera Australia Chorus Australian Opera and Bellet Orchestra (Blu-ray disc)
8.111386
SHOSTAKOVICH, SHOSTAKOVICH D.: D : Symphonies, Symphoni Vol. 7 - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 15 (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Petrenko)
TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Nutcracker and the Mouse King (The) (Dutch National Ballet, 2011) (Blu-ray, HD)
8.572986
PROKOFIEV, S. Year 1941 (The) / Symphony No. 5 (Sao Paulo Symphony, Alsop)
BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Concerto No. 5 / RIMSKYKORSAKOV, N.: Scheherazade (Bronfman, Nelsons) (Blu-ray, HD)
8.572708
8.573029
CD
STRAUSS, R.: Lieder / Eine Alpensinfonie (Renee Fleming in Concert) (Thielemann) (Blu-ray, HD)
101636 (DVD) / 108054 (Blu-ray)
MOZART, W.A. Piano Concertos Nos. 20-27 (Barenboim) (Blu-ray, Full-HD)
710108 (DVD) / 710204 (Blu-ray)
2066098 (2 DVDs) / 2066094 (Blu-ray)
OA1069D (DVD) / OABD7101D (Blu-ray)
BIU RA Y / DV D
Duet Piano Duo Recital: ZOFO Due BERNSTEIN, L. / SHAPERO, H. / DEBUSSY, C. / STRAVINSKY, I. (Mind Meld)
HAYDN: Paris Symphonies Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra Bruno Weil
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WORLD MUSIC
Nen Nen Sui Sui
Mieko Miyazaki (koto, bass koto, guzheng, vocals and percussions) Guo Gan (erhu) Guillaume Thevenin (synthesizer) The Mieko Miyazaki / Guo Gan duo was born in France, after both musicians left their respective country of origins thus creating the backdrop for a meeting that would have never taken place if neither had left the Far East. And yet, the Japanese koto and Chinese erhu were made to meet just as the guitar of Django Reinhardt with the violin of Stephane Grappelli!
332050
DOIN’ WHAT IT TAKES! LLOYD JONES
JAZZ HIGH LIGHTS
LLOYD JONES
This soulful new release from Pacific Northwest Blues legend LLOYD JONES and his band Lloyd Jones Struggle is available to ship to you NOW. These exciting tracks, mostly originals by Lloyd Jones, blend his guitar and vocals with B3 organ, piano, drums,percussion, bass, trumpet and saxophones! The US release date is July 3, 2012, to coincide with Lloyd’s appearance at the prestigious Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland! US and International blues and roots music press, media and radio will be sent copies for review and airplay shortly. If you have a suggestion for press or radio in your area please email us with information!
FR-704
The Complete ABC Recordings 1959-1961 Ray Charles Ray Charles
Presented for the first time as a single release, this is the complete collection of Ray Charles’ recordings for ABC-Paramount and Impulse up until the end of 1961. These were among his best years, during which Charles produced the unmissable songs “Hit the Road, Jack”, “Georgia on My Mind” and “Unchain My Heart”. All three CDs have been remastered with the utmost care. The 40 page booklet includes rare contemporary documents, a text in English and French and a detailed discography. Available for sale in the World except USA.
AUDIO BOOKS
2742190.92 (3 CDs)
Classic Poems for Boys Read by Anton Lesser Roy McMillan Benjamin Soames et al.
Classic Poems for Boys comprises a delightfully varied set of over 20 poems for 5–10-year olds. From rousing favourites like Felicia Dorothea Hemans’s ‘Casabianca’ and John Keats’s ‘A Song About Myself’, to dreamy, thoughtful poems by Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, this is a collection to be treasured.
NA0102
Classic Poems for Girls
Read by Roy McMillan • Laura Paton • Anne-Marie Piazza and Benjamin Soames Classic Poems for Girls is a collection of over 25 funny, whimsical and moving poems for 5–10-year olds, designed to fuel the imagination. From the adventures of the Jumblies, who sail away in a sieve, to the sticky end of a girl named Matilda, to the courtship of a maiden who lived long ago, in a kingdom by the sea, there’s a poem to suit any feeling or mood. Seasoned Naxos AudioBooks readers Laura Paton, Anne-Marie Piazza, Benjamin Soames and Roy McMillan work their magic on the works of Edward Lear, Louisa May Alcott, Christina Rossetti and many more.
NA0103
12
Ovid
Metamorphoses (Unabridged) Read by David Horovitch The Metamorphoses, by Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC–AD 17) has, over the centuries, been the most popular and influential work from our classical tradition. This extraordinary collection of some 250 Greek and Roman myths and folk tales has always been a popular favourite and has decisively shaped western art and literature from the moment it was completed in AD 8. The stories are particularly vivid when read by David Horovitch in this new lively verse translation by Ian Johnston. NA0107 (14 CDs)
James Hogg
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Unabridged) Read by Peter Kenny and Nicholas McArdle A psychological thriller before its time, James Hogg’s Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, published in 1824, takes us back to the world of 18th-century Scotland, into a mind haunted by religious obsession, and driven to commit murder. The events are told from several different viewpoints, so that truth and reality appear to dissolve in this disturbing story of the dark legacy of Calvinist doctrine, and how it led one man to madness. Misunderstood and neglected for more than a century, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is now regarded as a classic of the supernatural, comparable with Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or Dracula. NA0081 (7 CDs)
JUN-JUL 2012
A Musical Journey: RUSSIA / UKRAINE A Musical Visit to St Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa and the Crimea
Music from ‘Messiah’ by Handel
Music by Tchaikovsky
The Places • The monastery at Ottobeuren was founded in 764 and included buildings from the succeeding centuries, subsequently destroyed by fire. The present buildings date from the beginning of the 18th century, with the church rebuilt under the architect Johann Michael Fischer. It remains a remarkable monument to its period, and the ornate Abbey Church, with its frescoes and elaborate rococo decoration is bewildering in its splendour. The Music • Music accompanying the visit to Ottobeuren consists of choruses from Handel’s oratorio Messiah, written in 1741. Of all English oratorios Handel’s Messiah has always been the most overwhelmingly popular. It is the least theatrical of all his oratorios and the most purely sacred in its choice of subject, the Messiah, a compendious version of the coming of Christ, His death and resurrection. The text, by Charles Jennens, drew extensively on the Authorized Version of the Bible, and an additional attraction has always been the large number of choruses included, a larger number than in any other of Handel’s oratorios.
2.110289
The Places • Our visit starts in St Petersburg, with its palaces and gardens and strange white nights by the River Neva. It continues with scenes of life in Moscow, Red Square, the Kremlin, monasteries and the Bolshoy Theatre. There is a final homage to the poet Pushkin, with portraits and memorabilia from Ukraine and from Russia. The Music • Tchaikovsky completed his Fifth Symphony in 1888, and regarded it with his usual critical diffidence. “Having played my symphony twice in St Petersburg and once in Prague, I have decided it is a failure. There is something repellent in it, some over-exaggerated colour, some insincerity of invention, which the public instinctively recognises”, he wrote, in a letter to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck. It nevertheless achieved considerable success, eventually winning Tchaikovsky’s own approval, and has remained a popular element in Russian symphonic repertoire ever since. His Marche Slave of 1876 reflects patriotic Russian feelings at a time of Balkan conflict with Turkey. 2.110290
A Musical Journey: VENICE A Musical Visit to the Lagoons and Islands of Venice Music by Vivaldi
The Places • A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, its buildings retain much of their historic character and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour which starts and ends with the lagoon, after visiting the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello and San Michele. The Music • Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pietà, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, L’Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration), published in Amsterdam in 1711.
2.110306
Giacomo PUCCINI: La Boheme
Ji-Min Park • Jose Carbo • David Parkin • Shane Lowrencev • Mesne Kizart • Taryn Fiebig Gale Edwards (Director) • Opera Australia Chorus Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra This sensational new production of La boheme, the inspired concept of director Gale Edwards, is set in early 1930s Berlin, a city of liberal indulgence, glittering Spiegeltents and glitzy cabaret clubs, where no excess is considered too much. Charismatic Ji-Min Park gives a stunning performance as Rodolfo, the poet who falls in love with Mimi, played by Takesha Meshe Kizart, who delivers a dazzling version of the impoverished working girl. Renowned conductor Shao-Chia Lu draws from the orchestra and chorus a magnificent performance of Puccini’s lush score.
OPOZ56019CD (2 CDs) / OPOZ56017DVD (DVD) / OPOZ56018BD (Blu-ray)
PIANO IMPROVISATIONS Ola Gjeilo
While my first piano album on the 2L record label, Stone Rose (2007), was all precomposed or outlined, I wanted this 2012 sequel to be completely spontaneous. Although many of the pieces on this album are free improvisations recorded in one take, the first three tracks are fantasies around three of my own choral works; Ubi Caritas, Tota Pulchra Es and Prelude. Recordings of the original choral versions can be found on Phoenix Chorale’s 2012 album, Northern Lights (Chandos Records). Producer Morten Lindberg suggested recording a few tracks where I would play layers of two or three pianos, which I thought was a great way to really exploit the surround sound potential on a solo album. We moved the piano between each take, eventually constituting a triangle, and the listener is sitting in the middle in a surround system setup.
2L-082-SABD
JUN-Jul 2012
Thomas D.A. Tellefsen (1778-1871) complete piano works Jørgen Larsen
The story of Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen (1823-1874) has a special place in the history of 19th century Norwegian music. In his own lifetime he earned an international reputation as a composer, piano virtuoso and teacher, enjoying a close relationship to Chopin both as a pupil and a friend. The connection to Chopin is reflected in several ways in Tellefsen’s music, both in terms of choice of style and genre and by the fact that the majority of his works are for solo piano. Jørgen Larsen was born in 1958 and after winning the Youth Piano Master competition in 1973 he studied under Eva Knardahl. He had his debut concert in Oslo’s University Hall in 1979 before being appointed accompanist at what was then Trøndelag Music Conservatory, now Institute of Music, NTNU, where he still teaches. Jørgen Larsen is a member of several chamber music ensembles, as well as being orchestral pianist with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. 2L-080-PABD
13
DVD / BLU-RAY
A Musical Journey: GERMANY A Musical Visit to the Benedictine Abbey Church at Ottobeuren
DVD / BLU-RAY
SHAKESPEARE THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
Christopher Benjamin • Philip Bird • Sue Wallace • Gregory Gudgeon • Michael Garner • Serena Evans • Ceri-Lyn Cissone • Sarah Woodward Director: Christopher Luscombe Music: Nigel Hess The only one of Shakespeare’s plays to be set within his own class and country, The Merry Wives of Windsor is a farcical tale centring on the wily attempts of Sir John Falstaff to relieve his drinking debts through swindling and seduction. Featuring Christopher Benjamin in the title role, deftly supported by Serena Evans and Sarah Woodward as the scheming Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, this critically-acclaimed production was described by the Daily Telegraph as brimming with ‘humanity, ingenuity and irresistible charm’. A performance guaranteed to entertain.
SHAKESPEARE HENRY VIII
Dominic Rowan • Ian McNeice • Kate Duchêne • Miranda Raison • Anthony Howell Director: Mark Rosenblatt Music: Nigel Hess Henry VIII is one of Shakespeare’s final plays, a political thriller based on the power struggle between the Tudor court and the eponymous king’s ambitious first minister, Cardinal Wolsey. Though famous in its own time as the most extravagant of the playwright’s creations, the work is hardly performed today; Mark Rosenblatt’s spectacular 2010 production was the Globe Theatre’s first staging of the historical drama since 1613 and, featuring stellar performances from Dominic Rowan, Miranda Raison and Anthony Howell, it bursts with intrigue.
OA1079D
Giuseppe VERDI Falstaff
Ambrogio Maestri • Barbara Frittoli Massimo Cavalletti • Eva Liebau Orchester der Oper Zürich Chor der Oper Zürich Staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf Daniele Gatti, currently Music Director of the Orchestre National de France and Zurich Opera will conduct Verdi’s Falstaff at the Royal Opera House in May with Ambrogio Maestri in the leading rôle.
711108 (DVD) / 711204 (Blu-ray)
Pietro MASCAGNI Cavalleria rusticana
Ildiko Komlosi • Sung Kyu Park • Cinzia De Mola • Marco di Felice • Barbara Di Castri Teatro di San Carlo Directed by Maurizio Scaparro Following the sensational success of his one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi on 17 May 1890, Mascagni left no stone unturned in his attempt to ensure that his star remained in the ascendant. But neither his Cavalleria remake, Silvano (1895), nor his Romantic reworking of the Lady Godiva legend, Isabeau, has survived the passing years. This Cavalleria rusticana has left the traditional opera house far behind it and been staged in an open-air theatre once associated with the Emperor Nero. 107331
OA1078D
Salzburg Festival Opening Concert 2011 ALBAN BERG Lulu Suite • Der Wein GUSTAV MAHLER Das klagende Lied
Dorothea Roeschmann • Anna Prohaska • Anna Larsson • Johan Botha Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus State Opera Vienna • Pierre Boulez Top cast with Pierre Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker, Dorothea Röschmann and upcoming soprano Anna Prohaska.
710908 (DVD) / 711004 (Blu-ray)
Anton BRUCKNER SYMPHONY NO. 4 Sergiu Celibidache Munich Philharmonic
The Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache (1912-96) was one of the most adamant personalities in the music world. He rehearsed three times as much as other conductors and avoided making recordings because he believed they were a false representation his musical intentions. This concert from the Herkulessaal in Munich captures one of the rare occasions on which he consented to a recording being made. He conducts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra with Anton Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony No. 4 in E flat major.
101645
MOZART AT SALZBURG FESTIVAL LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, 1966 Walter Berry • Reri Grist • Edith Mathis • Ingvar Wixell • Claire Watson • Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by KARL BÖHM Direction by GÜNTHER RENNERT DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, 1982 Ileana Cotrubas • Edita Gruberova • Peter Schreier • Walter Berry • Christian Boesch • Martti Talvela • Konzertvereinigung Wiener • Staatsopernchor Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by JAMES LEVINE Direction by JEAN-PIERRE PONNELLE LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, 2003 Michael Schade • Vesselina Kasarova • Dorothea Röschmann • Elina Garanca • Barbara Bonney • Konzertvereinigung Wiener • Staatsopernchor Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by NIKOLAUS HARNONCOURT Direction by MARTIN KUŠEJ
107521
14
JUN-JUL 2012
W.A. MOZART
For generations, the bitter-sweet Schubert piano works presented here have delighted music lovers with their irresistible mix of regretful tenderness and euphoric innocence. András Schiff’s exquisitely nuanced performances of the much loved Impromptus and Moments musicaux demonstrate to perfection why he is universally regarded as one of today’s finest interpreters of Schubert.
With this wonderful production, Mozart’s “Munich” opera returns to the place where it was first performed in 1781, the lovingly restored Cuvilliés Theatre, a veritable jewel of Rococo architecture.
Impromptus • Moments Musicaux András Schiff (piano)
Idomeneo John Mark Ainsley • Pavol Breslik • Juliane Banse • Annette Dasch • Chor und Extrachor der Bayerischen Staatsoper Andrés Máspero (chorus master) Bayerisches Staatsorchester Kent Nagano (conductor)
2066808
2072444
Classic Archive: Martha Argerich
Anton BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7
Martha Argerich (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker Sergiu Celibidache (conductor)
Prokofiev London Symphony Orchestra André Previn (conductor)
For the first time after 37 years, in 1992, Maestro Celibidache returned to the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker for a reconciliatory concert. This was to be his last concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Tchaikovsky Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Charles Groves (conductor) Lovingly restored, using the finest state-ofthe-art technology, Classic Archive features great performances from legendary artists, offering a unique historical glimpse into our classical music heritage.
3079858
2011408 (DVD) / 2011404 (Blu-ray)
Herbert Blomstedt Anniversary Edition Johann Sebastian BACH: Toccata and Fugue in D minor; “Fürchte dich nicht”; Chaconne, from Partita No.2 in D minor Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY: “Höre Israel” & “Fürchte dich nicht” from “Elias” Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No.5 in C minor Johann Sebastian BACH: Mass in B minor Nancy Argenta • Victoria Mullova • Jürgen Wolf Ruth Ziesak • Anna Larsson • Christoph Genz • Dietrich Henschel GewandhausKammerchor • Thomaner Chor Leipzig Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Herbert Blomstedt (conductor) Herbert Blomstedt 85th Birthday Anniversary With this recording, Herbert Blomstedt pays homage to Bach and the city of Leipzig. One part of the Blu-ray Disc was recorded in 2005 at the Leipzig Bach Festival, which is widely regarded as the world’s leading festival celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach. This concert of Bach’s masterwork, written at the end of his tenure as the 18th Gewandhauskapellmeister did not really mark the end of Blomstedt’s fruitful collaboration with the traditional orchestra. The Swedish conductor will continue to act as an honorary musical director to the ensemble. Performed with leading Bach singers at St. Thomas’ Church, Leipzig, the church for which Bach conceived his works, this homage to Bach was a touching farewell to Herbert Blomstedt from his Leipzig audience. J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor is one of the greatest and most famous works of sacred music.
2059234
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JUN-Jul 2012
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classics
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DVD / BLU-RAY
András Schiff plays Schubert II