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.