Our Lovely Day
Patricia Hammond
Imperial Music and Media IMMPLC002
www.patriciahammond.com

Canadian born and London (UK) based mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond has a luscious classically trained voice that has graced the stage with numerous opera companies and symphonies. But on Our Lovely Day she performs a collection of “parlour” songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that she has performed in recital for the elderly in British hospitals and nursing homes. Her joyous interpretations, haunting tone colour and in-depth background knowledge create a brilliant presentation of historical accuracy and contemporary flavour.

The Hammond-penned liner notes combine historical facts with personal reminiscences from her performances, childhood and recording sessions which aids to a better understanding of each track. It is great to hear the rarely performed verses included in Button Up Your Overcoat and Always. Love’s Old Sweet Song is a bit quick for my liking yet Hammond’s clear diction saves the day. She cleverly adds in a bit of baroque-like ornamentation at the close of Drink to Me Only, while the rocking band instrumental leading into the Did You Ever See a Dream Walking showcases her tight backup orchestra and the colourful work of arrangers/musicians Nicholas D. Ball and Matthew Redman.

Our Lovely Day will appeal to all age groups, from the very young to the not so very young. My experience allows me to stress that the songs here are extremely tricky to perform, but Hammond makes them all sound so easy and fun!

In march 1960 the 18 year old Maurizio Pollini won first prize in the Sixth International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. The prize earned him a three LP contract with EMI. The first, completed by April 21, 1960, was the Chopin First Piano Concerto, recorded by with Paul Kletzki and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. The second sessions were in September when he recorded the two sets of Etudes, Op. 10 and 25. Although he gave no specific reason, Pollini refused to allow them to be released. EMI paid the cancellation penalty for the third recording and said goodbye to Mister Pollini who, ironically, would re-emerge as a superstar on Deutsche Grammophon.

Testament has issued the now legendary complete Chopin Etudes (SBT1473, stereo CD) and we can only wonder why the pianist said no at the time. Listening to these reproachless performances is completely disarming. Peter Andry, the producer for these recordings, writes that “When I heard him play, his strength and flair for the piano were prodigious. Hearing him perform the first of Chopin’s complete sets of etudes that we recorded was a spine tingling experience, with great rolling waves of sound coming from the grand piano. This was pianism of the very finest kind. Rarely had I heard such perfection. He seemed to play these demanding works effortlessly. I remember the occasion even now as one of my greatest musical experiences.”

Why Pollini withheld permission to release the Etudes is explained by Peter Andry in his book of enticing memoirs, Inside the Recording Studio, published in 2008 as a quality paperback by Scarecrow Press (ISBN 13 978-0-8108-6026-1). Aware that EMI was losing interest in Pollini, DG was wooing him and promising that they would record the Etudes. They eventually did so ... in 1972. The DG recordings are fine performances but quite different from the EMI whose recorded sound is cleaner and more pleasant to the ear. There is a higher level of virtuosity in these early performances, his lighter touch befitting the repertoire. This recording would be a gem in any thoughtful collection and is recommended without reservation.

For the first half of the 20th century HMV was, by default, the only recording company that meticulously documented the art of singing lieder, particularly, but not exclusively, Schubert Lieder. The HMV catalogue was populated by the leading artists of their time — Leo Slezak, Elena Gerhardt, Frieda Hempel, Alexander Kipnis, John McCormack, Richard Tauber, Meta Seinemeyer, Georges Thill, Vanni Marcoux, Feodor Chaliapin, Lotte Lehmann, Charles Panzera, Elisabeth Schumann, Gerhard Hüsch, Frida Leider — to mention some of the pre-c.1950 luminaries of the field. Adding to this cast were the many lesser known but not lesser artists of the period. The generation of singers since then should be familiar to concert goers and record collectors; Schwarzkopf, Pears, Baker, Hotter, Ameling, Ludwig, Fischer-Dieskau (he has his own disc), Wunderlich, Bostridge, Hampson, and others. Die Schöne Müllerin is given to Peter Schreier, Schwanengesang to Olaf Bär, and Winterreise to Thomas Hampson. Hampson is also heard on the 17th disc in a discussion, Schubert’s Journey: An Exploration of his Lieder. The grand total is 91 singers singing 213 songs in Schubert Lieder on Record 1898-2012 (EMI 3275752, 17 CDs). Clearly, some singers sing more than one song and some songs are sung by more than one singer. Erlkönig has seven versions including the spine-tingling 1930 recording with tenor Georges Thill, sung in French with a baritone and a boy soprano.

This set has a heritage. Schubert Lieder on Record 1898-1952 was released in 1982 on a mammoth (for the day) 8-LP set (later on six CDs) compiled by the late Keith Hardwick. The invaluable Hardwick was the engineer who did many of the transfers from 78s for EMI’s acclaimed series Great Recordings of the Century on LP.

Expanded to 17 CDs with recordings made since 1952, the spiritual worth of the interpretations herein can’t be measured. The recording dates are given in the enclosed booklet but no translations. This unique collection will give endless satisfaction to the select group of devotees of this repertoire.

A generation or two ago it was the Budapest String Quartet that came first to mind when someone mentioned string quartets. In the 1930s they recorded several of the Beethoven quartets for HMV and in 1951 and 1952 Columbia recorded a complete monaural cycle for release on LP. Columbia returned them to the studio for a stereo remake in sessions that spanned 1958 to 1961 with Josef Roisman, first violin; Boris Kroyt, viola; Mischa Schneider, cello; and Alexander Schneider replacing second violinist Jac Gorodetzky. Fifty years later, time has not reduced the charm and beauty of these later committed performances. Sony has reissued these valuable stereo recordings, in immaculate sound at an ultra-budget price, as The Budapest String Quartet Plays Beethoven – The Complete String Quartets (Sony Masters, 886977 767821, 8 CDs). Arguably, one hasn’t really experienced these works unless you’ve heard such performances as these. Devotees may wish to compare these late performances with the highly regarded 1951/52 mono recordings that are available in fine sound from United Archives (NUA01, 8CDs) at a somewhat higher price. Founded in 1917 by four members of the Budapest Opera Orchestra, the Budapest String Quartet disbanded in 1967.

For about three decades circa 1940 to 1960, Hungarian-German pianist Julian von Karolyi’s popularity was such that both DG and EMI signed and recorded him in solo and in concerted works. His performances were insightful, authoritative and assured. Karolyi attained his popularity with audiences from numerous concert appearances without the kick-start of being a competition winner.

His recordings are starting to appear on CD, the latest being from DOREMI (DHR-7984). Heard on this new re-issue are two staples of the concerto repertoire, the Tchaikovsky First and the Schumann A Minor, both in collaboration with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. The 1948 Liszt Hungarian Fantasia from Munich is an attractive bonus. The word collaboration is well considered. Karolyi is a team player who displays strength and sensitivity in partnership with the orchestra, not jockeying for position. The two concertos are in stereo. 

September marks a milestone in the history of recorded classical music: 25 years since the establishment of the Naxos label. Originally regarded with disdain by the record business establishment, this “budget” line of CDs has gone on to become the largest manufacturer and distributor of classical CDs and digital downloads in the world. Later this month Naxos founder Klaus Heymann will be in Toronto for a media event celebrating the anniversary and the release of The Story of Naxos — The extraordinary story of the independent record label that changed classical recording for ever.

In the two months since the last issue we have received 21 CDs on the Naxos label and more than 80 on labels distributed by Naxos. And that is just the number that has physically crossed my desk; there were more than 200 separate titles listed on the August release sheets alone. For this month’s column I decided I would select a few of the discs that were of most interest to me personally from this wealth of material. This proved harder than I first imagined. Since my own area of expertise is music of the 20th century I decided to limit myself to this field and even so I ended up bringing ten discs home; a selection of works with which I was already familiar and a number which were new to my ears. Space precludes any in-depth analysis of the recordings, but suffice it to say that with minor hesitations as noted, none of the discs disappointed me and a number of them were very satisfying indeed.

Although well versed in the chamber music and concertos of Sergei Prokofiev, I am less familiar with his other orchestral and particularly symphonic output (with the exception of the ever-popular “Classical” Symphony). I chose a recording of two works composed during the Second World War, the symphonic suite The Year 1941 and the Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100 performed by the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop (8.573029). The first of these works is, perhaps understandably, bombastic with its patriotic movements “In the Struggle,” “In the Night”and “For the Brotherhood of Man,” but nevertheless well crafted and well performed. The symphony is more abstract in nature and although still noticeably nationalistic is not overtly jingoistic.

The next up on my unknown list was the Symphony No.6, Op.79 and the Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes,works dating from 1963 and 1949 respectively, by another Soviet composer, Mieczyslaw Weinberg (8.572779), performed by the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Lande. Weinberg fled to Russia to escape the Nazi invasion of Poland and his music is receiving quite a bit of attention and a plethora of recordings in recent years. I first became aware of his music about five years ago on a CD featuring the ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) ensemble, here in Toronto. Weinberg was a protégé of Shostakovich and his music is often reminiscent of that master’s work.

While I enjoyed the Naxos CD I found the Weinberg Cello Concerto, Op.43 contained on a recent Chandos release (CHSA 5107) of more interest, likely to do with my own kinship with that low member of the violin family. Although composed in 1948, the concerto had to wait until 1957 for its first performance. Rostropovich gave that premiere and the work is eminently suited to the big sound of that late maestro. Claes Bunnarsson proves himself well equal to the task in this performance with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Thord Svedlund. The disc also includes the premiere recording (and perhaps first performance according to the detailed liner notes) of Weinberg’s Symphony No.20, Op.150 dating from 1988 (eight years before his death). I mention this recording here as Chandos is one of the many major labels now distributed by Naxos. I’m tempted to note that this is the first recording I’ve seen that includes a logo reflecting sponsorship from Volvo.

A second disc I was drawn to because of the prominence of the cello is on another label from Naxos’ distribution stable. Truls Mørk is the soloist in Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Towards the Horizon (Cello Concerto No.2) on a recent Ondine release (ODE 11782) which also includes the percussion concerto Incantations featuring Colin Currie, both dating from 2008, and the 1957 orchestral composition Modificata which was revised in 2003. All are performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgärds direction. My proclivity for the cello notwithstanding, it was the percussion concerto with its (mostly) subdued use of mallet instruments which I found most satisfying.

One of Naxos’ most prolific lines is the American Classics series. Richard Danielpour, a composer whose work I first came across in a recording of a cello concerto written for Yo-Yo Ma, is featured on a recent release with the Seattle Symphony and Chorale under Gerard Schwarz (8.559712). What drew me to the disc was the Symphony No.3 “Journey Without Distance” when I first conceived of this column, thinking it would focus on modern symphonies. While the symphony is a striking work featuring soprano Faith Esham as the “voice of as angel” in a transcendent text by Helen Schucman, it was The Awakened Heart, a purely instrumental work (in spite of literary references in the movement titles) which captured my attention. It dates from 1990 and is a dramatic and often exuberant work, at times reminiscent of the hybrid of symphonic and theatrical music in Leonard Bernstein’s oeuvre.

I was not previously familiar with the symphonic output of British composer Peter Maxwell Davies although certainly aware of his cycle of string quartets (commissioned by Naxos) and such modern classics as Eight Songs for a Mad King and Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise. I was a little surprised to learn that he has written nine symphonies and if recent releases are an indication I assume we will see all of them from Naxos in the coming months. I added Symphony No.2 (1980) (8.572349) and Symphony No.3 (1984) (8.572350), both performed by the BBC Philharmonic under the composer’s direction,to my carry home bag and have enjoyed both of these textural pieces. I would almost consider them concertos for orchestra rather than symphonies, not because of sectional virtuosity but because they seem to be more about the different sonic possibilities inherent in the ensemble than in thematic development. The caveats I mentioned earlier in this article have to do specifically with these two discs. Each of the symphonies is accompanied by what I would call an incidental piece. Although the premise of each — St. Thomas Wake (Foxtrot for orchestra on a pavan by John Bull) and Cross Lane Fair — is “serious” enough, with separate dance band and Northumbrian pipes and bodhran respectively, they come across as merely pastiche. This is not to suggest that they are not a worthy part of Maxwell Davies’ oeuvre, simply that I would prefer a so-called “separation of church and state” — discs of symphonic repertoire on the one hand and of the more theatrical music on another.

With my space rapidly running out I will just briefly mention my “old favourites” revisited in recent Naxos recordings.

The abrasive music of then young Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki was an important aspect of my introduction to the music of the 20th century. There have been a number of recent Naxos Penderecki releases, each of which combines his youthful output with more conservative works of his mature years. Fonogrammi/Horn Concerto/Partita (8.572482) includes Fonogrammi for flute and chamber orchestra, Anaklasis for string orchestra and percussion and De natura sonoris I for orchestra, all from the 1960s, with several works from the 70s and the much more recent Horn Concerto “Winterreise”(2009).With a variety of soloists the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Anthony Wit provide definitive performances.

Olivier Messiaen’s Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (8.572714) is a devotional work from 1964. The Orchestre National de Lyon gives a strong performance under the direction of Jun Märki, but without ecstatic interludes such as those included in the earlier Turangalîla Symphony, to my ears the piece is a little “too much of a muchness.” The disc is redeemed however by the inclusion of two early orchestral works which provide welcome dramatic contrast: Le Tombeau resplendissant (1931) and Hymne (1932).

Saving the best for last, Marin Alsop returns with a recording of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra (1943) and Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) (8.572486). In this instance she is conducting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in performances that rival any I’ve heard of these two works which number among my very favourites.

Naxos is to be commended for its commitment to thoroughness, excellence and affordability. This small sampling of recent output only includes the art music of our time. It must be pointed out that the Naxos catalogue is just as extensive, one could say exhaustive, in classical repertoire from the Renaissance through the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras. And as Nicholas Soames, author of The Story of Naxos and director of Naxos AudioBooks would certainly point out, the Naxos catalogue extends far beyond the scope of classical music. There are two things I look forward to in the coming month: finding the time to read Soames’ story of this innovative company that has changed the history of recorded music in our time, and the newest addition to the Naxos Canadian Classics series, Dreamscapes, featuring orchestral music by Vivian Fung due out on September 23.

Of related interest: Jerry Fink, former CEO and President of Naxos of Canada Ltd., will present a ten-week class surveying the history of Western “classical” music from a Jewish viewpoint. Jewish involvement in the development of “classical” music from before the Byzantine Empire to the present day will be explored historically and examined musically. Examples from the presentation include: the Psalms and their use in Christian church music; Jewish troubadours of the Middle Ages; a Jewish national music school in pre-Soviet Russia. Thursday evenings beginning October 4 at Holy Blossom Temple. Tuition fee $235 (416-789-7400).

  We welcome your feedback and invite submissions. CDs and comments should be sent to: The WholeNote, 503–720 Bathurst St., Toronto ON M5S 2R4. We also encourage you to visit our website, thewholenote.com, where you can find added features including direct links to performers, composers and record labels, and additional, expanded and archival reviews.  

— David Olds, DISCoveries Editor, discoveries@thewholenote.com

If i keep it brief, I’ll have room for all seven of the discs that have been in rotation on my player over the past month … 

First there were a couple of hot-off-the-press releases from the Canadian Music Centre. My Life in Widening Circles (Centrediscs CMCCD 17712) features music of R. Murray Schafer, both new and old, performed by Land’s End Chamber Ensemble. The disc begins with a string trio written in 2006. Quasi tonal and dramatic, with echoes of previous Schafer (and Mahler) motifs, it is a beautiful addition to the repertoire of this neglected combination of instruments (violin, viola, cello). The ensemble playing is immaculate and the blending of sound is enhanced by the fact that all three instruments were constructed by the same luthier, Christopher Sandvoss, who was also the producer of the recording session. Book-ending this collection is another 2006 composition written for guest soprano Stacie Dunlop, Six Songs from Rilke’s Book of Hours.I find the juxtaposition of purely instrumental sounds and the powerful voice of Dunlop quite jarring, but as both works were written for Land’s End I understand why they wanted to showcase them together. In between, we hear Dunlop in a set of songs from very early in Schafer’s career, Kinderlieder from 1958, and core member John Lowry in two works for violin and piano: Wild Bird, originally for violin and harp, which was written for Jacques Israelievitch’s 50th birthday celebrations, and Duo for Violin and Piano from 2008. Curiously there are three pianists listed in the credits, but I have been unable to discern who actually plays on which cuts. The Duo received a 2011 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the year in its recording by Duo Concertante for whom it was written. It is an all too rare opportunity to have a second recording to compare with the first, but a little surprising to find them both on Centrediscs in such close proximity.

The other new Centrediscs release is very different in nature. Forging Utopia (CMCCD 17612) features four powerful orchestral works by Vancouver composer John Oliver, also know for his electroacoustic compositions and as an accomplished guitarist. The works presented here span more than a decade and are performed by orchestras from Vancouver, Windsor and Ottawa. The title track was commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Generation XYZ festival in 1998 and reflects Oliver’s thoughts and feelings about the world at the turn of the new millennium, striving to “forge a future for music, rather than dwell too much on the past.” The CBC commission Unseen Rain, which takes the mystical writings of the Sufi poet Rumi for its inspiration and texts, features renowned opera mezzo Judith Forst in full voice and splendour. The settings are mostly meditative yet manage to convey the dense textures of the poetry. Face in the Abstract, whichtakes as its premise the multi-layered, quasi-narrative visual art of Johannes Deutsche and Anselm Keefer, seems a convincing aural representation of a similar approach to art. The most extended work, Raven Steals the Light, is an effective tone poem wordlessly re-telling the dramatic Native American story of the same name as told and illustrated by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst. All in all this is an important addition to the Canadian orchestral discography and a timely reminder that there are a number of composers in this country who have created a significant body of large scale works.

A third disc devoted to the music of a single Canadian composer, in this case Barbara Monk Feldman, also captured my attention this past month. Released on the American contemporary music label Mode Records (mode 244), it features performances by Aki Takahashi and the Sabat/Clarke duo with percussionist Dirk Rothbrust. Deeply rooted in the sensibility of her teacher/mentor/late husband Morton Feldman, the music is delicate, pristine and precise. I have found it takes a special mood and patience to appreciate this school of composition, but when that state can be achieved the music takes on a wonderful trancelike and even transcendental quality.

The first piece, The Northern Shore, is scored for violin, piano and various percussion instruments. As it unfolds slowly over nearly half an hour with lush piano textures and mostly resonant mallet percussion instruments with chimes and bell sounds, I am left confused by the choice of such a dry timbre for the violin. While the use of pure, vibrato-less pitch is understandable, I believe it is still possible to achieve a fuller tone that would better complement the other members of the trio, but here Marc Sabat, and presumably the composer, have opted for a thin and reedy sound. My other hesitancy from fully embracing the piece is that, sparse and slow though it is, once I have suspended my usual expectations and relaxed to the point of immersion in this near timeless state, I feel that the piece would actually be more effective and convincing at half the pace, giving more time for each group of notes to fully decay before proceeding to the next.

I have no such concern about Takahashi’s performance of In the Small Time of a Desert Flower, perhaps because of the monochromatic, though again very lush, texture of the solo piano. Once again taking nearly half an hour to develop, the immaculate pacing and balance of the piece make it a crystalline gem.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition has been orchestrated so often and effectively that it is easy to forget its origin as a solo piano composition. As I was listening to J. Scott Irvine’s version for brass quintet and organ as recorded by the True North Brass and Eric Robertson (TNB005 www.truenorthbrass.com) I found myself wondering if I missed the strings of the original version. It took me a minute to realize that my memory was being tricked into believing Pictures to have been conceived as an orchestral piece.

Ravel’s orchestration (commissioned by Serge Koussevitsky in 1922) has become the most familiar, but there have been literally dozens of different orchestrations of Mussorgsky’s remembrance of his friend, artist Viktor Hartmann, since it was composed in 1874. For comparison’s sake I went back to the 1996 recording by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra using Jukka-Pekka Saraste’s performing edition (Finlandia 2 14911) which drew on the orchestrations of Sergei Gortschakov (1920s) and Leo Funtek (1950s). While there is a bit less lushness in Irvine’s “orchestra”— the Casavant organ at All Saints’ Kingsway Anglican Church — the instrument brings its own fullness and vast range of colour to the mix in a very effective way. And due to the acoustic properties of the church, the engineering skills of Anton Kwiatkowski, Irvine’s arrangement and the excellence of the players, the brass quintet is positively convincing in its orchestral range. Congratulations to all concerned!

The next disc also involves arrangements, but this time in a more idiomatic way. The Métis Fiddler Quartet is comprised of four siblings who appear to be in their teenage years, although there is very little personal information included in the notes, which exclude even their surname. North West Voyage/Voyage Nord Ouest (MFQ1201 www.metisfiddlerquartet.com) features Alyssa, Nicholas, Conlin and Danton [Delbaere-Sawchuk] playing fiddles, guitar and cello in their own arrangements of traditional and recently composed fiddle tunes, with particular emphasis on the aboriginal fiddle tradition. This album honours elders John Arcand (Métis, SK), James Flett and Lawrence “Teddy Boy” Houle (both Ojibwe, MB). The playing is exceptional and the music is more diverse than one might expect. Of particular note is the arrangement of the traditional Trade Song which begins with a prologue in a haunting and surprisingly modern tonality before progressing into more familiar ground. The cello, a somewhat surprising addition to the traditional instrumentation, is used effectively as both a pizzicato bass and a full-voice bowed melody instrument. This disc will be at the top of the pile next to my CD player this summer.

One of the highlights of the 2011 Montreal Baroque Festival was a performance by Bande Montréal Baroque under Eric Milnes’ direction of six New Brandenburg Concertos as reconstructed by the late Bruce Haynes. Drawing on the vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach and taking his premise from the writings of Telemann, who suggested that instruments could occasionally be substituted for voices in cantatas, Haynes has created new orchestral pieces modeled on the six existing Brandenburgs. ATMA has released these performances (ACD2 2565) and now we are left to decide whether the world really needs more transcriptions of the works of the master. Haynes suggests that they are offered more in the “tongue-in-cheek spirit of the famous recordings by the Swingle Singers or of Wendy Carlos’ Switched On Bach” and that they should not be taken too seriously. Because the music is authentic Bach and the instruments replacing the voices are carefully chosen with historical context in mind, I find the “experiment” to be a success for the most part. My main qualms are the extent to which the “new” concertos mirror the original six in instrumentation and form, right down to the third having only a cadence in place of a full second movement. All in all, however, I find the music satisfying and the recording sustained my interest right up until the last concerto, which seemed somehow to lose steam as it progressed. Completely familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, this music will be a welcome addition to anyone who can’t get enough Bach.

I must confess that although I am a great fan of the cello and of the music of Debussy, I’ve never quite been able to “get” the Sonata for Cello and Piano. I first heard it performed by Rostropovich at the George Weston Recital Hall in the early years of that remarkable establishment. It was a great recital, but I was left scratching my head at the work which seemed devoid of any of those things which I had come to think of as Debussy. Two decades later I am still at a loss to understand the piece, one of his very few forays into the world of chamber music, but at least it is starting to sound familiar. It is this sonata that Winona Zelenka and Connie Shih have chosen to begin their recording Connections (Marquis MAR 81427) which includes music by four “connected” French composers of the late 19th century. They certainly play the Debussy with conviction and don’t show any signs of confusion in their approach, so perhaps it’s just me…

            Chausson’s Piece, Op.39 is a “wistful gem” in Zelenka’s words and it is nicely complemented by Fauré’s “lightning fast” Papillion, Op.77. But herein lies one of my own pet peeves. This “Butterfly” is darting around like a hummingbird rather than a Monarch or the familiar cabbage butterflies that we are used to seeing. Perhaps it is a Red Admiral, but at any rate it is atypical of the genus as far as I’m concerned, reminiscent of The Flight of the Bumblebee when used as a virtuosic showpiece. Have these people ever seen a “Bumble” bee? It’s about the clumsiest creature to take to the air and I’ve heard that from an engineering standpoint it shouldn’t be able to fly at all… But please excuse my diatribe. Inthe case of Papillon my complaint is with the composer not the players because I have compared a number of performances and the general consensus is that this is meant to be a moto perpetuo. (By the way, I find Fauré’s song The Butterfly and the Flower a much better depiction of a butterfly in flight.)

            The final work on the disc is the wonderful Sonata in A Major originally for violin and piano by César Franck. This is a truly great piece of music and is totally convincing in its cello adaption. It is often paired with the first Fauré violin sonata in its cello arrangement and I’m glad to be presented with a different context in which to hear it. Zelenka and Shih play the Franck with passion and nuance and it makes a strong finish to this thoughtful and well recorded disc. 

 We welcome your feedback and invite submissions. CDs and comments should be sent to: The WholeNote, 503–720 Bathurst St., Toronto ON M5S 2R4. We also encourage you to visit our website, thewholenote.com, where you can find added features including direct links to performers, composers and record labels, “buy buttons” for online shopping and additional, expanded and archival reviews. 

— David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com

A Poet’s Love through the eyes of Heine, Schumann & Lysenko
Laura McAlpine; David Ellakis
Independent
lauramcalpine@mac.com

Two song cycles based on selected texts from Heinrich Heine’s Buch der Lieder are offered on this recording, the first being Robert Schumann’s famed and well-loved Dichterliebe. This cycle is most often performed by male voice, yet, lest we be mistaken that Laura McAlpine’s fine performance is without precedent, this was actually first dedicated to a woman, German soprano Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient.

McAlpine’s clear, expressive voice does justice to the light-hearted as well as the more dramatic songs. While I sometimes feel she could achieve even more expressiveness by taking more liberties with the rhythm “as written,” pianist David Eliakis provides an excellent foil by use of measured rubato that, nonetheless, stays perfectly in sync with the singer.

The second part of the recording is a cycle of texts by Heine set by Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912). Despite pressure to embrace “Great Russian” culture from the Russian Imperial Music Society which had funded his studies abroad, Lysenko devoted himself to Ukrainian music, setting all his vocal compositions, including this, in his native language. A challenge for many singers, but McAlpine has clearly done her research, mining her resources as well as her family heritage to deliver these texts naturally and with fine artistic sensibility.

Janácˇek – The Makropulos Affair
Angela Denoke; Raymond Very;
Peter Hoare; Jurgita Adamontye;
Johan Reuter; Wiener Philharmoniker; Esa-Pekka Salonen
Cmajor 709508

Success came late to Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) and his best, most deeply felt operas were written in his 70s. The idea of eternal life comes naturally to any person at that age and when he came across Karel Čapek’s play on this subject he eagerly accepted it for his new opera in 1926. His heroine, Emilia Marty (née Makropulos), a beautiful woman who managed to live over 300 years with a miracle drug invented by her father, a Greek alchemist in the court of Rudolf II in 1585, was in fact a personification of Janáček’s unrequited but very passionate love for a much younger woman. The opera’s strong emotional drive and beautiful music can be attributed to this “happy” coincidence.

One can rest assured that anything coming out of the Salzburg Festival is a world-class, extraordinary event. Director Christoph Marthaler takes full advantage of the Gross­festpielhaus’ wide stage with a tripartite arrangement. The centre is made out to be a courtroom, as the opera centres on a lawsuit and most of the action takes place here. On the left is a glass soundproof box where two women cleaners discuss eternal life while chain-smoking themselves to death, but the dialogue cannot be heard.

Acting, even more than the singing, is crucial here. All of the cast is perfect in both respects, but Angela Denoke, one of today’s best with credits too numerous to mention, a stunning German singer/actress (following a tradition carried by Elizabeth Soderstrom and Anja Silja) towers above the others and it seems as if the opera has been written for her. A great coup for the Festival in securing Esa-Pekka Salonen as conductor, whose interpretive skill, depth of musical understanding and inspirational leadership is almost unequalled in today’s shallow, sensation-and-cheap-thrill-seeking world.

Jake Heggie – Dead Man Walking
Joyce DiDonato; Philip Cutlip; Frederica von Stade; Measha Brueggergosman; Houston Grand Opera; Patrick Summers
Virgin Classics50999 6024632 5

In the last few years, Broadway producers looking for a sure-fire success embraced the idea of making popular movies into musicals The Producers, Spiderman, How to Succeed in Business, Sister Act, Once, Priscilla Queen of the Desert — this list could go on. Not nearly as often, a modestly successful and thoughtful film becomes an opera. Dead Man Walking — the movie — may still be remembered because of Susan Sarandon’s portrayal of the anti-death penalty crusader, Sister Helen Prejean. Unlike many films, this is a great subject for an opera. The themes of life and death, crime and redemption, desperation and grace play well on the grand stage. They would not, however, play half as well were it not for the music of Jake Heggie, an American composer whose personal love of the operatic genre is showcased in the inspired use of the negro-spiritual and pop-music idioms.

Just over a decade after its premiere, this opera shows a lot of staying power. The performances are impressive — Joyce DiDonato, reprising the role originated by Frederica von Stade, layers the performance with nuances of conviction, weakness, doubt and anger. Measha Brueggergosman delivers a powerful performance in the small role of Sister Rose. Finally, von Stade this time appears as the murderer’s mother, rounding off this stellar cast of mezzos and dramatic sopranos. This is so much more than just an opera of a film — this is by now a part of American standard repertoire.

L’Olimpiade – The Opera
Romina Basso; Franziska Gottwald;
Karina Gauvin; Nicholas Phan;
Ruth Rosique; Nicholas Spanos; Venice Baroque Orchestra; Markellos Chryssicos
NaïveV 5295

This recording is cheeky and timely. L’Olimpiade was yet another Metastasio libretto (like La Clemenza di Tito) set many times by various composers to gain applause with a new version of a well-known text. The plot centres around the prize of a king’s daughter at the Olympic games, and in this release a bunch of arias were jumbled together from the earliest setting by Caldara in 1733 to Torchi in 1792, in time to coincide with the upcoming Olympics in London. So far, so fun! The voices range from excellent to adequate. Excellent are Karina Gauvin as Argene, Ruth Rosique as Aristea, Romina Basso as the athletic Megacle who competes disguised as his friend Licida (Franziska Gottwald). Nowadays it’s steroids; back then evidently the latest scandal was impersonation!

The problem is the definition of “pasticcio” which is what this concert is called. The notes are by the Oxford Professor of Music, Reinhard Strohm who translates this word as “patchwork.” The word describes a pastry or pie containing various fillings held together by the blending of tastes — and in opera, the recitative. As with culinary art, there can be good and bad taste. Do it badly and you get the Met’s Enchanted Island or the earlier Opera Immaginaria.

This new effort is a delightful assortment, but no decent director would have yoked together such a disparate selection. Even amongst the composers selected (including neither J.C. Bach nor Beethoven) one of the most famous arias of the period, Superba di me stessa by Lampugnani, is omitted for a mediocre setting by Hasse. But since this is pleasant summer listening and the singers ornament well, it gives a lot of pleasure.

You could turn off the TV volume, and turn up the sound for these CDs. I’m afraid the inevitable next step will be a staging of L’Olimpiade with naked counter tenors, but I had better not say that too loud. “Propriety” is a word like “pasticcio” that seems to have fallen into disrepute.

Bach – Flute Works
Daniel Pailthorpe; London Conchord Ensemble; Julian Milford
Champs Hill RecordsCHRCD031

Upon first seeing this disc, one might well ask if we really need another recording of J.S. Bach’s flute music. However upon listening to it there is much to recommend this CD, a much-cherished project of BBC Symphony co-principal flutist Daniel Pailthorpe. Playing on a modern wooden instrument, a rarity in the contemporary flute world, Pailthorpe’s warm and unforced sound is most pleasant, and he and his colleagues play with complete engagement. The Sonata in B Minor for flute and obbligato keyboard is very well considered, beautifully balanced, and the teamwork between Pailthorpe and pianist Julian Milford is impeccable. Also on the program is the Sonata in A Major, the outer movements of which are performed with wit and ingenuity. In his rendition of the sonata for solo flute, Pailthorpe’s deft phrasing, wise appreciation of the underlying harmony and intimate sensibility are much appreciated.

The Second Orchestral Suite ends the disc and receives the same focused treatment, though this particular modern string sound is a bit of a vague throwback to the 1960s. While some will still prefer to hear this repertoire played on baroque instruments, this is a very fine CD carried by the players’ obvious affection for Bach’s music and their exemplary playing in the style of their choice.

Mozart – Piano Concertos 20 & 21
Jan Lisiecki; Bayerischen RSO;
Christian Zacharias
Deutsche Grammophon4790061

Canadian Jan Lisiecki is an incredible young artist who has recorded the Mozart piano concertos Nos.20 and 21 at the age of 16. I enjoyed his performance of the D Minor concerto for its dynamic contrasts and the dramatic intensity of the cadenza. His playing is clear, structured and without pretence. The emotions within the music were expressed honestly and not coated in pretty or exaggerated stylism. His technique is virtuosic with articulate scales and arpeggios cascading up and down the keyboard in a refined tonal palette. The interpretations are artistically thought through and mature enough to defy his age. His touch was lovely in a pure Mozart style. The second movement, Romance did not melt my heart as some other performances (Perahia, Uchida, etc.) but he captured the natural flow of the music and his phrasing was impeccable. The Rondo: Allegro Assai with the cadenza by Beethoven was brilliantly played with crisp trills and ornaments and the “dark energy” Lisiecki speaks of in the program notes is evident in the intensity of his playing.

Conductor Christian Zacharias is most sympathetic and supportive. A well-respected pianist himself he responds to every nuance of the soloist. The orchestra is brought into the performance with spontaneous conversational zest. I always think of Mozart’s piano works, solo, chamber or concerto, as opera for the keyboard. It is a singing conversation and I was pleased to read in Lisiecki’s notes that this was what he also thought of as a key to Mozart’s music. “With almost all the composers I play, I think of a human voice. If you play as you speak and sing, you will produce the most natural phrasing. Mozart’s piano concertos sometimes have positively operatic qualities. In the third movement, Allegro vivace assai of the C Major concerto, for example, one can imagine having different characters speaking with one another onstage.”

In the Piano Concerto No.21 in C Major K467, Lisiecki performs impeccably, light as air in touch, texture and mood but intense and deep in contrasting sections. Lisiecki wrote his own cadenza which was short but well-written and it fit into the concerto stylistically. The famous Andante was crystal clear and moved me with the singing line. Maturity will season this movement in time. Lisiecki has found the key to successful Mozart playing and seems to channel Mozart’s exuberance, humour and singing voice.

Schumann – Piano Concerto in A minor
Angela Hewitt; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Hannu Lintu
Hyperion CDA67885

Schumann – Chamber Music
Nash Ensemble
Hyperion CDA67923

Schumann – Piano Quintet; Piano Quartet
Alexander Melnikov; Jerusalem Quartet
Harmonia Mundi HMC 902122

Robert Schumann once wrote: “In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of.” If only it were as simple as that! Whatever mental afflictions Schumann may have suffered over the course of his lifetime, there is no denying his place among the great Romantic period composers, and three recent discs will surely please all those who delight in music by the master from Zwickau.

When Ottawa-born pianist Angela Hewitt made the world take notice back in 1985, it was for her interpretation of Bach. Since then, she has proven her talents extend much further, and this Hyperion CD featuring the Schumann Piano Concerto Op.54 plus two lesser-known works for piano and orchestra with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under the direction of Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu is a case in point. The concerto was completed in 1845 as a gift for Schumann’s wife, concert pianist Clara. It proved to be an instant success, with one critic noting the “beautiful alliance” between orchestra and soloist. Here, Hewitt and the DSOB comprise a formidable partnership, her technical brilliance pairing splendidly with the warmth of the orchestra’s strings and woodwinds. The inclusion of the Introduction and Allegro appassionato Op.92 and the Introduction and Concert-Allegro Op.134 are added bonuses, rounding out this most satisfying recording.

I’ve long been a huge fan of the London-based Nash Ensemble. As resident chamber ensemble of Wigmore Hall, it has rightfully earned a reputation for musical excellence, and this latest offering (also on Hyperion) featuring Schumann’s smaller chamber music, is no exception. All the music here was composed between 1849 and 1853, and includes the Märchenbilder Op.113 for viola and piano, the Märchenerzählungen Op.132 for clarinet, viola and piano and the Violin Sonata No.1 Op.105. The playing is elegant and intelligent, whether it be the elegiac opening to the Adagio and Allegro Op.70 for horn and piano or the cheerful optimism of the finale from the clarinet and piano Fantasiestücke Op.73.

Schumann had scarcely written any chamber music before 1842, but before that year was out, he had produced three string quartets, a piano quartet and a piano quintet. Both the piano quartet and quintet are presented on a recent Harmonia Mundi recording featuring the Jerusalem Quartet with pianist Alexander Melnikov. Now a major player amongst chamber ensembles, the Jerusalem recently won its third BBC Music Magazine award and together with Melnikov, has produced an exemplary recording. The playing is confident and exuberant without being bombastic (as is often the case in other recordings of these pieces), with Melnikov displaying a particular sensitivity to the demands of the score. Do I foresee another award for this ensemble in the near future? With this level of quality, it wouldn’t be surprising.

In all, these are three fine additions to the catalogue — great music, superbly performed. We can hardly ask for more.

Liszt – The Concertos
Daniel Barenboim; Staatskapelle Berlin; Pierre Boulez
Deutsche Grammophon477 9521

This live performance of the Liszt piano concertos is an interesting listening experience. The first revelation for me is Boulez conducting music that he had once thought of as empty, virtuosic fluff. The second is Barenboim’s deep, dark, dramatic, yet poetic interpretation. He brings an operatic and devilish Faustian edge to the music.

Boulez is known as one of the 20th century giants in contemporary music as both composer and conductor. Barenboim is acclaimed for his fine Beethoven and Mozart playing. Together the two masters have created a palette of astounding orchestral and pianistic colors emulating a wide range of conflicting emotions. These performances are not simply a showcase for virtuoso technique. I admire the control and attention to the structure of the music. Every detail is carefully nuanced and articulated in both piano and orchestra. We have to remember that Franz Liszt was not only a great pianist, a rock star in his time who had an immense technique and repertoire, but also a successful conductor and a prolific composer.

Alan Walker in his biographies of Liszt has called his piano piece Nuage Gris the gateway to modern music. Liszt pushed chromaticism to the limit in his orchestral tone poems and used the piano pedals to create exotic soundscapes. He was the new music composer of his time. In this performance I found myself listening to the orchestra as much as the piano. Boulez has always been known for his keen ears and his remarkable ability to clarify complex orchestral sounds. He doesn’t disappoint here. I heard lines and details in the orchestra that sounded very fresh and convincing. Barenboim plays the piano with an edge that is aggressive at times but so focused and intense that it became hypnotic. He also articulates the melodic line with passion but tenderness as well.

These are very personal and unique interpretations and maybe not for everyone. The tone of the piano is sometimes too harsh and the tempos are slower than in other performances. The ensemble in the first movement could be tighter. However, I find these performances masterful and exciting, brimming with new ideas and swirling emotions. The encores, Consolation No.3 and Valse oubliée No.1 are a real bonus, exquisitely performed with a deep sensitivity that will melt your heart.

Mahler – Symphony No.1
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden and Freiburg; Francois-Xavier Roth
Hänssler ClassicCD 93.294

Mahler – Symphony No.7
Bamberger Symphoniker; Jonathan Nott
Tudor7176

Mahler – Symphony No.3
Michaela Schuster; Gurzenich-Orchester Koln; Markus Stenz
Oehms ClassicsOC 648

Though the double anniversaries of Gustav Mahler’s birth (1860) and death (1911) have now drawn to a close the hits keep on coming. A new Hänssler disc of the First Symphony commemorates the inaugural concert of French conductor François-Xavier Roth, recently appointed chief conductor of the Baden-Baden based radio orchestra, a highly accomplished ensemble well known for its expertise in contemporary music. Roth’s approach to Mahler is typically rigorous and hard-driven, a strategy well suited to the bucolic Scherzo and sure-fire finale but one which gives short shrift to the emotive plasticity and elegant phraseology a true Mahlerian such as the late Rafael Kubelik brought to the other movements. The album includes a bonus performance of a rarely-heard early work by Anton Webern, In Sommerwind (1904), notable for its surprising French influences and sprawling episodic structure.

Sad to say, there is some question as to whether this radio orchestra will survive much longer in light of austerity measures recently proposed by the state broadcasting authority. Petitions are flying to ensure its continuation and contemporary German composers are in a panic. Let us hope they have more of an impact than we observed here in Canada some years ago.

Though we have not received their discs at The WholeNote, I feel compelled to mention the ongoing Mahler cycle by another financially challenged orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony under the direction of Manfred Honeck on the Japanese audiophile Exton label, available from the orchestra’s website. Honeck’s visceral interpretation of the First symphony deeply impressed me when I first heard it (the Pittsburgh orchestra boasts a fabulously lusty sounding horn section, an essential component in this work); superlative performances of Symphonies Three, Four and Five are also available.

British conductor Jonathan Nott, director of the Bamberg Symphoniker for the past decade, has passed the halfway mark in his cycle of live performances of the complete Mahler symphonies with the release of the Seventh Symphony. I’ve not heard the others, but on the present evidence his is a no-nonsense, objective approach, more intellectual than passionate. Much depends on the orchestral musicians in such a case; thankfully, the Bamberg artists do not disappoint and the recorded sound is decent enough. Yet one has to ask of this conductor, where is Mahler? Nott’s novice shortcomings (this is evidently his first ever performance of this work) are painfully evident in the Finale, which flies by in a blur, missing the many textural details and eccentric mood swings of Mahler’s mock triumphalism. You might almost think this is the black sheep of the cycle, as the contentious liner notes suggest. Try any performance of this work by Abbado (preferably the most recent Lucerne Festival DVD) and you’ll become convinced otherwise.

I’ve saved the best for last: a real winner of a disc from Markus Stenz and the wondrous Gürzenich orchestra in a compelling performance of the Third Symphony featuring contralto Michaela Schuster and an ensemble of children’s voices from the Cologne Cathedral and Opera choirs. The first five of the symphonies and a disc of vocal works have been recorded in the Stenz cycle so far; all are excellent, but this one in particular has a surpassing beauty. Stenz has a deep understanding of Mahler which shines through and the admirable sonic engineering is spectacularly transparent. Tempi are refreshingly nimble in the inner movements, lending a delightfully Shakespearian sense of fantasy to Mahler’s symphonic cosmos; there’s nary a dull moment over the course of this mighty, six movement double CD performance. From the opening depiction of summer’s awakening to the deeply felt, amorous conclusion, Stenz and his magnificent orchestra bring us sheer delight from first to last.

— Daniel Foley

The Danish composer Rued Langgaard (1893–1952) is a new name to me, but if the music on String Quartets Vol.1 (DACAPO 6.220575) is anything to go by then I’ve really been missing something. Denmark’s Nightingale String Quartet is simply superb in this first volume of a series of all nine quartets by a composer described in the excellent booklet notes as an eccentric outsider who was virtually ignored by the Danish musical establishment in his lifetime. The works are essentially in the late romantic style, but mixed with a startling modernity: listen to Train Passing By, the short second movement of String Quartet No.2, written in 1918 and revised in 1931, and you could swear you were listening to two minutes of Philip Glass or Steve Reich; the following slow movement, Landscape in Twilight, is a simply beautiful pastoral episode. The String Quartet No.3 from 1924, the quite lovely single-movement String Quartet No.6 from 1918 (Langgaard’s numbering system is quite confusing!) and the variations on the chorale melody Mig hjertelig nu laenges complete a revelationary CD.

Beautifully recorded at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and issued on Denmark’s national record label, these performances are as close to definitive as you can get. Wonderful stuff, and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the series.

The chamber music of the Irish composer Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty (1879–1941) is featured on the 2-CD set Hamilton Harty String Quartets & Piano Quintet, performed by Australia’s Goldner String Quartet and pianist Piers Lane (Hyperion CDA67927). Dating from the opening years of the 20th century, all three works — the String Quartets in F Major (1900) and A Minor (1902) and the Piano Quintet in F Major (1904, revised 1906) — are virtually unknown today, the second string quartet and the piano quintet apparently remaining unheard from the year of their premieres until the present recording. Like so much British music of the period, these are highly competent and really lovely works, given absolutely beautiful performances here. There are the expected hints of Mendelssohn and Brahms, but it’s Harty’s love of Russian music that seems to predominate, particularly with the echoes of Borodin in the quartets. The faultless recording quality and the excellent booklet notes make this a very attractive set.

The Jasper String Quartet is back with another volume in their excellent series of string quartets by the American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, this time pairing Kernis’ String Quartet No. 1 “Musica Celestis” from 1990 with Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” quartet in The Kernis Project: Schubert (Sono Luminus DSL-92152). I enthusiastically reviewed the earlier volume pairing a Kernis quartet with a Beethoven quartet some time ago, and have no hesitation in being just as enthusiastic this time around. The performances are top-notch, and the recording quality is equally good. If you don’t know this series, then you’re really missing something; apart from anything else, it is all the proof you could ever need that there are contemporary composers adding magnificent and significant works to the string quartet repertoire.

The Brilliant Classics label lives up to its name once again with a 2-CD reissue of the excellent 1990 recordings by The Britten Quartet of the String Quartets Nos. 1-4 by the English composer Sir Michael Tippett (2CD 9257). Tippett’s life (1905–1998) spanned almost the entire 20th century, and his quartets come from both ends of his creative career: Quartets Nos.1-3 are from 1934–1946; Quartet No.4 was written in 1977–78. The composer’s early obsession with Beethoven’s quartets can be discerned, but it is Tippett’s characteristic emphasis on line and counterpoint — especially in the earlier quartets — that stands out.

The six string quartets of Bela Bartók comprise arguably the most significant series in that genre since the Beethoven quartets, and the Dutch mid-price label Newton Classics, distributed here by Naxos, has reissued a 2-CD set of Bartók: String Quartets Nos.1-6 in the 1975 recordings by the Guarneri Quartet originally issued by Sony (8802111). The Guarneri Quartet was in top form in these performances of works which span Bartók’s entire career, and the set — especially at the price — can be recommended without reservation. The original recording and transfers are all excellent. 

Premieres: Music by Bruce Broughton, Ronald Royer and Kevin Lau
Conrad Chow; Sinfonia Toronto;
Ronald Royer; Bruce Boughton
Cambria Master RecordingsCD-1204
www.cambriamus.com

The concept of this project is new works that are inspired by earlier musical styles. Bruce Broughton’s Triptych: Three Incongruities for violin and chamber orchestra (in this case 15 solo instruments) is essentially a type of concerto, with each movement written in a different style. Thus, we hear influences of J.S. Bach’s violin music in the first movement, Prokofiev and more romantic expressions in the second and rhythmic, dance-like elements of Scottish fiddle music in the third. Another composition by Broughton, Gold Rush Songs, is based on three American songs associated with the California Gold Rush.

Ronald Royer’s Rhapsody displays influences of French impressionism and Spanish violin music, among others, with mysterious elements in the first movement and more rhythmic expressions in the second. Royer’s In Memoriam J.S. Bach is based on different motifs from Bach’s works. Sarabande is expressive, even romantic at times, while Capriccio carries playfulness coupled with recognizable Bach rhythms.

Joy for solo violin and string orchestra by Kevin Lau is a lyrical, meditative piece that lets the soloist explore different colours and textures. Conrad Chow’s tone has a wonderful quality of sweetness, which is most prominent in Chopin’s Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, No.20 Op. posth., the encore piece on the album. His playing is rhythmical and precise, and he easily traverses the variety and depth of expression in each piece.

Some may argue that contemporary classical music should be forward-looking and not an evocation of the styles and musical tastes of the past. This, however, should not limit the scope of creativity and inspiration, which can spring from all objects and times. If your musical tastes enjoy revisiting compositional styles of the previous centuries while using contemporary expressions and techniques, this recording is a wonderful opportunity to hear Toronto composers in collaboration with Toronto musicians.