Classical CD Reviews

Martins’ journey was never an easy one; he didn’t received the same level of intense media attention given Glenn Gould, and his path toward greatness was repeatedly sidetracked early on in his career. He sustained nearly career-ending injuries while playing soccer (another of his passions), which came close to forcing his early retirement. Countless hours of practice and rehabilitation brought him back to the concert hall, only to suffer serious self-doubt regarding his ability to perform following harsh attacks from the critics. He virtually left the music scene to pursue other interests, hardly touching a piano for years. He never lost his love for the music, however, and returned to the studio with renewed zeal and the desire to fulfill a lifelong dream of recording all of Bach’s keyboard works. After many years of recording and with his goal within sight, he was mugged and brutally beaten outside of a studio in Sofia, Bulgaria; he suffered brain injuries so severe that he had to virtually retrain his brain to make his fingers work properly. Finally in 1998 (and after 20 years of work) he completed the set. These recordings on the small, New York-based Labor Records label have become legendary among those in the know, and are collected here as a set for the first time. They represent a singular body of work has stood the test of time, and should secure João Carlos Martins’ place among the elite company of 20th century Bach interpreters.

Upon hearing Martins’ for the first time, most either loved him or hated him – there’s a great anecdote from the Dubal’s book that relates a story about a Juilliard class that was played some of Martins’ Bach. Just as the music started, one of the class immediately rose and asked to be excused from the session, rather than have to further endure such music!

The obvious temptation here is for direct comparisons between Martins’ recordings and those of his great contemporary, Glenn Gould, although the Gould recordings will sometimes be the reference version. Other pianists (Murray Perahia, Angela Hewitt and Maria João Pires, to name a few) offer compelling versions of some of the works presented here, as well, and provide a good basis of comparison for a thorough examination of Martins’ art.

The first two volumes of the set (four CDs) consist of the 48 preludes and fugues that make up the Well-Tempered Clavier, Books I and II. These works are integral to Martins’ career and served as the program for both his Brazilian and American debuts, and provoked such a positive response following the concert here that he was immediately asked to record them for the Connoisseur Society label (still in print). One of the highlights of Dubal’s book that accompanies the set is a piece by piece dissection/discussion of all 48 preludes and fugues and provides much insight into Martins’ approach to the works. The Well-Tempered Clavier gives us the first taste of the source of much of the controversy Martins generated early on; namely, the rapid-fire tempi of the playing (along with his extensive use of the pedal) seen throughout the set. In the opening Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major, the prelude is played pianissimo, so quietly that I raised the volume to what I thought was close to a normal level; suddenly, the fugue comes storming in at a near-fortissimo – this is par for the course throughout the set. Martins' deeply romantic readings, however, breathe new life into all pieces in the set, which are typically given overly polite and much more baroque performances.

The third volume (2 CDs) collects the six Partitas. Once again, the tempi seem rather quick, though not excessively so. I reached for a DG disc (447 894-2) that I use as a reference for recorded piano sound featuring the Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires playing Bach’s Partita No. 1; this disc was given rather low marks from Gramophone, entirely based on the rapid tempi throughout. I’ve always enjoyed Pires’ Bach, and really have been somewhat disappointed over the last few years that the reclusive pianist has not chosen to record more. Martins’ and Pires’ Bach mirror each other remarkably, and I honestly had to keep close check on which disc was playing when to tell them apart! Although these pieces are generally regarded to require less virtuosity to perform than many of Bach's other works, if Martins' nimble renderings of the Partitas isn't virtuosity, I don't know what is!

Volume 4 gives us the Goldberg Variations, and I must admit an almost engraved preference to Glenn Gould’s 1955 recording, despite the fact that the recorded sound has always been somewhat lacking. Fortunately, I have the recent Sony release State of Wonder, which collects both the 1955 and 1981 Gould recordings in splendid, updated sound; this allowed me to easily compare and contrast all three versions, starting with the Martins recording.

The opening Aria played, followed by the first Variation; within a minute’s time, my 17-year old daughter had raced downstairs and exclaimed “Who is this, and why is he playing this variation so loud and fast?” I had to laugh – once again, Martins’ never fails to make an impression on the uninitiated. After the disc’s completion, I then spent some time in A/B/C comparisons between Martins’ and the two Gould discs. The 1955 Gould disc clocks in much faster than his 1981 version; from all accounts, he blamed his swifter, earlier recordings on youthful impetuousness. Much of the blazing technique is still in evidence in the 1981 recording, however, even if the tempi are somewhat slower. Martins’ falls somewhere in between here; along with the blinding speed he often exhibits, his playing has a definite fluidity and romanticism about it. There are moments – Variation 14, for example – one of those dizzying, hand-crossing numbers where I have to give Glenn Gould an edge in technique (If you can, get the DVD of the 1981 Gould Goldbergs – what a rare treat it is to see this played!). After repeated listenings to all three, however, I’ve begun to embrace Martins’ version – there’s a certain rightness to his playing, and a clarity in his interpretation that ranks alongside both Gould recordings.

Volume 5 consists of the Two and Three Part Inventions (and Sinfonias). Again, we here have another good opportunity for direct comparison with Glenn Gould, and as before, the two share many of the same attributes. A good case in point is the famous Two Part Invention No. 13 (possibly Bach’s most recognizable effort), and Martins’ recording is very fast indeed – but then play Gould’s almost superhuman version – it almost seems impossible that fingers could move that fast! With repeat playings, and as with the Goldbergs, however, Martins brings a very lyrical quality to the pieces that makes their appeal very compelling, to say the least.

The Anna Magdalena Notebook begins Volume 6, along with the 12 Little Preludes and 6 Little Preludes. Although these pieces are well within the range of beginners, Martins offers them beautifully precise readings. He then concludes by mastering the complexities of the Italian Concerto, and imparts a lyrical quality to the music that I just don't hear in the Gould version.

Volume 8 (two CDs) opens with a premiere recording of the Overture in the French Style, and then follows with the six French Suites. Of great interest here is the Overture, which receives its' first recording on this disc; it differs in form from the French Suites in that, rather than a small collection of popular dances (popularized by the French, and hence, their name), it shares much more in common with the concerto grosso form. Contemplative slower movements alternate with Martins' characteristic rapid-fire precision playing, as evidenced in the Vivace. This pattern continues throughout the French Suites, and offers another chance for comparison with Maria João Pires; as before, it was a task to distinguish between the two discs, so similar are their playing styles.

Volumes 1 through 6 and Volume 8 were recorded at Pomona College in Claremont, California, and date anywhere from 1979 to 1984. The recorded sound (from all digital sources) throughout is generally quite good, and is much more full-bodied than many other piano recordings I've heard of a similar vintage. If one sets the playback level too high, there's the slightest trace of tape hiss, but this is neither distracting or unusual for tapes twenty years old. The piano is miked fairly closely, but one still gets a fairly good representation of the recorded space. My only real complaint here is that the upper registers are very slightly range-restricted and congested, but this is only noticeable on passages played at excessive volumes, i.e., Volume 1, Track 1.

In the remaining discs, Volume 7 and Volumes 9 through 15, the recording venue changes to the Salle Bulgaria, in Sofia, Bulgaria; this change in venue offers a metamorphoses for the recorded sound as well – it moves from already very good to astonishingly so! The Sofia recordings just have a much more visceral quality, especially the piano, which has more weight in its sonority. These recordings also offer much more spatial information, with excellent dynamic range and no tape hiss to be found.

Volumes 7, 11 and 13 (3 CDs) collect the seven Concertos for Keyboard and Orchestra, along with the two Concertos for Two Keyboards and Orchestra, and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. The Sofia Soloists provide sympathetic accompaniment here, with the music taking on a truly intimate charm, quite unlike the "big band" treatment that these pieces are so often given when played on piano. A recent set on Sony featuring Murray Perahia along with the Academy of St. in the Fields Martin of the seven Concertos offers a good comparison to Martins' performances. Perahia's playing has a delicacy in his touch that offers each note in great relief, but it's not lacking in lyricism, and the orchestra is reasonably restrained. In the Martins' version, the orchestral accompaniment is nothing short of superb; the strings are not nearly so massed – you can almost identify the individual players. Martins' playing flows much more lyrically – the music has so much more of the chamber quality so appropriate to it here.

Standouts on these volumes are the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and the two Concertos for Two Keyboards and Orchestra. The Brandenburg is usually played with harpsichord, and the massed instruments usually overshadow the work of the keyboard player. Not so, here; Martins' playing in the lengthy Cadenza that ends the first movement is absolutely breathtaking! In the Concertos for Two Keyboards, we get the added treat of hearing Martins' older brother, José Eduardo Martins, as the second pianist; in the second movement of the C major Concerto, they play essentially as an unaccompanied duo spectacularly – talent obviously runs deep in this family!

Volumes 9, 10 and 12 collect the six English Suites, most of the Toccatas, the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and the Fantasia in C minor. Volumes 14 and 15 offer the two remaining Toccatas, the Overture in F major, the Aria Variata in A minor, the Adagio in G major, 4 Duetti, a Cappricio, more Fantasias, Preludes, Fugues and Fughettas. The major works here are the English Suites and the Toccatas; the English Suites have been recorded recently by Murray Perahia on Sony, and the Toccatas by Angela Hewitt on Hyperion. Again, while each offers exceptionally well played and valid renditions (each also offers splendid recorded sound), the playing is a tad too much in the traditional vein; the individualism that Martins’ brings to the keyboard is refreshing. The final disc in the set collects private recordings of Martins from 1949 - 1961. The recordings are mostly quite primitive, and while predominantly of historical interest, it leaves no doubt as to the brilliance of his playing, even from an early age.

The presentation of the set here is nothing short of exquisite; the 20 CDs come enclosed in a deluxe cherry-wood box emblazoned with Martins’/Bach/ Labor Records logos on top. A separate compartment in the lower section of the box holds Peabody Award-winner David Dubal’s book “Conversations with João Carlos Martins,” which serves as an indispensable companion to the music within. The 200-page book not only offers biographical information regarding Martins, but extensively explores his vision of Bach in addition to offering his entertaining views on a variety of other composers, as well as politics, soccer, etc. I found the book to be not only interesting and historically informed, but an invaluable reference in getting to know the man and his music, and a fascinating read, as well. The set sells for about $210 (that’s roughly $10 per CD, which sell individually for about $16 each, not to mention the book), and with classical music prices spiraling seemingly out of control and considering the scope and comprehensive nature of this set, it qualifies as an incredible bargain and should not be missed. Very highly recommended!

-- Tom Gibbs

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 3, Triple Concerto - Urban Svensson, violin; Mats Rondin, cello; Boris Berezovsky, piano; Swedish Chamber Orchestra / Thomas Dausgaard - Simax PSC1183 (79 mins.):

This, the fifth installment in Dausgaard's recording of Beethoven's complete orchestral music based on the "latest material and research," is a work of staggering originality captured in razor-sharp sound from Andrew Keener. The young conductor's commitment to scrubbing clean traditional Beethoven conventions, combined with a vividly intense attention to the inner mechanical workings of the composer's engine, result in performances of astonishing, even revolutionary power and drive.

This means speeds on the fast side, flat textures occasionally devoid of vibrato in the strings and winds, and a reliance on layering and color that must have required taking apart the score in an effort to find out how Beethoven assembled his amazing effects. Using a small body of strings (the Swedish Chamber Orchestra numbers 38 out of which the strings probably count for 25), Dausgaard relies on accents and surprise (he simply doesn't have the string size to create what we hear as warmth in conventional performances) to create the spaced-out world Beethoven must surely have had in mind. This are the performances of someone who worships Beethoven the master blueprint maker more than the mystical romantic.

Surprisingly, the two frequently converge in these performances, particularly in the last two movements of the Piano Concerto. At first, Berezovsky (Gold Medalist at the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow) seems to be going along robotically with Dausgaard's insistence on fluid movement, but gradually he begins to relax and then expand into the spaces created by Beethoven's sense of dramatic structure to do some amazingly poetic things including a dazzling cadenza in the last movement.

In Dausgaard's hands, and with the brilliant playing of the three soloists led by cellist Mats Rondin, the Triple Concerto, with its ungainly proportions and, in the hands of many interpreters, mind-numbing passage work, receives its best recording ever. It has size and stature, and a command of flow and continuity that reveals what Beethoven was (imperfectly) going after. Only one complaint, and this applies to literally every performance or recording I have heard: the Polish snap of the polonaise that is the third movement's main theme is unaccountably smoothed over.

In a word, snap this up. Keener's tremendous sound captures punch, panache and detail without losing the size of the soundstage, and the very interesting liner notes by George Hall make great reading.

- Laurence Vittes

 

CHOPIN: Etudes Op. 10 & 25 - Murray Perahia - Sony Classical SK 61885:

The two books of a dozen etudes each explore a wide range of keyboard challenges and are at the opposite pole from the composer’s simpler Nocturnes. They have been called the Himalayas of piano literature. Each etude concentrates on a specific technical concern but they are far more than exercises for the studious pianist. They were dedicated to Liszt, and he performed them with typical brilliance. Perahia himself is fully up to the challenges and in all his recent recordings seems more exciting and colorful than I recall from his discs of a few years ago. Horowitz and Rubinstein were masters of these difficult works but even in this standard CD version, Perahia’s sonic far outdistance that of the older recordings - and it will surely be released as a SACD later on for even greater resolution improvement.

- John Sunier

 

Here’s a grab-bag of five different saxophone CDs...
American Breath - DAVID MASLANKA: Sonata for Alto Sax & Piano; LARRY THOMAS BELL: Mahler in Blue Light; RUSSELL PETERSON: Concerto For Alto Sax and Percussion Orchestra - Russell Peterson, alto sax/Douglas Schneider, piano/Diane Tremain, cello/Tri-College Percussion Ensemble - Barking Dog Records BDR2181:

Three exciting American works which employ the alto sax and other instruments to convey a bold and sophisticated feeling that doesn’t try to ignore the instrument’s connection to a musical world well outside that of classical. In the third movement of the Maslanka Sonata the composer was influenced by the madrigals of Gesualdo. All four movements of the Bell work are a passacaglia based on a fragment from Mahler’s Song of the Earth. He saw the piece as his own Mahler portrait seen thru the blue sound of the saxophone. Performer Peterson’s own concerto was for me the hit of the CD in its successful mix of classical and pop. The first movement shows an influence of minimalism Steve Reich and in the third movement it is both Spanish modes and heavy metal rock. This work is a winner, and the entire CD is worthy of major attention. Again, try www.barkingdogrecords.com

 

Scaramouche = MILHAUD: Saudades Do Brasil; Scaramouche Suite For Saxophone & Orchestra; VILLA-LOBOS: The Discovery of Brasil Suite No. 2; Suite No. 3 - Jeremy Brown, saxophone/Calgary Philharmonic Orch./Hans Graf - DBD Records SMCD 5217:

Another imaginative and original programming effort here. Both of these composers were strongly influenced by the exotic sounds of Brazil - Villa-Lobos because he was born there, and Milhaud because he spent two years there during the First World War. Saudades means nostalgia, so Milhaud is dreaming of his time in Brazil. The exciting musical culture of Brazil is filtered thru French ears in the swinging Scaramouche Suite - normally heard in a two-piano version. The two Villa-Lobos suites are derived from his soundtrack music to a Brazilian quasi-documentary on the country’s early history. This provincial Canadian orchestra might seem ill-equipped for such colorful Brazilian scores, but they do a bang-up job.

 

KOECHLIN: Le Saxophone Lumineux (complete works for saxophone and piano) - 15 Etudes for Sax & Piano; 7 Pieces for Sax & Piano - Federico Mondelci, alto and tenor sax/Kathryn Stott, piano - Chandos CHAN 9804:

Though Koechlin was a prolific French composer, he worked as a teacher and writer. These works - heard here in their recording premieres - share with most of his works in not being published during the composer’s lifetime. Of course the instrument is of French origin so French composers have more frequently turned to the sax than composers of other nationalities. Koechlin hated jazz, so there’s no flavor of that genre in these flowing and lyric works of great intimacy. He regarded them as a sort of songs without words. The Etudes were created for pedagogical reasons but stand alone well as dreamy and expressive little improvisations. This is surely an unexpected discovery for fans of the classical saxophone as well as French music in general.

 

London Landmarks, featuring John Harle, saxophone = WATTS: Metropolis, MORLEY: Rotten Row, LANE: London Salute, GUNNING: Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, TATE: London Fields, WOOD: London Landmarks suite, LEWIS: Festival of London March - with The Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Gavin Sutherland; also Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, cond. by Gunning and Lewis respectively in their own works - ASV White Line CD WHL 2138:

Nice to see that it isn’t just French composers who tend to be partial to the saxophone! London has inspired many different composers over the centuries and it just happens that these seven composers chose to employ Adolph Sax’s invention in their musical evocations of place or feeling. Christopher Gunning had a fine excuse - he wanted to capture musically the mood of London sights at sunset while standing on a bridge over the Thames - and a street musician happened to be playing a sax under the bridge at the time. Harle is one of the leading soloists on his instrument in the world today and has made numerous recordings. He has even composed his very own saxophone concerto which probably will be available on CD soon. Most of the present pieces fall into the British Light Music rubric but are thoroughly enjoyable without corniness. This is sure to appeal to several audiences - sax connoisseurs, light music fans, and Londonphiles.

 

An American Exhibition - Music by LIBBY LARSEN, WM. GRANT STILL, DAVID D. CANFIELD, JOHN CHEETHAM, LEONARD MARK LEWIS, JAY VOSK & WALTER HARTLEY - Kenneth Tse, saxophone/Mami Nagei, piano - Crystal Records CD657:

More American music here, including three works written especially for skilled saxist Tse. Still and Larsen will probably be the most familiar names. The first is a short mixture of impressionist and swing band elements, and Larsen’s ten-minute tour de force Holy Roller pays tribute to the early 1900s’ preacher Rev. Wm. Seymour - the composer says it can be thought of as a “singing sermon.” A liturgical connection is also found in the 13-minute sonata by Canfield composed for Tse: a quote of the hymn Faithfulness in the third of its four movements. Although the closing Sonata for Baritone Sax and Piano by Hartley is in the academic serialist style that long had a stranglehold on the contemporary classical world, the lovely tone of the sax (shades of Gerry Mulligan!) and its clever exchanges of intricate counterpoint with the piano, make even this selection interesting listening.

- John Sunier

 

WOLFE: String Quartets. Ethel, Cassatt String Quaratet, Lark Quartet. Cantaloupe CA21011:

When you first hear Julia Wolfe, you feel that Morton Feldman’s been reincarnated as a minimalist rock musician. The driving low register chords of the first piece, Big Deep, proceed with a furious energy, but one that seem not to be going anywhere, a Feldmanesque perambulation. For the first five minutes the same chords pound like jackhammers at your ears. Soon the subordinate melody softens the drive, not by tempo but tessitura, and by 11:00 it has completely taken over. But the restive atmosphere predominates and the listener is plunged into a cauldron of conflicting figures, maddening in their urgency. At thirteen minutes, the piece never lets up. Four Marys is an entirely different matter. It begins slowly, its creepy pianissimo carrying that faraway swarm-of-bees sound. Of course it intensifies, taped together by long strips of legato. The register climbs almost unbearably high like the violins in Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, but there is no death and destruction, only a yawning hunger for altered states. The title Four Marys most likely refer to the four textural changes in the piece. The third one is even more unsettling than the bees, for the violin’s wail suggests an air raid siren. Even though its tempi and dynamics are more varied than those of Big Deep, this piece too is unsettling. Early That Summer quickly attaches to your ears like a burdock pod and won’t let go. Like the others, you can’t listen passively to it, you can’t play it in the background and decompress to it. Even its ending won’t let you go. Just when you think you’ve heard its final chord, the strings drop to pianississimo and continue on for another minute, like that final piano chord in the Beatles’ song, A Day in the Life. This is string music of such intensity that by the time it’s over, you may not be bothered by the fact that the CD is only 37 minutes long.

--Peter Bates

 

NIKOLOV: Three Sonatas. Angela Tosheva, piano. Labor Records LAB 7035-2:

These three sonatas from this Bulgarian modernist, spanning from 1951 to 1991, reveals how well the composer probes and pokes at atonality, without ever taxing our attention span. We’re never sure which direction he’s about to take while exploring a theme, but it almost doesn’t matter. The portentous chord that opens Sonata No. 6 (1982) doesn’t lead into the anticipated cavern of angst. Instead, we hear note ripples that painter Paul might have composed. This is serial composition at its best, packed with devices like rapid glissandi, wide tonal range, and dynamics that shift so suddenly we feel bewildered in a sonic hall of mirrors. The character of Sonata No. 7 (1991) retains the probing textures of No. 6 and has similar rough edges yet it is more lyrical. Nikolov makes poetic use of silence. But sometimes he is like Liszt, like when he employs tremulous interludes and lyrical swatches of color. Mercifully, he is not as long-winded as Liszt can sometimes be. His figures never belabor us, never try our patience. Whether he retreads similar territory or explores a new tonal corridor, the result is often satisfying. I expected Sonata No. 2 (1951) to differ significantly from the more recent pieces and it does, yet not overwhelmingly so. It winds around motives like a toccata and grows in intensity before descending into the contemplative Adagietto. The final movement is a spirited Allegro that starts a dance, but one that clomps across the stage like a marionette. As in Bela Bartok’s chamber music, Nikolov’s piano works toss melody shards about rather than produce voluptuous vases. This movement’s arpeggios spurt into the still air – sometimes shocking, but never distressing. His high-register work is not showy or grating. Pianist Angela Tosheva finds the subtleties in these works and delicately presents them to us like exotic sliced fruit.

--Peter Bates

 

Fascinating music for piano of two contrasting cultures on this pair of CDs...
The Piano Music of ALBERTO GINASTERA, Vol. 1 - Danzas Argentinas; Tres Piezas; Milonga; Malambo; Tres piezas para chicos; 12 American Preludes; Rondo on Argentine Children’s Folktunes - Eduardo Delgado, p. - M-A Recordings M038A:

Delgado is a native of Argentina and recognized as the foremost interpreter of the large body of works for the piano by fellow Argentine Ginastera - best known for his rare orchestral work, the Panambi ballet. I requested this disc for review after attending an exciting live performance by Delgado of one of the Ginastera piano sonatas. Though a 1996 release, Vol. 2 of the series is expected shortly. Ginastera makes use of Argentine folk songs but his melodies are often rather static, with many chromatic clashes - but still within a diatonic framework. Not only is it compelling music with a strong and rough rhythmic energy similar to the Malambo at the end of the orchestral ballet, but Delgado’s fiery performances have been recorded with the usual perfectionist care and attention found in all M-A CDs. In this case it involved removal of the piano’s lid and moving the 96K Pioneer DAT recorder very close to the spaced omni mikes so that the cable lengths could be reduced to just a few feet long at most, and monitoring on headphones.

 

VIKTOR ULLMANN: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6 & 7; String Quartet No. 3 - Radoslav Kvapil, p./Kocian Quartet - Praga HMCD90 (Dist. By Harmonia mundi):

Czech native Ullmann was another of the Eastern European Jewish composers pegged by the Nazi for composing “degenerate music” and eventually murdered by them after a stint composing music and organizing concerts at the “showplace” cultural concentration camp Terezin. All these works - and a dozen others - were composed under those terrible conditions. His style is similar to Mahler and pre-serial Schoenberg, though the Presto movement of the string quartet goes dissonantly 12-tone. The 22-minute Seventh Sonata quotes a Hebrew folksong, Lutheran hymn and Czech Hussite chorale. I personally feel Ullmann to be one of the most listenable today of all the Entertarte composers currently being honored on recordings.

- John Sunier

 

Music of the Scarlatti family on two new discs...

ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI: Concerti e Sinfonie per Flauto - Martino Noferi, recorder/Il Rossignolo/Ottaviano Tenerani - CPO 999 856-2:

Although the Scarlatti family didn’t contribute nearly as much to music history as did the Bach family, Alessandro and his son Domenico were among the most important musicians of their time. The father was the most important opera composer after Monteverdi and quintessential example of a Baroque composer, and the son revolutionized the early Baroque keyboard sonata form in his highly individualistic 550-odd harpsichord sonatas. There has been a renewed interest in A. Scarlatti’s instrumental music, and this disc is the first collecting all his extant works for flute and various instruments. Five Concertos share with two Sinfonias and a Sonata. His writing for the flute is not unexpectedly vocal in nature, and there are jaunty rhythms in the melodies redolent of the various court dances popular at the time. There are some lovely dialogues between both a recorder and violin and between more than one recorder in the works for two and even three flutes. The ensemble Il Rossignolo plays original Baroque instruments, specializing in a repertory of 18th century Italian composers. Tenerani is both their conductor and harpsichordist. Recorded quality is excellent, soloist Noferi is a true virtuoso on his instrument, and the works are clearly of more depth than most Baroque musical wallpaper.

 

A & D SCARLATTI: Concerti & Sinfonie - Europa Galante/Fabio Biondi, violin & director - Virgin Veritas 545495-2:

This collection is made up of eight pieces by the father and three Sinfonias by the son. Six of Allesandro’s works are concerti grossi in seven parts, and came out at the same time as Handel’s six concerti grossi Op. 6. Scarlatti’s are definitely for seven players rather than a larger orchestra as Handel envisioned, and though less virtuosic and imposing than Handel’s they use a similar bantering back and forth of the themes between the smaller concertino section and the rest of the chamber group, and often display a similar exuberant quality. Domenico’s short sinfonias - which may have been used as introductions to cantatas - show a similar tendency toward the unexpected effect that is heard in his all his amazing harpsichord sonatas. Europa Galante is yet another European early music ensemble that matches an attention to musicological preciseness common to nearly all such groups with an excitement in performance that keeps audiences wide awake.

- John Sunier

 

Here’s a bit of a different take on music of the Baroque, eh what?...
Beatles Baroque II - Les Boreades (arr. by Eric Milnes) - ATMA Classique ACD2 2268:

Another original-instrument ensemble - this one founded in Montreal about a decade ago. Their album of Telemann suites and concertos was named Best Baroque Disc by a Canadian publication. There is nothing in the note booklet about this Beatles project, which appears to be volume two of a series, except that Milnes is also the 11 person group’s director and keyboardist. Perhaps they got into the Beatles-recycling biz to create some original and fun encores to their serious concert programs. Anyway, there are 15 tracks here, covering such Beatle hits as Michelle, Girl, When I’m 64, and A Day in the Life. The arrangements are just perfect, showing that thing - as per Bach, for example. Some of the settings are so skillfully arranged as to sound almost as though the entire piece comes to us directly from the Baroque period. Bully good fun.

- John Sunier

 

A pair of CDs of the music of American composer Peter Garland...

PETER GARLAND: The Days Run Away = Bright Angel Hermetic Bird, The Days Run Away, A Song, Two Persian Miniatures I & II; The Fall of Quang Tri, Nostalgia of the Southern Cross - Aki Takahashi, piano - Tzadik - TZ 7053:
PETER GARLAND: Another Sunrise; Dreaming of Immortality in a Thatched Cottage, I Have Had to Learn the Simplest Things Last - Aki Takashasi, piano & harpsichord/Essential Music/John Kennedy & Charles Wood, director - Mode Records 110:

Garland studied at Cal Arts with Harold Budd and James Tenney and has been active as a musicologist and essayist as well as minimalist composer. He played a role in the re-evaluation of such composers as Paul Bowles, Conlon Nancarrow, Revueltas, Dane Rudyar and Harry Partch. Now living in Veracruz, Mexico, he once traveled the world for 42 months and is influenced by various world musics as well as Indian and Hispanic traditions of the American Southwest.

Pianist Takahashi (known for her Hyper-Beatles project - 47 composers re-composing their favorite Beatles tunes) has been a prime interpreter of Garland’s music for some time. The notes for both albums refer to the opening line of a poem by Charles Olson which goes “I have had to learn the simplest things last.” That could be the central idea behind most of these works - deceptively simple in a Satie sort of way, meditative but full of strong feelings too. His music has a subtle impressionistic beauty that never seems to fall into the “stuck-record” bag of some minimalists. The first CD is devoted to earlier works of a more strict minimalist approach, while the Mode collection adds percussion and in the Dreaming of Immortality three vocalists. The percussion instruments include the marimbula - an instrument from the Caribbean area used in son and rhumba groups - as well as steel drum, vibes and bass marimba. Another Sunrise was inspired by both the death of a couple of close friends and a sunrise in New Mexico. With two pianos and four percussionists it creates an intense mood that is a sort of an American/Hispanic mirror of Bartok’s work for similar forces. Garland’s subtitle: “In the face of death, the beauty of life and love takes on its true meaning.”

- John Sunier

 

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique"/LISZT: Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C# Minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A Minor/BRAHMS: Intermezzo in E, Op. 116, No. 4/CHOPIN: Scherzo No. 3 in C# Minor, Op. 39; Polonaise in /a-flat Major, Op. 53 Heroic"/RACHMANINOV: Prleude in G, Op. 32, No. 5/STRAUSS (arr. Schulz-Evler): By the Beautiful Blue Danube

Jeffrey Biegel, piano

Angelok ANG CD 8801 75:48 (Distrib. Albany):

Given Mr. Biegel's relative youth (b. 1961), this disc is an anomaly for "historic recordings," though that is precisely what it is. A graduate of the Juilliard School and Adele Marcus, Biegel had prior studied with supreme colorist Morton Estrin. Mr. Biegel likes to pay homage to the great romantic pianists, like Hofmann and Lhevinne; and his recitals from July 8 and July 25, 1997 played live directly for the Internet, capture his feeling for the Golden Age of pianism. Add to the mix that Steinway donated its 500,000th piano, and you have something of a legendary, musical alchemy.

Biegel sports some long, fleet fingers, as witnessed by the ease with which he glosses through the octaves and glissandi in Liszt, a personal favorite. He keeps a high hand for the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11, imitating much of the phrasing William Kapell managed in his awesome rendition. The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 will remind many of Levitzky's famous inascription, and that is exalted company indeed. Biegel begins with Beethoven's stormy Pathetique Sonata, where Beethoven's chromatic agony is offset by the diatonism of his will. We can hear passing allegiance to Tristan, since Wagner well knew his Beethoven. For the final Rondo, Biegel adds two cadenzas that do not break the tension of the whole. I found the Brahms introspective Intermezzo and the two Chopin pieces quite stylish, although I found the Scherzo more compelling than the Polonaise, which to my taste came off a bit precious and mannered. The Rachmaninov Prelude in G seems a deliberate copy of Moiseiwitsch, lovely. And then on to Schulz-Evler's Strauss arrangement, the province of both Moiseiwitsch and Lhevinne. Throughout the recital Biegel maintains a rounded, full-piano tone, the very essance of the music he champions. This is a rising virtuoso of color and intelligent discretion.

--Gary Lemco

 

Nigel Kennedy’s Greatest Hits - EMI Classics 57330 2:

This compilation should probably be in the Reissues section, but somehow a CD cover with the soloist in WWF-type facial makup, a semi-Mohawk haircut and taking a big bite out of his violin would seem even more out of place there. I guess this is the Kennedy’s alternate to the sexy covers on some of female violinists’ CDs. At least he appears to be again using his first name. The CD is not entirely a reissue anyway - three of the tracks are first recordings, including a rip-roaring Czardas by Monti.

He’s not just a poseur trying for crossover success - these are 13 very attractive short encores, and Kennedy’s enthusiastic delivery makes even the chestnuts glow with the brightest colors. Some are arrangements of pieces not originally composed for the violin - such as a lovely version of Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1. There is some Bach, Debussy, Kreisler, and the program opens and closes with a movement from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Two traditional melodies from the British Isles are heard in especially creative arrangements for violin solo and orchestra: Danny Boy and Scarborough Fair. His own brief line notes on each selection are also folksy and informative - also quite an alternative to the usual wordy and musicological details on the music.

- John Sunier

 

Two flutists in our next pair of CDs...

JEFF MANOOKIAN: Flute Concerto; Symphony of Tears - Laurel Ann Maurer, flute/vocal soloists/Armenian Nat. Opera Orch. & Chorus/Jeff Manookian, cond. (Concerto)/ Karen Durgarian, cond. (Sym.) - Albany Troy507:

Young conductor and composer Manookian works with such organizations as the University of Utah SummerArts Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, Salt Lake Symphony and Armenian Nat. Opera Orchestra. The three-movement flute concerto - a lovely tonal work - calls for extremely virtuosic playing by the soloist. The Symphony was inspired by the tragic and little-known Armenian Genocide of 1915-23, during which Ottoman Turks murdered more than half of the Armenian population. Some of the lyrics for mezzo and boy soprano are in Armenian and others in English - there are also passages from the Divine Armenian Liturgy. The very moving work was recorded live in Yerevan Armenia in September 2001 and is intended to console those who have suffered crimes of hate.

 

Flute Recital = TAKTAKISHVILI: Flute Sonata in C; SCHULHOFF: Flute Sonata; BARTOK: Suite Paysanne Hongroise; DOHNANYI: Aria; MARTINU: First Sonata - Marina Piccinini, flute/Eva Kupiec, piano - Claves CD 50-2105:

This most attractive program of works for flute and piano will have minimal chance of duplicating even one selection in most flute lovers’ collections. All the composers are of Eastern European extraction and rather than associations with ancient Greece or Parisian salons the flute in that part of the world comes out of the folk music cultures. That is reflected in all of the works here. Taktakishvili’s and Schulhoff’s sonatas both blend sounds of the Parisian Les Six group with folk songs of Georgian in the former and Czech in the latter. The two famous Hungarian composers are both steeped in their country’s folk tradition (which they collected and preserved on cylinder records), yet Dohnanyi’s gorgeous Aria sounds closest to the more romantic moments of Rachmaninoff. This well recorded and documented CD is one of the most varied and enjoyable solo instrument plus piano recitals I have heard in some time.

- John Sunier

 

GRIEG: Cello Sonata in A Minor, Op. 36; String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 27

Truls Mork, cello; Havard Gimse, piano; Solve Sigerland ,violin; Atle Sponberg, violin; Lars Anders Tomter, viola

Virigin Classics 5 45505 2 62:16 (Distrib. EMI):

I first heard Grieg's passionate Cello Sonata (1883) on a CBS LP with Leonard Rose, whose unbridled enthusiasm made a believer of me. The String Quartet came to me in pieces, with only the Scherzo's being offered on "Budapest String Quartet Encores" (CBS ML 5116) before I finally purchased the whole with the early Budapest on Biddulph. You need not wait to splice these fine works together: Truls Mork, Norway's answer to the diverse music-making of violinist Gidon Kremer, has assembled a talented group of friends for this Grieg recital that features consistently urgent and tender playing of both works. The entire Virgin production is a Grieg homage, with lovely pictures of the Grieg home at Troldhaugen to supplement the intensity of the performances. Everywhere we have that folkish modality that pervades the Lyric Pieces and gives poignancy to the melodies in Peer Gynt. In fact, Grieg came to lament Peer Gynt (and to a degree, his Piano Concerto) the way Rachmaninov grew to despise his C# Minor Prelude, as it came to overwhelm the other fine works in his oeuvre. This disc dispels any notions of Grieg's "singular success" and provides renewed and refreshed illuminations of two visceral cornerstones to chamber music literature. Vivid colors in equally vivid sound.

--Gary Lemco

 

ARNELL: String Quintet, Op. 60; Music for Harp, Op. 72a; Piano Trio, Op. 47; Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano, Op. 168; Suite for Unaccompanied Cello - Locrian Ensemble

Dutton CDLX 7122 71:02 (Distrib. Harmonia Mundi):

I formerly knew the concert music of Richard Arnell (b. 1917) from one work, his Punch and the Child as conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham for CBS. His music for films has made some impression; the one score I recall was for Duerrenmatt's The Visit, starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. Arnell studied at the Royal College of Music with John Ireland; during WW II he worked with conductor John Barnett, who helped Arnell develop a series of orchestral works that refined his tonal and occasionally audacious, musical syntax. In Britain, his champion has been violinist Erich Gruenberg, much involved in commissions and performances of Arnell's expressive and accessible pieces.

This collation by the Locrian Ensemble offers compositions spanning 1946 (Piano Trio) to 1991 (Flute Trio), in a range of varying moods and colors. Arnell seems to a\have taken his impetus from Debussy, whose own rarified Trio for Harp, Flute and Viola exerts a subtle influence in much of the hue and mercurial plays of light and dark in these works. Justin Pearson plays the 1960 Cello Suite, a piece "in olden style," with allegiances to Bach, certainly, but perhaps even to an older modality in 15th Century dances. The Piano Trio is the last piece Arnell wrote in America, having been stranded here at the outbreak of the Nazi blitz. It has a somber cast, with occasional interludes of lyric beauty. While there are dark moments here and in the 1950 String Quintet, there is no extended sense of angst or post-Schoenbergian harmonic turmoil. Not so dreamy as Bax, but neither as tumultuous as Walton can be, Arnell sets a middle course, technically polished, rhythmically flexible, and contrapunctally sound (via the teaching of John Dykes). Recorded at Henry Wood Hall in 2002, these more than competent pieces reveal a sincere, lyrical voice in music whose popular ouevre should be enlarged by CDs such as this one.

--Gary Lemco

 

GAVIN BRYARS: - A Portrait = Cello Concerto; One Last Bar, Then Joe Can Sing; Les Fiancailles; Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet (2 versions); The Green Ray; Adman Songbook; The Sinking of the Titanic; The North Shore - Julian Lloyd Webber, cello/ John Harle, sax/Valarie Anderson, soprano/Bill Hawkes, viola/Tom Waits/Gavin Bryars Ensemble - Philips 289 472 296-2 (2 CDs):

Bryars came to the attention of the music world with his audacious 1975 original version of Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet. The piece - which in some versions ran as long as an LP side - uses a field tape recording (in a loop) of an old man singing a fragment of a simple religious song. A string section begins to add simple harmonies , increasing in density with each repetition of the song. The two versions on this CD are much shorter - titled “singles,” and mix the voice of Tom Waits with that of the original.

The one other vocal piece is a song cycle on eight love poems by a Lebanese writer. Bass clarinet is predominant in this work. The standout works for me in this set were the lyrical neoclassic Cello Concerto with Lloyd Webber, and the almost hypnotic work for strings Les Fiancailles. Bryars writes thoughtful new music that is highly original and yet highly accessible. Recorded quality varies somewhat due to the many differing ensembles involved, but is overall good.

 

PAUL CHIHARA: Forever Escher; Shinju ballet; Wind Song (Cello Concerto) - 1) Amherst Sax Quartet/Aracata String Quartet; 2) Ballet Arts Orchestra/Paul Chihara; 3) Jeffry Solow, cello/American Sym. Orch./Gerhard Samuel - New World Records 80597-2:

Seattle-born composer Chihara studied with Nadia Boulanger and Gunther Schuller among others, and makes extensive use of non-Western musics in his works. He has written many works for the stage, ballet, film and television. The major work here, the ballet, derives its scenario from the suicide plays of a great Japanese dramatist. Chihara’s score integrates into the orchestral fabric a tape of electronically-processed vocals and instrumentals of authentic ancient Japanese music. The musique concrete process used conveys a sense of doom to the story of the two young lovers.

The Escher-influenced work held for me the most interest of the three here. Chihara wanted to imitate the artist’s skillful metamorphosizing of one object into another in his drawings. He used melodic and harmonic fragments from such sources as the song Laura, an Artie Shaw riff, some harmonies from Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and so on. The musical “found objects” are heard in all four movements, and are traded back and forth between the sax quartet and the string quartet. Thoroughly fascinating, edgy yet accessible new music from this composer who has been fortunate enough to benefit from a sizeable catalog of recorded CDs.

- John Sunier

 

Bassoon Music of the Americas = ETLER: Sonata; JOSE SIQUERA: Three Etudes; WM. OSBORNE: Rhapsody; VILLA-LOBOS: Ciranda des sete notas; Three Chorinhos - Jeff Keesecker, bassoon/Helen Grimaud, piano - ACA CM20045:

Keesecker brings us far more than the run-of-the-mill recital for solo instrument accompanied by piano. The considerable range and expressive abilities of the lowly bassoon are fully explored in these enjoyable non-hackneyed works. The first two follow a neo- classical pattern such as a Baroque sonata for recorder and continuo might. Villa-Lobos was especially fond of the bassoon and we are taken into his lush Brazilian environment with this concerto-like ciranda of seven notes. Then the Brazilian theme heats up with the closing three “mini-choros” in which the solo bassoon is enlarged to a trio with the addition of a guitarist (also playing the folk instrument the cavaquinho), and another performer on the Brazilian pandeiro.

- John Sunier

 

ARVO PÄRT: Summa; Trisagion, Symphony No. 3; Fratres; Silouans Song; Festina Lente; Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten - Estonian National Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi - Virgin Classics 5 45501 2:

Virgin Classics has occasionally issued single-CD collections of works by contemporary composers which were premiered on various CDs earlier. In some cases the attraction of having all the works on one disc ameliorates the disadvantage of the performances being not quite as good as the originals. That is certainly not the case here - many of these works were premiered on the ECM label but fellow Estonian Järvi (son of Neeme) gives us a superb reading of all Pärt’s nine works in this collection, and sonics are just as good as were ECM’s. The Eastern European brand of minimalism characterized by Paart’s music works with the most primitive of materials to achieve a profoundly meditative and spiritual mood that is unafraid of silence or long-held notes. Paart’s close connection with the Greek Orthodox Church is central to his music, as was Messiaen’s with the Catholic Church. With a bow to Edgar Allen Poe, he calls his often bell-like sound tintinnabulation. His great appeal to listeners has given the composer a cult-like status with audiences and collectors.

Early polyphony and plainsong often provide the beginning point for works by Paart, and the this is especially true of the main work here - the Symphony. This work is much more complex, with a huge orchestra, and partakes of the violent contrasts of dynamics which fellow minimalist Kancheli carries even further. Fratres is probably the big hit of this collection - heard in its orchestral garb as opposed to the violin-piano version by Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett which originally popularized the piece on ECM.

- John Sunier

 

Nightmare in Venice - VIVALDI: La Notte (The Nightmare Concerto); Concerto Grosso in A Minor RV 522; PURCELL: Suite from The Fairy Queen; CASTELLO: Sonata Decima; LECLAIR: Suite from Scylla et Glaucus; CIMA: Sonata a Tre in A Minor; English Fantasy Suite; Fantasy on Corelli’s “La Folia” - Red Priest - Dorian DOR-90305:

Red Priest is only a quartet of early-music specialists but with a larger than life reputation for unique programming (such as this CD) and daring interpretations. Violin, cello, recorders and harpsichord are the group’s makeup, and a critic observed of them, “If nobody goes over the top, how will we know what lies on the other side?” Named after the nickname for Antonio Vivaldi, Red Priest reminded me of the gutsy Italian early-music group Il Giardino Armonico, though of a reduced size.

In their notes they describe the opening of La Notte as more reminiscent of a Hammer Films horror oater than anything else in the Baroque period, so it made a perfect intro to this CD. In addition to sparkling and energetic versions of the other Vivaldi, Purcell and LeClair works, the quartet arranged three pieces of music by Robert Johnson for the theater of Shakespeare’s time plus one by Nicholas LeStrange into a Fantasy Suite. Then they wind up with their very own improvisation on a famous theme of Corelli, readily admitting that it may not fit the currently accepted boundaries of “authenticity.” Sonics, as is the norm with Dorian, are first rate. If Red Priest is a musical dream for your ears, you might want to check out their earlier CD, Priest on the Run.

- John Sunier

 

***Five New Entries in Naxos’ American Classics Series. This acclaimed series is the most ambitious recording project ever devoted entirely to American composers - when completed over 200 CDs will make up the series. The rich tapestry of American concert music continues to be served with these excellent performances at bargain prices that allow collectors to explore important American composers whose music they have never before heard...

MICHAEL TORKE: Rapture (Percussion Concerto); An American Abroad; Jasper - Colin Currie, percussion/Royal Scottish Nat. Orch../Marin Alsop - Naxos American Classics 8.559167:

SAMUEL BARBER: Piano Concerto; Die Natali; Commando March; Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance - Stephen Prutsman, p./Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./Marin Alsop - Naxos American Classics 8.559133:

CHARLES MARTIN LOEFFLER: Music for Four Stringed Instruments; String Quartet; Quintet in One Movement - DaVinci Quartet - Naxos American Classics 8.559077:

JOHN ALDEN CARPENTER: Sonata for Violin and Piano; String Quartet; Piano Quintet - Paul Posnak, Piano/Sergiu Schwartz, violin/Vega Quartet - Naxos American Classics 8.559103:

GEORGE WHITEFIELD CHADWICK: Orchestral Works = Thalia, Melpomene, Euterpe, Angel of Death, Aphrodite - Nashville Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Schermerhorn - Naxos American Classics 8.559117:

The Torke CD is a real departure for this series, consisting of works composed in just the last few years. Torke’s music has been called some of the most uplifting and optimistic being created today. He’s not afraid of beautiful melodies and the energy of his rhythmic patterns is heard full- blown in the percussion concerto. An American Abroad is a sort of update of Gershwin’s classic but with a feeling of the romantic wonderment of travel in general - that feeling of wonderment seems to pervade many of Torke’s very accessible works.

The Barber works have been recorded before, but these are superb interpretations in find sonics at a bargain price. Barber’s Late Romantic tonal style is prevented from sounding dated by his use of modern harmonic and melodic leadings. In the Medea ballet selection he skirts Bartokian territory, especially with the prominent xylophone part. With the freeing of modern music from the stranglehold of academic serialism, his music should be appreciated all over again today.

Loeffler has been almost forgotten today although he was one of the most respected American composers in the 20s and 30s. Boston was his hometown, and his earlier works - as with most American composers then - were influenced by Germanic compositional styles. Later French Impressionism is heard in his works. The three movement Music for Four Stringed Instruments of l917 is his best known work and was composed in memory of a friend who was an aviator in WWI. It incorporates plainchant of the early Christian church.

Carpenter is probably best known to audiophiles for his colorful Adventures in a Perambulator, recorded by Howard Hanson on an early Mercury Living Presence LP. Like Charles Ives, he combined success in the business world with an active live as a composer. Various of his works show influences of the Germanic, French, Russian and even jazz. His Violin Sonata is a lovely work that opens with a hint of Delius and continues with a feeling of nostalgia common to that composer. The Quintet also shows impressionistic influences, but couched in a more heavily Late Romantic style.

Chadwick will also come to most senior audiophiles’ attention as the composer of the spectacular Symphonic Sketches, also recorded for Mercury Living Presence by Howard Hanson. Studies in Germany, followed by the music world of Boston are also part of his background, though later works such as two of these overtures named after the Muses, show more of a French tendency. His highly personal style often quoted hymns and folk tunes, and his scherzos were especially jovial and light-hearted. Because of these qualities, Chadwick seems to possess the most “American sound” of U.S. composers up until Copland. Both Angel of Death and Aphrodite were inspired by sculptures by artist friends of the composer. The Nashville Symphony is making quite a reputation for its excellent performances of American music and this fine disc is just one of its successes. It’s somehow satisfying to have American music played by an American orchestra for a change.

- John Sunier