Clementi - Symphonies 1 & 2
Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma; Francesco La Vecchia
Naxos 8.573071

Although we tend to think of Muzio Clementi primarily as the composer of utilitarian exercises for the piano, this disc reminds us of his considerable gifts as a symphonist and the liner notes succinctly lay out the impressive details of his remarkable and influential career. His playing, conducting and teaching brought him into contact with leading composers of his generation and in 1813 he founded – together with Viotti – the Philharmonic Society of London. He was also active in music publishing and the manufacturing of pianos.

Written somewhere between 1805 and 1820 (the exact dates of composition are a matter of speculation), these orchestral pieces invite comparison to the masterpieces of the form by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven and the results are favourable. It’s clear that Clementi’s studies and travels – which took him from Rome to Paris, Vienna, Lyon and, eventually, London – equipped him with a formidable musical knowledge and technique. Thematic interest, clever orchestration and powerful drama make the case that these works should be more widely known.

This excellent recording will help in that regard. La Vecchia coaxes energetic and spirited performances from his orchestra, featuring particularly fine wind playing.     

Szymanowski - Symphonies 2 & 4 “Symphonie Concertante”
Louis Lortie; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Edward Gardner
Chandos CHSA 5115

Following many masterful performances of standard repertoire on Chandos, celebrated pianist Louis Lortie has branched out. In addition to his Lutoslawski Piano Concerto (Chandos CHSA 5098), there is now Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No.4, Op.60 (“Symphonie Concertante,” 1932), a modernist concerto dedicated to Szymanowski’s friend Arthur Rubenstein. Lortie makes the most of solo opportunities, delivering the first movement cadenza with expressive rubato and drama. In a second movement including both romantic-nocturne and Bartókian night-music elements, he accompanies lovely flute and violin solos with tastefully shaped treble figuration. Edward Gardner`s orchestral pacing builds the performance steadily before a return to the original uneasy pastoral mood. The finale is an oberek, a wild Polish dance; here technique and ensemble between Lortie and orchestra are impeccable.

Comparing the work with Szymanowski’s early, derivative Straussian Concert Overture, Op.12 (1905) demonstrates his moving away from German models towards influences from Eastern Europe. Gardner and the BBC Symphony give the latter a rousing performance that shows the 23-year-old composer’s mastery of compositional and orchestral technique. Symphony No.2 (1909-10, re-orchestrated 1927-36) continues his earlier Austro-German direction, reminding me of Zemlinsky and the tonal Schoenberg. The conducting of the dramatic opening movement conveys long, wide-ranging leading and subsidiary lines, with appropriate tempo fluctuations. In the middle movement, each variation is a lyrical gem and the BBC strings shine. An adventurous fugal finale concludes this impressive disc.

The wonderful James Ehnes is back with more top-notch performances in Bartók: Works for Violin and Piano, Volume 2, with the equally terrific Andrew Armstrong at the piano (CHANDOS CHAN 10752). Volume 1 (CHAN 10705) featured sonatas and rhapsodies; this new CD features sonatas and folk dances.

Despite the CD’s title, it’s the Solo Sonata from 1944 that opens the recital, and Ehnes gives a commanding performance, perhaps not as edgy as some, but with a great sense of line and energy. The Sonata in E Minor is an early work from 1903 and is perhaps stylistically closer to Brahms than to the composer Bartók was to become. Well worth hearing, it was apparently shelved after its first performance in 1904 and remained both unplayed and unpublished until the 1960s.

Three shorter works complete a generous — almost 80 minutes — CD. The Hungarian Folksongs and Hungarian Folk Tunes were both transcribed from the piano collection For Children, and the more recognizable Romanian Folk Dances are transcriptions of the solo piano pieces of the same name.

The Latvian violinist Baiba Skride is another player in great form on her latest CD Stravinsky & Martin Violin Concertos, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Thierry Fischer (ORFEO C 849 121 A). There is some beautifully spiky playing in the neo-classical Stravinsky concerto, but the longest work here – and the real gem – is the 1951 concerto by the Swiss composer Frank Martin. It’s a simply lovely work that really should be much better known. The orchestra shines in the Two Symphonic Movements from the mid-1920s by Martin’s fellow countryman Arthur Honegger: the startlingly effective Pacific 231, as good a representation of the physical power of a steam locomotive as you will ever hear and Rugby, which attempts to convey the cut and thrust of the sport. Stravinsky’s short Circus Polka rounds out a highly enjoyable CD.

Cellist Steven Doane and pianist Barry Snyder combine for a quite astonishing Rachmaninoff recital on the Bridge label (BRIDGE 9347). It’s astonishing for two reasons: the recordings were made in 1996 and have simply (and inexplicably) sat on the shelf for the past 16 years; and the playing is quite extraordinary. The brief Danse Orientale Op.2, No.2 opens the disc and is followed by an absolutely riveting performance of the Cello Sonata in G Minor. There is a wonderful balance here, with both players producing a full, rich tonal quality.

What comes next is even better, when Snyder performs the complete Études-Tableaux Op.39 for solo piano; not only is his playing quite stunning, the nine pieces were apparently recorded in a single continuous take, with only a few extraneous sounds over-dubbed after the event. Remarkable.

After back-to-back performances like those, the very brief (2:07) Lied for cello and piano that ends the CD almost seems like an afterthought. The recorded sound throughout is superb.

Sixteen years?? Difficult to explain, but boy, was this ever worth waiting for!

Two imported compilation CDs afford the opportunity to hear three string concertos by contemporary British composers. Oliver Knussen’s 2002 Violin Concerto is included on Autumnal (NMC D178) in a definitive performance by Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with the composer conducting. The CD also includes Alexandra Wood playing Secret Psalm for solo violin and Wood with Hugh Watkins (piano) performing the CD’s title work. Works for orchestra, solo piano, voice and piano and voice and orchestra complete a fascinating look at this 60-year-old composer’s work over 40 years.

Mark-Anthony Turnage, although only eight years younger, was once a composition student of Knussen’s. The London Philharmonic Orchestra has already issued two CDs dedicated to Turnage on its own label and this third self-titled CD (LPO-0066) features première recordings of five Turnage works. Mambo, Blues and Tarantella: concerto for violin and orchestra is a live recording of the September 2008 world première performance by Christian Tetzlaff, with Vladimir Jurowski conducting. On Opened Ground: concerto for viola and orchestra dates from 2001, and is played here by Lawrence Power, with Markus Stenz conducting. Both works provide ample evidence of Turnage’s blending of jazz and blues influences with classical traditions. Two short orchestral works and the clarinet concerto Riffs and Refrains complete the disc.

Renaud Capuçon is back with an interesting pairing of two giant concertos from the Austro-German repertoire, the Brahms and the Berg, on his latest Virgin Classics CD (50999 60265326). The disc realizes Capuçon’s long-time wish to record with the Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted here by the excellent Daniel Harding, and it’s one that will certainly please his many admirers.

Capuçon has been playing these works in public for 15 years, and he is clearly at ease with them. I was particularly interested in his interpretation of the Berg, a particular favourite of mine and a concerto that the soloist considers to be the great violin concerto of the 20th century. It’s hard to disagree. My first reaction was that Capuçon’s smooth, almost genteel approach missed some of the harsh, tragic depth of this very emotional work, but the more I listened the more he convinced me that his approach was the correct one, especially in the Bach chorale in the concerto’s final section.

The Capuçon CD gave me the opportunity to compare his performance of the Berg with one on an excellent disc that I meant to review last year, but somehow managed to overlook, that featured Isabelle Faust and the Orchestra Mozart under Claudio Abbado (harmonia mundi HMC 902105). Faust’s approach is much more gritty and acerbic, even in the quiet opening, although the orchestral detail is more clearly defined. The orchestral sound in the Capuçon disc is surprisingly indistinct at times, especially in the middle range and the percussion.

What really makes the Faust CD a great buy is her terrific performance of the Beethoven concerto. Her fairly fast vibrato is more effective here than in the Berg; the outer movements move along at a really bright tempo and the slow movement is beautifully and sensitively drawn out, with lovely dynamics. The lengthy first movement cadenza, complete with timpani accompaniment, is presumably an arrangement of Beethoven’s own cadenza for his piano transcription of the concerto; several violinists from Eugène Ysaÿe to Christian Tetzlaff have arranged the piano cadenza for violin and timpani, but there is no confirmation of this in the booklet notes. The orchestral support and recorded sound are outstanding.

There’s yet another fine recording of the wonderful Schubert String Quintet in C major, D956, this time by the Takacs Quartet with Ralph Kirshbaum on the always-reliable Hyperion label (CDA67864). Written just a few months before the composer’s death in 1828, it’s a work of great range and depth and one which always seems to draw the best out of its performers. I reviewed an excellent CD of the same work by the Arcanto Quartett just last November, and this latest issue is of an equally high standard. Schubert’s Quartettsatz, the String Quartet Movement in C minor, D703, completes the disc; it was the only completed movement of a string quartet both started and abandoned in 1820.

Constantine Caravassilis:
Visions – The Complete Books of Rhapsodies and Fantasias
Christina Petrowska Quilico
Centrediscs CMCCD 18613

As evidenced in each of her many releases on the Centrediscs label Christina Petrowska Quilico’s technique is blazingly virtuosic but never “showy” and her interpretations are always deeply intelligent and sympathetic to her composers. She has championed many Canadian composers, many women composers and has been the main exponent of Ann Southam’s piano music in particular. Her latest collaboration is with Greek-Canadian Constantine Caravassilis. Knowing his soloist well (she was his piano teacher), the composer has created music that highlights her skills and her performer’s personality very effectively. The overall artistic mien of Petrowska Quilico’s work in this recording I would call sunny, as in “radiant” and “brilliant” — perhaps it’s the famous Greek sunshine, come to think of it. Her technique can be immensely delicate but also very forceful, while never betraying any sense of effort. This is quite an offering of piano music by a single composer but Caravassilis’ work sustains interest with its stylistic and emotional range and textural and dynamic shifts, while Petrowska Quilico’s interpretation ensures a delicious listening experience.

Caravassilis approaches composition essentially as an expressionist. That is to say, his personal ideas and feelings are the motivation for, and form the content of, his music. As he writes in the liner notes: “...  an attempt to creatively mold information drawn from the subconscious into an artistic form, often through the use of borrowed material.” The borrowed material in this case is of two main types: the music, both secular and sacred, of Caravassilis’ Greek heritage and some core elements of 19th and 20th century classical piano repertoire (plus contributions from Hildegard von Bingen and Alan Hovhaness).

Mercurial is a word that comes to mind as one follows the rapid ups-and-downs of the music of The Book of Rhapsodies, the first disc of Visions. The Shadow Variations on a theme by Alan Hovhaness, for example, is a work of almost a half-hour’s duration, but since the composer has used a formal scheme that divides the piece into 24 parts, even here there is little room for sustained reflection.

The Book of Fantasias, comprises the program for the second disc. It begins similarly to the first Book, a modal melody unfolding over a long, repeated pedal tone. Most of these Fantasias give their ideas more time to unfold and it is in general a somewhat more relaxed/relaxing listen compared with the bracing first disc. This is especially true of the beautiful, elegiac Lumen de Lumine, dedicated to the memory of Ann Southam, which closes the program.

Voces Boreales
Yoko Hirota
Centrediscs CMCCD 18713

Voces Boreales is a record of which the entire creative team, and all of us music-lovers in this northern country, can be justly proud. As Japanese-Canadian Yoko Hirota explains in her notes, the title refers both to her North Ontario home and to Canada as a whole as represented by the “northern voices” of this album’s selected composers.

Ms. Hirota is a specialist in contemporary repertoire, and her dedication to this field is clear in the thoroughly contemporary sensibility she brings to her interpretations. Sensitive and searching sonic exploration of the instrument takes the place of post-Romantic expressivity — Ms. Hirota and her chosen composers are perfectly in step in this regard.

The program displays the beguiling breadth of contemporary Canadian piano music. Although the compositions themselves are all quite recent, the composers’ birthdates span almost 50 years, so we are assured of a wide cross-section of what can be called contemporary. Brian Current’s Sungods begins the proceedings, a short work equally charming, impressive and clearly constructed. Robert Lemay has drawn inspiration from Alain Resnais’ famous film Hiroshima mon amour, while François Morel’s work pays homage to the great Montreal abstract painter Yves Gaucher (d. 2000) who was himself often inspired by modern music. The works by Lemay and Morel display these composers, better known for their works for large ensemble, savouring the intimacy and rigour of solo piano. Laurie Radford’s experience in electroacoustics lends his music a tactile materiality, and Brian Cherney’s Nachtstücke are definitely among the most evocatively nocturnal-sounding pieces this listener has ever heard.

For anyone with the ears and heart for contemporary music — and I don’t mean just aficionados either but, well, everyone — this record is a joy to listen to from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

Arne Nordheim –
Complete Accordion Works
Frode Haltli; Raoul Björkenheim;
Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen; Norwegian Radio Orchestra; Christian Eggen
Simax PSC 1328

The contemporary music world currently has many accomplished and talented accordionists performing compositions written for the instrument by some of the greatest composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. In just over 50 years, the number of essential accordion repertoire pieces has grown exponentially due to collaborations between instrumentalists and the composers courageous enough to put pencil to paper. One such early important collaboration was between Danish accordionist Mogens Ellegaard (1935–1995) and Norwegian composer Arne Nordheim (1931–2010). The resulting four groundbreaking works are all featured here for the first time on one release by the colourful Norwegian accordionist Frode Haltli.

The serialism-influenced Signals (1967) for accordion, electric guitar and percussion is still fresh and innovative-sounding. Dinosauros (1971) is a monster technical work for accordion and tape, with its cluster sounds, stereophonic effects and huffing from the air button. Spur (1975) for solo accordion and orchestra begins and ends with a luscious long tone (originally meant for a trombone soloist). Unfortunately, the accordion is occasionally slightly too forward in the mix making the parts sound unbalanced. In Flashing (1986) for solo accordion, Nordheim masterfully draws from his compositional experience. All the clusters, melodies and effects are clearly defined, with Haltli’s superb contrapuntal playing adding to the inherent lyricism of the work.

Haltli clearly understands the compositions and yet is unafraid to include his personal colourful sound. A must-listen-to release for Nordheim and accordion fans alike!

Octet Volume One
Dave Young; Terry Promane
University of Toronto

Recorded at Drive Shed Studio, Toronto, May 24 and 25, 2012, with Kevin Turcotte, trumpet/flugel horn; Vern Dorge, alto saxophone; Mike Murley, tenor saxophone; Terry Promane, trombone; Perry White, baritone saxophone; Gary Williamson, piano; Dave Young, bass; Terry Clarke, drums.

A look at the line-up of this band tells you right off that you can look forward to some great playing, and this CD will certainly live up to your expectations. The music consists of three originals, two composed and arranged by Terry Promane, one written and arranged by Rick Wilkins, and seven jazz standards.

When I say jazz standards I don’t mean songs from the golden age of popular song, but compositions by jazz musicians which have over time become musicians’ standards. They are arranged by Dave Young and range from the Dizzy Gillespie classic A Night In Tunisia, through Stompin’ At The Savoy to Better Git It In Your Soul by Charles Mingus. Along the way there is a lovely version of Thad Jones’ To You.

The musicianship and creativity shown by this top notch group make it hard to single out any one member, but I have to say that for me it is particularly satisfying to hear the playing of Gary Williamson. He is respected by fellow musicians but his talents far exceed his level of recognition with the jazz public. If you like interesting well-arranged numbers played by outstanding players who understand where the music comes from you can buy this recording online at Indie Pool, CD Baby or iTunes.

The Sky Was Pale Blue, Then Grey
Allison Au Quartet
Independent
allisonau.com

Recorded May 30 and June 6 and 13, 2012, at Inception Sound Studios, Toronto, this disc features Allison Au, alto saxophone; Todd Pentney, piano, Rhodes and Hammond B3; Jonathan Maharaj, acoustic and electric bass; Fabio Ragnelli, drums and auxiliary percussion; Felicity Williams, vocals.

There is no doubting the wealth of young musical talent playing contemporary creative music and Allison Au is certainly among that number. This debut CD is a program of original compositions showcasing the playing of this talented group. The music is not “easy listening” and you have to be able and willing to broaden your listening boundaries if you belong in the more traditional category of listeners; but it is an opportunity to venture into pastures new.

There is a strong melodic feel to her compositions; La-Da-Dee and Tired Face, co-composed with pianist Pentney, are good examples. And speaking of Pentney I have to acknowledge the first-rate playing of the rhythm section which makes a major contribution to this recording.

Interesting footnote: the album title piece is intercut with excerpts from a discussion between John Cage and Morton Feldman which is interesting first time around but could be a bit intrusive with repeated listening. Just my opinion.

That said, I think you’ll hear more of Allison Au in the future. This CD is available on iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon.

O’ The Emotions
Attacca
Schraum 15 (www.schraum.de)

Named for the musical direction at a movement’s end that indicates the next sequence must follow immediately, this CD’s 10 tracks do just that, exposing a series of clanking, resonating and breathing timbres that meld exquisitely. As significantly, the players source electronic-like properties from acoustic instruments, using unusual techniques and patterning, not processing or mechanical synthesis.

Part of the reason for O’ The Emotions’ achievement is the mixing and mastering skills of the trio’s guitarist, Calgary-born, McGill Music-educated Dave Bennett. But there’s little post-production prestidigitation. A Berlin-resident since 2003, Bennett’s unfussy string-hammering instead creates a percussive undertow that he and resolute German bassist Axel Haller slip into to provide ballast behind their own solos as well as those of captivatingly unique trombonist Matthias Müller, another German. Using tongue stops, air puffed through his horn’s body tube without slide or valve movement, slurs and whistles, Müller’s resulting lowing growl and narrow breaths are more bravura than brassy. Squirming with protoplasmic intensity his inventions assert themselves but without demanding centre stage. Similarly, both Haller’s pumping stentorian loops and Bennett’s racking twangs and string-rattles add to a constantly evolving production without disruption.

Definition is finally created out of sonic chaos with the concluding Living by Fiction. A series of organ-like glissandi made up equally of bow sweeps across double bass strings; splayed guitar licks and concentrated trombone grace notes achieve a climax of dense, polyphonic textures radiating every which way. The CD is another example of the unexpected aural adventures available that are hardly reflected by a mere listing of the players’ instrumentation.

Toronto drummer Nick Fraser has a strong presence across the spectrum of modern jazz, but he’s particularly prominent in free jazz projects like the band Drumheller and the Lina Allemano Four. He’s taken an emphatic role as composer and bandleader as well as drummer on Towns and Villages (Barnyard Records BR0330 barnyardrecords.com), putting together a quartet with regular associates Rob Clutton on bass and Andrew Downing on cello along with tenor and soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby, one of New York’s most explosive musicians. The CD opens with a wall of overblown tenor and gritty bowed strings, but it’s a group with many levels and colours, from ballads with Malaby on soprano to intriguing circular compositions in which Fraser’s motifs are repeated by the saxophone and cello, synchrony gradually breaking down into echo. Everyone involved is clearly inspired by the meeting: it might be a band for a day, but it’s a great one.

Another Toronto drummer, veteran Barry Romberg, leads Random Access, a loose-knit band with a fluid personnel but a consistent ability to generate lively, interesting music. Part 12: Crab People (Romhog 123 barryromberg.com) is a 2-CD set devoted largely to Romberg’s compositions with shifting time signatures and largely modal underpinnings, giving everyone involved sufficient stimulation and adequate space to develop their ideas. The band changes from track to track, from three to six musicians, and the electric fusion quotient changes as well, depending on whether the bass is acoustic (Kieran Overs or Julian Anderson Bowes) or electric (Rich Brown), whether there’s one or two guitarists (Geoff Young and Ben Monder) present, or keyboards (Robi Botos) or tablas (Ravi Naimpally), but these sessions are at a consistently high level. Saxophonist Kelly Jefferson and trumpeter Kevin Turcotte contribute forcefully to the title track, while tenor saxophonist Kirk MacDonald distinguishes himself on End of an Era.

Quebecois saxophonist François Carrier travels and records frequently and he’s built up a discography that may be larger and more varied than any other Canadian musician playing free jazz. He and drummer Michel Lambert have wandered as far afield as Kathmandu while playing with a cavalcade of international musicians. Just the pianists include Paul Bley, Uri Caine, Bobo Stenson and the newly arrived Russian Alexey Lapin. Their latest adventure is Shores and Ditches (FMR CD CD340-0512 francoiscarrier.com), and while there’s no recording data, the sidemen suggest an English locale. On an unaccompanied track, Carrier emphasizes the sweetness of his keening alto sound, stretching notes to the point where it sounds like a free jazz version of Harlem Nocturne. Duets with Lambert emphasize the propulsive dialogue, while a long episodic trio improvisation with Guillaume Viltard is artfully enhanced by the bassist’s sustained and virtuosic mastery of both arco and pizzicato techniques. Viltard, guitarist Daniel Thompson and flutist Neil Metcalfe appear on a collective improvisation, an effectively sustained exploration highlighted by Metcalfe’s distinctive clarity of line.

David Occhipinti is a masterful guitarist, possessed of some of the fluid lyricism and harmonic subtlety of his former teacher Jim Hall, but he’s also serious about composition, as fascinated by the possibilities of chamber music as he is by improvisation. Camera (Occdav Music OM006 davidocchipinti.com) presents two long suites by two different ensembles and two stand-alone pieces, engaging multi-hued pieces that mix and match methods in the same spirit as Frank Zappa’s serious music, like The Perfect Stranger.

Demonstrating that accepted musical customs are often shibboleths — the equivalent of not wearing white after Labour Day — contemporary improvisers frequently express themselves unconventionally — even when it comes to instrumental choices. Take for example the fine duo sessions here. Unaccompanied by others, the players prove that there are enough textures available from nearly identical instruments to create full sound pictures. These sets show not only how much can be done with two guitars — a common combination — but also by two percussion sets, not to mention two saxophones of similar ranges and timbres.

Recorded at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Stones (Rue Grammofon RCD 2136 CD runegrammofon.com) matches the tenor and baritone saxophone of Swede Mats Gustafsson with the alto and bass saxophones of Montreal’s Colin Stetson. Although the strength and power available from lower-pitched woodwinds gives the two licence for frequent displays of sternum-shaking and bone-rattling overblowing, the four selections highlight more than just quivering throaty growls. Scattered throughout the dense and nearly opaque duets are mellow connective sequences and some that are created with panache. True, the elegance of tracks such as Stones that Need Not is predicated on acceptance of a climax of slowly melding textures, evolving from one saxman outputting linear tongue smacks and reed sucks, while the other decorates the sequence with chromatic split tones and quivering buzzes. Still, the reed variations are never overly bulky, but instead deconstruct the exposition with crying stutters and emotional in-throat vocalizing. Another strategy, as on Stones that Can Only Be, involves one player concentrating on a pedal-point ostinato with glottal punctuation and finger vibrations, while the second’s altissimo timbres of intense buzzing and slap tonguing decorate the narrative. Such unusual reed techniques may be expected from Gustafsson, whose outstanding free improvisations are on display in many jazz ensembles. However those who only know Stetson from his day job with the pop band Arcade Fire may be shocked and/or impressed.

If Gustafsson and Stetson utilize as well as overcome the elephantine qualities of their mammoth saxes, then London’s Lol Coxhill and Vienna’s Max Nagl transcend the perceived delicacy of their soprano saxophones’ timbres. Replacing the other saxophonists’ necessary gravitas with playfulness, the two skip through 16 tracks of solos and duos. Entitled In Memory of Lol Coxhill (Rude Noises 021 www.maxnagl.at), the CD celebrates instances where the experiences of Coxhill (1932-2012) as busker and pop sideman, as well as revered improviser, dovetailed with the skills Nagl, 28 years his junior, had amassed composing theatre and film music. Together the two produce profound improvisations that offer levity without a hint of condescension. Probably the best example of this is Charangalia where the saxophonists’ balanced and affiliated tones circle one another, swaying to a near oomph-pah-pah beat. You can almost imagine the players dressed in matching lederhosen, waltzing around the floor as they flutter-tongue their reeds. On his own, Nagl has a predisposition for calypso themes and breaks up the proceedings with brief asides on harpsichord and guitar; meanwhile Coxhill recounts a shaggy dog story in a plummy accent. Still the sonic fun never takes second place to instrumental excellence. On a track such as zweites Stockwerk, for instance, the two create an entire colour palate from a contrapuntal collection of slide-whistle-like trills, reed-biting squeaks and pronounced slurs plus a mellow, single-note interface. Eventually as the bent note distortions meet, a dual narrative emerges that is both multiphonic and moving.

Polyrhythms are the order of the day on Etudes (SoLyd SLR 0414 www.solyd-records.ru), where San Francisco’s Garth Powell and Vilnius resident Vladimir Tarasov share the same extended percussion kit to do a lot more than drum banging. Composers as well as skin beaters, Tarasov and Powell cast these etudes as part faux tutorials and part virtuosic displays. With the American providing brief tongue-in-cheek commentary they proceed to extract beats and vibrations which are often as diaphanous as they are driving. Multiphonic as well as multi-rhythmic, a track like After All suggests the sounds that could arise from a wind machine; while crisp slaps on suspended gongs are matched with friction resulting from violin bows rubbed on cymbals during Strung Up On Your Bow. Picture View Postcards confirms that the correct drum stick sizzle on percussion tops can replicate a dancer’s soft-shoe routine; while the thundering bounces, timely rattles, cascading press rolls and splashing cymbals of No Compensation put aside any doubts as to the drummers’ time-keeping ability, as they swing as effortlessly as Buddy Rich or Max Roach. Despite those skills a track such as My Old Wings is the best example of why they continue to experiment. Spatially organized rather than concentrated, Tarasov and Powell make their triple flams and ratamacues plus mineshaft-deep bass drum reverb reflect the recording space, so that a feeling of powerful motion is present without either having to raise the volume of the performance.

This sort of relaxed intensity also permeates Hogwild Manifesto (Jungulous 003 www.andersnilssonguitar.com), but the jagged electric guitar lines of the duo called Hot and Cold is closer to hearing two Jimi Hendrixes rather than the sedate picking of Chet Atkins and Les Paul or Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. American Aaron Dugan and Swede Anders Nilsson are sophisticated enough in so-called post-rock and post-jazz styles that they are easily able to work up a track like For Albert which is both thorny and tuneful, wrapping single note finger-picking with arpeggiated climaxes. Elsewhere, one clunks chords and clicks out a slapping ostinato while the other probes the stratosphere with flanged reverb. They subsequently switch roles then cut off the sound in a split second. Like the other duos here they show they’re also capable of subtle swing. For example they approximate an Ellis-Kessel foot-tapping groove on Night Juice Agenda, than quickly splinter it into fuzz-tone reverb and staccato crunches. Tossing ideas back and forth they touch on Middle Eastern-styled licks and highly legato slurred fingering, contrasting buzzing intensity with an overlay of fingerpicking. Before summing up the meeting with exquisite cascades, innate lyricism is on show as much as heavily processed outer space twangs.

With the inventiveness implicit in free improvisation, contrasting textures can be sourced from instruments supposedly identical in tones and timbres. These duos confirm the thesis.

Momento
Michael Ciufo
Acronym Records RWCD0001 (www.michaelciufo.com)

With the release of Momento, there can be no doubt that classical/contemporary vocalist Michael Ciufo has created a stirring and memorable debut recording. His sumptuous, baritone voice is all at once controlled, crystalline and striking, and his handsome presentation is absolutely au courant. Ciufo moves seamlessly between flawless vocals in Italian, English, French and Spanish – letting loose the poetry of each evocative phrase.

Ciufo and producer Chris Bilton have assembled a literal who’s who of the Canadian music industry to perform on this impressive CD, including conductor Glenn Morley, special guest Hawksley Workman on electric guitar (enjoy his beautiful work on Oh, You Delicate Heart), George Koller on bass, Rob Piltch on guitar, Davide di Renzo on percussion, Lenny Solomon on violin, Wendy Solomon on cello, Erica Goodman on harp, Chris Bilton on piano and synthesizer programming and a host of other fine musicians.

Ciufo is expert at telling the story – creating and capturing musical and/or cinematic moments. Of particular note are the melancholy Caruso, the deeply passionate Chitarra Romana, the simply gorgeous La Chanson Des Vieux Amants and the quintessentially Italian Musica Proibita. The final track, Oh, You Delicate Heart, is a country-flavoured pop song, beautifully rendered and illustrative of this skilled vocalist’s ability to impressively adapt to a wide variety of stylistic motifs. 

A keen romantic sensibility, deadly intonation, excellent taste, high musicality and a deeply communicative approach insure that Ciufo is well on his way to international recognition – and every bit as worthy of said recognition as other internationally successful classical/pop/contemporary vocal artists (David Foster-produced and otherwise).

Europa
Ron Korb
Humbledragon Entertainment HD2012 (www.ronkorb.com)

Flutist Ron Korb has built an international career as a studio musician and as a solo performer; he is particularly in demand for his command of any number of flutes from non-western cultures. Europa, his 16th solo CD, features him not only as performer but also as composer. The music on each track is dedicated to a prominent European composer or compositional genre, on which it is loosely modelled. 

Korb’s affinity for Celtic music, evident on several of the tracks, makes this disc particularly appealing. The especially compelling example of his flair for it can be found on track four, Beckett’s Whisper, which he plays on a wooden Irish flute, really, he observed recently, a baroque flute without the typical D-sharp key. The warm expressiveness of his sound in this wistful, haunting melody has not gone unnoticed: it has recently been named a finalist in the International Acoustic Music Awards.

His collaborators on the disc also deserve acknowledgment: pianist Laila Biali’s distinctive musical personality blends perfectly with Korb’s, while always adding to and supporting his work. Percussionist Larry Crowe is consistently sensitive to his relationship with the other musicians. I admired his tom-tom playing in 1759, a quasi martial tribute to that watershed year in French-English relations. Winona Zelenka, whose cello playing can fill a concert hall, adjusts her sound perfectly to the intimate scale of the occasion and provides welcome contrast to the flute. It is Korb’s unique and recognizable sound, however, that is at the heart of this recording’s appeal.

Passione
Charles Di Raimondo
Independent CDR012 (www.charlesdiraimondo.com)

In the interpretive arts, there is no substitute for life experience – although a good imagination may work for a while, ultimately only genuine, experience-driven emotion transcends the mists of time. In Charles Di Raimondo’s debut CD, not only does he display a highly trained vocal instrument of terrific scope, but he has also literally infused each song with his deeply personal engrams of a life abundantly (and no doubt passionately) lived.

Co-Producers Raimondo and Glenn Morley have created an eclectic program, highlighting Raimondo’s versatility. On the opening track, Raimundo (who also contributes lyrics, music and arrangements) wraps his rich baritone around Ennio Morricone’s theme from the cinematic masterpiece Cinema Paradiso, which sets an impressively high bar for the rest of the recording. 

Of note is a freshly reworked rendition of the contemporary classic, Time to Say Good-bye. The rock-infused production, pleasant baritone placement and double-tracked vocals result in a sumptuous, hearty version, quite unlike any of the more familiar takes from Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. The spare, emotional Caruso (Lucio Dalla) employs gorgeous acoustic guitar work as the perfect complement to Raimondo’s intensity. Also consummately performed is E Lucevan Le Stelle (from Tosca), with another breathtaking acoustic guitar solo placed against Raimundo’s fully charged vocal. Closing out the program are two more stunners: the Italian folk-inspired Mamma (Nell ‘Eterna Melodia) and the lilting and romantic Aquella Noche en Madrid – sung in Español perfecto!

This is a delightful and expertly produced recording that will no doubt be satisfying to both lovers of classical and contemporary vocal music. Although Raimondo’s debut CD may have been a while in the making, the results have been well worth the wait.

Although Gramophone Magazine recently determined that Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra was the finest orchestra in the world, other surveys have given that honour to the more highly esteemed Vienna Philharmonic. Unlike the Concertgebouw and other orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic does not engage a permanent conductor. It draws its members from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and its home is Vienna’s illustrious Musikverein where most of its recordings are made. TV viewers around the world know the Musikverein thanks to the annual telecast of the Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concert.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is a democratic, self-governing body founded in 1842 by composer Otto Nicolai (The Merry Wives of Windsor) and since then the greatest conductors of their time have stood before them, from Hans Richter, Gustav Mahler, Felix Weingartner and Wilhelm Furtwangler to Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Clemens Krauss and George Szell. The list goes on to include the maestros who are heard in the Wiener Philharmoniker Symphony Edition from Deutsche Grammophon (4790718, 50 CDs) containing 95 symphonies by 13 composers.

In June 1984, James Levine recorded Mozart symphonies 28, 29 and 30, initiating what would become a complete cycle. A year later, in June 1985, he set down six more, with further sessions in December 1986, December 1987 and June 1989, with the final two sessions in February and December 1990. Levine was George Szell’s apprentice in Cleveland in 1964 and 1965 and assistant conductor until 1970. Levine absorbed Szell’s characteristically crisp articulation and clarity of the melodic line, qualities that serve Mozart well. Unavailable for many years, the return to active duty of this complete cycle, occupying the first 11 discs, is more than welcome.

Discs 12 and 13 are devoted to Haydn’s symphonies 88 to 92 and 105 conducted by Karl Böhm whose traditional Kapellmeister elegance will charm those who look for such music making (1972/73 recordings). Discs 14 to 18 find the nine Beethoven symphonies divided up between Bernstein (1, 3 and 9); Abbado (2 and 4); Kleiber (5 and 7) and Böhm (6 and 8); judiciously allocated, as demonstrated by the selection of Böhm’s perfect realization of the “Pastoral” from 1971.

Discs 19 and 20 contain Schubert’s 3, 5, 8 and 9 with Kleiber, Böhm and Gardiner while disc 21 has Gardiner again in Mendelssohn’s 4 and 5. Discs 22 and 23 have Bernstein’s final recorded interpretations of Schumann from 1984/85 revealing an understanding and commitment beyond him ten years earlier in New York. Discs 24 to 26 find the Brahms symphonies allocated to Bernstein (1, 2), Giulini (3) and Kleiber (4). No arguments here. Discs 27 to 32 have six of Bruckner’s nine, with three given to Abbado (1, 4 and 5), Karajan’s swan song 7 (1989) and 8 (1988), with the 9th under Giulini. Discs 33 to 35 have Karajan’s arguably finest performances of Tchaikovsky’s 4, 5 and 6, all from 1984.

Discs 36 and 37 offer only four of Dvořak’s nine: unexpectedly by Myung-Whun Chung (6, 7) and Maazel (8, 9). Discs 38 to 47 offer an almost complete Mahler cycle: Abbado (2, 3, 4 and 9), Bernstein (5, 8 and the Adagio from 10) and Boulez gets the 6th.

Discs 48 to 50 are given to Leonard Bernstein conducting astounding performances of Sibelius 1, 2, 5 and 7 and finally the 6th and 9th by Shostakovich. Both Sibelius and Shostakovich receive performances of a lifetime, no ifs, ands or buts. A supercharged, over-the-top coda to this exemplary, ridiculously inexpensive collection.

We know Menahem Pressler primarily as the pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, the group that he founded in 1955 which soon became one of the most respected chamber groups in history. He also performed and recorded outside the trio as a soloist and in concerted works. The trio disbanded in 2008 but Pressler continues to perform as soloist and accompanist. DOREMI has issued a set of CDs featuring Pressler’s Chopin recorded c.1960 (DHR-7989/90, 2 stereo CDs). Heard are three works with orchestra, the two concertos and the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op.22 together with three polonaises and five mazurkas. Pressler was evidently in top form on each occasion and we witness his Chopin to be expressive and eloquent with touches of refreshing originality.

The sound is pleasantly warm and quite convincing due to the tube-based electronics used for the meticulous transfers. I must comment that, as in the original LPs, the sound in the three concerted works (all with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra) tends to favour the piano. This is volume two in a series and I am informed that volumes three and four contain Pressler’s entire Mozart, Prokofiev and Shostakovich recordings including concertos.

When Classical Barbra was issued in 1976 a few “classical music lovers” expressed righteousness indignation at the thought of Barbra Streisand even attempting to perform “their” repertoire. Claus Ogerman made the arrangements and conducted the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Ten tracks were issued on the LP and then on a CD which has never left the catalogue. It is now exactly 40 years since these songs were recorded and Columbia has taken the opportunity to remaster the ten originals and add two unreleased songs (Sony 92255-2).

No one is claiming that any one of these is the best version but Streisand fans will enjoy 40 minutes of hearing her distinctive voice in unusual and attractive, evocative repertoire including chansons of Debussy, Cantaloube and Fauré and lieder of Wolf, Schumann and Schubert among other offerings.