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available December 2nd 2016, call-off November 18th
DECEMBER 2
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
Mater Ora Filium: Music for Epiphany Clare College Choir / Graham Ross Graham Ross directs the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge in music celebrating the feast of Epiphany, culminating in Arnold Bax’s unaccompanied double-choir masterpiece, 'Mater ora filium' (1926). The feast of Epiphany falls on 6 January, 12 days after Christmas. Marked in the Christian world with the story of the Magi, many composers have been inspired by the account of ‘the three kings’ following the star, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This sequence of music explores some of the greatest musical contributions to the feast, principally from the 16th and 20th centuries. Three great Epiphany hymns frame this sequence, all in new arrangements by Graham Ross, and all here receiving their première recordings. Graham Ross has also written the excellent booklet note and is aided and abetted, again, by John Rutter as producer, engineer and editor.
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: HMU907653 Barcode: 093046765323 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Alexander Porteous | tenor Laurence Harris | baritone Michael Papadopoulos | organ 2, 10-13, 19 Clare College Choir, Graham Ross
1 di LASSO: Omnes de Saba 2 Trad. arr. Ross: O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!* 3 SHEPPARD: Reges Tharsis 4 BYRD: Ecce advenit dominator Dominus 5 PALESTRINA: Tribus miraculis ornatum 6 CLEMENS NON PAPA: Magi veniunt ab oriente 7 MOUTON: Nesciens mater 8 POULENC: Videntes stellam 9 HOWELLS: Long, long ago 10 BINGHAM: Epiphany 11 Trad. arr. Graham Ross: Hail to the Lord’s Anointed!* 12 WARLOCK arr. David Hill: Bethlehem Down 13 WEIR: Illuminare, Jerusalem 14 NILES arr. John Rutter: I wonder as I wander 15 HOWELLS: Here is the little door 16 CORNELIUS arr. Ivor Atkins: The Three Kings 17 Lennox BERKELEY: I sing of a maiden 18 WARLOCK: Benedicamus Domino 19 Trad. arr. Graham Ross: As with gladness men of old* 20 BAX: Mater ora filium *world première recordings ALSO AVAILABLE: HMU907654 Remembrance The choir sings extremely well throughout … This very fine account of the Duruflé Requiem sets the seal on a thoughtfully conceived and expertly performed programme. The Clare College choir is among the finest of the UK’s collegiate choirs and this new release is fully up to the standards we’ve come to expect from them.” John Quinn – MusicWeb International, 27th October 2016 GRAMOPHONE December: 'As the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge continue their recording journey through the church year with their liturgical music series on Harmonia Mundi, Editor Martin Cullingford meets their conductor Graham Ross...' In the same issue Contemporary Composer focus is on John Rutter, whose choral compositions are hugely enjoyed by singers and audiences throughout the world On sale Dec 7.
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
R. STRAUSS: Don Quixote, DVORAK: Symphony No. 8 Yo-Yo Ma As an artist in residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the American cellist Yo-Yo Ma had the opportunity to do what is perhaps the second thing he loves the most after playing: sharing his love of music with others. During his residency, he transformed himself from sensitive teacher to inimitable Bach interpreter to first cello of a major symphony orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma doesn’t fade away into the music, nor does he take a worshipful attitude towards the pieces he performs. From the moment he walks onto the stage, he exudes charisma that immediately confirms his exceptional status as the 'best cellist in the world'. With its ten variations on a theme of knightly character for full orchestra, Richard Strauss’ tone poem 'Don Quixote' not only depicts the colorful adventures of Cervantes' chivalrous hero, but also functions as a virtuoso display of glorious solo melodies embedded in stunning orchestral passages. It is, in a way, a second Strauss cello concerto. Joining 'the Don' later is a viola solo that personifies the faithful Sancho Panza and is played by Wen Xiao Zheng. To those in the know, Jansons’ partnership with the great Munich-based BRSO is one of the most transcendent conductor-orchestra pairings.
Label: Belvedere File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: BVD08023 Barcode: 4260415080233 NORMAL Price Format: 1 DVD Packaging: digipack Yo-Yo Ma [cello] Wen Xiao Zheng [viola] Anton Barakhovsky [violin] Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Mariss Jansons [conductor] Recorded at the Philharmonie am Gasteig, Munich, 2016 Approx. 111 minutes HD, 5.1 surround sound DVD Amaray, NTSC Picture format 16 :9 Region Code: 0 worldwide
They appear at the Barbican Hall on 11th April 2017 in a programme of Russian music. Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character for large orchestra, op. 35 Jules Massenet: Don Quichotte Interlude No. 2 « La Tristesse de Dulcinée » José Elizondo: Danzas Latinoamericanas –Otoño en Buenos Aires Antonín Dvorák: Carnival Overture, op. 92 Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
R. STRAUSS: Don Quixote, DVORAK: Symphony No. 8 Yo-Yo Ma
Label: Belvedere File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: BVD08024 Barcode: 4260415080240 NORMAL Price Format: 1 Blu-ray Packaging: digipack Yo-Yo Ma [cello] Wen Xiao Zheng [viola] Anton Barakhovsky [violin] Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Mariss Jansons [conductor] Recorded at the Philharmonie am Gasteig, Munich, 2016 Approx. 111 minutes Blu-ray DTS-HD Master Audio R.1 LPCM Stereo 1080p High Definition Region Code : worldwide BD 50
As an artist in residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the American cellist Yo-Yo Ma had the opportunity to do what is perhaps the second thing he loves the most after playing: sharing his love of music with others. During his residency, he transformed himself from sensitive teacher to inimitable Bach interpreter to first cello of a major symphony orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma doesn’t fade away into the music, nor does he take a worshipful attitude towards the pieces he performs. From the moment he walks onto the stage, he exudes charisma that immediately confirms his exceptional status as the 'best cellist in the world'. With its ten variations on a theme of knightly character for full orchestra, Richard Strauss’ tone poem 'Don Quixote' not only depicts the colorful adventures of Cervantes' chivalrous hero, but also functions as a virtuoso display of glorious solo melodies embedded in stunning orchestral passages. It is, in a way, a second Strauss cello concerto that can take up with any other late-19th century piece of this kind. Joining 'the Don' later is a viola solo that personifies the faithful Sancho Panza and is played by Wen Xiao Zheng. Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character for large orchestra, op. 35 Jules Massenet: Don Quichotte Interlude No. 2 « La Tristesse de Dulcinée » José Elizondo: Danzas Latinoamericanas –Otoño en Buenos Aires Antonín Dvorák: Carnival Overture, op. 92 Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
Max REGER: Fantasias & Fugues David Goode David Goode continues his series of recordings of the organ works of Max Reger on Signum with a new CD of his Fantasias & Fugues, recorded on the organ of Bath Abbey. The disc includes his Fantasia and Fugue on BACH and the ‘Symphonic’ Fantasia and Fugue.
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: SIGCD476 Barcode: 635212047620 2 FOR 1 Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: cristal David Goode [The Klais organ of Bath Abbey]
CD1: 1 Fantasia and Fugue on B. A. C. H, Op. 46: Fantasia 2 Fantasia and Fugue on B. A. C. H, Op. 46: Fugue 3 Fantasia and Fugue, Op. 135b: Fantasia 4 Fantasia and Fugue, Op. 135b: Fugue CD2: 1 Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, Op. 29: Fantasia 2 Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, Op. 29: Fugue 3 'Symphonic’ Fantasia and Fugue Op. 57: Fantasia 4 ‘Symphonic’ Fantasia and Fugue Op. 57: Fugue Also Available: SIGCD329 Max Reger • Organ Works / David Goode [Organ of Symphony Hall, Birmingham] “Goode meets [Reger’s] challenges, revealing the music in great clarity with the help of the Klais organ…There are some lovely individual moments and sounds achieved “ Organists Review, December 2013 “he remains an astute and highly sympathetic advocate for this music...Through generous use of the swell pedal and warmly cloudy registrations, Goode evokes a style of Bach-playing long abandoned in the interests of historical authenticity without significantly compromising their musical interest.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2014
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
MOZART: Flute & Harp Concerto, Flute Concerto No. 1 Philippe Bernold Emmanuel Ceysson, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris
Label: Aparté File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: AP115 Barcode: 3149028076820 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Philippe Bernold [flute, direction] Emmanuel Ceysson [harp] Orchestre de Chambre de Paris
The Concerto for Flute and Harp is one of the most popular works of the classical musical repertoire (especially the second movement). Some 250 years after its premiere, Philippe Bernold and fantastic harpist Emmanuel Ceysson, principal harpist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, give us an unforgettable version recorded by Nicolas Bartholomée for Aparté which may well become a modern benchmark in this repertoire. Philippe Bernold, also directs from the flute, Concerto K313 and Andante K315 with the Paris Chamber Orchestra with whom he has made three previous recordings. Bernold made some of his earliest recordings as a 'Nouveaux Interprète' on harmonia mundi. With his powerful, virtuoso playing, Emmanuel Ceysson, the ‘enfant terrible’ of the harp, sweeps away all the clichés associated with his instrument. Formerly principal harp at the Bastille, Ceysson won the audition at the Metropolitan Opera for the seat in 2014. Recordings with Naxos, Naïve, Clavès, MDG, and others include solo, concerto, and chamber repertoire, and have won the enthusiasm of the press. 1-3 Concerto for Flute and harp K299 4-6 Flute Concerto No. 1 K313 7 Andante en ut majeur, K. 315 (285e) (cadenza Philippe Bernold) http://www.apartemusic.com/videos/mozart-flute-harp-concerto-philippe-bernold-emmanuel-ceysson/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ilYAuVK_ec “His playing is immaculate, brilliant in its attack and subtle in its range of effect and colouring, with the translucent acoustic allowing his smallest gestures to make their mark.” BBC Music Magazine, Instrumental Choice, January 2013 *****
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
French Music CHAUSSON: Symphonie Op. 20, Poème de l'amour et de la mer Op. 19 DEBUSSY: Printemps - Suite Symphonique
Boston Symphony / Charles Munch Kathleen Ferrier Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: PRD250345 Barcode: 3149028095425 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Boston Symphony / Charles Munch Kathleen Ferrier Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
It was not until 1897, when Artur Nikisch conducted Ernest Chausson’s 'Symphonie', that it was hailed as a masterpiece in Paris, Brussels and Barcelona, on a par with Beethoven’s or Schumann’s symphonies. Sir John Barbirolli was responsible for introducing Kathleen Ferrier to the 'Poeme de l’amour et de la mer', a setting of a poem by Maurice Bouchor, composed between 1882 and 1890. Barbirolli played in the cello section of the orchestra at the work’s London premiere, on 29 May 1919 at Queen’s Hall, conducted by Geoffrey Toye. The recording on this CD comes from a performance in Manchester’s Deansgate in March 1951, and offers Ferrier’s superb account of this masterly score, a work which had obviously come to mean something very personal to her and to Barbirolli. A few days before Kathleen Ferrier died, the conductor visited her in hospital. He was clearly deeply moved on that occasion when she sang the opening of the Chausson (as Barbirolli recalled), "in a voice with all the bloom and tender ache of spring in it...the glory that was hers remained untouched." Munch ushers in the 20th century, declaiming Debussy’s 'Printemps' as a wonderful and sincere tribute to Fauré. 1-3 Chausson Symphony Op. 20, Boston 28/2/1962 4-6 Poème Op.19 BBC transmission of Hallé concert 9/3/1951 7-8 Debussy Printemps Boston 13/5/1962 private acetate 78
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
MOZART: Piano Concertos No. 24 K491, No. 8 K246 Piano Sonata No. 11 K331 'Alla turca', Fantasia in D min K397
Wilhelm Kempff "When he is at his best he plays more beautifully than any of us," Alfred Brendel Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff (1895–1991) was a major German pianist and composer. Although his repertoire included Bach, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Brahms, he was particularly well known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. His Mozart was also memorable as demonstrated on this well-filled Praga Digitals CD of performances from 1960-62.
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: PRD250359 Barcode: 3149028101621 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Wilhelm Kempff [piano] Bamberg Symphoniker [1-3] Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Ferdinand Leitner [7-9]
1-3 Piano Concerto No. 24 K491 4-6 Piano Sonata No. 11 K331 'Alla turca' 7-3 Piano Concerto No. 8 K246 10 Fantasia in D K397 Recorded in Bamberg, April 1960 [K491] Berlin, Ufa Tonstudio, Jan.1961 [K331, 397] Jan 1962 [K246]
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
MARTINU: Violin Concerto No. 2 H293 Serenade No. 2 or Two Violins & Viola, H216 (1932), Toccata e Due Canzoni H311 (1947)
Isabelle Faust Prague Philharmonia Jirí Belohlávek Commentators have so often confined themselves to describing Martinu's music in terms of multiple influences – French music, the 18th-century concerto grosso – that they have tended to forget his own strong personality and his perfect assimilation of Baroque style. The three works presented on this recording display the Czech composer's endless creativity within the framework of a vivid concertante language. CD Review Disc of the Week
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: HMA1951951 Barcode: 3149020195130 BUDGET Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Isabelle Faust [violin] Cédric Tiberghien [piano] Prague Philharmonia Jirí Belohlávek
"Jirí Belohlávek conducts with fiery commitment, and there's super-sensuous playing from the Prague Philharmonia. Isabelle Faust is the expressive soloist in the Second Violin Concerto, while Cédric Tiberghien plays Toccata e Due Canzoni with bags of charm." Tim Ashley, June 13, 2008, The Guardian “The present recording is a near-ideal interpretation of the work. From her very first entry, Isabelle Faust shows a strong feeling for the work’s dramatic ebb and flow, and in the supremely beautiful slow movement achieves heights of eloquence.(…) As in the Concerto, Bělohlávek produces readings that have an exemplary lyricism, reaching a high point in the first Canzona. Excellently recorded, this is an issue to treasure.” Jan Smaczny, BBC Music Magazine, July 08 "music and performance spotlight the splendid engineering that is an unobtrusive delight of this excellent disc. Recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7 Orchestre des Champs-Elysées Philippe Herreweghe 120 years after its premiere at Leipzig (under the baton of Arthur Nikisch), Philippe Herreweghe provided an opportunity to rediscover the Seventh Symphony played on period instruments. This work was the first to bring Bruckner success beyond the borders of Austria and was never subsequently revised. By dedicating his score to Ludwig II of Bavaria, the composer was also relishing a calculated insult to the Viennese press, still resolutely hostile to his music… “a wonderfully flexible account of Bruckner's most lyrical work, with a democratic balance between transparent strings and never-overpowering wind that fits perfectly with Herreweghe's care to keep the music moving and supple at all times.” Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 3 September 2004
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: HMA1951857 Barcode: 3149020185735 BUDGET Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Orchestre des Champs-Elysées Philippe Herreweghe
"A superb performance that glows from within." Andrew Clarke, The Independent, 4-10 September 2004, ***** "a highly successful and persuasive experiment." Anna Picard, The Independent on Sunday, 5 September 2004, 4/5 “the performance is essential listening and argument fodder for Bruckner lovers. This period experiment has wiped away encrusted habits and grime.” Geoff Brown, The Times, 17 September 2004 “for those coming to Bruckner for the first time, this recording has a fresh natural quality which could well make converts.” Martin Cotton, Top 5CDs, BBC Music Magazine, November 2004 “You'll never want to hear Bruckner played any other way again.” Robert Beale, Manchester Evening News, 15 October 2004, *****
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
MENDELSSOHN: Octet Op. 20, Albumblatt Op. 117, Romance sans paroles Op. 109, Variations concertantes Op. 17
Ensemble Explorations, Roel Dieltiens A year before writing the masterly Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, Mendelssohn had already taught his elf and fairy cohorts to fly: in the Scherzo of the Octet op.20, the centrepiece of a work composed in 1825, when its composer was only sixteen! Here, in evanescent, whispering semiquavers, a host of scintillating, fleeting sylphlike figures perform an extraordinary ghostly dance. But that is only one aspect of this dazzling youthful creation, which contains many other treasures. With just four violins, two violas and two cellos, the Octet opens wide the gates to a symphonic world full of promise...
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Chamber music Catalogue No: HMA1951868 Barcode: 3149020186831 BUDGET Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Ensemble Explorations, Roel Dieltiens [cello] Frank Braley [piano]
“this delightful programme helps bring this often underrated composer right back into vogue.” Anthony Holden, The Observer, 15 May 2005 “irresistible” Duncan Druce, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, July 2005 “warm and zestful performances” Robin Stowell, The Strad, July 2005
RELEASE DATE 2ND DECEMBER 2016
MOZART: Lieder & Klavierstücke Werner Güra These songs by Mozart accompanied the events of his life like illustrations in a picture-book: from the departure of a close friend to a meeting of his Masonic Lodge. After their highly personal exploration of the Romantic lied, Werner Güra and Christoph Berner now turn to a less well-known repertoire with this selection of vocal and instrumental works. Die Verschweigung, K518, Das Lied der Trennung, K519, Wie unglücklich bin ich nit K147 Sei du mein Trost, K391, Fantasia in D minor, K397, Lied zur Gesellenreise, K468 Die betrogene Welt, K474, Gigue in G Major, K574, Sehnsucht nach dem Frühlinge, K596 Im Frühlingsanfang, K597, Das Veilchen, K476, Rondo in F major K494, Das Traumbild, K.530, Dans un bois solitaire, K308, Sechs Variationen in G-Dur, K180 ("Mio caro Adone") An Chloë, K524, Die Zufriedenheit, K473, Abendempfindung an Laura, K523
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: HMA1951979 Barcode: 3149020197936 BUDGET Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Werner Güra [tenor] Christophe Berner [fortepiano Streicher]
“Werner Gürna makes real performance art of the slightest ditty. Christoph Berner, on his sweet-toned Streicher fortepiano, is intimately attuned to every nuance.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2008 ****