Wagner: Lohengrin

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Cornelius Meister

BELAIR BAC 475

Recent productions of Lohengrin have tended to be either dull and traditional or wildly over the top. This is thankfully the exception. Arpad Schilling’s finely nuanced approach is utterly convincing and yet unlike anything one is likely to have encountered before. He ditches the super-natural. Lohengrin simply appears at the right time out of the chorus rather than magically arriving by swan. The chorus, all highly individualised, are closer to the Bartered Bride than the regimented forces we have become used to from Bayreuth. It adds a whole new level to the work. Telramund – a nasty older man in Martin Gantner’s interpretation – is clearly disliked by the crowd and they need a hero to take him on. ‘Lohengrin’ is pushed forward to do the job. Does he actually believe what he is saying or is it all an illusion? In the final Grail narration it is as if he feels compelled to tell them but is unsure he believes it himself. It is gripping and convincing throughout – even if the unexpected ending stretches us somewhat out of our comfort zone.

To all of this can be added some of the finest, and often most lyrical, singing I have heard in a long time. Michael Konig is a splendid Lohengrin, as far removed from the conventional hero as one could imagine yet warmly convincing. Goran Jurik’s Heinrich is a somewhat jumped up local politician who keeps bringing God into the conversation, much to the annoyance of the chorus. Simone Schneider is a reluctant, almost other-worldly Elsa, quite unlike the quick witted Ortrud of Okka von der Damerau.

Above all, Cornelius Meister’s gentle coaxing of the orchestra is masterful, creating some of the most lush and romantic sounds I can recall for some time.

This may challenge your pre-conceptions but I can’t recommend it too highly.

Casta Diva

Vanessa Benelli Mosell, piano

DECCA 4855290

Piano arrangements of familiar opera pieces were popular with 19^th century composers, none more so than Liszt who has four separate arrangements here. Alongside these sit lesser known but engaging versions drawn from Rossini, Bellini and even Puccini. The most unexpected is surely from Busoni. His Turandots Frauengemach is based on Greensleeves!  Vanessa Benelli Mosell brings a lightness of touch to her genuine virtuosity which is consistently pleasing.

Christoph Graupner: Bassoon Cantatas

Sergio Azzolini, bassoon, Kirchheimer BachConsort, Florian Heyerick

CPO 555 353-2

There are rarities and then there is the totally unexpected. The bassoon rarely gets into the limelight (I should know – I played bassoon while at school) but here it is the guiding light behind six beautifully crafted cantatas. Without making it into a solo instrument, Graupner gently draws attention to the many strengths of the instrument and the lyrical beauty of its musical lines when it is allowed to show them. A rarity – but one worth exploring.

Beethoven transformed Vol 2

Boxwood & Brass

RESONUS RES 10270

These are hugely enjoyable and the arrangements work remarkably well. The music for Egmont is skilfully reworked so that the incidental pieces fit comfortably into the end of the overture itself. If the anonymous arrangement of the Pathetique is not quite as good, the rendition of the Seventh Symphony certainly is, with the dance rhythms and sense of joy evident throughout.

Brahms: chamber music

Frank Gemmill, horn, Danile Grimwood, piano, Marquise Gilmore, violin

BIS 2478

The CD opens with a transcription of the Scherzo in C minor, followed by an arrangement of the cello sonata Op38 for horn and piano. Only the final E flat major trio is actually for the three instruments, but realistically the arrangements are so well crafted that one would not know unless one had a sound knowledge of the originals. Warmly convincing throughout.

Inviolata

Jacob Heringman, lute and vihuela

INVENTA INV 1004

I had not come across a vihuela before. It is a 15^th century Spanish instrument, shaped like a guitar but strung like a lute. Realistically, unless you were a real aficionado I doubt you would know the difference simply by listening, but this is a very pleasing release. All the short works are Marian motets by Josquin des Prez arranged by Jacob Heringman for lute and vihuela. They work remarkably well and nothing in their quietly contemplative way seems forced or out of order. A lovely disc to meditate to.

A Bag of Bagatelles: Beethoven and Birtwistle

Nicolas Hodges, piano

CONCEPT WERGO WER 6810 2

This is a fascinating combination though I can see not necessarily to everyone’s taste. Nicolas Hodges has chosen three works by Beethoven that stretch the formats they inhabit. The Op77 Fantasy can seem shapeless and indeterminate, but put alongside the fluidity of Birtwistle’s Variations from the Golden Mountain it seems a mirror of good design. The final two pieces are gently tongue in cheek. Beethoven’s brief Allegretto woo 61 leads us into Birtwistle’s Dance of the Metro-gnome – a piece for children which requires a strict metronome beat throughout and presumably a very enlightened piano teacher!

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty

Ballet Company and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Felix Korobov

CMAJOR 756104

This is so comfortably traditional it is almost a kitsch cliché. The sets and costumes by Franca Squarciapino are sumptuous and so detailed they work well in close up. The choreography is a revival of Rudolf Nureyev’s production first seen in 1966, which we saw at the ROH at the time. It now has strong Marmite qualities. As a set of dances it works well and the solo dancers impress, but don’t look for subtlety of character or narrative. This is a Christmas entertainment – just sit back and enjoy.

Andre Messager: Fortunio

Choeur les Elements, Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Louis Langree

NAXOS NBD0119V

Another rarity and Messager is hardly well known let alone his comic operas. While this has some lovely music in it, the story line is very slight and possibly a little too risky today. That said, it is well sung and the narrative moves at a good pace.

JAMES MACMILLAN ORGAN WORKS

STEPHEN FARR, Rieger organ of St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh

RESONUS RES10266 56’50

To begin this selection here is a collection of wonderful performances of a range of solo organ works by James MacMillan. Many moods and colours are evoked in this programme and it makes for very enjoyable listening. The works included here date from 1983 until last year and include three pieces written as wedding gifts. Opening with the rhythmic

Kenga e Krushqve, based on an Albanian wedding song and closing with the vibrant Toccata there are further jubilant moments alongside more reflective passages in this well balanced disc.

ALPHA & O: MUSIC FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS

CHOIRS OF ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, Edward Wickham, Director

RESONUS RES10268 54’29

A lovely fresh sequence of seasonal music is presented here with real clarity by the chapel choir and girls choir of St Catherine’s. The blend of contemporary settings with plainchant gives a great sense of balance and also of the continuing tradition of devotional choral music. There are a number of premiere recordings included. Full texts and translations are to be found in the accompanying booklet.

DUARTE LOBO MASSES, RESPONSORIES & MOTETS

CUPERTINOS, Luis Toscano, Director

HYPERION CDA68306 70’16

Duarte Lobo  (c1565-1646) is regarded as one of the finest composers from the ‘Golden Age” of Portuguese polyphony. Although obviously rooted in a particular time and place, this music also possesses something of a timeless universality. Here are beautiful renditions of motets and a premier recording of Christmas Responsories alongside the two main works Missa Sancta Maria and Missa Elisabeth Zachariae. Extensive notes and texts are provided in this excellent production.

CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR ORGAN SYMPHONIES 3

CHRISTIAN VON BLOHN, organ of St Joseph’s Church, Sankt Ingbert, Germany

NAXOS 8.574206 79’34

Naxos’ extensive Organ Encyclopedia series continues to expand with volume 3 of Widor’s organ symphonies played by Christian von Blohn on this recently restored late romantic instrument. The decision to record here not using a Cavaille-Coll instrument is a welcome one as surely this music should be allowed to travel further afield. These two substantial works both push Widor’s writing in new directions. They are Symphony No 7 in A minor, Op 42 No 3 & the ever popular Symphonie Gothique, Op 70.

FAZIL SAY COMPLETE VIOLIN WORKS

FRIEDEMANN EICHORN, Violin. FAZIL SAY, Piano. AYKUT KOSELERLI, Percussion

DEUTSCHE RADIO PHILHARMONIE SAARBRUCKEN KAISERSLAUTEN

CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH, Conductor

NAXOS 8.574085. 70’30

This CD contains some very exciting sounds. All of the music here was new to me and I was very impressed by the whole programme. The two most substantial pieces here are the Sonata for violin & piano No2 “Mount Ida”, a very recent work, from 2019, and Violin Concerto “1001 nights in the Harem” from 2007. The composer, who often draws on his Turkish roots, produces some very pleasing music which combines tradition with modernity, retaining melody and a sense of progression but still with much that surprises.

BRIAN GIEBLER – A LAD’S LOVE

BRIAN GIEBLER, Tenor  STEVEN MCGHEE, Piano

BRIDGE 9542  70’43

This CD really moves me. It is the debut album from an American singer who has taken on many musical theatre roles to great acclaim. Here he shows how at home and accomplished he is with a very different repertoire. A Lad’s Love takes its title from a song by John Ireland included here. The songs, many from the first half of the 20^th Century, explore various aspects of love – young, unrequited, forbidden…and the horror and devastation of war and loss. There is so much here that needs to be heard and understood. Giebler’s sensitive delivery, together with supportive accompaniment from Steven McGhee and the contributions of the other musicians make for a very impressive listening experience. The whole production is superb.

Anton Rubinstein: String Quartets Op 47 No 1&3

Reinhold Quartet

CPO 777 709-2

These are lovely pieces, deeply felt but not over worked and here given highly committed performances by the Reinhold Quartet.

Humperdinck: Music for the Stage

Malmo Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Dario Salvi

NAXOS 8.574177

Though a great lover of Hansel and Gretel I was not prepared for just how good these incidental scores really are. It shows that Humperdinck was far more than a one work wonder and is surely overlooked among the large number of turn of the century composers who were able to turn out such highly melodic scores. The one real rarity here is the suite arranged from Das Wunder – the first full-colour silent film, made in 1912. A real find.

Gershwin: Concerto in F

Kevin Cole, piano, National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, David Alan Miller

NAXOS 8.559875

This is an eclectic collection of twentieth century American music centred on Gershwin’s piano concerto. John Harbinson’s Remembering Gatsby  is a foxtrot for orchestra evoking 1920s dance bands, while Walter Piston’s Symphony No5 draws on twelve-tone techniques while maintaining a sense of joy and optimism.

Twentieth Century Foxtrots – 2

Gottlieb Wallisch, piano

GRAND PIANO

Twenty nine items by sixteen composers and a wonderful range of foxtrots, not all of which you could easily dance to but all of which are certainly worth the time to listen attentively. A lovely disc.