harmonia mundi UK
Classical new releases DISTRIBUTED LABELS: ACCENT RECORDS, ACTES SUD, AGOGIQUE, ALIA VOX, AMBRONAY, APARTE, ARTE VERUM, AUDITE, BEL AIR, BELVEDERE, THE CHOIR OF KINGS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, CONVIVIUM, CHRISTOPHORUS, CSO RESOUND, DELPHIAN, DUCALE, EDITION CLASSICS, EVIDENCE, FLORA, FRA MUSICA, GLOSSA, harmonia mundi, HAT[NOW]ART, HERITAGE, KAMER, KML, LA DOLCE VOLTA, LA MUSICA, LES ARTS FLORISSANTS EDITIONS, LSO LIVE, MARIINSKY, MIRARE, MODE, MUSO, MYRIOS, MUSIQUES A LA CHABOTTERIE, NAÏVE, ONYX, OPELLA NOVA, ORFEO, PAN CLASSICS, PARADIZO, PARATY, PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE, PHIL.HARMONIE, PRAGA DIGITALS, RADIO FRANCE, RAM, REAL COMPAÑIA ÓPERA DE CÁMARA, RCO LIVE, SFZ MUSIC, SIGNUM, STRADIVARIUS, TREASURE ISLAND, UNITED ARCHIVES, WALHALL ETERNITY, WERGO, WIGMORE HALL LIVE, WINTER & WINTER, YSAYE
available May 4 and May 18, call-off April 24th
MAY 2015
May Gramophone Editor’s Choice
Harmonia Mundi HMU807573 Vaughan Williams, MacMillan Oboe Concertos Nicholas Daniel, Brittten Sinfonia / MacMillan
Gramophone Editor’s Choice Signum SIGCD408 In the Midst of Life, Music from the Baldwin Partbooks Contrapunctus / Owen Rees
Gramophone Editor’s Choice
Signum SIGCD395 CPE Bach Symphonies Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Rebecca Miller
Gramophone Editor’s Choice
RCO Live RCO14004 Wagner Der fliegende Holländer Terje Stensvold, Anja Kampe, Kwangchul Youn, Christopher Ventris, Jane Henschel, Thomas Russell Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Andris Nelsons
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
RAMEAU: Castor and Pollux (version 1754) Tragédie en musique in 5 acts, libretto by Pierre-Joseph Bernard (Gentil-Bernard)
Sabine Devieilhe Christian Immler Pygmalion Raphaël Pichon
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: HMC902212/13 Barcode: 3149020221228 MID Price for a ltd period Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Colin Ainsworth Florian Sempey Emmanuelle de Negri Clémentine Margaine Christian Immler Sabine Devieilhe Philippe Talbot Virgile Ancely
In contrast to its reception in 1737, 'Castor et Pollux' enjoyed great success in 1754 and it was given regularly until 1755. It was revived again at court in November 1763, then at the Académie Royale de Musique from January 1764 (six months before the elderly Rameau’s death) until 1765, and continued to receive frequent performances from 1770 to 1782: eloquent testimony to its popularity. Thanks to the recent discovery of a manuscript close to the autograph that Rameau finalised in the last months of 1753, this second version of the work, with its tauter dramatic action, can now be heard in the pristine splendour and refinement of its orchestration. As a result the revised tragédie lyrique, unfairly overshadowed nowadays by the 1737 version, emerges in its full force and dramatic power under the inspired direction of Raphaël Pichon.
ALSO AVAILABLE: HMC902211 J.S. Bach Kothener Trauermusik BWV 244a Sabine Devielhe, Damien Guillon, Thomas Hobbs, Christian Immler “The Harmonia Mundi engineers excel in providing cool, clear, well balanced sound. I can report that full German texts are provided with translations in French and English together with several high quality articles. This captivating recording of Bach’s reconstructed Köthener Trauermusik for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen is beautifully performed by the Ensemble Pygmalion under Raphaël Pichon. It's excellently recorded too.” Music Web International, 16th December 2014 “The choral sound is refreshing; the instrumental performance attractive … the solo singing is suave and idiomatic, with particular honours to tenor Thomas Hobbs … a fine recording” Anna Picard – BBC Music Magazine, February 2015, Performance: ****, Recording: *****
SPECIAL MID PRICE UNTIL 1ST AUGUST 2015
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Joby TALBOT: Path of Miracles Conspirare Craig Hella Johnson Craig Hella Johnson leads Conspirare on a musical journey along Spain’s famous Camino de Compostela in this inspiring performance of 'Path of Miracles' by British composer Joby Talbot. Talbot studied with Simon Bainbridge at the Guildhall and in 2004 was named Classic FM's first Composer in Residence. The Royal Ballet's recent revival of Talbot's 'Alice in Wonderland', played to packed houses and rave reviews.
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: HMU807603 Barcode: 093046760366 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: ecopack Conspirare Craig Hella Johnson
“Joby Talbot was in the band that provided music for that divine comedy Father Ted. After such beatification by association, the only way would seem to be down, yet he continued to produce works of considerable quality and imagination. 'Roncesvalles', 'Burgos', 'Leon' and 'Santiago', the movements of Path of Miracles, are named after four points on the Camino Frances, one of the principal pilgrims' routes to Santiago de Compostela. The vivid libretto was compiled by poet Robert Dickinson from medieval texts (including the Carmina Burana), the Psalms and his own original reflections. Those words, and a visit to the main sites along the route, evidently inspired Talbot: this is a work of remarkable range and assurance. 'Roncesvalles' opens with eerie, long-held tones in the bass register, gradually hauled up to a radiant chord in the higher voices. The passage was inspired by a technique used in traditional Taiwanese music but one could just as well imagine it as a synthesis of Ligeti and Pärt. The movement goes on to describe Herod's execution of St James, and the eventual discovery of the body at Compostela, in a rich, agile, vibrant evocation of medieval dances and hymns. Throughout the work Talbot achieves a similarly fertile accommodation between ancient shapes and contemporary colours, moulding often challenging parts into a luminous and uplifting whole.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 "Joby Talbot's ambitious a cappella 'Path of Miracles' is little short of a musical miracle itself... I would go as far to suggest that this is to the first decade of the 21st century what Arvo Pärt's 'Passio' was twenty years earlier." Classical Source, City of London Festival, live review [Tenebrae]
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Steve REICH: Music for 18 Musicians Ensemble Signal Brad Lubman
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: HMU907608 Barcode: 093046760823 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: ecopack Ensemble Signal Brad Lubman
Making its harmonia mundi début, New York-based Ensemble Signal performs Steve Reich’s 'Music for 18 Musicians', a seminal masterpiece and the breakthrough composition of a pioneering composer who changed the course of 20th-century music. 'Music for 18 Musicians' is approximately 55 minutes long. The first sketches were made for it in May 1974 and it was completed in March 1976. Although its steady pulse and rhythmic energy relate to many of my earlier works, its instrumentation, structure and harmony are new. In his introduction to the score, Reich mentions that although the piece is named 'Music for 18 Musicians', it is not necessarily advisable to perform the piece with that few players due to the extensive doubling it requires. The structure of 'Music for 18 Musicians' is based on a cycle of eleven chords played at the very beginning of the piece and repeated at the end. All the instruments and voices play or sing the pulsating notes with each chord. Instruments like the strings which do not have to breathe nevertheless follow the rise and fall of the breath by following the breathing patterns of the bass clarinet. Each chord is held for the duration of two breaths, and the next chord is gradually introduced, and so on, until all eleven are played and the ensemble returns to the first chord. Ensemble Signal, described by the New York Times as “one of the most vital groups of its kind,” is a NY-based ensemble founded in 2008, dedicated to offering the broadest possible audience access to a diverse range of contemporary works through performance, commissioning, recording and education. Recent highlights have included a headliner performance of Steve Reich’s 'Music for 18 Musicians' and 'Radio Rewrite' at the 2014 BIG EARS Festival in Knoxville, TN, and performing in the 2013 Lincoln Center Festival’s production of 'Monkey: Journey to The Wes't, with music by Damon Albarn, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng. Upcoming highlights include the co-commission of a new work for large ensemble by Steve Reich, to be premiered in 2016-17 and the performance of Steve Reich’s video opera 'Three Tales', as well as David Lang, Michael Gordon, and Julia Wolfe’s video opera Shelter, on the LA Philharmonic’s series at Walt Disney Concert Hall in May 2015.
“Signal has made an extraordinary recording of Music for 18 Musicians. Fast moving, spot on and emotionally charged. Take a listen.” STEVE REICH
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No 5 ‘Reformation’ Overtures: Calm Sea & Prosperous Voyage, Ruy Blas
London Symphony Orchestra Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Label: LSO Live File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: LSO0775 Barcode: 822231177524 NORMAL Price Format: Pure Audio, 1 Blu-ray, 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Sir John Eliot Gardiner London Symphony Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra join forces once again in the latest instalment of their exploration of Mendelssohn’s symphonies. The previous release, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 3, ‘Scottish’, coupled with The Hebrides Overture and Schumann’s Piano Concerto, has received widespread critical acclaim. Gramophone awarded the album Editor’s Choice and called it "a truly memorable performance"; IRR observed that "it is so good that it can be recommended without hesitation" and it received an ICMA 2014 nomination in the Best Collection category. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 5 was written in 1830 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Augsberg confession – a seminal event in the Protestant Reformation. Allusions to the symphony’s title and inspiration can be heard throughout the music itself: the Dresden Amen is cited by the strings in the first movement whilst the finale is based on Martin Luther’s well-known chorale 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott' (A Mighty Fortress is Our God). Coupled with this are two of Mendelssohn’s overtures, both of which were inspired by literary works. 'Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage', based on two short poems by Goethe, depicts the journey of sailors at sea with a still adagio opening ultimately giving way to a triumphant homecoming. Completing the album, the overture 'Ruy Blas' was commissioned by the Leipzig Theatre as an overture to Victor Hugo’s tragic drama of the same name. DSD recording, live at the Barbican, March & October 2014, Audio 2.0 Stereo and multi-channel (5.1) Concert Reviews: "The overture to Ruy Blas was ebullient but nuanced… The LSO players rose to it all – this was no imitation period band, but a modern orchestra responding brilliantly and unapologetically to a famously demanding conductor." The Guardian ***** "Gardiner reserved vibrato for the faster section [of Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage], which erupted with bubbling, vivacious energy...The fearsome power which Gardiner and the LSO wrought in the [Fifth Symphony’s] first movement’s development was carried over into the scherzo, instilling the latter with considerable vigour and weight… There was no mistaking the fervour and grandeur of the fugal development of the Lutheran chorale ‘Ein feste Burg’ in the finale, concluding the performance with impressive gravitas." Classical Source
ADVERTISED IN CLASSICAL MUSIC PRESS
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
HANDEL: L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, 1740 Gabrieli Consort Gabrieli Players Paul McCreesh L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Part I: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1 in G Major, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Part II: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 3 in E Minor, Concerto Grosso Op. 7, No. 1 in B-Flat Major
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: SIGCD392 Barcode: 635212039229 2 FOR 1.5 Format: 2 CD Packaging: cd book Gillian Webster [soprano ] Laurence Kilsby [treble Jeremy Ovenden tenor] Peter Harvey [baritone] Ashley Riches [bass] William Whitehead [organ]
Following in their series of Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine award-winning recordings, the Gabrielis' first Handel recording in over a decade is particularly special – recreating in painstaking detail the very first performance of 'L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato', given in 1740, with additional instrumental repertoire including a Handel organ concerto and two concerti grossi. With a reputation as peerless Handelians, Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & players bring meticulous research to every performance and recording project and are joined on this disc by a stunning selection of soloists. CONCERTS: May 12+13 Wigmore Hall, Purcell Complete Birthday Odes July 16 St Johns Smith Square, Purcell King Arthur
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Judith WEIR: Storm BBC Singers Choristers of Temple Church Endymion David Hill All the Ends of the Earth (1999) Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (2011) Missa del Cid (1988): I. Kyrie, II. Gloria, III. Credo, IV. Sanctus, V. Benedictus, VI. Agnus Dei The Song Sung True (2013): I. Sing, II. Song, III. Orpheus, IV. Folk Song Storm (1997): I. Storm - Shipwreck, II. Charm, III. Magic, IV. Spirit. V. Mercy
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: SIGCD421 Barcode: 635212042120 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal BBC Singers Choristers of Temple Church Endymion David Hill [conductor]
The BBC Singers continue their critically lauded and award-nominated series of composer-led recordings with a new disc of works by Master of the Queen's Music Judith Weir. Recorded in the unique acoustic of the Temple Church, London, the BBC Singers are joined by the church's choristers and the contemporary music ensemble Endymion, in a retrospective of Weir's works drawn from a 25-year period.
ALSO AVAILABLE: SIGCD070 Weir - All the ends of the Earth / Choir of Gonville & Caius SIGCD087 Weir - On Buying a Horse /Ailish Tynan, Sue Bickley, Andrew / Iain Burnside
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 9, Violin Concerto No.1 Leonidas Kavakos Mariinsky Orchestra Valery Gergiev The Mariinsky’s Shostakovich cycle has been an internationally acclaimed project, conducted by the foremost interpreter of our time. Symphony No 9 is a deeply powerful composition in which Shostakovich unmasked the truth behind the ideology and pomp of officialdom. The powers of the day saw this symphony as a calculated provocation and made the composer’s life almost unbearable: Shostakovich would not premiere another symphony until the death of his oppressor, Stalin, in 1953. This symphony is coupled with the late, dark and introspective Violin Concerto No 1, performed here by Leonidas Kavakos, currently Gramophone’s Artist of the Year 2014. Kavakos is recognised throughout the world as an artist of rare quality, known at the highest level for his virtuoso skills, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing.
Label: Mariinsky File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: MAR0524 Barcode: 822231852421 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Leonidas Kavakos Mariinsky Orchestra Valery Gergiev
"He (Leonidas Kavakos) was more than soloist, he was like a character whose voice has gone beyond speech into music, sometimes initiating, sometimes reacting to Shostakovich’s multi-layered tragedy – the work is more of a symphony with violin than a concerto. Kavakos was extraordinary... his visceral intelligence, incredible breadth of musical imagination, a ravishing range of sound that seems to emanate from within him through the violin, and his spellbinding, seemingly natural virtuosity." Classicalsource.com "Played with the music coursing through his entire body, and at one with the body of the orchestra, Kavakos’s performance led to a rapid and spontaneous standing ovation." The Times
CONCERT: 8th April, Barbican, Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 / Kavakos LSO
ADVERTISED IN CLASSICAL MUSIC PRESS
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
FRANCK & STRAUSS: Violin Sonatas FRANCK: Violin Sonata in A STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E flat Op.18, Allegretto in E 3 Songs: Wiegenlied, Waldseligkeit, Morgen
James Ehnes Andrew Armstrong
Label: Onyx Classics File Under: Classical/Chamber music Catalogue No: ONYX4141 Barcode: 880040414124 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal James Ehnes [violin] Andrew Armstrong [piano]
CONCERTS: 23rd April Caird Hall, Dundee, Nielsen VC 24th April Usher Hall, Edinburgh 25th April Glasgow Concert Halls 7th June Barbican, Korngold violin concerto / LSO/Alsop
James Ehnes and long term musical partner Andrew Armstrong have performed both the Franck and Strauss violin sonatas many times and bring special insight to these works that only many years of performing them together can convey. The Franck is one of the very greatest of all violin sonatas, and finds the composer at the height of his powers. The Strauss sonata is the work of a young man on the cusp of finding his unique musical voice, with echoes of Brahms mingling with flashes of the Strauss of Don Juan. The Allegretto in E dates from the very end of Strauss’s long career, and is a tender and beautifully poised miniature that displays no flagging of his creativity and inspiration. The disc ends with three of the composer’s most popular songs. Advertised in Gramophone & BBC Music Magazines ALSO AVAILABLE BY JAMES EHNES ON ONYX: ONYX4025 Elgar Violin Concerto (Gramophone award winner) ONYX4016 Korngold, Barber, Walton Violin Concertos ONYX4044 Paganini 24 Caprices op1 ONYX4038 Homage ONYX4060 Mendelssohn Violin Concerto op64 & Octet ONYX4076 Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto,works for violin and orchestra ONYX4121 Khachaturian Violin Concerto, Shostakovich String Quartets 7&8 ONYX4129 American Chamber Music: Copland, Bernstein, Barber, Ives, Carter
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
BRITTEN, PROKOFIEV, SHOSTAKOVICH: The Cello Sonatas Daniel Müller-Schott Francesco Piemontesi PROKOFIEV: Cello Sonata in C major Op. 119 BRITTEN: Cello Sonata in C Op. 65 SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Sonata in D minor Op. 40
Label: Orfeo File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: C872151A Barcode: 4011790872124 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Daniel Müller-Schott [cello] Francesco Piemontesi [piano]
CONCERTS: 14th May Royal Festival Hall 15th May Norwich Francesco Piemontesi, Philharmonia/Jeremie Rhorer
This new CD from Daniel Müller-Schott and Francesco Piemontesi offers three sonatas for cello and piano in compelling, emotional performances. The songlike Sonata in C major, composed in 1949 makes evident Prokofiev's adjustment to the cultural politics of the Soviet Union to which he had returned just twelve years previously. It was also expressly written for an exceptional cello-piano duo, Rostropovich and Richter gave its first performance, and Müller-Schott and Piemontesi are their worthy successors here. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Sonata is no less marked by fate. It was on the programme of a concert tour given by the composer, and his cello partner Viktor Kubatsky, in 1936, when Shostakovich was put on the Stalinist index of undesirables, on orders from the very top. This was a tragic irony of fate because this Cello Sonata is highly melodic and anything but modernist in its design, giving lie to the accusation that its composer wrote “chaos instead of music”. Daniel Müller-Schott and Francesco Piemontesi do full justice to all facets of this work – now catchy and playful, now pensive instead. And finally, Benjamin Britten’s Sonata marked the beginning of a productive creative friendship that was established despite many a problem posed by the Cold War. It was first performed in Aldeburgh in 1961 by the composer and Rostropovich. The five movements of this Sonata are marked by typically Brittenesque twists and turns – at times hesitant, at other times effervescent and skittish, and towards the close ever more lively and unruly in its rhythms. This Sonata offers Daniel Müller-Schott and Francesco Piemontesi ample opportunity to unfold to the full both their technical expertise and their expressive art of interpretation.
ADVERTISED IN MAY GRAMOPHONE
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
MOZART: Piano Sonatas Volume 3 Christian Blackshaw CD1: Piano Sonata No. 6 in D K284, Piano Sonata No. 12 in F K332 CD2: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C K545, Fantasia in C min K475, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C min K457 In the third instalment of Christian Blackshaw’s complete Mozart Piano Sonatas recorded live at Wigmore Hall, we journey through 14 years of composition exploring five contrasting works filled with emotional outpouring and harmonic invention. From Sonata No. 6 in D major, written in Munich during a musically fruitful yet financially difficult period, to Sonata No. 14 in C minor, in which Mozart refuses to conform to the formality expected of the genre, this sublime recording demonstrates Christian Blackshaw’s captivating sensitivity and incomparable musicianship.
Label: Wigmore Hall Live File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: WHLIVE0076/2 Barcode: 5065000924775 2 FOR 1.5 Format: 2 CD Packaging: cristal Christian Blackshaw [piano]
14TH MAY: Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton, Schubert
ALSO AVAILABLE: WHLIVE0061/2 Mozart, Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 “Blackshaw’s mindful yet spontaneous virtuosity, pinpointed sense of character and utterly alive music-making completely disarmed my scepticism. His light touch and unpredictable yet never contrived sounding accents in the outer movements of the C major Sonata are akin to a master actor who knows how to throw away a good line.” Jed Distler, Gramophone - December 2013, GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE “Blackshaw’s velvety tone and fluid control of rubato perfectly encapsulates the intimacy and longing of Mozart’s cantabile melodies. At the other end of the spectrum, his articulation in the fast outer movements has razor-sharp clarity as well as great energy and exuberance.” Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine- Christmas 2013, INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE *****/**** WHLIVE0069/2 Mozart Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 “Just as it was when welcoming the first volume, it is a joy to now listen to this second issue...enthusiastically recommended.” Colin Anderson – Classical Source, December 2014 “There is no greater compliment to Blackshaw that this ongoing set surely ranks with the greats and that he appears to be one of the foremost Mozart interpreters of the day.” Colin Clarke – International Piano*****, March-April 2015
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Thomas Gould: Live in Riga BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto Op.61 VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: The Lark Ascending
Thomas Gould Sinfonietta Riga
Label: Edition Classics File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: EDN1058 Barcode: 5065001530616 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Thomas Gould [violin] Sinfonietta Riga CONCERTS: 21st April St James' Sussex Gardens, Beethoven Violin Concerto 2nd May RFH, London Concert Orchestra Lark Ascending 20th May St George's Bristol, Aurora Orch/ Collon Paganini 21st May Bury St Edmunds/Aurora 22nd May Norwich/Aurora
‘Live in Riga’ is the new recording from the celebrated 31 year-old British violinist Thomas Gould and the first of a three-album deal with forward-thinking British jazz and classical record label Edition Classics. Recorded live in concert, with Sinfonietta Riga, on April 11th 2014, at the Great Guild Hall in Riga, Latvia, it confirms Gould’s enormous potential as one of the most inventive and colourful instrumentalists of his generation. His most recent release on harmonia mundi, of the 'Goldberg Variations' with the Britten Sinfonia, is Gramophone Editor's Choice in the April issue and, at the time of writing, this featured in the Specialist Classical Chart. Over the last decade he has been in demand as a soloist and as leader/director with major orchestras worldwide, including the CBSO, Hallé Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2. Sinfonietta Riga is an orchestra with a story to tell. Formed in 2006, their vision is as bold as Gould’s. Equally happy to play in concert dress or T-shirts they are intent on building new audiences whilst reaching for the highest artistic standards. Their collaboration is a perfect match and this live concert recording bears witness to this special musical symbiosis. To release an album featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s 'The Lark Ascending' is a bold decision: as two cornerstones of the violin repertoire, there are plenty of performances to compare. However, Gould’s versions demonstrate a brilliance of tone and colour that demands attention; his flexibility and breadth of musical interests is fully evident. Gould’s playing has the clarity you would expect from any major performer but radiates a freedom in its expression, as though improvised, with an immediate elegance and poise. “Violinist Thomas Gould is one of a new generation of classical musicians who refuses to be defined by a single genre”. The Guardian “The young British violinist Thomas Gould seems intent on becoming the Nigel Kennedy of his generation …Scythingly scintillating playing from a young virtuoso with a magpie mind”. The Times
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Romaria: Choral Music from Brazil Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge Geoffrey Webber
Label: Delphian File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: DCD34147 Barcode: 801918341472 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge Geoffrey Webber
Henrique de CURITIBA (1934–2008): Metaphors* folksongs from Pará, arr. Ernst MAHLE (b. 1929): Carimbó (Folksong Suite – excerpts) Osvaldo LACERDA (1927–2011) Romaria * Carlos A. Pinto FONSECA (1933–2006): Jubiabá Ernani AGUIAR (b. 1950): Antiquae Preces Christianae * Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887–1959): Cor dulce, cor amabile J. A. de Almeida PRADO (1943–2010): Oráculo Claudio SANTORO (1919–1989): Ave-Maria* folksong from South-East Brazil, arr. M. A. da Silva RAMOS (b. 1950): Moreninha se eu te pedisse* Nibaldo ARANEDA (b. 1968): Ismália* Aylton ESCOBAR (b. 1943): Missa breve sobre ritmos populares brasileiros* Heitor VILLA-LOBOS: Magnificat-Alleluia * premiere recordings ‘Romaria’, a word suggesting pilgrimage, crowds and processions, evokes much of what is distinctive about modern Brazil – its mix of people, its vibrancy, its faith. This survey of modern Brazilian choral music reflects these qualities, as well as the natural wonders of this amazing land. Geoffrey Webber and his ever-adventurous choir sing both sacred and secular works dating from the 1950s through to the present, in a programme developed in conjunction with experts from the University of São Paulo’s music department. This collaboration also led to the reconstruction of the rainforest soundtrack that originally accompanied Henrique de Curitiba’s inventive and unusual piece 'Metaphors'. Founded in 1348, Caius College Choir is one of Britain’s leading collegiate choirs and this is their eighth recording on Delphian. Among the accolades they have received, their 2014 release ‘In Praise of St Columba’ (DCD34137) was BBC Music Magazine’s Choral and Song Choice in September 2014, enjoying five weeks in the UK Specialist Classical Chart, as well as five star reviews both at home and abroad.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Organ Works: LISZT, REUBKE, MENDELSSOHN Stephen Cleobury LISZT: Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” MENDELSSOHN: Sonata No.6 in D minor, Op.65, No.6 REUBKE: Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor
Label: Kings College Cambridge File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: KGS0010 Barcode: 822231701026 MID Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Stephen Cleobury [organ]
This album brings together the first ever surround sound recordings of the great Harrison & Harrison organ set within the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. Performing three popular virtuosic works for the organ, Stephen Cleobury, Director of Music at King’s College, demonstrates the power and flexibility of this great instrument. Originally built in the 19th century to replace an earlier instrument, the organ has been modernised several times and is due for a major renovation in 2016. Beginning with Liszt’s dark-hued 'Fantasie und Fuge über den choral Ad nos, ad salutarem undam', this piece is based on a theme from Meyerbeer’s grand opera 'Le Prophète'. Julius Reubke’s magnificently gothic 'Organ Sonata' on the 94th Psalm explores the theme of judgement. Considered one of the pinnacles of Romantic repertoire, and thought to have been inspired by Liszt’s 'Fantasie und Fuge über den choral', this piece is a test of both the organ’s versatility and the player’s pedal technique. The album concludes with Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata No. 6 in D minor. Based on Bach’s chorale 'Vater unser im Himmelreich', this piece demonstrates Mendelssohn’s consummate mastery of organ textures. The release will be accompanied by an extensive international press and marketing campaign. Advertising: Choir and Organ May/ June edition Cathedral Music Magazine May edition Church Music Quarterly June edition Church Times newspaper (1st May for one week) Church of Scotland Life & Work magazine (May issue) John Hill Memorial Series programme POSTERS AVAILABLE
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
BACH: Piano Concertos Martha Argerich and friends Concerto in D major, BWV1054 Concerto in A major, BWV1055 Concerto in F minor, BWV1056 Concerto in G minor, BWV1058 Concerto in C major for two keyboards, BWV1061 Concerto in C minor for two keyboards, BWV1062 Concerto in D minor for three keyboards, BWV1063 Concerto in C major for three keyboards, BWV1064 Concerto in A minor for four keyboards, BWV1065
Label: Bel Air Classiques File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: BAC115 Barcode: 3760115301153 2 FOR 1 Price Format: 2 DVD Martha Argerich, Nicholas Angelich, Frank Braley, Khatia Buniatishvili, Gvantsa Buniatishvili, Michel Dalberto, David Fray, Nelson Goerner, David Kadouch, Stephen Kovacevich, Dong-Hyek Lim, Gabriela Montero, Akane Sakai, Mauricio Vallina, Lilya Zilberstein, pianos Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Live HD recording: Salle Pleyel (Paris), 21 & 22 oct. 2013
The great Martha Argerich and the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne leads a team of talented pianists from all around the world. These major figures and young soloists at the edge of a promising career are gathered to glorify Bach. These piano concertos are ideal for many combinations: one, two, three or even four pianists. This brilliant formation includes amongst others Nicholas Angelich and Frank Braley, the gifted Michel Dalberto and Nelson Goerner, the classic”master Kovacevich, the great Russian pianist Lilya Zilberstein, the South Korean Dong-Hyek Lim as well as the talented David Kadouch DOUBLE DVD Running time: 175 min. 2 DVD9, colour 16/9, NTSC Sound: PCM Stéréo, Dolby Digital 5.1
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concertos 1-5 Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Christian Zacharias For the past 15 years, the destiny of Christian Zacharias has been linked to that of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, of which he is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Director from 2000 to 2013. This has resulted in invitations to the most prestigious venues and numerous recordings. Christian Zacharias’s career has been crowned with numerous distinctions: he was named Artist of the Year at Cannes MIDEM in 2007 and received the rank of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters in 2010. In these 2-DVD edition is a wonderful version of the 5 piano concertos by Beethoven with Lausanne Chamber Orchestra filmed in the Salle Métropole in Lausanne.
Label: Bel Air Classiques File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: BAC114 Barcode: 3760115301146 2 FOR 1 Price Format: 2 DVD Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Christian Zacharias [direction, piano] Live HD recording: Salle Métropole (Lausanne), 10/2012 & 05/2013
BONUS: “From B for Beethoven to Z for Zacharias” (52 min.). Portrait of pianist-conductor Christian Zacharias: chatty and sparkling with intelligence, the charismatic maestro reveals himself as never before in this bonus bodocumentary. DOUBLE DVD Running time: 245 min. (concerts: 193 min. & bonus: 52 min.) Booklet: FR / ENGL 2 DVD9, colour, 16/9, NTSC Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles (bonus) : ENGL
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
SCHOENBERG: Pierrot Lunaire + Solar Plexus of Modernism – A Documentary by Matthias Leutzendorff
Mitsuko Uchida Barbara Sukowa
Label: Belvedere File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: BVD10130 Barcode: 4280000101303 NORMAL Price Format: 1 DVD Packaging: long box Mitsuko Uchida [piano] Barbara Sukowa [Sprechgesang] Marina Piccinini [flute] Anthony McGill [clarinet] Mark Steinberg [violin] Clemens Hagen [cello] Special Interview Partners: Nuria Schoenberg Nono, Lawrence Schoenberg
The 2011 Salzburg Festival hosted pianist Mitsuko Uchida, actress Barbara Sukowa, and a hand-picked international ensemble, who performed Schoenberg's 'Pierrot Lunaire' for its centennial with exemplary energy and finesse, acclaimed as a real occasion by audience and critics alike. Along with the live concert recording, a documentary film was made during the rehearsals at Schloss Elmau in Salzburg on the work’s historical, contextual and musical exegesis. Mitsuko Uchida and the other musicians speak of the eclectic scoring for their instruments and the great emotions they constantly encountered during the performance, while Nuria Schoenberg Nono and Lawrence Schoenberg present a variety of original materials from the time when 'Pierrot' was written, retelling how Schönberg was commissioned to compose it in 1912 by elocutionist Albertine Zehme of Berlin. Schoenberg’s now-famous expressive device of Sprechgesang and specific instrumentation for each poem characterises the 21 poems in previously unimaginable splendour. "A good performance needs to have heart and spirit, and that is what we try to achieve. The piano should sing and the voice should speak. I should also play the piano in a way that doesn’t sound like piano. I have to sound like the flute, the violin and so on. Everybody melts into one". Mitsuko Uchida 1 DVD: Concert 39’32’’, Documentary 52’ Sound: 5.1 Dolby Digital Language: English and German Picture Format: 16:9 Subtitles: English and German DVD 5, Region: 0/NT
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Les Grandes Répétitions: Stockhausen & Varèse Films by Luc Ferrari & Gérard Patris Karlheinz Stockhausen: Momente (1965, 45 minutes) Martina Arroyo [soprano] Alfons & Aloys Kontarsky [electric organs], Choir & Orchestra of the Westdeutsche Rundfunk, Karlheinz Stockhausen [conducted] Hommage à Edgard Varèse (1965, 66 minutes) Domaine Musicale Orchestra, Bruno Maderna [conductor] Ensemble Instrumentale de Musique Contemporaine de Paris, Konstantin Simonovic [conductor]
Label: Mode Records File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: mode276dvd Barcode: 764593027690 NORMAL Price Format: 1 DVD Packaging: long box
Between 1965-68, the composer Luc Ferrari collaborated with director Gérard Patris on a series of filmed intimate portraits of great musicians, 'Les Grandes Répétitions' (The Great Rehearsals). Created for the ORTF, and encouraged by its director Pierre Schaeffer, these remarkable films were shown on French TV. They are remarkable not only for their exceptional content, but also for the creative camera work, including dynamic hand-held shots and croppings, and the juxtaposition of music and talk. Mode has selected two of these films, on Karlheinz Stockhausen and Edgard Varèse, for this DVD. It is the first time these films have been released outside of France, and the first time they have been issued with English subtitles — prepared especially for this Mode release. Karlheinz Stockhausen: 'Momente' is an extraordinary document. Recorded during rehearsals for the premiere of his monumental work 'Momente' (scored for soprano solo, 2 choirs, orchestra and 2 electric organs) in Cologne, Stockhausen discusses the genesis and meaning of this work dedicated to his wife. The film’s rehearsal sequences, with Stockhausen as conductor, are a revelation as he works out details with the soprano Martina Arroyo, the choir and orchestra. The musical sections are intercut with footage of Stockhausen speaking — often as the camera follows him around the studio — capturing his youthful energy and charisma. 'Hommage à Edgard Varèse' (1965, nb, 66 ') is a tribute to Varèse, who unfortunately died a few days before filming began. Iannis Xenakis, Olivier Messiaen, Herman Scherchen, André Jolivet, Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Boulez, Konstantin Simonovic, Ferdnand Ouellette and Marcel Duchamp speak of the personality and work of this 'musical architect'. Varèse’s voice is also heard. A complete performance of Varèse’s percussion ensemble classic 'Ionisation' is shown (Simonovic conducting), and Bruno Maderna directs a rehearsal of 'Deserts'. Region 0, NTSC, Aspect Ratio 4:3 Black & White Duration: 111 minutes, PCM Mono In French & German with English subtitles
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Roger REYNOLDS: Complete Cello Works Alexis Descharmes Roger Reynolds Thoughts, Places, Dreams for cello & chamber orchestra / Ensemble Court-circuit, Jean Deroyer [conductor] Focus a beam, emptied of thinking, outward... for cello solo Process and Passion for Violin, Cello & Computer processed sound / with Nicolas Miribel [violin] A Crimson Path for cello & piano / with Sébastien Vichard [piano] imagE/cello & imAge/cello for cello solo Colombi Daydream for cello solo
Label: Mode Records File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: MODE277/78 Barcode: 764593027720 NORMAL Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: cristal Alexis Descharmes [cello] Roger Reynolds [speaker] Ensemble Court-circuit / Jean Deroyer Nicolas Miribel [violin] Sébastien Vichard [piano] [and other artists
This first complete recording of Roger Reynolds’ cello works is being released to celebrate the composer’s 80th birthday. This special 2-CD set contains many first recordings. French cellist Alexis Descharmes and Reynolds have a close artistic relationship which led to this composer-supervised set. Alexis Descharmes is an internationally regarded musician and specialist in contemporary music. He has worked with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Alternance and Ensemble Court-circuit and collaborates regularly with IRCAM. Dedicatee of some 50 contemporary works, concertante and solo alike, Alexis Descharmes’ discography consists of 20 recordings. He is joined here by leading French musicians and the Ensemble Court-circuit. The works are interspersed with Roger Reynolds’ effective recitations from texts which influenced the composition of the pieces. Works for cello solo, cello & piano, cello & violin and cello & ensemble are featured. Liner notes by Reynolds and Descharmes. Also by Roger Reynolds on Mode Records: mode183 Whispers Out of Time – orchestral works mode212 Epigram and Evolution: Complete Piano Works mode232dvd Sanctuary for percussion ensemble & live electronics. “Schick fingers each gesture with targeted precision and delicacy, like phrasing the chromatic tumble of a Schubert slow movement.” Philip Clark, Gramophone, January 2012
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
HENZE: Symphonies 1-10 Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin Marek Janowski “a milestone of the Henze discography” (Neue Züricher Zeitung) The box includes: CD 1: Symphonies 7 & 8 [WER 67212] CD 2: Sinfonia N. 9 [WER 67222] CD 3: Symphonies 3-5 [WER 67232] CD 4: Symphonies 1 & 6 [WER 67242] CD 5: Symphonies 2 & 10 [WER 67252]
Label: Wergo File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: WER6959-2 Barcode: 4010228695922 NORMAL Price Format: 5 CD Packaging: box set Rundfunkchor Berlin Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin Marek Janowski [conductor]
In recent years, five CDs with the symphonies of Hans Werner Henze have been released on Wergo – all recorded by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. The CDs have consistently been well-received and in addition, Marek Janowski was awarded an honorary prize for his Henze recordings from the German Record Critics' Award in 2014: “[as] an educator of orchestras by grace, an uncompromising fighter for quality”. Now Wergo presents these outstanding recordings in a 5-CD box. "By the end of the 1960s Hans Werner Henze had composed six symphonies, but in the four decades since he has completed just four more. Fifteen years separated the Sixth and Seventh, a period in which Henze's music underwent a radical change of direction. The agit-prop works of the 1960s and early 70s were followed by music that was less concerned with trying to change the world; it was more introspective and couched in a language that was less brash and expressionist. In many ways, these two works are the finest orchestral examples of this later style, and the Seventh is arguably the most successful of all his symphonies, a substantial work on a classical, four-movement plan, inspired by the life and poetry of Hölderlin. This performance under Marek Janowski makes its ripe language very potent, with the finale in particular an epilogue of almost Mahlerian destructive intensity. The Eighth, inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a slighter, lighter work, but balances the Seventh perfectly in this rewarding coupling." Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 24 October 2008
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Géza Anda: The Telefunken Years Berlin 1950-51
Géza Anda SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9, Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 J.S.BACH: Partita No. 2 in C minor HAYDN: Piano Sonata in F major Hob. XVI: 23 MOZART: Piano Sonata in D major K. 576
Label: Audite File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: AUDITE95720 Barcode: 4022143957207 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Géza Anda [piano]
This fifth Audite release featuring the Swiss-Hungarian pianist, presents Géza Anda’s Telefunken recordings of 1950 and 1951, re-mastered for the first time, closing the last major gap in his discography. In works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Schumann, Anda's recordings are characterised by a distinctive balance of spontaneity and intellectual control, incisive poetry and brilliant technique. Chronologically, the Telefunken recordings are positioned between Anda’s first recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and the later recordings for Columbia and DG. They document the pianist’s transition from brilliant virtuoso to sophisticated musician. Comprising Robert Schumann’s Carnaval Op. 9 and his Symphonic Etudes Op. 13, the Telefunken recordings represent two important pillars of Anda’s repertoire. However, they also contain three works which he played only rarely: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV826, Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in F major, Hob. XVI/23, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s last Piano Sonata in D major, K576. The recording of the Mozart sonata is a particular rarity and treasure as it is the only recording of Anda, the great Mozart interpreter, documenting a performance of a Mozart work for solo piano.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
80 years of the Orchestre National de France An 80-year adventure, historic concerts, with illustrious conductors and soloists: the perfect occasion for the Orchestre National de France to trace its magnificent history since its creation in 1934. With this album of 8 CDs, assembling ten hours of music, Radio France, in collaboration with the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel, presents some of the memorable concerts that have forged the reputation of the Orchestre National. A memento, in sum, of live broadcasts and stage performances, in exceptional sound, thanks to meticulous restoration and re-mastering in high audio resolution of these hitherto unreleased radio archives. This edition offers all listeners a chance to enjoy or rediscover the unique colour and exceptional temperament of the Orchestre National at every stage of its existence.
Label: Radio France File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: FRF020-27 Barcode: 3149028063325 BUDGET Price Format: 8 CD Packaging: box set
Artists include: Martha ARGERICH, Cathy BERBERIAN, Pierre BERNAC, Régine CRESPIN, Denise DUVAL, Christian FERRAS, Dietrich FISCHER-DIESKAU, Marilyn HORNE, Yvonne LORIOD, Victoria de LOS ANGELES, Isaac STERN, Yo-Yo MA, Claudio ABBADO, Leonard BERNSTEIN, Sergiu CELIBIDACHE, André CLUYTENS, Charles DUTOIT, Roger DÉSORMIÈRE, Lukas FOSS, Daniele GATTI, Jascha HORENSTEIN, Eugen JOCHUM, Paul KLETZKI, Désiré INGHELBRECHT, Eugene ORMANDY, Seiji OZAWA, Josef KRIPS, Jean MARTINON, Charles MUNCH, Kurt MASUR, Riccardo MUTI, Paul PARAY, Georges PRÊTRE, Manuel ROSENTHAL, Carl SCHURICHT Full track listing available on request
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
BACH: The Art of Fugue BWV1080 [catalogue cd 2015]
André Isoir Some 275 years after it was written, The Art of Fugue still stands as a model of rare compositional mastery. Moreover, it still has the power to move us, and like all great classics, it has been an object of fascination throughout its history: originally for the complexity of its ‘orgies of counterpoint’; a century later for the deference it inspired as a model; today because its incomplete state means total perfection is unattainable, however close. André Isoir’s classic, which has been out of the catalogue since 2010, combines technical perfection with a deeply reflective approach. His interpretation is transcended by a rhythmic impetus, a dynamism, a splendour of touch that are quite simply staggering.
Label: La Dolce Volta File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: LDV200 Barcode: 3770001901664 MID Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack André Isoir [Gerhard-Grenzig organ, Saint-Cyprien en Périgord]
LA DOLCE VOLTA CATALOGUE CD THE CLASSIC ANDRÉ ISOIR RECORDING, 100% REMASTERED 44-PAGE COLOUR BOOKLET WITH FULL DETAILS OF ORGAN REGISTRATION 40-PAGE FULL COLOUR LA DOLCE VOLTA CATALOGUE “The playing is immaculate and truly musical, beautifully phrased and neatly articulated. As a result of much study, André Isoir has re-assessed the order in which the fugues might be performed, coming up with a version which many will find musically surprising even if musicologically logical. If you do not possess a performance, there is probably no need to look any further.” Organist’s Review “The organ of Saint-Cyprien en Périgord has a deep, mysterious, yet appreciably clear complex of sonorities that seem exactly right for this musical puzzle, and Isoir wrings playing of marvelous discipline and freedom from it.” IRR
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 8 Op. 65 SCRIABIN: Le Poème de l'Extase Op. 54 Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Yevgeny Mravinsky Shostakovich's Symphony No.8 was written in the summer of 1943, and first performed in November of that year by the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky, to whom the work is dedicated. Many scholars have ranked it among the composer's finest scores. Some also say Shostakovich intended the work as a "tragedy to triumph" symphony, in the tradition of Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler. This release in Praga's Reminiscences series of audiophile SACD remasterings features an historic live recording from 1961 featuring Mravinsky leading the Leningrad Philharmonic.
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: DSD350120 Barcode: 3149028039320 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Yevgeny Mravinsky
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Dinu Lipatti: The definitive programme Dinu Lipatti Philharmonia Orchestra Lucerne Festival Orchestra Herbert von Karajan MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 21 K467 SCHUBERT: Impromptus Op. 90, Nos 2 & 3 D899 SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto Op. 54 LISZT: Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104 RAVEL: Alborada del Gracioso
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: DSD350088 Barcode: 3149028028522 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Dinu Lipatti [piano] Philharmonia Orchestra Lucerne Festival Orchestra Herbert von Karajan
Dinu Lipatti is a unique figure in the pantheon of pianists. His international fame is almost exclusively due to the widespread distribution of a recorded production that was, according to the words of his producer Walter Legge, “small in output but of the purest gold.� He was not only a miraculous Chopin interpreter, but also an exceptional soloist, here in partnership with Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia and Lucerne Festival Orchestras. The legendary 'Alborada' is the result of a single recording take as Lipatti's terminal illness took hold. It is widely considered to be the best with only Gilels a close second.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Cantar de Amor Juan Hidalgo and 17th-century Spain
Accademia del Piacere / Fahmi Alqhai FALCONIERI: Passacalle a tre, Ciaccona a tre, MARIN: No piense Menguilla ya HIDALGO: Trompicávalas Amor, La noche tenebrosa, Esperar, sentir, morir, Ay, que me río de Amor, Ay amor, ay ausencia, Rompa el aire en suspiros, GUERAU: Marionas ROMERO: Ay, que me muero de zelos, Romerico florido SANZ / Fahmi Alqhai: Pavana, SANZ: Passacalle sobre la D
Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: GCDP33204 Barcode: 8424562332041 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Juan Sancho [tenor] Accademia del Piacere: Rami Alqhai, Johanna Rose [violas da gamba] Enrike Solinís [Baroque guitar & archlute] Javier Núñez [harpsichord] Pedro Estevan [percussion] Fahmi Alqhai [viola da gamba & direction]
For 'Cantar de Amor', Fahmi Alqhai and Accademia del Piacere are joined by their fellow Andalusian, the tenor Juan Sancho (well-received in operatic roles), in an impressive new survey of 17th-century Spanish dramatic songs depicting the trials of love. Many of the tonos on this [third] disc for Glossa were composed by Juan Hidalgo, the foremost musical figure 400 years ago, who worked with Pedro Calderón de la Barca in producing a wide variety of works for musical theatre. Despite many works being lost in a disastrous fire in Madrid in 1734, Sancho and Accademia del Piacere have been able to gather together an excellent array of surviving canciones to express the vibrancy and torments of love in the Spanish theatrical manner. Fahmi Alqhai and his instrumental colleagues also provide vital renditions of marionas, chaconas and passacalles in order to delve into the musical spirit of a Spain when few cultural influences were entering the country from elsewhere. Juan Ramón Lara pens a contemporary view of the importance in the era of Hidalgo and fellow composers such as Mateo Romero and José Marín; a golden artistic age at a time of impending financial crisis. ALSO AVAILABLE: GCDP33202 A Piacere / Fahmi Alqhai, Accademia del Piacere “[an] extraordinary disc … Les Pleurs, the baseline of gamba repertoire, is as accomplished a performance as you could expect, confirming Alqhai as a master of the instrument.” Caroline Gill, Gramophone – May 2014 “The viola da gamba’s reputation for sober restraint is here laid to rest...Alqhai cannot resist sexing up Gaspar Sanz and even Rameau, adding exotic percussion here, jazzy double bass pizzicatos there. It does the music no harm at all.” Sunday Times, April 2014 GCDP33201 Cabanilles Rediscovering Spain; Fantasias, Diferencias & Glosas / Accamia sel Piacere, Fahmi Alqhai “This selection of toe-tapping instrumental music alternating with songs featuring the character voice of Raquel Andueza captures perfectly the essence of Spain… it is a stunning and utterly convincing triumph.” D James Ross – Early Music Review – August 2013
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
The Cello in Spain Boccherini and other 18th-century virtuosi
Josetxu Obregón La Ritirata BOCCHERINI: Cello Sonata in C major PAGANELLI: Sonata in A minor DUPORT: Cello Sonata in D major ANONYMOUS (late 18th C): Adagio from Manuscrito de Barcelona PORRETTI: Cello Concerto in G major SUPRIANO: Toccata prima in G major for cello solo VIDAL: Duetto-Andante ZAYAS: Última lección in B flat major BOCCHERINI: Fandango from Guitar Quintet in D major
Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: GCD923103 Barcode: 8424562231030 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Josetxu Obregón [cello and direction] La Ritirata: Daniel Oyarzabal [harpsichord & organ] Diana Vinagre [cello] Enrike Solinís [Baroque guitar & archlute] Daniel Zapico [theorbo] Sara Águeda [harp] Lina Tur Bonet & Miren Zeberio [violins] Daniel Lorenzo [viola] Michel Frechina [double bass] David Chupete [castanets]
Josetxu Obregón and La Ritirata bring us an update on 18th-century cello music and performance in Spain with their latest Glossa CD. The selection made by this exciting cellist provides a sample of pieces which would have been heard in Spain during the infancy of the instrument and in the period leading into the Age of the Enlightenment. Such was the popularity of the cello many composers and virtuosi came from elsewhere to perform, either passing through Spain or settling there for life, as did Luigi Boccherini and Domingo Porretti (a cello concerto from the latter is performed here). Obregón’s vivid advocacy –matched by scholar José Carlos Gonsálvez in his accompanying booklet – reaches out to the first native cello school, with music from Pablo Vidal and José Zayas and many of these pieces here are recorded for the first time. As well as a captivating sonata from Jean-Pierre Duport (dedicated to the Duke of Alba after the French cellist’s visit to Madrid), we are also treated to a new reading of Boccherini’s evocative 'Fandango', drawn from the Guitar Quintet in D, complete with castanets! La Ritirata’s choices of instruments and performing styles admirably match the demands of music ranging from the Baroque to the Classical and this new disc paves the way for a broader exploration of the presence of the cello in the group’s home country.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
VELLARD: Cantica Sacra Ensemble Gilles Binchois Dominique Vellard CD1: Requiem: Introït, Kyrie, Graduel, Offertoire, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Communion, In paradisum, Lamentatio: Leçon du Jeudi Saint, Miserere: Psaume 50 CD2: Les Béatitudes, Cantique 1: Prélude 1, Veni, dilecta mea, Prélude 2, Surge, amica mea, Prélude 3, Egredimini, filiæ Sion, Fantaisie pour 3 violes, Cantique 2: Quam pulchra es, Intermède, Anima mea, Magnificat
Label: Evidence Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: EVCD009 Barcode: 3149028068320 MID Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Ensemble Gilles Binchois Dominique Vellard
Dominique Vellard's compositions are rooted in his regular practice of sacred repertoire and the pieces he has chosen to set to music are, as for his first CD, 'Vox nostra resonet', released on Glossa in 2007, essential works of the liturgical repertoire. It is, of course, the voice that is of prime importance in these compositions: men's voices take the role of traditional chantres, or cantors; women's voices having a more peaceful role or, joining with the five men's voices and thereby expanding the sound palette, colouring it with rich harmonics. Dominique Vellard's writing, aside from the solo monodic parts, is always contrapuntal, this style of composition being entrenched in him owing to his familiarity with great Mediaeval and Renaissance repertoire. Furthermore, his concern for clarity of the discourse incites him to use a natural, clear prosody. To this liturgical material he has added two suites of short motets for solo voice and viols on the text of The Song of Songs, as well as the magnificent text of the 'Beatitudes' for two women's voices. In concert, these pieces are meant to create a dialogue with early repertoire, leading the listener to perceive the newness and originality of this writing at the same time as its belonging to a long musical tradition. Since 1979 Dominique Vellard has been the inspirational driving force behind the Ensemble Gilles Binchois – nearly three decades of research and performance that have led to the creation of some of the essential recordings in the catalogue, especially of music from the Medieval and early Renaissance periods.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Populaires popular songs by Hahn, Respighi, Brahms, Canteloube, Ravel
Amel Brahim-Djelloul HAHN: Venezia, RESPIGHI: Quattro arie scozzesi - When the kye come hame, Within a mile of Edinburgh, My heart's in the Highlands, The Piper of Dundee COLLET: Serenata, Cancion para Niños, Bolero, Cancion de Novia, Epitalamio, Cancion de Baile, BRAHMS: Volkslieder - Da unten im Tale, Die Trauernde, Dem gang zum Liebchen, In stiller Nacht CANTELOUBE: Chants d'Auvergne - La pastoura als camps, Postouro, sé tu m'aymo, Pastourelle, Lou Bossu RAVEL: Mélodies populaires grecques - Le réveil de la mariée, Là-bas, vers l’église, Quel galant m’est comparable, Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques, Tout gai! GURIDI: Canciones castellanas - Allá arriba en aquella montaña, ¡Sereno! Llámale con el pañuelo, Mañanita de San Juan
Label: Eloquentia File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: EL1548 Barcode: 3760107400482 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Amel Brahim-Djelloul [soprano] Nicolas Jouve [piano]
"Art songs: settings of texts from the folk songs, in this case settings of texts that have come down to us through generations of oral transmission, before being finally collected and written down. Attractive in their simplicity and timelessness, such texts have provided a rich source of inspiration for many 'classical' composers, who have given them a different lease of life and fixed them, like photographs, in their own time. We decided to include some familiar songs, splendid examples of the work of Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Reynaldo Hahn and Joseph Canteloube, but we felt that it was important too for there to be an element of rediscovery, and therefore to get away from the very well-known pieces that tend to overshadow the rest of the repertoire. Thus, for Spanish art songs, for instance, we chose not to include Manuel de Falla, generally the obvious choice, but to turn instead to Jesús Guridi and Henri Collet, and their fine 'Canciones castellanas' and 'Siete canciones populares de Burgos y Cinco conciones populares castellanas', respectively, which are unjustly neglected. For Italy, we chose Ottorino Respighi’s rich but little-known 'Quattro arie scozzesi', settings of four Scottish songs – rarities that we are pleased to have recorded here. This programme is the result of four years of preparation and concerts. We sincerely hope that it will bring the listener as much pleasure and emotion as it has brought (and continues to bring) us." Nicolas Jouve
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Aashenayi 16th century Ottoman monody
Canticum Novum Emmanuel Bardon
Label: Ambronay File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: AMY043 Barcode: 3760135100439 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Canticum Novum Emmanuel Bardon
Como ponden Rast nakis beste Morenica Dar Dâmané Sharâ Sareri hovin mernem Der makam-l "Uzzal Sakil Tu m a" NorTsaghik Begun benim efkârim var La comida de la manana & Khan delawar khan Durme, hermoza donzella Saqi ba khoda Sirto Offondo do mar tan chao A spellbinding musical encounter from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent. Canticum Novum reveals the rich legacy of 16th-century monophonic songs from the frontiers between Europe and the Middle East, unfolding them in a series of dazzling improvisations like so many variations on this meeting of peoples. Canticum Novum is based in the Loire department in France and has been resident at the Opera Theatre de Saint-Etienne since 2007. The ensemble was founded by Emmanuel Bardon in 1996.
ALSO AVAILABLE: AMY033 Paz, Salam & Shalom "The arrangements are lively and infectious. The Sefardi songs are often full of longing and regret...This is rather an enchanting disc. You might be put off by the flowery language of the CD booklet, but the performances are thoughtful and engaging." Robert Hugill musicweb-international.com
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
The Cello in Baroque Italy Roel Dieltiens Konrad Jungh채nel Robert Kohnen CD1: The Beginnings Domenico GABRIELI: Sonata in G minor, Sonata in A major Benedetto MARCELLO: Sonata in G minor, Op. 2, no. 4 Giovanni Battista BONONCINI: Sonata in A minor for two violoncellos Alessandro SCARLATTI: Sonata in D minor Willem de FESCH: Sonata in A minor, Op. 13, no. 6
Label: Accent Records File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: ACC24304 Barcode: 4015023243040 MID Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Roel Dieltiens [cello] Richte van der Meer [cello] Anthony Woodrow [double bass] Konrad Jungh채nel [theorbo] Robert Kohnen [harpsichord & organ]
CD2: The Flowering Antonio VIVALDI: Sonata in E minor RV 40 Francesco GEMINIANI: Sonata No. 6 in A minor Antonio VIVALDI: Sonata in B flat major RV 46 Francesco GEMINIANI: Sonata No. 3 in C major, Sonata No. 2 in D minor Antonio VIVALDI: Sonata in G minor RV 42 Compared to the development of the violin, it is surprising that the cello took so long to establish itself as a solo instrument. Already by the mid-sixteenth century, the violoncello doubtless existed as the bass member of the violin family, but it was only used for accompanying purposes over a long period of time: the large, deep violone was difficult to play, whereas the smaller violoncino was easier to handle but had no genuine depth. It was only around 1660 that a compromise solution was found: the violoncino was given a bass string made of gut and entwined with silver that could be played in either a virtuosic manner or with a rich, full tone. Bologna was where this development originated, and it is therefore no wonder that the first composers for the cello were Italian. The first CD of this anthology, then, presents the origins of the solo literature for violoncello written by Domenico Gabrielli; works by the next generation of composers surrounding Bononcini - Benedetto Marcello and de Fesch - then spread the fame of the cello throughout Europe. The second CD is dedicated to the heyday of the cello in Italy with three violoncello sonatas each by Francesco Geminiani and Antonio Vivaldi. These pieces were composed about a half century after Gabrielli's first cello sonata, forming a culmination in the baroque cello literature before the Rococo style found its way into the violoncello repertoire beginning in about 1750 - with considerably more artificial and virtuoso bravura sonatas. recorded 1990-91
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Johann Abraham SCHMIERER: Zodiaci Musici Orchestral Suites 1-6
Ensemble Tourbillon Petr Wagner There are few composers who have vanished from music history to the extent of Johann Abraham Schmierer. We know very little about this composer’s origins, education, career and life journey. Some listeners, during or after hearing this recording, may well wonder why this music – despite its undeniable qualities and relatively early publication (already in 1902 in the tenth volume of Denkmäler Deutscher Tonkunst) – has not been recorded earlier. One reason is surely the fragmentary character of the collection, for six suites are obviously missing. The main reason why his music was ignored for so long, however, was most probably the composer’s name. Even an unbiased musicologist, interpreter or music lover who stumbles across his name ('Schmierer' is German for 'scribbler') may instinctively ask “Can a composer with such a name manage to write good music?” Now, thanks to Petr Wagner and his Ensemble Tourbillon anyone can hear for himself than he can indeed do so!
Label: Accent Records File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: ACC24294 Barcode: 4015023242944 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Ensemble Tourbillon Petr Wagner [viola da gamba & direction]
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Eros and Thanatos Renaissance Love Songs by Juan del Enzina & Plainchant for the Dead
Ken Zuckerman chant 1450
Label: Christophorus File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: CHR77397 Barcode: 4010072773975 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Ken Zuckerman [indian sarod] chant 1450
Nocturno I Antiphon Dirige Domine · Sarod I, Antiphon Convertere Domine · Juan del ENZINA Pues que jamas olvidaros, Antiphon Nequando rapiat ut leo · Sarod II, Sarod III Dansa desiderans (composed by Ken Zuckerman) Juan del ENZINA Mi libertad en sosiego, Responsorium Credo quod redemptor, Sarod IV Qui Lazarum resuscitasti Prelude, Responsorium Qui Lazarum resuscitasti, Juan del ENZINA Los sospiros no sosiegan, Responsorium Domine quando veneris Nocturno II Antiphon In loco pascuae · Juan del Enzina Non quiero que me consienta, Antiphon Delicta iuventutis · Sarod V, Antiphon Credo videre · Juan del Enzina Mortal tristura me dieron, Sarod VI Esperanza (composed by Ken Zuckerman), Juan del ENZINA Quédate, carillo, adiós, Responsorium Memento mei Deus, Sarod VII Hei mihi Prelude, Responsorium Hei mihi, Juan del ENZINA Razón que fuerça no quiere, Responsorium Ne recorderis Eros and Thanatos, the Greek gods of covetous love and gentle death, are symbols of this programme from chant 1450. The ensemble sings the chants of the nocturnal matins from the Gregorian Liturgy of the Hours, reading from a 16th-century manuscript in the Cathedral of Toledo. Unexpected components are integrated into the rigid structure of the liturgy: in place of the long Psalms and readings sung on a single recitation tone, we hear four-part love songs by the Spanish poet and composer Juan del Enzina (1468-1529). Both in their content and polyphonic texture, they provide a counterpoint to the monodic funeral liturgy. In between these songs and sometimes simultaneously with them, Ken Zuckerman improvises on the sarod, a traditional Indian instrument. With its bright sound and the entire weight of the North Indian musical language behind it, the sarod lends the programme a surprising colour. It reveals a close proximity to Gregorian chant with its fundamental structure based on fixed scales, however, harmoniously joining in with the songs, filling gaps and creating smooth transitions. In this way, the love songs and Indian instrumental music respond to the austere Thanatos Gregorian chants with the power of life, allowing Eros to shine.
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Carolus HACQUART: Suites for viol Op. 3 1686, Nos. 6, 8-12 Guido Balestracci Carolus (Carel) Hacquart is one of the most important composers of the Low Countries of the 17th century. He was born ca. 1640 in Bruges and received his education, comprising Latin and composition as well as viola da gamba, lute and organ, most probably in his native town. Attracted by the growth of musical life of the rich citizens of the United Provinces, he moved with his brother Philip to Amsterdam in the early 1670's where both gained a living as free-lance musicians, giving lessons to members of the local bourgeoisie. The twelve suites by Hacquart constitute an impressive synthesis of the many tendencies of viol composition in the second half of the 17th century. Differing from his Dutch contemporaries who preferred a rather loose sequence of dances, he adopted the classical French arrangement with the four standard dance movements, preceded by a free prelude or fantasy. The sarabandes have ornamented repeats as practiced by French composers of keyboard music, but the typical French agréments are absent. Instead, Hacquart preferred the highly developed diminution art of Dutch and English musicians.
Label: Pan Classics File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: PC10338 Barcode: 7619990103382 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Guido Balestracci (bass viol) Nicola Dal Maso [violone] Rafael Bonavita [archlute] Massimiliano Raschietti [harpsichord & organ]
Also available: PC10250 Arcangelo Corelli – Sonatas for viol Op. 5 Balestracci, Pandolfo, Egüez, Contini, Nasillo
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
Elam ROTEM: Quia Amore Langueo Song of Songs and Dark Biblical Love Tales (Sung in Biblical Hebrew) Motets & dramatic scenes composed in the spirit of early 17th C Italian music Sinfonia a 3, Come with me from Lebanon, Ití miLevanón kaláh, Song of Songs, Gagliarda a 3, The Voice of my Beloved, Kol dodí hineh-zéh bá, Song of Songs 2:8-13, Partita sopra la Rosa, Set me as a Seal upon thine Heart, Siméni chachotám al libécha, Song of Songs 8:6-7, Corrente a 4 & Sonata a 3, I am black, but comely, Shechoráh aní venaváh, Songs of Songs 1:5-7, I sleep, but my Heart waketh, Aní yeshenáh velibí er, Song of Songs 5:2-6:3, Stravaganza Napolitana, Amnon and Tamar, Samuel II13:1-21, Sinfonia a 4 & Gagliarda a 3, I am the Rose of Sharon, Aní chavatzélet ha Sharón, Song of Songs 2:1-5, Samson and Delilah, Sinfonia a 4, Behold, thou art fair, my Love, Hinách yafáh ra’yatí, Song of Songs 4:1-7
Label: Pan Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: PC10321 Barcode: 7619990103214 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Profeti della Quinta: Doron Schleifer [canto primo] David Feldman [canto secondo] Lior Leibovici [alto], Dan Dunkelblum [tenor] Elam Rotem [bass] Katya Polin, Katia Viel [violin] Nathaniel Cox [cornett] Ori Harmelin [chitarrone, baroque guitar] Ryosuke Sakamoto [viola da gamba, chitarrone] Giovanna Baviera [viola da gamba] Elizabeth Rumsey [violone, lirone], Aki Noda [organ] Elam Rotem [harpsichord, organ & direction]
'Quia Amore Langueo' continues the idea behind the 'Rappresentatione di Giuseppe e i suoi Fratelli' (PC10302) of composing new music in the historical musical language of the early Italian Baroque. In so doing, the aim is not to realise a perfect stylistic copy, but to create a new work of art by applying certain practices of Early Music and by approaching the zeitgeist of this epoch. While Giuseppe tells the biblical story of Joseph and his brethren in a manner similar to that of the first operas, this collection presents motets inspired by the more intimate and amorous madrigal genre as well as two pieces in the dramatic style of the genere rappresentativo. The motets set texts from the Song of Songs, while the dramatic scenes depict the dark love tales of Amnon & Tamar (Samuel II), and Samson & Delilah (Judges). The works of Claudio Monteverdi and his lesser known colleague Salomone Rossi, who worked side by side at the Gonzaga court in Mantua, have inspired specific aspects of the present collection. On this recording, too, the singer, harpsichordist and composer Elam Rotem and his Profeti della Quinta succeed in bringing strongly expressive "new Early Music" to life. Through the use of historical musical language and genres, they bring listeners closer to the ancient yet ever relevant emotional power of biblical poetry. Also available: PC10302: Elam Rotam – Rappresentatione di Giuseppe e i suoi Fratelli Elam Rotem, Profeti della Quinta
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
George ONSLOW: String Quartets Quartets Op. 8 Nos 1 & 3, Op. 10 No. 3
Quatuor Ruggieri Nicknamed 'France’s Beethoven', George Onslow, whose life (1784-1853) spanned the First Empire and the Restoration, popularised chamber music in France where hitherto it had been paid little attention. A contemporary of Berlioz and Paganini, Onslow used his influence to foster a musical genre that didn’t see its first performance in Paris until 1814 with the creation of a concert society by his close friend Baillot, the violinist. Among the many hundreds of works he wrote, his string quartets stand out for their originality, at times almost visionary but never less than breathtaking. From his earliest quartets (Opus 8, 9 and 10) on, Onslow displayed his powers of innovation both in subject and form, applying a particularly French style to the music and establishing it alongside the work of Mozart and Beethoven. By contrast, the virtuosity of Onslow’s work was distinctly Parisian in nature and brought an extra and spectacular dimension to its character.
Label: Aparté File Under: Classical/Chamber music Catalogue No: AP105 Barcode: 3149028059724 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Quatuor Ruggieri: Gilone Gaubert - Jacques Charlotte Grattard Delphine Grimbert Emmanuel Jacques
RELEASE DATE 4TH MAY 2015
SCHUBERT: Impromptus 4 Impromptus, D. 899 (Op. 90) 4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. posth.142) Theme (Andante) & variations 1 SCHUBERT/LISZT: Litanei, S562 No. 1 / D343
François Chaplin
Label: Aparté File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: AP101 Barcode: 3149028059328 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack François Chaplin [piano]
"The way into Schubert’s world is full of twists and turns... A lengthy progress towards what I’ve always thought to be the ultimate expression of the lightness of being ... For me, playing Schubert is the culmination of a voyage of self-discovery ... You’re plunged into the same self-doubt, experience the same joy he did. I can find my self in this intimate exchange. Each one of his eight Impromptus is, in its own way, a microcosm of the Schubertian world, an echo of the Vienna that was so dear to him. For me, they are an inner-journey that consumes every waking hour, strips my soul bare and fuses all those hopes and uncertainties into one. I lose myself in them and can see myself more clearly as a result. To me, that’s the very essence of the impromptus: an act of abandonment that calls life itself into question and gives proof to the brilliance of Schubert’s genius in all its intricate and astonishing complexity." François Chaplin ALSO AVAILABLE: EVCD006 Scriabin - Complete Mazurkas "All of these demands....are met beautifully by François Chaplin...Playing the mazurkas on a Yamaha gives Chaplin's sound a rich bloom and offers much in the way of contrasting colours...The rubatos are elegantly managed throughout and his articulation is crisp... breathtakingly delivered" Stephen Pettitt, IRR, March 2015