The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun,
Vol. 2
Traditional Arabic Music Ensemble
Independent (www.georgedimitrisawa.com)

This album is the sequel to an album of the same name, without the volume number, since at the time no one had forecast the incredible audience response that buoyed The Traditional Arabic Music Ensemble to grace us with more of the same. The first album came out in the spring of 2008, and notably garnered the 2009 Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year. This time George Sawa, Toronto’s own Egyptian music expert has put together, along with his colleagues, Suzanne Meyers Sawa and Raymond Sarweh, what I feel to be perhaps a stronger offering than the first. If not stronger, then certainly more mature. This is evident right off the top with the first cut, Raqset Sayyed Mohammed stretching over the ten-minute mark and offering a rich and varied array of musical textures within a unified whole.

I literally kept playing this album over and over: the music doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t get stale. It doesn’t even have what some might call “the same sound”, referring to an idiomatic Arabic ‘world music sound’. The energy is fresh and the deep resonance of the percussion drives the listener to yearn for more. If there was an over-riding flavour of this group’s creative output, it would be authenticity. Sawa has gone to great lengths to virtually resurrect an exact replica of a period instrument that is most likely unique in the world. Two thumbs up! Do I hear a trilogy in the offing?

Michael Daugherty is an American composer, born in 1954, who writes fetching symphonic works that bear such names as Metropolis Symphony and Bizzaro, both once available on an Argo CD. Daugherty is not a towering figure in the pantheon of composers but his compositions are meticulously constructed, brilliantly scored and instantly pleasing, inviting repeated hearings. Daugherty was the Detroit Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence for four years and Naxos has issued three works recorded during public performances given by the Detroit Symphony under Neeme Järvi (Naxos 8.559372). The opening work, a violin concerto, Fire and Blood (2003), is a cross between Leroy Anderson and John Williams. This attractive, light classical opus was inspired by the murals of Diego Rivera in the Detroit Institute for the Arts. The soloist in this premier performance is Ida Kavafian. Next comes MotorCity Triptych (2000) followed by Raise the Roof (2003) scored for tympani and orchestra. All three works are vibrantly orchestrated and in these performances, dating from 2001 and 2003. Everyone involved seems to be having a good time.


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Here is an ideal place to alert collectors to a new Daugherty CD that returns Metropolis Symphony to the catalogue in a brand new performance by the Nashville Orchestra conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero (Naxos 8.559635). The five movement piece, inspired by the Superman comic strip is tour-de-force for orchestra and a challenge for conductor and engineer alike to keep the instrumental balances intact and yet have every voice heard. How well they succeed is demonstrated in the first movement, Lex, an exhilarating moto perpetuo, the like of which you’ve never heard before. In fact, when I first heard the Zinman/Baltimore version on Argo some 15 years ago I thought that “Lex” referred to Lexington Avenue (who reads liner notes!) and it fitted perfectly... the non-stop, inexhaustible pulse of the city, the hustle and bustle of people and machines punctuated by police whistles from all directions. Krypton; MXYZPTIK; Oh, Lois!; and the Red Cape Tango follow. The Red Cape Tango is a whimsical set of treatments of the Dies Irae to a tango rhythm. On the same disc and new to the catalogue is Deus ex Machina, a piano concerto inspired by trains of the past and the future written in 2007. All this benefits from a state-of-the-art recording. Recommended to all except music lovers with hang-ups.

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Finally, there is a 92 minute video portrait of Herbert von Karajan that shows the iconic conductor, warts and all (DG DVD 0734392). KARAJAN, a film by Robert Dornhelm, proves to be the most interesting, informative and thorough of the many Karajan DVD biographies. Here are historic films, interviews with colleagues, commenting on the many facets of conductor’s career from his rise to his final days and death. We hear from Solti, Schwarzkopf, Mutter, Ozawa, Janowitz, Kollo, Ludwig, Rattle, Thiemann, and others. There are many rehearsals, always serious but sometimes making his point with humour. The production ends with a falcon high in the air over the mountains. Although it is not mentioned here, Karajan once said that he wished to “come back” as a falcon. Highly recommended to those interested in the subject.

My One and Only Thrill
Melody Gardot
Verve B001256302

Melody Gardot is a powerful new presence on the North American jazz/pop scene. I was enchanted by her live performance at the Toronto jazz festival (see my blog) and am pleased to hear that her charisma and ability to draw in a listener with her intimate vocal delivery has translated beautifully to recording. Her strong songwriting skills — developed while recovering from a serious traffic accident that left her sensitive to light and relying on a cane to walk — are what set her apart from the herd of young jazz singers content to rework old standards. Her unique voice is a contrast of styles with its fast vibrato hinting at the old world, à la Piaf, and her controlled, up close on the mic nuance adding an of-the-moment Leslie Feist style. Her phrasing is all her own, especially on the gorgeous title track, with its laid bare, confessional lyrics: “Birds may cease to spread their wings / Winters may envelope springs / But it don’t matter, it don’t matter ‘cause / When I’m with you / My whole world stands still / You’re my one and only thrill.”

It’s interesting to note what a little record label clout can do for a girl, as a long line-up of horn, string and rhythm section players grace the album, including such heavyweights as Vinnie Colaiuta and Larry Klein. Harmonically rich strings, masterfully arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza, provide a soundscape that enhances without overpowering. But Gardot holds her own by doing all the guitar and piano work on the disc, and adds some charming bossa nova-style lilt to the only cover on the recording, Over the Rainbow. Expect big things from Ms. Gardot.

Cathy Riches

Classical Fairy Tales - Patrick Cardy’s
The Snow Queen & The Little Mermaid
Angela Fusco; Alex Baran; Chamber
Music Society of Mississauga; Peggy Hill
CMSM Concert Theatre for Kids
(www.chambermusicmississauga.org)

Two compositions by the late and much loved Carleton University music professor Patrick Cardy are featured on this new release. Based on two familiar Hans Christian Anderson children’s stories, Cardy has woven his narrative and music into a palette of word and sound painting, suspense, and musical colours.

The Snow Queen is scored for string quartet and narrator. Angela Fusco gives a convincing performance in telling the saga of lost little boy, and the little girl who loves him so. Her clear diction and amusing character voices highlight her rendering of eternal love to a backdrop of strings. On occasion the music is a wee bit too commercial for my liking, but thankfully these instances are few and far between.

The Little Mermaid has Fusco joined by the excellent Alex Baran in narration. The musical score is stronger here, with the mixed musical ensemble more in the forefront, especially in the gripping track The Sea Witch. The narration and music are equal partners here, probably creating rejoicing in “the distant realms of heaven”, the powerful closing line of this interesting work.

Applause to violinist, producer and CMSM Concert Theatre of Kids Artistic Director Peggy Hills for fulfilling her promise to the late composer that she would record The Snow Queen. Along with The Little Mermaid, this is music for both the young and young at heart.

Tiina Kiik

A masterful and distinctive soloist, French bassist Joëlle Léandre is versatile in any musical situation. These impressive CDs showcase her improvisational skills, while elsewhere the conservatory-trained Parisian is as comfortable with notated music, often performing studies written for her by composers such as John Cage and Giacinto Scelsi.

One of the two CDs that make up Joëlle Léandre Live in Israel (Kadima KCR 17 www.kadimacollective.com) verifies her solo skill. This showcase includes exposition, theme variations and finale, without being conventionally programmatic. Equally strident and soothing, her string strokes include thick rhythmic scrubs and spiccato patterning that produce not only initial tones, but also corresponding echoes. Lyrical and romantic on one hand, her harsh string sweeping also expands with snaps, taps and banjo-like frailing. Sometimes she vocalizes as she plays, adding another dimension to the performance. Commanding on her own, she inserts herself into groups without fissure. In a sextet on the companion CD featuring Israeli reedists, her triple-stopped advances lock in with the horns’ contrapuntal key-slipping and trill spraying. Never upsetting balanced reed bites, her sul tasto expansions amplify the crunching dynamics of pianist Daniel Sarid, while her wood-slapping pulse operates in tandem with the flams and bounces of drummer Haggai Fershtman. In trio interaction with bassist JC Jones and saxophonist Stephen Horenstein, she lets the other bassist time-keep with col legno stops, while she string-snaps and pumps. Her bel canto warbling not only adds another texture, but also joins in double counterpoint with the saxophonist’s rubato tonguing.

More reductive, Joëlle Léandre & William Parker Live at Dunois (Leo CD LR 535 www.leorecords.com) captures a bravura showcase for Léandre and Manhattan’s William Parker, whose jazz-honed techniques are as celebrated as hers. Performance roles are defined: Parker thumps, walks and slaps his bass in pedal point, while Léandre uses her bow to swirl rococo tinctures that encompass agitated peaks and valleys of flying spiccato. This isn’t a brawl but an expression of mutual respect. At points both combine strokes as polyphonic textures rappel every which way. Reaching an intermezzo of floating concussion and friction, the two fuse as if they were playing an eight-stringed bass. Unbroken portamento runs echoing in double counterpoint, although each maintains individual identity.

As with the Stone Quartet in Guelph with whom she performs this month, Léandre has an affinity for brass and piano players. Joëlle Léandre-George Lewis Transatlantic Visions (RogueArt ROG-0020 www.roguart.com) and Joëlle Léandre & Quentin Sirjacq Out of Nowhere (Ambiance MagnétiqueAM184 www.actuellecd.com) confirm this. The first is a meeting between the bassist and American trombonist Lewis, with whom she has worked for decades. Sirjacq is a French pianist she has just begun to partner. Familiarity and novelty produce equivalently outstanding CDs. Chamber music-like in its initial delicacy, her duet with the pianist becomes intense as vibrating bass harmonies encourage Sirjacq to toughen his output. Soon her jagged arpeggios and glissandi are met by metronomic pounding, key fanning and internal string plucking from the pianist. Anything but equal temperament, stopped soundboard buzzes on Ruin are joined by church-bell-like gongs from Sirjacq, as Léandre doubles her sul ponticello bowing, while growling nonsense syllables. In the penultimate Awakening her quivering bowing is bisected by a flurry of kinetic key patterns. Finally Closing mates her flamenco-like rubs with his construction of an edifice of expansive arpeggios and cascading chording, reintroducing the theme for musical closure.

In contrast to the tentative exposition on “Out of Nowhere”, Léandre and Lewis are fully attuned from the get-go and stay that way. Announcing herself with a guttural snarl, at points she vocalizes alongside her string strokes. In addition to sweeping glissandi and staccato string-scouring, Léandre yowls as Lewis’ lows gutbucket tones. In response to her sul tasto runs, the trombonist exposes rotund tones and rubato yelps. If he showcases subterranean grace notes from inside his horn, she smacks the strings col legno. Sounding as if they could stretch their instruments’ tessitura indefinitely, they reach a climax at the half-way point as glottal stops from Lewis are complemented by pumped arpeggios and contrapuntal strumming from Léandre.

But perhaps the most palpable testimony to Léandre’s sonic versatility is the tracks she shares with oud player/vocalist Sameer Makhoul on “Live in Israel”. Despite the oud’s five pairs of strings compared to her four, she manages to advance buzzing timbres that perfectly match his breakneck finger-picking. Not only that, but her rhythmic breaths and free-form chanting complement his vocalized glossolalia so that the two sound as if they’re performing a Middle Eastern operetta.

Concert Notes: Joëlle Léandre performs at the Guelph Jazz Festival on September 10 as part of The Stone Quartet and on September 12 in a solo recital.

Plates-formes et Traquenards
Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms +7
Victo cd 114 (www.victo.qc.ca)

Two suites for 12-piece polyphonic orchestra composed by Montreal-based reedist Jean Derome exhibit his cunning musicality on this notable CD. A mainstay of Victoriaville, Quebec’s Festival International de Musique Actuelle (FIMAV) – where the CD was recorded – Derome titles Plates-formes with a pun on the name of the organization which oversees the festival. Traquenards celebrates another musical organization, which like FIMAV, celebrated its 25th birthday when this recording was made.

Augmenting the five-piece Dangereux Zhoms with additional horns and strings, ensures that both suites emphatically balance on the edge between improvised and notated sounds, as well as extrapolating timbres that add a tincture of rock’s rhythmic muscle, vocalist Joane Hétu’s Dadaesque intonation, plus crackles, hisses and LPs’ music from Martin Tétreault’s turntables.

Consisting of multiple jump-cut variations, contrasts and connections characterize both suites. Expressively tonal and unfussy, Derome’s themes suggest folk songs and Tin Pan Alley ditties. Yet he constantly undercuts lyricism with asides and interpolations such as his own jutting alto saxophone phrasing, gutbucket echoes from trombonist Tom Walsh, plus whining frails and strident string-snapping from guitarist Bernard Falaise. Maintaining the compositions’ equilibrium, despite altissimo disruptions and tutti explosions where the players wallow in every sort of abrasive shriek, are Guillaume Dostaler’s pounding piano syncopation and the measured ruffs and back beat of drummer Pierre Tanguay.

Pastiches as well as interludes, Derome’s compositions are memorable for architectural soundness, but arranged inimitably so that their most satisfying interpretation come from this band.

Concert Notes: Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms +7 play at the Music Gallery on September 9 and at the Guelph Jazz Festival September 10.

Ken Waxman

Café Society
Real Divas
E1 Entertainment KEC-CD-9196

(www.billkingmusic.com/realdivas)

Real Divas started out eight years ago as a showcase every Tuesday night at a Toronto club hosted by musician, band leader, festival organizer, broadcaster, photographer (let me see, have I left anything out?) and all round good guy, Bill King. Designed to give a stage to local singers, both established and new to the scene, the Real Divas evenings saw now-notable singers such as Emilie-Claire Barlow and Sophie Milman take their initial steps into jazz performance. Those nights are history now, but the project and goal behind it live on under King’s guidance. The current incarnation comprises four young (some still teenage) vocalists — Kinga Victoria, Sophie Berkal-Sarbitt, Lauren Margison and Josephine Biundo (and guest Jessica Lalonde) — who come from a range of musical disciplines (including opera) and locales (Winnipeg, Poland), but who share an appreciation for good songwriting.

Singing individually and as an ensemble on “Café Society” the group covers Bacharach, Ellington, Bernstein and pop hits such as First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, bringing new interpretations and layers of musical styles. Hence a Latin version of Tea for Two, swinging Come Fly With Me and sultry Lazy Afternoon all cozy up together here. The vocal arrangements are not overly complex, but the singers achieve a good blend when needed, then let their lovely voices and individuality shine on the solo numbers.

Cathy Riches

For Now
Peter Hill Quintet
Independent PCH0901

(www.notthatpeterhill.com)

Pianist Peter Hill has been working as a sideman in the greater Toronto area for roughly two and a half decades. With a piano style steeped in early swing with shades of boogie-woogie, Hill is especially sought-after as an accompanist who can play virtually any song in any key without a chart. Previously associated with Jeff Healey, current and long-time collaborator with Laura Hubert, the house pianist for Lisa Particelli’s vocalist-friendly Girls Night Out Jazz Jam and so on, accomplished Hill also holds a PhD in the mathematical field of Low-dimensional topology. His inventive arrangements and originals make their recording debut right here. Now, for “For Now”, Hill has hired a hot band comprised of some of Hogtown’s hippest cats: Bob Brough on alto and tenor saxes, Chris Gale on tenor and baritone saxes, Brandi Disterheft on bass and Sly Juhas on drums. This swingin’ quintet is super tight with a driving energy that’s consistently engaging. Highlights from the varied program include Dexter Gordon’s chestnut Cheesecake, the Bacharach & David famous Alfie and Eden Ahbez’s classic minor lament, Nature Boy. Particularly droll is a modern treatment of the historic Duke Ellington/Bubber Miley composition, Black and Tan Fantasy. Of Peter Hill’s originals, Amico’s, Party of Four is a standout complete with a dazzling Disterheft solo.

Never judge a CD by its cover. For me the art direction is both wacky and tacky, the recording neither. Highly recommended.

Ori Dagan

Live in Vancouver
Richard Whiteman Trio
Cornerstone CRST CD 131

(www.richardwhiteman.com)

Pianist Richard Whiteman has been working as a leader and sideman in the greater Toronto area for over twenty years. A polished player whether you prefer bebop or a ballad, Whiteman has recorded six times under his own name, including the aptly titled “Solo Piano” and the critically acclaimed “Grooveyard”. As a leader he works frequently in the tradition of piano, bass & drums, arrangements echoing the glorious trios of Peterson, Evans and Jamal. After recording on the Cornerstone label with such Canadian luminaries as bassists Mike Downes and Neil Swainson and drummers John Sumner and Barry Elmes, his latest trio is completed by Brandi Disterheft on the bass and Sly Juhas on the skins. The pair share an exciting chemistry that reflects countless gigs played since their years at Humber College early in the new millennium. Whiteman gives both Disterheft and Juhas generous time to shine on this fine live recording. The eight tracks represent the best of what was recorded by Cory Weeds at The Cellar over two nights in February, 2008. An 11’39” take on I’m Confessin’ gives each player a nice opportunity to stretch out, the original Blues for Jervis is a cheerful one and The Song is You bops blissfully to close. Whiteman, Disterheft and Juhas are all at the top of their game throughout. Although not a consistently hollering bunch, the audience applauds appreciatively, enhancing the experience for the players and now the listener.

Ori Dagan

Nostalgia
The Andrew Scott Quintet meets Jon-Erik Kellso and Dan Block
Sackville SKCD2-2073

The bebop era saw the extended use of standard popular songs as the basis for new compositions based on the chord changes of the familiar themes.

“Nostalgia” takes this as its basic premise with a programme of compositions by musician/composers such as Tadd Dameron, Barney Kessel, Fats Navarro, Charlie Parker, Gigi Gryce, Zaid Nasser and one by leader Andrew Scott and Jake Wilkinson. Having said that, the first selection is Ben Webster’s Did You Call Her Today, his swing style variation on Rose Room, but for the rest of the album it’s bebop lines over familiar standard harmonies. If you are a jazz buff, see how many you can get right before looking at the liner notes!

Pianist Mark Eisenman, bassist Pat Collins and drummer Joel Haynes integrate beautifully and Mark contributes some outstanding solos, while Andrew Scott is equally comfortable playing unison lines, comping or stretching out on a solo.

Trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and clarinettist Dan Block, although of a later generation, have chosen to follow in the steps of the great early innovators and both play with lyrical concept, creative ideas and the playing skills to make it all come together. As John Norris rightly states in his accompanying notes, they are indeed real jazz musicians.  This CD is a welcome addition and upholds the well earned stellar reputation of Sackville Records.

Jim Galloway

Just Friends
Canadian Jazz Quartet

Cornerstone CRST CD 133

The Canadian Jazz Quartet (Gary Benson, guitar, Frank Wright, vibraphone, Duncan Hopkins, bass and Don Vickery, drums) has been an important part of the Canadian scene since 1987 - important because they have maintained a musical philosophy of playing great standards and making music that swings. Individually they are all talented, experienced soloists and as a group they blend beautifully. For this recording, the CJQ invited three guests to contribute one number each. Trombonist Alastair Kay gives a virtuoso performance on Memories of You, master flutist Bill McBirnie adds a Latin touch with Blue Bossa and Mike Murley on tenor sax romps through the title track, Just Friends. The remaining titles make up a cross-section of great standards and show tunes ranging from Gershwin’s Embraceable You to Clifford Brown’s Joy Spring.

This album also gives an all too rare opportunity for the playing of guitarist Gary Benson and vibes player Frank Wright to be heard by a wider audience. Frank’s rendition of Where Are You, for example, is a thing of beauty and just listen to how Gary glides through Have You Met Miss Jones. The DDs, (Hopkins and Vickery), make the whole thing swing like the pendulum of a finely oiled clock as well as contributing some fine solos.

All told “Just Friends” is an excellent example of discriminating taste and musicality and will occupy a pleasurable hour of any day or evening.

Jim Galloway

Short Stories - American music for saxophone quartet
Ancia Saxophone Quartet
Naxos 8.559616

@Grigorian.Com

Borrowing from popular music has almost defined American “classical” music since the time of Ives, and the Ancia Saxophone Quartet has compiled a disc of commissions and favourites that capture Twentieth Century America.

The Chorale from Ives’ String Quartet No. 1 opens this disc, which also includes the third movement of his Fourth Symphony. Ives would have embraced the organ-like sound of the saxophone quartet for his collage of hymns.

The influence of Elliott Carter can be seen in Fred Sturm’s Picasso Cubed (a reworking of a Coleman Hawkins improvisation, perhaps as seen through a kaleidoscope), and in David Bixler’s Heptagon (seven short jazzy Webernesque movements). Accordionist Dee Langley joins for Elusive Dreams, where composer Carleton Macy demonstrates how well the instrument blends with saxophones.

The minimalist movement is represented by Michael Torke’s July. Written one hundred years after the Ives, Torke also likes to borrow from popular music: “Whenever I am drawn to a particular… pop song, I scratch my head and think, ‘I like that, how could I use it?’”

Jennifer Higdon – who is popular now in the orchestral world – wrote the title track, Short Stories, for the Ancia Quartet. Each picturesque movement invokes a film while listening. Higdon knows each instrument, and writes very well for saxophone quartet.

The American Classics Series on NAXOS continues to record a wide range of music and artists, and Ancia’s disc is an enjoyable listen.

Wallace Halladay

Treble & Bass - concertos by Ståle Kleiberg
Marianne Thorsen; Göran Sjölin; Trondheim Symfoniorkester; Daniel Reuss
Lindberg Lyd AS 2L59SACD

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The Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg was born in Stavanger in 1958 and now lives in Trondheim. Several of his works have been commissioned by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, including the two excellent Concertos recorded here featuring Trondheim native Marianne Thorsen on violin and the orchestra’s Swedish principal bass player Göran Sjölin, sensitively accompanied by conductor Daniel Reuss and the excellent Trondheim ensemble.

Kleiberg’s two string concertos are both cast in a traditional three movement fast-slow-fast framework yet exhibit a very individual melodic approach that is remarkably compelling. Restricting himself for the most part to easily comprehensible two part counterpoint, Kleiberg composes long lines of chromatically inflected strands of ever-evolving melodies that captivate the listener through a process of seamless organic metamorphoses. Decidedly post-modern in their allegiance to tonality, these concertos exhibit highly effective and idiomatic string writing. This is especially evident in his double bass concerto. For such a burly fellow, the soul of the contrabass is at heart rather melancholy, intimate and a bit clumsy, and a real challenge to compose for. Soloist Sjölin performs miracles in the many extended passages in the highest register and is rock-solid in his performance of the luminous sections composed entirely from the natural harmonics of the instrument. There’s never a dull moment in either of these eminently accessible works. Highly recommended.

Daniel Foley

Lorenzo Palomo - My Secluded Garden
Maria Bayo; Pepe Romero; Romero Guitar Quartet; Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra; Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Naxos 8.572139

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The two glorious vocal collections by Spanish contemporary composer Lorenzo Palomo feature many influences from traditional Spanish, Sephardic or Arab roots to more modern day contemporary and quasi jazz tonalities. The rich tonal colours and harmonies are only surpassed by the ever present musical “surprise” lurking around every corner.

The eleven songs comprising My Secluded Garden are composed to the Spanish love poems of Celedonio Romero, the late “grand maestro of the guitar”. Love with all its surprises offers Palomo the opportunity to superimpose the above mentioned styles. Soprano Maria Bayo’s voice is occasionally too shrill but she is confident in her attitude, while guitarist Pepe Romero (Celedonio’s son) provides a perfect backdrop. Callen los pinos, is the melodic gem of the collection with an unforgettable fortissimo climax and a sudden sweet ending.

Love is still the lyric theme in Madrigal and Five Sephardic Songs. The composer sets the traditional texts to a more uniform musical influence, this time the melodies of Jewish songs. Now Bayo’s voice is rich and deep, her intonation flawless, while the guitar setting allows Romero to display his mastery.

Concierto de Cienfuegos for four guitars and orchestra is given a superb rendition by The Romero Guitar Quartet and the Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra. With many musical surprises, this three movement work with Spanish flavours is easy on the ears though deeply rooted in contemporary harmonies and rhythmic variations.

The biggest surprise of the day however was how much I enjoyed “My Secluded Garden” and Lorenzo Palomo’s music. Ole!

Tiina Kiik

Korngold - Violin Concerto
Philippe Quint; Orquestr Sinfoinica de Mineria; Carlos Miguel Prieto
Naxos 8.570791

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Erich Wolfgang Korngold is now chiefly remembered for his outstanding Hollywood movie scores of the late 1930s and early 1940s, but 20 years earlier he had been an established and much-admired young prodigy in Europe, even managing to impress Mahler with his music when only 9 years old. His return to a completely changed European concert scene after the Second World War failed to repeat his earlier successes, however, and he died, scarcely remembered, in 1957.

His Violin Concerto, though, has never left the repertoire, probably because it so successfully combines both of Korngold’s musical worlds. Written in 1945 at the behest of Bronislaw Huberman and premiered by Heifetz in 1947, it is a rich and tuneful late-Romantic work, at times strongly reminiscent of the Barber concerto, with the main themes in all three movements taken from the composer’s own film scores.

Philippe Quint is, as usual, in wonderful form in a warm and beautifully recorded performance. If you don’t yet know his brilliant playing, then take advantage of the great Naxos price to discover it now!

Two early orchestral works complete the CD. Overture to a Drama, from 1911, was the first work the 14-year-old Korngold orchestrated on his own; the influence of Mahler is clearly apparent. The Much Ado About Nothing Suite dates from 1918, and is perhaps better-known in the arrangement the composer made for violin and piano, also available on Naxos.

Terry Robbins