A Neapolitan Stabat Mater

Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu

CHRONOS ICSM 012

Franck-Emmanuel Comte takes a fascinating approach to Pergolesi’s familiar setting. As well as a perfectly respectable rendition of the Stabat Mater he adds in a number of Neapolitan folk songs of the period which would have been sung in street processions. This highlights how the composer draws on local music as well and the extent to which he enhances it and moves seamlessly from the secular to the sacred.

Schubert: Symphonies Vol 1

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner

CHANDOS CHSA 5234

Having presumably completed his fine Mendelssohn series, Edward Gardner now moves on to Schubert with recordings of the 3^rd, 5^th and 8^th symphonies. It makes for a fine and lively collection, setting the ‘unfinished’ in a context of more extrovert earlier works. The strength of the 5^th comes across extremely well before giving way to the melancholy opening of the 8^th.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet plays Schumann

CHANDOS CHAN 20081

If these late works are not immediately familiar the immediacy of the playing and the warmth of communication throughout makes one realise that one really should know them better. The recording opens with the Grande Sonata Op14 in its 1853 revision and moves through the Op26 Carnival Jest and the Three Fantasy pieces to conclude with the five short pieces which make up Songs of Dawn.

Bach: St John Passion

Leningrad Chamber Orchestra of old and modern music, Boys Choir of the Moscow State Choral School, Eduard Serov

MELODIYA MEL CD 1002379

This recording dates from 1981 and reflects styles and approaches of the period. There is a weight and solemnity throughout and tempi are on the slow side most of the time. The generous acoustic helps the balance though the singing comes across as more operatic than liturgical. An interesting release though not one to recommend as a first choice, given the wide range currently available.

Lortzing: Opera Overtures

Malmo Opera Orchestra, Jun Markl

NAXOS 8.573824

Lortzing is all but ignored these days even in Germany, suffering in the same way that Sullivan has done in recent years. This pleasant new cd goes some way to explain the situation. Taken individually, the overtures are engaging, but as a set one quickly realises how little real individuality there is between them. Had I not had the sleeve notes available I would not have known that Undine was not Hans Sachs – tuneful as they both are. A useful recording but one for the library rather than regular listening I suspect.

Bruckner: Symphony No 9

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons

BR KLASSIK 900173

This is a live recording made in 2014 in Munich. It makes no attempt to complete the work or add the Te Deum as is often the case. The magnificent Adagio is moving and deeply felt in Mariss Jansons’ interpretation.

Mahler: Symphony No2 Resurrection

Minnesota Chorale and Orchestra, Osmo Vanska

BIS 2296

I first encountered Osmo Vanska when I was in Lahti for the Organ Festivals and his handling of Sibelius at that time was exemplary. Since 2003 he has been with the Minnesota Orchestra and this latest Mahler recording reflects his energy, immediacy and enthusiasm, as well as the excellent results he gets. He is supported by fine solos from Ruby Hughes and Sasha Cooke. Well worth adding to your collection even if you have more than one Resurrection already.

Tasmin Little plays Schumann, Smyth and Beach

Tasmin Little, violin; John Lenehan, piano

CHANDOS CHAN 20030

Overlooked female composers are at last beginning to get some wider recognition even if there is still a long way to go. This cd is certainly a help, bringing together three romances by Clara Schumann with three works by Amy Beach and a Sonata by Ethel Smyth. Dame Ethel Smyth did have something of a revival a few years ago but the momentum was not maintained – a pity as her work is always worth exploring on the rare occasions live performances are available.

A Salon Opera

Flauguissimo Duo

RESONUS RES 10233

A flute and guitar duo, bringing us chamber versions of works by Gluck and Schubert alongside lesser known original works from the early 19^th century. Genuinely intimate and beautifully played. Worth seeking out.

Verdi: Stiffelio

Orchestra and Chorus, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Guillermo Garcia Calvo

NAXOS 2.110590

It is not often that the comment forgotten masterpiece is actually true but surely it is in this case. Verdi’s early work, first staged in 1850, fell foul of the censors and never recovered despite attempts to rework the libretto in a totally different guise. The narrative focuses on the internal battle the pastor Stiffelio has when he finds out that his wife in unfaithful. In the end he is true to the gospel and forgives, not only her, but all others who have abused him, bringing a welcome sense of genuine forgiveness. This did not go down well in the heavily paternalistic Italy of the mid-nineteenth century even though the score is magnificent with one of Verdi’s finest tenor roles as his hero.

Here it is not only splendidly sung, it is staged in a walking production by Graham Vick which mingles the chorus with the audience and brings an uncomfortable immediacy. To this he adds a number of, at times, vicarious sexual scenes, implying that it is not just Lina who needs forgiveness but all potential sexual crimes. If this is a little over the top it helps to underline the shock Verdi caused with the original production.

I wonder when we will get to see this glorious piece in Britain?

SNOW QUEENS

JUICE VOCAL ENSEMBLE

RESONUS RES10224  53’54

This seasonal, but not exclusively Christmas, CD is currently enjoying some good exposure on R3. The three female members of the Juice Vocal Ensemble have created a haunting and memorable experience with this collection of world premiere recordings of settings of a variety of winter-themed texts. Composers are mostly contemporary, alongside arrangements of some traditional carols. Recommended for anyone looking to extend the seasonal repertoire whilst moving on from Christmas.

THE HEAVENS & THE HEART – CHORAL & ORCHESTRAL MUSIC BY JAMES FRANCIS BROWN

BENJAMIN NABARRO, Violin, RACHEL ROBERTS, Viola, GEMMA ROSEFIELD, Cello, CATRIONA SCOTT, Clarinet

CHOIR OF ROYAL HOLLOWAY, ORCHESTRA NOVA, GEORGE VASS, Conductor

RESONUS RES10227 64’07

This CD presents three works from a contemporary British Composer (b.1969). Two orchestral works are the Trio Concertante for violin, viola, cello and string orchestra and Clarinet Concerto (Lost Lanes – Shadow Groves) for clarinet and strings. This work is built around contrasting pastoral scenes. Finally, The Heavens & the Heart, consists of three partial psalm settings for chorus and small orchestra, the orchestral writing bringing energy and intensity to the Latin texts.

DANCE MAZE – CHAMBER MUSIC BY TOM ARMSTRONG

SIMON DESBRUSLAIS, Trumpet, JAKOB FISCHERT, Piano, NICOLA MEECHAM, Piano,

AUDREY RILEY, Cello, JAMES WOODRWOW, Electric guitar, FIDELIO TRIO

RESONUS RES10230 78’17

According to the introductory notes most of this music has been revised and re-worked over time to arrive at the final versions recorded here. The piano is very much to the fore in this welcome programme from another contemporary British composer. This music is well worth exploring and the presentation here is first rate. Excellent background notes add much to the listening experience. Resonus is to be congratulated on its continuing series of releases from contemporary composers in the UK.

TABLEAUX DE PROVENCE- WORKS FOR SAXOPHONE

DOMINIC CHILDS, Saxophone, SIMON CALLAGHAN, Piano

RESONUS RES10231 54’33

It is sometimes easy to forget that, in musical terms, the saxophone is a relatively recent invention. Although to be found in much jazz and other popular music it is less often associated with the ‘classical’ world. Here then is a very welcome release consisting of fine performances of four ‘serious’ works which highlight the instrument. Debussy’s Rhapsodie for orchestra & saxophone dates from 1903 and opens the programme (with a piano reduction of the orchestral part). Sonate in C sharp minor (1943) by Fernande Decruck follows. The most recent work is Tableaux de Provence (1950s) by Paule Maurice. The earliest work is an arrangement of Francois Borne’s Fantaisie Brillante sur des airs de Carmen (1900).

FAURE, CHAUSSON & SATIE – PIANO TRIOS

FIDELIO TRIO

RESONUS RES10232 57’01

The final CD from this current batch from Resonus is a follow-up recoding from the Fidelio Trio with further exploration of French piano trios. Two Piano Trios – by Chausson & Faure form the main part of the programme with some particularly haunting passages in the Faure. These are set alongside arrangements by John White from Satie’s Messe des Pauvres and Le Plege de Meduse, ending with some very short movements which provide quite a contrast to what has gone before.

Max Bruch: Die Loreley

Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Stefan Blunier

CPO 777 005-2

So overwhelming was the impact of the first violin concerto that Bruch became increasingly angry that his many other works were consistently overlooked. If Die Loreley falls into that category there may be more reasons than simply the violin concerto. Bruch was a conservative as a composer and loathed the new music of Wagner and later the Viennese school of the early twentieth century. As such, though beautifully constructed, and with many fine and memorable melodies, this opera is distinctly in the realm of Weber and Meyerbeer. As an indulgence it works very well and is finely sung – Thomas Mohr’s heroic Otto being particularly impressive – but I doubt if it could hold the stage today even in a summer festival. Let us just be grateful for this recording.

Strauss & Wagner

Norbert Anger, cello; Michael Schoch, piano

OEHMS OC 1701

This came as something of a surprise. I did not know the two Strauss works – a sonata for cello and piano Op6 and a Romance – which are both pleasing and finely structured. But it was the arrangements of the Wagner which proved to be so telling. The arrangements of the Wesendonck Lieder are soulful and very moving, and the adaptation of themes from Tristan und Isolde are stunningly effective. Here is the intimacy that most stagings of Tristan so often lack and an introspection which has drawn me back to them. A really impressive recording.

Parry: Piano Trios, Partita

Leonore Piano Trio

HYPERION CDA 68243

These are meaty works, unexpectedly dense and romantic in style and as such very appealing. Both of the piano trios have four movements and feel more like studies for symphonic works than intimate chamber music. The six movement Partita is not quite as demanding but none the less has a sense of bravura, finely captured by the Leonore Piano Trio.

Smetana: Swedish Symphonic Poems

Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Leos Svarovsky

NAXOS 8.573597

That there is a sadness underlying the composition of these works – Smetana’s wife was dying of tuberculosis at the time and they were in Sweden for her health – can’t be doubted but Smetana brings an individuality to the three works here recorded. The symphonic Poem Richard III is clearly episodic though does not attempt to follow the narrative in any strict way. Wallenstein’s Camp is based on the first of Schiller’s trio and as Hakon Jarl is similarly on Oehlenschlager, though the listener does not need a knowledge of any in order to enjoy the scores. The cd ends with the Scherzo from the Festive Symphony which, though the symphony was completed, was more frequently played as a standalone piece by the composer to avoid the Austrian overtones of the rest of the work.

Schubert: Sonatas arranged for guitar and violin

Duo KeMi: Daniel Migdal, violin, Jacob Kellermann, guitar

BIS 2375

So convincing is this recording it is difficult to realise this is not the normal way of playing these works. The balance and rapport is moving and totally convincing throughout, with an easy familiarity drawing us in. the Arpeggione is more familiar than the A major and D major sonatas but all are equally engaging. Let us hear more like this.

Richard Strauss: Piano Quartet; Piano Trio No2

Daniel Blumenthal, piano; Doren Dinglinger, violin; Tony Nys, viola; Alexandre Vay, cello

CPO 555 116-2

These two works were written at a frighteningly early age. Strauss was 14 when he completed the Trio and only 21 for the Quartet which stands almost at the end of a long line of instrumental works all of which pre-date the operas. Strauss himself saw the tone poems as a warm up for Salome yet these very early works give more than a hint of what was to come. If the earlier work pays homage to Mendelssohn the later one has moved to Brahms hint hints of much more to come. Good to encounter these pieces and to set them in context.

Brahms: Op116-118

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

HYPERION CDA 68226

These late works – the Fantasias Op116, Intermezzos Op117 and Clavierstucke Op118 – may have a collective introspection but there is nothing fatalistic about them, as Garrick Ohlsson shows in the clarity and precision of his performance, communicating an emotional reality which avoids sentiment or indulgence. A fine account.

Saint-Saens: Trois tableaux symphonique d’apres La foi; Bacchanale; Symphony No 3 ‘Organ’

Utah Symphony Orchestra, Thierry Fischer

HYPERION CDA 68201

An unexpected but pleasing combination drawing on Saint-Saens’ love of the exotic. As such the suite arranged from his incidental music to La foi – set in ancient Egypt – is the most unusual but links in well with the familiar Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila. The even more popular Organ Symphony is convincingly played though, surprisingly, the organ soloist is not named in the liner notes.

Pierre Gaveaux: Leonore

Opera Lafayette, Ryan Brown

NAXOS 2.110591

While we can assume all readers will know Fidelio I doubt if many will know the earlier version by Pierre Gaveaux. What is immediately obvious is how quickly he deals with the emotional states of the characters, concentrating on the narrative rather than their inner life. Consequently the whole thing lasts less than ninety minutes and those glorious moments of introspection and emotional awareness with which Beethoven imbues his setting are here almost entirely missing. If that might imply this is not worth investigating then far from it as not only is it a perfectly workable opera in its own right (with some fine singing throughout) but also reminds us of how a genius can raise a basic story to a totally different level.

Verdi: I Lombardi

Orchestra and chorus Teatro Regio Torino, Michele Mariotti

DYNAMIC 37826

Less familiar than most of Verdi’s operas, this is a welcome addition and in a straightforward medieval production by Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera. Angela Meade leads as Giselda with Giuseppe Gipali as Arvino and Alex Esposito as Pagano.

Mstislav Rostropovich: a film by Bruno Monsaingeon

NAXOS 2.110583

This film gives us an intimate portrait of the great cellist, with a wide range of contributors as well as additional tracks with previously unreleased performances of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Bach. For those who may only know him as a performer, his lifelong involvement in politics and society as a whole may be something of an eye-opener.

(Speak to me)  new music, new politics

Adam Swayne, piano

COVIELLO COV91818

With most cds the liner notes may occasionally be useful but too often they are little more than a list. Not so here. The works recorded can be played and certainly enjoyed by themselves but make far more sense when heard once one is aware of the context. Adam Swayne draws us in through Gershwin’s Preludes for Piano 1926, which are delightful and deceptively easy on the ear. We then move on to Frederic Rzewski’s Four North American Ballads. Here the underpinning folk tunes emerge just enough to feel we are keeping one foot on the ground before we are launched into Amy Beth Kirsten’s (speak to me) and Kevin Malone’s The People Protesting Drum Out Bigly Covfefe. If by this point we are beginning to feel a little overwhelmed Adam Swayne returns to Morton Gould’s indulgent Boogie Woogie Etude to bring things to a joyous conclusion. These days we are frequently encouraged to ‘go on a journey’ but in this case it certainly makes sense to do so, and enjoy the trip. The acoustic is also interesting as it really does sound like a large, if empty, concert hall.

George Antheil: Symphonies No 3 & 6

BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards

CHANDOS CHAN 10982

If you don’t know George Antheil this might come as something of a surprise. While modernism was in full flood, here was a composer who deliberately retains a close hold on tonality though never in a way which feels derivative or patronising. He has very individual voice, strongly within the American tradition but one which is immediately appealing. If in doubt, listen to Archipelago, written in 1935 with strong Latin-American rhythms and a real sense of joy.

Dvorak and Suk

Eldbjorg Hemsing, violin, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Alan Buribayev

BIS 2246

While the Dvorak violin concerto is well played it has a great deal of competition. Thankfully what makes the recording more interesting is the inclusion of Josef Suk’s Fantasy in G minor for violin and orchestra and an arrangement of his Liebeslied Op7No1. Less familiar they may be but they come up fresh and appealing here.

Divertimento Italian: Music for Harmonium and piano in nineteenth-century drawing rooms

Andrea Toschi, harmonium; Carlo Mazzoli, piano    

TACTUS TC 850004

Harmoniums are in such scarce supply these days and so rarely heard that the combination here sounds strange at first. There are many moments when the harmonium could be mistaken for a large accordion – for which many of the works here recorded could easily be arranged. Thankfully, the music itself is delightful and engaging, very much what would have been performed by amateurs on a quiet evening. Perhaps it might encourage some of that larger houses or chapels who have a lurking harmonium to dust it off and give it try with something other than gospel songs?

Thomas Tallis

Gentlemen of HM Chapel Royad, Hampton Court Palace, Carl Hackson

RESONUS RES10229

In time for Christmas, this is a pleasing disc of less familiar Tallis. The settings are all for lower voices and include the Missa Puer natus est nobis and the Mass for Four Voices. Recorded live in the Chapel at Hampton Court, the opening Suscipe quaeso Domine is particularly impressive.

Weiss in Nostalgia

Alex McCartney, Baroque lute

VETERUM MUSICA VM019

Sylvius Leopold Weiss was born is Silesia (now part of Poland) in 1686. As a professional musician he moved to Germany and ended his days in the court in Dresden. His work may be very familiar to professional lutanists but not so to a wider public. All the more welcome then this fine recording by Alex McCartney in a series which continues to impress.

Images of Brazil

Francesca Anderegg, violin; Erika Ribeiro, piano

I am not sure what I was expecting here but it was not quite what I expected. While covering a wide range of twentieth century composers and an equally wide range of styles it struck me that there was not really enough variety to engage the sympathetic listener quickly enough to retain the attention. Probably an enthusiast would find more in it than I regret I did.

Mandolino e Fortepiano

Anna Torge, mandolin, Gerald Hambitzer, fortepiano

CPO 555 112-2

Works by Jophann Nepomuk Hummel, Gabriele Leone, Porto Feliziano and Beethoven make up an eclectic but none the less enjoyable release. Using a mandolin of 1770 from Naples and a 1793 fortepiano from Munich, the sound is unique and intimate throughout. The Leone and Feliziano works are of particular interest as they sits quite comfortably alongside those of more familiar composers.

Sullivan: The Light of the World

BBC Concert Orchestra, BBCSO Chorus, John Andrews

DUTTON EPOCH 2CDLX 7356

I really wanted to enjoy this; I wanted to be able to say that the reputation Sullivan has for not writing anything worthwhile outside of the Savoy Operas was all wrong and here was the evidence. Unfortunately the reverse is true. No matter how good the singing and the strength of John Andrews conducting, there is nothing here that comes anywhere near the lighter works. The scoring sits uncomfortably between Mendelssohn and Stainer, and has neither the joy of the first nor the genuine emotional truth of the latter. Natalya Romaniw and Kitty Whately do what they can with their solos, but the chorus is often hamstrung by poor word setting and a lack of impact.

J S Bach:

Federico Colli, piano

CHANDOS CHAN 20079

The recording opens with the Partita BWV828 and moves through the familiar Concerto in the Italian style BWV971 to Busoni’s fine arrangement for piano of the Chaconne from BWV 1004. The notes include a lengthy essay by the performer analysing the transcendent relationship of the works to each other as a complete programme. This may not mean a lot to the listener, but could add to their understanding of what is in itself a fine set of performances.

Arvo Part and J S Bach

Jorgen van Rijen, trombone; Camerata RCO

BIS 2316

One would not normally put Bach and Arvo Part together, still less associate both with the trombone, but here Jorgen van Rijen makes a strong case for the combination. Part’s Fratres opens the recording and is surprisingly mellifluous, and this is followed by an arrangement of the concerto BWV 974 for trombone and strings. This pattern continues for the rest of an engaging if certainly unusual recording.

Wagner: Gotterdammerung

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden

NAXOS 8.660428-31

I was really looking forward to this last part of the Hong Kong Ring Cycle and was certainly not disappointed. It builds on all the strengths of the earlier operas to give us a challenging, stimulating and highly charged account of the work. If, as in the previous parts, it has been Jaap van Zweden’s conducting that has so impressed, the continued felicity of the orchestra and the wonderful enthusiasm they bring to the score is unsurpassed. When this is added to a dramatic presentation – the work was recorded during live performances – from a well-balanced cast it cannot fail.

Gun-Brit Barkmin creates a Brunnhilde with a wide emotional range and all of the presence to ride the orchestra in act two and in the Immolation scene. If Daniel Brenna does not have quite this sense of authority, his Siegfried is heroic and personable. Shenyang is an unexpectedly intelligent Gunther and Eric Halfvarson’s Hagen the finest I have heard since Gottlob Frick. All of the smaller parts are strongly cast and I have no hesitation in saying that, taken as a whole, this has to be the finest Ring Cycle currently available if anyone is looking for the first time – and even if, like many of us, you have a number of cycles already, you will not be disappointed.

Haydn: Die Schopfung

Accentus, Insula orchestra, Laurence Equilbey

NAXOS 2.110581

Many productions these days use video as part of the design but this is the first I can recall which is so wonderfully – often breathtakingly – effective. The chorus use tablets throughout which form part of the design work as well as providing their scores. The soloists are closely lit from tiny leds attached to their costumes, while the stage as a whole is bathed in a constantly evolving reflection of the score. The explosion of light, the creation of the stars and planets, the appearance of plants and animals are all visually explored. When Adam and Eve appear they do so out of the water and are flown above us to drip, as if just born, before they eventually touch the ground.

I rarely find that I am gripped by new DVDs, and few stagings of oratorio have been as effective as this.

In addition the musical impact is secure and the acoustic works well – it was staged in a concert hall rather than an opera house – despite the constant movement. If you have doubted the concept of staging oratorio this might just change your mind.

Belle Epoque

Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle, piano

MELODIA MEL CD10 02563

Music from the end of the nineteenth century by Chaminade, Koechlin, Aubert, Hahn and Debussy. Surprisingly the most modern sounds come from the final works by Debussy. For the rest we are awash in late romanticism, and none the worse for that. Reynaldo Hahn’s Le seul amour is intensely beautiful, but surrounded by equally compelling pieces. A lovely disc.

Kalman: Kaiserin Josephin

Lehar Festival Bad Ischl, Marious Burkert

CPO 555 136-2

This late work – premiered in Zurich in 1936 – is a throwback to the early glories of Lehar and Kalman, without any sense of what might have happened within the musical world, or politically, in the meantime. That it has a lot of good music cannot hide the fact that it feels out of place, despite being well presented and strongly sung. As with previous presentations from Bad Ischl it is given in full with the spoken dialogue though without a full text which is a little difficult for none German speakers. A worthy issue but not one in the top bracket if one had a choice.

Elgar: The Music Makers; The Spirit of England

Sarah Connolly, Andrew Staples, BBCSSO, Andrew Davis

CHANDOS CHSA 5215

Andrew Davis draws our attention to The Spirit of England as an unnecessarily underrated work, and so it proves to be. In the company of the more familiar The Music Makers it certainly holds its own. Perhaps it was the fact that it was used so often during WWII and for remembrance days that many came to associate it only with those occasions, and as we have come to reassess the whole approach to remembrance the work fell out of fashion. However, at this anniversary of the end of WWI the setting seems not only very moving but an appropriate reminder of the complicated emotions which remembering can raise.

Andrew Staples sings all the solo parts in The Spirit of England with a touching English heroism while Sarah Connolly brings a melancholic warmth to the Music Makers.  A fine and apt recording.

The Passinge Mesures

Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord

HYPERION CDA 68249

A lovely collection of pieces for English virginals by Bull, Byrd, Farnaby, Gibbons, Inglot and Tomkins. Some will be familiar, most less so, but the enjoyment lies in the quality of the playing and the enthusiasm Mahan Esfahani brings to each piece. I particularly enjoyed Byrd’s The ninth pavian and galliarde, the Passinge mesures which gives the cd its title – but all are worth exploring.

Bach: Sonatas for Viola da gamba & harpsichord

Jean Guillou, organ and Alexander Knyazev, cello

MELODIA MEL CD 10 02498

This is very much a marmite recording. Bach wrote for viola da gamba and harpsichord. Here the three sonatas – BWV 1027/28/29 – are arranged for organ and cello. Added to that, Jean Guillou always brings an idiosyncratic approach to registration which means that the balance and registration is strange rather than simply challenging. There are times when it works well, but more often than not I found it uncomfortable and off-putting. I could see and hear what they were trying to do but was not convinced by it. Others will no doubt be more enthusiastic.

Revive: Baroque arrangements for Saxophone Quartet

Ferio Saxophone Quartet

CHANDOS CHAN 10999

If the previous disc had been marmite this could come into the same category. Purists may complain but I find Iain Farrington’s arrangements of Bach, Handel, Purcell, Byrd and Corelli captivating and hugely enjoyable. In many ways they are far enough away from any original instrumentation that they can be enjoyed in their own right. Listen to their playing of Sheep may safely graze as an example of what is on offer. I suspect you may be surprised at how enjoyable it is.

Haydn: String Quartets Op64

The London Haydn Quartet

HYPERION CDA 68221

All six quartets from Op64 are recorded here and this is the sixth collection of Haydn quartets in what has already proved itself to be a superb set of recordings. The lightness of touch and sense of intimacy imbues the recordings with real humanity. Op64 No5 The Lark may be more familiar, but it is given a joyfully relaxed reading which communicates its humour as well as its wonderful musicality.

CHRISTMAS WITH SONORO

SONORO  Michael Higgins, Organ,  Neil Ferris, Conductor

RESONUS RES10226  59’08

It is easy to become jaded by the number of Christmas releases but here is a CD that has much to recommend. An interesting selection of contemporary pieces and later 20^th Century works is interspersed by some fresh arrangements by the organist Michael Higgins of traditional carols.

SING LEVY DEW

ST CATHERINE’S GIRLS’ CHOIR, CAMBRIDGE, Edward Wickham, Director

RESONUS RES10221  65’41

Celebrating their 10^th anniversary the St Catherine’s Girls present a lovely programme of secular settings for upper voices. Suites of songs by Jonathan Dove, Howard Skempton, Richard Rodney Bennett and Sally Beamish lead up to Britten’s Friday Afternoons. This final set will prove to be nostalgic for many of us who remember singing them in our early years, with the eerie Old Abram Brown bringing this recording to a satisfying conclusion.

LE COR MELODIQUE – MELODIES, VOCALISES & CHANTS – GOUNOD, MEIFRED & GALLAY

ANNEKE SCOTT, horn   STEVEN DEVINE , piano

RESONUS RES10228 75’57

This unusual release brings a programme of French 19^th Century music for horn and piano. Alongside original compositions for both natural and piston horns are period arrangements of popular Schubert melodies including Ave Maria. A pleasant change and an interesting document of the technical development of this instrument.

HENRI MULET – COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS

FRIEDHELM FLAMME, organ of Stiftskirche St Anastasius & St Innocentius, Bad Gandersheim

CPO 555 040-2 (2CDs) 87’58

CPO continue to issue useful and enjoyable recordings documenting the organ repertoire. Here the works of French organist-composer Henri Mulet are presented in fine performances by Friedhelm Flamme. The familiar Tue s Petra concludes the first CD which features the complete Esquisses Byzantines and CD concludes with the popular Carillon-Sortie. Much of this music was unknown to me and deserves to be more widely heard.

OWAIN PARK – CHORAL WORKS

CHOIR OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, Conductor Stephen Layton

HYPERION CDA68191  76’00

Two releases from Hyperion present the ancient and the modern. The first is a wonderful collection of recent works by Bristol-born Owain Park. Despite having not yet reached the age of 30 his is a growing reputation with a number of notable works for voices already being performed. An interesting introduction in the sleeve notes by Park’s former composition tutor, John Rutter, is included. I think it is fair to say that the listener should not expect this music to sound too similar to his tutor’s. There is much to enjoy here.

GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT – THE GENTLE PHYSICIAN

THE ORLANDO CONSORT

HYPERION CDA68206  59’34

This CD takes us into a sound world that is very different from most choral offerings. Known to us now for his Messe de Notre Dame, Machaut was primarily a writer and musician concerned with courtly love. The accompanying booklet provides useful background and technical insights into what for many will be unfamiliar territory. For all attracted to early music or simply wishing to explore something different this recording will be of great interest.

THE UNKNOWN TRAVELLER

FIERI CONSORT

FIERI RECORDS  002TUT

Most of this CD presents Musica Transalpina, an anthology of 16^th/17^th Century Italian madrigals that had been adapted to make them more accessible to an English audience. As a compete contrast the second part features the four movements of Ben Rowarth’s Short walk of a madman, recent settings in contemporary style of poems by e.e. cummings. To me these are the more interesting works on this album.

SP

Handel: Xerxes

Frankfurter Opern, Constantinos Carydis

UNITEL 747908

Vivaldi: Orlando Furioso

I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis

DYNAMIC 37803

Linking these two recordings is not as strange as it may at first appear. The two operas, by two of the finest operatic composers of the early eighteenth century could hardly be more contrasted in their presentation, even if their musical qualities are equally satisfying. Tilmann Kohler stages his Xerxes in modern dress with a continuous use of whole stage projections to highlight details of the action. There are immediate parallels to modern dictatorships and oppressive regimes which are clearly intended and the audience is invited to consider and respond to them. By total contrast, Fabio Ceresa’s presentation of OrlandoFurioso for the 43^rd Festival della Valle d’Itria is wildly over the top with its Baroque bling and large numbers of extras to pad out the on stage image. While the music is never up-staged there is always something to look at for the potentially bored festival goer. Much of the time this works well but there are moments when one wishes the work had, for all the excitement of the score, been taken rather more seriously to allow emotions to breath and develop. Vivaldi is as fine a dramatist as Handel in creating his characters through the straight-jacket of opera seria and – as Garsington Opera has shown us – has a great deal to offer.

Finzi: Cello Concerto etc

Paul Watkins cello; Louis Lortie piano; BBCSO, Sir Andrew Davis

CHANDOS CHSA 5214

Gerald Finzi constantly revised his works and it is therefore no surprise to find that all four works here were significantly revised over time, but are all here recorded in their final form. The works as presented all date from the early 1950s and it is no doubt that, had Finzi lived, he would have continued to work on them. I particularly enjoyed the Nocturne Op7 which has what I can only call an English introspection, drawing on Elgar but always its own voice.

Music for Brass Septet: 6

Septura

NAXOS 8.573825

An all English programme with works by Finzi, Elgar, Parry and Walton, all given in exuberant and challenging style by the brass septet. Elgar’s Serenade for Strings might not seem an obvious choice but works well alongside Parry’s Songs of Farewell and the second of Finzi’s Three Anthems.

Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, Edward Gardner

CHANDOS CHSA 5219

Recorded live in the Grieghallen, Bergen, in May this year, this is a tremendous recording with all the extrovert panache and at times near-vulgarity of Berlioz epic score. Edward Gardner creates very tight rhythms and strong dynamic changes to highlight the intensity of the writing throughout. Tenor soloist Bror Magnus Todenes is equally strongly focussed in the only solo vocal part. Of course the great Tuba Mirum does not have quite the impact on cd as in the concert hall, but reminds us of the thrill the work actually creates live. Though there are many versions available this new one has to come very close to the top, and is enthusiastically recommended if you do not already have a copy in your library.

Parry: Symphony No4

BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rumon Gamba

CHANDOS CHAN 10994

The centenary of Parry’s death has been marked in a number of ways across the country and this cd includes works not previously recorded or in new editions by Jeremy Dibble. We have the original version of the Fourth Symphony. The work was so substantially revised by the composer that it is effectively a different work from the one with which we are more familiar. Its dark, brooding passages come as something of a shock to those who expect a more lyrical feel from Parry. Proserpine certainly brings this – a ballet score from 1912 with all the lightness the title implies. The listener could be forgiven for thinking they were hearing Elgar in Parry’s Suite Moderne so gently lyrical and melancholic is the unfolding line. Let us hope some of these works are taken up in live performance.

Chopin Cello Sonata; Schubert Arpeggione Sonata

Steven Isserlis cello; Denes Varjon piano

HYPERION CDA 68227

A fine recording which surrounds some very familiar works with some brief but none the less exhilarating extras. Steven Isserlis includes his own arrangement of Schubert’s Nacht und Traume and Chopin’s Nie ma czego trzeba. Possibly more interesting is the lengthy note on the problems of the editions available and the approach taken here. For many listeners this will make little difference to their appreciation but when one is aware of what is being crafted, the impact is all the more telling.

Music for Windy Instruments

The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble

RESONUS RES10225

Sounds from the Court of James I is the subtitle to this recording and it is exactly that – a collection of 25 pieces of cheerfully entertaining music from the early seventeenth century. The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble are celebrating their 25^th anniversary this year and they continue to delight with their bright, virile playing the sense that this music is anything but historic recreation. Long may it continue!

Vaughan Williams; A Sea Symphony

BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Martyn Brabbins

HYPERION CDA 68245

For a work on such a scale it is surprising that this new release gives no indication of where or when it was recorded. Often these are taken from live performances, given the large number of musicians involved and the time and effort needed to prepare the event. Notwithstanding, this is a fine reading from Martyn Brabbins, ably supported by the BBC forces and soloists Elizabeth Llewellyn and Marcus Farnsworth. The cd also includes the brief Darest thounow, O soul – an unexpected addition but worth hearing.

Winter Fragments: Chamber Music by Michael Berkeley

Berkeley Ensemble

RESONUS 10223

There are five works recorded here of which the Clarinet Quintet is the most substantial. However, for listeners who are not over-familiar with Berkeley’s work the Sonnet for Orpheus perhaps gives the best insight into his individuality. The intense emotional impact is coupled with an astringency of line which denies any hint of indulgence or sentimentality. It is both moving and disturbing. From this point, the other works seem easier to approach and to explore.

Mendelssohn; String Quartets

Doric String Quartet

CHANDOS CHAN 20122(2)

This is the first of what will presumably be a complete recording of Mendelssohn’s string quartets and hopefully include the other pieces for quartet which surround the six completed works. This cd covers the full range of the works, opening with Op12 in E flat major, moving through Op44No3 in the same key, written nine years later, to the final Op80 in F minor which explodes with the tensions arising in the composer’s final year. The playing is dynamically impressive throughout, very much in keeping with earlier recordings for Hyperion. We can look forward to the rest of the series.

Ruth Gipps: Symphonies 2 & 4

BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rumon Gamba

CHANDOS CHAN 20078

Ruth Gipps has been all but forgotten and her work both as a composer and conductor overlooked. This new cd goes some way to restoring her reputation with the inclusion not only of two symphonies but also the early Knight in Armour which first brought her to prominence when it was played at the Last Night of the Proms in 1940. While he style reflects that of her tutors – in particular Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, there is a distinct sense of individuality which is very appealing.

As she was born in Bexhill, perhaps we could do something locally to highlight her creative career?

Donizetti: La Favorite

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Fabio Luisi

DYNAMIC 37822

Ariel Garcia-Valdes’ production of the Paris version of La Favorite is thankfully uncomplicated, preferring to tell its story directly and allow the singers to enjoy the many delights of Donizetti’s musical line. Veronica Simeoni is a fine Leonor and more than ably matched by Celso Albelo as Fernand. Fabio Luisi conducts with vigour, keeping the pace for what is an unexpectedly long work, alive at all times.

Dutilleux: Symphony No1

Orchestre National de Lille, Jean-Claude Casadesus

NAXOS 8.573746

It is easy to forget that Dutilleux is essentially a modern composer, having died as recently as 2013. His first symphony dates from 1951 and has a brooding, introspective quality which only really opens up in the final movement. Metaboles was inspired by the woodwind of the Cleveland Orchestra but perhaps the most interesting piece here is Les Citations with its use of harpsichord and wind with percussion. Possibly an acquired taste but one worth investigating.

Peter Graham: Metropolis 1927

Black Dyke Band, Nicholas Childs

NAXOS 8.573968

Peter Graham’s scores are immediately accessible while drawing heavily on their source material. On the Shoulders of Giants quotes liberally from Bruckner’s 8^th Symphony in its opening pages, and Paramount Rhapsody draws on Benny Goodman. Perhaps the most interesting is the score based on scenes from Metropolis. Rather than a soundtrack for the film itself, this is an atmospheric piece – with obvious references to Gershwin and Bernstein – reflecting on the film as it impinges on the viewer today. The Black Dyke Band are their usual impeccable selves throughout.

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain: Flute Quartets Op12

Wilbert Hazelzet, flute, Fantasticus

RESONUS RES10222

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain died in 1770 and was highly thought of in his own time, though his reputation all but disappeared during the nineteenth century. He was much appreciated in the court of Louis XV though his timid nature did not make him a successful soloist even in his own music. The Op12 Flute Quartets were published in 1743, the first of two sets for the instrument. They are delightful pieces, here recorded with enthusiasm and lovely fluidity of line.

J S Bach: Goldberg Variations

Wolfgang Rubsam, lute-harpsichord

NAXOS 8.573921

This is splendid recording and all the better for using Keith Hill’s lute-harpsichord. Where a piano or conventional harpsichord can often seem too percussive, the effect here is of a much smoother, warmer legato – at times almost a cantabile – effect, which is intimate and absorbing. The mood shifts and sensitive without being brusque. Listen to it in one go – it is worth the effort and the time needed!

J S Bach: Harpsichord Concertos (transcribed for mandolin)

Davide Ferella, Dorina Frati, mandolins, Profili Barocchi

DYNAMIC  CDS7821

If you know these works well in their original harpsichord recordings then the joy of this new cd may come as something of a revelation. It smiles all the time, and the lightness and sense of tight, bright rhythms is infective throughout. A real delight.

Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander

Bayreuth Festival 1959, Wolfgang Swallisch

BR KLASSIK C 9361821

This is another production we were fortunate enough to see at Bayreuth in 1965 and this recording certainly does it justice. The acoustic and real sense of a live performance are imminent throughout with all the noises and atmosphere of one of Wieland Wagner’s finest creations. Wolfgang Sawallisch is again in the pit and drives the score with fire and authority, and the cast live up to expectation with Leonie Rysanek an outstanding Senta and Josef Greindl at his gruff best as Daland. You’ve probably got a number of Hollander’s already but this is worthy adding to them.

Mendelssohn: String Quartets Op12 & Op81

Minguet Quartett

CPO 777931-2

As well as Op12 & 81, the Minguet Quartett include the String Quartet in E flat of 1823. This was written at the age of 14 and has been often overlooked as being to obviously a student work – which it very much is not – listen to the Adagio if you need any proof. The other two works are hardly any less convincing and here given performances of great clarity and rhythmical incisiveness.

Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata; seven bagatelles Op33

Pavel Kolesnikov, piano

HYPERION CDA68237

For a single cd there is an awful lot on this disc and it is all very well worth listening too. Even if you have a number of recordings of the Moonlight Pavel Kolesnikov’s approach is persuasive and musically pleasing throughout. The cd also includes four WoO pieces, the Op14 G major Sonata and the 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, in addition to the Seven Bagatelles.

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU – COMPLETE SOLO KEYBOARD WORKS

STEVEN DEVINE, Harpsichord

RESONUS RES10214 (3 CDs) 79’26; 66’45; 73’28

Steven Devine’s performances on the harpsichord have earned him a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of this repertoire. Here we have a beautifully packaged set which collects the Preier Livre de Pieces de Clavecin (1706), Pieces de Clavessin (1724), Nouvelles Suites de Pieces de Clavecin, Les Indes Galantes, Cinq Pieces (1741), :a Dauphine (1747) and Devine’s own transcription of Air pour Zephire. These are lovely performances of very characteristic music.

EUGENE REUCHSEL – LA VIE DU CHRIST & BOUQUET DE FRANCE
SIMON NIEMINSKI, organ of St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
RESONUS RES10217  74’10

Eugene Reuchsel’s music is not well known. These two extended works date from the end of the composer’s life but serve as a good introduction to this French organist/pianist composer who died in 1988. The music draws heavily on French folk tunes and is worth exploring in these engaging performances.

AWAKE MY SOUL – CHORAL WORKS BY GARY DAVISON
WELLS CATHEDRAL CHOIR, Director Matthew Owens
RACHAEL LLOYD, mezzo-soprano, PHILIP DUKES, viola, DAVID BEDNALL, organ

RESONUS RES10211  63’48

All the music on this CD by American composer, Gary Davison, has been commissioned by Wells Cathedral. To be found here are fine performances of the Wessex Service (Evening canticles), Missa pro defunctis and anthems Awake my soul  and Most High Glorious God.

SEBASTIAN DE VIVANCO – MISSA ASSUMPSIT JESUS

DE PROFUNDIS, Conductor Robert Hollingworth

HYPERION CDA68257  70’49

Renaissance manuscripts continue to be rediscovered and reassessed. Performances such as this breathe new life into this music that was written for very specific circumstances four hundred years ago. The mass setting here relates to the Feast of the Transfiguration and is written for up to eight voices. Alongside the Mass are a number of motets.

FANTASIA INCANTATA
ENSEMBLE LIBRO PRIMO, SABINE STOFFER (baroque violin), ALEX McCARTNEY (theorbo)
VETERUM MUSICA VM018

This CD collects a number of French Baroque chamber works by composers including Marini, Biber & Kapsberger. As with previous releases from this label this ancient music comes alive in fresh performances.

RONDEAU MELANCOLIQUE
LASZLO ROZSA, recorder, JONATHAN REES, viola da gamba, ALEX McCARTNEY, theorbo

VETERUM MUSICA VM017  62’22

This is a very engaging programme, presenting mostly suites and a sonata by a number of composers including Philido, Hotteterrre and Buterne together with shorter pieces by Couperin and de Bousset. The combination of instruments makes for great listening.

VIVALDI UNDERCOVER

PASSACAGLIA Baroque Ensemble
BARN COTTAGE RECORDS BCR 017  70’08

Increasingly innovative programming is necessary to carve a niche in the crowded recordings market. Here is an interesting idea – reworked music by Vivaldi from JS Bach and N Chedeville as well as individual works by Vivaldi and Chedeville. The booklet provides interesting details about the relationships between the various pieces and the manner in which they were published and promoted. A well thought out production which is worth exploring.

BERNHARD HENRIK CRUSELL – 3 CLARINET CONCERTOS / INTRODUCTION & AIR SUEDOIS

MICHAEL COLLINS, Clarinet & Conductor SWEDISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

CHANDOS CHSA5187  74’22

Michael Collins has long been respected for his well-informed and convincing performances. Here he performs the dual role of soloist and conductor with these early 19^th C works by this Finnish composer.

WIDMANN – 180 BEATS PER MINUTE/ FANTASIE
MENDELSSOHN – SINFONIE 3 “SCHOTTISCHE”

IRISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, Jorg Widmann, Conductor
ORFEO C945 181 A  62’04

Another dual role is cexecuted here by Jorg Widmann – as conductor and composer of two of the works. What at first appears a strange juxtaposition actually works very well with the two contemporary works being framed by Mendelssohn (and beginning with The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave). I was unaware of the Widmann works but enjoyed them very much. A CD to return to.

STEPHEN HOUGH’S DREAM ALBUM
STEPHE HOUGH, piano
HYPERION CDA68176  80’03

Although being in awe of Stephen Hough’s playing I was not particularly excited when I read the listing of this CD. However, when I read the beginning of the booklet I realised that it is actually something rather special. Rather than a random selection of the known and the unknown it consists of arrangements and complete re-workings of these pieces by this master of the piano. Beginning with the Radetzky Waltz (after Strauss) this is a wonderful programme of variety and inventiveness. A dream indeed!

SP

James MacMillan: String Quartets

Royal String Quartet

HYPERION CDA 68196

If you do not already know these works may I suggest you approach them in reverse order? String Quartet No3 is the most abstract and, while deeply introspective, the most immediate and moving. The final movement, marked patiently and painfully slow, winds its way ever upwards and is both transparent and transcendent. The more complex and insistent first quartet entitled Visions of a November Spring shows the composer wrestling with new ideas and we seem to be in the midst of his battles. The second quartet, Why is this night different? is more immediate but still demanding.

However there is much to engage with here and will repay the efforts made.

Rachmaninov: Etudes Tableaux

Stephen Osbourne, piano

HYPERION CDA 68188

Two sets of nine Etudes Op 33 and 39 are recorded here complete and may be known to some listeners as five of them were orchestrated by Respighi. Though Rachmaninov provided programmatic notes for these they do not need descriptors to convince the listener, the range of moods and technical finesse being more than enough to engage the ear. I particularly enjoyed the final etudes of Op39 with the transition from the more refined No8 in D minor to the march of No9 in D major.

Schubert: Schwanengesang

Brahms: Acht Zigeunerlieder

Arranged for French horn and piano

Tim Thorpe, French horn; Christopher Williams, piano

NAXOS 8.573815

Much as I can appreciate the quality of musicianship here I do not warm to the arrangements themselves. Though the Brahms works better, the Schubert seems too extrovert and at times simply too loud for the score itself. A pity as the quality of playing is itself excellent.

Louis Spohr: Sonatas for harp and violin

Masumi Nagasawa, harp; Cecilia Bernardini, violin

BIS 2302

One of those unexpected delights – a disc full of lovely music, expertly played – and all totally unfamiliar.

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Bayreuth Festival 1958, Wolfgang Sawallisch

ORFEO C 951183D

There are of course large number of recordings of Tristan but this has a great deal to recommend it. I have a personal interest as we saw Wieland’s production in Bayreuth in 1967 with almost the same cast. Windgassen and Nilsson are here in ecstatic form and were never better vocally. There are few singers today who can come anywhere near their emotional power and intensity while also providing such musical splendour. Wolfgang Sawallisch is at the height of his power here in the Bayreuth pit, and the sweep of the drama is hedonistic in its intensity.

A Courtly Garland

Robert Farley, baroque trumpet, Orpheus Britannicus, Andrew Arthur

RESONUS RES 10220

The trumpet is essentially a military instrument but within the baroque period became incorporated into more refined and courtly compositions. This engaging recording traces that history with a large number of compositions, most of them unknown to me, though Frescobaldi and Corelli will ring more familiar bells. Orpheus Britannicus provide a wide range of accompaniment to Robert Farley’s bright baroque trumpet.

Beethoven: Three Piano Trios Op1

Trio Goya

CHACONNE CHAN 0822(2)

I was immediately struck by the sound of the fortepiano which dramatically changes the impact and balance of these works – the three Trios Op1 – and rightly so for these are very early works by Beethoven. Though not his first compositions – Opus numbers are never terribly reliable – they do date from his early years in Bonn c1794 and are beautifully crafted. Violin and piano carry most of the interest as the cello part had yet to reach the prominence it does in subsequent works. An engaging and convincing recording.

Haydn: Piano Sonatas Vol7

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

CHANDOS CHAN 10998

Some recording labels are doing a sterling job in producing repertory which lies outside the more familiar simply by issuing volume after volume for composers who produced reams of work within the same field. Though this may appeal more to the overt specialist it is pleasing to find new works which are just as musically enhancing as others within the genre. This is certainly true of this seventh volume of Haydn sonatas. Did he ever write a dull note? If he did it is certainly not here, and the five sonatas included are as convincing as any which have gone before, and splendidly recorded.

Richard Rodney Bennett Vol2

Howard McGill, saxophone, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson

CHANDOS CHSA 5212

This recording gets easier on the ear as it proceeds. Though known for his jazz compositions and influence, Rodney Bennett’s Concert for Stan Getz, written in 1990, is a modernist composition with jazz overtones rather than a jazz work in its own right. Perhaps the most immediate works here are the Serenade and the 1995 Partita which brings the recording to a graceful conclusion.

The Gates of Vienna; Baroque organ music from the Hapsburg Empire

Robert James Stove

ARS ORGANI AOR001

The Nicholson organ now in the Catholic Church in Mentone, Australia, has been finely restored and sounds splendid on this new recording. It would be worth adding to your collection for this alone, but Robert James Stove has managed to find a number of baroque works here recorded for the first time.

The instrument has a convincing range of voices, and the edge and attack are splendid throughout.

I particularly enjoyed the range of pieces from Chaumont’s Pieces d’Orgue¸ to the anonymous Alia Chorea. If Zach’s Prelude and Fugue in C minor brings a more sombre note, the brief Dance of Lazar Apor raises our spirits before the end.

Copies of the cd are available via the website www.arsorgani.com

Puccini: La Fanciulla del West

Teatro di San Carlo, Jura Valcuha

DYNAMIC 37816

This rather conventional production is nonetheless well sung and moves with some conviction, even if the sets are too big for the action within them. Emily Magee is a convincing Minnie and Claudio Sgura a totally convincing, swaggering, Jack Rance. Roberto Aronica sings well as Dick Johnson but his movement on stage is less than convincing given the heavy levels of naturalism required by the director Hugo de Ana.

Rossini: Le Comte Ory

Malmo Opera, Tobias Ringborg

NAXOS 2.110388

This production from Malmo Opera creates a fantasy world within which the the comedy unfolds and is amusing as well as musically pleasing throughout. Leonardo Ferrando is a sleek Ory but it is the chorus work and the splendid orchestral playing which keeps Linda Mallik’s production alive to the last note.