To make room for the best of the wealth of material received over the holiday break and to accommodate the addition of three wonderful new reviewers to our fold, I find I have left insufficient space for my own musings this month. So let me just take a moment to introduce to these pages pianist and pedagogue Christina Petrowska Quilico who shares insights on a new release by her colleague Stephen Hough; composer and tuba virtuoso J. Scott Irvine who opines on a CD of contemporary tuba and euphonium repertoire from Deanna Swoboda; and my own chamber music coach and mentor, violinist Ivana Popovich who gives us her take on the Tokyo Quartet’s recent Schubert release. Welcome aboard to one and all!

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 www.thewholenote.com where you can find added features including direct links to performers, composers and record labels, “buy buttons” for on-line shopping and additional, expanded and archival reviews.

David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com

Weill - Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Measha Brueggergosman; Jane Henschel; Michael König; Willard White; Teatro Real Madrid; Pablo Heras-Casado
BelAir BAC067

Kurt Weill’s music stands alone and needs no visuals to covey its brilliant, contemporary and relevant meaning. That said, his stage works always assault the senses when produced well – especially when accompanied by the words of his most famous collaborator, Bertold Brecht. Mahagonny, immortalized by the countless renditions of the “Alabama Song,” is so much more than the simple morality play that many perceive it as. It is a work, which especially in this brilliant production satirizes, troubles and challenges the viewer. In these years of market crashes and the disenfranchised “99%” its resonance is as fresh as it must have been in the Weimar Republic. The stunning sets, including a verdant golf course – surely as much of a power centre as one can imagine – create the backdrop to the all too human struggle with that “crime of crimes” – not having money in the materialistic world. Jane Henschel as the widow Begbick and Canada’s own Measha Brueggergosman as Jenny Smith form a powerful female axis of the performance, with Brueggergosman taking refreshing risks with the score. Michael König (Jim MacIntyre) and Willard White (Trinity Moses) in the meantime, complete the play’s – and music’s – symmetry. The orchestra delivers the score beautifully, with a strangely appropriate Spanish verve. This is truly an “edge of your seat” opera experience, even without the original German rhythms of speech. Bravo.

Britten - War Requiem
Edith Wiens; Nigel Robson; Håkan Hagegård; Prague Philharmonic Choir; Ankor Children’s Choir; Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Kurt Masur
Heilicon Classics 02-9645

Ominous sounds issuing from the lower depths of the strings with the insistent tolling of bells and the tenor‘s desperate question “what passing bells for those who die as cattle?” – so begins the pacifist Benjamin Britten’s mass for the dead, a passionate antiwar statement written in 1962 for the opening of the newly rebuilt Coventry Cathedral. The ingenious idea to combine the Latin text, the basic underpinning structure of the mass, with poems of dark, terrifying imagery of the war in the trenches is what distinguishes Britten’s work from other requiems of the past. The poems of Wilfred Owen, an English foot soldier who was killed a week before the fighting ended in 1918 are what give this piece its unforgettable poignancy and impact.

Nothing but praise can be given to this spectacular new recording produced in Israel whose people have suffered and continue to suffer from the ravages of war. In the tradition begun by the composer himself, Kurt Masur, a former director of the Leipziger Gewandhaus, commands the massive ensemble of forces (full symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, several choruses and three soloists) with precision, clear insight and passionate understanding. The deafening sounds of war in the “Dies Irae” section, martial trumpets and horns with rumbling bass drums emulating the roar of cannons and snare drums imitating the rattle of machine gun fire, sound frighteningly real.

But the soul of the piece is in the singing. The Latin text is carried by the mixed choruses and the boys’ choir as well as the female soloist, Canadian soprano of international repute Edith Wiens. Her wailing lament, for example in the “Lacrimosa” is heartbreaking. In stark contrast, Owen’s verses in the declamatory style of the English language are sung by the tenor Nigel Robson and baritone Håkan Hagegård. Their precise diction, annunciation of remarkable clarity and emotional involvement rival that legendary first recording by Peter Pears and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau of 1963, under the composer’s baton.

Britten - Songs & Proverbs of William Blake
Gerald Finley; Julius Drake
Hyperion CDA67778

The songs of Britten naturally conjure up the memory of Peter Pears, Britten’s partner, muse and greatest influence. The celebrated tenor was also the poetry consultant to the composer and their shared tastes shaped Britten’s output. But there were other voices he composed for. One of the most significant ones was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the wonderful baritone. Just like in his operas, from Billy Budd to Death in Venice, Britten approaches the baritone voice in these songs with a lyricism usually reserved for the tenor. Given that and the special nature of Blake’s poetry, it isn’t any voice that can tackle this material. Fortunately, Gerald Finley possesses a baritone worthy of comparisons with Fischer-Dieskau. It may not sound like an insightful comment, but Finley’s baritone is simply elegant. His phrasing and understated ornamentation bring a fully engaged understanding to the texts. What makes this disc even more interesting is that it contains Britten’s settings spanning a lifetime – from the revised early compositions of a 14-year-old boy to late-in-life, mature compositions and finally some published posthumously. Whether you are familiar with Britten’s songs, or Blake’s poetry for that matter, you will appreciate the intelligent, focused reading of the material in the Finley-Drake collaboration. And you will love the sound that the two artists create – love it enough to come back to this record again and again.

A Bridge of Dreams - A Cappella Music from the Pacific Rim
Ars Nova Copenhagen; Paul Hillier
Dacapo 6.220597

Curious and delightfully captivating, this recording by the 14-voice Ars Nova Copenhagen ensemble under Paul Hillier presents a programme by (mostly Western) composers of music from the Pacific Rim.

Hillier’s credentials rest largely on his years of work in early music. His ability to cope with challenging contemporary repertoire, however, leaves no doubt about his extraordinary musicianship. While his programme for this recording is well balanced – including works by New Zealander Jack Body, Australians Anne Boyd and Ross Edwards, American Lou Harrison and Lui Sola, a multi-disciplinary artist from China – two works really deserve special mention.

Harrison’s Mass for St. Cecilia’s Day is tinged strongly by his attraction to Chinese and Indonesian music. The Latin text, sung in an obvious plainsong style, is frequently embellished by modal phrasings and ornaments from the Oriental world. The effect of this fusion is surprisingly compelling. One is never quite sure if what’s being sung is ancient or modern. Harrison’s skilful writing moves effortlessly through an in-between realm where he creates something new from something ancient.

Edwards’ Sacred Kingfisher Psalms also combine otherwise unrelated material into a remarkable composition. Using portions of Latin psalm texts, Edwards pays homage to the aboriginal spirit of his homeland by weaving the native names of indigenous birds into his Latin text. The chanting evokes ancient aboriginal rituals as well medieval European polyphonies.

Harrison’s and Edwards’ works appear to practice some kind of musical alchemy and do so with the skilful formulation of Ars Nova’s choral ingredient.

Liszt - Lieder
Diana Damrau; Helmut Deutsch
Virgin Classics 50999 0709282 4

German Romanticism of the 19th century, in spite of much turbulence at the time, was a golden age for the arts, especially for music and poetry.  The greatest poets of the German language, Goethe, Schiller, Heine and Lenau lived in this period, so Liszt (and of course Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms) had just to reach out to access a wealth poems of great inspiration longing to be set to music. There were lesser poets too. Who has ever heard of Ferdinand Freiligrath for example? Curiously enough he wrote the poem O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst (Oh love as long as you can!) that became Liszt’s divine inspiration for Liebestraum No.3 and one of his most beloved songs that is included on this disc.

Or think of the Petrarca Sonnets. These beautiful piano works originally started as songs written to his sweetheart Countess Marie d’Agoult in Bellagio on the shores of Lago di Como where the two lovers spent unforgettable times. These three songs now stand as a centerpiece of this new recording by Diana Damrau, one of today’s leading sopranos.

For Liszt, song writing was a sideline and he treated the voice much like he treated the piano, mercilessly. Recordings have been scarce probably because of the enormous demands imposed on the singer. Wide range of pitch (two octaves) and dynamics, sudden key changes, emotional outbursts and sensitive shadings pose a big challenge and will not tolerate lesser performers. Damrau’s strong but attractive high soprano voice may not have the richness and expressive power of a Fischer-Dieskau but her dedication, sincerity and valiant effort more than make up for it. Special credit must also be given to Helmut Deutsch whose virtuoso reading of Liszt’s incredibly difficult piano accompaniments contributes much to the success of this recording.

Luciano Pavarotti
A Film by Esther Schapira
Euroarts 2058918

Legends is a series of films dedicated to exploring the lives of famous individuals. This time it is the story of the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Adored around the world, the king of the High C’s led an exceptional life both on and off stage, and he knew it. This excellent biopic strips away the layers of intrigue and drama to provide the viewer a glimpse into the singer’s illustrious life.

From his hometown of Modena to the great opera cities of New York and Milan, the visual scenes provide an armchair traveller’s guide of his worldwide stomping grounds. Interspersed are brief segments of his most famous operatic feats such as the Three Tenors concert, the Central Park extravaganza and early on stage footage with childhood friend Mirella Freni.

Almost everyone acknowledges Pavarotti’s vocal prowess. Listen to his recordings for the music. It is the interviews with the people who knew him that make this film worth spending the time to watch. From his first wife Agua to his manager to his friends to rock superstar Bono, the public “Pav” image dissolves as those who knew him discuss their personal relationships with both love and pain. The effort to film “just the facts” makes this a moving and thought provoking exercise. Their insights open up a cornucopia of unanswered questions about his private life yet substantiate his larger than life musicality and love of singing.

Il Progetto Vivaldi 2
Sol Gabetta; Cappella Gabetta; Andres Gabetta
Sony Classical 88697932302

Vivaldi - Cello Concertos
Jean-Guihen Queyras; Akademie fur Alte Musik, Berlin
Harmonia Mundi HMC 902095

These are two lively and exuberant recordings of the music of Vivaldi and his contemporaries, focussing on the Venetian composer’s rich and somewhat varied cello concertos. There are 27 cello concertos by Vivaldi that have come down to us and a strong cross-section is represented here. Gabetta and Queyras are two of the world’s leading cellists and belong to a generation of modern European musicians who have fully integrated baroque style into their musical philosophies.

The “Argentine French Russian-born” Sol Gabetta has been garnering rave reviews for her playing since finishing her studies in 2006. She maintains a busy performing and recording schedule and a wide repertoire, from Bach and Vivaldi to Shostakovich, Elgar and Ginastera. Her playing on this recording – her second CD of Vivaldi concertos - is exquisite and the orchestral playing (directed by her brother, violinist Andrew Gabetta) is exciting and elegant. Of special interest is the Concerto in D Major by Leonardo Leo, which looks forward stylistically to the galant music of the later 18th century, and the world premiere recording of the Concerto in D Minor by Giovanni Benedetto Platti, an interesting and dramatic work that we should hear more often.

Jean-Guihen Queyras was born in Canada, but brought up in France. He was the winner of the 2002 City of Toronto Protégé Prize as chosen by Glenn Gould Prize laureate Pierre Boulez and his playing is possessed of a remarkably burnished and gorgeous tone. His interest in chamber music is apparent in the program of this CD, which features sinfonias and orchestral concertos by Vivaldi in addition to the concertos for solo cello. The Berlin Akademie provides tasteful and profound support, exploiting a wide range of string colours. Of special note is the playing of lutenist Simon Martyn-Ellis. Included are two sinfonias by Antonio Caldara, to my ears not as musically interesting as the Vivaldi works.

Of the two recordings, the one by Queyras feels a little more rehearsed, steady and thoughtful. The Capella Gabetta has the feeling of being a pick-up band, albeit one made up of very fine players. Both recordings are full of life and youthful energy and are highly recommended.

Vivaldi - Return of Angels
Ensemble Caprice; Matthias Maute
Analekta AN 2 9995

This CD builds on Ensemble Caprice’s first recording of Vivaldi’s sacred music, Gloria! Vivaldi and his Angels. Once again, we are transported into the confines of the Ospedale della Pietà, the orphanage where Vivaldi taught orphaned girls violin and singing, and composed concertos and sacred music.

Vivaldi’s charges enjoyed great fame throughout Europe, a fact made even more amazing by the thoroughly demanding quality of the compositions. Listeners even included the English traveler Edward Wright, who states that the girls “have a eunuch for a master, and he composes their music!” It is a unique description of Vivaldi!

Ten lady singers are assembled by Matthias Maute; not a male voice is to be heard even though the opening “Coro” from Juditha Triumphans is inspired by a military theme. Less warlike are the “Coro O quam vaga” and the aria “Armatae, face” (both sung with distinction by Shannon Mercer).

Other soloists make their mark: Laura Pudwell, contralto, in Si Fulgida, and Gabriele Hierdeis in the motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas. Also on the CD, perhaps strangely, are two pieces by Zelenka (the soloists Mercer and Pudwell once again) and even two concertos by Vivaldi; perhaps it was Vivaldi’s custom to spare the voices of his charges from over-exposure and Maute is following suit.

In fact, the Ensemble’s interpretations, solo or otherwise, present a spiritual and intense selection of Vivaldi’s compositions for his orphaned girls. This reviewer looks forward to a third CD.

A French Soirée
Trio Settecento
Cedille CDR 90000 129

Name any truly great French baroque composer and you will find him on this CD. Trio Settecento has recorded a selection of the finest music of its type, the antidote to those jaded souls who believe baroque music all sounds the same.

The program starts with Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Ballet Royal de Flore; those distinctive names that typify Lully’s ballet movements are conspicuous by their presence: “Entrée pour les Jardiniers et quatre gallants” is one such. The trio may use a 1983 replica of a harpsichord, but a 1770 violin and a 1743 seven-string bass viol provide authenticity throughout the CD, not to mention the inspiration for passionate playing.

Solo music for baroque viol is personified by Marin Marais: John Mark Rozendaal imparts a playful quality to La Guitare, which is after all a joyful imitation of a joyful baroque instrument. More restrained is the Chaconne for all three players.

François Couperin is bound to feature on a compilation of this kind. Seven movements from his Troisième Concert are played. Enjoy the Courante and Muzette for their rural evocations but be moved by the Sarabande and Chaconne.

Far less well-known is Jean-Féry Rebel and a mere seven minutes can only hint at Rebel’s demanding violin scores. A full CD to bring Rebel to a wider audience, Trio Settecento?

Finally, Rameau, as may be expected. Rameau’s pieces here are portraits of the Commedia dell’Arte, a gossip, and even the Rameau household with its musical rehearsals and barking dog!

And if you want to hear baroque music from either Italy or Germany, the Trio has already recorded it – Italian Soujourn (sic) and German Bouquet.

@bach
Evan Shinners
New Cull Records (www.evanshinners.com)

Evan Shinners’ début recording – he graduated from Juilliard in 2010 – comprises an unedited recording of two live concerts of Bach’s music. We even hear the orchestra tuning and sounds from the intermission – and there is no post-production to divert us from this interpretation.

Shinners’ first piece is Bach’s own first piece – the Partita in B-flat BWV825. Shinners is his own man as he plays the Allemande and Courante with an equally joyful quality and the second Minuet with the vigour of which Bach must have dreamt when he composed the work. The audience’s applause affirms everything.

Improvisation is Shinners’ driving force behind two Toccatas – and as he explains to his audience, he is keeping that tradition of the toccata alive. A thoughtful interpretation of the E Minor BWV914 is followed by the C Minor BWV911 with its own swift changes and heavy demands on the player. The audience was impressed.

Shinners does not shy away from including pieces which some might dismiss as being typically baroque. In fact, there is nothing stilted or restricted or confined about his interpretation of the French Suite BWV816. Shinners plays all seven movements according to the original qualities of the French dances that became stylized in the Baroque.

And so to the final work, the Concerto in D Minor BWV1052. Here we find the sheer power of the first Allegro, the pleading and almost sombre quality of the Adagio, the further vigour of the second Allegro, and Evan Shinners shining supreme.

Carl Czerny - A Rediscovered Genius
Anton Kuerti, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Edmonton Symphony
Doremi DHR-6011-3

After many years of listening to and reviewing classical music on record, there was little chance that I would be unexpectedly and so pleasantly surprised by a collection of Carl Czerny (1791-1857). Czerny is well known to piano students as the composer of routine practice studies and technique development exercises. And nothing beyond that. It has taken a century and a half since his death to find out that Czerny was, in reality, a composer of the first rank who created nearly one thousand significant compositions.

The discovery of the real Czerny started some ten years ago here in Canada, led by the internationally celebrated pianist Anton Kuerti. Like many great discoveries, it was quite by chance that Kuerti came upon the score of a Czerny piano sonata in a music store in Edmonton that was going out of business. He was so impressed that he had to find out if there were other such masterpieces by Czerny. Kuerti’s research revealed that there was “an overwhelming body of extraordinary work in a multitude of genres by Czerny that was totally ignored and forgotten and huge quantities that had never been published or heard.” Included are symphonic compositions, concertos, vocal, chamber and instrumental works. Czerny’s style lies between Schubert and Mendelssohn and while there are overtones of Beethoven (his teacher) his style is original and his own.

The outcome of Kuerti’s discoveries was The World’s First Czerny Music Festival in Edmonton in 2002, during which symphonies, masses, string quartets and quintets, works for piano and strings, songs and miscellaneous chamber works were featured. Some works are astonishing in their complexity such as two Fugatos for string quintet. What a surprise to hear among the songs a setting of Goethe’s Der Erlkönig predating Schubert’s famous version, in which Czerny depicts the terrifying excitement in quite a different manner.

The festival was recorded by the CBC and many of the performances are featured on this Doremi release. The performers include Kuerti, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and many other distinguished pianists and vocalists, all sounding fresh and into the engaging music, much of it receiving a first or second performance ever.

The set of three CDs plays for almost four hours and every second was a joy to hear. The sound is excellent and the 16 page booklet includes informative notes by Kuerti. One can only hope that more Czerny will be unearthed, performed and recorded.

Beethoven - Symphony No.9
Erin Wall; Mihoko Fujimura; Simon O’Neill; Mikhail Petrenko; Choeur et Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; Kent Nagano
Analekta AN 2 9885

Unashamedly and unapologetically modern. Intended deliberately for the 21st century soul. There is nothing “authentic” about this performance by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under Kent Nagano, not as we understand the established practice of historically informed performances. Authentic, however, is the breath-taking emotional intensity channelled through this symphonic colossus. This performance leaves no doubt that Nagano has understood every nuance of Beethoven’s convictions about the world, indeed the universe around him. Every lost hope, every anger, every dream and inspiration the composer ever had seems embedded in the writing for Nagano to reveal with exquisite precision.

Perhaps the joy of familiar works is discovering new inner voices brought forward by fresh interpreters who uncover secret countermelodies that have eluded others. Nagano does this repeatedly with oboes and lower string phrases, especially against the solo vocal parts. The effect is astonishing and delightful.

Numbering some 92 players, the orchestra is massive but always lithe, agile and fully capable of every dynamic required by the score. The 60-voice combined chorus of the OSM and Tafelmusik Chamber Choir under Ivars Taurins sings beautifully with flawless diction. Every German word is there with clarity and intent.

It would be hard to find higher production values than those demonstrably evident on this recording. I haven’t heard a Ninth so moving, so exciting, in very many years. Recorded during the inaugural concerts at the OSM’s new home, the Maison symphonique de Montréal, this testament certainly bodes well for the orchestra’s future.

Schubert - String Quintet; Quartettsatz
Tokyo String Quartet; David Watkin
Harmonia Mundi HUM8074227

At the age of 16, Schubert was drawn to the string quartet and in that period he composed several works in this genre. He abandoned the form three years later, perhaps feeling that his own writing did not match the drama and intensity of the giant figure of Beethoven (“Who can do anything after Beethoven?” Schubert once complained to a friend). With Quartettsatz (Quartet Movement) D703, Schubert chose to revisit the form and to do so in the key of c minor, a key Beethoven loved and often used. Schubert abandoned the score after having composed about 40 bars of a slow movement and the opening Allegro was not published until 40 years after his death. This movement is somewhat unorthodox in form – opening measures are not heard again until the end of the piece – and it contains many elements that Schubert will further develop in Death and the Maiden and his other masterpiece, the String Quintet in C Major. The Tokyo String Quartet, whose members play on “The Paganini Quartet,” a group of Stradivarius instruments named after Niccolo Paganini, had no trouble crossing between the tension and agitation of the first theme to a much warmer and more serene second subject. Their performance is full of sparkles yet it contains an astonishingly wide range of string textures.

Schubert died shortly after completing his String Quintet in C Major and the quintet remained unnoticed until 1850, when the famous Hellmesberger Quartet started to promote it three years before it was published for the first time. This piece is full of very powerful contrasts – light is followed by darkness, serenity is interrupted by drama, and the whole work seems to be a wonderful yet unsettling interaction between two very different worlds. Schubert emphasized the contrasting sonorities by his use of the instruments - the first violin and first cello are often paired and playing in octaves, inner voices tend to be restricted to their lower registers and the second cello often brings in the darker textures.

Cellist David Watkin (of the Eroica Quartet) has a wonderful rapport with the members of the Tokyo on this recording. There is a sense of effortless playing, a unity of ideas and the near perfect crispness in bow attacks. Two cellos bring up a very expressive sound in the second theme of the first movement and in the third theme in the fourth movement. Throughout the second movement, possibly the most beautiful and complex slow movement of all Schubert’s works, there are points of stillness and feelings of being suspended in time that are so rewarding for the listener. Martin Beaver‘s violin at times comes very close to the human voice. The third movement, with an almost overwhelming difference of character between the Scherzo and Trio, allows the Tokyo Quartet and David Watkin to display a virtuosity and depth of emotion at the same time. The fourth movement is played very stylishly; the dance-like quality is uplifting and the tempo, along with a feeling of exuberance, accelerates at the end before it brings the turbulence back in the last bar. A fluid and extremely satisfying performance!

Grieg; Liszt - Piano Concertos
Stephen Hough; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Litton
Hyperion CDA67824

Do we need another Grieg or Liszt CD? Yes we do, if it is Stephen Hough at the piano. Although the Grieg is usually paired with the Schumann Concerto in A Minor I prefer this combination of the Liszt concertos with the Grieg.

These works are perennial warhorses that can sound dated and mannered but not with Stephen Hough as soloist. Hough is a remarkable pianist with flawless technique and innate musicality and these performances live up to expectation. I love his intelligent and well-paced interpretations. He never descends to the affectation and overly mannered playing that some pianists use in this repertoire. Hough is always about the music and beautiful sound. He does not sacrifice the musicality for virtuoso tricks. The florid Lisztian passage-work is always an extension of the melodic line. The trills and roulades enhance the cantabile expression. The tonal quality of Hough’s touch on the piano has a clear ring to it which impresses in both the bravura octaves, trills and the slow lines. His sound is never harsh and the sensitive phrasing is never replaced by empty technical gestures. There is also a wonderful rapport between piano and orchestra. The ensemble is seamless and the music breathes naturally. Andrew Litton’s conducting is a soloist’s dream. The performances are stunning and I highly recommend this CD. The Grieg is an absolute gem.