Schumann – Liederkreis
Gerald Finley; Julius Drake
Hyperion CDA67944

Canadian singer Gerald Finley is living proof that being a baritone is not some form of divine punishment. Finley demonstrates his advantage with a rich, resonant ease in a range that basses and tenors can rarely match.

His choice of the Schumann Op.24 and Op.39 song cycles offers him the opportunity to move through a wide range of poetic texts by Eichendorff and Heine. Whether nostalgic, frustrated or purely romantic, Finley captures the spirit of each iteration with a conviction as honest as Schumann’s own must have been. The writing is imbued with the passion and frustration of his romance with Clara Wieck whose father found Schumann an unsuitable match for his daughter and resisted the ever-deepening relationship that would inevitably result in their marriage.

These songs reflect a structural freedom that is neither fully through-composed nor fully strophic. Yet Schumann seems entirely comfortable with his decision to live in an evolving world between accepted forms. His writing offers singers a freedom to exploit the emotional and dramatic potential of each poem, and Finley does this exceptionally well, especially in the more gentle songs.

Finley brings an engaging tenderness to the opening tracks of Op.39, especially “Mondnacht.” Where many singers glide through the text on the merit of Schumann’s melody, Finley uses strategic pauses to heighten the sense of nocturnal mystery. The Op.24 “Berg’ und Burgen” also shows Finley’s superb artistic sensibility. Altogether a very fine performance.

Whither must I wander?
David John Pike; Isabelle Trüb
Signum Records SIGCD314
davidjohnpike.com

With a daunting range of emotional expression and poetic moods, Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel challenge every singer who performs them. Singers performing these songs must have a convincingly profound understanding of the composer’s affinity for the poet’s (Robert Louis Stevenson) own spiritual wanderlust. Canadian-British baritone David John Pike travels well in Vaughan Williams’ universe. He understands the evolutionary push these works gave to English parlour song, moving the art form into the 20th century and unimagined new realms of form and tonality. Vaughan Williams writes with the feel of open-ended free form that nevertheless rests on solid compositional craft. Pike seems naturally at home with this, flowing easily from the lighter-hearted “Blackmore by the Stour” to the mystical and sacred “The Call.”

Pike’s dark roast baritone voice is wonderfully robust yet clear and his articulate pleasure at singing art song in English is a joy to hear. His repertoire choice makes for a superb program on a disc that includes works by two of Vaughan Williams’ friends and colleagues: Gerald Finzi and Roger Quilter. Finzi’s language is more restrained and introspective, qualities that Pike senses and portrays beautifully. But the real surprise on the disc is Quilter’s Three Shakespeare Songs that Pike delivers with imagination and elegance. Here is an unassailable argument for hearing more of Quilter’s work performed and recorded.

Finally, accompanist Isabelle Trüb is stunningly virtuosic without stealing the limelight ... incredible.

Wagner – Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Gerald Finley; Marco Jentzsch;
Johannes Martin Kränzle; Anna Gabler; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Glyndebourne Chorus; Vladimir Jurowski
Opus Arte OA 1085 D

To sit through Wagner’s over five-hour long comic masterpiece in the opera house is a daunting task but on DVD in the comfort of home it becomes joyful and rewarding. From Glyndebourne’s new Opera House the piece springs to fresh new life under David McVicar’s innovative direction. Fully aware of how this opera has been bound to “sacred” Germanic traditions he has made a few striking departures to make it relevant to today’s audiences not with directorial “tricks” but by adding a new thoroughly human dimension.

Canadian baritone Gerald Finley is an inspired choice for Hans Sachs, the hero of the opera, traditionally portrayed as an old man. Many of Wagner’s operas are somewhat autobiographical and seeing himself as Sachs, a still handsome, virile and wise middle-aged artist surely would have pleased Wagner. Finley proves to be wonderful in this complex and difficult role.

Wagner also saw himself as the rebellious young lover, Walther von Stolzing, sung by Marco Jentzsch, not the traditional beefcake heldentenor but a handsome youth with a voice of gentle tenderness embedded in the Wagnerian power. Just like the composer, Walther is also intent on breaking into the “Establishment” with his new music, but encounters strong resistance in Beckmesser (alias Hanslick, Wagner’s arch critic) who in this new setting is no bungling fool, but a man of some stature, portrayed superbly by J.M. Kränzle.

The distinguished cast is well chosen, look the part, act and sing gloriously. Add to all this the London Philharmonic in the orchestra pit and a young conductor, Vladimir Jurowsky, who controls Wagner’s multi-layered polyphonic, contrapuntal score like a Karajan reborn.

Die Thomaner - A Year in the Life of the St. Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig
Paul Smaczny; Gunter Atteln
Accentus Music ACC 20212

Bach - Matthaus Passion
Thomanerchor; Gewandhausorchester; Georg Christoph Biller
Accentus Music ACC 20256

The Leipzig Thomanerchor was founded in 1212 and the Thomasschule, of which the choir became part, followed soon after. The DVDs under review were issued on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the choir. Johann Sebastian Bach was the Cantor there from 1723 until his death in 1750. It was for Leipzig that he wrote most of his cantatas as well as the two great Passions: St. John and St. Matthew.

Although now the choir is the jewel in the crown for both the school and the city of Leipzig, that was hardly true in Bach’s time. Bach was responsible for the music not in just one church but in five. He was to complain that pupils were generally admitted on academic, not musical grounds. At one point he calculated that among the pupils 17 were “usable,” 20 might become “usable” at some point and 17 were unmusical. Bach also had to find orchestral musicians. They had to be paid but the city administration refused to fund more than eight. Many of the schoolboys played instruments but, if they were used as instrumentalists, that further reduced the number of singers available. We should also remember that in Bach’s time a boy’s voice did not change until much later than is the case now. He would not become a tenor or bass until 17 or 18. The advantage of this would have been that trebles would be more mature and experienced than they are now, but it would produce difficulties with the lower voices.

The documentary presents a year in the life of the school; it also shows the trajectory from the initial auditions for five-year-olds to the tearful farewells of those who at 18 have to leave the choir after having spent much of their young lives there. We see the choir in rehearsal, in performance and on a tour to South America; we also see them playing soccer and having pillow fights.

Two recent recordings of the St. Matthew Passion perform the work one voice to a part; the Evangelist and the Christus are also the tenor and the bass of the first choir. By contrast, this performance could be called old-fashioned: it uses six adult soloists, a large (divided) boys choir, a (divided) modern orchestra, modern pitch and no viola da gamba. But if one judges it on its own terms, as one should, it is very successful; I found watching and listening to it a very moving experience. The soloists are all good but the finest is the Christus, the bass Klaus Mertens, who sings with wonderful sonority, impeccable diction and true involvement. At the end there is no applause. Quite right: who would want to applaud the Crucifixion?

James Whitbourn - Annelies (from The Diary of Anne Frank)
Arianna Zukerman; Westminster Williamson Voices; Lincoln Trio; James Jordan
Naxos 8.57307

The passages librettist Melanie Challenger has chosen from the writings of the highly intelligent, insightful and inspiring Anne Frank with added biblical passages have been set to a tender yet powerful score by composer James Whitbourn. He offers two versions: both for soloist and chorus, one with full orchestra, the other for piano trio plus clarinet. This recording is of the latter, which offers such a poignant, personal characterization that one is immediately drawn into an almost unbearable intimacy with the tragic events. Rather than straight accompaniment, it seems each instrument has several roles to play in the drama, for example, the clarinet as the voice of Jewish tradition, the violin and cello deep emotion and the passage of time with piano as chiming clock. Of course, the voices have many changes to portray: soprano Arianna Zukerman sings with a supremely controlled tone that never strays from pure beauty, but sublimely imparts the contrast of isolation vs. devotion and buoyant hopefulness.

The choir, Westminster Williamson Voices led by James Jordon, is superb and they are flawless in the delivery of passages that range from terror and alarm to prayerful and even a chorale on Anne’s Ich danke dir für all das Gute und Liebe und Schöne (Thank you God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful) that appears more delightfully Mozartian in character than one harmonized by Bach. This first choral setting of The Diary of Anne Frank certainly proves worthy.

Méhul – Le Chant du depart
Les Jacobins; Mathieu Lussier
ATMA ACD2 2659

Etienne-Nicolas Méhul — now there’s a name we don’t encounter all that often these days! But if you were an enlightened citoyen and a patron of the arts during those stormy days following the French Revolution, his name would probably have been quite familiar. Born in Givet in 1763, Méhul is now regarded as the first French Romantic composer, his operas enjoying considerable acclaim from the 1790s until the first decade of the 19th century. Today, his music has fallen undeservedly into obscurity, but what better way of re-introducing it than through this delightful ATMA recording of woodwind arrangements titled Le Chant du départ performed by the Montréal-based ensemble Les Jacobins under the direction of Mathieu Lussier?

Comprising Quebec’s top woodwind and brass players, Les Jacobins is a group of variable size that comes together to explore the little-known music of the French Revolutionary period. And what a wonderfully resonant sound they produce! The eight members delive r a thoughtful and well-balanced performance of these fine arrangements, all of which capture the dramatic intensity and orchestral colour of the original scores. Included on the disc are several of Méhul’s operatic overtures, including Mélidor & Phrosine, Joseph and La Chasse du jeune Henri. The CD also contains a number of patriotic songs for which Méhul was renowned, his most famous being Le Chant du retour, spirited music from 1797.

For those who look upon arrangements with slight disdain, it must be remembered that operatic overtures, arias and patriotic songs were frequently popularized by small woodwind ensembles in the same manner as Mozart’s Harmoniemusik. Hence, Les Jacobins has not only succeeded in recreating a sound from the streets of revolutionary Paris, it has also brought to light repertoire that definitely deserves greater recognition. Grands felicitations for some splendid music making!

The Beethoven Journey –
Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3
Leif Ove Andsnes;
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Sony 88725420582

One of my favorite pianists, Leif Ove Andsnes came to record this CD by way of an elevator in São Paulo, Brazil. He loved hearing short fragments of these concertos playing on a loop in the hotel elevator. Lucky for us, Andsnes fell in love again with Beethoven’s music as we will in listening to this CD. I find it difficult to believe that this is his first recording of Beethoven.

Andsnes also directs the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in this seamless journey in rediscovering the diversity of ideas and expressions in Beethoven’s mesmerizing masterpieces. Andsnes feels the music in a deeply spiritual way which he communicates in sublime phrasing, especially in the slow movements. His shaping of the melodic singing lines captures Beethoven’s soul-wrenching humanity and desire to change the world through his music.

The Piano Concerto No.1 in C Major reflects the style of Haydn and Mozart. However, Beethoven uses spaciousness and basic rhythmic patterns to create fresh and intense musical rhetoric. The slow movement which is immense is also one of the most beautiful of the concertos. The first theme in the third movement feels like a Turkish march, popular in Vienna at that time. Andsnes has the rhythmic articulation and drive, crisp runs and a sense of humour to make this movement sparkle like a gem.

The Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor is much grander in scale, with something like a military march in the first movement. There is a rich layering of motifs building tension that results in an extreme dramatic impact. The slow movement is heart wrenching in its beauty and Andsnes milks every nuance of emotion in his performance. The technical virtuosity of Andsnes’ playing is flawless. Stylistically it is impeccable. His fingers dance over the keyboard, caress the keys with a velvet touch and display his exquisite musicianship in a myriad of tonal colours. I look forward to the rest of his Beethoven journey with anticipation.

Platero y Yo: An Andalusian Elegy
Michael Kolk
Independent
michaelkolkguitar.com

As I write this, the weather outside is seasonally grey and cold — so a disc titled Platero y Yo: An Andalusian Elegy featuring 20th century guitar music from sunnier climes performed by Michael Kolk seems the perfect antidote. Kolk’s first two recordings were as one half of the Henderson-Kolk guitar duo, but this is his first solo endeavour, presenting music by Manuel Ponce, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, Augustin Barrios Mangoré and Joaquin Rodrigo. A native of Vancouver, Kolk studied at the University of Toronto where he earned a Master’s degree in guitar performance. Since then, he has appeared in Europe and North America, and has been the recipient of numerous first prizes in guitar competitions.

This disc is a gem! Taking for its title the name of an eight-movement suite by de la Maza, it opens with Ponce’s set of variations Theme varié et Finale from 1926. The mood is quietly introspective, and even in the brisker movements, Kolk achieves a wonderful sense of intimacy. De la Maza’s suite that follows comprises an appealing set of contrasts, apparently inspired by a book by Spanish author Juan Jiménez. Four charming waltzes by Paraguayan composer Barrios Mangoré precede Rodrigo’s Introdución y Danza, a brief but notable example of that composer’s affable style.

While all of these pieces were composed during the 20th century, there’s nothing avant-garde about them and Kolk’s sensitive and technically flawless performance further enhances their charm. Platero y Yo, (with its attractive packaging) is indeed the perfect disc to savour on a cold winter’s day — or for that matter, any time of year.

Mendelssohn
Anton Kuerti
DoReMi CD DDR-6610

As was evident from his earlier Mendelssohn CD containing the two concertos and Capriccio Brilliante, Op.22, Anton Kuerti has as wonderful a way with Mendelssohn as he has with Schumann, Beethoven and Schubert. In this new CD he is a master in all of the pianistic and artistic demands and his playing is transparent, sparkling and joyful ... a man happy at his work.

This disc presents a cross section of Mendelssohn’s solo piano pieces recorded August 25, 2009, in the Willowdale United Church and 1970 in Walter Hall, beginning with the evocative Variations Serieuses Op.54. The Fantasy Op.28, Scherzo a Capriccio in F-Sharp Minor, Andante and Rondo Capriccioso Op.14 and Three Preludes and Fugues Op.35 follow, and the miniscule Scherzo in B Minor without opus number closes this attractive recital. The sound is remarkably realistic. A welcome addition to the catalogues of both Kuerti and Mendelssohn.

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!