Glorious Glyndebourne

OPUS ARTE OA 1127 D

It is unlikely that anyone would doubt the quality of Glyndebourne’s musical heritage, but this collection, made up into a Gala event from some of the finest productions of the last decade, demonstrates the range and exceptional quality of both stagings and musicianship.

I am fortunate that I have seen most of these productions live at Glyndebourne and can report how well they transfer to the screen. The first half includes excerpts from Figaro and Cosi, two staples of the opening decades of the opera house, and concludes with passages from Tristan and Die Meistersinger. With other excerpts including Billy Budd, Gianni Schicchi and Carmen there is more than enough to entrance any opera-lover, and the range should ensure some with more limited tastes will realise what they are missing. This may look like a promotional video but on this occasion it is more than justified.

 

Wagner: Rienzi

Frankfurter Opern- und Museums – orchester und chor, Sebastian Weigle

OEHMS OC 941

This recording comes from a live concert performance in Frankfurt in May 2013. The key singers are strongly cast with Peter Bronder a virile Rienzi and Falk Struckmann a stalwart Colonna. Christiane Libor is aptly forthright at Irene and all are stoutly supported by the Frankfurt choral forces.

The difficulty hearing the work as opposed to seeing it is that it can easily become unrelentingly bombastic, with overtones of Meyerbeer and Weber at their loudest, and little sense of reflection or characterisation which staging can bring.

 

CPE Bach: Hamburger Sinfonien WQ 182

Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Wolfram Christ

HANSSLER CD 98.637

It is difficult, listening to this delightful recording, to accept that these works were held to be too avant-garde and challenging when first composed; so much so that CPE Bach led from the fortepiano to keep his forces together. Here the Stuttgart forces are joined by Sebastian Kuchler-Blessing on the fortepiano, improvising convincingly throughout and adding to the sparkling impact of the scores.  You will enjoy this.

 

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto;

Rihm: Gesungene Zeit

Jaap van Zweden, violin

NAXOS 8.573271

The Shostakovich concerto is finely played with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic under Edo de Waart, the range of emotion keenly felt without exaggeration. I had not come across Wolfgang Rihm’s Gesungene Zeit before but felt it did not live up to the enthusiasm of the sleeve notes despite a second hearing.

 

Jacobean Lute Music

Jakob Lindberg, lute

BIS 2055

Jakob Lindberg plays a lute made by Sixtus Rauwold of Augsburg sometime in the late 1590s. It may be pathetic fallacy but the realisation that any of the pieces recorded here could almost have been composed for it gives a frisson to the impact of the music. There are works by Dowland, Robinson, Johnson and Bacheler as well as a number of anonymous dances. Reflective and personal throughout this is a very pleasing disc.

 

Composing without the picture – concert works by film composers

Richard Harwood, cello

RESONUS RES 10121 (2 cds)

World premiere recordings here by a range of composers we know best from the cinema, ranging from Miklos Rozsa to Ennio Morricone. There are many pieces to enjoy and some which will challenge the expectations of those who only know these names from the big screen. Works by Christopher Gunning and Alex Heffes were written specifically for the performer.

 

Sonnerie & other portraits

French Baroque Chamber Works

Fantasticus

RESONUS RES 10122

The baroque trio Fantasticus delve into the lesser known parts of the French Baroque. Starting with the more familiar names of Marais and Rameau, they quickly move on to Francoeur, Leclair and Dornel. A fascinating journey, fully documented throughout.

 

JS Bach: Clavier-Ubung III

Stephen Farr, Metzler organ, Trinity College, Cambridge.

RESONUS RES 10120

This is Stephen Farr’s first Bach recording and it will surely not be his last. Rather than going for the conventional collection of lollipops we have the whole of the Clavier-Ubung III played on the 1975 Metzler. The twenty-seven sections are finely characterised and the liner-notes include complete registrations so that we can follow the nuances of choice in the tone colour as the works progress. We look forward to the next release with keen anticipation.