Confluence of Raga Guitars
Joel Veena; Matthew Grasso
Independent (bit.ly/ragaguitars)

It’s probable the guitar was first introduced to South Asia in the 16th century via the Portuguese colony of Goa. The next guitar wave to arrive there was the Hawaiian (lap steel) guitar, a key sound in the commercially successful and influential touring Hawaiian music and dance troupes of the 1920s and later decades. In the 1960s Brij Bhushan Kabra adapted the guitar to play Hindustani (North Indian) classical music, lap steel style. Performing concerts and releasing numerous LPs, Kabra and his students’ innovations have long been accepted by the Hindustani music world. 

Confluence of Raga Guitars showcases the latest evolution of Indian guitar construction and its related raga-based music performance practice. Eloquently played by Matthew Grasso (Tantrakari guitar) and Joel “Veena” Eisenkramer (Indian slide guitar), two American guitarists who have dedicated themselves to playing in the Hindustani classical tradition, the album explores three ragas. 

Their presentation has several novel features. While the ragas are rendered in a traditional way, each focuses on an alaap (where the outline of the raga is melodically explored without meter), and jor (where melodies pick up speed and rhythmic activity). Typically, the following section is the gat (bandish) which introduces a theme within a tala, usually accompanied by tabla. Interestingly, however, the musicians have chosen not to include a gat section. This keeps the listener’s attention tightly focused on the dialogue between the two guitars, highlighting their distinctive approaches to melody, tone production and timbral diversity. For example, Grasso’s Tantrakari guitar uses nylon strings, plus steel sympathetic strings and a specially tuned fingerboard. On the other hand, Eisenkramer’s new Indian slide guitar is an evolution of the instrument design long ago adopted into Hindustani music. His glissando microtonal ornaments and expressive affect contrast markedly with Grasso’s more Spanish guitar-sounding fingerstyle approach, dramatically enlivening the album’s dialectical duet (jugalbandi).

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Although a rudimentary version of the modern piano was built in the late 17th century, keyboards of some sort go back a few centuries before that, and the polyphonic potential of the keyboard has been of interest since that time. The 21st century has multiplied the number of keyboards and techniques that can be used, with processing, sampling and electronics adding more avenues to explore. While centred on single keyboards of many kinds, each of these discs captures unique variations on this idea and practice.

Probably the most traditional of these non-traditional sessions is A Body as Listening (Clean Feed CF 664 CD cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-body-as-listening) by Portuguese pianist Joana Sá. Adding electronics, samples and objects to her keyboard improvisations she uses the add-ons cannily, never allowing them to supersede the acoustic themes, but allowing them to amplify her playing. From the first notes, which create a careful theme elaboration, her instrumental command means that at the same time as she’s advancing variations with adagio low-pitched echoes and higher pitched prestissimo tinkles, signal processed beeps and peeps become more audible. As a backdrop these intermittent wave forms may permeate the exposition, but never mute advancing new simple melodies. Busier and stinging, the additional sound samples reinforce her strategy of alternating pedal-point pressure, amplified full keyboard crashes and elevated note jangling. Completing the session with A Body as Listening III the narrative includes other timbral deviations, both electronic and acoustic, encompassing foot tapping, forearm keyboard crashes as well as pre-recorded bell-ringing and vocal choir fragments. These outline quieter and more enigmatic piano variations that define this modern modification of a piano concerto.

Taking the idea of keyboards as mini orchestras still further, Briton Paul Taylor created a more than 59-minute program for the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised music with Interludes (New Jazz and Improvised Music NEWJAIm 18 paulstephentaylor.bandcamp.com/album/interludes). The work not only harmonized his improvisations on piano, organ and other keyboards with programmed and live timbral interludes, but also added Jonathan Bradley’s carillon score interpretation. Those bell-like reverberations are integrated or interjected at points underlining or challenging Taylor’s presto pianism or the reedy or brassy pitches created by organ ranks. As these wave form shakes and stops vary the timbre, pitch and volume of the sounds, the equivalent of strings, reeds and brass instrumental suggestions are heard. At approximately the one-third mark a lyrical piano interlude outlines a new theme, which too is toughened with bell-pealing, mallet-like plops and a combination carillon-organ drone. The buzz hangs in the air even as keyboard motifs ranging from elevated clips to pedal point patterns arise and stretch the sequence still further. A crescendo of merged organ stops advance a string section-like sweep that in tandem with mellotron-like asides and measured piano chording put into bolder relief the improvised nature of the evolving sounds. Besides removing ecclesiastical memories from the carillon and organ, processing highlights electrified keyboard and acoustic piano riffs which introduce a final sequence. Crucially though, metallic carillon reverberations, shrill electronic buzzes and bell-like shakes replicate the Interlude’s introductory sequence.

Another variation on these transformations mutates keyboard impulses to such an extent that they almost negate expected piano-like tones. Instead, output becomes that of an isolated modulation source. That’s what Montreal’s Karoline LeBlanc does on Edge Once Fractured (Arito-afeito 013 karolineleblanc.bandcamp.com/album/edged-once-fractured) as she extracts improvised timbres from a piano, pipe organ and harpsichord. These sonorities are blended with other pulses she sources from wood rattles, a seashell horn, a bulbul tarang (14-string Indian banjo) and taal or miniature clash cymbals. When further melded with anomalous tones from Paulo J Ferreira Lopes’ gongs, tin plates, springs, cymbals and bells, the result is a sound collage, which makes up the single 32-minute track of this session. Although the only identifiable piano pattern is audible in the penultimate minutes before knife-like string echoes and spring whammies conclude the piece, occasional tremolo pipe organ resonations and the noises of metal objects quivering on inner keyboard strings are more common. Emphasising string strums and key-stopping, her brighter contributions, and an occasional silent interlude, set up contrapuntal challenges to Lopes’ timed vibrations. Consisting in equal parts of tin plate reverberations, gong and bell pealing, spring ricochets and serrated metal tones plus an occasional horn blast or sharp whistle, the subsequent echoing tones create an idiosyncratic narrative that taken as a whole is as flexible as it’s fluid.

American keyboardist Thollem performs a similar keyboard reconstitution on Worlds in a Life 2 (ESP 5071 espdisk.com/thollem). But he does so during nine tracks using his Wavestate or sequencing synthesizer to mutate recorded samples of music he made on piano and organ alongside Pauline Oliveros’ MIDI accordion, Nels Cline’s guitar and effects, William Parker’s double bass, Michael Wimberly’s drums and Terry Riley’s vocals. The resulting shuffled and reconstructed timbral palette masks individual contributions. But the crucial development is how synthesizer and keyboards mulch, meld and modify textures into a comprehensive whole. Orchestrating instrumental motifs with a steady hand, Thollem negotiates unexpected amalgamation by juxtaposing congruent sound paths that ordinarily wouldn’t be followed. Simultaneously programmed electronics create a palimpsest of layered instrumental output that constantly judders. Visions Cells is a descriptive instance of this as the looped enhanced strings plink and twang as if part of a giant mechanized zither. Vibrating below are asides ranging from marimba-like resonations to pedal point piano pressure. Prestissimo pitches created from accordion samples seep all over Conversations On The Way’s introduction. Yet metallic cymbal stings create a cadenced response, with the mid section reconfiguration into a near-acoustic duet of drum paradiddles and methodical piano cascades. Additionally, vocal interpolations on tracks like Tongues We Think In and Chagudah don’t operate in isolation. During the second piece, yodeling timbral gymnastics and Donald Duck-like cries are flanged and submerged beneath watery gurgles. As for Tongues We Think In, the hocketed syllables and melisma are looped into a multi-voice choir as synthesized oscillations and percussion shuffles evolve beside it.

In spite of these modern advances another method to create a unique keyboard program is to go back to the future. That’s exactly what UK musician Matthew Bourne has done on Harpsichords (DISCUS 175 CD discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/harpsichords-175cd-2024). Given three harpsichords in serious disrepair by the Leeds Conservatory he used the disintegrating facilities of this piano ancestor to generate idiosyncratic improvisations. On one disc of this two-CD set he, Glen Leach and Nika Ticciati form a sonic group grope playing simultaneously on all three decaying harpsichords. Elsewhere Bourne improvises alone on a single harpsichord. Adding the future to the past, his creative keyboard excursions are matched with live electronics and processing from Matthew Slater and Adam Martin. The fascination of the first disc is hearing how these experienced keyboardists push their disintegrating instruments away from overriding cacophony to reveal melodic interludes at high and low pitches. Making the best use of the decaying mechanism echoing, percussion-like crashes and string glissandi are highlights. On his own, Bourne deals with variations of this concept, but takes advantage of live processing to extend his initial timbres further in tempo and pitch and also provides an oscillating landscape of distended and fragmented tones. Capable of producing a pitch-perfect so-called classical harpsichord sequence as he demonstrates a couple of times, Bourne uses the instrument’s corrosion to spawn jangling patterns and pitches, then on tracks such as John and Brown Bins triggers the plectrum on the strings to nearly replicate what would be expected from a 12-string guitar. With forearm smashes and keyboard rebounds on Red Brick he evokes doorstopper-like strums as well. However, the electronic additions mean that on tracks like that one and others, processing projects a secondary keyboard sound in tandem with his live playing, Establishing the versatility of even a crumbling instrument like this one, Bourne confirms the keyboard’s traditional sound as well as its potential for distinct experimentation.

In the right hands – or is it fingers? – keyboard solos can follow all sorts of unexpected avenues of which these are just a few.

Homage to Janos – When respected Toronto architect Janos Gardonyi retired from his professional activities he began a new creative life delving deeply into digital photography, expanding and exploring a life-long love of classical music and sharing his thoughts and personal reminiscences with the WholeNote community. In October 2004 we published his first review, a CD of piano works by Leoš Janáček performed by Hakon Austbo. Two decades and 285 reviews later, we published his final words last month, an encomium to the late Lars Vogt and his recording of Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos.9 & 24 with L’Orchestre de chambre de Paris. Janos died peacefully on September 8 at the age of 87. I will miss his memories and anecdotes, but I have a wealth of written words, and a remarkable surrealistically coloured arboreal photograph on my kitchen wall, to remember him by. Janos, you will be missed. 

In February of this year I wrote briefly about an ATMA digital-only release of Symphonie Gaspésienne by Claude Champagne (1891-1965) featuring L’Orchestre symphonique de Laval under Alain Trudel. At that time I said “Although not much attention was given to him in English Canada, where his contemporaries included Healy Willan and Sir Ernest MacMillan, Champagne was an important figure in the annals of classical music in Quebec, where his students included Violet Archer, Roger Matton, Pierre Mercure, Serge Garant and Gilles Tremblay among other notables. I was very pleased to see a new recording of Champagne’s brilliant tone poem, composed in 1944. Starting eerily in near silence, Trudel leads his orchestra through the gradually building portrait of the fabled Gaspé peninsula with dramatic turns and climaxes along the 20-minute journey.” This recording has now been supplemented with works by Hungarians born a decade before Champagne, Béla Bartók’s Dance Suite Sz.77 (1923) and Zoltan Kodály’s Dances of Galánta (1933). The Bartók is not a suite of dances as we have come to expect from the baroque model; it draws on Hungarian, Romanian and Arabic rhythms and modes to create an “imagined folklore,” often dark and dramatic. In some ways it foreshadows his late works Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and the Concerto for Orchestra. In contrast, Kodály’s one-movement work is much more tonal and based on actual tunes he heard performed by Roma bands while growing up in Galánta. The disc (ATMA ACD2 2867 atmaclassique.com/en/product/symphonie-gaspesienne-champagne-bartok-kodaly-prevost) concludes with Célébration (1966), a rousing and somewhat more abrasive work by modernist Quebec composer André Prevost (1934-2001), whose teachers included Jean Papineau-Couture, Clermont Pépin and Olivier Messiaen. As in the Champagne recording, the Laval orchestra rises to all the various challenges of these varied works and Trudel draws out resplendent performances from this fine 53-piece ensemble. 

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Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was one of the most influential composers of the first half of the 20th century, and this year we celebrate the sesquicentennial of his birth. Juilliard String Quartet Plays Arnold Schoenberg (SONY Classical 19658827202) spans fifty years of his chamber output from the early String Quartet in D Major of 1897, thought lost until after his death, and the string sextet Verklärte Nacht (1899), through the four numbered string quartets (1904-05; 1907-08; 1927; 1936), to the Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte on a text by Lord Byron (1942) and the Trio Op.45 for violin, viola and cello (1945). The recordings themselves span four decades, from the Juilliard’s first cycle issued in 1953 to the 1993 release of Verklärte Nacht and the String Trio. During these 40 years the quartet went through a number of personnel changes, the one constant being founding first violinist Robert Mann who remained at the helm for nearly half a century from the quartet’s inception in 1949 until 1997. (The quartet remains active today, with the current “old hand” being Ronald Copes who was enlisted as second violin in 1997 when Joel Smirnoff moved from second to first chair upon the departure of Mann.) The seven-CD box set includes two recordings of the string quartets, the first as mentioned from 1953 and the second from 1977. This latter also includes the D major quartet which remained unpublished until 1966 and was unavailable at the time of the first recording. I appreciate its inclusion here as Schoenberg’s first major work (25 minutes in this performance). Although one can hear hints of things to come in it, each time I hear the final movement I do a double take thinking that some mistake has been made and a bagatelle of Dvořák has been erroneously inserted. 

In between these two quartet cycles is a 1967 album that was issued as the seventh volume of The Music of Arnold Schoenberg series which includes the Ode to Napoleon, for which the quartet is joined by pianist Glenn Gould and narrator John Horton, and the Trio Op.45 performed by Mann, violist Raphael Hillyer and cellist Claus Adam. The final disc includes Verklärte Nacht in which the quartet is joined by violist Walter Trampler and cellist Yo-Yo Ma and another performance of the trio, this time with Mann, Samuel Rhodes and Joel Krosnick. 

This important collection gives us a wealth of understanding about how Schoenberg’s writing developed from his earliest output to one of his last compositions, about how the Juilliard’s approach to his music changed over the decades and about how recording technology advanced over the same period. The booklet, which contains full recording and release information, includes a very personal essay by Schoenberg, How One Becomes Lonely, in which he discusses how he felt about the often tempestuous and derisory reactions to his music among critics and the public. It also includes an interview with the 1977 members of the Juilliard, Mann, second violinist Earl Carlyss, Rhodes and Krosnick in which they point out that although the membership had almost completely changed in the 24 years since the first recording the group had continued to perform the quartets throughout that time so there was an organic development over the years. It’s interesting to be able to compare the “youthful” and somewhat aggressive approach in the early recordings to the more mature, but still energetic performances later. 

Notwithstanding my appreciation of the booklet itself, I have a few complaints about the packaging. Within the box, each of the CDs is encased in a miniature cardboard replica of the original LP release. This is fine for the front cover art, but unfortunately the reduction results in the original program notes on the back covers being too small to read comfortably, even with a magnifying glass. It is also unfortunate that these are the only program notes provided for the individual pieces and that the Verklärte Nacht/Trio and Ode to Napoleon/Trio covers have no liner notes whatsoever, presumably because the original releases had substantial booklets not included here. Although declaimed articulately by Horton, inclusion of Byron’s text for Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte would have been an important addition, as would some discussion of the trio to give it context, especially since two different performances are presented. That being said, this is a marvelous set and I’m glad to have it. 

Last month I opined “it’s not possible to have too many recordings of Ravel’s string quartet…” and I would say the same is true for that other stand-alone French classic, Claude Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op.10. The two are most often paired together on recordings and last month’s release of the Ravel by Toronto’s Venuti Quartet was a rare exception to the rule. I recently found another when the Euclid Quartet, faculty quartet-in-residence at Indiana University South Bend, released Grieg | Debussy (Afinat Records AR2402 afinat.com). The excellent program notes acknowledge the unusual inclusion of Grieg’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op.27, completed in 1878 at the age of 35, but make a strong case for doing so. Debussy wrote his G minor work in 1893 at the age of 31 and was evidently influenced by Grieg’s quartet. They share a number of characteristics, including a motif that falls from the octave to the seventh and then the fifth, a favourite of Grieg’s, and particularly the eventual triumphant transition from G minor to G major at the conclusion of both works. I am less familiar with the Grieg, as I daresay most audiences are, although the Euclid claim it as one of their “greatest hits.” I was reminded of the incidental music to Ibsen’s Peer Gynt which Grieg composed two years earlier, and was struck by the fact that the final cadence of each movement seemed so final, as if the work were over, that I was almost surprised at the onset of each subsequent movement. Influences aside, the Debussy of only 15 years later appears to be from a different world. Grieg’s Norwegian nationalism and romantic gestures are replaced by the soft, vibrant pastels of French impressionism. The Euclid Quartet seems comfortably at home in the bombast of the former and delicacy of the latter. Another welcome addition to my collection. 

Quite a different kind of string quartet came to my attention this month, in the form of a set of collective improvisations by Richard Carr, Caleb Burhans, Clarice Jensen and Carr’s son Ben a.k.a. Carrtoons. August Light (neuma records 208 richardcarrviolinist.bandcamp.com/album/august-light) features a dozen tracks that range in style from ambient to abrasive. Carr is primarily a violinist, but is also heard on piano and, in one instance, electric guitar. Burhans is a violist and Jensen a cellist with Carrtoons adding electric bass on some of the material. The overall mood is contemplative, but as mentioned there are occasional moments of aggression. Play with Fire, with its choppy cello line and raspy upper strings seemed familiar to me, but not in a derivative way. Eventually I figured out that it was reminiscent of the Kronos Quartet version of Purple Haze or perhaps Matt Haimovitz’s cello ensemble playing Kashmir. But as I say, most of the disc is a lot more mellow than that. A favourite is the haunting Vik, bringing to mind the quiet majesty of the black volcanic sand beaches near the fishing village of that name on the south shore of Iceland that I had the pleasure of visiting with my wife a dozen years ago. This is followed by At the Crossroads, another ethereal piece with Carr on piano and the strings gently enhanced with electronics. The disc opens with Standing Stone, featuring plucked strings and overlaid long notes, and seemingly ends in a similar fashion with Standing Stone Reprise almost an hour later. After more than a minute of silence however the actual final track, Desolation is a Railway Station, begins with Carrtoons’ quiet walking bass line, the “heartbeat in this nocturnal jazz noir journey.” Very effective.

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Update: In June I wrote about Russell Truesdell Presents SYNTHESIS – The String Quartet Sessions (SynthesisSQS.com), a mammoth project for which Truesdell invited 15 large ensemble jazz composers to write for the iconic classical string formation. At the time, as is often the case, I was working from digital audio files in advance of the official release. Since then I have received the full-release LP-size package containing three CDs and an old-school, full size program booklet. My initial reaction before opening the package was “how annoying, this won’t fit on my CD shelf” but, especially considering my concerns about the Juilliard Schoenberg set as noted above, I quickly realized that this was something special. What a joy to hold the booklet and be able to read the print without eye strain. Although I still get annoyed at odd-sized releases, this one has the standard dimensions of a vinyl record and will be easy to store with the LPs which still have a prominent place in my collection. So, thank you to publicist Ann Braithwaite for sending this along!

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And this just in: Just as I thought I was finished for this edition I received Glasswing, the latest from Canadian string band The Fretless (thefretless.com). Like their previous four albums, Glasswing features original compositions by the members of the band, both individually and collectively, which explore their own unique take on the traditional folk string ensemble. Added to the mix are the warm vocals of Madeleine Roger on three tracks which she co-wrote with the band. The Fretless comprise the traditional formation of a string quartet, two fiddles, viola and cello, but one thing that makes them unique is that all three fiddlers – Karrnnel Sawitsky, Trent Freeman and Ben Plotnick – each take turns in the viola chair. Eric Wright is the cellist, providing a solid bass backing to the lilting higher strings. Highlights for me include the opening quasi molto perpetuo Lost Lake by Freeman, the gentle On the Hook by Plotnick and Sawitsky, Wright’s Tree Finder with its doppler-like opening and the closer, Icarus, with Roger’s poignant vocals re-telling the story of the boy who flew too close to the sun. 

Concert note: The Fretless launch Glasswing in a cross-country tour this month. In collaboration with set designer Gillian Gallow, lighting designer Emerson Kafarowski and sound technician Karen Gwillim, the tour promises to be an immersive, multi-sensory concert experience. It kicks off in B.C. on October 3 and culminates at Toronto’s Great Hall on October 20

We invite submissions. CDs, DVDs and comments should be sent to: DISCoveries, The WholeNote c/o Music Alive, The Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4 or to discoveries@thewholenote.com. 

Charms to Soothe – 19th Century Music for Guitar is the latest CD from American guitarist David Leisner. “Some of these gems are not played often,” says Leisner, “and I hope that this recording might call attention to them.” (Azica Records ACD-71638 azica.com/albums/charms-to-soothe)

Leisner was a leading figure in the rediscovery of the Austro-Hungarian composer Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856), and it is works by Mertz that open and close the disc – his Nocturne Op.4 No.2 and Two Pieces from Bardenklänge Op.13 respectively. 

Leonard Schulz (1814-1860) was born in Vienna but for most of his career lived in London. Only a few of his works were published in his lifetime. His Three Etudes from L’indispensable Op.40 are brief but engaging pieces. Giulio Regondi (1822-1872) was Swiss-born but was also active in London; he is represented here by Two Etudes – No.6 in D Minor and No.8 in G Major. 

Works by two contemporary giants of the guitar form the middle of the recital, Two Etudes Op.31 No.23 in E Major and Op.6 No.11 in E Minor by Fernando Sor (1778-1839) and Four Pieces from Op.148 by Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) complete an absolutely delightful – and yes, soothing – album. 

Shifting Ground, the debut album from the American violinist Alexi Kenney weaves together seminal works for solo violin by J. S. Bach with a collection of pieces from the 17th century to the present day. Designed to be listened to as a set, it includes premiere recordings of works by Matthew Burtner, Salina Fisher and Angélica Negrón (Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0205 brightshiny.ninja/shifting-ground).

Individual movements from the Bach Sonatas & Partitas are spread throughout a somewhat uneven programme, the Adagio from the Sonata No.1 in G Minor opening the CD and the Chaconne from the Partita No.2 in D Minor closing the disc. Baroque violin music is also represented by Nicola Matteis’ Passaggio roto from his Ayres for the Violin and the terrific Alia Fantasia by his son Nicola Matteis Junior, its constant cross-string effects a high spot of the CD. 

Three of the tracks are excellent arrangements by Kenney: Schumann’s Widmung, Op.25 No.1; Ariana Grande’s thank u, next; and a clever and intricate version of Joni Mitchell’s Blue. 

Violinist Natalia Lomeiko is in superb form, ably supported by pianist Dinara Klinton on their disc Prokofiev | Szymanowski | Schumann, described thematically as suggesting the composers’ own escapes from their personal struggles (Orchid Classics ORC100313 orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100313-natalia-lomeiko).

Clara Schumann’s Three Romances, Op.22 are perfect pieces for displaying the warmth of one’s tone, and Lomeiko makes the most of the opportunity with a performance full of big, lush playing. Robert Schumann’s Fantasy in C Major, Op.131 from the same year as Clara’s piece – 1853 – was originally for violin and orchestra and is heard here in the 1937 arrangement by Fritz Kreisler.

There are two works by Szymanowski: a sweeping, rapturous performance of the 1915 Impressionism-inspired Mythes, Op.30 and the Nocturne and Tarantella, also from 1915, with a particularly dazzling Tarantella. Prokofiev’s 5 Pieces from Cinderella complete the disc.

Terrific playing from both performers and a resonant, warm recording ambience make for an outstanding CD. 

Patrick Stoyanovich is a Pacific-Northwest-based composer, teacher and performer, and an outstanding jazz and concert pianist. On Rue Paradis several of his more recent chamber works are performed by his violinist daughter Sophia Stoyanovich, along with pianist Derek Wang and cellist Aaron Wolff (Bridge Records 9593 bridgerecords.com/products/9593?).

All of the works here are first recordings: the Romance for Violin and Piano from 2010; the Violin Sonata No.1 from 2016; the Duo for Violin and Cello “Field of Blackbirds” from 2014; and the Violin Sonata No.2 from 2020, the final moments of which feature the tender Rue Paradis theme that gives the CD its title. They’re predominantly tonal pieces that display solid craftsmanship and a satisfying dynamic and emotional range.

In her booklet notes Sophia says that her father’s compositions are not composed specifically with her in mind, but in a recent interview in the local Bainbridge Island Review both father and daughter agreed that their relationship proved essential for the music’s creation. “When you know somebody on that intimate of a basis, it really does make a musical connection and a huge difference in expression,” Patrick said. “I wrote these pieces for her, and her technique, and what she sounds like.” 

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It’s always intriguing to read how artists describe the raison d’être behind their album concepts; the connection sometimes appearing quite tenuous. On their CD Awaken the Yugen Trio explores various ways of awakening that define them as a group as well as referencing the awakening of their international career (Eudora EUD-SACD-2404 eudorarecords.com/shop/catalogue/awaken).

The Haydn Piano Trio in A Major, Hob.XV:35, for instance, comprises “joy towards the new day.” In Schubert’s Sonatensatz in B-flat Major, D.28 the three opening chords resemble abrupt waking from a dream, and the Ravel Piano Trio M.67 resembles the vivid, unrestrained fantasy of our dreams and the ambivalence on waking.

The only thing that matters, though, is the music itself – how effective the recital is, and how well it’s played, and these performers score highly on both counts. The Haydn is a charming early work, cleanly played and well-balanced, and the Schubert an attractive first attempt by the 15-year-old composer. The Ravel, full of French colour and sensitivity accounts for over half of the CD, and an idiomatic performance ends an album that, in a way, also tracks the awakening of the piano trio form itself.

The Arcadia Quartet is back with the latest release in their series of the string quartets of Mieczysław Weinberg with Weinberg String Quartets Vol.4, featuring quartets Nos. 6, 13 and 15 (Chandos CHAN 20281 chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%2020281).

The six-movement String Quartet No.6, Op.35 is from 1946 and its strikingly advanced language, relative to traditional Soviet works of the time, later lead to a short-lived ban by the authorities. Published in 1949 and reprinted in 1979, it was apparently only premiered in 2007. The String Quartet No.13, Op.118 from 1977 was dedicated to the Borodin Quartet who were so closely associated with the Shostakovich string quartets, and like that composer’s 13th quartet from seven years earlier is in one movement of about 15 minutes. Weinberg dispensed with expressive directions for each movement, simply indicating metronome markings.

It’s also metronome markings only in the String Quartet No.15, Op.124, a striking nine-movement work from 1979, again leaving interpretation to the performers. 

The Arcadia Quartet’s intent is to promote a body of work which has long remained overlooked, and with outstanding performances like these one has to believe that Weinberg’s 17 string quartets can justifiably stand alongside those of his friend Shostakovich.

The folk element is front and centre on American Voices, with the Pacifica Quartet continuing its exploration of American musical traditions (Cedille CDA 90000 228 cedillerecords.org/albums/american-voices).

Dvořák was a passionate advocate for a distinctly American classical sound. Although he used no known American folk melodies in his String Quartet in F Major, Op.96 “American” the work never loses its attractive rustic and folksy feel.

In recent years the music of Florence Price has been the subject of enormous exposure and universal praise, although I’m not sure that it’s always fully warranted. Her writing for string chamber ensembles, however, is outstanding, and her two-movement unfinished String Quartet in G Major from 1929 is a real gem, wistfully melodic, richly harmonized and showing a fine grip of instrumental writing. It follows the Dvořák here, and with its similar folk influences doesn’t for a moment sound out of place or inferior.

Louis Gruenberg’s Four Diversions for String Quartet, Op.32 was written in 1930, and the Jazz Age influence is evident in the brief but effectively written movements.

The CD closes with the world premiere recording of Pitch In (2023) by James Lee III, a setting of a poem that addresses the issue of food wastage and hunger. United Voices under Josephine Lee join the Pacifica in a work commissioned for the album.

Since 2015 the German GENUIN label has been awarding a special prize to a winner of their choice at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, financing the production of a CD to be released in their ARD Music Competition Edition series. Manifesto on Love is the resulting debut album from the Barbican Quartet, First Prize winners in 2022 (GEN 24878 barbicanquartet.com).

Janáček’s String Quartet No.2 “Intimate Letters” from 1928 opens the disc. Written mere months before his death and frequently referred to as his “manifesto on love” it is essentially a love letter to his muse, the much younger Kamilla Stösslová. It’s full of nervous intensity, naked emotion, passionate outbursts and an almost painful intimacy, all beautifully captured by the Barbican.

There’s a definite Janáček feel to The Ear of Grain, the Dobrinka Tabakova work commissioned by the 2022 ARD competition as the compulsory piece and one which the performers clearly know well.

Two Schumann works – his String Quartet in A Minor No.3, Op.41 and the brief song Wenn ich ein Vöglein vär, arranged by the quartet’s violist Christoph Stenczka – complete a fine CD.

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String Quartets Nos.7-10 are presented on Pelle Gudmunsen-Holmgreen Complete String Quartets Vol.2, in exemplary performances by the Nordic String Quartet (Dacapo Records 8.226218 naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.226218).

In view of the fact that String Quartet No.7, Parted from 1984 and String Quartet No.8, Ground from 1986 were both commissioned by the Kronos Quartet it’s somewhat surprising to see that these are world premiere recordings of the works. Parted is very modern in sound, with hints of minimalism and a good deal of downward bow pressure digging into the strings. Ground plays with a looping bass line, and was described by the composer as one of his most enchanting. 

String Quartet No.9, Last Ground for string quartet and ocean from 2006 (another Kronos collaboration) again features a ground bass, but is dominated by the opening and closing sound samples of roaring ocean waves, wind and associated wildlife. String Quartet No.10, New Ground from 2011 is an absolute delight, based on Pachelbel’s Canon ground but with an extra bar and added blues touch – and a Haydnesque joke ending!

On In Evening Light – Vasks, Schubert violinist Sebastian Bohren and the Münchener Kammerorchester under Sergej Bolkhovets present the world-premiere recording of Pēteris Vasks’ Concerto No.2 “In Evening Light” for Violin and String Orchestra (Avie AV2662 avie-records.com/releases/in-evening-light).

Composed in 2020, 23 years after his Concerto No.1 “Distant Light” the titles reveal closely-linked worlds. “Each time that I take up the symbol of light,” says the composer, “I want to show brightness returning after darkness and all of its fears.” This dualism of darkness and light is represented in the middle movement, but the third returns to the calm, deep lyricism of the first with its promise of returning light. It’s a truly beautiful work, superbly played here.

The haunting Lonely Angel – Meditation for Violin and String Orchestra from 2006 is described as a vision of an angel flying alone above humankind, filled with grief at how cruel and aggressive we are to each other. The unmuted solo violin floats above the muted string players in another immediately accessible and atmospheric work. 

Between the two is Schubert’s Rondeau brillant in B Minor, originally for violin and piano and heard here in an effective arrangement for violin and strings by Paul Suits.

The always outstanding Janine Jansen is back with her first new concerto recording in nine years with Sibelius & Prokofiev Violin Concertos, Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic providing stellar accompaniment (Decca 4854748 store.deccaclassics.com/products/sibelius-prokofiev-1-violin-concertos-cd).

Jansen has as strong a bowing arm as any player I’ve seen, so a towering performance of the Sibelius Concerto in D Minor, Op.47 driven by strength and power comes as no surprise. Her stunning technique and impeccable musicianship and insight are evident throughout a wonderfully expressive, sensitive and dramatic performance, a superb opening movement followed by a beautiful slow movement and a dazzling finale. You’ll hear many excellent performances of this concerto, but it’s difficult to believe you’ll ever hear one better than this.

The standard never drops in a lovely performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op.19. Completed in 1917 and not premiered until 1923, its dreamy opening movement is balanced by the fiendishly difficult Scherzo middle movement in the usual Prokofiev mixture of lyricism and cynicism.

The young Ukrainian violinist Bohdan Luts, who won the violin section of the Carl Nielsen International Competition in 2022 at the age of 17 makes his album debut with works by Dvořák, Bruch and Nielsen, with Anna Skryleva conducting the Odense Symphony Orchestra Orchid Classics ORC100301 orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100301-bohdan-luts).

Dvořák’s Concerto in A Minor, Op.53 from 1879 is a lovely work that perhaps still doesn’t really get the recognition it deserves. Luts certainly shows it in the best possible light, his commanding technique and sweet, full tone beautifully illustrating its folk nature and Romantic style.

Exactly the same can be said for the performance of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy Op.46, an exact contemporary of the Dvořák from 1880 but a work of enduring popularity. The maturity that Luts exhibits in both concertos is impressive.

The middle work on the disc is Nielsen’s short but lovely Andante con duolo or Romance from his 2 Fantasy Pieces, Op.2. Originally written for oboe and piano, Nielsen himself played the piece on violin, and the violinist Hans Sitt eventually transcribed it for violin and orchestra.

Two major works in the cello repertoire, both originally associated with a virtuoso cellist, are featured on Dvořák and Tchaikovsky, the new CD from the young American cellist John-Henry Crawford. Martin West conducts the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra (Orchid Classics ORC100292 orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100292-john-henry-crawford-dvorak-tchaikovsky).

In writing his Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33 Tchaikovsky went further than merely seeking and accepting advice from the German cellist Wilhelm Fitzhagen and allowed him to make minor alterations to improve the work. Fitzhagen, however, went further, making cuts, adding repeats, re-ordering sections and even deleting one variation completely. Tchaikovsky was never comfortable with the changes, but the edition Fitzhagen published became the standard text, as heard here.

Inspired by Victor Herbert’s second cello concerto, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op.104 was written with Czech cellist Hanuš Wihan in mind, although he was unable to perform the premiere.

Crawford has a lovely tone, warm and full of colour and nuance, and a commanding technique. The challenges of the Tchaikovsky are handled with grace and agility, and he plumbs the depths of the Dvořák in a passionate and sensitive performance, West and the orchestra providing top-level support.

Art Choral Vol.1 – Renaissance
Ensemble Artchoral; Matthias Maute
ATMA ACD2 2420 (atmaclassique.com/en/product/art-choral-vol-1-renaissance)

If radio stations are to be believed the only a capella choral group worthy of airplay is Voces 8 (without doubt, a wonderful ensemble, eminently worthy of celebration under any circumstances). However, when producers of radio keep programming just one choral group (singing songs from their latest repertoire) listeners are robbed of – to quote  Pliny – “an embarrassment of riches” worthy of the airwaves wherever their reach may extend.    

The virtues of a disc such as this one – Renaissance Art Choral Vol.1 – even parts of it from time to time – serve the purpose of being infinitely greater than the educational. Presented here is music that will surely have appeal quite beyond academia. 

The disc opens with a glorious motet – Adoremus te, Christe à 4 voix – attributed to Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina, the father of polyphony. The repertoire then traverses a breathtaking arc of motets, madrigals, chanson, anthems and lullabies sweeping across Europe, from France and Italy through England. Undertaking this musical journey we discover much music from the ecstatic mysticism of Palestrina, the chanson of Josquin des Pres to the joyful works of William Byrd and an anthem written by the celebrated Thomas Tallis.

The eloquent musicality of Ensemble Artchoral under the direction of the accomplished Matthias Maute recreate these works with eloquent emotionality and deep spirituality.

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Canadian Sacred Music
Opus 8
Independent (opus8choir.com/store)

Released on July 1st, 2024, to coincide with the anniversary of Canadian confederation, Canadian Sacred Music, the independently released third fine recording by the Toronto-based choral octet Opus 8 advances the canon of underappreciated Canadian music by showcasing beautiful original work from Eleanor Daley, Derek Holman, James Rolfe, Violet Archer, Stephanie Martin and Ramona Luengen, among others. While taking on the task of recording music by Canadian composers deserving greater recognition is perhaps not easy, the results are musically excellent. Spanning seventy-five years of Canadian sacred choral music, Opus 8 approaches these pieces with the creative aplomb and historical rigor for which the group has been known for most of the past decade. 

Part creative endeavour, part musicological excavation, pieces such as Holman’s An Old Song lay dormant following a lone decades-old performance before being resurrected here by tenor soloist and Opus 8 founding director Robert Busiakiewicz, who arranged the piece and brought it to the group.

Handled gorgeously by Busiakiewicz and singers Katy Clark, Clara MacCallum Fraser, Veronika Anissimova, Rebecca Claborn, Jamie Tuttle, Martin Gomes and Bryan Martin, the piece, as well as the resulting album which shines a light on a body of music that otherwise may have been lost to time, is creatively satisfying, historically valuable and beautifully captured at Toronto’s Humbercrest United Church with excellent results. Highly recommended for lovers of choral music, Canadian history enthusiasts and general listeners alike. 

Jeffrey Ryan – Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation
Vocal Soloists; Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; Bramwell Tovey
Centrediscs CMCCD 33023 (cmccanada.org/shop/cmccd-33023)

Structured around the Latin text of the Requiem Mass, Jeffrey Ryan’s deeply moving work weaves in texts from Suzanne Steele, who was Canada’s war poet in Afghanistan from 2008-2010. Commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic and One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre, the Afghanistan Requiem was given its premiere in Calgary in November 2012, with subsequent performances in Toronto and Vancouver. The work has obvious parallels with Britten’s War Requiem, but in many ways is more successful in its specificity, intimacy, accessibility and connection to the spirit world. 

Ryan’s score serves the text beautifully, teases out unique and rich colours from the orchestra and choirs and gives each of the four soloists lyric and dramatic material, putting them at the forefront of the storytelling. Highlights include the connections drawn between the snowy lands of Elk Island and the deserts of Afghanistan and references to the Four Directions teachings in the opening Requiem Aeternam, the thrilling, visceral and terrifying excitement of Dies Irae, the poignant litany of birds in Lux Aeterna (affectingly sung by the Langley Youth Choir) and the profound and heartbreaking final In Paradisum putting into context Canada’s history of combat and, yes, the pity of war. 

The orchestra, choirs, soprano Zorana Sadiq, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Haas, tenor Colin Ainsworth and baritone Brett Polegato are all led admirably, intelligently and with great passion by Bramwell Tovey. 

The Canadian Army was active in the Afghanistan conflict from 2001-2014. In Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, Ryan and Steele have borne witness to that difficult period with grace, respect and beauty. This is surely one of the most important Canadian works of the 21st century.

John Corigliano – Mr. Tamborine Man; Vincent Ho - Gryphon Realms
Laura Hynes (amplified soprano); Land’s End Ensemble; Karl Hirzer
Naxos 8.579160 (naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.579160)

Among the traits, and there are many, that people find compelling about the current octogenarian and formerly dubbed “voice of his generation,” Bob Dylan, are his restless nature and continued creativity. Famously categorizing himself as a “song and dance man,” to insert distance between he and his then folk-rock contemporaries and attach himself to a vaudevillian past that he wanted, but truly never had, Dylan has shape shifted so many times that his only constant is change. Long before it was fashionable to see such groups as Lake Street Dive and Scary Pockets reimagining the possibilities of canonic cover versions, Dylan himself was radically reinventing his own songbook, most famously in July 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival. Given the composer’s own stance on the malleability of his work, perhaps it is not surprising that Dylan’s music has provided creative fodder for musicians not just of the folk/rock ilk, but such jazz players as Nina Simone, Ben Paterson, and Bill Frisell, among others.

Here, with Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (version for amplified soprano and sextet), the highly feted American composer John Corigliano brings Dylan’s poetic lyrics into the realm of contemporary classical music, setting seven texts to his unique original music with compelling results. Acknowledging in the liner notes the newness of this exercise, (as Dylan’s words had not previously been set to classical music), while locating the historical antecedents of Schumann or Brahms working with a Goethe text. Corigliano’s reimagining has been beautifully realized here by soprano Laura Hynes and Calgary’s Land’s End Ensemble under Karl Hirzer. Corigliano’s cycle is paired effectively with Canadian composer Vincent Ho’s Gryphon Realms (for piano trio) commissioned by Toronto’s Gryphon Trio inspired by that mythical tripartite beast. It is performed here by the core members of Land’s End, violinist Maria van der Sloot, cellist Beth Root Sandvoss and pianist Susanne Ruberg-Gordon. This 2024 Naxos release is highly enjoyable and immensely satisfying. 

Bespoke Songs
Fotina Naumenko; various artists
New Focus Recordings FCR410 (newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/bespoke-songs)

Sensual doesn’t so much ooze as burst in ecstatic luminosity from Fotina Naumenko’s soaring, swooping soprano. The recital comprises 20 works specially commissioned by Naumenko from four composers. Each takes a cue from a verse by poets selected by the soprano and relates to settings and emotions awakened by the global pandemic. The album takes its title from a cycle of twelve – Bespoke Songs –composed by Jonathan Newman, set to the poetry of Kristina Faust.

Two shorter cycles comprise a work by Jennifer Jolley (“Hope” Is The Thing with Feathers – poetry by Emily Dickenson), and one by Benedict Sheehan (Let Evening Come with texts by Jane Kenyon). These cycles bookend Carrie Magin’s work (How to See An Angel set to Dorothy Walter’s poem). The commissions were initiated during the global pandemic and reflect the angst that was imposed on a human psyche which still cries out for healing. 

The work of artists of the first order were driven not only to deeper reflection, but also to surface for air with the singular impulse to heal others with art. This Naumenko certainly does with uncommon erudition. Her instrument is gorgeous: lustrous, precise and feather-light. Her musicianship is fierce as she digs into the expression of every word, giving every phrase a special grace. The accompanying musicians bring a deeply interiorised reading that complements Naumenko’s execution. 

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Love to My Liking
Alkemie
Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0201 (alkemie.bandcamp.com/album/love-to-my-liking)

Unusually for recordings of medieval troubadour songs, all five vocalists on this CD are women – three of the six-member Alkemie ensemble (they also play instruments) and two “guests.” They’re reviving the spirit of the all-but-forgotten Trobairitz, a unique all-female troupe of 13th-century French troubadours (not mentioned in the CD’s notes), discovered when I googled “female troubadours.” The notes also offer little information beyond the names of the selections, performers and instruments. Most regrettably, there are no texts or translations.

Searching online, I learned that Alkemie was founded in 2013, is based in Brooklyn and that most of the CD’s 13 selections were drawn from the 13th-century collections Chansonnier du Roi and Montpellier Codex. I also found descriptions of five instruments with names unfamiliar to me: hümmelchen (small German bagpipe), viola a chiavi (seven-keyed viola), scheitholt (German zither), gittern (small lute) and douçaines (double-reed woodwind). These, plus recorders, vielle, psaltery, lute, harps and percussion provide Alkemie’s constantly varying combinations of intriguing instrumental timbres, among the disc’s chief delights.

I particularly enjoyed the selections featuring all five singers – the up-tempo E, bone amourette/La rotta della Manfredina, La joliveté/Douce amiete and L’autrier chevauchoie delez Paris, and the haunting, chant-like Belle doette as fenestres se siet, lasting over nine minutes.

Although Alkemie’s fresh arrangements, incorporating touches of bluegrass and Celtic music aren’t historically authentic, since no one can ever know exactly how these ancient pieces originally sounded, musicological conjecture must yield to extant entertainment.

Amadeus et l’Imperatrice - Montgeroult | Mozart
Elisabeth Pion; Arion Orchestre Baroque; Mathieu Lussier
ATMA ACD2 2885 (atmaclassique.com/enproduct/amadeus-et-limperatrice)

One of the great anecdotes involving the premiere of Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic String Octet in E-flat Major, Op.20 tells us that an audacious listener, not recognising Mendelssohn, is believed to have commented, “Surely that was written by Beethoven?” Jump-cut to a blindfold test – to listen to this disc Amadeus et l’Impératrice without being told these works are by the Hélène de Montgeroult (and Mozart) – to determine who composed each work. 

Indeed, all Montgeroult’s works represented here, particularly her superb Concerto pour pianoforte No 1 en mi bémol majeur evoke a genius not unlike Mozart’s. This Concerto as performed here by the Arion Orchestre Baroque conducted by Mathieu Lussier, with Élisabeth Pion eloquently laying out the solo parts on fortepiano, is a flawless performance, worthy of heralding the composer’s unbridled genius vis-à-vis Mozart. 

Montgeroult enriches orchestral sonority by employing a wide range of instruments. The clearly defined wind section in this concerto, emphasises the conversational exchanges between wind and strings in the outer movements. Throughout Pion parades a graceful and tender style while displaying the marvellous rapport between soloist and orchestra. 

In a masterstroke, the sandwiching of Mozart’s grand and dark Concerto No 24 en do mineur K491 between Montgeroult’s eloquent works suggests that she is – if nothing else – every bit as adventurous and ingenious as Mozart, Amadeus et l’Impératrice indeed…!

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Haydn Symphonies - Mercury & La Passione
Tafelmusik; Rachel Podger
Tafelmusik Media TMK 1041CD (tafelmusik.org/meet-tafelmusik/recordings)

Over 30 years ago, when Tafelmusik was coming into its own as a world-class period instrument orchestra, they signed a multi-record deal with Sony Classical and set out on an ambitious voyage to record Haydn symphonies (and other repertoire) with the jovial German conductor Bruno Weil and the legendary producer Wolf Erichson. The relationship with Weil was transformative and I would argue that their collaborative exploration bred an innate flair for – and deep understanding of – Classical style that continues today.

 Their newest recording – on their own Tafelmusik Media label – of symphonies 43 and 49 is full of attention to the minute details of Haydn’s quirky writing and is a welcome reminder of the ensemble’s virtuosity and breadth of expression. Haydn wrote the Symphony in F Minor No.49 (“La Passione”) in 1768, during what is known as his “sturm und drang” period, one that saw an astounding growth in his technique, planting the seeds and foreshadowing the German Romantic era that was to come decades later. Tafelmusik’s performance – directed from the violin by newly-appointed Principal Guest Conductor Rachel Podger – absolutely nails the colour, transparency, dramatic energy and harmonic tension present in every measure of this fantastic work.

The so-called “Mercury” Symphony No.43 was actually written three years later and is a sunny contrast to the broodiness of “La Passione.” It’s still packed with innovation and angst and the orchestra brings this out beautifully. How fabulous that one can compare this performance with Tafelmusik’s 1992 studio recording with Weil: both powerful, wonderful and full of life in quite different ways.

Beethoven
Marc-André Hamelin
Hyperion CDA68456 (hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68456)

Given Marc-André Hamelin’s unimpeachable technical prowess, it is no surprise that he tackles the epic Hammerklavier Sonata for his first recording of music by Beethoven. Hamelin’s tempos are rapid, though well under Beethoven’s unreasonably fast metronome markings. This allows lyrical passages to breathe expressively, and for Hamelin to apply a variety of colouring to Beethoven’s many surprising harmonic shifts. Hamelin’s Steinway piano has been recorded in a very reverberant acoustic, and while this creates a flattering halo around slower-moving cantabile passages (the slow movement’s opening and the D major central section in the finale), it also obscures the detail of fast passagework and the thorny counterpoint of the outer movements, while blurring the edges between Beethoven’s very frequent sudden dynamic changes. Hamelin’s generous use of pedal further clouds the texture and results in the occasional disregard for rests and note lengths.

Unsurprisingly, the wild fourth movement fugue of the Hammerklavier is dispatched with exciting technical security. More surprisingly, this does not conclude the album, but instead we jump back 23 years to continue with Beethoven’s third published sonata, Op.2 No.3 in C Major. This early work benefits from Hamelin’s crisp articulations and sparkling passage work – though again the reverberant acoustic blunts some impact. The first movement is suitably muscular, the second serene though with a marked agitation in the contrasting minor section, the scherzo is confidently playful and the finale sparklingly virtuosic. Caveats: The close recording results in a harshness of tone in the loudest moments, and purists may not approve of Hamelin’s adding of bass octaves not available on the pianos of Beethoven’s time. 

Mahler – Symphony 3
Jennifer Johnston; Women of the Minnesota Chorale; Minnesota Boychoir; Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska
BIS 2486 (minnesotaorchestra.org)

Mahler – Symphony No.8
Soloists; Minnesota Chorale; National Lutheran Choir; Minnesota Boychoir; Angelica Cantanti Youth Choir; Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska
BIS BIS-2496 (minnesotaorchestra.org)

The final two installments of Osmo Vänskä’s ongoing Mahler cycle have landed and the box set is now on sale. (Caveat: the Cooke version of the fragmentary Tenth Symphony is included, but there is no performance of Das Lied von der Erde.) These two recordings were patched together from live performances from Vänskä’s final appearances in 2022 after 19 years at the helm of the Minnesota orchestra.

Judging by the performance of the Third Symphony, this orchestra and its conductor have developed a fine rapport over the years and deliver some very lovely playing. Winds and brass are outstanding and the string section is extraordinarily supple, though Vänskä’s party trick of pulling back the orchestra to near inaudibility remains an annoying SACD inspired gimmick to my ears. Initially won over by the exceptional recording from the BIS recording team, certain aspects of the interpretation now strike me as less admirable. Beautiful though the recording may sound, there is an atmosphere of directorial micro-management that loses sight of the over-arching structure of the work. There are beautiful trees to behold indeed, but nary a view of the forest. 

Of the six movements of this, the longest symphony in the active repertoire, the performance of the short inner movements fare best. But as to the lengthy first and sixth movements, Vänskä’s reach is beyond his grasp. Nowhere is this more evident than in the final six pages of the concluding Adagio; from figure 28 preceding the reprise of the main theme Mahler writes “Langsam anschwellen” (slowly swelling); the effect in, for example, Leonard Bernstein’s landmark performance, is a thrilling, painful struggle to the summit of glory. Here we find a routine ritardando that somehow wanders into a pedestrian fortissimo. Amongst recent recordings I would suggest seeking out Manfred Honeck’s 2010 Pittsburgh performance on the Exton label instead, a fine example of what a true Mahler evangelist can bring to this score.

I must confess to an abiding ambivalence about Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, the so-called “Symphony of a Thousand.” Teeming with what T.W. Adorno called “the ceremonial pretensions of the obviously fugal manner,” the two parts of the work are set to the Catholic hymn Veni Creator Spiritus and the closing scene of Goethe’s Faust, a pair of uncharacteristically crowd-pleasing choices from a man whose works are essentially about his inner self. It’s as if Mahler was saying to his carping, anti-Semitic critics, “Don’t you see? I am one of you!” Composed swiftly in the span of six weeks, he proclaimed the work his “gift to the nation” and dedicated it to his wife Alma.  

Successful performances of this monumental work depend very much on the casting of the seven vocal soloists and in this case they are well chosen indeed. Sonically however the massive choral forces, recorded at the height of the covid panic, are constrained by the wearing of masks. Despite discreet tweaking by the BIS recording team the softer portions of the work remain distinctly muffled. I was also disappointed by the woefully underpowered contributions from the organ. Within the context of this Mahler cycle it is one of the more successful efforts, but Vänskä’s direction again strikes me as intrinsically unfocused.

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 2 & 3, Piano Sonata No.7
Stewart Goodyear; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton
Orchid Classics ORC100335 (orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100335-stewart-goodyear-prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev began his musical career as a concert pianist, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that his extensive output would include six piano concertos and ten sonatas in addition to innumerable other piano works. This splendid recording on the Orchid Classics label presents the second and third concertos and the Sonata No.7 featuring Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear with the BBC Symphony under the direction of Andrew Litton.

Concerto No.2 was completed in 1912, but was revised and not premiered for another 12 years when it was met with both praise and derision from the audience. Deviating from the traditional concerto form, the piece comprises four contrasting movements. Throughout, Goodyear plays with a polished assurance, demonstrating an impeccable technique particularly in the horrendously difficult cadenza concluding the first movement and the relentless Allegro tempestoso finale.

The third and most famous of Prokofiev’s concertos was premiered by the composer in Chicago in 1921. Opening with a lyrical introduction, the piece soon launches into a brisk Allegro performed here at a slightly faster tempo than is sometimes heard. Again, Goodyear demonstrates immaculate virtuosity, emphasizing the work’s mischievous nature while under Litton’s competent baton, the BBSO is a solid and sensitive partner delivering a lively and joyful performance.

The second of three sonatas Prokofiev composed during the Second World War, the Piano Sonata No.7 was very much a product of its time. The first movement is marked by a dark and angry tone, while the second is a calm respite before a strident perpetuum mobile brings the recording to a dramatic conclusion.

Kudos to you, Mr. Goodyear – you indicated in the notes you had wanted to record Prokofiev since the pandemic and now was the right time. Most decidedly, it was well worth the wait.