Karłowicz: Symphonic Poems

“What a fine composer Mieczyspaw Karłowicz might have become, had he not died at the age of 32 in an avalanche in the Tatra mountains. He had already produced a clutch of symphonic poems in a post- Wagnerian style, strongly pantheistic in outlook and, in the case of Stanispaw and Anna ofOs´wiecim, with a dash of illicit love thrown in.

These luxuriant works set him broadly beside such near-contemporaries as Rachmaninov, Zemlinsky or Suk, and there are even signs in the 'Song of Eternal Being' (third and last of the Eternal Songs) of an individuality that might one day have become as powerful as Janácek's.

This is, for the most part, sultrily ecstatic music, that hangs fragrantly or ominously in the air and seems to be constantly about to break through to some visionary realm. Even the relatively jaunty Lithuanian Rhapsody eventually turns wistful in a rather moving way.

If you've a taste for lush late-Romanticism but haven't yet encountered Karpowicz, you've a treat in store, not least because these are fine performances.

His music has never been more than fleetingly represented in the catalogue. Back in 1990 there was a two-disc Chant du Monde compilation of the symphonic poems from the Silesian Philharmonic; but their courageous efforts are easily outclassed by the BBC Philharmonic and Yan Pascal Tortelier, as is the recording by Chandos's customary rich sound-stage.” --Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

Pierre Rode: Violin Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 6

Pierre Rode was one of the giants of the violin world. He was a performer of superb technique – he premièred Beethoven’s last Violin Sonata in Vienna – and wrote a large amount of music for his instrument, most prominently 13 concertos. They exhibit the highest qualities of the French School; grace, lyricism, fleetness and fluency. The Third is grandiose and brilliant, the Fourth is tauter and gloriously agile, whilst the Sixth is one of his greatest, most famous and complete statements in the concerto form. 

The first release in this series, (Concertos Nos. 7, 10 and 13 / 8570469), earned Friedemann Eichhorn the highest plaudits: “sweetness of phrasing … with the delicacy of a caress – while skirting the technical minefields as if they didn’t exist.” (Fanfare).

Mancini: Recorder Concertos

Here's a second release from Brilliant Classics of the Neapolitan musician Francesco Mancini (1672–1737), a leading light in his city's culture of composition and education as director of the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto, maestro of the Royal Chapel and composer of 29 operas and more than 200 cantatas.

His modern reputation largely rests on his recorder sonatas (available on 94058); the new release extends our knowledge of that cheerful aesthetic to his recorder concertos, in similarly sprightly, periodinstrument performances by young musicians with a background in this repertoire.

Corina Marti studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, famed nursery of talent in the performance of early music, and the concertos are led from the keyboard by another Swiss-based musician, Alexandra Nigito, who has already proved her expertise in this music with recordings of cantatas by Pasquini (on 94225). The recorder concertos are more demanding to play than to listen to. One unusual stylistic trademark is the preponderance of fugue in the fast movements, but that does not imply a dryly academic style – like Mancini's sonatas, the concertos are full of memorable and deftly surprising melodies.

Moderato Cantabile: Komitas, Gurdjieff & Mompou

“relaxed, vaguely ethnic, New Age background music in which one piece segues imperceptibly into the next and rough edges are smoothed away...listeners in search of a mood of limpid repose could do a great deal worse. Lechner and her partner are seriously accomplished and sensitive players.” --Gramophone Magazine, November 2014

Anja Lechner (cello), François Couturier (piano)

After a decade of shared work in the Tarkovsky Quartet and an ongoing alliance in the Pergolesi Project, German cellist Anja Lechner and French pianist Francois Couturier unveil their new duo. The players approach the music from different vantage points: Lechner is a classical soloist with an uncommon interest in improvisation, Couturier a jazz musician travelling ever further from jazz. On ‘Moderato cantabile’ they present their own arrangements of works by three fascinating outsiders from the margins of music history - G.I. Gurdjieff, Komitas and Federico Mompou.

To differing degrees their music reveals influences from the east, both in terms of relationship to folk traditions and religious music, and philosophically. A contemplative air pervades the session. The programme has connections to Anja Lechner's acclaimed account of Gurdjieff's music on the earlier Chants, Hymns and Dances (9819613, with Vassilis Tsabropoulos), but the new duo has its own identity, and time spent in Armenia has deepened Lechner's understanding of the contexts from which the music emerged: her cello assumes almost a singer's role in these pieces, exploring the strong melodies.

François Couturier's compositions function as both contrasting and complementary elements. As a player, François has a long history of working with Mompou's music. He has been influenced, furthermore, by his association with Anouar Brahem, and the sonorities of the Middle East are part of his palette. ‘Moderato cantabile’, a striking and unusual album, was recorded in the rich acoustics of the Lugano studio in November 2013 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

“the SCO remains one of the world's great chamber ensembles, with precision playing and clear, detailed articulation few can equal. Ticciati exploits this to create an almost cerebral, un-hallucinatory reading...What's lost in rich textures is regained in clarity and atmosphere...The orgiastic 'Witches Sabbath' feels a little delicate at first, but gathers febrile force in the finale.” --BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 *****

“The clarity, coordination and spectrum of colour in the orchestra are spot-on for Berlioz. The ear can thus readily appreciate the individuality of Berlioz's scoring. This is altogether a performance that has been thought through as an organic entity, a broad, vivid tableau in which images are sharply focused.” --Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

“This is a very worthwhile addition to the vast discography of the Symphonie fantastique...Brass are crisp, bright but never overbearing, and the SCO woodwind are consistently impressive, both individually and collectively. The second reason to explore this disc is Robin Ticciati's conducting...it's unquestionably an impressive debut.” --International Record Review, May 2012

“Ticciati’s version hits the spot. Horns snarl, bassoons strut, drums pound and the trombones are suitably leery. In a work usually played by over-upholstered big bands, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s leaner, crisper sound is a breath of fresh air...Highly impressive stuff, and the wonderful Julio de Diego painting on the sleeve adds to the fun.” --The Arts Desk, 18th August 2012

“The sharp-focus clarity and litheness of this relatively small-scale account will come as a surprise to most listeners...but Ticciati's approach reaps great dividends.” --bbc.co.uk, 21st September 2012

“For me Ticciati’s vision and the playing of his orchestra succeed on every front...Ticciati combines modern instruments with period style and brings out the best of both worlds. This is a version that will blow off the cobwebs for someone who knows the work already and wants to explore something different” --MusicWeb International, June 2012

Vivaldi: Concertos for 2 Cellos

Classic FM’s Albums of the Year 2014: # 20

"Kicking off our 2014 top 20, it’s a poignant release for cellist Julian Lloyd Webber (duetting with his wife), who announced his retirement from performance due to a nagging shoulder injury. This recording, sprightly and full of life, shows that his leaving the industry came very much too soon." --Classic FM, November 2014

 

The first arranger of Vivaldi’s concertos was Vivaldi himself, and Julian Lloyd Webber’s new versions in this recording reflect the composer’s pragmatic attitude and zest for experiment. Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor RV 531 is his only original concerto for two cellos. Alongside this appear works both popular and recently discovered, the mercurial moods of the cellos representing instruments from mandolins to hunting horns.

Piazzolla’s Milonga displays all of his most distinctive hallmarks. Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber’s acclaimed album A Tale of Two Cellos can be found on Naxos 8573251. This release follows Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber’s highly successful album A Tale of Two Cellos (8573251), with its two cellos “beautifully played and blended together” (Gramophone) and considered a thing of “rare beauty” by The Strad. This recording of Vivaldi concertos will have poignant associations and special value for Julian’s many fans, as he has since been forced to withdraw from performing due to injury. Vivaldi’s ever popular music dressed anew by such an internationally outstanding artist is a guarantee of global interest and very substantial sales.

Album Reviews

Bach: Secular Cantatas IV

“Bach Collegium Japan's trumpets and horns mount a thrilling assault to play without modern drilled holes to fix their intonation to the expectations of modern ears...The outstanding moment is Gratitude's 'Ätzet dieses Angedenken', in which Robin Blaze's gentle singing is accompanied by a lyrical pair of flutes.” --Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2014

The two works on this disc perfectly illustrate a particular type of secular cantata, the so-called ‘dramma per musica’. In such works the libretto is constructed dramatically, and the singers embody various roles, such as gods and other characters from antiquity, and allegorical figures. The parallel with opera is apparent, although the ‘drammi per musica’ do without any scenic element. Bach primarily used the form in works intended for princely tributes or academic festivities: educated audiences could be expected to recognize the characters and literary traditions involved.

Both cantatas recorded here are ‘academic’ cantatas, composed in honour of eminent members of the faculty at the University of Leipzig. BWV 205 celebrates the name day of Dr August Friedrich Müller (3rd August 1725), and takes us to Aeolia, where Aeolus, the King of the Winds, holds the mighty autumn storms captive until it is time to let them loose on the world. To prevent any disruption of the celebrations for Dr Müller, the goddess Pallas, among others, entreats Aeolus to keep the storms in check for a while longer. Grudgingly he concedes to her wish, but only after singing an aria full of splendid bluster (Wie will ich lustig lachen…).

One year later, Bach composed the cantata BWV 207 for the appointment of Dr Gottlieb Kortte as ‘professor extraordinarius’. The young jurist enjoyed particular popularity among the young academics, who probably were the commissioners of the cantata. In this work it is virtues such as Diligence and Honour which take musical shape, singing the praise of the eminent academic. The cantata closes with a chorus, Kortte lebe, Kortte blühe!, wishing the new professor a long and flourishing life – unfortunately to little avail, as Dr Kortte died only five years later, at the age of 33.