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, 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 September 18th, call-off September 7th
SEPTEMBER 2015
August Issues out now GRAMOPHONE
EDITOR’S CHOICE BEL AIR CLASSIQUES BAC118 Thierry Escaich Claude Various soloists; Orchestra of the Opera de Lyon; Jeremie Rhorer EDITOR’S CHOICE DELPHIAN DCD34157 Eddie McGuire Entangled Fortunes Red Note Ensemble
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
CONCERTO CHOICE harmonia mundi HMU807573 Vaughan Williams & MacMillan Oboe Concertos Nicholas Daniel; Britten Sinfonia OPERA CHOICE harmonia mundi HMC902212/13 Rameau Castor et Pollux Ensemble Pygmalion/Raphael Pichon CHORAL & SONG CHOICE Signum SIGCD408 In the midst of life/Baldwin Partbooks Contrapunctus/Owen Rees INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE Wigmore Hall Live WHLIVE0076/2 Mozart Piano Sonatas Nos 6, 12, 14 &16; Fantasia in C minor, K457 Christian Blackshaw (piano)
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Le Concert Royal de la Nuit Louis XIV 1715-2015 Celebration, Special Edition
Ensemble Correspondances Sébastien Daucé Jean de CAMBEFORT Antoine BOESSET Louis CONSTANTIN Michel LAMBERT Francesco CAVALLI Luigi ROSSI ANON
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: HMC952223/24 Barcode: 3149020222379 MID Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: cd book Ensemble Correspondances Sébastien Daucé
In late February 1653, just after the Fronde rebellion, the most influential spectacle of the early reign of Louis XIV was created at the Louvre: the Ballet Royal de la Nuit. Grandiose, and carefully elaborated at the highest levels of the state, the libretto by Bensérade called upon the finest artists of the time. Banishing the troubles of Night, Louis XIV danced in the Sun King costume that would henceforth be for ever associated with him. An indispensable world premiere recording!
A BBC documentary on Louis XIV featuring Sebastien Dauce and Ensemble Correspondances will air on 13th September at 8pm on BBC 4 : video clips for promotional use by the end of August . Samplers available to support this release
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
BEETHOVEN: Lieder & Bagatelles Werner Güra Christoph Berner
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: HMC902217 Barcode: 3149020221723 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Werner Güra [tenor] Christoph Berner [fortepiano J. B. Streicher, 1847]
An die Hoffnung op.32 - Christoph August Tiedge Lied aus der Ferne WoO 137 - Christian Ludwig Reissig Bagatelle op.126/2 Zärtliche Liebe WoO 123 - Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee Bagatelle op.126/1 An die ferne Geliebte op.98 - Aloys Jeitteles Bagatelle op.126/3 Adelaide op.46 - Friedrich Matthisson Bagatelle op.126/5 Der Kuss op.128 - Christian Felix Weiße Bagatelle op.126/4 Bagatelle op.126/6 Wonne der Wehmut op.83/1 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Resignation WoO 149 - Paul von Haugwitz An die Hoffnung op.94 - Christoph August Tiedge Beethoven the song composer. The giant of the symphony and the sonata has somewhat overshadowed Beethoven the creator of songs. Yet his lieder are certainly not lacking in appeal or originality, as is shown by this selection that includes the most famous, from 'Adelaide' to the first song cycle in history, 'An die ferne Geliebte'. Christoph Berner plays a Streicher fortepiano of 1847, perfectly suited to both the songs and the wonderful Bagatelles Op.126.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Louis XIV - Les menus plaisirs de Louis XIV de Paris a Versailles Louis XIV 1715-2015 Celebration, Special Edition The Sun King’s musical library! The year 1715 marks the tercentenary of the death of the Sun King. As well as being the autocratic personality who plunged his country into famine with his endless battles, Louis XIV was also an artistic system developed from beginning to end of his 60-year reign. At the moment when Versailles became the palace we know today, music played a crucial role in his royal ascent, meticulously arranged around him, his court, his desires and his hunts. From the blossoming of the young Louis to the pomp of Versailles, by way of the musical accompaniment to the events of an ordinary day in the palace, the artists of harmonia mundi lay the table out before us; the banquet will be truly royal.
Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical Catalogue No: HMX2908717/26 Barcode: 3149020872543 SPECIAL Price Format: 10 CD Packaging: box set Limited Edition
RELEASE DATE1 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
BERLIOZ: Symphonie Fantastique Lélio, or the Return to Life: “The Fisherman,” Ballad by Goethe Chorus of the Shades, Song of the Brigands, Song of Bliss—Hymn The Aeolian Harp—Memories Fantasy on Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti This recording features Berlioz's 'Symphonie fantastique' with its sequel 'Lelio' presented as Berlioz intended. Actor Gerard Depardieu is the narrator in 'Lelio', and Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as part of their 120th season, give vibrant and dynamic performances of both works.
Label: CSO Resound File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: CSOR9011501 Barcode: 0810449010030 MID Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: cristal Gérard Depardieu [narrator] Mario Zeffiri [tenor] Kyle Ketelsen[bass-baritone] Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti introduces the work Berlioz viewed as his signature artistic statement: the evening-long pairing of his most famous composition, the 'Symphonie fantastique', long a staple of the Chicago orchestra’s repertoire, and its little-known sequel, Lélio, never before performed by the CSO. Berlioz wrote Lélio as the “conclusion and complement” of the earlier work’s tortured tale, a response to the symphony’s cliff-hanger ending, and, above all, a testament to the healing power of music. Together, they formed the 'Episode in the Life of an Artist', a daring mix of autobiography and fantasy. Even during Berlioz’s lifetime, 'Lélio' was rarely performed with its companion, and, only once, in a performance staged by fellow pioneer Franz Liszt in 1855, did Berlioz see his complete dramatic work presented as he envisioned it. This new recording, from live semi-staged performances, attempts to recreate the essence of Berlioz’s own concept—moving from the realm of instrumental drama in the first half, to theatre in the second, as an actor takes the stage to tell Berlioz’s tale, while a simple scrim separates reality and creative fantasy—and draws a temporary line between a modern-day Chicago audience and the daring sounds of Berlioz’s imaginary world. "from the moment he cued the orchestra’s flutes and clarinets, in the opening of Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” at the start of the Saturday evening performance, to his final downbeat.....at the end of the Sunday afternoon concert, worries about the state of American orchestras and those who lead them disappeared... Gérard Depardieu gave an alternately manic and depressed reading of the narration, in French. Mario Zeffiri sang the tenor arias with a sweet fluidity, and the bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen gave a strong account of the “Song of the Brigands.” In the larger pieces, particularly the fantasy on Shakespeare’s “Tempest,” the orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus were solid and supple." New York Times
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 2 Solo Violin Sonata, Duo Violin Sonata*
Viktoria Mullova Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra Paavo Jarvi Viktoria Mullova’s new ONYX album is an all Prokofiev affair recorded live, with the lyrical 2nd violin concerto joined with the solo violin sonata and the sonata for two violins. Robert Soetens premiered the Duo Sonata in Paris in December 1932, partnered by Samuel Dushkin, for whom Stravinsky had recently composed a Violin Concerto. Knowing of Prokofiev’s rivalry with Stravinsky, Soetens persuaded Prokofiev to write him a concerto. Composed in 1935 just before Prokofiev resettled in Soviet Russia, the Second Violin Concerto includes in its central movement one of his most celebrated long-arching melodies. The Solo Sonata was an official commission towards the end of Prokofiev’s life. Originally intended for an ensemble of talented child violinists, Prokofiev so wrote the work that it could equally be played by a soloist. Paavo Jarvi and Viktoria Mullova have been close musical collaborators for many years
Label: Onyx Classics File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: ONYX4142 Barcode: 0880040414223 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Viktoria Mullova [violin] Tedi Papravami* [violin II] Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi [conductor]
OTHER VIKTORIA MULLOVA RECORDINGS FROM ONYX: 4114 Bach Violin Concertos 4020 Bach Violin Sonatas 4040 Bach Partitas & Sonatas for solo violin 4006 Schubert Octet 4015 Ravel Violin Sonata, Schubert Fantasie, Stravinsky Suite Italienne [wt Katia Labeque] 4050 Beethoven Violin Sonatas 3&9 ‘Kreutzer’ 4070 The Peasant Girl 4130 Stradivarius in Rio
RELEASE DATE 28TH AUGUST 2015
RAMEAU: Zaïs Ballet héroique
Les Talens Lyriques Christophe Rousset
Label: Aparté File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: AP109 Barcode: 3149028060126 MID Price Format: 3 CD Packaging: box set Julian Prégardien Sandrine Piau Aimery Lefèvre Benoit Arnould Amel Brahim-Djelloul Hasnaa Bennani Zachary Wilder Choeur de chambre de Namur
In 1745, the king granted Jean-Philippe Rameau the position of Composer du cabinet du roy, which came with a pension. This new period would see productions in a lighter vein, in collaboration with the librettist Louis de Cahusac, and some of the Burgundian musician's most important masterpieces. 'Zaïs', performed in 1748 on the stage of the Académie Royale de Musique, is one of them. This ballet-héroïque gave French music one of its finest works. The entire score is in the image of its famous overture: organising Chaos, surprising in its theatrical timbres and the boldness of the harmony. Although the plot is quite flimsy – a lover (Zaïs) putting his beloved (Zélidie) to the test to cherish her all the more – it is the pretext for innumerable divertissements and dances, whose magic is a veritable enchantment to the ear. 40 years after Gustav Leonhardt, it is the turn of Christophe Rousset to work on this score in a continuing series of recordings, concerts and writings that have made him one of Rameau's leading champions.
Limited Edition CD Book, 3 cds
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
RAMEAU: Anacreon Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Jonathan Williams Rameau wrote two complete 'Anacréons', both of them one-act acte de ballets, but with two different plots and librettos. 'Anacréon' (1754) was set to a libretto by Louis de Cahusac and had a successful premiere followed by some performances in Paris after the composer’s death, and then fell into oblivion for almost 250 years. From fragmented manuscripts scattered through Paris’s libraries, Dr Jonathan Williams has reconstructed the work, had his edition published by Bärenreiter, and now leads this world première recording, joined by a leading cast of soloists and the Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment.
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: SIGCD402 Barcode: 0635212040225 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Matthew Brook [Anacréon] Anna Dennis [Chloé] Agustín Prunell-Friend [Batile] The Choir of the Enlightenment Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Jonathan Williams [conductor]
1 Ritournelle 2 Scene 1: Air accompagné: “Mirthes fleuris, naissant feuillage” 3 Scene 2: Récitatif: “Vous nous cachez l’objet” 4 Scene 3: Air accompagné: “Tendre Amour!” (Chloé 5 Scene 4: Récitatif: “Ciel, c’est Batile... Hélas!” – Ariette: “Des Zéphyrs, que Flore rappelle” – Récitatif: “Dieux! vous pleurez!” 6 Air accompagné: “Mille fleurs parfument les airs” – Récitatif: “Dieux ! ces chants ne sont pas pour moi” 7 Scene 5: Air accompagné avec chœur: “Régnez" 8 Airs Vifs 1 & 2 pour les jeunes Théoniens et Théoniennes 9 Air accompagné: “Des caprices du sort” 10 Air pour les jeunes 11 Récitatif: “C’est lorsque vous chantez” 12 Ariette: “Qu’Anacréon dans ce séjour” 13 Scene 6: Air pour les Bacchantes 14 Gavottes 1 & 2 pour les Égipans et les Bacchantes 15 Ariette: “Quand l’Amour enflamme nos cœurs” 16 Pantomime pour Silène et deux Bacchantes 17 Airs 1 & 2 pour Silène et deux Bacchantes 18 Ariette: “L’Amour, riant et sans bandeau” 19 Tambourins 1 & 2 20 Trio: “Chantons Bacchus” 21 Chœur: “Chantons Bacchus” 22 Contredanse
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Arias for Luigi Marchesi The great castrato of the Napoleonic era
Ann Hallenberg Stile Galante Stefano Aresi
Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: GCD923505 Barcode: 8424562235052 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Ann Hallenberg [mezzo-soprano] Stile Galante Stefano Aresi [direction]
Giuseppe SARTI: Vedo l’abisso orrendo (Armida e Rinaldo) Giuseppe SARTI: Rendi, oh cara, il prence amato (L’Olimpiade) Niccolò Antonio ZINGARELLI: Chi mi dà consiglio, aita (Pirro) Giuseppe SARTI: Lungi da te, ben mio (Armida e Rinaldo) Johann Simon MAYR: Oh qual contento (Lauso e Lidia) Luigi CHERUBINI: Quanto è fiero (Alessandro nelle Indie) Gaetano PUGNANI: Misero pargoletto (Demofoonte) Francesco BIANCHI: Sembianze amabili (Castore e Polluce) Domenico CIMAROSA: Superbo di me stesso (L’Olimpiade) Josef MYSLIVECEK: Se cerca, se dice (L’Olimpiade) Niccolò Antonio ZINGARELLI: Qual mi sorprende e agghiaccia (Pirro) Niccolò Antonio ZINGARELLI: Cara, negl’occhi tuoi (Pirro) Luigi CHERUBINI: Quanto è fiero (Alessandro nelle Indie) [bonus track with alternative ornaments] Recapturing the impact made by the colourful figure of the castrato Luigi Marchesi at the turbulent and revolutionary end of the 18th century has been a project embracing an exhibition, symposia, the publication of scores associated with the divo and this fabulous new recording performed by Ann Hallenberg, Stile Galante and conductor Stefano Aresi. It has been possible, through painstaking work, to identify not just the principal operatic arias composed with Marchesi in mind, but also his special and astonishing brand of ornamentation and worked-out cadenzas, developed in the course of a career spanning five decades. Possessed of a vast vocal range – some three octaves – Marchesi, called the 'Apollo of his times', was courted all over Europe, from St Petersburg to Vienna, London to Milan, Munich, Naples and Warsaw. He even rebuffed Napoleon Bonaparte’s entreaties to hear him sing in 1796. The Swedish mezzo Ann Hallenberg ventures wholeheartedly into the musical mind of this extraordinary star of late opera seria in a vivid recreation backed not just by meticulous attention to the original instrumentation and ensemble configurations that accompanied Marchesi, but by access to some 200 contemporary accounts of the singer’s music-making.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Vincenzo BELLINI: I Capuleti e i Montecchi Europa Galante Fabio Biondi
Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: GCD923404 Barcode: 8424562234048 2 FOR 1.5 Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Vivica Genaux [Romeo] Valentina Farcas [Giulietta] Davide Giusti [Tebaldo] Fabrizio Beggi [Lorenzo] Ugo Guagliardo [Capellio] Belcanto Chorus
For many years Fabio Biondi has been investing Italian scores with his own particular genius, and so it is no real surprise to find him extending his reach into early Romanticism with this Glossa release of 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi'. Bellini’s masterpiece, first performed in 1830 – to Felice Romani’s story of love confronted by struggles for power – seamlessly incorporates large sections from a previously unsuccessful opera and, as did Rossini before him, Bellini calls for a mezzo-soprano in the male lead role. Vivica Genaux is Romeo in Biondi’s production with Europa Galante (made in Rieti) and she is joined by Valentina Farcas as Giulietta and supported by Davide Giusti (Tebaldo), Fabrizio Beggi (Lorenzo) and Ugo Guagliardo (Capellio). Fabio Biondi clearly intends listeners to discover new details and perspectives on and around the musical score of this new 'Capuleti'. In his notes he talks about his careful attention to questions of the original acoustic conditions for an opera like this; how modern-day orchestras are now much larger than in Bellini’s time; the particular importance of score markings and tempi choices. Recorded in Rieti (Teatro Flavio Vespasiano), Italy, in September 2014
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Solitudes: Baltic Reflections Mr McFall’s Chamber
Label: Delphian File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: DCD34156 Barcode: 0801918341564 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Mr McFall’s Chamber
No one knows quite when tango was established in Finland, but the style has a long history there – still little known to outsiders – and combines rhythmic interest and yearning melody with a distinctively Nordic melancholy. In this ingeniously curated programme, two Finnish tangos from the 1950s and a tango-based work by Finnish classical composer Aulis Sallinen are woven into a bold tapestry of music from the Eastern Baltic seaboard. Longing, sadness, and a heightened sense of nature infuse all of these works, which also reveal intriguing stylistic connections: the rocking accompaniment of Sibelius’ 'Einsames Lied' seems to prefigure the ‘Baltic minimalism’ of Vasks, Pärt and Zita Bružaité, while Olli Mustonen’s 'Toccata' alternates rhythmic verve with a rich vein of reflective memory. These original compositions are complemented by Robert McFall’s own sensitive arrangements, for a core McFall’s lineup of five strings and piano, and the programme culminates in a truly unique version of Sibelius’s famous 'Finlandia' Hymn. Mr McFall’s Chamber has collaborated with a number of singer/songwriters, including Michael Marra and Valentina Montoya Martínez (both of whom have recorded CDs for Delphian with the group). It is also dedicated to commissioning new work from both well-known and unknown composers, and has premiered and toured pieces by James MacMillan, Gavin Bryars, Eddie McGuire, Kenneth Dempster, Cecilia MacDowall, Chick Lyall, Phil Bancroft, Fraser Fifield, Tim Garland and many more. Two McFall’s commissions, Martin Suckling’s 'What shall I give?' and Martin Kershaw’s 'Closing In', were both shortlisted as finalists for the 2011 BASCA British Composer Awards. 1. Olli MUSTONEN Toccata 2. Zita BRUZAITE Bangos for solo piano 3. Aulis SALLINEN Introduction and Tango Overture 4. Erkki-Sven TUUR Dedication for cello and piano 5. Kalevi AHO Lamento for two violas 6–11. Peteris VASKS Little Summer Music for violin and piano 12. Arvo PART Für Alina for solo piano 13. Toivo KARKI Täysikuu 14. Jean SIBELIUS Einsames Lied (Solitude) 15. Unto MONONEN Satumaa 16. Jean SIBELIUS Theme from Finlandia (tracks 13–16 arr. Robert McFall)
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Benedetto MARCELLO: Psalms VOCES8 Les Inventions Estro poetico-armonico: Psalm 11: In the Lord My God Put I My Trust (Arr. Charles Avison) Estro poetico-armonico: Psalm 32: Blessed is He Whose Wickedness is Forgiven (Arr. Avison) Sonata No. 12, Op. 2: Ciaccona Estro poetico-armonico: Psalm 50: The Lord Jehovah, Even The Most Mighty God, Hath Spoken (Arr. Avison) Estro poetico-armonico: Psalm 46: God is Our Refuge and Our Strength (Arr. Avison) Canon Triplex: In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: SIGCD391 Barcode: 0635212039120 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal VOCES8 Les Inventions
VOCES8 and Les Inventions shine light on a hidden musical treasure in these world-premiere recordings of Charles Avison’s 1757 adaptation of Benedetto Marcello’s 'Estro-poetico armonico'. A fresh and original collection, Marcello’s Psalm settings were composed in Venice and quickly found fame across Europe after their publication between 1724 and 1726
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
HAHN & SZYMANOWSKI: Works for Violin & Piano Tamsin Waley-Cohen Huw Watkins Sonata in D Minor Op. 9, Romance in A Major, Sonata for Violin & Piano in C Major Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Nocturne and Tarantella Op. 28 Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Huw Watkins continue their duo partnership with a new recording of works by two trailblazing composers from France and Poland respectively - Reynaldo Hahn and Karol Szymanowski. This is a second release from Waley-Cohen and Watkins on Signum, following last year's '1917: Works for Violin & Piano' by Elgar, Debussy, Respighi & Sibelius (SIGCD376): “Great playing from the very talented Tamsin Waley-Cohen. This really highlights the talent of the next generation of virtuosi.” David Mellor, Classic FM
Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: SIGCD432 Barcode: 0635212043226 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Tamsin Waley-Cohen [violin] Huw Watkins [piano]
“... a wonderfully subtle, introspective and touching performance.” The Guardian
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
MOZART: Piano Sonatas Volume 4 Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 5 January 2013
Christian Blackshaw Piano Sonata No. 7 in C major K309 Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major K331 Piano Sonata No. 15 in F major K533/494 Piano Sonata No. 18 in D major K576 Mozart’s Piano Sonatas, important landmarks in any pianists’ repertoire, are seen as both wild improvisatory melodies and challenging exercises for Mozart’s pupils. In this, the conclusion of Christian Blackshaw’s complete Mozart Piano Sonatas, recorded live at Wigmore Hall, we hear four sonatas that extend from the composer’s early years until shortly before his death.
Label: Wigmore Hall Live File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: WHLIVE0078/2 Barcode: 5065000924799 2 FOR 1 Price Format: 2 CD Packaging: cristal Christian Blackshaw
Each sonata is bought to life through Blackshaw’s luminous tone, compelling delicacy and virtuosity, as he explores the works with fresh insight and superlative musicality. Volume Three is Gramophone Editor's Choice in the August issue.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
HANDEL: Agrippina HWV39 Opera in three Acts
Festspielorchester Göttingen / Laurence Cummings This new 'Agrippina' from Accent Records was performed for the first time in a new critical edition from the Halle Handel Edition at the Göttingen Handel Festival in 2015. The performance was received enthusiastically by the press and public alike. Will Agrippina emerge triumphant or will her adversaries manage to cut through the jungle of political conspiracy? Handel wrote this, one of his most impressive works, in Venice in 1709, achieving, with this tale about Rome’s great female schemer, his first truly resounding success as an opera composer. "Good though the singers are, they are almost eclipsed by the vivid, virtuosic Festival Orchestra. Laurence Cummings keeps rollickingly on track, with unflagging energy and musicality." The Financial Times
Label: Accent Records File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: ACC26404 Barcode: 4015023264045 NORMAL Price Format: 3 CD Packaging: box set Agrippina: Ulrike Schneider [mezzo-soprano] Claudio: João Fernandes [bass] Ottone: Christopher Ainslie [countertenor] Nerone: Jake Arditti [countertenor] Poppea: Ida Falk Winland [soprano] Pallante: Ross Ramgobin [baritone] Narciso: Owen Willetts [countertenor] Lesbo: Ronaldo Steiner [baritone]
Also available: $&& +DQGHO ± 6,52( “With Laurence Cummings at the helm, and the hand-picked FestspielOrchester Gottingen in stirring form, the performance is energetic and committed” Lindsay Kemp – Gramophone, January 2015 $&& +DQGHO ± )$5$021'2 "All the cast respond to Handel's music with technical skill and virtuosity, a testament to the quality of Handel singing in young singers today. But they manage to combine this with a strong feel for the drama, and it is clear that the recitatives are delivered with brilliant conviction and impulse...The CD sound is brilliant and full of detail. Cummings directs such a superbly vivid recording that once you start listening you will be gripped. I certainly was.” Planet Hugill, 16th November 2014 $&& +DQGHO ± -26+8$ “As always, Cumming’s pacing of the music is so incredibly well judged that both narrative and music flow unimpeded. A real joy both in terms of content and interpretation.” Early Music Review, June 2015 “The chorus are all-important in this work, and the NDR Chor do not disappoint, with very good English and flexible singing that responds fittingly to every situation. The occasional orchestra are also great, the trumpets and drums revelling in the full ceremonial moments of the battles, and the various instrumental solos sounding very good...Cummings directs the whole thing with an unfailing ear for the drama but never losing sight of the music's beauty.” MusicWeb International, 16th June 2015
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
SCHUTZ: Musikalische Exequien La Petite Bande Sigiswald Kuijken
Label: Accent Records File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: ACC24299 Barcode: 4015023242999 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack La Petite Bande Sigiswald Kuijken [direction]
Heinrich Schütz composed the Musikalische Exequien SWV 279-281 for the funeral of his patron Prince Heinrich Posthumus Reuß 1635/1636. Of the three parts, which were to be performed during three different sections of the funeral service the first part, in the form of a sacred concerto for choir and soloists, is based on the numerous biblical passages which, in accordance with the instructions given by the deceased were to be recited at the coffin, which the deceased himself had designed during his lifetime. This part is followed by a motet for double choir based on the text of a sermon ("Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe"), and at the conclusion of the hymn of praise to Simeon ("Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Frieden fahren"), a choir apart from the main choir intones "Selig sind die Toten" from heaven, so to speak. With this composition, written as a commission, Schütz created one of the most artistic and heartfelt works of mourning ever written in the history of music. For his recording, Sigiswald Kuijken decided on a soloistic rendering of the individual parts, thus attaining greater transparency. In the middle parts, Kuijken uses high tenors – no altus or countertenors – who possess the specific ability to sing the middle parts over the entire tessitura clearly and with good balance, contributing great richness to the overall sound.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
BIBER: Mystery Sonatas Rosenkranzsonaten
Musica Alchemica Lina Tur Bonet
Label: Pan Classics File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: PC10329 Barcode: 7619990103290 2 FOR 1.5 Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Musica Alchemica Lina Tur Bonet [baroque violin & direction]
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's 'Rosary Sonatas' (or Mystery Sonatas) were written about 1678 and dedicated to his employer the Archbishop of Salzburg. They are really unlike anything else in the violin literature. Scordatura, or unconventional tuning of an instrument's strings, was common enough during the Baroque era, but Biber's cycle of 15 pieces for violin and continuo explores the technique exhaustively: each of the 15 sonatas uses a different tuning. The result is music of fearsome difficulty for the player and technical complexity generates spiritual intensity. Each sonata represents one of the Mysteries of the Catholic Rosary, which are divided into five Joyful Mysteries (the Annunciation ‌), five Sorrowful Mysteries (Christ's crucifixion ‌), and five Glorious Mysteries (centered on the Resurrection and on Mary's Assumption). As the music reaches its spiritual climax in the "Resurrection" sonata, Biber specifies that the violin be played with its two central strings crossed. Lina Tur Bonet is one of the most exciting violinists of the younger generation. She is accompanied by her ensemble Musica Alchemica, with which she recently made an enthralling Vivaldi CD (PC 10314).
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Gottfried HUPPERTZ: Die Nibelungen Frankfurt Radio Symphony Frank Strobel
Label: Pan Classics File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: PC10345 Barcode: 7619990103450 SPECIAL Price Format: 4 CD Packaging: box set Frankfurt Radio Symphony Frank Strobel [direction]
The film director Fritz Lang cast Gottfried Huppertz (1887-1937) in several of his films before asking him to write the original score for “Die Nibelungen” (1924), which he composed using the shooting script as a silent libretto. It was Huppertz’s first major project and his mastery of orchestration is nothing short of remarkable. Huppertz wrote in a lush, late-Romantic idiom. With “Die Nibelungen”, he evokes Wagner's take on Teutonic mythology through a highly lyrical and orchestrally expansive score that resists being imitative. The music echoes Wagner without attempting to mimic it. At the same time, Huppertz’s musical language resembles Alexander von Zemlinsky, Franz Schreker, Walter Braunfels and Eugene D’Albert. As one of the first composers of serious music for the screen, Huppertz’s importance for elevating film music to the status of art is hard to exaggerate. Though he died in 1937, after scoring seven subsequent films, including Lang’s 1927 masterpiece 'Metropolis', his influence is clearly felt in the film scores work of Korngold, Waxman and Max Steiner. The present 4-CD-set offers Huppertz’s complete original score for Lang’s “Die Nibelungen”, in total four and a half hours of music, performed by the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony) under the baton of Frank Strobel, Germany’s leading film music conductor.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
SCHEIN: Musica boscareccia Wald-Liederlein auf Italian-Villanellische Invention (1621, 1626, 1628)
United Continuo Ensemble Concordia zu jeder Zeit, Der edle Schäfer Coridon, Als Filli zart einst etwas durstig ward, O Luft, du edles Element, Unverhofft kommet oft, Intrada, O Seidene Härelein, Courente, Mirtillo mein, dein Delia, Ach weh, bin ich Amor, Padouana, Wenn ich durch Ach mein Liebesqual, Gagliarda – Courente, Der Kühle Maien O Cordion, heut blüht dein Glück (instr.), O Scheiden/ O bitter Scheiden, Padouana, Frau Nachtigall, Juch holla, freut euch mit mir!
Label: Pan Classics File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: PC10326 Barcode: 7619990103269 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Julia von Landsberg [soprano] Christine Maria Rembeck [soprano] Florian Götz [baritone] United Continuo Ensemble/Thor-Harald Johnsen direction
The villanella was originally a plain, three-part folk song from rural Italy, intentionally simple and usually with coarse texts. By the time Johann Hermann Schein published his 50 villanellas of the "Musica boscareccia" in the 1620s, the genre had evolved into an 'art' form. These 'little forest songs' enjoyed immense popularity and their three volumes were reprinted no fewer than eight times by 1651. Schein's great success is due to the Italian novelty of chordal accompaniment of songs by lutes and keyboard instruments which made these pieces particularly modern and popular. Their texts, by Schein himself, are full of strongly expressive imagery, charm and wit. An entire host of forest spirits, mythological figures and gods whirl and tumble here. Cupid plays his practical jokes, the beautiful Filli – the undisputed leading lady – hunts the shepherd Coridon through a sea of the joys and suffering of love, bringing even Cupid into terrible difficulties, whilst Concordia watches over all these events with wisdom and composure... Also available: PC10315 Christian Ludwig Boxberg – Sardanapalus
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Luther's Lute As a child, Martin Luther already received intensive musical training at the schools in Magdeburg and Eisenach. He sang not only in the school choirs during the church services, but also for wealthy citizens. During his studies in Erfurt, Luther studied the music theory of both the Middle Ages and antiquity and engaged in musical practice. Luther had an intimate relationship with the music of his time: he was an admirer of the works of Senfl, Finck and Josquin and wrote a number of melodies of his own. Luther’s pastoral and almost intimate text “Frau Musica singt” (Ms. Musica Sings) to the nigthingale, makes one thing clear: music also provided Luther with solace and a place of refuge. At his own request, Martin Luther learnt to play the lute whilst suffering from an illness in 1503. He not only studied the lute, but also the technique of intabulation, which is the arrangement of a polyphonic vocal piece for the plucked instrument. The present selection of pieces by Luther and composers from his immediate environment, performed here by the countertenor Franz Vitzthum accompanied by the lute, could have been performed at an evening of domestic music-making at Martin Luther's house, although this cannot be proven by contemporary sources.
Label: Christophorus File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: CHR77388 Barcode: 4010072773883 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Franz Vitzthum [countertenor] Julian Behr [lutes: Renaissancelaute in a, Klaus Jacobsen (London 1993) Renaissancelaute in d, Julian Behr (Wyhlen 2014)]
Martin Luther: Frau Musica singt, Raitis Grigalis (*1975) Non moriar, sed vivam Ludwig Senfl: Non moriar, sed vivam, Josquin de Prez: Mille regretz Hans Newsidler (1508/09 - 1563) Ein seer guter Organistischer Preambel (Laute solo) Anon. (Eisenacher Kantorenbuch): Surrexit Christus/Christ ist erstanden Anon. (Codex Apel, um1500) / Heinrich Finck? Nigra sum, sed formosa Hans Newsidler: Benedetur (Laute solo), Anonymus (Hamburg 1548): Nun treiben wir den Babst hinaus Hans Newsidler: Nunnentanz (Laute solo), Martin Luther: Sie ist mir lieb, die werte Magd Arnolt Schlick:Maria zart, Ludwig Senfl: Mein Fleiss und Müh (Laute solo) Claude Goudimel: Etans assis aux rives aquatiques (Ps. 137), Hans Newsiedler: Ic seg adiu (Laute solo) Thomas Ravenscroft: O sing ye now unto the Lord (Ps. 98) Ludwig Senfl: In pace inidipsum, Raitis Grigalis: In pace inidipsum Martin Luther: Ein neues Lied wir heben an, Raitis Grigalis: Aus tiefer Not (a cappella) Ludwig Senfl: Ecce quam bonum, Martin Luther: Das Patrem zu deutsch (a cappella)
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
The Rest is Silence - Music of our Time Jubilee Edition Winter&Winter: 30 years of music recordings by Stefan Winter
Label: Winter&Winter File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: 910226-2 Barcode: 0025091022625 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Arditti String Quartet Teodoro Anzellotti [accordion] Uri Caine [composer, piano] Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ] Tamara Stefanovich [piano] Fumio Yasuda [composer, piano] L'Instant Donné European Art Ensemble Kammerorchester Basel WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken Bernd Ruf, Kazushi Ono, Mauricio Kagel, Jonathan Stockhammer [conductor]
30 years ago Stefan Winter recorded his debut production for JMT (Jazz Music Today). The early works were exactly at the transition point from analogue to digital recording techniques. Without digital technology the AudioFilms such as "Orient-Express", "Metropolis Shanghai" and "Wagner e Venezia" would have been unthinkable. Besides these AudioFilms, Stefan Winter developed artist editions with Teodoro Anzellotti, Theo Bleckmann, Uri Caine, Mauricio Kagel, Paul Motian (1988-2011), Ernst Reijseger and Fumio Yasuda to name only few. Kagel and Motian, two artists from entirely different worlds, inspired Winter again and again to dare new things. At the end of the 80s, Stefan Winter and Mariko Takahashi met in Japan. Under the direction of Mariko Takahashi the festival Taboo-Lu was initiated in Ginza in Tokyo, a notable presentation with live concerts, an art exhibition and recordings and with that the the idea of and for Winter&Winter was sown. Since the mid '90s Mariko and Stefan have managed and directed Winter&Winter together and Stefan continues to produce sound installations and 'sound art objects'. 'The Rest is Silence' is one of 10 extraordinary editions for Winter+Winter's 30th Jubilee and is a collection of the contemporary Classical composers the label has supported since day one and also the artists that are the mainstay of all their productions. For the future one can trust the unpredictability of Winter&Winter. Here's to them... "Ten years ago Mariko Takahashi and I recorded in the Mexican countryside, in between hens, pigs and cows the folk-tunes of a simple, peasant family. To introduce ourselves we gave the farmer the recording »Tantz-Schul« of Mauricio Kagel. The next morning he talked enthusiastically about the music, sounds he had never heard before. He did not sleep all night as he could not stop listening again and again." Music of our time is often said to be solely intellectual, inharmonious and inaudible ... Composers like Abrahamsen, Berio, Gervasoni, Kagel, Sciarrino, Pärt and Yasuda are a source of musical abundance. The album »The Rest is Silence« offers the opportunity to get acquainted with music around the turn of the millenium. Mauricio Kagel, famous for his visionary sounds, condenses the atmosphere of our times in an enjoyable and sometimes satirical way. A form of Neo-Romanticism is the keyword for Fumio Yasuda's work, and Hans Abrahamsen is counted among the representatives of the New Simplicity. This album is not made for specialists of new music, it is the invitation to overcome the fear of the unknown." Stefan Winter
Stefan Winter is available for interview and there are some riveting photographs on Winter+Winter's facebook page including the young Steve Coleman, the very fresh-faced Stefan Winter and the crème of JMT's early years. Death Sentiment I [Fumio Yasuda], Caprice 6 [Uri Caine], Tantz-Schul I [Mauricio Kagel], Rain Choral [Fumio Yasuda], Trivium [Arvo Pärt], Concerto For Piano And Orchestra [Hans Abrahamsen], Rrrrrrr... Ragtime Waltz [Mauricio Kagel], descdesesasf [Stefano Gervasoni], Accordion Concerto: Lament in Close Distance [Fumio Yasuda], Sequenza XIII [Luciano Berio], Storie di altre storie: Vivo L. 446 (K. 262) [Salvatore Sciarrino after Domenico Scarlatti/harpsichord sonata]
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Baptiste TROTIGNON [b.1974]: Piano Concerto Different Spaces Trois pièces for two pianos*, Trois préludes for solo piano, World premiere recordings
Nicholas Angelich Baptiste Trotignon Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine Paul Daniel
Label: NAÏVE File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: V5382 Barcode: 0822186053829 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Nicholas Angelich [piano] Baptiste Trotignon [piano]* Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine Paul Daniel
Following the release of 12 jazz albums since the early 2000s, the love story between Naïve and Baptiste Trotignon is given a new impulse through an unexpected project that reflects the pianist’s deep involvement in all sorts of music. Baptiste Trotignon’s activity as a composer has been constant for 20 years, although it has reached a real maturity recently, marked by the first performance of 'Different Spaces' in Bordeaux in 2012 and that of his trio 'Subterfuges' at the prestigious London Wigmore Hall, by Philippe Cassard, David Grimal and Anne Gastinel. Baptiste Trotignon’s long friendship with internationally renowned Classical pianist Nicholas Angelich resulted in the astonishing adventure of his 4-movement Piano Concerto, full of colours and structured around several sophisticated musical ideas and influences. Commissioned by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, it received an enthusiastic welcome and Baptiste Trotignon was selected as one of the three finalists of the Composer of the Year category at the 2014 Victoires de la Musique Classique.
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Masterpieces for piano left hand, dedicated to Paul Wittgenstein dedicated to Paul Wittgenstein RAVEL, SCRIABIN, PROKOFIEV, BARTOK, BRITTEN Paul Wittgenstein commissioned 17 scores which were all superbly remunerated. However, only one was considered an undisputed masterpiece… It remains an essential part of the literature, not only for permanently or temporarily one-armed artists, but also for all those who want to exercise their mind as much as their fingers. Who today would dare write for a single hand: after a century of practice, the left one is armed and ready to play!
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: PRD250315 Barcode: 3149028072129 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Samson François Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire/André Cluytens Andreï Gavrilov Rudolf Serkin Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy Gabor Gabos Julius Katchen London Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Britten
RELEASE DATE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Gidon Kremer in Prague Schubert, Franck, Ravel, Bartok, Schnittke
Gidon Kremer These pieces are remembrances of some Gidon Kremer’s passings through Prague, during Soviet times. Kremer was then at the dawn of his career, one of the most brilliant for a violinist in our time! As an ambassador for the Soviet Ministry for Culture in the 'brother countries', he owed his mentor, David Oistrakh, a sort of freedom, demonstrated here in this CD programme. His absolutely perfect touch and his freedom of expression delighted his patrons in the welcoming communist countries. The short piece by Alfred Schnittke, then still hand-written only, was an example of his wish to play scores not of the classics from Bach to Stravinsky and to help other musicians through chamber music sessions. This record allows us to hear the fabled G.B. Guadagnini inherited from his grandfather.
Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: PRD250317 Barcode: 3149028072327 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Gidon Kremer [violin] Oleg Maisenberg [piano]