{"id":5088,"date":"2019-04-09T15:58:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T14:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.larkreviews.co.uk\/?p=5088"},"modified":"2019-04-09T16:00:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T15:00:20","slug":"cds-and-dvds-april-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/?p=5088","title":{"rendered":"CDs and DVDs April 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
Weber: Der Freischutz<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Teatro alla Scala, Myung-Whun Chung<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
NAXOS 2.110597<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

Raimond Orfeo Voigt\u2019s skeletal setting seems quite appropriate for what is in many ways a conventional production of Weber\u2019s gothic chiller. The Wolf\u2019s Glen scene is particularly effective and I loved the giant boar! Musically this is very sound with Michael Konig in strong voice as Max and Julia Kleiter a sympathetic Agathe. Chorus and orchestra respond well to Myung-Whun Chung\u2019s crisp but romantic handling of the score.<\/p>\n

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Handel adpt Leo: Rinaldo<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Festival della Valle d\u2019Itria, conducted by Fabio Luisi<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
DYNAMIC 37831<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

Today we don\u2019t welcome the idea of favourite works being \u2018improved\u2019 even if we stretch the stage presentation of Shakespeare or Verdi well beyond what they might have expected. However in the early eighteenth century there was no such hesitation and here we have an adaptation of Handel\u2019s familiar score as represented by the manuscript found at Longleat which contains some Handel, some items by Leonardo Leo and a number of other unidentified pieces which seem to reflect the party pieces of the soloists who sang the version in Naples in 1718. It is a fascinating piece even if we have to ignore the world Handel originally created. The fanciful production looks pretty but does little to raise the whole above the level of an amusing entertainment. Handel\u2019s original was certainly far more than that!<\/p>\n

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SWEETER THAN ROSES \u2013 SONGS BY HENRY PURCELL <\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
ANNA DENNIS, Soprano,<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
SOUNDS BAROQUE, Directed and Keyboards by JULIAN PERKINS<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
JAMES AKERS, Theorbo & Baroque guitar<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
HENRIK PERSSON, Viola da gamba<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
RESONUS RES10235\u00a0 67\u201933<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

Opening this latest selection of releases from Resonus is a programme of English songs \u2013 twelve by Purcell and two by Henry Lawes, who died just three years after Purcell\u2019s birth. Alongside these are instrumental works by contemporaries of Purcell, working in London. Firstly there is Francesco Corbetta\u2019s Suite in C major for guitar. <\/em>This is followed by Giovanni Battista Draghi\u2019s Suite in E minor for harpsichord<\/em>. This varied but coherent selection makes for a very enjoyable disc.<\/p>\n

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DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE \u2013 MEMBRA JESU NOSTRI<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
CHAPEL CHOIR OF TRINITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE & SOLOISTS<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
ORPHEUS BRITANNICUS<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
NEWE VIALLES<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
ANDREW ARTHUR, Director<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
RESONUS RES10238 70\u201917<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

This substantial composition gets a stunning new presentation in this release combining period instruments with the well disciplined voices of Trinity Hall. This music is regarded as the first example of Lutheran oratorio and consists of seven cantatas, each referring to a specific part of Christ\u2019s crucified body, in turn divided into six sections and incorporating choral and instrumental movements. Together with extensive texts in the accompanying booklet it is once more possible to enter fully into the heart of this Passion meditation.<\/p>\n

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JOSEPH-NICOLAS-PANCRACE ROYER \u2013 PREMIER LIVRE DE PIECES DE CLAVECIN<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
MIE HAYASHI, Harpsichord<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
RESONUS RES10236 65\u201911<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

Royer was a French baroque composer and most of his surviving solo keyboard work is to be found in this book. There are fourteen characterful pieces here played with style by Mie Hayashi on an Andrew Garlick copy of a 1749 Jean-Claude Goujon double manual harpsichord.<\/p>\n

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JS BACH -CHORALE PARTITAS BWV 766-8 & 770<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
STEPHEN FARR, Bernard Aubertin organ, Private residence, <\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Fairwarp, East Sussex<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
RESONUS RES10234 55\u201946<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
We return to familiar territory for this final Resonus disc this time. Stephen Farr continues his presentation of Bach\u2019s organ works with these fine performances of extended chorale treatments. Beautiful music, well communicated on a newly installed organ recorded here for the first time.<\/h6>\n

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MARTINU \u2013 THE COMPLETE MUSIC FOR VIOLIN & ORCHESTRA<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
BOHUSLAV MATOUSEK, violin & viola<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
CZECH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, Director, CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
HYPERION CDS44611\/4 (4CDs) Total 243\u2019<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

This release brings together a number of diverse works written for violin and orchestra over a long period. Some of the music has bene revised by the composer over time. Extensive sleeve notes give a good background to this music and early on attention is drawn to Bohuslav Martinu\u2019s evolving style from Neo-Classical, through Neo-Romantic and also incorporating Impressionistic features in other works. Included here are two Violin Concerti<\/em>, two versions of Suite concertante for violin & orchestra<\/em>, Czech Rhapsody<\/em> and Concerti<\/em> involving flute and piano alongside the violin. An impressive set, well presented.<\/p>\n

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AMARAE MORTI \u2013 LAMENTATIONS & MOTETS BY CARDOSO, GOMBERT, LASSUS, MORALES, PALESTRINA, PHINOT & VICTORIA<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
EL LEON DE ORO, Conductor, PETER PHILLIPS<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
HYPERION CDA68279 66\u201924<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

This marvellous collection is described as a \u201csurvey of some of the finest- but perhaps lesser known- music from the Renaissance period\u2026from either the Franco-Flemish or the Iberian schools\u201d. The sequence takes the listener from the penitential to exuberant praise. Splendid!<\/p>\n

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GIOVANNI DE MACQUE \u2013 MADRIGALI & ORGAN WORKS<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
WESER-RENAISSANCE, BREMEN, MANFRED CORDES<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
EDOARDO BELLOTTI, Organ<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
CPO\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 CPO777977-2\u00a0 63\u201903<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

From the sleeve notes it seems I am probably not alone in not having heard of this composer before. Giovanni de Macque (1548-1614) is described as \u201cbarely known today, he was greatly esteemed in his lifetime.\u201d He lived and worked in Vienna, Rome and Naples ans was influential in areas of vocal and keyboard music. I particularly enjoyed the placing of organ solos amongst the vocal works.<\/p>\n

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CPE BACH \u2013 SOLO KEYBOARD MUSIC, VOL 37 \u2013 SONATAS, VARIATIONS & FUGUES 1745-55<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
MIKLOS SPANYI, Harpsichord<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
BIS\u00a0 BIS-2331\u00a0 77\u201953<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

I continue to enjoy each release in this long running series of the solo keyboard work of CPE Bach. The fact that this is volume 37 emphasises how prolific this \u201cother\u201d (once regarded as THE) Bach was. There are nine works here, the most substantial being Sonata per il cembalo a 2 Tastature in D minor<\/em>. If you know nothing about CPE Bach beyond the Solfegietto<\/em> this would be a good place to start.<\/p>\n

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SPLENDID SILBERMANN<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
CHRISTIAN VON BLOHN, Silbermann organ, Protestant Church, Bouxwiller, France<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
OEHMS CLASSICS OC 1705\u00a0 62\u201901<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

I put off listening to this CD as it just appeared to be another worthy (but slightly dull?) historical release. How wrong I was! Here we have excellent playing from Christian von Blohm on this beautifully recorded historic instrument (built 1776, restored 2017). His programme spans the centuries from JS Bach & Nicolas de Grigny through Boely and Mendelssohn. For me the placement of more recent works alongside these really makes this CD a very satisfying and rounded listening experience. I loved Joris Verdin\u2019s Organetto <\/em>consisting of seven very short contrasting movements and also Christian von Blohn\u2019s own contribution to the ongoing Orgelbuchlein-Projekt<\/em> \u2013 the attempt to \u201ccomplete\u201d the unfinished work of JS Bach. There are three chorale preludes here. I\u2019m actually rather pleased I saved this one until the end!<\/p>\n

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Rachmaninov: 24 Preludes<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Boris Giltburg, piano<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
NAXOS 8.574025<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

While these can be seen as means of studying the composer\u2019s musical development they are also so enjoyable that the academic is quickly forgotten in the pleasure of being led through the whole collection. A very pleasing recording on every level.<\/p>\n

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Mendelssohn: Early Piano Music<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Sergio Monteiro, piano<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
NAXOS 8.573946<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

The virtuosity of these pieces, given that Mendelssohn was not even a teenager when he wrote most of them and was only fifteen when he composed the Fugue in E flat major, is stunning. They never attempt to be over clever, there is no hint that Mendelssohn sets out to impress, only that he has a deeply held love of Bach which underpins so many of the works. The romantic sneaks in at times but had yet to flower in his consciousness. Meanwhile we can enjoy Sergio Monteiro\u2019s engaged and convincing playing of these pieces.<\/p>\n

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Gounod: Symphonies 1 & 2<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
CHANDOS CHSA 5231<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

When a composer is internationally famous for one work we can too easily overlook their other compositions. Gounod\u2019s symphonies, written virtually back to back in the mid-1850s, are all but ignored today and so it is good not only to encounter them here but to find such convincing playing that one wonders why we don\u2019t, at least occasionally, here them in the concert hall. I can think of many over-performed pieces which I would willing drop to hear one of these live.<\/p>\n

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Tangos for Yvar<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Hanna Shybayeva, piano<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
GRAND PIANO GP 794<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

Yvar Mikhashoff commissioned 127 tangos from leading composers. Across the late 1980s he received a significant number of responses from a remarkably wide range of composers. That not all sound anything like a tango is to be expected but there are many recorded here which will please, including Berkman\u2019s Thorn-torn lips<\/em>. As if to round off the disc with something a little safer, we hear the familiar but ever welcome Libertango<\/em> by Piazzolla.<\/p>\n

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Falla: La Vida Breve<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
CHANDOS CHAN 20032<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

While the dance music is familiar I suspect that the rest of this brief opera will be unknown to most listeners. It comes across as a sort of Spanish version of Cavalleria Rusticana<\/em> with much the same outcome. The Spanish cast and chorus bring an extra level of authenticity as does the conducting of Juanjo Mena but it is difficult to overcome the feeling that the dance music is the best part of the score.<\/p>\n

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Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Das schlaue Fuchslein)<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
Frankfurt Opera, Johannes Debus<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n
OEHMS OC 982<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

This is a live recording made last year from Frankfurt opera and one which could just as easily have been on DVD given the impressive production photos in the accompanying booklet. The modern dress approach \u2013 and particularly the highly anthropomorphic costuming for the foxes \u2013 seems to carry over into the liveliness of the approach and the sense both of attack in the orchestra combined with those wonderfully indulgent pastoral moments which Janacek creates.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weber: Der Freischutz Teatro alla Scala, Myung-Whun Chung NAXOS 2.110597 Raimond Orfeo Voigt\u2019s skeletal setting seems quite appropriate for what is in many ways a conventional production of Weber\u2019s gothic chiller. The Wolf\u2019s Glen scene is particularly effective and I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5088"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5090,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088\/revisions\/5090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}