There remains something very special about the EMI recordings produced by Walter Legge of the, actually “his” as it turned out, Philharmonia Orchestra, particularly but not only those with Herbert von Karajan before his ascent to the Berlin Philharmonic. Legge had been producing Karajan’s recordings since the conductor’s first post-WWII 78s with the Vienna Philharmonic beginning with the Beethoven Eighth in 1946. The Ninth was recorded in 1947 and although Karajan has recorded it many times since then this is my favourite version (EMI 72434 76878). There is an air of expectant optimism (which is what this symphony is all about) not present elsewhere in the catalogue. Legge founded the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1945 with the expectation that he and Beecham would run it together. The two fell out and the orchestra became essentially a recording orchestra, producing landmark recordings with conductors and soloists of now legendary fame. Karajan’s first concert with them, April 11, 1948, included the Schumann piano concerto with Dinu Lipatti which they recorded for EMI later that month. All but a few of the EMI Philharmonia/Legge recordings have been re-issued and available on CD, attesting to the excellence of the performances by what had become one of the best orchestras in the world and the instantly engaging EMI sound, whether the earlier monaural or the later stereos. In all of them there is a sense of listening in on a formal performance and not a recording of musicians making a recording. Such is a new re-issue of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony and the suite from Swan Lake recorded in 1955/56 with Karajan and the Philharmonia (EMI 6022992). This is the third of Karajan’s seven recordings of the Pathétique and the most satisfying in the sense described above with music making of the very highest quality. Most impressive in both works are the flowing tempos without any bumps, the unanimous strings, outstanding brass and winds all captured in the best analog sound. I enjoyed it immensely.

Jean Martinon was a superlative conductor excelling in the repertoire of the 20th century, especially French composers, as his recordings will attest. During his time as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director (1963-68) he made only a couple of LPs of Ravel but when he returned to France was engaged by EMI to record the orchestral works of Debussy with the Orchestre National de ORTF in 1973 and then the music of Ravel with the Orchestre de Paris through 1974. These renowned performances and recordings have since seen many incarnations but now EMI has grouped them all together in an irresistible 8-CD box, Debussy, Ravel Orchestral Works at an ultra budget price (EMI 70444421). There are 18 of Debussy’s well-known and some lesser known works and 15 by Ravel including the obvious titles plus the complete Daphnis et Chloe (with the Chorus of the National Opera) and the two piano concertos. Without exception, the performances are commanding and authoritative and the naturally balanced recordings, made in Paris’ Salle Wagram, are a credit to France’s famed producer, René Challan.

I don’t suppose that these days when collectors express their preferences among competitive versions of certain works it is likely that Clifford Curzon would come readily to mind and yet in the day he was a frontrunner in most of the repertoire that is to be found in a new collection from Decca of all his recordings made for them since 1937, augmented with interviews and recitals as late as 1980 (4784389, 23 CDs + 1 DVD). Curzon possessed impeccable and unerring taste and musicianship and one can sense that every note is played with the assurance of a mind totally in control. Surprisingly, on first hearing, the all-Liszt recital from Vienna’s Sofiensaal (1963) seemed to be too closely miked, contributing to the impression that Curzon’s interpretation was ill-conceived. But on second hearing everything came into perspective, revealing a towering version of the structured B Minor Sonata and pristine versions of the shorter pieces. In addition to many solo recitals including Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, there are concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, de Falla and the dashing Scherzo by Litolff. Time has not dimmed these superb recordings. The full contents can be seen on deccaclassics.com.

Helmut Walcha was internationally respected as an interpreter of the music of Bach and other composers of the baroque era. DG (DGG at the time) and EMI had both featured him twice in almost the entire Bach keyboard repertoire. For DG he was Walcha the organist, for EMI the harpsichordist. It is interesting to note that this authoritative performer was totally blind from the age of 16 and possessed the astonishing ability to have memorized his repertoire from hearing others play. His commanding performances are luminous and transparent. The sound of the harpsichord on a new DOREMI release of performances from 1957–1960 is detailed and pleasant although some may have reservations that in these recordings Walcha, unlike most interpreters, observes no repeats. He plays a modern Ammer harpsichord. Bach: Six Partitas, BWV 825-830; Italian Concerto; Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor (DHR-7985/6, 2 CDs).

What a pleasure to hear the Bach Six Suites for Solo Cello played with such unusually heartfelt expressivity and warmth as is heard from Antonio Janigro on another new DOREMI collection (DHR-8014/6, 3 CDs). A singing tone, perfect intonation, beautiful articulation and a refined style were his trademarks. In the three gamba sonatas, BWV1027 – 29, with harpsichordist Robert Veyron-Lacroix he is similarly impressive. In the mid 1950s he made a recording of the popular Boccherini B-Flat Major Cello Concerto, however here we have the young Janigro from 1948 ... rare and captivating. A splendid collection, faithfully remastered, the suites are derived from 1954 Westminster LPs. Here is beautiful music making in the grand sense and not simply for cello lovers. 

Two Lutes – Lute Duets from England’s Golden Age
Ronn McFarlane; William Simms
Sono Luminus DSL-92155

Lute duets form some of the most enchanting and at the same time most demanding recitals. Imagine a selection of 27 such duets!

La Rossignal has always been a testing but satisfying example of the genre. Both lutenists bring out the disciplined yet exuberant quality of this piece; they follow immediately with the stately and measured Delight Pavan of John Johnson, 15 years Queen Elizabeth’s “royal lewter.”

Ronn McFarlane and William Simms have gone well beyond formal compositions by Elizabethan composers — the anonymous Robin is to the Greenwood Gone is performed with a dedication and passion which Dowland and his contemporaries would have felt honoured by.

Then there are the sadly less well-known composers. Who can listen to the complexity of John Danyel’s Passemezzo Galliard and not wonder not just at the complexity of the galliard but also the performance to which we are treated? Listeners can even enjoy Thomas Robinson’s Passamezzo Galliard and compare the two, notably their slow almost laboured opening bars.

Johnson it is, however, who contributes the most duets. His Chi Passa (which differs considerably from the Commedia dell’arte version normally found), Queen’s Treble and Flatt Pavan and Galliard (was ever a composition so inappropriately named?) are interpreted so as to lend no doubt as to how long the players have been a duet.

This reviewer tried to make notes while listening to the duets. He was persistently but very happily prevented by the sheer pleasure of their content.

Vivaldi – New Discoveries II
Modo Antiquo; Federico Maria Sardelli
Naïve OP 30534

The story behind this disc is a fascinating one. As explained in the handsome and comprehensive accompanying booklet, the recording is made up entirely of newly-discovered operatic and instrumental music by Vivaldi, found over the past 20 years in various private and public collections in England, Scotland, Belgium and Germany. These include a flute concerto, two sonatas and one concerto for violin, and four arias from the opera L’inganno trionfante in amore.

The CD opens with an exuberant flute concerto titled “Il Gran Mogol,” found in Edinburgh in the archives of the 18th century amateur flutist Lord Robert Kerr. The violin sonatas (from the Foundling Museum in London) and concerto (found in Dresden) are exciting, virtuosic and inventive works. The opera arias date from around 1725, when a documented performance of L’inganno trionfante in amore took place in Venice. These arias, from a score long thought lost, turned up in 1995 in the Royal Library of Belgium!

The performances on the disc are of a uniformly high quality, with special mention going to the brilliant transverse flute playing of Alexis Kossenko and the fanciful and endlessly varied playing of violinist Anton Steck. Risk-taking like this is imperative to bring Vivaldi’s music off the page.

While we are familiar with Vivaldi’s deep impact on composers such as J.S. Bach, this recording is another reminder of how wide-reaching Vivaldi’s influence was across Europe in the early 18th century.

Glenn Gould plays Bach
Bruno Monsaingeon
Sony Classical 88691975049-01/2/3

It was with trepidation that I undertook this review of Glenn Gould’s three films directed by Bruno Monsaingeon. For many musicians, including myself, Glenn Gould was an icon. We grew up listening to his prodigious recordings of Bach and other composers. In fact, my first contemporary music experience as a pre-teen was listening to the Gould recordings of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Krenek. These and the inimitable Bach performances by Gould influenced my future repertoire choices and inspired me to adore Bach. I was mesmerized by Gould’s intelligence, wit, genius and effortless charisma in front of the camera or microphone. The question for me was whether he would still continue to seduce musically and charm conversationally today. There is an abundance of excellent Goldberg Variations in the market now and with everyone attempting to be a star on YouTube, being on camera is not necessarily such a special event anymore.

The first DVD, The Question of Instrument, allayed my fears. Glenn Gould shall remain on his pedestal. This is an excellent and invaluable clinic in voicing. In spite of the occasional harsh tone and lots of singing, the contrapuntal lines always flow naturally with an unerring articulation and precision. The voicing feels free and flexible as if being composed on the spot. The levels of dynamics are rich and varied with unique characteristics that force you to follow the lines to the resolution. The conversation in this DVD is a must for all musicians, teachers, scholars and performers. It is the question of harpsichord or piano.

Glenn Gould could have been a lawyer because he wins his argument easily. He supports playing Bach on the piano. Bach was into structure and his music adapts to any instrument. Gould also believes that the piano can get you closest to Bach’s conceptions of form, structure, harmony and counterpoint. He performs several pieces, demonstrating alternate versions of phrasing and sonority. He discusses various instrumentations that can come from one piece and gives relevant examples. Gould dismisses critics of the piano by calling their arguments “musicological overkill.” Brilliant, virtuosic music is also offered as an argument to favour the piano over the harpsichord (in spite of Scarlatti’s efforts). To demonstrate, Gould performs the Chromatic Fantasia in D Minor and although he calls the piece a “monstrosity” he played it with emotion and impeccable technique. This is a very improvisatory piece, almost like background film music according to Gould, and with his singing he sounded like an opera star with an over the top accompanist from a horror film from the 40s. This was a moment of welcome levity and reminds us of Gould’s comic acting abilities. He refers to this kind of music as Bach for people who do not like Bach. The other work on his “hit” radar was the Italian Concerto, another overplayed work on student recitals. Gould compared the Italian Concerto to Georgian architecture but insisted that Handel wrote this kind of music better. In performing this piece Gould says that it is best not to destroy the structure with too many crescendos and pianistic affectations. For comparison Gould performed the Sarabande from the Partita No.6 in E Minor to demonstrate a freer form and showed us different tempos that all seemed to work. His performance of the entire Partita No.4 in D Major was a marvel. The ornaments are crisp and exciting; the counterpoint is articulate and the voicing impeccable with a tapestry of texture and touch.

The second DVD is called An Art of the Fugue and appropriately begins with the Fugue in B-Flat Major on the name BACH. Again, what a wonderful masterclass in fugues for any musician; everything complicated is explained with clarity and ease by Gould. The program notes, which are excellent, by the way, say that Gould rehearsed everything. It doesn’t matter, it still sounds spontaneous and the information is invaluable. The fugal structures become a dramatic journey through harmony, counterpoint and resolution. What a majestic performance and deep understanding Gould brings to all the fugues he performs in this DVD. For those who find fugues boring, listen to and watch this DVD. Highlights include the E Major from Book 2, a cantabile Ricercare, which was also Arnold Schoenberg’s favourite. Preludes are missing from this fugue extravaganza. Gould has some demeaning comments on the Preludes but gives a nod to the one from the Prelude and Fugue in A Major,Book 2. Gould speaks for the artistic and creative merits of fugal structures. Fugal adventures were not popular in Bach’s time. Gould mentions minuets as the hot form of the day. However, Bach turned his back on this and other forms to borrow concepts from the last 100 years such as Flemish devotional music. There is a piece in the Art of the Fugue which also shows Bach’s far-reaching chromaticism in an infinitely expanding musical universe. It sounds like Schoenberg. The astonishing and ear-opening comments and playing inspired me to immediately go to the piano and play some fugues.

What to say about the third DVD The Goldberg Variations? I enjoyed the introduction which showed Gould picking his takes and explaining why he chose them. He also spoke about his reasons for recording the Goldberg Variations again for the second time. He said that the technology of 1955, due to the lack of stereo and Dolby, invalidated the process of the first version. What a coup for musicians to have Gould’s two versions, but it made me wonder if he had lived would he have recorded it again? The DVD concludes with the entire performance of the Goldberg Variations.

Teary eyed and blissfully involved with the music, I can only say that Glenn Gould shall remain an icon and a legend with his awe inspiring genius. I know that there are a lot of recordings, books and DVDs about him but I highly recommend this trilogy.

Dreamers Renegades Visionaries:
The Glenn Gould Variations is a two-day festival of new work, new interpretations and new collaborations, from Argentina, Britain, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Japan and the USA at Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, September 22 and 23. It features more than 50 participants including Canadian luminaries Brent Carver, Adrienne Clarkson, Adam Egoyan, François Girard, Norman Jewison and Mark Kingwell to name but a few. Full details are available at www.glenngouldvariations.ca.

Tchaikovsky; Nielsen – Violin Concertos
Vilde Frang; Danish National Symphony Orchestra; Elvind Gullberg Jensen
EMI 5099960257024

When I was auditioning the recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto played by Vilde Frang, who was then a new name to me (reviewed October 2010), I found her nothing short of a sensational violinist and an outstanding music maker. Born in Norway in 1986, she is well known and widely respected by her peers. She tours extensively and plays a 19th century Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin lent to her by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

In 2011 she was heard in three violin sonatas accompanied by pianist Michael Lifts (EMI 9476392): the Grieg Sonata No.1 in F Op.8, the unaccompanied Bartok Sonata, and the Richard Strauss ­Sonata in E-Flat. In each work her absorption is deeply projected, producing performances of the very highest calibre. Unfamiliar repertoire to some, these are all splendid works but it is the charming Strauss opus to which I find myself returning.

The Tchaikovsky concerto has been recorded untold times over the last century by most of the greats and there are many breathtaking renditions, making it extremely improbable that there could be any new ideas, but Frang pulls it off. Her interpretation is fresh and original and seductively alluring. The first movement, for example, while necessarily virtuosic, unfolds like a narrative.

In the great Nielsen concerto where there are fewer competitors, she nevertheless offers a magical treat; similarly poetic, soul-searching and heart-warming. Again the orchestra is superb and in harmony with the soloist. Thanks to the engineers, the recorded sound is natural, transparent and well balanced, with uninhibited tuttis.

4 SYMPHONIES:
BRAHMS 1
DVORAK 9
SIBELIUS 5
NIELSEN 3
Danish National Symphony Orchestra,
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor. 
C Major   710604,   one Blu-Ray disc or
                 710508,   two DVDs

This is an outstanding collection of four deservedly famous and favourite symphonies enjoying superlative performances in state-of-the-art, high definition sight and sound. Toronto concert-goers who were fortunate enough to attend some or all of Dausgaard’s Sibelius cycle in 2010 with the TSO, or the recent concert which included the Brahms Second Symphony, have a good idea of his ability to deliver performances that alert even the most jaded ears.

For some years, performances of the Brahms First Symphony have been, to my ears, tediously dutiful in maintaining that this is an august work to be performed as a rite. The opening tempo and energy of Dausgaard’s Brahms promises that this will not be yet another routine walk through ... and it isn’t. This is a sit up and take notice performance from the very beginning to the final movement, crowned with a radiant, jubilant finale, the like of which I’m unaware.

There is an introspective talk about each symphony on individual bonus tracks in which Dausgaard walks us through the work, section by section, suggesting in idyllic terms what the composer is feeling and attempting to convey. His observations are friendly, articulate and most engaging.

None of these performances is pedestrian and all four symphonies are approached with the same enthusiasm. The Dvořák has a wonderful bloom; broad and spacious and entirely as Dausgaard describes it. The Sibelius is an inspired performance. The fermenting inner voices in the coda of the first movement are daringly breathtaking; in the finale of the last movement, a valedictory, there is a sense of motionless resolution unerringly judged by Dausgaard. If you are not a Nielsen fan than this Third, the “Expansiva,” would be an excellent place to start.

Dausgaard doesn’t pause to make points that make themselves in the score. He has the rare ability to imbue an orchestra with a spirit and purpose that goes far beyond giving them tempi and balances. Watch his face in these performances and see how.

This set finds Dausgaard before the orchestra of which he was the chief conductor from 2004 t0 2011. In this capacity he may be familiar to some listeners from his very extensive recorded repertoire by the post-Wagnerian, Danish composer Rued Langgaard (1853-1952), a devout Theosophist, whose neglected music was resurrected with Dausgaard’s help. The recordings, all on the DaCapo label, include the 16 symphonies, tone poems, choral works, and a video of The AntiKrist (DVD or BLU-RAY), a religious mystery opera.

The symphonies on this 2-DVD set are concert performances from the Koncerthuset in Copenhagen that opened in January 2009. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel and acoustician Toyota Yasuhisa, the structure has four halls including the main auditorium, seen here, seating 1,800. It is the most expensive concert hall ever built, coming in at nearly $300 million. It is owned by and home to Danmarks Radio.

Rhapsody in Blue and other piano works
Mauro Bertoli
Cavalli Musica

From Mozart to Khachaturian
Mauro Bertoli
Cavalli Musica

Piano Works by Scarlatti; Schumann; Granados; Ginastera
Mauro Bertoli
Cavalli Musica
www.maurobertoli.com

In the world of classical music, Italy has long been known for producing famous singers and conductors. For some reason, though, the list of renowned Italian pianists is considerably shorter — Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Maurizio Pollini are among those who come to mind. However, with the release of three CDs on the Cavalli Musica label featuring a young artist by the name of Mauro Bertoli, that list should be immediately augmented! Born in Italy, Mr. Bertoli has been the recipient of several international piano prizes including the prestigious Giuseppe Sinopoli Award in 2006, and he has appeared in major concert halls throughout Europe, North America, Israel and China. It’s our good fortune that he has decided to settle in Canada, where he’s currently on the piano performance faculty at Carleton University in Ottawa.

At the outset, these discs are impressive with their eclecticism. While certain pianists tend to concentrate on music of certain periods, or by particular composers, Bertoli’s repertoire is wide and encompassing, spanning 300 years of piano literature. For example, the CD Rhapsody in Blue and Other Piano Works, focuses primarily on music from the romantic period, with pieces by Schumann, Brahms and Liszt, but also included is the brief and poignant Für Alina by Arvo Pärt. The Brahms Intermezzo Op.188, No.2 and the Liszt Romance S169 are warmly introspective, while the Schumann Toccata Op.7 aptly demonstrates Bertoli’s flawless command of the keyboard. In contrast, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue provides a rousing conclusion. Bertoli may hail from the land of olive trees, but his convincing interpretation of this jazzy and syncopated music from 1924 has ”Manhattan” written all over it.

The disc From Mozart to Khachaturian is another study in contrasts. Opening with Mozart’s poetic and gracious Rondo K494, the disc also features two of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, Schumann’s Sonata for the Young, Op.118, Granados’ Allegro de Concert and Shostakovich’s Three Fantastic Dances — a virtual United Nations of piano literature.

Not many pianists today turn their attention to keyboard music of the Italian Baroque, but three sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti lead off the third disc, all of them demonstrating Bertoli’s manual dexterity and acute sense of timing. Also on this CD are the Schumann Paganini Etudes, Op.3 and Nachtstücke, Op.23. But for me, the highlight of this recording is surely the set of three Danzas Argentinas by Alberto Ginastera. Written in 1937, this music dates from early in the composer’s career and is challenging from all perspectives. With their complex rhythms and chromatic harmonies, these dances might faze many pianists, but Bertoli handles the complexities with apparent ease, bringing the disc to a spirited conclusion.

My only quibble with all three discs is the recording quality, which I found somewhat “dry.” Fine playing such as this deserves a decent sound, and a little more resonance would have been preferable. But this is minor issue and certainly doesn’t detract from these eclectic collections of piano repertoire. Bravissimo, Mr. Bertoli — let’s hear from you again!

Concert Notes: Bertoli is pianist-in-residence at Barrie’s Colours of Music festival (September 21 to 30) and will be performing several concerts there including Strauss’ Enoch Arden with actor Kevin White on the 24th and a solo recital on September 30 featuring works by Gershwin, Khachaturian and Schumann; he will also conduct a masterclass on September 27. On October 7, Bertoli performs at U of T’s Hart House for their Sunday Concert Series.

Alison Balsom
Alison Balsom
EMI Classics 50999731660 2 3

Two years ago I had the opportunity to review the first recording I had heard by this amazing young British trumpeter. For the most part, that recording consisted of transcriptions of works which were not originally written for trumpet. By contrast, this recent disc contains a wider spectrum of music. The recording starts and ends with works by Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. Balsom’s haunting tone sets the stage with his Escuale, and ends with a dazzling fiery performance of Libertango. While this recording too contains mostly transcriptions, it also has the Andante movement of a trumpet concerto by a composer named Neruda. Since no first name was given, a visit to Google turned up three composers by that name. From the sound of the work, I would assume that it is the work of 18th century composer Johann Baptist Neruda. There are movements from an oboe concerto by Marcello, a trio sonata by Bach, a flute work by Debussy and yet another excellent transcription of Rachmaninoff’s ubiquitous Vocalise. A new work, written for Balsom by Scottish composer James Macmillan, Seraph for trumpet and string orchestra, is in a similar vein.

Rounding out the program are arrangements of two traditional works, Shenandoah and Nobody Knows. Since much of the music is by lesser known composers, I would have appreciated some biographical information. Unfortunately there is none. Overall this is an excellent display of the talent of this young woman’s virtuosity. One does not have to be a trumpet aficionado to enjoy an hour of quality music with this CD.

From my reviewing standpoint, I don’t think any CD label has provided as many interesting releases over the past few years as England’s Hyperion Records. The latest release to reach me is a 2-CD set of the Complete Suites for Violin and Piano by Joseph Achron (CDA67841), in simply stunning performances by Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez. Five of the six Suites are on CD2, recorded in 2009 at the Jerusalem Music Centre in Israel; the Stempenyu Suite and the 17 shorter pieces on CD1 were actually recorded 13 years earlier at the same location, and were previously released on Biddulph (LAW021). There is no discernible difference in the sound quality.

Achron (1886–1943) was a Russian Jewish virtuoso who studied under Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, as did Milstein, Elman, Zimbalist and Heifetz; the latter is described in the excellent booklet notes by Malcolm Miller as Achron’s “friend and champion.” It’s a fitting connection, for Achron’s compositions — especially the earlier ones — are much in the style of the encore and salon pieces of Kreisler and Heifetz; the Children’s Suite on CD2 is a 1934 arrangement by Heifetz of eight of the 20 pieces in Achron’s original piano suite of the same name. Achron’s brother, incidentally, was Heifetz’s pianist in the US in the early 1920s. To strengthen the connection even more, Shaham’s tone and vibrato are very reminiscent of Heifetz’s own playing. And what playing there is on these two discs! Shaham is not only technically superb, but presents perfect interpretations, never treating the music as just occasional pieces, but never going over the top with the virtuosic aspects either.

What is particularly interesting about the music here is that it presents such an intriguing picture of the musical world through the early years of the 20th century; names mentioned in the notes as influences on Achron include Scriabin, Franck, Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartok, Mahler, Zemlinsky and Bloch. Achron’s style clearly developed as he moved through his life, from his early Russian pieces, through his connection with the Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg in 1911, to his later, more chromatic works in Berlin and the US, works which were much admired by Schoenberg.

I simply can’t say enough about Shaham’s playing here — this is truly a violinist’s violinist. Erez is no slouch at the keyboard either, albeit possibly with less virtuosic demands. Surprisingly, much of Achron’s music still remains in manuscript form only, which makes this CD set even more valuable. Achron wrote three violin concertos, premiering the last two of them with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra during his Hollywood years in the late 1930s; what I wouldn’t give to be able to hear Shaham playing them!

The latest CD from England’s Brodsky Quartet offers beautifully-judged performances of the String Quartet and Piano Trio of Claude Debussy (Chandos CHAN 10717). The quartet was founded 40 years ago, with two of the original members still there, so their faultless ensemble playing should come as no surprise.

The String Quartet is a beautiful and idiomatic reading: passionate, nicely coloured and with a wonderful range of tone and dynamics. The Piano Trio is an early work from 1880, when the 18 year old Debussy was employed by Nadejda von Meck, Tchaikovsky’s patroness. Despite its lack of maturity, it’s an interesting piece, with many hints at the composer’s later style, but with a rather weak ending. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is the perfect pianist for this music, having recorded Debussy’s Complete Works for Solo Piano for the Chandos label. Again, it’s a beautiful performance.

Two shorter works fill out the CD. The Deux Danses (Danses Sacrée et Profane) for chromatic harp and orchestra were written in 1904 as examination pieces for the Brussels Conservatory, after that institution had been persuaded by the Parisian instrument makers Pleyel, the chromatic harp’s inventors, to run courses for the instrument. Welsh harpist Sioned Williams is the excellent soloist in this arrangement for pedal harp and string quintet, with Chris Laurence on double bass.

The closing track is the 1890 piano piece Reverie, arranged for string quartet by the Brodsky’s violist Paul Cassidy. Beautiful string playing throughout, with excellent balance and sound quality, make this a very attractive release.

Camillo Sivori (1815-94) was Paganini’s only pupil, and was already touring Europe as a virtuoso violinist by the age of 12. Like most 19th century virtuosi, he wrote works for his own instrument. The Italian label Tactus has issued his Opere per Violino e Pianoforte (TC 811901) in excellent performances by violinist Mauro Tortorelli and pianist Angela Meluso.

On first hearing, the seven pieces here are much in the style of Paganini, but Sivori was apparently noted for “advancing and maturing the concept of interpretation,” as the rather awkwardly-translated booklet notes put it, and the works offer a fascinating look at mid-1800s Italian virtuoso playing and composing in the post-Paganini years. Detailed performing and publication histories of the works are included in the booklet.

The playing here is absolutely first-class; it’s never enough simply to get all the notes and technical tricks in this type of music, even if it’s not that deep emotionally – you must also make it smooth and seamless, and apparently effortless, without making it sound like empty virtuosity. Tortorelli gets it stunningly right on all counts. The piano has less to do, but Meluso is a fine and sympathetic accompanist.

Sivori’s name also turns up on Bottesini – Capriccio di Bravura, a CD of stunning double bass performances by the Dutch bassist Rick Stotijn (Channel Classics CCS SA 32612). Giovanni Bottesini (1821-89) was a brilliant bass virtuoso, and his compositions for the instrument were responsible for the double bass becoming a bona fide solo instrument.

His most frequently heard work is the Gran Duo Concertante in A Major, originally written for two double basses and orchestra, but now played almost exclusively in the arrangement by Camillo Sivori for violin, double bass and orchestra. It is played here in an arrangement by Duncan McTier for the same soloists with string orchestra, with the outstanding Liza Ferschtman on violin and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta under Candida Thompson.

Cellist Monika Leskovar joins Stotijn for the Duo Concertant on Themes from Bellini’s “I Puritani,” also in a string orchestra arrangement, and the CD also features two works for double bass and string quintet: the Grande Allegro di Concerto “alla Mendelssohn,” which seems to rely heavily on the E Minor violin concerto for its inspiration; and the Capriccio di Bravura in A Major.

Stotijn’s sister, mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn, joins her brother and pianist Hans Eijsackers in two songs that reflect the composer’s love of – and familiarity with – opera and the bel canto style. Bottesini was a successful opera conductor, having conducted the premiere of Verdi’s Aïda in 1871, and he also wrote several operas of his own. Neither song is particularly Italianate or showy, and the bass beautifully supports the vocal part.

Stotijn’s playing throughout is quite astonishing, although the music itself isn’t always up to his high standards; his tone, vibrato speed, agility and range are truly amazing. At times it’s difficult to tell the violin and bass apart in the Gran Duo, and Stotijn manages to sound more like a cellist in the quintets.

The contributions from members of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta in the chamber works are first-class; there is a lovely resonance to the recorded sound, with the soloists perfectly balanced.

I’m not sure where to start with the new CD from the American cellist Charles Curtis – Bach: An Imaginary Dance (eOne EOM-CD-2127). “An extraordinary new reading of 3 Bach Cello Suites,” says the sticker on the front of the jewel case: “Accompanied by tabla and organ, Charles Curtis opens an alternative dimension of rhythm and color.” Well, maybe.

First things first. Curtis is a superb cellist. His playing here is smooth and flowing, with no hint of technical difficulty, and with a lovely sense of line that simply bursts with life and energy. I would pay a good deal to hear him perform the complete suites unaccompanied. So how did he end up recording selected cello suites with tabla (Naren Budhakar) and organ (Anthony Burr)?

For a start, he is fully aware of the historical context of the works, of the importance of dance in social life at the time and of Bach’s lack of hesitation in adapting his music to different instrumentations.

But why the Indian instrumental additions? Well, Curtis has studied the Kirana style of Indian classical music, and is a regular member of the Just Alap Raga Ensemble. When he decided to enhance the dance nature of the suites, the organ and tabla must have been immediate options: the tabla clearly supports and embroiders the rhythmic nature of the music, and the organ fills in the harmonic structure implicit in the solo cello lines. It’s a subtle harmonic support, too, with no vibrato and no contrapuntal lines – just a smooth, low-key chordal sound typical of the portable organs used in Indian music.

Now the big question: does it work? The Suites chosen are numbers 1 in G Major, 3 in C Major and 4 in E-flat Major; all have six movements – Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée or Menuet, and Gigue – and in each case the Prelude and Sarabande (the slow movements) are played unaccompanied. Even in the remaining movements, the tabla and organ are not always present; the degree of participation varies a great deal, whether they are playing singly or together. I tended to find that I would forget about them in the solo cello movements and then wonder why they had returned.

You can argue as much and as long as you like about whether or not this approach provides an ear-opening new way of listening to these works, or whether such additions do nothing but pointlessly compromise the integrity of the original music, but the bottom line for me is that Curtis’ cello playing is so wonderfully full of life, as close to perfection as you can get, that I can’t see how you could possibly need anything else. In many ways the tabla and organ don’t really detract from the music, but they can hardly be said to add anything either; at best, they buzz and hover around it like mosquitoes at an outdoor evening dinner.

“An alternative dimension of rhythm and color?” I don’t really know; I was too busy listening to the cello.

Bouliane; Gougeon; Rea Joseph Petric;
Nouvel Ensemble Moderne;
Lorraine Vaillancourt
ATMA ACD2 2395

Lorraine Vaillancourt and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM) deliver a vibrant performance in this most recent of an ongoing series of releases celebrating the new music of Montreal. Equally precise and passionate, they play the music like they own it.

Denys Bouliane’s Rythmes et échos des rivages anticostiens is an exciting work based on his imagined historical reconstruction of the music of Anticosti Island. The composer is particularly interested in the encounter between European and First Nations cultures, a project in which he brings to bear both his European academic background and more recent research into First Nations music. Sophisticated use of devices such as simple repetition achieve highly complex results, propelling the piece though an intense and inventive timbral tour of the NEM’s resources.

In En accordéon, Denis Gougeon, the self-described “knitter of sounds,” bases his ideas on the alternating squeezing and stretching of the accordion’s bellows. Dramatic gestures abound in this contemporary rendition of the classic concerto genre, as Joseph Petric’s virtuosic passage work and the silvery tone of his accordion are juxtaposed and combined with the sound of the ensemble. In Mutation, the composer’s use of musical gesture lengthens to encompass the entire work, giving it a strong sense of sweep and clarity.

John Rea’s fascination with music’s essential foundation, time, connects him with György Ligeti, to whom his piece Singulari-T is dedicated in its subtitle. Listeners will be fascinated to follow various musical manipulations of our sense of time: from metronomically steady, speeding up or slowing down, to irregular and unpredictable. At certain moments, some tendency reaches a breaking point and everything suddenly changes.

In all, a highly recommended album.

Eatock, Colin – Chamber Music
Various Artists
Centrediscs CMCCD 17812

Toronto-based renaissance artist Colin Eatock is successful and thought provoking at whatever he attempts. As a writer and critic, he is thorough and relentless at unearthing the truth. As a composer, he is justified in his acknowledgement of such musical influences as Shostakovich, Messiaen and Crumb, as he experiments and develops the truth of his own sound.

The six works featured here were composed from 1987 to 2010, and are colourful examples of his favourite musical worlds. Eatock is strongest in the three vocal works. Especially noteworthy is the final movement of Three Songs from Blake’s “America” (1987). The transparent piano part exposes the bass-baritone (Andrew Tees) in a haunting hummable melody. This ethereal sparse quality again surfaces in the “Elegy” movement of the Suite for Piano (1995) performed by Timothy Minthorn. The stillness of this movement is a welcome rest after the previous jaunty Toccata with its movie music chase lines.

Eatock’s compositions are carefully written works that accommodate the performer while pushing them to enter his harmonic nuances. All the musicians on this studio release recorded at various times since 1999 are superb in their interpretations. Recording quality is of an equally high standard.

Ensorcell
Bill Gilliam
Melos Production MPBG-004
www.bill-gilliam.com

Bill Gilliam’s experience and his output since the mid-80s has spanned formal composition, jazz and jazz-oriented improvisation as well as electro-acoustic music and music-visual media. His new recording features the kind of music-making that one suspects is closest to his heart: it’s a very personal-sounding collection of solo piano improvisations.

Gilliam has aimed to bring his composer’s sense of form and continuity to the improvisational process so that each of the pieces in the recording has its own distinct character. Nevertheless, separate compositions often seem to flow into and resemble one another, but this only enhances the enjoyment of listening to this album start-to-finish. While, in earlier work, the jazz element in Gilliam’s compositions included a strongly pulse-based rhythmic aspect, this recording tends more toward an elastic, rubato approach that is closer to the post-Romantic European tradition than to jazz. Meanwhile, his harmonies blend 20th century classical and jazz sounds in a convincing, comfortable modal-chromatic style.

The music communicates the integrated joy of moment-to-moment composition and, especially, of piano playing: Gilliam’s love of his instrument both as performer and composer-improviser is this album’s major attraction. Respect and affection for the sound of the piano has also guided the technical side of the project, resulting in a warm, sonically accurate and dynamic recording.

Sophisticated Ladies
Peter Appleyard; Molly Johnson;
Emilie-Claire Barlow; Jill Barber;
Elizabeth Shepherd; Sophie Milman; Jackie Richardson; Diana Panton;
Carol McCartney; Barbra Lica
Linus 270151

The veteran American bass player Charlie Haden released Sophisticated Ladies, a collection of songs covered by contemporary, mostly American, female jazz singers, in early 2011. (See my January 2011 review) Now veteran Canadian vibraphonist Peter Appleyard has released a CD called Sophisticated Ladies that is a collection of songs covered by mostly Toronto-based female jazz singers.

Whether the mimicry was deliberate or not, comparison is difficult to avoid. Both discs feature solid musicianship from the singers (such as Jackie Richardson, Emilie-Claire Barlow and Jill Barber in this case) and players (Appleyard is joined by Reg Schwager, Neil Swainson, Terry Clarke and John Sherwood), but where the Canadian version pales a bit is in the song choices, which are predominantly well-worn standards. The arrangements are all straightforward, jazzy treatments with few musical curveballs, so it all adds up to a pleasant, swingy listen. This would make a fine addition to a CD collection for anyone wanting a sampler of current Canadian jazz singers.

Jane and the Magic Bananas
Sam Shanabi; Alexandre St-Onge;
Michel F. Côté
& Records &17
www.actuellecd.com

Exemplars of a distinctive Québécois aesthetic called Musique Actuelle, the oddly named Jane and the Magic Bananas is actually a trio of male performers who during nine bizarrely titled improvisations confirm the links between Heavy Metal and Musique Concrète.

With Michel F. Côté’s drums electronically amplified, plus Alexandre St-Onge extending his resonating double bass lines with self-controlled electronics and electric guitarist Sam Shanabi moving from arena-rock-styled flanged distortion to intricate and off-centre note clusters, the sonic result is as aleatoric as it is atmospheric. A tune like Passing the Gates of Shalmir-Keshtoum for instance, languidly contrasts electrically oscillated bass motion with drum clatters and ruffs; whereas staccato guitar runs plus heavy-gauge bass strings plucked and resonating for maximum physicality, meet nerve beats from the drummer on Gul Shah’s Hunchback Henchmen. Meanwhile among Côté’s seemingly random hits and rumbles on In Which Jack’s Cruise is Ended, Shanabi manages to weave dense chording and filigree licks in such a way as to sound as if several guitarists are present. Most characteristically, each player appears to take off in a different direction on Third Invasion of the Swingingsguord until cross-patterning drums, a slurred bass ostinato and distorted guitar licks combine for a sound eruption that makes Pierre Schaeffer’s pioneering Étude aux chemins de fer sound as hushed and primitive as liturgical plainsong, while avoiding the blank nihilism of Hard Rock. If Jane and the Magic Bananas can be faulted, it’s that the three players don’t extend the humour implicit in their name and song titles to leaven some of the dense chiaroscuro-coloured improvisations here.

Reg schwager is a consummate guitarist, as skilled an accompanist as he is a soloist and an imaginative improviser at bop tempos and ballads, continuing the special lineage of Toronto guitarists that includes Ed Bickert and Sonny Greenwich. On Duets (Rant 1142 www.rantrecords.com) Schwager plays with four distinguished bassists, each of whom he has worked with extensively: Don Thompson, Neil Swainson, Dave Young and Pat Collins. Each duet has some special quality: there’s the boppish Sir George with Swainson, dedicated to their former employer George Shearing; the cool Niterói Night Sky with Young’s propulsive use of glissandi; and the understated Latin rhythm that floats Collins’ own Judge’s Row. The sense of dialogue is always strong, but Schwager’s exotic The Alchemist’s Dream is a highpoint, a probing, expansive discussion between the guitarist and Don Thompson, frequent duo partners.

Electric bassist Chris Tarry has put together one of the most imaginative releases of the past year, combining the music of his quintet with his short story writing. Rest of the Story (19/8 Records www.christarry.com) looks like a book, but by the fourth story in the collection — The Hole — it gives way to just that and the next 70 pages present a fringe of text around a CD (it was striking enough to win the Recording Packaging of the Year award at the 2012 JUNOs). Tarry’s narrative interests arise in his compositions as well: they’re filled with subtle harmonic ambiguities and rhythmic nuances, with strong melodies and intriguing internal shifts in genre, a ballad assuming a blues hue, a beat becoming explicitly Latinate. The band includes first-rank soloists in guitarist Pete McCann — he brings a shimmering lucidity to You Are the State — and forceful saxophonist Kelly Jefferson.

There are strong narrative elements as well in the Maria Farinha Band’s Uwattibi (Farpat 009 www.mariaffarinha.com), though one requires a command of Brazilian Portuguese to pick up the details. The title means “place of the canoe in Tupi-Guarani,” an allusion to a love story about a French colonizer and a native Brazilian woman. Farinha presents her songs with a light touch and they’re filled with neatly turned emotional resonances, whether poignancy or muted joy. The band is co-led by guitarist Roy Patterson, and it’s very good: Andrew Downing plays cello in addition to bass, adding a distinctive texture to Atina Marahao and a darker hue to the buoyant instrumental Sentient Baiao as it soars on Jean Pierre Zanella’s flute.

The Vancouver-based clarinettist François Houle has assembled a genuinely brilliant band that he calls 5 + 1 for Genera (Songlines SGL 1595-2 www.songlines.com). It’s an international cast with U.S. cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser, expatriate Canadians Michael Bates on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums, with frequent appearances here by French pianist Benoît Delbecq, a long-time Houle associate (they released the duo CD Because She Hoped on Songlines last year). Houle’s compositions are more than just triggers for improvisation. The beautiful Guanara, anchored to a slow Latin beat, achieves an almost Gil Evans-like sonic richness from a limited palette; Essay #7, all tightly controlled angles, finally surrenders to a burst of liberating collective improvisation; Le Concombre de Chicoutimi II has the suspension and grace of Ravel. It’s a CD filled with clear, thoughtful, expressive work, and the settings — both the compositions and the band — raise Houle’s own improvisations to a new level.

The Element Choir, founded and led by Christine Duncan, is a large Toronto vocal group that practices “conduction,” collectively interpreting and improvising on hand signals that trigger different activities and sub-groups, control dynamics and synchronize dramatic events. The choir is a cross-section of Toronto’s improvised music community and their latest CD, with William Parker at Christ Church Deer Park (Barnyard BR0326 www.barnyardrecords.com), is a spectacular performance with the choir 70-strong and joined by several musicians: the trio of trumpeter Jim Lewis, bassist Andrew Downing and drummer Jean Martin; Eric Robertson — both a regular collaborator and organist at Christ Church Deer Park — and the New York bassist William Parker. The result — a 44-minute collective improvisation called Ventures in a Cloud Chamber — is remarkable, whether it’s the choir in the foreground with its startling massed pitches, rhythmic chanting, eerie dialogues or banshee wails, or the musicians soloing against the backdrop of all those voices. Hearing about it, it might sound like an experiment; hearing it, it’s a remarkable communal accomplishment.

Paying homage to late great artists is as perilous as it is inviting. Ranee Lee recorded Deep Song: A Tribute to Billie Holiday (Justin Time Just 250-2) in 1989 and it’s just been reissued. Lee is a fine singer with an interpretive depth and melodic subtlety that immediately distinguish her. Those gifts serve her well on such challenging Holiday classics as God Bless the Child and the harrowing Strange Fruit. She can also manage the Holiday playfulness on a light pop tune like Them There Eyes, but she’s less successful in the emotional netherworld of Don’t Explain. The accompaniment, too, is a mixed bag. Pianist Oliver Jones and bassist Milton Hinton play great jazz; saxophonist/flutist Richard Beaudet just sounds “jazzy.” Overall, it’s an affecting invocation of a singular figure, and Lee manages to assert her own vocal personality while creating it.