04_Brahms_Serenades.jpgBrahms – Serenades
Leipzig Gewandhausorchester;
Riccardo Chailly
Decca 4786775

Following Chailly’s sensational performances of the Brahms Symphonies and the usual orchestral works that earned universal rave reviews (Decca 4785344, 3 CDs) we have all waited with great expectations to hear his Serenades.

It is an absolute joy to have these rather brisk, smiling performances of the two neglected early orchestral gems that Brahms wrote on the way to the symphonies. The 25-year-old composer already had an uncanny sense of what he wanted to do with an orchestra; as clearly present are what would become his characteristic orchestral colour and deployment of instruments. The first Serenade was composed in 1857-58, some three years after the first piano concerto of 1854. That concerto was first conceived as a symphony but Brahms re-thought it as a concerto. Similarly, these lyrical Serenades are Brahms’ second and third symphonic ventures wherein he stepped back a little to produce two youthful and breezy works for reduced orchestra. Reduced size does not however mean reduced invention; merely a less ponderous symphonic argument. The First Symphony was conceived during this time and had a gestation period of 20 years until 1875 when “Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony” was delivered.

Compared to other recorded versions, the breezy youthfulness of the present performances has a charming alfresco quality with vivacious tempi that neither undersell nor oversell the orchestral weight. Chailly and his vibrant orchestra, particularly the winds and horns, are flawlessly attuned to these scores, making this recording the very best version to own.

 

05_Gounod_Symphonies.jpgGounod – Symphonies 1-3
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana; Oleg Caetani
CPO 777 863-2

Glancing at the title there are a number of personal discoveries here, including Gounod as a symphonist, the orchestra and the conductor and even the recording company. An interesting fellow, that Gounod… He sprang into world fame in one fell swoop with one opera, Faust, so successful that it has held the stage for the past 150-odd years and made him very rich, but he never could write another comparable opera ever again. However, as a young man and prior to his fame, he did dabble in orchestral composition with two symphonies plus an incomplete third, the latter newly discovered in a historic first performance here. Needless to say all were duly forgotten and completely overshadowed by Faust.

Fine works these are indeed in the hands of the extremely capable Italian conductor and Karajan Competition-winner Oleg Caetani who studied under the legendary Franco Ferrara (much admired in my teenage years when I saw him and he pretty well made me discover Schubert!). Much like the First of Beethoven, also inspired by Haydn, Gounod’s Symphony in D Major is a real charmer with finely sprung rhythms, unmistakeably French in character and conducted with a light spirit making the music sing and dance joyfully with the trumpets ringing out triumphantly at the end.

The more ambitious and mature Second Symphony in E-Flat Major already foreshadows the wonderful garden love scene in Faust. It is so lovingly performed with shimmering colours that it alone would make this disc worthwhile.

06_Saint_Saens_Symphony_3.jpgSaint-Saëns – Symphony No.3 “Organ”
Vincent Warnier; Orchestre National de Lyon; Leonard Slatkin
Naxos 8.573331

This disc is recommended for any collection lacking the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony (1886). Organist Vincent Warnier and conductor Leonard Slatkin give a colourful reading, creating a coherent whole from diversity. In the opening movement strings and winds complement each other. The Lyon winds in particular are superb, both as soloists and as a wind choir, playing everything from busy double-note figures to the chorale theme. Saint-Saëns held off introducing the organ until after the sublime transition at the close of the first movement. This passage is paced and balanced expertly by Slatkin, and the following Poco adagio with its beautiful romantic harmony is alone worth the disc’s price. The organ becomes a new force, connecting well to wind and brass timbres while supporting the strings’ melodic voice. The scherzo’s tricky ensemble and the lightning-fast trio with its piano flourishes are handled impeccably. A foursquare and populist finale that incorporates brilliant brass and organ, ingenious development of the chorale theme and the Dies irae and much besides, ought not to work but on this recording it does!

The Lyon Auditorium organ on this recording is a refurbished transplant from Paris of the Cavaillé-Coll instrument on which Cyprès et Lauriers (1919) was premiered. Warnier is sensitive to the composer`s late exploratory chromaticism in the solo organ lament Cyprès, and appropriately celebratory in Lauriers for organ and orchestra. An ingenious transcription of Saint-Saëns’s well-known Danse macabre completes the disc.

07_Vierne_Pierne.jpgPierné; Vierne – Piano Quintets
Quatuor Arthur-Leblanc; Stéphane Lemelin
ATMA ACD2 2384

Pianist Stéphane Lemelin is director of “Découvertes 1890-1939,” a music series dedicated to the rediscovery of neglected early 20th-century French repertoire. He collaborated with the wonderful Quatuor Arthur-LeBlanc on this marvellous recording of piano quintets by Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) and Louis Vierne (1870-1937). These two composers were contemporaries who shared not only turbulent times in both the history of Europe and the history of French music, but also similar musical aesthetics that could be described as very French and very refined. Gabriel Pierné, a prolific composer, also had a successful career as a conductor and was a passionate proponent of modern music, having premiered works of Stravinsky, Debussy and Ravel, among others. Louis Vierne was a respected organist – six organ symphonies are prominent in his opus.

As I was listening to this recording on a cold and snowy February day, it occurred to me that these piano quintets carry intensity that is emblematic of the winter season – a thick, undiluted, powerful “force majeure” of harmonies and expressions. Vierne’s music transmits darkness and pathos (possibly because he was mourning the death of his son) but also has a fierce energy to it. Pierné’s quintet appears to be more gentle, cinematic, with constant rhythmic drive that brings forward flow to each movement.

Passion and virtuosity are evident in Lemelin’s interpretation. The piano and strings have a good rapport, resulting in constant and flawless passing of expressions and big, enveloping sound at times. I especially enjoyed the delicate string textures in the quieter and accompanying sections.

 

08_Scriabin.jpgIdil Biret Solo Edition 8 – Alexander Scriabin
Idil Biret
IBA 8.571302

The Idil Biret Archive (IBA) covers the long career of this much-recorded pianist; its Solo Edition features recent performances by the still-masterly Biret. This disc includes all 12 Scriabin Études of Op.8 and the eight of Op.42, along with Op.2, No.1 and the Fantaisie, Op.38. Biret’s expansive technique and musicianship meet the many requirements of these intricate, virtuosic pieces. Though it is greatly influenced by Chopin, I find Scriabin’s early style more “Russian” than do most commentators. Biret projects well the Russian soul and idiomatic vocal inflections of the dolorous Op.8, No.11 (1895). She is equally at home with the intense expressiveness, typically thick middle- and low-register textures and wide-ranging leaps (though a couple are missed) in the popular No.12 in D-Sharp Minor.

In the Op.42 Études (1903) Scriabin’s style becomes more idiosyncratic. The rapid moth-like No.1 is crowded with non-harmonic tones. Unequal note-grouping between left-hand accompaniment and right hand melody pervades several pieces, including No.6 with its five against three ratio. Scriabin’s tendency toward agitated and complex inner parts becomes more frequent as in No.5, as well as in the Fantaisie (1900). The overall tendency toward greater harmonic and rhythmic exploration connects with the often-improvisatory origins of Scriabin’s works, which Biret conveys with convincing rubato where appropriate. Among other things, this set is a good preparation for Scriabin’s later experimental, darkly mystical piano compositions.

01_Beethoven_Alcan.jpgThe complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets with which the Quatuor Alcan is celebrating their 25th anniversary continues with Volume 2, a 3-CD set featuring the five works that have come to be known as the middle quartets: the Razumovsky quartets Op.59, Nos.1-3; Op.74, The Harp; and Op.95, Quartetto serioso (ATMA Classique ACD2 2492).

The high standard set by Volume 1, reviewed in this column last issue, continues here. As with that set, these works were recorded several years ago, between May 2008 and December 2011, but the fact that all the recordings were made at the excellent Salle Françoys-Bernier at Le Domaine Forget in Saint-Irénée in Quebec means that there is no discernable difference in the recorded sound.

Given the quality of the first two sets, I can’t wait to hear what the ensemble does with the late quartets in the final volume, scheduled for release in April.

02_Bramhs_Dumay.jpgThere’s yet another beautiful CD of the three Brahms Violin Sonatas, this time featuring the French violinist Augustin Dumay and Canadian pianist Louis Lortie (Onyx 4133).

The playing here is perfectly judged. Nothing is ever rushed, but nothing ever seems to drag either; there is plenty of forward impetus when needed and a natural flow to the music that is helped by the expansive phrasing and the beautifully judged dynamics.

Dumay plays with his heart on his sleeve to some degree, with a big tone and a judicial use of portamento, but his playing – and Lortie’s too, for that matter – is always underpinned by great thought, intelligence and perception.

The Scherzo in C Minor, Brahms’ contribution to the collaborative F-A-E Sonata that he, Robert Schumann and Albert Dietrich wrote for Joseph Joachim, rounds out a simply lovely CD.

03_Jongen_Concertos.jpgHyperion’s outstanding series The Romantic Violin Concerto reaches Volume 18 with major works by the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), in terrific performances by Philippe Graffin and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Martyn Brabbins (CDA68005).

The three works here – the Fantasia in E Major Op.12, the Adagio symphonique in B Major Op.20 and the Violin Concerto in B Minor Op.17 – were all written within a three-year period around the turn of the last century, when Jongen was still in his 20s. All are beautifully crafted Romantic works, with the concerto in particular a major composition with a quite beautiful slow movement.

Also included is the Rapsodie in E Minor by Jongen’s contemporary Sylvio Lazzari (1857-1944). Although born in Italy, Lazzari lived in France for most of his life and was influenced by Gounod, Franck and Chausson as well as by Wagner. His music has remained mostly unperformed since his death, but if this beautiful Rapsodie is anything to go by, then we’ve all been really missing something.

Graffin is, as usual, superb in every respect throughout the CD, with a luscious tone, expansive and nuanced phrasing, and sensitivity and passion to burn. He is given terrific support by Brabbins and the orchestra.

04_Castelnuovo-Tedesco.jpgThe outstanding Chinese violinist Tianwa Yang adds to her already highly impressive Naxos discography with a new CD of the two Violin Concertos by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (8.573135). Pieter-Jelle de Boer conducts the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg.

It’s always interesting to hear rarely performed 20th-century violin concertos, and it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t know the Concerto Italiano Op.31 at all – it’s a world premiere recording. Written in 1924, it looks back to the violin styles of the 17th and 18th centuries, and was considered by the composer to be his first truly symphonic work. Jascha Heifetz really liked it and after performing it in Paris in 1927 and in New York in 1931 he asked Castelnuovo-Tedesco to write a new concerto for him.

The resulting work, the Violin Concerto No.2 ‘The Prophets,’ Op.66, is certainly completely different. In 1925 the composer had discovered a notebook in which his grandfather had notated the music for some Hebrew prayers; the discovery had a deep emotional effect on him and led to his writing several works that celebrated his Jewish heritage. The concerto is one of these and uses traditional Jewish melodies in an orchestral setting that has more than a hint of the Hollywood movie scores that Castelnuovo-Tedesco would produce after moving to California some ten years later.

Heifetz, who gave the premiere in 1933 and also recorded the concerto, really liked it, but commented that apparently “no-one else did.” I’m with Heifetz.

Strings Attached continues at thewholenote.com with guitar concertos by Torroba (Pepe Romero and Vicente Coves), string quartets by Ruperto Chapí (Cuarteto Latinamericano) and works by Piazzolla arranged for violin and harp (Ann Hopson Pilot and Lucia Lin).

If you were asked to name a Spanish composer who lived through almost all of the 20th century, was over 90 when he died and wrote several guitar concertos, chances are you would name Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999), but Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982) was an exact contemporary who wrote ten guitar concertos of his own.

05_Toroba.jpgNaxos has issued Volume 1 of the Torroba Guitar Concertos, featuring guitarists Pepe Romero and Vicente Coves and the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra under Manuel Coves (8.573255). Romero is the soloist in the world premiere recording of the Concierto en Flamenco, written in 1962 for the virtuoso flamenco guitarist Sabicas. Romero’s technical and musical mastery of both the flamenco and classical guitar styles make him an ideal interpreter. Coves is the featured soloist in the Diálogos entre guitarra y Orquesta, which was originally written for Andrés Segovia in the early 1960s but was subsequently revised and premiered in 1977. Pepe Romero recorded it in 1980. Since Coves is described in the booklet notes as having been a disciple of Romero’s for the best part of the last 20 years his performance clearly has the stamp of authenticity. Both works are pleasant and entertaining – the Diálogos in particular has a beautiful Andante movement – but neither makes as strong a first impression as the more popular Rodrigo concertos, which may partly account for their being less well known.

This Naxos CD is the first of three volumes of Torroba’s complete works for guitar and orchestra. As there are ten concertos to cover, the inclusion of two fairly substantial solo guitar works here is somewhat surprising. Again, the two soloists share the spotlight, with Romero the soloist in the five-movement suite Aires de La Mancha and Coves performing the three-movement Suite castellana, which includes Torroba’s first-ever composition for the guitar. Both works were the result of the composer’s collaboration with Segovia.

This seems to be a good month for works you’re not likely to hear that often, or even to know at all.

06_Chapi_Quartets.jpgRuperto Chapí (1851-1909) is a new name to me, and his String Quartets 1 & 2 are available on a new Sono Luminus CD in performances by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano (DSL-92185).

Chapí was a Spanish composer famous in his native country for his zarzuelas, the popular Spanish opera form, and he didn’t turn to chamber music until the last decade of his life, starting work on a series of four string quartets in 1903.

There certainly wasn’t much of a Spanish quartet tradition to follow. Little had been written since the three quartets of Juan Arriaga, who died just short of his 20th birthday in 1826, but the formation of the Cuarteto Francés ensemble in Madrid in 1901 kick-started the composition of string quartets by a number of local composers, Chapí among them. His first quartet was dedicated to the Cuarteto Francés.

Chapí had a thorough knowledge of the European masters, but his quartets are essentially portraits of Spain using the rhythms and colours of Spanish folk music. They are charming and effective works, and while the booklet notes mention references to Tchaikovsky and Grieg their mostly warm and sunny nature seems to me to be more reminiscent of Borodin’s D-Major Second Quartet.

The Cuarteto Latinoamericano are in their element here; you couldn’t ask for better performances.

07_Astor_Piazzolla.jpgEscualo is the title of a lovely new CD of the music of Astor Piazzolla, with violinist Ann Hobson Pilot and harpist Lucia Lin supported on selected tracks by J.P. Jofre on the bandoneón (harmonia mundi 907627).

Piazzolla’s nuevo tango music, which fused the traditional Argentine tango with jazz and classical elements, has become extremely popular over the past few decades, and the arrangements here work very well. There are two instrumental solos – Chiquillin de Bachin for harp and Tango-Étude III for violin – and two duets for violin and harp – Valsísimo and the four-movement suite Histoire du Tango. The only disappointment for me is the fact that the bandoneón only appears in the two remaining works: the three-movement Angel Suite and the title track. It’s a real pity, because the instrument’s distinctive sound adds such an air of authenticity to the music and takes it to a quite different level.

Pilot’s playing is clean and idiomatic, albeit perhaps a little restrained at times, but no matter – it’s always a delight to listen to, and she clearly understands the heart of this music.

02 Early 01 Handels RecorderHandel’s Recorder: Recorder Sonatas; Musick for the Royal Fireworks
Ruth Wilkinson; Miriam Morris; John O’Donnell
Divine Art dda 25124
(divineartrecords.com)

Putting out a CD of Handel’s recorder sonatas might seem a slightly strange choice these days, as numerous versions are already available; but then, if musicians want to record music they’ve known and long enjoyed, who’s to argue? Featuring three Australians active as performers and teachers for over three decades, this disc opens with a twist: an intimate version of the Music for the Royal Fireworks, arranged in the 18th century (like much of Handel’s opera music) for treble instrument and basso continuo. It’s a pleasure to hear this piece in miniature, and quite entertaining if you’re familiar with the heartily orchestrated original!

The four recorder sonatas from Handel’s Opus 1, lovely pieces all, follow in their usual order, and there is much tasteful and cheery playing here. The perennial balance problems in the A minor sonata are solved by the removal of the bass viol from the mix, though that’s a bit of a pity because Handel’s bass lines are so robust, but that said, harpsichordist John O’Donnell whips through the feisty second movement with aplomb. The seasoned and well-knit ensemble playing of recorder player Ruth Wilkinson and her colleagues O’Donnell and gambist Miriam Morris is immediately evident, as is their affection for this music. The booklet notes are informative and the recorded sound is particularly beautiful; because of this, the session photo of the musicians with their tech team is a very nice touch.

 

 

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