Thanks for that share. I've got a ton of Martinu albums, but not that one! :)

Concerning that other Suprahon Martinu CD (Thunderbolt P-47 etc), of course I got it in lossless, since I own the CD (like 98% of all discs I'm posting). But I've shared in excess of 700 CDs here, and I would not have been able to do that, much less to re-up hundreds in the program music thread, if I'd post the majority in lossless. If someone likes an album particularly, there's always an opportunity to get it in lossless ...



No.112

After a brief period as an elementary and high school music teacher, Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991)
won a contest sponsored by the Ministry of Education which enabled him to go to Paris to study music in
1928. He returned to Turkey in 1931 and resumed teaching. He was forced to resign from a post as conductor
of the Ankara Presidential SO because of hearing failure. A position as an inspector of Halkevis or cultural
institutions led to his research into Turkish folk music, collaborating with B�la Bart�k. This earned him a
reputation as a leading authority on folklore. He is known as a notable figure in the Turkish Five and enjoys
a rich creative life in addition to his accomplishments in research. His compositions are a combination
of Romantic and Impressionist styles, with later works that employ more recent techniques.



Music Composed by Ahmed Adnan Saygun
Played by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
With G�lsin Onay (piano)
Conducted by Howard Griffiths

"If you can imagine the combination of Bart�k’s alternately nocturnal and percussive keyboard writing
(and scoring) married to the chromatic luxuriance of Szymanowski or Scriabin, then you have a good
sense of what to expect from these two marvelous concertos. Saygun was without question a major
composer, one of the last of the great ethnic nationalists. The influences of Turkish folk music have been
fully absorbed into an evocative, personal idiom that has enough ties to Western tradition that aficionados
of the great Romantic concertos won’t lose their bearings while still savoring the many new, colorful,
and atmospheric sounds that Saygun evokes.

The First Concerto dates from the 1950s, the Second (composed for the splendid soloist on this recording)
from the 1980s. There’s perhaps a touch more refinement to the scoring of the Second Concerto, but
both are full of ear-catching ideas and offer plenty of virtuoso opportunities to the pianist. We probably
won’t get any more recordings of these pieces anytime soon, so it’s a good thing that the performances
here sound wholly fresh, idiomatic, and full of fire. I’ve been pushing Saygun’s distinctive, masterful
body of work for years, but if you haven’t taken the plunge then this excellently engineered disc makes
a great place to start."
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you�re again an ANGRY and ARROGANT guy,WITH A POOR EDUCATION in your reply.
Sports et Divertissrments is a piece for solo piano. None of that has anything to do with this thread. I was referring to "few" as the number of available sports-related orchestral works, of course there's a copious amount of jazzy pieces (and I shared several of those, like Antheil and Ellington).

Guilloteclub, you really need to READ before you post.

wimpel69, thanks for answer, success and good luck :)

you�re again an ANGRY and ARROGANT guy,WITH A POOR EDUCATION in your reply.

A typically obnoxious answer from "guillotecliub" (who himself has contributed NOTHING to this forum). Look at his few comments ... Please just get lost!

Ahhh, everybody's life has some rain in it. ;)

And, for those who aren't "guilloteclub", the FLAC version of the Saygun is up.

again the same angry and popinjay mood,yuo�re a little man.it�s your nature
A typically obnoxious answer from "guillotecliub" (who himself has contributed NOTHING to this forum). Look at his few comments ... Please just get lost!

Ahhh, everybody's life has some rain in it. ;)

And, for those who aren't "guilloteclub", the FLAC version of the Saygun is up.

Why don't you upload some music yourself here, or learn some English, so your presence in this forum
isn't a COMPLETE waste of everybody else`s time? ;)


No.113

Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto is an unashamedly romantic work, with a
vibrantly cinematic character, begging the lie that no "hack" celluloid composer could write a work
that not only ranked as one of the best concertos of its time, but also retained the populist feel of a
Hollywood movie in the unforgettable contouring of its thematic material. The concerto comprises
three movements. In the first (Moderato mobile), the soloist enters almost at once, with a lush,
broadly stated melody that is quintessential Korngold. The music moves steadily forward into a faster-
moving episode, with constant reminders of the opening ideas, and making searching demands on
the soloist as a result of its highly rhapsodic style. The movement also includes a virtuoso cadenza
and a final coda of arresting power. The central movement (Romanze) brings the required contrast,
in a delicately scored piece in which the soloist reflects at length on material of a touchingly
nostalgic coloration. A powerfully assertive mood prevails once again with the arrival of the finale
(Allegro assai vivace), whose angular, strongly motoric rhythms serve as reminder that Korngold
came from the same creative stable as Schoenberg and Zemlinsky.

The frenzied earnestness of German musical life between the end of the Great War and Hitler's
rise to power -- the Jazz Age -- looms as at once fantastic and touching. The intense rivalries
and jealous watchfulness, manifestoes and critical infighting, performance politics and machinations -
- satirically reflected in the gamey knockabout of Berlin cabaret. In this atmosphere, Kurt Weill
composed the Concerto for Violin and Wind Instruments in April-May 1924, with its "objective"
coolness, its formal concision, its nod to his mentor Busoni's Italianit�; it is Weill's first masterpiece,
whose curious musical Esperanto becomes a living language. Composed for Joseph Szigeti -
- who eventually performed it all over Europe -- the Concerto was given its premiere in Paris
on June 11, 1925, by Marcel Darrieux with Walther Straram conducting the Straram Orchestra.
The first movement occupies a surreal sound world in which ghostly tranquillo episodes alternate
with distant alarums and excursions coming closer and fading away in pseudo-Baroque business.
The succeeding Notturno -- with its prominent xylophone, conjures a spectrally brittle pantomime;
this is interrupted by a pleading, protesting central Cadenza, again awakening martial fanfares.
The piquant and eerie Serenata's Allegretto can only be the love song of Pierrot to Columbine.
The final agitato tarantella passes like a haunted dreamscape impassively observed.

Alma Modie is the dedicatee of Ernst Krenek's Violin Concerto No.1, according to the score
and UE’s website. Thanks to composer Bertold Goldschmidt’s recollections of the concerto’s world
premiere and the interview afterward with Modie in the green room (recorded in 1995), we know
that this youthful composition harbours a portrait of the violinist and her relationship with Krenek,
who was 24 at the time. Thus the piece is a very personal one in which the composer symbolises
himself with first the clarinet and later the trumpet.



Music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Kurt Weill & Ernst Krenek
Played by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
With Chantal Juilliet (violin)
Conducted by John Mauceri

"Kurt Weill (1900-1950) composed his Schoenberg-flavored violin concerto in 1924. I don't mean
to suggest it's a twelve-tone product: Schoenberg himself was still composing his 5 Piano Pieces
(Op. 23) at the time, the first work where he fully employed his new technique. Still, Weill's
orchestration and harmonies suggest the Second Vienna School; but where Schoenberg is generally
dead-serious, Weill is here humorous and morose, often mixing the two together as if they were
indistinguishable. When a theme appears in the first movement at 2:25 (track 4) that sounds
like a close cousin of the dies irae, one wonders if it's parodistic or serious. I'll vote for parody,
or at least for humor. The second movement presciently invokes early Shostakovich, whose first
serious composition, the Symphony No. 1, hadn't yet been composed. Here the humor and fun
are obvious. The finale is a kind of hodgepodge: muscular and dry at the outset, swooning
and nearly songful in the middle, and rambunctiously spirited at the close. Chantal Juillet turns
on the acid a bit and adroitly captures Weill's darkness and dark humor. If she can so sweetly
deliver the Korngold, then turn grim and deliciously sour in the Weill, her interpretive range is
imposingly wide, indeed.

The concerto by Ernst Krenek (1900-1991) is the most dour-sounding work by far here. It
is, however, not without its moments of peaceful, even beautiful, repose: the middle section
of the opening movement is rather tender and soaring, if a bit tense harmonically. This 1924
work is slightly more compact than its disc mates, lasting just over twenty minutes. Again,
the influence here is Schoenberg, but, as with Weill, it is not a dominating factor throughout
the piece. The first movement is fraught with tension, but counterbalanced by a feeling of
hope. The following Adagio is dark and mysterious, and offers a cadenza of considerable
virtuosity and expressive depth. The finale begins eerily and quickly becomes intense and
driven, but, in its quiet, puzzling ending, does not offer a resolution to the grim issues the
work raises. Again Juillet is right on target in this great piece. It must be said that John
Mauceri abets her with consistently insightful accompaniment and must take equal credit
for these excellent performances. In sum, this is a fascinating issue."



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Thank you for the Krenek! Very rare, and so interesting!

By the way I have a instrumental version of Satie�s sports & divertisiments.Wimpel you must learn a bit more before attack me. bye bye
again the same angry and popinjay mood,yuo�re a little man.it�s your nature

be nice to each other, please ... although we are all unique

guilloteclub is exactly the kind of board riffraff we can do without.

No.114

Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981) stated that he completed a piano concerto before he was twenty.
At that time he had not acquired a formal, theoretical basis for his work as a composer. Everything he
wrote at the time - including a discarded opera - was the result of his own study of music.
lf the Piano Concerto No.1 that we have here is the same work that he took with him to Leipzig
as a student in 1928, we can count on its having been subjected to major revisions by an attentive
student under the influence ofhis very capable teachers. Whatever the truth, this piano concerto is a fine
first crop from a very fertile artistic meadow. The concerto has a youthful, innocent character
with the opening theme beautifully presented by the piano without an orchestral
introduction. The middle movement brings several contrasts at a rapid tempo and leads
into the third movement, Lento. The concerto ends just as cautiously as it began.

Geirr Tveitt had a good knowledge of world literature and he was inspired, for
instance, by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The third chapter contains a description
of a turtle. With sharply humorous eyes, and grasping an ear of wild oats with one
front leg, it moves itself optimistically over the concrete road with its high-domed shell.
Miraculously the tortoise avoids the lethal car wheels, makes it over to the other side of
the highway and sows its wild oats in new earth before crawling off on its yellow claws. A
living individual in a barren world. And the humorous eyes look steadily ahead.
The Turtle is a text from a modern context. It differs strongly from the Old Norse
sources to which Tveitt was often attracted. When, for once, he addressed himself to a
contemporary American text, this must have meant something very special to him. We
witness an existential drama in the narrative about the turtle that slowly crawls across the
highway.

Since time immemorial man has been bewitched by the northem lights, aurora borealis -
indeed, the northem lights are mentioned already in ancient Greek texts. The Norse prose
epic Kongespeilet (The King's Mirrort ca.l220-3O) states that the northern lights are remarkable
in that they glow more brightly the darker the night is. Geirr Tveitt was particularly preoccupied
with the universe, and his interest in space found expression in several ways. lnthe Piano
Concerto No.4, with which he had been struggling in the late winter
months, one might long for the luscious tunes that Tveitt normally conjured up so readily.
With the orchestra in full bloom and the piano part adding its dense chords, arabesques
and nuances, however, this brightly lit drama, full of wondrously beautiful passages, appears
in all its glory. Geirr Tveitt never visited the far north of Norway where the northem lights
can be seen much more regularly than in the south of the country, but in Hardanger there
can be spectacular displays now and then on clear winter nights.
found expression in several ways.



Music Composed by Geirr Tveitt
Played by the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
With Sveilund Bjelland & Hakon Austb� (piano)
And Ingebj�rg Kosmo (mezzo-soprano)
Conducted by Ole Kristian Ruud

"Piano Concerto No. 4, subtitled “Northern Lights”, is a masterpiece that stands in relation
to Tveitt’s other works somewhat as does Martinu’s equally evocative Fourth Piano Concerto
(subtitled “Incantations”). Both employ a more modern idiom to create a mysterious,
otherworldly universe of sounds, one that pianist Hakon Austbo inhabits with a remarkable
degree of sympathy and virtuosity. This really marvelous piece belongs in the collection of
anyone who enjoys good modern piano concertos, and frankly you should have both this
and the Naxos recording, for there’s more to this music than any single version can
completely reveal.

The Turtle is an amazing solo cantata with an English text very surprisingly taken from
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. What is less surprising is the fact that Tveitt’s sensitivity
to nature translates so well from the mountains and fjords of Norway to the deserts of the
American West. Now I have to confess that I loathe Steinbeck, particularly in passages
such as this one, which describes a turtle crossing a road and almost getting squashed
by a truck, surviving to drop some grass seed stuck in its shell in the dirt on the other
side. But I also have to admit that taken out of context this makes for a terrific musical
setting, similar in conception to works such as Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. It’s
colorful and utterly mesmerizing, and Ingebjorg Kosmo sings it beautifully.

If you’ve been captivated by Tveitt’s music, then you certainly will want this disc even
if it involves some duplication of repertoire."
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you�re a really board riffraff.It�s funny to see how angry are you .you can�t hurt me and so :Say no more and bye bye
guilloteclub is exactly the kind of board riffraff we can do without.

No.115

John Corigliano on his Piano Concerto: "The work is scored for solo piano and large
orchestra with a particularly large percussion section. It is in four movements: Molto Allegro,
Scherzo (Vivace), Appassionato (Andante), and Allegro. The last two movements are linked together.
While the work is basically tonal (centered in B flat), there are many atonal sections, and, in the trio
of the second movement, a section of strict twelve-tone writing. The rhythms throughout the work
are highly irregular and meters change often.

The first movement (Molto Allegro), the largest in scope, uses Sonata-Allegro form in an original
way. After a few bars of introduction by the brass section, the solo piano enters with an extended
cadenza accompanied by percussion and harp, introducing the first theme – a savage three-note
motto. This highly energetic section reaches a peak climaxed by a piano run which concludes on
the orchestra’s opening note – E. A sudden pianissimo for the full orchestra introduces a change
of tempo and mood. The following long, lyrical orchestral tutti introduces and expands the
movement’s second theme – a cantabile melody first heard in the solo horn – and shortly builds
to a large orchestral climax. A sudden change of tempo begins the development section, in
which two opposed metamorphoses take place: each theme is separately developed,
transforming the aggressive three-note motto into a lyrical theme, and the lyrical theme into
a savage motto. In other words, each one becomes the other. The cadenza in the recapitulation
leads to the second theme in its original lyrical form, followed this time by a diabolic coda
which brings the movement to an end.

The second movement is a short scherzo which spells the emotional tension generated in
the first movement and to be continued in the third. Three short repeated chords form the
scherzo’s motto, which is based on the superimposition of major and minor thirds. This
interval of a third forms the building block of the movement. The trio is based on a twelve-
tone row derived from the piano figures in the beginning of the movement. This tone row,
however, is not an atonal one, being strongly centered on E. The recapitulation of the
original material leads to a whispered conclusion of the movement.

In the third movement (Appassionato), all the themes are based on six notes. The form
is arch shaped, building to a peak and diminishing to a quiet pizzicato strings and a
hushed single-note piano melody which leads directly into the final movement.

The final movement (Allegro) is a rondo. Its major theme – a fugato – utilizes orchestral
and piano tone-clusters as an integral part of its structure. The three subsections of the
movement incorporate the major themes from the earlier three movements. The first
subsection reiterates the slow third-movement theme (now played at a fast tempo); the
second subsection (a buildup of the coda) recalls the scherzo’s material; and the final
section at the end of the coda brings back the original three-note motto of the first
movement, joining to end the concerto in a burst of virtuosic energy and color."



Music Composed by John Corigliano
Played by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
With Barry Douglas (piano)
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

"...Corigliano's Piano Concerto [is] a powerful and ambitious work in four sharply
contrasted movements. Dating from 1968, long before his AIDS-inspired Symphony
No. 1 and the brilliantly successful Met opera, The Ghosts of Versailles, it communicates
with similar immediacy. The substantial opening Allegro, much the longest movement,
is in modified sonata form, with a jazzy first subject prompting heavyweight virtuoso
writing for the soloist, quickly leading to a broadly lyrical, meditative second theme.
If Corigliano unashamedly uses a freely eclectic style, his writing is consistently positive
and energetic, never merely conventional, both in that first movement and the compact
scherzo, the lyrical Andante appassionato slow movement and the Rondo finale which follow.

Having an all-Corigliano coupling has the merit of setting the work in context. The Elegy
and the show-piece, Tournaments Overture, both date from even earlier and are his
first full orchestral works— the one developed from the love scene in incidental music
Corigliano wrote for a play about Helen of Troy, the other a virtuoso piece, substantially
monothematic, that tests the orchestra to the limit in its three clearly defined sections,
fast-slow-fast. Unlike most composers Corigliano is consistently helpful and direct in
his comments on each work. One would never have realized that the Fantasia on an
Ostinato was adapted from a solo piano piece, so fluent and brilliant is the orchestral
writing. The argument is built on the main theme of the Allegretto second movement
of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, which eventually emerges gently and slowly at
the very end, with the final chord taken direct from the symphony. As Corigliano
puts it, "I have attempted to combine what I felt were the attractive aspects of
minimalism with convincing architecture and emotional expression".

Slatkin draws outstanding playing from the St Louis orchestra, and Barry Douglas
proves a powerful advocate, using a daringly wide dynamic range and tonal palate."
Gramophone



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Thanks for Tveitt concertos!!! Incredible Nordic music!

Present from me
J.A.Carpenter - Krazy Kat, Henry Gilbert - Dance in Place Congo, A.Weiss - American Life, J.Powell - Rhapsodie Negre (New World Records, 1991) - American classical music with black folk materials or purported jazz—usually ragtime and Jazz Age—materials



Thread 170940

Thank you for all your latest uploads, wimpel69.

billion thanks wimpel69 and legoru!

No.116

York Bowen's (1884-1961) Piano Concerto No.2 is grandiloquent from the outset and
the Colosseum provides an awesomely chasmal acoustic yet not such as to cloud the detail. Bowen
writes in a saturated grand romantic style which echoes with references from Tchaikovsky, Grieg
and Rachmaninov. He was very much a child of the Frederick Corder DNA strand at the RAM rather
than the more buttoned up Stanford/Parry RCM blood-line. There’s a dreamy lento with a solo viola
duetting with the piano but Bowen cannot resist the heart-on-sleeve Russian-style climax for long
and so it comes at 2:20 before the music winds down to the more intimate communion of the
movement’s opening. The lento is surprisingly short – I suspect Bowen wanted to get back to the
triumph and the thunder. The finale is playful and flighty in the manner of the Scriabin Piano
Concerto, Tchaikovsky 2 and Rachmaninov 1. It’s deeply enjoyable.

The Piano Concerto No.3 follows a similar schema and style although this time one is
reminded of the very fine Arensky Piano Concerto. Certainly Mr Dussek is kept glitteringly busy
in a broadly and sometimes specifically (I 5:20) Tchaikovskian idiom. There’s a rather lovely
sentimental melody in the – once again - short andante grazioso middle movement. Bowen,
true to form, cannot resist the magnetic pull of a major climax in the middle of the movement.
Once again the Russophile in Bowen is on full view in the finale Allegro con fuoco. However as
with the finale of the Second Concerto there is some byplay, this time in an almost
pretty Oriental style.



Music Composed by York Bowen
Played by the BBC Concert Orchestra
With Michael Dussek (piano)
Conducted by Vernon Handley

"The indefatigable champion of British music, Vernon Handley, here presents a strong case
for one of the 20th century's semi-forgotten figures, enhanced by the pianistic panache of
Michael Dussek."

"Its [the music on this disc's] combination of succulence, brilliance and strong melodic
threads, coupled with the sensitivity and spirit of these performances, ought to win new
admirers for two imaginative concertos and a Symphonic Fantasia of Straussian lyricism
and verve."
The Daily Telegraph





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---------- Post added at 04:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 PM ----------

As an addendum, please don't send me "Send me all the links" PM's. Please request each album individually, because otherwise I can't keep track of which requests I've answered. Thank you.

endless thanks wimpel69!(and vernon for ever)

Thanks Wimpel69 for all the great music. Attached is a link for Corigliano's Percussion concerto Conjurer.

"Leading American composer John Corigliano had reservations about writing a percussion concerto, but the challenge fascinated him. The result is Conjurer, a concerto for percussion like no other, in which 'wood, metal and skin' are utilised in such a way that the soloist, Dame Evelyn Glennie - the world's greatest percussion virtuoso - 'conjures' the musical material from these three choirs, and the orchestra then shares and develops the themes. Vocalise employs electronics in a way that serves to heighten the expressive beauty of the writing, gradually leading the listener from a purely acoustic experience to one that becomes suffused by amplification and electronics."

https://mega.co.nz/#!zgBxxQrb!0S5VYh54ZT_paizjbKZrnZ3McTmvX_y9XauRCGI _k9I

Thanks for this, snoopie. :)


No.117

Paul Hindemith wrote his ballet The Four Temperaments for piano and orchestra for
choreographer George Balanchine in 1940. As a ballet, the work had to wait six years for its
premiere and has since left the stage. As a concert work, however, The Four Temperaments
premiered the same year it was written and has maintained its place in the concert hall as
a type of piano concerto ever since. Based on the medieval notion that each person is
dominated by a particular humor or bodily fluid -- black bile for the melancholic, blood
for the sanguine, phlegm for the phlegmatic, and yellow bile for the choleric -- Hindemith's
work treats each of these personality types as variations on a theme. Thus, the work is in
five movements: "Theme," "Melancholy," "Sanguine," "Phlegmatic," and "Choleric."

The Cello Concerto is among the first works Hindemith completed after immigrating to the
United States in 1940. He had been teaching in Turkey for some years, and occasionally visited the
U.S. Upon arriving to stay he was fortunate enough to go first to Tanglewood, where he would have
a summer position teaching the cream of the crop of young American musicians. In the week
before the session opened, he wrote his wife, had ample opportunity to see the area's beautiful
mountains and forests, to make considerable progress on his new cello concerto, and in general
develop positive feelings towards his future life in America.

The first movement begins with an arresting march figure and is forceful throughout, with
assertive sections for cello, scored lightly and colorfully in an acutely well-judged understanding
of the balances that are possible for the cello and orchestra. The second movement begins in
contemplative mood, with a lyrical theme (later used by William Walton in his Variations on a
Theme by Hindemith). Perhaps remembering the weak tarantella with which he had ended his
student cello concerto, Hindemith then gives the cello a tarantella theme in a fast middle section.
After it, the tempo slows again, the orchestra returns to the opening material, but the cello keeps
going with the tarantella at the previous speed. The second draft of third movement, based on
a theme supposedly by Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia, sees the cello also seeming to try to
stand apart from the orchestra. The orchestra keeps breaking into a march, which the cello
resists. At the end, however, the cello seems to agree to conform to the orchestra's tempo and
rhythm, adopts a jaunty repeating phrase, and seems to march away.



Music Composed by Paul Hindemith
Played by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
With Howard Shelley (piano) & Raphael Wallfisch (cello)
Conducted by Yan-Pascal Tortelier

"The BBC Philharmonic’s first recordings with its new principal conductor augur well
for its series dedicated to that most unfashionable of composers, Paul Hindemith. His
three-movement suite from the ballet Nobilissima visione, a Diaghilev commission first
staged in London in 1938, is perhaps the best-known piece here. Like its subject,
St Francis of Assisi, the music is ascetic and spiritual, and culminates in a huge passacaglia
in praise of the sun. Tortelier produces a fine performance, though the playing is not
quite as warm as in Klemperer’s affectionate 1954 recording. The Symphony in E flat
dates from 1940, soon after Hindemith had left Germany for the USA. It combines the
neo-classical optimism of Stravinsky’s contemporaneous Symphony in C and Symphony
in Three Movements, with block scoring reminiscent of Shostakovich. The performance
is purposeful and committed. Theme and Variations: The Four Temperaments is another
work which began life as a ballet score, and is scored for strings with solo piano. The
four variations (Melancholy, Sanguine, Phlegmatic and Choleric) aim to demonstrate
different aspects of the three part theme, though the absence of strong contrasts of
mood has given rise to unkind references to ‘The Four Equal Temperaments’. Here,
though, the BBC strings play with real passion, and Howard Shelley is a commanding
soloist. Even better is Raphael Wallfisch’s engaging performance of the Cello Concerto
(also from 1940). It is an exhilarating work which calls to mind both Walton and Ravel,
yet retains Hindemith’s own whimsical sense of fun. The recordings demonstrate an
impressive dynamic range and warm sound."
Classical-Music.Com



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No.118

Although he started out as a highly promising concert pianist in a grand style,
George Walker (*1922) was writing substantial music from his mid-twenties. By the
time he was 40, he had solidly established himself as a flexible, fully contemporary composer
and it is on his large catalog of works produced from the early '50s to about 1990 that
his reputation will rest. He studied piano through childhood, going on to obtain degrees
in performance from Oberlin (bachelor of music, 1941) and the Eastman School of Music
(doctor of musical arts, 1957). He also studied at the Curtis Institute and with Nadia
Boulanger at the American Conservatory, Fontainbleau.

"I believe that music is above race," Walker once said, and his own music does not strongly
position him as an African American composer. His mature style grafts serialism onto neo-
Classical forms, binding the two with complex rhythms, Hindemithian counterpoint, strong
timbral contrasts, and occasional evocations of black folk music through reference to blues,
spirituals, and jazz. He won the Pulitzer Prize (the first living black composer to do so) in
1996 for Lilacs, a work for soprano or tenor and orchestra, commissioned by the
Boston Symphony.

Icarus in Orbit of 2004 encapsulates the principal aspects of the myth of Icarus.
An introduction creates the ominous atmosphere of the initial phase of the myth of Icarus. The
succeeding string passages suggest the flight from the island of Crete. Sustained high pitched notes
in the wind instruments relate the glare of intense heat from the sun. Panic ensues as the wax melts
from the feathered wings of Icarus. A brief flute cadenza signals the plummet to the sea below and
the tragic end to this ambitious journey.

The Piano Concerto was composed in 1975 for the late Natalie Hinderas, a brilliantly gifted pianist.
The concerto was commissioned at the suggestion of Robert Shaw, conductor of the Atlanta Symphony.
The first movement begins with an orchestral introduction that is followed by the entry of the
piano and a piano cadenza. The orchestra re-enters using the intervallic content from the piano.
The principal motive, recurring sometimes in inversion, replaces a conventional theme. A transitional
solo passage in the piano leads to a contrasting theme. After an orchestral tutti, the piano and the
orchestra alternate in a dynamic dialog and an elaboration of the intervallic content introduced by the
piano at the beginning of the movement. A piano cadenza utilizes the contrasting thematic material
that was heard earlier.

The second movement begins with a Duke Ellington song stated in augmentation. After a piano
cadenza, constituting the B section of an ABA form, the song is restated as a retrograde of the original.
The orchestral introduction in the third movement is followed by a syncopated subject of a three
part fugue. The answer appears when the solo piano enters. A violently rhythmic section follows and
ensues in a modified form before and after a cadenza. The fugue subject returns in the orchestra.
There is no known use of this formal device in the final movement of any piano concerto.

The Dialogus for Cello and Orchestra was commissioned by Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra
for the Bicentennial of 1976. The three initial chords that begin the concerto recur as pillars, marking
sections of the work as well as its conclusion. The melodic statement by the cello at its entrance returns
with embellishing figures in the orchestra. These fragments suggest the natural environment of birds
and chirping insects surrounding the studio in which the work was conceived.

Da Camera is a work in one movement composed in 2009. The title is a contraction of Musica da
Camera. The music incorporates an infusion of disparate voices. Quotes from a Broadway musical,
a spiritual and two jazz standards appear in the parts for the piano trio. The second jazz tune is
restated by the string orchestra. The piano trio is used primarily in a soloistic configuration.



Music Composed by George Walker
Played by the Sinfonia Varsovia & Sinfonia da Camera
With Rochelle Sennet (piano) & Dmitry Kouzov (cello)
Conducted by Ian Hobson

"This is the first CD by Walker that I have had the opportunity to review since 2007. Walker is
a serious composer: thoughtful, intellectual, probing, and often quite difficult to understand.
On the other hand, some pieces are direct and uninhibited in a manner that speaks quite
directly to the listener. He is hard to pigeonhole, and while I wouldn’t consider him as a multi-
stylistic composer I do think that his music breathes the moment according to how he feels it.
If raw unchecked tonality meets that need then he writes it; if more complex structures are
called for he doesn’t hesitate. His gestures are usually concise and very controlled, with few
extraneous notes needed, not unlike that of Samuel Barber, with whom he studied, though
you won’t confuse the two of them. Walker’s early conservatory studies at Oberlin and Curtis,
with piano highlighted by Rudolf Serkin, and chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor
Piatigorsky, culminated in a doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music. He is the first
African American composer, unbelievably, to receive the Pulitzer for his work Lilacs in 1996.
It is amazing it took so long.

Perhaps the key to understanding him is the quote taken from an interview with Bruce Duffie:
“I’m not really concerned with pleasing the public. I can’t please the public because I don’t
know what the public wants. Even if I know what the public wants, I don’t know that I could
give it to them. I try to write something I’m going to be able to live with and hope that
others will begin to find some of the things that I feel have given certain strength to the
music. I don’t really believe in creating something that doesn’t have any strength.”

“Strength” is an operative word in Walker’s music. Those interested in being spoon-fed should
look elsewhere. Take the tightly-constructed Dialogus for cello and orchestra, the only work
nominated for the Pulitzer Prize finals in 1977. Its effervescent concentration and spindle-
woven melodic content are a joy to hear even though the demanding cello part not only
beckons but demands your attention in ways that few works do. I can’t believe this is the
first performance since its premiere. And the almost French madcap antics of the Da Camera
for piano trio, harp, celeste, string orchestra, and percussion takes us back to the world of
Les Six while disguising its Broadway, spirituals, and jazz quotes.

Every piece here is worthwhile listening, the third album of “Great American Orchestral Works”
by the composer on Albany. My only exception might be Abu for narrators and chamber
orchestra, but only because I have a general allergy to pieces with narration. Walker is prolific
enough to present us with a vast canvass that is not always even in quality, and I have
found some of his music impenetrable. But this disc contains music that shows a master
composer at work, at the top of his game, and is a pleasure to recommend. All the
performances are top notch, and the Albany engineers give him splendid sound."
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No.119

Einojuhani Rautavaara was born in Helsinki on 9th October, 1928. Graduating from Helsinki University
in 1952, he studied at the Sibelius Academy with Aarre Merikanto and, after winning a Koussevitzky
Foundation fellowship in 1955, with Vincent Persichetti at the Juilliard School, and with Aaron Copland
and Roger Sessions at Tanglewood. He furthered his studies in Ascona with Vladimir Vogel and in Cologne
with Rudolf Petzold. Rautavaara’s early pieces, typified by the prize-winning A Requiem in Our Time (1953),
drew on the Nordic classicism of Sibelius and Nielsen, as well as the influences of Bart�k, Shostakovich and folk-
music. His Fourth Symphony (1962) was among the first Finnish works to employ serial techniques, while
the subsequent widening of his stylistic range gave rise, in 1972, to two of his most enduring works: Vigilia,
drawing on Orthodox liturgical chant, and Cantus Arcticus, employing taped birdsong alongside modal and
aleatoric (chance-derived) elements. Greater tonal orientation is evident in his more recent music.

Composed in 1995 for the orchestra of Espoo Music Institute, Isle of Bliss was inspired by Home of the Birds,
a poem of Aleksis Kivi (1834-72) depicting the mythical concept of the island paradise. Rautavaara’s piece broadly
follows the overall form of the poem: a lively opening, passing into a reflective section, marked by contributions
from numerous solo wind instruments, which evokes time standing still; at length, the emergence of an expressive
string threnody denoting the arrival of dawn, then a recall of the opening pages which precedes the music’s
swift passing into silence.

The Second Piano Concerto, written at the request of Ralf Gothoni, finds an intriguing accommodation
between traditional and more radical elements. Serial technique is employed, but the re-orderings of a twelve-
note row do not determine the substance of the composition as mediate between the diatonic and chromatic
facets of the melodic and harmonic writing. There are three movements, played without a break, with the
duration of the outer two together equalling that of the inner one. In Viaggio opens with rippling piano figuration
against fragmentary orchestral writing, a passionate melody moving upwards through the strings before the
soloist comes fully into its own. Percussive interjections heighten tension, as the strings drive the movement
to a dramatic conclusion. The plaintive piano writing which begins Sognando e libero is echoed by strings and
woodwind in tranquil repose. Towards mid-point the music unexpectedly gathers pace in a lively toccata, soloist
and orchestra chasing each other up to a brutal climax, which ricochets into silence. The initial ideas are recalled,
transformed in a way that suggests innocence lost and irrecoverable. Piano and percussion begin the finale,
Uccelli sulle passioni, in uncertainty, strings and brass entering to swell the music dynamically and expressively.
As in the first movement, strings soar upward, now against washes of ‘bird sound’ from the piano and the rest
of the orchestra. The work does not so much end as recede out of earshot, as its very opening is
fleetingly recalled.

Rautavaara composed his Third Piano Concerto, subtitled ‘Gift of Dreams’, for Vladimir Ashkenazy, who
played and directed the premi�re with the Helsinki Philharmonic in 1999. Again there are three movements,
though the opening movement almost equals the length of its successor. Gently expressive string writing is
complemented by that for the soloist, then the latter moves the discourse onto a higher emotional plateau.
Brass and bells imperiously sound out the basic melodic motif, before the close in a mood of distanced calm.
The second movement, marked Adagio assai, opens with ruminative piano writing, the orchestra providing
an expressive backdrop. Piano, strings and timpani engage in a more rhetorical discourse, brass injecting an
ominous note, then the piano continues in a tranquil dialogue with solo wind. The initial mood is at length
regained, leading to an ending of rapt inwardness. The finale, Energico, opens brusquely, proceeding, by
way of several alternately lively and reflective episodes, to a heightened apotheosis in which ideas from
earlier in the work are recalled and transformed.



Music Composed by Einojuhani Rautavaara
Played by the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra
With Laura Mikkola (piano)
Conducted by Eri Klas

"This new release makes a distinguished follow-up to Laura Mikkola’s Naxos recording of
Rautavaara’s First Piano Concerto. When works are new, as these are, it’s always fascinating
to listen to previous recordings and compare. The Third Piano Concerto, composed for Ashkenazy
and recorded by him for Ondine, benefits from having a conductor independent of the pianist.
Eri Klas leads a performance more flexible in tempo than Ashkenazy’s, though I find him to be
marginally the finer pianist, especially in the Adagio assai central movement, where his playing
reveals a finer touch, just as the Helsinki Philharmonic is marginally the superior orchestra
despite the fact that this newcomer offers more clarity of orchestral detail. Similarly, in the
Second Piano Concerto Ralf Gothoni’s ever-so-slightly more impulsive way with the music strikes
me as preferable to Mikkola’s otherwise quite admirable effort, while Klas provides her a finer
accompaniment than does Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Bavarian Radio band for Gothoni
(while still being very good). Isle of Bliss is beautifully done, though it does not sing quite
as well as Segerstam’s Helsinki rendition for Ondine.

Because of the ease of comparison, all of this may sound as if Klas and Mikkola’s efforts
amount to “second best” performances, but that really isn’t true. The differences between
them and the only available competition are very small, and very much a matter of personal
preference. By any standard, these newcomers do full justice to this lovely music. Furthermore,
Mikkola is a first-class artist with a fine sense of the music’s flow and a terrific technique to
boot: listen to the admirable independence of right and left hands in the Third Concerto’s finale,
for example, a couple of minutes into the movement.

She’s also very well recorded. As suggested above, the orchestral textures have greater
transparency here than they do on the Ondine recordings, if perhaps not as much warmth and
tonal richness. In the final analysis, I can recommend this disc without reservation, even
while acknowledging the fact (not always true, of course) that the premiere recordings of the
two concertos by the artists for whom they were originally composed still convey a certain
special authority. But if those performances establish the works as worthy additions to the
Rautavaara canon, then these attest to their ongoing viability as repertoire items, and that’s
every bit as important."
Classics Today



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my favorite living composer!
many thanks wimpel69.

No.120

Colin McPhee is today best remembered for his studies on Balinese folk music (the gamelan), which kicked
off a development that lead to minimalism, and his own "Toccata on Balinese folk themes", Tabuh-Tabuhan.
Although he did not write a lot of music, he composed enough for this attractive all-McPhee album consisting of the
Symphony No.2, Piano Concerto, a Nocturne for Chamber Orchestra and the Balinese
Ceremonial Music (for two pianos, of which there is a recording withn McPhee himself and Benjamin Britten!).
The Symphony is in much the same style as the famous toccata, it too uses Asian motifs and repetitive,
rhythmically charged patterns. There is some Bart�k in the Piano Concerto and the Nocturne.



Music Composed by Colin McPhee
Played by the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra
With Stephen Drury & Yukiko Takagi (piano)
Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies

"Colin McPhee (1900-64) is one of those names that crop up regularly in histories of 20th-century
American music, yet he remains virtually unknown in the concert hall on this side of the Atlantic. To
British listeners his connections with Benjamin Britten give him a bit more resonance – Britten
met him while living in the USA in the early years of the Second World War, and was introduced
to his transcriptions of Balinese gamelan music, even recording some of them with the composer, an
experience that bore fruit more than 15 years later in his ballet The Prince of the Pagodas and later
still in Death in Venice. Of McPhee’s own use of this Balinese material, though, we’ve heard relatively
little, but this compilation by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, following on from Decca’s recording of his
Tabuh-Tabuhan a few months ago, fills in part of the picture. The disc contains the Balinese Ceremonial
Music for two pianos from 1940, which Britten recorded, as well as the 1928 Piano Concerto which
reveals the typical neo-classical influences Stravinsky, especially, exerted on young American composers
of that times. But it is the works of the Fifties, the Second Symphony and the Nocturne, that are more
intriguing. The exoticism is integrated here, with the gamelan patterns used texturally to produce
washes of instrumental colour on a framework that remains basically neo-classical. It’s gentle,
unprepossessing music, neatly crafted, but still with a flavour that is never quite like anyone else."
The Guardian



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No.121

Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) was a prolific composer for all his long life -- notching 138 opus numbers,
including every genre except for opera -- but the works he is remembered for were written in his youth. He was
difficult to pigeonhole, and has been called everything from conservative to neo-Romantic to revolutionary. His music,
characterized by rhythmic energy, refined orchestration, and tonal harmony, combines his admiration for
impressionism and the beginning of the reaction against it. It contains from echoes of Franck to anticipations of
Stravinsky. Dutilleux wrote that Schmitt "gave back to the French school certain notions of grandeur."

Schmitt only got interested in music during his teenage years, and studied in Nancy and later in Paris with
Massenet and Faur�. He won the Prix de Rome in his fifth attempt, aged 30. From Rome he sent his first masterpiece,
the choral-orchestral Psalm 47 (1904). Three years later he wrote a ballet, later rearranged as symphonic poem,
La trag�die de Salom�, whose violence was uncommon in French music and which became his most famous
piece. He was a member of the Societ� Musicale Ind�pendante in 1908, director of the Conservatoire de Lyon (1922-
1924), and music critic for Le Temps (1929-1939). In 1932, he appeared as soloist in his
Symphonie Concertante for piano and orchestra in Boston. In 1938 he was appointed President of the Societ�
Nationale de Musique. Other important works were his Piano Quintet (1908), a string quartet, the Sonata Libre en
deux parts enchain�es for violin and piano, and two symphonies, the last of which was premiered only two
months before his death.



Music Composed by Florent Schmitt
Played by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
With Huseyin Sermet (piano)
Conducted by David Robertson

"Turkish pianist Huseyin Sermet has a worldwide career that takes him to major concert halls and
international festivals. He is particularly well-known in France and the Middle East. His recordings
include Ludus Tonalis by Hindemith and music of Maurice Ravel."
All Music



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Florent Schmitt - I like his music. Strong melodist he was not, but as a master of lush harmonies and orchestral effects it has reached unprecedented heightsIf you suddenly want to listen to late- romantic French music with splashes of Romance and Germanic influences and flavor of Impressionism , this composer for you. Have several CDs - orchestral , chamberand piano music (dl for all). Looking for this cdOriane et le Prince d'amour, In Memorian, Rondo Burlesque, Legende (Rhineland Palatinate Philharmonic, Pierre Stoll)

I'm quite enjoying the Schmitt as well as the Bloch's Concerto Symphonique you posted months ago (finally got around listening to it). The piano playing and intertwining orchestration are exquisite in both. Thanks a lot... yet again!

No.122

Although he was renowned for his choral music and his eleven symphonies, Edmund Rubbra
composed a small number of concertante pieces and concertos notable for their eloquent musicality
rather than mere virtuosity. At the heart of the very fine 1959 Violin Concerto, which unfolds
characteristically in large, seamless spans, is the deeply reflective slow movement, a musical ‘poem’
of rapt meditation and yearning.

Rubbra’s Viola Concerto became the first in a triptych (the third was for piano), written at a crucial
time, the 1950s. He had just converted to Roman Catholicism and become a lecturer and tutor at Oxford
University, but his quarter-century of marriage was entering a stormy period, and powerful underlying
emotions affect the concertos in fascinatingly different ways. The leading viola virtuoso William Primrose
commissioned works for his instrument from Rubbra. At the start, its first movement also anticipates
two symphonic openings from later in Rubbra’s life: a harp note and deep tremolando C look to the
Seventh Symphony (1957), while its deep solo stringed instrument over an even lower bass is
reproduced another seventeen years later at the start of the Tenth Symphony. As so often with him,
a livelier section begins about two minutes in—one can be no more exact, for one of his characteristics,
sensed more clearly in the concerto’s finale, is the overlapping of sections like the links in a
chain or necklace. Rubbra’s scherzo sets out in a Lemmink�inen mood, with the soloist first joining in
the heavyweight dance, then wending his own quieter way like Berlioz’s viola-playing Harold shunning
the Orgy of Brigands: as well he might, given some quite outlandish goings-on in the background, where
sinister birds seem to be rehearsing for an appearance in a Hitchcock film (in the sixth symphony they
reappear, now totally happy!). Though Rubbra always uses the percussion instruments with great
economy, here he lets the side-drum gear itself up for its big moments in the seventh symphony.
Near the end we meet someone he called his ‘far-distant Spanish ancestor’.

Rubbra said his finale, a ‘collana musicale’ or musical necklace, was based entirely on material from
the viola’s first thirteen bars, making up ‘nine interrelated meditations … without a central theme,
but linked together in spirit’. The boundaries of these ‘meditations’ are often blurred by his overlapping
of sections, and one may then perceive rather a gradually changing flux, within an atmosphere of
intense concentration.



Music Composed by Edmund Rubbra
Played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
With Tasmin Little (violin) & Rivka Golani (viola)
Conducted by Vernon Handley

"Though it has its loyal adherents, the music of Edmund Rubbra (1901-86) has so far failed to win
widespread popularity, even in Britain. Perhaps it is because it is impossible to pigeonhole. He was
not given to pastoralism, nor was he open to modernist influences from the continent – at least
in any obvious way. Yet as these works show, his was a distinctive voice, not immediately
ingratiating, but sure in what he was trying to express. The Viola Concerto, written for William
Primrose in 1952, has an undemonstrative, ruminative quality combined with depth of feeling
and integrity of idea. Some of the spareness of Elgar’s Cello Concerto defines the relationship
between the solo instrument (here played with virtuoso skill by Rivka Golani) and orchestra.
Loveliest of all is the rapt quality of the variation-like ‘Collana musicale’ (musical necklace) that
forms the finale. Tasmin Little’s performance goes to the heart of the even finer Violin Concerto
(1959), a dense and often tense work, sturdy and individual in style, and of irresistible cogency.
The veiled lyricism of the ‘Poema’ slow movement is superbly suggested by the soloist. Conductor
Vernon Handley again proves a principled, unshowy interpreter of the music. In readings of this
quality, Rubbra commands attention."
George Hall, BBC Music Magazine


Rivka Golani.

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I love his Violin Concerto, but never heard about his Viola Concerto.
Please send me the link, Thanks!

How to get piano concertos with PM links ?

Quick, very quick ;O)

No.123

Henri Dutilleux's (1916-2013) small but important output demonstrates a remarkable originality
of form and technique. Completed in 1985, Dutilleux's Violin Concerto "L'arbre des songes" ("The Tree of
Dreams") is the culmination of his experiments in unifying large-scale works. The process of unification is
present on two interrelated levels: form and thematic development. In his notes to this composition,
Dutilleux explains that the convention of dividing a work into movements separated by pauses often has
the effect of impairing the power of enchantement. In his Cello Concerto "Tout un monde lointain" (1970),
Dutilleux subtly delimited the five connected movements by brief moments of repose. In L'arbre des songes,
the three parenthetical sections - explicitly identified in the score as "interludes" -- are given far greater
importance as demarcation points of the four actual "movements."

Dutilleux was fascinated with the organic equilibrium, in music, attained when a set of variations follows a
theme and then returns to it. It should be pointed out that the second statement of the theme is not (superficial
impressions notwithstanding) a literal replication of the initial idea. The difference between the theme and
its re-statement is defined by the intervening transformations. This insight influenced Dutilleux's manner of
presenting and developing thematic material. Rarely does he present a fixed initial idea which is subsequently
developed. Instead, he intentionally blurs the distinction between a theme and its transformations, so that one
can only identify the contours of an idea as it gradually emerges throughout the a work. The effect is analagous
to the experience of hearing a set of variations without first having heard the initial statement of the theme.
Dutilleux explained that this process of continual growth and renewal is at the heart of L'arbe.

Although it is one of the most significant concertante works for cello and orchestra to have appeared during
the second part of the twentieth century, the words cello concerto do not appear anywhere on the score
of "Tout un Monde Lointain" (A Whole Remote World). Dutilleux took this title from Baudelaire's poem
"La chevelure," from which the individual titles of the five movements are also taken. The opening movement
sets out a basic dialogue between solo cello and orchestra, wide-ranging in tempo and registral effects, but
with no sense of resolution between the protagonists. The music is cast as a set of variations on the 12-note
theme heard at the outset and cross-referenced in each of the successive movements. The second and fourth
sections are slow moving, while the third has the function of a scherzo, with solo writing of enormous technical
difficulty. The final movement ("Hymn") is in the form of a vibrant Allegro, though the enigmatic overall feel
of the work is still evident here.



Music Composed by Henri Dutilleux
Played by the Orchestre National de France
With Pierre Amoyal (violin) & Lynn Harrell (cello)
Conducted by Charles Dutoit

"Dutilleux is an expert dreamer: his deepest debts are to that strain in Debussy which envisaged music
as ‘continuous arabesque’. He composes nocturnal mysteries, carrying impressionism into new realms of
refinement. In his two string concertos the underlying structures, often elegantly patterned or symmetrical,
conceal themselves beneath a ceaseless play of glinting colour and filigree ornamentation, the textures
deliquescent and phantasmagorical. The solo parts seek greater stability and definition only so that, like
exotic birds in a teeming forest, they can fly faster, perform more prodigious leaps and swoops than the
other instruments. The Cello Concerto has been memorably recorded by its dedicatee, Rostropovich, for
EMI: Lynn Harrell’s basic stance is slightly more matter-of-fact, his virtuosity less phosphorescent, but
it’s a fine account of this elusive work and if anything Dutoit and Decca bring out the orchestral palette
more vibrantly. In the more recent Violin Concerto Dutilleux’s concern with timbre leads him to create a
tinkling continuo of tuned percussion which stands in direct contrast to Amoyal’s warm and passionate
tone. The work was written for Isaac Stern, whose Sony recording I don’t know, but this new version is
certainly impressive, and I can’t imagine any admirer of this lifelong, utterly French individualist being
dissatisfied."
BBC Music Magazine





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No.124

Joachim Raff (1822-1882) wrote the first of his two Cello Concertos in Wiesbaden in 1874 during
one of his most creative periods. With its three movements being played without a break, its structure is
similar to the first concerto of Raff's friend Saint-Sa�ns which was written a couple of year's earlier. The fist
movement Allegro leads into a deeply felt Larghetto before the brilliant Finale, vivace brings this concise and
satisfying work to a close.

The second Cello Concerto was written in Autumn 1876 at a time when Raff's administrative workload
was curtailing his compositional activities as he prepared to head the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt.
Consequently, he left this lovely work unpublished and without an opus number at his death. Written on a
rather larger scale than its predecessor and in three distinct movements - Allegro, Andante and Allegro
vivace - the work is further evidence of Raff's skill in writing for the cello.



Music Composed by Joachim Raff
Played by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
With Daniel M�ller-Schott (cello)
Conducted by Hans Stadlmair

"This is an important issue, filling a major hole in the recorded repertoire. Although the Cello Concerto No.1 has
been available on disk for some time, it can prove very difficult to track down a copy. The other works are
receiving their recording premiere on this CD. Cellist Daniel M�ller-Schott has established an enviable reputation
as a virtuoso for one so young, whilst the partnership of Hans Stadlmair and the Bamberg Symphony has shown
time and again that they really have Raff under their skin, producing idiomatic and convincing performances
of his orchestral scores.

All in all, this CD promises much, and it doesn't disappoint. From the opening seconds of the 1st. Concerto
it is clear that M�ller-Schott is going to deliver a passionate and technically masterful performance. That long,
almost Elgarian, first subject spins out purposefully and then M�ller-Schott plays the second subject with such
tender lyricism that one knows that this fine piece is in safe hands. Although the soloist is recorded rather too
far forward for a true concert hall ambience, none of the Bamberg Symphony's fine playing is lost. Stadlmair
directs them with his usual attention to detail, delivering typically Raffian momentum throughout the first
movement. M�ller-Schott's playing in his cadenza is a joy - his virtuosity and mellow tone matching Raff's
inspiration perfectly. The meltingly beautiful Larghetto is delivered with appropriate simplicity, allowing the
gorgeous melodies to speak for themselves. M�ller-Schott's sensitivity to mood is apparent throughout -
there's a wonderful nostalgic warmth to this interpretation. The mood is broken by the fanfares which
usher in the skittish finale, presenting him with an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to pull out the
stops. He delivers, needless to say, but always with a wink and a sly smile (try the passage about 3
minutes in, for example); we shouldn't take all this bravura flummery too seriously. For all its merits,
Thomas Blees' performance for RBM is completely eclipsed by this newcomer.

The 2nd Cello Concerto is a rather more conventional piece, which went unplayed in Raff's lifetime.
It has an altogether more reflective, almost nostalgic, feel to it. The opening movement isn't short
of fireworks, but the orchestra play a bigger part than in the earlier piece and here the obvious
interpretive rapport between Stadlmair and M�ller-Schott pays dividends - the precision of the
woodwind and then string accompaniments to the cello line in the middle of the movement being
cases in point. The Andante is, as so often with Raff, the work's emotional centre. M�ller-Schott's
warm playing of this soulful and rather dark movement is deeply impressive. There are strong feelings
here and his careful phrasing keeps them to the fore, despite the surface loveliness of Raff's melodic
material. The relentlessly bubbly finale can risk outstaying its welcome, but Stadlmair's energetic
way with the orchestra and M�ller-Schott's apparently effortless virtuosity (especially in the
extensive cadenza) carry the day.

Both concertos are significant works in the Raff canon and it is difficult to imagine them being
performed any more persuasively than they are here. Sandwiched between them are two of the
handful of works that the master wrote for cello and piano. Here M�ller-Schott is joined by Robert
Kulek, who is no mere accompanist. His playing matches the cellist's in authority and skill."
Raff Org



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---------- Post added at 03:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------




No.125

B�la Bart�k's (1881-1945) Violin Concerto No.2, BB 117 (written 1937–38), is a violin concerto
in the "verbunkos" style. It was dedicated to the Hungarian violin virtuoso Zolt�n Sz�kely, after he requested
the composition in 1936. Bart�k composed the concerto in a difficult stage of his life, when he was filled
with serious concerns about the growing strength of fascism. He was of firm anti-fascist opinions, and
therefore became the target of various attacks in pre-war Hungary. Bart�k initially planned to write a
single-movement concerto set of variations, but Sz�kely wanted a standard three-movement concerto.
In the end, Sz�kely received his three movements, while Bart�k received his variations (the second
movement being possibly the most formal set of variations Bart�k wrote in his career, and the third
movement being a variation on material from the first). Though not employing twelve-tone technique
the piece contains twelve-tone themes, such as in the first and third movements. The work was premiered
at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on March 23, 1939 with Zolt�n Sz�kely on violin and Willem Mengelberg
conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra.

This recording also includes the alternative version of the finale of Violin Concerto No.2.

The Bart�k Viola Concerto, Sz. 120, BB 128 (see also Concerto for Viola and Orchestra), was one of
the last pieces written by B�la Bart�k of Hungary. He began composing the work while living in Saranac
Lake, New York, in July 1945. The piece was commissioned by William Primrose, a respected violist of the
20th Century. Primrose requested this concerto because he knew that Bart�k could provide a challenging
piece for him to perform, stating that Bart�k should not “feel in any way proscribed by the apparent
technical limitations of the instrument.” Unfortunately Bart�k was suffering from the terminal stages of
leukemia when he began writing the viola concerto and he left only sketches at the time of his death.
The concerto was finished by Bart�k's colleague and friend Tibor Serly. The concerto has three movements,
and Bart�k states in a letter dated August 5, 1945 that the general concept is, “a serious Allegro, a Scherzo,
a (rather short) slow movement, and a finale beginning Allegretto and developing the tempo to an Allegro
molto. Each movement, or at least 3 of them will preceded by a (short) recurring introduction (mostly
solo for the viola), a kind of ritornello.”



[B]Music Composed by B�la Bart�k
Played by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
With Pinchas Zukerman (violin & viola)
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

"This is the first recording that I know of the original ending of the Bartok Violin Concerto No.2.
As a public service, Zuckerman and Slatkin also recorded the revised version of the last movement.
So you can program your CD player accordingly. This recording is even finer, in my estimation, than
the Mullova/Salonen (which is my first choice, being in print) and the valiant efforts of Tetzlaff/Gielen
(Virgin Classics) and Kaplan/Foster (Koch). These are all valid realizations of this marvelous concerto,
which I appreciate much more now that I am older. Zuckerman takes up the viola for the other
concerto, and the same qualities in the violin concerto ring true here also. The sound quality
is awesome and the playing is beyond reproach. And that original ending to the Bartok!!
Highly recommended-if you can find it! (Bring it back, BMG!!!)"
Amazon Reviewer





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super share, Raff Cello Concertos are pretty, his Violin Concertos as well ;O)

for bartok i prefer alternative versions; Chung/Solti or Szeryng/Haitink and Kashkashian/E�tv�s, for example.
but if you kindly sent me the Bartok link i can compare and change my mind...

Many thanks in advance.

Dear Wimpel69, could you send me a link for Corigliano s piano concerto ?

No.126

Bohuslav Martinu's (1890-1959) exceptional Triple Concerto was utterly lost and forgotten for
30 years when its posthumous premiere revealed it as a missing masterpiece by one of the most individual
and important composers of the twentieth century. Its style is the spicy, polytonal modernism of Paris in the
'20s and '30s, along with a full measure of neo-Baroque elements. It blends all the elements that had mixed
in his music during that decade. The music is securely tonal; it would be years before Paris embraced the
atonal and serial experiments of the Viennese composers of the day. Martinu quickly wrote this concerto
once he received a commission for a concerto from the Hungarian Trio.

He completed the full score on time, but was unable to find the manuscript to deliver it as agreed. The
Hungarian Trio accepted his request to let him write a work to substitute. the Concertino for Piano Trio.
Martinu wrote it in just 11 days. It was in the same key and the same basic four-movement layout as the
concerto. These facts led some researchers to believe that when Martinu wrote of his "concertino" and his
"concerto," he was referring to the same work. The concertino's score eventually made its way to the Martinu
archives in his hometown of Policka.



Music Composed by Bohuslav Martinu
Played by the G�rzenich-Orchester Cologne Philharmonic
With the Wanderer Trio & Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
Conducted by James Conlon

"Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) is a composer who might qualify as the
Czech Stravinsky, having a kind of eclectic neo-classical style derived
from Josef Suk’s master class and Albert Roussel’s lean Gallic syntax,
as well as having imbued the influences of Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, and
obviously, Stravinsky. Martinu’s studies in Paris involved his looking
hard at the twelve-tone technique of Schoenberg and Berg, which along
with own penchant for Czech liturgy and harmony, later fused with
baroque forms, to create a distinctive sound whose elements likewise
bond with compositions by Frank Martin and Ernest Bloch. Several of
Martinu’s works (like the Concertino) were commissioned by Paul Sacher,
the indefatigable champion of neo-classical music. Terse and
musically laconic, the Concertino (1933) does have an airy pomp to it,
although the middle Adagio becomes anguished and strident in a manner
reminiscent of Stravinsky’s D Major Violin Concerto.

The compilation opens with the mordant Memorial for Lidice, the Czech
village destroyed by the Nazis on 10 June 1942 as a reprisal for the
assassination of Reinhard “The Hangman” Heydrich. The brooding and
dissonant concerto-grosso texture reaches a powerful climax which
quotes Beethoven’s fate-motif from the Fifth Symphony. The ensuing
Concertino (1936) makes for a striking contrast in emotional tone. In
the Capriccio’s surround sound, the outer movements snap and crackle
with angular pungent interplay from piano, violin, and cello, with
Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabedian’s violin’s rasping and singing in
effective counterpoint with his Wanderer Trio partners. The
Rhapsody-Concerto is a fantasia composed in America in 1952, a
concerto-grosso whose sweetness and open lyricism may remind listener
of similar kinds of writing by Aram Khachaturian. In two hefty sectons,
the Rhapsody permit’s the solo viola a healthy range of expression, the
melodic kernels worthy of compatriot Dvorak. The Molto Adagio becomes
emotional and agitated, the violas soaring in transcendent reflection,
a bold answer to Dvorak’s Silent Woods. Tabea Zimermann’s viola tone is
richly vibrant, and she communicates great sympathy for this work. Her
plangent cadenza takes us into the Poco Allegro section which features
bravura technique from all principals.

The Concerto for Piano Trio and String Orchestra (1933) is a Paris-born
composition previously lost and only rediscovered in 1962, to be given
its debut in Lucerne 31 August 1963 under the direction of Rudolf
Baumgartner. Clearly indebted to Bloch and concerto-grosso medium, the
four movement work exhibits a fanciful combination of aerial writing
for the piano trio combined with contrapuntal devices in neo-classic
style, close to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and Apollo scores. The heart of
the work is an exuberant, ravishing Andante of uncommon power,
introduced by the solo piano (sounding like Berg’s Piano Sonata) and
then joined 20 bars later by cello and violin. Some of the harmonies
anticipate Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. The last two movements,
Scherzo and Moderato, urge the piece to a close with some deft piano
antics from Vincent Coq. Kudos to conductor James Conlon for some
courageous programming of Martinu works which surely deserve to become
more staple elements of the active, concert and radio repertory."
Audiophile Edition http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/soundtrack67/AudAud_BestOfYear_zpse0ff85f6.gif





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Great! Folks listen to this, Lidice and Rhapsody-Concerto are my mostly heard Works by Martinu. Here is worth the purchase of the sacd, sound is fantastic.
Many thanks wimpel69 for sharing to the people here.

No.127

Thomas Brendan Wilson was born in the USA in 1927 of British parents. Shortly thereafter the family
returned to the UK, and settled in the Glasgow area. Apart from three years spent in France, Wilson was based
in Scotland throughout a distinguished and productive life. Wilson consistently played an active part in the
musical life of the UK, holding executive and advisory positions in such organisations such as the Arts Council,
The New Music Group of Scotland, The Society for the Promotion of New Music, The Composers' Guild of Great
Britain (Chairman 1986-89), and The Scottish Society of Composers (of which he was a founder member).

Thomas Wilson's works have been played all over the world and embrace all forms - orchestral, choral-
orchestral, chamber-orchestral, opera, ballet, brass band, vocal music of different kinds, and works for
a wide variety of chamber ensembles and solo instruments. The Piano Concerto was commissioned
by conductor Bryden Thomas for the pianist David Wilde and written in 1984. It is partly
based on the composer's earlier song-cycle The Willow Branches and Incunabula, a piece for solo piano
which was composed shortly before the concerto. The work is in four identifiable sections but played without
a pause - as a whole it is a set of variations on the solo piano chords that open the concerto. It is a reflective
work interrupted by sudden outbursts, with jarring contrasts between the piano and the orchestra that are
only resolved towards the end.

Introit for orchestra was commissioned by the BBC in 1982. The subtitle is "Towards the Light",
but this is not program music. The piece consists of five sections, again played without a break, in
which the "entry" material is slowly and steadily developed towards "a final plane wiich is wholly
inuitive," as composer Wilson says.



Music Composed by Thomas Wilson
Played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
With David Wilde (piano)
Conducted by Bryden Thomson

"Both the works show his compositional style to be far from unapproachable, and the Piano Concerto
especially may be heard to be a tightly constructed absorbing piece, worthy of inclusion in anybody's
CD collection. A most rewarding issue."
Hi-fi News and Record Review

"The (concerto's) opening reflective solo and the powerful tutti it provokes convince both in their
claims on the listener's attention and in their function as the first stages of an extended structure.
The work as a whole keeps energy and expressiveness in efficient balance. The result is well argued
not merely well made."
Gramophone



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No.128

Steven R. Gerber was born in 1948 in Washington, D.C. and now lives in New York City. He received
degrees from Haverford College and from Princeton University, where he received a 4-year fellowship.
His composition teachers included Robert Parris, J. K. Randall, Earl Kim, and Milton Babbitt.

After the American premiere of his Violin Concerto at the Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in 1995 by Kurt Nikkanen and the National Chamber Orchestra
under Piotr Gajewski, the Washington Post called it "a major addition to the contemporary violin
repertoire: lyrical, passionate, beautifully tailored to the instrument's character and capabilities...Gerber
has revived the spirit of romanticism in this work, with a strong sense of tonal melody and of the dramatic
effects and surprises still possible in traditional forms...one of the year's most memorable events." And when
Carter Brey premiered his Cello Concerto with the same orchestra and conductor in 1996, the
Washington Post said, "Gerber's concerto seems to have what it takes to establish a foothold.... The music is
composed with a fine sense of instrumental color.... Gerber has given his soloist some fine, expressive melodies."



Music Composed by Steven Gerber
Played by the National Chamber Orchestra of Washington D.C.
With Kurt Nikkanen (violin) & Carter Brey (cello)
Conducted by Piotr Gajewski

"Steven Gerber is another outstanding composer of the new American school...The beautiful Violin Concerto
is a superb example. In the first movement he uses hauntingly memorable material from his college years
and writes unashamedly tonally and in sonata form...The Cello Concerto opens equally atmospherically
and the soloist ruminates evocatively. The scoring is economical and very telling....These are splendid
works and both soloists are fully worthy of them, and completely inside this consistently memorable music.
The String Serenade...is hardly less memorable and individual..."
Penguin Classical CD Guide



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No.129

Tobias Picker on Keys to the City (Piano Concerto): "In September of 1982 I received a phone call
from The Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Commission, an organization established by the City of New York,
Edward I. Koch, Mayor. Hearing the word "commission" I immediately thought I was about to receive
one. I was wrong. What I did receive was an invitation to submit a previously composed work for a
contest to be judged "blind" -- or more accurately, "deaf". The winner would then be commissioned
to compose a celebratory work in honor of the upcoming hundredth anniversary of the opening of
the Brooklyn Bridge, a structure which itself had been fourteen years in the making, during which
many men lost their lives. After a few weeks, another phone call. I had won the contest. I would be given
full artistic freedom in selecting a medium for the piece. The glamour and elegance of Rhapsody in Blue
and the evocation of New York's great composer, George Gershwin, impelled me toward the decision to
compose another piano concerto. Besides, playing it myself would assure me a ring-side seat at the
fantastic celebration, which promised to draw two million people to both shores of the East River, not
to mention countless others watching on television. I felt pride in having been selected to associate
my music with the Brooklyn Bridge -- to say nothing of having finally won a contest.

Keys to the City is in one continuous, eighteen-minute movement. The intervallic structure of the
piece is derived from the form of the bridge itself -- a series of interlocking twelve-tone rows based on the
bridge's arches and curves. A collection of interrelated and connected episodes, which suggest to me the
bridge in its various moods from dusk to dawn, bind everything together. The piece opens with an orchestral
tutti in the key-region of B, what I think of as the key of darkness. The opening theme (the notes B, C#,
E, C#, Eb, D) returns later as a ground bass, giving rise to a boogie-woogie cadenza in the piano which
then infects the entire orchestra. After a series of subsiding sections, followed by a number of explosive
bursts, the piece, having passed through every other key, arrives at Bb, the key of light."

And Suddenly It’s Evening (1994) was commissioned by a consortium of youth
orchestras from San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Saint Louis. The title is
taken from a brief poem by Salvatore Quasimodo on the evanescence of youth.

Picker’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra was reworked from an earlier suite for cello
and piano, though two of the movements began life as songs. The concerto was
commissioned by the BBC, and first performed at a London Proms concert in August 2001
by cellist Paul Watkins, with David Robertson conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.



Music Composed by Tobias Picker
Played by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
With Jeremy Denk (piano) & Paul Watkins (cello)
Conducted by Thomas Sanderling

"Those already familiar with Tobias Picker’s Keys to the City (his second piano concerto) should
hear this disc. That brash, Gershwinesque, very public work, completed in 1983 to commemorate
the centenary of the Brooklyn Bridge, here receives a second recording (in more alluring sound) to
set beside the composer’s own authoritative account (CRI). This disc’s primary attraction, though,
is its inclusion of two newer, more reflective works which here receive their recording premieres.
And Suddenly It’s Evening (1994), which takes its title from a poem by Salvatore Quasimodo,
attempts to convey the fleeting nature of youth by combining a rich textural web of rhythmic
activity and a sober lyricism resembling the tone of, say, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms.
The Cello Concerto (1999), commissioned by the Proms and premiered there in 2001, has an
eloquent champion in soloist Paul Watkins, who gave its premiere. Although some British
listeners have heard Elgarian wistfulness in this music, its juxtaposition with And Suddenly
It’s Evening will prompt recognition that Picker’s recent music displays a distinctively soulful
style that is one of the glories of the current musical scene. Thomas Sanderling and the
Russian Philharmonic perform with expressive comprehension and technical mastery."
BBC Music Magazine



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Dear Wimpel69, thanks a lot for your response. Great share, great music, you are great.

No.129

Tobias Picker on Keys to the City (Piano Concerto)...


Oh how tragic, that the liner notes say so little about the cello concerto, as it sings the works of Cummings and Mervin with only the muted voice of the soloist, something notable in how it gives the cello such a singing quality, a song without words, if you will. And also, it annoys me that "Keys to the City" is in one movement, as it has so many entertaining sections, but 18 minutes overall does not lend well to repeated listening. Personally, I split it up right before the explosive boogie 2/3's of the way through, but I digress. A marvelous upload, as usual.

Thanks!ありがとん！

No.130

The Strathclyde Concertos are a series of ten orchestral works by the English composer
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (*1934). Commissioned by Strathclyde Regional Council, each work
features an instrumental soloist and small orchestra. The first concerto, for oboe and orchestra,
appeared in 1986, with the tenth and last work, for full orchestra in 1996, the year Strathclyde Regional
Council was abolished. Funding was also supplied by the Scottish Arts Council. The plan was that each
concerto was to be used as a teaching tool. As each concerto was finished, a young composer chosen by
the Council would visit the schools in a particular region of Strathclyde and would address the students
concerning the concerto and the process of its composition. Then, the students would be asked to create
compositions of their own. Also, the soloist for each concerto would visit the schools in the region and
discuss the concerto from the performer's point of view.

Davies spotlights the soloists in some of the concertos by eliminating the instrument's counterparts
in the orchestra. In the First Strathclyde Concerto for Oboe (1986), the orchestra does not include
any oboes or bassoons. After Brandenburg, Strathclyde. The circumstances dictated a work that is showy
by means of speed and brilliance rather than special effects, and where the soloist shines within a context
of agility. There is a cadenza in the first movement, which is followed by an Adagio and a finale whose
Scotch snaps are another tribute to the commissioning authorities.

If Davies's Cello Concerto has already evoked comparisons with Elgar's, that is perhaps an indication not
only of its wealth of solo melody (there is hardly a page where the cello is not singing, or if not that, then
dancing), and of its predominantly slow tempos, but also of its musical stature. Even more than the Strathclyde
Concerto No. 1, this second is a virtuoso piece for the entire ensemble, which is used almost throughout as
a clutch of soloists rather than as a tutti block. The general tone is one of passionate but interior dialogue,
especially in the opening Moderato and the slow movement; and though the finale is more extrovert, the
work ends back in quietness and rumination.



Music Composed and Conducted by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
With Robin Miller (oboe) & William Conway (cello)

"Over the course of his career, Maxwell Davies’s status has changed from enfant terrible to leading
cultural figure at the heart of the British establishment. His appointment in 2004 as Master of the
Queen’s Music is a tribute to the revolutionary influence he has had on the British contemporary music
scene and the public’s perception of it. From his radical works of the 1960s, he has developed a more
conventional, but no less startlingly original, idiom often drawing on the music and landscape of the
Orkney Islands where he has lived since 1971."



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No.131

One of Australia’s best known composers, Ross Edwards (*1943) has created a unique sound world which
seeks to reconnect music with elemental forces and restore its traditional association with ritual and dance.
Intensely aware of his vocation since childhood, he studied in Australia and Europe, holds doctorates from the
universities of Sydney and Adelaide and among many other awards has received the Order Of Australia for
services to composition. His music, universal in that it is concerned with age-old mysteries surrounding humanity,
is at the same time deeply connected to its roots in Australia, whose cultural diversity it celebrates, and from
whose natural environment it draws inspiration, especially birdsong and the mysterious patterns and drones
of insects.

Whether bearing the title or not, the idea of the maninya permeates many of Ross Edwards’ orchestral pieces.
The three movements of the Concerto for Guitar and Strings, for instance, consist of a lyrical and expressive
adagio framed by two pulsating maninyas, in which references to a variety of musical cultures are woven into a
fabric of insect rhythms and drones. This particular work also has origins in the visual arts. “As I composed the
Guitar Concerto, I always had before me Ian Morris’ photograph of a gloriously flowering Red Bud Mallee against
a deep blue sky,” Edwards says, noting that he would like to think that the quintessentially Australian image
is somehow captured within the music itself. The two-movement Enyato I (Chorale and Ecstatic Dance), composed
in 1993 for string quartet and subsequently arranged for string orchestra, also derives from the maninya style.

Mountain Village in a Clearing Mist is a ‘very calm and deliberately understated piece in which sounds and
silences are counterpoised,’ says the composer. ‘It has no apparent direction, nor any sense of climax or resolution:
the concept of music as psychological drama – as structured time – is quite foreign to its aesthetic, and it ends
as inexplicably as it began.’

The string octet Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, O Creator Spirit) brings together the intense inward focus of
Mountain Village in a Clearing Mist and the optimistic, extroverted music of his maninya pieces. Such Latin titles,
echoes of Palestrina and Asian influence that figures to prominently in Veni Creator Spiritus and other works are
balanced by the composer’s highly developed sense of Australian culture. White Ghost Dancing, for instance,
which has become a repertoire staple of Australian orchestras, derives explicitly from his homeland. "There are recorded
instances of Aboriginal people mistaking early Europeans in Australia for the ghosts of their ancestors,” says Edwards,
“since ghosts were believed to be light-coloured. I believe that music, which has enormous therapeutic properties
and, for me, a close relationship with ritual, and especially dance, is destined to make an important contribution
to transformation and healing.”



Music Composed by Ross Edwards
Played by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
With Karin Schaupp (guitar)
Conducted by Richard Mills

"The varied musical styles on this disc reflect composer Ross Edwards’ eclectic musical interests.
Opening with the jaunty and syncopated White Ghost Dancing (inspired by Aboriginal rhythms but
sounding a bit like Stravinsky), the program moves to a neo-baroque Veni Creator Spiritus for
string octet. The Concerto for Guitar and Strings displays evocative guitar writing (masterfully
performed by Karin Schaupp) as well as Edwards’ predilection for uneven meters–an attribute
that’s prominent throughout this collection.

Given the predominantly melodic nature of the preceding works, Mountain Village in a Clearing
Mist is surprisingly modernist, with eerie dissonances and shadowy orchestral timbres that suggest
a scene from a suspense film. Finally, the two-movement string quartet Enyato I brings together
the archaic (Chorale) and the rhythmic (Ecstatic Dance) elements of Edwards’ style into one
intriguing work. Conductor Richard Mills and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra offer
persuasive performances of all Edwards’ works, no matter the style, and ABC Classics provides
clear, spacious sound for large and small ensembles alike."
Classics Today



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No.132

Folk and popular music blend seamlessly with the classics in the appealing and festive music
of Manitoba-born composer Sid Robinovitch (*1942). Given his background and tastes,
marrying these styles is a perfectly natural thing to do. “I have a feel for popular music, and I have
a feel for classical,” the affable composer says. “The common ground is their beauty, spontaneity,
sincerity and directness. It really doesn’t matter where these qualities come from, and I don’t
differentiate.” Robinovitch received his Doctorate in Communications from the University of
Illinois and taught social sciences at York University in Toronto. Since 1977 he has devoted himself to
musical composition, studying at Indiana University and at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.
He presently lives in Winnipeg, Canada where he works as a composer and teacher.

Robinovitch knew Winnipeg-born violinist Victor Schultz through Schultz’s inclusion of a piece
of his on a CD called Jet�. The disc was nominated for two Juno awards, including one for
Robinovitch’s composition. When the members of Finjan, the Winnipeg klezmer band in
which Schultz plays, approached Robinovitch about composing a piece that would bring them together
with an orchestra, he thought it was “a very unusual concept, a real challenge,” he says. Although he
had written several pieces on Jewish themes, Robinovitch knew very little about klezmer music.
He was determined that the orchestra would play an integral role, not just back up the band.
“I’ve heard folk-oriented music with symphony where the orchestra isn’t doing a heck of a lot,”
he says. “In the Klezmer Suite, I used it as it would be in an ordinary concerto. There
are passages, for example in the third movement, where the orchestra takes off on its
own and does things that only it could do.” The premiere took place in 1990.

Camptown (Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra)came about through Daniel Koulack, who
as a member of Finjan had played the Klezmer Suite. He approached Robinovitch and said, “What about
a piece for banjo and orchestra?” “I guess I was getting a reputation for bringing together unusual
instruments with orchestra,” the composer recalls. “I agreed to his request. We talked to Glenn Buhr, the
WSO’s composer-in-residence, and he was interested.” The first performance took place at the 1996
Winnipeg New Music Festival, with Bramwell Tovey conducting. In the programme notes, Camptown
was described as “an attempt to salvage a good old-fashioned banjo tune from the ravages of
postmodern ‘doo-da-ism’.” He had always liked Camptown Races, Stephen Foster’s familiar 1850
tune. It may even have been in his mind as a possible subject prior to Koulack’s commission, and
not necessarily for a piece involving the banjo. It uses the pentatonic scale that’s common to
Oriental music. “In fact,” Robinovitch says, “the violin plays a passage, in duet with the banjo,
that sounds vaguely Chinese.”

Robinovitch plays in a “New Age” band called Terra Nova, which includes a saxophone. He had
already written saxophone pieces too, so he was familiar with the instrument’s character and
capabilities, when he got a call from Shane Nestruck of the quartet Saxology Canada. Nestruck
was interviewing prospective composers regarding a Saxophone Quartet Concerto, which
had been commissioned for the group by the Saskatoon Symphony. “When I first got together
with Shane and Sasha Boychouk from the band, I asked what kind of piece they had in mind,”
says Robinovitch. “Sasha said, ‘Something that covers the periods in the saxophone’s history.’
I wasn’t sure I could do that specifically, but I said I would try to take it into account. In some
ways, it came out in the concerto. The first movement has a classical, European feel, reflecting
the saxophone’s origin in France during the 1840s; the second has more of a North American
jazz flavour; and the third is sort of in the ‘new music’ area.” As with the Klezmer Suite,
Robinovitch sought to make the orchestra a full partner, not just a background element.



Music Composed by Sid Robinovitch
Played by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
With Finjan Klezmer Band & Canada Saxology
And Daniel Koulack (banjo)
Conducted by Bramwell Tovey

"Klezmer placed in a more classical environment is the gist of Robinovitch's Suite for Klezmer
Band and Orchestra. The five-movement work is written out, but with a few sections for
the band to improvise their festive music. One movement is a tango and another is titled
Tzigane. Another tango movement appears as the center one in the unusual Concerto for Sax
Quartet and Orchestra. This work attempts to give a picture of periods in the history of the
saxophone. So the first movement is in a French classical style reflected the instrument's
origin in that country in the 1840s, the second movement has a smoky nightclub American
jazz flavor, and the last movement gets into the New Music area. Camptown Concerto is a
shorter work, a fantasy on the famous Stephen Foster tune."
Audiophile Audition



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No.133

Austrian composer Joseph Marx, born in 1882, was from his childhood days, inclined towards a musical
career. His mother spotted his great talent very early on and enrolled him in a renowned music school in Graz.
Marx kept studying in secret due to his father's opposition and he soon acquired fame as an excellent pianist.
From 1905, the composer started to make a name for himself as a writer of fine piano songs and between that
year and 1912 he composed around 150 such pieces. During his four decades as professor of theory and composition
in Vienna and Graz, he became one of the most admired and active teachers, winning international fame not only
for his ability to impart his knowledge with simplicity, but also for his many orchestral compositions, including
the two concertos on this disc.

The Romantic Piano Concerto is a huge work, written mainly in the late-Romantic style, although the piano
part definitely belongs to the 20th century. Great demands of virtuosity and stamina make this inspiring concerto
very difficult to bring off, but David Lively gives an emotionally charged performance, full of dexterity and passionate
involvement, that one hardly notices that the work lasts for more than 40 minutes.

The Castelli Romani is named after the legendary ruins on the forested Roman hills. Marx's grandmother was
Italian and his lasting fascination with the Italian grand scenery might have been the main inspirations for this colourful
and perfumed work. Full of magic, mystery and that unique allure of the Mediterranean, this piece is as captivatingly
fresh as anything written by Ravel and Respighi. Its suggestive charm leaves the listener entranced in a world of
idyllic beauty. Lively captures all these nuances with ease and panache giving an interpretation that is sensitively
balanced and painstakingly detailed.



Music Composed by Joseph Marx
Played by the Bochumer Symphoniker
With David Lively (piano)
Conducted by Steven Sloane

"Marx’s Romantic Piano Concerto was written between 1919 and 1920 and is a generously warm-hearted
work that sports a fecund optimism. It opens in surging Straussian mid-stream style and pitches the soloist
into battle from the start. The see-saw between gorgeous extrovert Romanticism and moments of fugitive
introspective lyricism is best exemplified between the orchestral writing, which can sound very Straussian,
and the piano writing, which hews closer to Rachmaninov. The plasticity of those melody lines however is
unarguably lissom and attractive and there’s also a distinctly Delian patina to some of the writing as well –
all these three influences, if such they were, proving heady but not at all incompatible.

When Marx really fires his engine the ebullient romanticism-cum-impressionistic touches fuse with bravura
technical demands to coruscating effect. These are the immediate impressions of the first movement; the
second is altogether a more backward and nostalgic affair, a Pastorale with nevertheless plenty of pianistic
finery to titillate the ear and some plush, firm, romantic chording. Some of the writing for piano filigree
and supple wind tracery is exquisite and the strings, subdued and warm, add to the feeling of cool
ravishment.

Later in his life, especially in his Second War Serenade, Sinfonia and Partita, Marx’s nostalgia became
decidedly parochial but here nothing could be less like that. The opening of the finale cannily mirrors the
opening of the first movement and Marx bedecks it with a loping wind theme, and some puckish orchestral
material. He doesn’t stint the noble-heroic cantilever though and the brief undercutting of the piano’s
vaunting bravura is another pleasing sign of his control over cause and effect.

Coupled with the Concerto is Castelli Romani in its first commercial recording. It was written a decade
after the Romantic. Slimmed down from the bumptiously orchestrated earlier work this can sound rather
too Respighi-like for its own good but it’s nevertheless a fascinating listen. The "Roman" motifs have an
MGM shiver to them and the piano writing veers from incipient heroism to impressionist musing to a
refined late nineteenth century salon style; try the strange, almost absent minded salon interlude towards
the end of the first movement. All the while the colours are heady and in the central panel we have
some RVW-like string and wind writing and yet more of Rachmaninov’s influence; when the strings
scintillate however the piano dapples. There’s some trace of Iberia in the finale and a really free-spirited
dance. You’ll find a popular Neapolitan song, as well - the sort that Gigli could have spun - as well as
a mandolin, solo violin and all sorts of local colour and incident, topped by a heady conclusion.

The performances are warm and technically fine, drawing great richness from the orchestral writing
and with Lively living up to his name in the decorative skittishness that co-exists with the virtuoso-
pianistics elsewhere. With fine notes on board, this is a wild-card entry for lovers of rich brew and
ebullient musical cross-pollination."
Musicweb



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thanks you Wimpel



No.132

Folk and popular music blend seamlessly with the classics in the appealing and festive music
of Manitoba-born composer Sid Robinovitch (*1942). Given his background and tastes,
marrying these styles is a perfectly natural thing to do. “I have a feel for popular music, and I have
a feel for classical,” the affable composer says. “The common ground is their beauty, spontaneity,
sincerity and directness. It really doesn’t matter where these qualities come from, and I don’t
differentiate.” Robinovitch received his Doctorate in Communications from the University of
Illinois and taught social sciences at York University in Toronto. Since 1977 he has devoted himself to
musical composition, studying at Indiana University and at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.
He presently lives in Winnipeg, Canada where he works as a composer and teacher.

Robinovitch knew Winnipeg-born violinist Victor Schultz through Schultz’s inclusion of a piece
of his on a CD called Jet�. The disc was nominated for two Juno awards, including one for
Robinovitch’s composition. When the members of Finjan, the Winnipeg klezmer band in
which Schultz plays, approached Robinovitch about composing a piece that would bring them together
with an orchestra, he thought it was “a very unusual concept, a real challenge,” he says. Although he
had written several pieces on Jewish themes, Robinovitch knew very little about klezmer music.
He was determined that the orchestra would play an integral role, not just back up the band.
“I’ve heard folk-oriented music with symphony where the orchestra isn’t doing a heck of a lot,”
he says. “In the Klezmer Suite, I used it as it would be in an ordinary concerto. There
are passages, for example in the third movement, where the orchestra takes off on its
own and does things that only it could do.” The premiere took place in 1990.

Camptown (Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra)came about through Daniel Koulack, who
as a member of Finjan had played the Klezmer Suite. He approached Robinovitch and said, “What about
a piece for banjo and orchestra?” “I guess I was getting a reputation for bringing together unusual
instruments with orchestra,” the composer recalls. “I agreed to his request. We talked to Glenn Buhr, the
WSO’s composer-in-residence, and he was interested.” The first performance took place at the 1996
Winnipeg New Music Festival, with Bramwell Tovey conducting. In the programme notes, Camptown
was described as “an attempt to salvage a good old-fashioned banjo tune from the ravages of
postmodern ‘doo-da-ism’.” He had always liked Camptown Races, Stephen Foster’s familiar 1850
tune. It may even have been in his mind as a possible subject prior to Koulack’s commission, and
not necessarily for a piece involving the banjo. It uses the pentatonic scale that’s common to
Oriental music. “In fact,” Robinovitch says, “the violin plays a passage, in duet with the banjo,
that sounds vaguely Chinese.”

Robinovitch plays in a “New Age” band called Terra Nova, which includes a saxophone. He had
already written saxophone pieces too, so he was familiar with the instrument’s character and
capabilities, when he got a call from Shane Nestruck of the quartet Saxology Canada. Nestruck
was interviewing prospective composers regarding a Saxophone Quartet Concerto, which
had been commissioned for the group by the Saskatoon Symphony. “When I first got together
with Shane and Sasha Boychouk from the band, I asked what kind of piece they had in mind,”
says Robinovitch. “Sasha said, ‘Something that covers the periods in the saxophone’s history.’
I wasn’t sure I could do that specifically, but I said I would try to take it into account. In some
ways, it came out in the concerto. The first movement has a classical, European feel, reflecting
the saxophone’s origin in France during the 1840s; the second has more of a North American
jazz flavour; and the third is sort of in the ‘new music’ area.” As with the Klezmer Suite,
Robinovitch sought to make the orchestra a full partner, not just a background element.



Music Composed by Sid Robinovitch
Played by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
With Finjan Klezmer Band & Canada Saxology
And Daniel Koulack (banjo)
Conducted by Bramwell Tovey

"Klezmer placed in a more classical environment is the gist of Robinovitch's Suite for Klezmer
Band and Orchestra. The five-movement work is written out, but with a few sections for
the band to improvise their festive music. One movement is a tango and another is titled
Tzigane. Another tango movement appears as the center one in the unusual Concerto for Sax
Quartet and Orchestra. This work attempts to give a picture of periods in the history of the
saxophone. So the first movement is in a French classical style reflected the instrument's
origin in that country in the 1840s, the second movement has a smoky nightclub American
jazz flavor, and the last movement gets into the New Music area. Camptown Concerto is a
shorter work, a fantasy on the famous Stephen Foster tune."
Audiophile Audition



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File Sizes: 261 MB / 132 MB (FLAC incl. cover & booklet)

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What an amazing thread, thank you!

No.134

Jeff Manookian (born November 24, 1953) is an American pianist, composer and conductor.
Manookian was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began his musical training at age four. At age 12
Manookian wrote a piano concerto, by 14 he had won his first piano competition and by age 15 had
written a violin concerto and a symphony. At age 16, his early flute concerto was premiered with
him as conductor. A recipient of numerous commissions, Manookian has been awarded prizes in
international composition competitions, such as the Frederick Delius, Composers Guild and the
Barlow Endowment.

The Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra engages the soloist and a large orchestra in a quasi
chamber ensemble-like fashion. Despite this balancing act, there are many moments when the full
forces of the symphonic constituency are brought voluminously to fore during the composition's
traversal. Its three movements are played without pause — giving the assimilation of a single-
movement presentation. Amid each movement's respective melodic content, a recurring four-note
motive (an enigmatic aphorism) appears throughout the composition — that of D, A, G-sharp and
E. Of course, this motive is amply transposed and developed. The opening notes of the tune of
the hauntingly nocturnal second movement are a derivation of this motto. Here, the notes are
rearranged as A, G, E, D. The outer movements are replete with charismatic energy, virtuosic
rhythms amid continual time-signature changes. Technical challenges to the soloist are extreme.

Manookian's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, composed in the summer of 2002,
received its world premiere in Yerevan, Armenia on November 29, 2002. Pianists Areg Simonian
and Anna Ghazarian gave this opus its debut with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted
by the composer. An unabashed programmatic tone-poem, the concerto's inaugural, and most
lengthy, movement casts the pianists into the guise of two lovers in intimate dialogue — with
all the associated exhilarations of unfeigned and insinuated romantic venerations. The orchestral
fabric waxes as a poetic regard of the beloveds' contemplations and innermost sentiments.
Albeit the “slow” movement of the concerto, this segment, despite its apparent rhapsodic
nature, assimilates sonata-allegro form. The extended duo-cadenza at the movement's midpoint,
is integral to the overall architecture of the music's traversal rather than being a gratuitous
moment of affected exhibition. Exhilaration of love's joy is reflected in the perpetual motion
of the succinct middle movement. The two pianists' roles are perfectly synchronized with the
orchestra providing a backdrop of decisive effervescence. Raw energy earmarks the concerto's
finale. Its driving rhythms and virtuosic demands veritably roll over each other. Briefly
interrupted by a recapitulation of the opening motive of the first movement, the pianos reclaim
the stage with a fast fugato. The orchestra joins in the frivolity and things seem to wind down
— only to surrender to a final, foritssimo, exclamation point.

A Khachkar is an ornately carved stone cross. These icons are found in abundance
throughout the countryside and mountainous terrains of Armenia. Armenia is the oldest of
Christian nations on earth, accepting Christianity as its national religion in the year 301 AD.
Khachkar, an instrumental prayer, is based on two borrowed religious tunes. The first is,
Havoun, havoun (“About the Bird” — an ancient allegory in which Jesus is portrayed as a
bird speaking to the people of the world) and the second, Chinar es (“You Are a Chinar Tree”
— a stalwart tree that grows throughout the Caucasus region).



Music Composed and Conducted by Jeff Manookian
Played by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
With Susan Duehlmeier & Bonnie Gritton (pianos)
And Laurel Ann Maurer (piccolo & alto flutes) & John Pickford Richards (viola)

"Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer has been lauded by The New York Times as ". . . a secure technician
and an assured, communicative interpreter." Fanfare Magazine stated that ". . . she is technically
superb in every way. Her tone is consistently attractive even in the most treacherous passages,
and she plays with great rhythmic drive and impeccable phrasing." American Record Guide
said that ". . . Maurer has a strong, colorful, full sound and a sure technique. . ."

Ms. Maurer began her musical studies in Seattle, Washington under the direction of Dorothy
Bjarnason, where she was a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony and a recipient of awards
from the Seattle Young Artists Festival. She continued her musical education in New York City,
studying with Julius Baker, Jeanne Baxtresser and Samuel Baron. Her principal teacher, Mr.
Baker, has stated that she is "One of our outstanding and gifted flutists."

At the forefront of Ms. Maurer's career is her dedication to contemporary music. She has
commissioned numerous works for the flute, compelling many fine composers to comment on
her performance of their works. Otto Luening wrote, "She projects composers' ideas with authority
and elegance." Joan Tower has written, "Thanks so much for doing such an outstanding job. . .
this performance [was] one of the best I've received." Augusta Read Thomas said, "Bravo!
We composers need you." And Meyer Kupferman has called her playing "Truly sensational."

Laurel Ann Maurer has recorded for Albany Records, CRI, Soundspells and 4-Tay Records.
Ms. Maurer performs exclusively on Miyazawa Flutes and is a Miyazawa Artist."



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No.135

Michael Dalmau Colina (born November 16, 1948) is a GRAMMY-winning
American musician, composer, producer and engineer. He has written music for television
, film, theatre, dance and live performances on concert stages throughout the United
States, Europe and Japan. Colina is best known as producer and writer on recordings
for musicians Bob James, David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Marcus Miller, Bill Evans
and Michael Franks. He has won three gold albums, has received four Grammy Award
nominations, and won three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

In 2006, Colina dramatically shifted his music career to focus on writing classical,
jazz and latin music compositions—distinctive mashups that reflect his deep musical
roots in his father’s homeland of Cuba. For Colina, music and composition is about more
than performances, premieres and awards. "To me, composing is like breathing- I cannot
live without it. I write the music I want to hear, the music I love, the music of solace
and the music of depravity."

This album features the world premieres of three important new works: the violin concerto
“Three Cabinets of Wonder”; the guitar concerto “Goyescana” written for the
distinguished guitarist Michael Andriaccio; and an important new orchestral work “Los
Caprichos,” inspired by the sketches of Francisco Goya by that name. The two-movement
work—with the violinist accompanied solely by piano for this performance--is based on
well-known Slavic folk tales.



Music Composed by Michael Colina
Played by the London Symphony Orchestra
With Anastasia Khitruk (violin) & Michael Andriaccio (guitar)
Conducted by Ira Levin

"The orchestral suite "Los Caprichos," composed mostly in response to the atrocities of Abu Ghraib,
is a riot of colors, rhythms, sounds, and moods that reflects his background in classical, jazz, soul,
and Latin music. I can't decide whether I like it or not.

The guitar concerto is lyrical and pleasantly flavored with Hispanic rhythms and styles, and very
much in the spirit of post-Romantic Hispanic guitar concertos such as those by Rodrigo, Moreno-
Torroba, Ponce, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Villa-Lobos. Definitely a winner - I enjoyed listening to it.
The violin concerto is very modern sounding, markedly less lyrical than the guitar concerto, although
[to my ears] tonal, and it contains some interesting chords. The first movement is "spiky" [an
adjective I usually reserve for early Prokofiev]; the second opens mysteriously and evolves successively
into a somber melody, a jazzy violin passage, more violin meanderings with passionate accompaniment,
and a mysterious close; the finale ranges from passages that sound like a soul in torment to rhapsodic
ecstasy. I'm sure the composer is utterly sincere, but it's too modern for me; however that should
not deter those who like post-Romantic music."
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Dear Wimpel69, you are simply, THE BEST !!!

No.136

Dutton Epoch is delighted to present this ear-opening, pioneering traversal of Gordon Jacob’s
complete music for viola and orchestra – all world premiere recordings – that covers over fifty years
of the composer’s life. Here we have the two numbered concertos and the tuneful Concert Piece
(essentially a third concerto) with Graham Parlett’s orchestration of the Three Pieces from 1930.
All are played with fine style and characteristic tone by viola soloist Helen Callus accompanied by the
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell. At the RCM Jacob was a composition pupil
of both Stanford and Vaughan Williams, and the glorious First Concerto of 1925 was inspired by the
playing of Lionel Tertis. Jacob explores the dual nature of the viola, alternating between music headed ‘rugged
and virile’ and a plangent ‘gentle and singing’ style particularly appropriate to the viola. All lovers of British
orchestral music of this period will surely take the First Concerto to their hearts; the modal slow
section theme is fully worthy of his teacher Vaughan Williams in its wide-spanning lyricism and atmospheric
orchestration. This is a remarkable work of its time; at the recording sessions, no one could understand
why it is not regularly heard.



Music Composed by Gordon Jacob
Played by the BBC Concert Orchestra
With Helen Callus (viola)
Conducted by Stephen Bell

"Both as a composer and educator (42 years at his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Music), Gordon Jacob
was a substantial and influential presence in his country’s musical life. A student of Stanford and Vaughan
Williams, Jacob was a key figure in amalgamating the earlier nationalistically pastoral idiom of Vaughan
Williams, Holst, and Scott with the later more urbane and cosmopolitan manner of Walton and Bliss. All
four of these concertante works are typically very accessible and well crafted.

The gorgeous First Viola Concerto of 1925—the earliest piece here—has digested, in its rhapsodically
rich single-movement sweep, many elements absorbed from Vaughan Williams (whose own viola
masterpiece, Flos Campi, was a product of the same year, one of several works inspired by the legendary
violist Lionel Tertis) into a more self-consciously refined yet malleable neoclassicism. With the cadenza
embedded between two outer, somewhat epic movements, this work inhabits the same elevated level
of subtlety and inspiration of the later Walton concerto for this often underappreciated instrument.

More than a half-century later (1979), Jacob was commissioned to write a second viola concerto as a
test piece for the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. With only string accompaniment, this
is a lyrically more subdued work in a slow-fast-slow-fast format. Though the writing for the soloist
has a deliberately virtuosic character, the music as a whole partakes of the somewhat more detached
and impersonal manner that overtook Jacob’s work in his later years.

Just two years before, in 1977, Jacob had written a concerto-like work for the brilliant John White,
but because of its mercurially episodic nature the composer chose to call it a Concert Piece for viola
and orchestra. A kind of modified theme-and-variations, this quite varied, even dramatic piece is
more gripping and enthralling than the later second concerto. Also included here is an adept
orchestration by Graham Parlett of a 1930 chamber work, Three Pieces for viola and piano, intended
for the same Tertis pupil, Bernard Shore, who had premiered the first viola concerto a few years
before. Two mournfully songful movements (Elegy and Ostinato)—Jacob was never at a loss for a
good tune—are followed by a delightfully spiky and energetic Scherzo

In all four works Helen Callus shows herself to be one of the foremost violists of her generation.
Her effortlessly expressive playing is ably abetted by the versatile BBC Concert Orchestra under
Stephen Bell. Closing the program is one of Jacob’s many incidental orchestral (or band) works,
a brash and lively Passacaglia Stereophonica of 1960, written to order in this case to highlight
the BBC’s early experiments with stereo broadcasts. Among other Jacob concertos still awaiting
first recordings are two for piano, one each for violin and cello, and the second of the two
oboe concertos. There are also two unnumbered symphonies—a Sinfonia Breve and a Symphony
for Strings—plus a gaggle of suites and divertimentos. Meanwhile, no one with the least bit
of interested in English music can afford to pass up this disc."
Fanfare



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Thanks for the underrated Jacob, wimpel!

wimpel69 you are great!Do you have krystof pederechki's piano concerto?If you do please post.

many thanks Wimpel for all

wimpel69 you are great!Do you have krystof pederechki's piano concerto?If you do please post.

I believe it's included in the first part of the Penderecki thread's downloads: Thread 88747

No.137

In May 1984, one of Giya Kancheli's (*1935) best friends, the Georgian music critic Givi Ordzhonikidze,
died. Four months later, Dr. Ulrich Eckhardt, the director of the West Berlin Festival, commissioned for
performance at the festival a work from Kancheli to be dedicated to Ordzhonikidze's memory. The result, the
four-movement liturgy Mourned by the Wind (Vom Winde beweint), was not completed until the autumn
of 1988; its first performance had to wait yet another two years, until September 9, 1990, when violist Yuri
Bashmet and the Orchestra of the Leningrad Kirov Theatre under Valery Gergiev played the work in West Berlin.

Kancheli wrote of Mourned by the Wind: "Probably a page, a blank page containing a faint trace of dried
tears could tell us everything or almost everything about the contents of the Liturgy..." The work was one of
Kancheli's quietest, most melancholic and static compositions to date. It begins with a loud dissonant chord
in the piano, which opens the Molto largo first movement. The viola enters, rocking sadly between two notes,
accompanied by spacious chords from the orchestra. The tone is overall one of resignation, with an occasional
more intense outburst. Martial sounds from the brass and percussion, long tones from the viola, and a big
Shostakovich-like climax mark the second movement, Allegro moderato. The third movement, Larghetto,
returns to a mournful tone, with delicate harpsichord and tuned percussion decorating long, sustained
tones from the soloist and orchestra. In the final movement, Andante maestoso, the dark voice of the
viola contrasts with a forceful idea in the orchestra that recurs several times. More diatonic material
seems to offer some solace, but the pervading gloom remains, only somewhat dispelled by a peaceful coda.

1985 was a watershed year in Alfred Schnittke's (1934-1998) life, in good ways and bad. It was a
tremendously prolific year, seeing the composition of some of Schnittke's most famous, personality-defining
works-his String Trio, his Third Concerto Grosso, the first two movements of his First Cello
Concerto, and his Viola Concerto. However, these works seem to have come at a cost: soon after
the completion of the Trio, Schnittke suffered his first serious strokes. This catastrophic turn would have
immense effect: just as Schnittke's work was entering a kind of "archetype" stage, it would shift radically.
Everything after that fateful year, as Schnittke remarked in 1988, would now be different.

The Viola Concerto revisits many of Schnittke's standard concerto formulae. There is its three-part
form, the role of its three movements-a slow, loose introductory movement, presenting the work's main
materials, a second movement which hurls violently toward fatality through an array of styles, and a
lugubrious lament-finale, which assembles the previous shards into a painful farewell-plaint.



Music by Giya Kancheli & Alfred Schnittke
Played by the Bonn Beethoven & Saarbr�cken Radio Symphony Orchestras
With Kim Kashkashian (viola)
Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies

"This powerful record brings together two of the most seminal works
for viola and orchestra of the twentieth century. Although these pieces are
as different as they are similar, together they form a distinct balance of
sentiment and execution."



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Is Candide by Leonard Bernstein in this thread??

Is Candide a concerto? [rhetorical question] ;)


No.138

Selim Palmgren (1878-1951), Finnish composer and pianist, was born in Pori in 1878. At age 20 he
travelled to Berlin to study with Conrad Ansorge (a pupil of Liszt) and to Weimar where he took a masterclass
with Ferrucio Busoni. he premiere of Palmgren's First Piano Concerto in 1904, with the composer as soloist,
was a huge success which secured his successful career. Generally during his lifetime, his compositions and
performances were met with acclaim, which was partly due to his being married to, and performing with, the
internationally renowned soprano Maikki J�rnefelt. When his wife died in 1929 he married the soprano Minna
Talwik. During a concert tour of the USA in 1919 he was offered a professorship in composition at the Eastman
School of Music in Rochester, NY. Palmgren held this post (which had been offered earlier to Sibelius, who
had declined) from 1921 to 1926. From 1939 until his death in 1951, Palmgren was Professor of
Composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

As a composer, Palmgren was rooted firmly in the late Romantic tradition, his piano works taking their clue
from Schumann and Chopin, but he was also the first Finnish composer to make use of Impressionist
elements. In a time where the Finnish music scene was heavily dominated by Jean Sibelius, who was only
13 years older than Palmgren, he was often dubbed Sibelius' "crown prince" and "heir apparent". On
account of his splendid pianism, he was also sometimes called the "Chopin of the North". Palmgren's oeuvre
consists mainly of piano works (character pieces, Etudes, Preludes, and a Sonata), chamber music and
songs. Quite possibly daunted by the symphonic output of Sibelius, he composed no symphonies or any
other significant works for orchestra. His five piano concertos, which used to be quite popular
during his lifetime, are big-boned romantic works in the style of Liszt and Rachmaninov.



Music Composed by Selim Palmgren
Played by the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
With Raija Kerppo, Juhani Lagerspetz, Matti Raekallio & Eero Heinonen (piano)
Conducted by Jacques Mercier

"These two discs of the five piano concertos and the orchestral suite, Pictures from Finland,
are a lavish reminder of Selim Palmgren’s slender but appealing talent. A composer of the old school,
Palmgren (1878-1951) revelled unashamedly in lush if insufficiently memorable melody, tirelessly
entwining figuration and touches of homespun folk idiom. To describe him as ‘the Chopin of the
North’ is unduly flattering and it is significant that despite his cosmopolitan lifestyle – his sojourns
in Germany, Italy and America – he remained addicted to romantic cliche and oddly unaffected
by changes of scenery or stimulus. All five piano concertos bear a close family likeness and are,
indeed, largely interchangeable and you will need an exceptionally sweet tooth and an ability to
put intellectual expectations on hold if you are to obtain maximum pleasure from their effusive
flow of ideas. It is also no less significant that Palmgren’s lack of individuality so often makes
one think of other roughly contemporary, more distinctive voices. Piano concertos by Pierne,
Delius and MacDowell come to mind at altogether too many points. Still, Ignaz Friedman
thought sufficiently highly of the Second Concerto to include it in his repertoire, and Sibelius
waxed lyrical about the Fifth saying, “Never have you been so outstanding as you are in
this concerto of yours” (a remark that can be taken two ways).

More generally, Palmgren is at his most piquant when brief and unambitious. Pictures from
Finland includes a burgeoning sense of life in “Spring reveries”, a pleasing sense of archaism
in “Minuet in folk style”, and a waltz at 4'01'' in “Dance of the falling leaves” that is hard to resist;
music of ‘twilight charm’ indeed. The recordings are adequate if unduly recessed so that the
hard-working soloists (Palmgren’s may be an amateur voice but his busy piano writing is strictly
for professionals) lack projection and character. Jacques Mercier and the Turku Philharmonic
play with skill and affection though Otto Makila’s painting, They can see what we can’t seems
an odd choice for the second disc’s cover. A judicious selection from Palmgren’s 300 or so
piano miniatures could help us further access Finland’s second musical son.'"
Gramophone



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nice, i own the 'meet the composer version'. not heard for years...shame on me.

No.139

Three American guitar concertos composed for and performed by Sharon Isbin:
Troubadours by John Corigliano (*1938), From Afar by Joseph Schwantner (*1943)
and the three-movement American Landscapes by Lukas Foss (1922-2009). The
latter concerto is in an Americana style, with several folk songs woven into
the tapestry.



Music by John Corigliano, Joseph Schwantner & Lukas Foss
Played by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
With Sharon Isbin (guitar)
Conducted by Hugh Wolff

"Sharon Isbin has commissioned and premiered more guitar concerti than any
other guitarist. Indeed, she commissioned the three works on this world premiere
recording in response to the challenge posed by the surprising fact (quoted in the
booklet notes) that though ‘the guitar is the most commonly owned instrument in
America today... it continues to battle for proper respectability on the classical
concert stage’.

John Corigliano’s deliciously atmospheric Troubadours is a series of free variations
in three parts, conjuring images from the 12th-century tradition of courtly love.
In this piece, Isbin’s fluent virtuosity, sympathetically supported by the St Paul
Chamber Orchestra, vividly evokes both the soft, eerie textures of the outer
sections, and the brighter colours of the central section’s exuberant portrayal
of a medieval fair. However, the most striking feature of all the works here is
the astonishing transcription of the guitar’s qualities of ‘incisive articulation,
unique sonorous tonal coloration and haunting melodic voice’ (in the words of
Joseph Schwantner) for the orchestra’s broader instrumental palette. Witness
Isbin’s and the St Paul’s sensuous delight in Schwantner’s From Afar..., or
their contrast of gentle, pastoral moods and breath taking vitality in Lukas Foss’s
American Landscapes, with its fragrant echoes of Copland and Ives. This
superbly recorded programme will leave you wanting more."
BBC Music Magazine





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No.140

As a student of the Antwerp composer and conductor Karel Candael - himself a student of Lodewijk Mortelmans
and Jan Blockx, who in their turn studied under Peter Benoit - Jef Maes (1905-1996) can be regarded as
an ‘artistic great-grandchild’ of the pioneer of the Flemish Romantic movement. In this sense he is also a direct
heir of the renowned Antwerp School, started by Peter Benoit. On a technical-compositional level he also follows
the same course of Romanticism, not so much in the choice of genres, not with large scale cantatas on
historical or poplar themes in his works but more in the twentieth century. He was certainly open to the new
styles that were springing up everywhere. When asked to describe his style, he likes to call himself a ‘modern
Romantic’, a nineteenth century poet in the body of a twentieth century orchestrator.

As a solo viola-player he worked with the most important chamber music ensembles and symphony orchestras
from his home town, and in this privileged position, he enhanced, being self-taught, his knowledge of
orchestration. From the forties he gradually abandoned orchestral work in order to spend more time teaching
and - amongst other things he was chamber music teacher at the Conservatory of Antwerp -and on composing.
It is not really surprising that Jef Maes would write as his first introduction to the concertante style of writing a
work for his own instrument, the viola. The Concerto for Alto violin and Orchestra dates from the end of
the thirties, but the first performance, by the national broadcasting company orchestra featuring Rik
Langewouters as soloist, through force of circumstances, was only performed at the end of 1956. The romantic-
expressive lines of the viola, in imitation of the big romantic concertos, are kept in restraint by the sturdy
straight-jacket of a classical structure. Although the orchestral refinement that pervades Maes' later works
is only present in embryonic form, this work is also beguiling.

The more than twenty years separating the concerto and the Arabesque and Scherzo for Flute and Orchestra
and the unavoidable evolution which the composer underwent in that period, can be heard immediately in the
first bars of the "Arabesque". The chromatic, swaying melodies of the flute and the colourful orchestral accompaniment
point to a more than superficial flirtation with impressionism. The whimsical, "Arabesque" poetry flows hardly
noticeably with a trill in the flute into the Scherzo, which takes its strength from the pulsating rhythm
and the fast tempo.

It was the Royal Flanders Philharmonic, on 17th October 1966, that first performed Jef Maes' Symphony No.2,
conducted by the then chief conductor Eduard Flipse. The music had been completed the year before and was
dedicated by the composer to his childhood friend and fel1ow student Andre Cluytens. In comparison with its
predecessor, this symphony sounds, certainly in the first two parts, especial1y sombre, melancholy and sometimes
even explicitly threatening. The work revolves around the number 3: not only is the work in three parts, but
each movement is itself built up around three themes or motifs. In many cases the themes grow away from
each other organically, which improves the unity of the score considerably.



Music Composed by Jef Maes
Played by the Royal Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra
With Leo de Neve (viola) & Franck Vanhove (flute)
Conducted by Gerard Oskamp

"All performances are lusty and enthusiastic; the recordings are excellent,
and the documentation informative. Recommended to all post-romantics
who confess a musically sweet tooth."
Gramophone



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What about Karel Candael?, have you any work of this composer? I can�t find any CD-Thanks for all

No.141

Born in Los Angeles in 1932, John Biggs received his Master's Degree in composition from the
University of California at Los Angeles, doing further study at the University of Southern California and
the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp, Belgium. His teachers include Roy Harris, Lukas Foss,
Ingolf Dahl, Flor Peeters, and Halsey Stevens. He has received a number of “Meet the Composer”
grants from diverse parts of the United States. Biggs has written a large body of compositions for
orchestra, chamber ensembles and the operatic stage.

Biggs comments on his three concerti: "The most recently written of the three concertos on this
recording is the Cello Concerto. It was commissioned by the New West Symphony (Ventura County,
California) in memory of Carmel Maitland, a strong supporter of the orchestra. I chose Virginia Kron as
soloist and the piece was premiered in January 1997 with Boris Brott conducting. The stipulations in the
commission were that it be somehow compatible with the rest of the music on the program, which included
Bach, Handel, Telemann, and Mozart, and that it be scored for strings, two horns, and two oboes. I
convinced them to add two bassoons which I thought would be essential. This was a good decision, as
it allowed me to pair-off the cello in trios with the oboes, horns and bassoons in the slow movement,
with good effect. In honor of the spirit of the earlier composers I kept the textures transparent and
used a more “classical” approach to melody and formal outline.

This Viola Concerto was written in 1966 with no commission and no prospects for a performance.
Cast in one movement, the work is based on three themes, which make their appearance in order, played
by the soloist shortly after his brief dramatic entrance. The first, “cantando,” is accompanied by flutes. The
second, “calmo,” is accompanied by bassoons. And, the third, “serioso,” is accompanied by clarinets.
Although quite somber in its opening and closing sections, and serious in the central fugual section, the
piece does manage to let a little sunlight in from time to time.

When I was a student at UCLA, conductor Walter Hendl performed in Los Angeles with his orchestra
from the Eastman School of Music. They played a memorable performance of Paul Hindemith's Symphonia
Serena. I was moved by the stature and content of the work, and its formal outline stayed in my head for
many, many years —28 years to be exact. At that time I received a commission from the Ventura County
Symphony (Frank Salazar, conductor) to write a concerto. I called upon my memory of the Hindemith piece
which had four movements, using the full ensemble in the outer two movements with winds for the second
and strings for the third. What remained in my mind the most was the string movement, in which Hindemith
had set a very difficult task for himself. He put forth a slow, sustained section, with strings playing with
their bows. This was followed by a section of equal length, but now fast and with strings playing pizzicato.
Then the surprise: both sections return, played simultaneously! So the Concerto for Orchestra, although
in one continuous movement, owes its formal outline to Paul Hindemith: opening with full orchestra, then
a quick march for the winds, then the “double music” for the strings, and ending with the full orchestra for
the close."



Music Composed by John Biggs
Played by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra
With Virginia Kron (cello) & Paul Silverthorne (viola)
Conducted by Paul Freeman

"My cello and I traveled to Prague to record John Biggs' cello concerto, written for me. The LA Times
said it "proceeds with a restless heart and a sense of idiom" and Gramophone said it was "nicely
played". I'm proud to go down in history with this dynamic piece."
Virginia Kron

"I was introduced to the music of John Biggs through his Concerto for Orchestra. When he told
me he had also written concertos for solo instruments I immediately asked him if he would consider
doing an all-Biggs CD consisting of three of his concertos. I was particularly struck by the similarity
of approach between Biggs and that of the Baroque era. His feel for tone color, orchestration,
counterpoint and compositional form in general is indeed very strong.

The unusually cheerful brightness of the cello concerto is a good contrast to the more austere and
penetrating viola concerto. Not only was it fun to record the orchestral concerto but refreshing to
collaborate with Virginia Kron and Paul Silverthorne because of the insight which they brought to
John Biggs' music. We are delighted to include an all-Biggs CD in our Albany series and happy to
make our listeners aware of the outstanding talent of this California-based composer."
Paul Freeman



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Thanks a lot!

thanks

A belated thanks for the Sid Robinovitch, Sax Concerto. The Klezmer Suite and Captown Banjo Concerto where really entertaining.

No.142

Raymond Deane was born in Co Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, on 27 January 1953. He was
brought up on Achill Island, Co Mayo. From 1963 he lived in Dublin, where he studied at University College
Dublin, graduating in 1974. He was a founding member of the Association of Young Irish Composers, and
won numerous awards as a pianist.

He subsequently studied in Basle with Gerald Bennett, in Cologne with Karlheinz Stockhausen (although
he doesn't consider himself "a Stockhausen pupil"), and in Berlin with Isang Yun. He was featured composer
in the 1991 Accents Festival (with Kurtag) and the 1999 Sligo New Music Festival (with Roger Doyle).
He was artistic director of the first two RT� Living Music Festivals (Dublin 2002/2004), showcasing the
music of Luciano Berio and contemporary French music respectively. In 1992 he published Death of a
Medium, a novel (Odell & Adair), and he continues to publish essays and articles on culture and politics.
Raymond Deane is based in Dublin, Paris, and F�rth (Bavaria).

On Krespel's Concerto (Violin Concerto): "In 1983 RT� (Irish Radio and Television) commissioned
"Krespel", a kind of radiophonic opera for speakers, vocal soloists, chorus and orcfhestra with a text taken
primarily from Jules Barbier's libretto for Offenbach's "Les contes d'Hoffmann". In 1990 I recomposed the
work for violin and large orchestra, subtitling it "Fatasia after E.T.A. Hoffmann". This version was given its
premi�re at Dublin's National Concert Hall in April 1997. Hoffmann's "Rat Krespel" (1819) tells of the
eponymous half-mad violin-maker, his prima donna wife Angela who dies of consumption, their daughter
Antonia and her lover, the composer and pianist B... Krespel separates the lovers lest the composer
induces her to sing, thus triggering the consumption that Krespel fears she may have inherited from
her mother. A Cremona violin, played with magical intensity by Krespel, takes the place of her voice.
The first movement, "Dramatis personae", portrays Krespel and Antonia in particular, the latter represented
by a literal quotation of her aria "Elle a fui, la tourterelle" from Offenbach's opera. Indeed the whole work
might be seen as a set of variations on this melody, the intertwining perfect fifths of which I associate
with the open strings of the violin. The second movement, "Burial Scene", depicts Antonia's funeral and
Krespel's outburst of grief-stricken madness. The third movement, "Carnivals", contrasts the frivolity of
Venice and the vulgarity of Germany, combing the two in a collage through which Antonia's melody
shines in the trumpet. The fourth movement, "Liebestod", evokes Krespel's mysterious vision of his
daughter singing."

On Quaternion: "A 'quaternion' is a set or group of four elements; in mathematics it is an
operation transforming one vector into another, associated with the 19th century Irish mathematician
William Hamilton. The four movements of my Quaternion (1988) explore different modes of encounter
between soloist and small orchestra that emphasise the disparity between the two. In the first movement,
they alternate without overlapping. In the second, the piano disappears and is replaced only late in the
day by celesta (the interplay of celesta and tuned percussion, and the prevalence of a hexatonic scale,
gives this section a faintly 'oriental' aura). In the third, the orchestra disappears and the piano plays a
lowest range and orchestra in its highest then move towards one another until at point of contact
(which doesn't occur in the middle!) they sustain a concerto-like 6/4 chord of F major. Finally they
drift apart again and disappear in opposite directions."

On the Oboe Concerto: "My Oboe Concerto was commissioned by RT� (Ireland's national
broadcasting corporation) for Matthew Manning, who at the time was lead oboist of the National Symphony
Orchestra of Ireland. The work was begun in 1993 after my return from a trip to the Middle East where I
had seen many of the camps housing Palestinian refugees, and had passed through Sabra and Shatila,
where in 1982 Lebanese fascist militias had massacred thousands of Palestinians under the watchful
eye of Ariel Sharon and his Israeli soldiers. These sights and the reflections occasioned by them influenced
the shape of the work. The soloist never plays the role of strutting hero typical of the romantic conerto,
but is treated like an exile from the orchestra, the role of which is often oppressive. A soprano saxophone
mimics the soiloist from the orchestra, as if it had usurped its place."



Music Composed by Raymond Deane
Played by the RT� National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
With Alan Smale (violin) & Matthew Manning (oboe)
And Anthony Byrne (piano)
Conducted by Colman Pearce

"This intriguing disc in Marco Polo's burgeoning Irish composers series will cheer unreconstructed
Modernists as well as appeal to closet Romantics. Raymond Deane (b. 1953) has emerged as an
influential figure on the Irish contemporary music scene. He studied with, among others, Karlheinz
Stockhausen in Germany. A range of 20th-century European influences leaven his style, not least
in the vividly colouristic orchestral works an offer here.

"Krespel's Concerto for violin and orchestra is a work that from it tragic cadenza introduction carries
with it an attractive baggage of 1920s and 60s parody. It's an initially desolate, yet for that very
reason gorgeously appealing concerto, arranged in four titled movements. E.T.A. Hoffmann's story
about the half-mad violin maker Rat Krespel, a source for Offenbach's unfinished extravaganza
The Tales of Hoffmann, crops up as a kind of atmospheric psychological underlay.

"Soloist Alan Smale, who is also leader of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, catches
the nervy, fretful and yearning atmosphere of the piece perfectly. It's like Bartok on edge, a
technically challenging and emotionally charged piece that well repays the listening. The other two
pieces are worthwhile (especially Deane's knotty, violently Modernist oboe concerto) and the Marco
Polo recording, made in Dublin's concert hall, is first-rate."
Strad Magazine



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No.143

This album features an arrangement of Sergei Prokofiev's Flute Sonata as a Clarinet Concerto,
provided by American composer Kent Kennan. Also included are two of Prokofiev's less often
recorded works, the suite Summer's Day and the Sinfonietta, op.5/48.



Music Composed by Sergei Prokofiev
Played by The Chicago Chamber Orchestra
With John Bruce Yeh (clarinet)
Conducted by Dieter Kober

"The first Asian musician ever appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as the longest-
serving clarinetist in CSO history, John Bruce Yeh joined the CSO in June of 1977, having been appointed
solo bass clarinet of the Orchestra at the age of 19 by Sir Georg Solti. Two years later, he was named
assistant principal and solo E-flat clarinet. He served as acting principal clarinet of the CSO from 2008–
2011. Recently he has also performed as guest principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra as well
as of the Seoul Philharmonic in Korea.

Yeh has performed concertos with the CSO on several occasions, including the 1998 American premiere
of Elliott Carter’s Clarinet Concerto with Pierre Boulez conducting and the 1993 performance of Carl
Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto with Neeme J�rvi. A concert recording of the Nielsen was released on the
CSO CD set Soloists of the Orchestra II: From the Archives, vol. 15. In 2004, Yeh was featured in
Leonard Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs in collaboration with the Hubbard Street Dance Company
and the CSO conducted by David Robertson. An enthusiastic champion of new music, John Bruce
Yeh is the dedicatee of new works for clarinet by numerous composers, ranging from Ralph Shapey
to John Williams.

A prize winner at both the 1982 Munich International Music Competition and the 1985 Naumburg
Clarinet Competition in New York, Yeh continues to solo with orchestras around the globe. His more
than a dozen solo and chamber music recordings have earned worldwide critical acclaim. He recently
released a disc titled Synergy, of single and double concertos with clarinet and symphonic wind
ensemble featuring his wife, Teresa, his daughter, Molly, and the Columbus State University Wind
Ensemble conducted by Robert Rumbelow.

Yeh is director of Chicago Pro Musica, which received the Grammy Award in 1986 for Best New
Classical Artist. He frequently appears at festivals and on chamber music series worldwide. Yeh
has performed several times with Music from Marlboro; the Guarneri, Ying, Colorado, Pacifica,
Calder and Avalon string quartets; as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

With his wife, clarinetist Teresa Reilly, erhu virtuoso Wang Guowei and pipa virtuoso Yang Wei,
Yeh recently formed Birds and Phoenix an innovative quartet dedicated to musical exploration by
bridging Eastern and Western musical cultures. In their debut performance in September 2006,
the group performed works by Victoria Bond, Pamela Chen, Lu Pei and Bright Sheng, all
commissioned for them by Fontana Chamber Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Passionately committed to music education, Yeh served for 26 years on the faculty of DePaul
University’s School of Music, and he joined the faculty at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College
for the Performing Arts in 2004. He has taught master classes at many universities and
conservatories including the Juilliard, Eastman and Manhattan Schools of Music, the Cleveland
Institute of Music, Northwestern University and University of Michigan. In addition, he is on
the faculty of Midwest Young Artists in Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Los Angeles, John Bruce Yeh pursued premedical
studies at UCLA, where he also won the Frank Sinatra Musical Performance Award. He entered
the Juilliard School in 1975 and attended music schools in Aspen, Marlboro and Tanglewood.
He cites Gary Gray, Michele Zukovsky, Harold Wright, Ray Still, Marcel Moyse, Allan Dennis
and Mehli Mehta as influential mentors."





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No.144

This CD brings together Francis Poulenc’s ever-popular Organ Concerto, Anton Arensky’s luscious
Variations on a Theme of Tschaikovsky (written in memory of the composer just after his death) and a new Organ
Concerto by Swiss composer Carl R�tti (*1949). R�tti’s concerto offers ample proof why he is one of Switzerland’s
most popular classical composers today, with its rhythmic drive, melodic invention and skilful orchestration. His ‘Blackbird
Scherzino’ movement showcases R�tti’s love of birdsong, here brilliantly depicted by the organ together with two solo
violins, temple blocks and cymbals.



Music by Carl R�tti, Anton Arensky & Francis Poulenc
Played by the State Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of Novosibirsk
With Martin Heini (organ)
Conducted by Rainer Held

"When I first saw the cover of this, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then I listened to it and found
that it contains one of my favourite things: exciting, powerful music that’s exceptionally well played.
It turned out to be one of my favorites in this batch of discs.

The orchestra comes from Russia, but the recording was made in Switzerland last year at St Catherine’s
Church in Horw, which houses the fairly new (1996) organ Mr Heini plays. The recorded sound is
spectacular and certainly helps make this production so enjoyable. One oddity is that while the short
Arensky piece gets a separate track for each variation, the entire Poulenc work is on one unbroken
24-minute track. While it may not be broken into separate movements, it’s still handy to be able
to access one’s favorite sections directly.

Carl Rutti, born in 1949, is a Swiss organist and composer who also writes a good deal of choral
music. The organ concerto presented here is actually his second. It opens up with a driving, urgent
Allegro and some positively wild solo work for the organ—all very exciting and cogent. The Adagio
starts out restful but returns briefly to the agitation of I before settling back to a quiet ending. III
is a brief Scherzo, and IV is a theme-and-variations on a carol tune that builds to a satisfying
climax, with plenty of percussion and organ. This is impressive, a newly written piece of music
that audiences really will enjoy. As you’ve probably guessed, this is its very first recording.
Tongues of Fire is a work for solo organ that lives up to its name, alternating between flickering
mischievousness, thunderous declamation, and quiet introspection in its brief seven minutes.

The Arensky does get a sweet, nostalgic, lyrical performance that’s almost as expressive as the
classic Barbirolli recording. Although at first glance it may seem out of place on the program,
it gives the orchestra a chance to shine, and after the powerful Rutti pieces, it cleanses the
listener’s aural “palate” before diving into the Poulenc.

The Poulenc concerto should be performed more often than it is, and the playing here both
from the soloist and the orchestra is first rate. My only slight quibble—very slight—is that I’d
like to hear a bit more urgency in the closing Allegro molto agitato section."
Classical Music Review



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---------- Post added at 09:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 AM ----------




No.145

Philip Martin’s (*1947) career as a Composer goes parallel with his life as a celebrated and acclaimed
concert pianist. As such, he is part of a select, but dying breed of musician. His creative output has resulted
in numerous major works across a wide variety of genre. These include Three piano concertos, several shorter
works for piano and orchestra, a Harp Concerto, a symphony, some 300 songs and many chamber and
choral works. Besides writing for his own instrument, two piano pieces have recently been chosen by the #
ABRSM for inclusion for Grades 3 and 8, his many commissions include the Harp Concerto which has been
represented in two World Harp Congresses and appears on the Marco Polo label in the Irish Composers'
series played by Andreja Malir. Philip’s music has received hundreds of performances worldwide.



Music Composed by Philip Martin
Played by the RT� National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
With Philip Martin (piano) & Andreja Malir (harp)
Conducted by Kasper De Roo

"Martin’s 2nd piano concerto is infectiously entertaining…’ and in his Harp Concerto,
there is a warmth of serious but not sober-faced musical purpose, bringing an aesthetic
of classically rooted tonal music to his work desk."
Fanfare



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No.146

Bohuslav Martinů composed Les fresques de Piero della Francesca (1955) in tribute to the
luminous frescoes of the Italian master in the church of San Francesco in Arezzo and responded with a
score of impressionist colour and intensity, its sound world utterly different from the Sixth Symphony,
Fantaisies symphoniques, that preceded it by only a couple of years.

The two piano concertos (Nos. 2 & 4) are marvelous works—certainly two of the finest 20th-
century compositions for piano and orchestra. No.2 combines memorably lyrical thematic material
with a real opposition of personalities between piano (chromatic, full of wit) and orchestra (sweetly
diatonic). No.4 ("Incantation") is a remarkable piece, almost athematic but full of arresting sounds
and textures, written in two formally fluid movements. It’s a mesmerizing work.



Music Composed by Bohuslav Martinů
Played by the Sinfonieorchester Basel
With Robert Kolinsky (piano)
Conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy

"Vladimir Ashkenazy can conduct anything from Beethoven to Stravinsky, with stops
along the way for Brahms, Dvor�k, Debussy, and Berg, as well as such relatively
unfamiliar composers like Josef Suk. Here, Ashkenazy has gathered four infrequently
heard works by Bohuslav Martinu -- his orchestral Overture from 1934, Les Fresques
de Piera della Francesca from 1956, and two of his piano concertos, the Second from
1934, and Fourth from 1956 -- and given each work the deluxe treatment with the
aid of the expert Sinfonieorchester Basel. Although Martinu's unique combination
of piquant colors, opulent sonorities, lyrical melodies, and vigorous rhythms has
defeated many other conductors' interpretive efforts, Ashkenazy does a superlative
job of realizing all these elements in exactly the right proportions. Most importantly,
he brings Martinu's music to vital life, from the Overture's ebullient excitement to
Les Fresques' luminous ecstasy. Joined by virtuoso Swiss pianist Robert Kolinsky
in the concertos, Ashkenazy has delivered a Martinu recording that every fan of the
composer will want to hear again and again, particularly in Ondine's crisp, clean
but highly evocative digital sound."
Allmusic



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No.147

Admirer's of Chen Gang's & He Zhan-Hao's popular The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto should appreciate
these more recent, lesser known neo-romantic concertante works from China: the Violin Concerto "Legend
of the Deer's Turn-About" by Zong Jiang & He Dong and the Cello Concerto "Gada Meilin" by Wang Qiang.
Both are program works cast in a single movement with contrasting sections. Also included are two shorter
tone poems, Festival of the Li Nationality, again by Zong Jiang & He Dong - and Sunshine on Tashkuergan,
by the Butterfly Lovers VC co-composer Chen Gang.



Music by (see above)
Played by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta
With Leung Kin-Fung (violin) & Timothy Landauer (cello)
Conducted by Tsung Yeh

"Pacific Symphony Principal Cellist Timothy Landauer was hailed "a cellist of extraordinary gifts"
by the New York Times when he won the coveted Concert Artists Guild International Award
in 1983 in New York. Landauer is the winner of numerous prestigious prizes and awards,
among them the Young Musicians Foundation's National Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Cello
Award, the Samuel Applebaum Grand Prize of the National Solo Competition of the American
String Teacher's Association and the 1984 Hammer-Rostropovich Scholarship Award.

Landauer's extensive engagements include his highly acclaimed recitals at Carnegie Recital
Hall, the Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, the Orford Arts Center in Montreal, the City
Hall Theater in Hong Kong and in Hanover, Germany. He has performed as a soloist with
orchestras across three continents. They include the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Taiwan National
Symphony, the Beijing Symphony and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In the United
States, he has appeared with the Maryland Symphony and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra.

Landauer was born in Shanghai, the son of musician parents. He first studied with his
father and later attended the Shanghai Conservatory Middle School, a pupil of Ying-Rong
Lin. He continued his studies in the United States with Eleonore Schoenfeld at the
University of Southern California where he, upon receiving his master’s degree, was
immediately invited to join the faculty as a lecturer and assistant to Piatigorsky Chair
Professor Lynn Harrell;. Landauer was the recipient of "The Outstanding Individual
Artist Award 2004" presented by Arts Orange County."



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Many thanks for the Rubbra Violin/Viola concertos link!

No.148

French-Canadian composer Jacques H�tu, one of his country's most prominent musicians
and a teacher of considerable note, was born in Trois-Rivi�res, Quebec, on the eighth
day of the eighth month in 1938. He learned piano as a youth and then, in 1955, went to
study music for one year at the University of Ottawa. The next five years were spent at
the more prestigious Montreal Conservatory, where he took the school's premier prix in
composition in 1961 and during which time he also went down for summer study at
Tanglewood (then still called the Berkshire Music Center) with American composer
Lukas Foss. After graduating from the Conservatory, H�tu was awarded a Canadian government
scholarship to study in Paris; he took lessons from Henri Dutilleux and Olivier Messiaen
and earned a diploma from the �cole Normale de Musique in 1963.

Upon his return to Quebec in 1963, H�tu was immediately asked to join the faculty of
Laval University; he taught composition there for 14 years (1963 - 1977). He has also
taught at Montreal University and, all throughout the 1980s and 1990s, at the University
of Quebec at Montreal. H�tu was prized throughout Quebec as perhaps its most gifted
and thoroughly trained academic composer, and, as the above resum� clearly shows, his
teaching was always in demand. H�tu was for the most part a traditionalist-oriented
musician. The usual orchestral, chamber, and vocal genres were his preferred playing
field and he shunned electronic music altogether. There are three symphonies with his
name on them (1959, 1961, 1971), and also an important series of concertos for various
solo instruments including piano, bassoon, trumpet, violin, flute, and clarinet. His
vocal music naturally makes use of French texts and has a lyrical quality that sometimes
disguises the dissonances in his music.



Music Composed by Jacques H�tu
Played by the CBC Radio Symphony Orchestra
With Andr� Laplante (piano), Christopher Millard (bassoon)
And Joaqu�n Valdepenas (clarinet) & Robert Cram (flute)
Conducted by Mario Bernardi

"Andr�'s performance of Jacques H�tu's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Mario Bernardi
and the CBC Radio Orchestra (CBC Records) won a Juno award in 2004 for best
orchestral recordings. The CD, which includes H�tu's concertos for flute (Robert Cram),
bassoon (Christopher Millard), and clarinet (Joaquin Valdepenas), also won the
Western Canadian Music Award."
andrelaplante.com



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I would very much like the FLAC download. Thank you very much...

---------- Post added at 03:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------

I would like the FLAC download to Zong Jiang & He Dong's concertos. It would be very much appreciated...

---------- Post added at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 PM ----------

I would really appreciate the FLAC download to Dutton's release of Jacobs viola music. Thanks very much...

---------- Post added at 03:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 PM ----------

It would be great if you could send me the FLAC download of Koch's CD of Gerber's violin and cello concerto. Thanks in advance...

Don't want much, do you AsteroidSmasher!!!!!

I'm on holiday. Also, requests should be forwarded by PM, requests in this thread will be ignored.

Again, I'm on Holiday.

i wish you a nice vacation, wimpel69.

No.149 (by request)

Composed in 1951 during a period of almost frenzied activity, the Concerto for Piano Duet and
Strings is one of Malcolm Arnold’s finest concertos, full of technical display, melody, contrast
and colour. The Concerto for Two Pianos (Three Hands) and Orchestra was written for the legendary
three-handed husband and wife team of Phyllis Sellick and Cyril Smith. Unashamedly popular in style, the
Concerto contrasts dark tragedy with meltingly romantic melodies, and closes with a brilliantly witty
and uplifting rumba.



Music Composed by Malcolm Arnold
Played by the Ulster Orchestra
With Phillip Dyson & Kevin Sargent (pianos)
Conducted by Esa Heikkila

"The works of Sir Malcolm Arnold regularly reflect in a moving way the strong vein of
popular inspiration and—in complete contrast—the vein of total darkness which reflects
Arnold’s deeply depressive side and which at times had him consigned to psychiatric
hospitals. The longest of the concertante works is the Fantasy on a theme of one of
John Field’s Nocturnes. This is in effect a set of variations, which for the most part are dark;
but, as a totally contrasted conclusion, the piece ends with a Rachmaninov-like passages
of lyricism. The Concerto for Piano Duet and Strings brings busy and brilliant passagework
for the soloists in the first movement, a still and intense Passacaglia slow movement and
a relentlessly high-spirited finale. The Concerto for Two Pianos (3 hands) portrays a
generally lighter side of the composer, ending with a delightful rumba, full of cross-
rhythms. Phillip Dyson and Kevin Sargent are brilliant and alert piano soloists, with
the young Finnish conductor Esa Heikkil� drawing dazzling playing from the Ulster
Orchestra, vividly recorded, not least in Beckus."
Penguin Classical Guide (****)



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No.150

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedescoʼs Piano Concerto No.2 is a distinctly different work from its
predecessor written a decade earlier. The first movement, Vivace e brillante, begins with an orchestral
statement of great directness and purpose before the pianoʼs entrance in brilliant passages against the
orchestra, followed by a short cadenza. The integration of the concerto elements is more controlled
here with the orchestral writing being tighter and more dramatic against the enhanced virtuosity of
the piano.

The unity between the First and Second Piano Concertos is perhaps implicit in that the second
movement is in both instances alla romanza. In Concerto No.2 the movement is indicated as Romanza,
tranquillo e meditativo, and in this instance the tranquil meditation inevitably takes a more serious and
elongated tone. The Romanza begins with a wind passage highlighting the French horn, setting the
mood before a contrasting passage from the strings. The piano enters quite unobtrusively with arpeggios
before taking centre stage with a sensitive and (in this context) surprising cadenza of great beauty.
The music proceeds with the piano and orchestra in close accord, a poignant reunion of a gentle
nature. In full-blooded romantic vein, the movement continues with plaintive melodies and intriguing
harmonies until once more the piano is allowed to sing its own ornamented song. When the other
instruments join in, a kind of lullaby ensues till yet again the piano is left on its own. This sensitive
episode, as with the previous Concerto, leads straight to the third movement, Vivo e impetuoso,
a passionate dance of immense charm, vitality and virtuosity. Before its dramatic conclusion this
movement also advances into bleak moods of sombre agitation suggesting deeper currents
beneath the general atmosphere of the entire Concerto.



Music Composed by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Played by the Berliner Symphoniker
With Pietro Massa (piano)
Conducted by Alessandro Crudele

"Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was a prolific and eclectic composer, but he is best known for his
music for guitar, beginning with works written for Andr�s Segovia. After emigrating to America
in 1939, he joined the group of European Jewish composers, escapees from the Nazis, who had
settled in Hollywood to make music for the movies. He lived out a quiet and successful career
there, also teaching at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, where his star pupils included
Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams. He died in 1968.

This delightful new release showcases a side of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s output that is less well
known. In fact, there are three world premieres here, including, amazingly, this lovely piano
concerto. All of this music is from the prewar period, when Castelnuovo-Tedesco was living
and working in his home town of Florence. The Piano Concerto No. 2 was written latest,
completed in 1937 shortly before the composer was forced to leave Italy with his family.
Perhaps as an antidote to the deeply disturbing circumstances of his life at the time, this
is an extraordinarily sunny work, bursting with bright color and energy. It has the structure
and scale of a Mozart concerto, and seems inspired by the master’s supreme lucidity of
texture. The music is not without repose or even hints of sadness, but is devoid of angst.
It is a sweet, perhaps old-fashioned concoction, but beautifully put together, and well
deserving of a wider audience.

Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s solo piano music shares the elegance and clarity of the concerto,
as well as a completely unpretentious manner of expression. The music ranges from
the 1919 Alghe , a work inspired by the composer’s impressions of a number of sensual
encounters, including the scent of drying algae (alghe, in Italian). It marks a basically
impressionistic style that is echoed in the balance of the program, as well as a Chopin-
like neoclassicism in the waltzes and studies.

The performances here are spirited and affectionate, if a bit rough around the edges,
as evidenced by a smudged run here and there in what sounds like rather challenging
piano writing, and an occasionally wooly ensemble by Berlin’s other orchestra. But this
release is highly welcomed as a revelation, really, that Castelnuovo-Tedesco was not
merely a composer of guitar recital staples."
Fanfare



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No.151

A collection of clarinet "concertos" by British composers.

Ralph Vaughan Williams, of course, never composed a concerto for the clarinet (only the oboe),
and even this arrangement of Six Studies in English Folk Song, originally scored for a solo
instrument (clarinet, cello, viola, oboe - anything works) and piano, hardly qualifies as
a "proper" concerto. But it is a lithe, charming suite of folk songs, very cleverly arranged
and harmonized. The string orchestra version was prepared by Arnold Foster in 1957.

John Carmichael's Fetes Champetres is a short, entertaining suite based on old dance forms,
expressing the Australian composer's love for France. Leighton Lucas was a film composer
in the 1940s and 50s (including a score for Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright), his substantial
Clarinet Concerto of 1957 is one of several concert works he wrote "on the side".

The most valuable of these pieces is probably the Clarinet Concerto by Humphrey Procter-Gregg,
Peter Maxwell Davies's very conservative composition teacher. Procter-Gregg wrote quite a lot of
music in a "well-behaved", safely neo romantic idiom, but the concerto is well-crafted and passes
the time agreeably.



Music by (see above)
Played by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
With Ian Scott (clarinet)
Conducted by Barry Wordsworth

“Agile solo work from Ian Scott and diligent support from Barry Wordsworth and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
make this an issue worth exploring. Truthful sound and balance, too.”
Andrew Achenbach, The Gramophone

“This very welcome Dutton CD concentrates upon music for clarinet and orchestra….
The repertoire has been cleverly chosen.”
Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review



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---------- Post added at 11:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------

As you may have noticed, older request-only FLAC links will now be expiring after a number of weeks (up to No.130 so far). This is to avoid people sending me 15 or so requests at the same time after they've come back from holidays or just stayed away from the board for an extended period. So to make sure you get the FLAC version(s) you want you should request them not too long after I've posted the album. The mp3 links and the earlier flack links will be available indefinitely, or at least until Kim Dotcom gets busted again.

No.152

This album features a trio of strikingly contrasting violin concertos by German masters of the
19th and 20th centuries. Due to the plethora of recordings of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1,
the importance of this release obviously lies in the lesser-known concertos by Fortner and Pfitzner.

Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) was a classmate of Mikl�s R�zsa's at the Leipzig Conservatory,
where they both studied under (and later assisted) Hermann Grabner. His Violin Concerto presents
a cross between the savagery of Schoenberg matched with Berg's lyric vein but is also quite strikingly
original. There are tumultuous as well as serene passages, the music is very powerful and edgy indeed.

Hans Pfitzner's (1869-1949) Violin Concerto couldn't be more different. The composer
belonged to an earlier generation, one still strongly influenced by German late romanticism. Pfitzner
is a controversial figure whose later career flourished under the Nazi regime, and a quote of his,
"jazz is vulgarity, atonality is madness" once famously headlined the regime's "Entartete Musik"
(Degenerated Music) exhibition. He remained a staunch romantic until his death. In general, Pfitzner's
music is melodically beautiful and he uses a large orchestra sparingly, with particularly effective
use of the woodwinds and, on occasion, solo trumpet and horn. The Violin Concerto is a big-boned
work that's by turns lively and energetic (intensely lyrical rather than dramatic) and haunting and
atmospheric. Stylistic influences include Wagner and Mahler.

These are well-preserved historical recordings made by Gerhard Taschner, a leading German
violinist of the 1950s and 60s.



Music by Hans Pfitzner, Wolfgang Fortner & Max Bruch
Played by the SWR Stuttgart, SWR Baden-Baden and RIAS Symphony Orchestras
With Gerhard Taschner (violin)
Conducted by Hans M�ller-Kray, Rudolf Kempe & Hans Rosbaud

"Taschner’s star is in the ascendant. I’ve written about him quite extensively here and he’s been
eloquently served by Tahra (see reviews of discs 350/51, 342 and 461), as well as by the German
branch of EMI. But perhaps the most relevant recent release is MDG’s own previous issue of the
Beethoven and Fortner concertos (see review) conducted by Solti and Furtw�ngler respectively,
because it now offers us two views of the Fortner concerto, a work Taschner made very much his
own. In addition we have a sizeable bonus in the equally seldom performed Pfitzner concerto,
and the addition of the Bruch G minor.

This Fortner with Rosbaud was given about ten months after the Furtw�ngler performance. It’s
tighter all round, most especially in the slow movement, and one senses Rosbaud’s far greater
familiarity and experience with the idiom. Furtw�ngler sees things in a more massive and marmoreal
way and the gloomier recording quality serves even more to exaggerate that conception. Whereas
Rosbaud, one of the great unsung accompanists, evokes the Stravinskian elements with greater
precision and athleticism. The martial and threnodic elements are, however, rather more deeply
etched in the older performance. But again, to counterbalance these positive and negative
qualities, with Rosbaud rhythms are altogether more sharply pointed and the neo-classicism
is more pronounced. The music ambles rather than lurches, which it does have occasion to
do in the earlier performance, fine though that was on its own terms. As for Taschner he is
more obviously expressive with Furtw�ngler, whose concertmaster he had been in Berlin,
but plays with tremendous panache and silvery intensity in both performances.

The Pfitzner is an odd one. For years the only recording was that by Susanne Lautenbacher
with the Philharmonia Hungarica under Gunther Wich – though that’s now changed as Saschko
Gawriloff has recorded it for CPO. It’s an energetic but four square late Romantic effusion. Some
of the writing is very low and dark though there are also moments for the pirouetting soloist. Some
Tristan elements add gravity to the slow section though it remains stubbornly unmemorable
thematically, despite the best attentions of no less than Kempe at the helm. The more lightly
swinging patterns in the final section are genuinely attractive though some empty passagework
spoils things – unusually because this isn’t a bombastic work. Taschner plays excellently; he’s
faster and more virtuosic than Lautenbacher (I’ve not heard the Gawriloff recording)."
Musicweb


Pfitzner, Fortner.

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Thanks Wimpel69 for the great music. I think you may like this one.
The link is for Strauss Tone Poems which may better fit into your COULD-BE-FILM-MUSIC "CLASSICAL CORNER" but I visit the concerto collection more often.
This is some of the best Strauss I've heard recently, this recording is outstanding IMO. I hope you like it. I suggest to anyone who likes this recording to getting it on SACD for the best sound quality.

Tone Poems / Don Juan / Death & Transfiguration ALAC file. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (Conductor)
https://mega.co.nz/#!vwAEDAgT!PON-djsu-sNyLMjBfanaw_ru_pj3G4QEMOW4QlLhkVs

I know, it's a GREAT recording of some famous tone poems. I purchased the album last week. :)

In Till Eulenspiegel I still favor the old recording by Henry Lewis that I posted here:

http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/wimpel69s-could-film-music-classical-corner-work-121898/12.html#post2225026

The orchestra is less polished, but there's an extra bit of energy and sarcasm in that performance.

No.153

It is not often that a truly unique artist comes along to rivet the attention
of the world music axis in his country. Now it is time for another pacesetter.
Already an established artist in his native China, Liu Xing delivers a
brilliant range of emotions and energies. Born in 1962, he started to learn Yueqin
(moon guitar) at the age of 12. In 1978, he was admitted to the Shanghai Music
Conservatory and majored in Yueqin. After he composed Desert Night for solo
Zhongruan, he transferred to the composition department. However, he was expelled
for failing the examinations in harmony, counterpoint and form. Returning to the
instrumental department, he graduated in 1982. He was appointed to work in the
Opera House of Heilongian in 1984 where his Second Symphony for Chinese Orchestra
had its premier. In 1985 he became the keyboard player of the Dongfang Music and
Dance Troupe and performed throughout the world. Since then, he has become a
freelance musician. Anchored by a solid grounding in Chinese and western
classical music, Liu Xing has composed many orchestral works.



Music Composed by Liu Xing
Played by the Voronezh State Symphony Orchestra
With Liu Xing (zhongruan)
Conducted by Mak Ka-Lok

"The composer Liu Xing is a famous instrumentalist on the ruan, also known as the Chinese
guitar. He wrote the concerto in the mid-1980s, getting the inspiration for the work from a
friend's description of a trip to Yunnan. The piece Reminiscences of Yunnan helped him to
establish himself in Chinese music circles, and he later married the girl who provided him
with the inspiration for the piece. Let's take a moment to enjoy Reminiscences of Yunnan.
This is an excerpt from the third movement, which many music critics think perfectly
displays the charm of ruan,, a traditional Chinese plucked instrument.

Born in 1962, Liu Xing entered the Traditional Chinese Music Department of Shanghai
Music Conservatory in 1978. During his study at the conservatory and after his graduation,
he composed many small orchestral works, including the Animal Suites and various pieces
for plucked-strings instruments.

When talking about Liu Xing and his music, you can't ignore the plucked musical instrument,
the ruan. The instrument plays a major role in most of the musician's works. It is said that
the ruan developed from the pipa, another traditional Chinese plucked musical instrument,
during the Western Han Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago. Zhongruan refers to the
middle-sized instrument, which has a peaceful and mild sound with great poetic flavor.
When Liu Xing composed the zhongruan concerto, Reminiscences of Yunnan, in the middle
of 1980s, the plucked instrument didn't have the high profile that it enjoys today. But
today, the ruan is playing a significant role in the composition of both traditional and
modern Chinese music.

Wanting to introduce the ruan to the world, Liu Xing didn't want to confine himself only
to traditional Chinese instruments. Rather, he wanted to write for the instruments of
orchestras that are found universally throughout the world. In 1998, Liu Xing played
zhongruan with a Russian symphony orchestra to display his music, realizing his dream
to combine the traditional Chinese music instrument with the western orchestra. Let's
enjoy one of the pieces with their combined efforts, named Free Clouds and Lonely Crane."





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Many thanks wimpel !

No.56


Didn't expect to see any Saariaho in here. Thank you for this nice disc!

No.154

Aaron Avshalomoff (1895-1964) spent nearly thirty years in China, lured there by the sounds of its
street music, its ancient opera, costumes and legends, all encountered as a child in the Chinese
quarter of Nikola�evsk, his Siberian birthplace. At the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in
1917 he escaped, travelling through North China en route to the USA where he met and married
Esther Magidson in San Francisco. Finding life there hard, however, and with the sounds of
China still in his head, he decided to return to China in 1918. Between then and 1947 he
worked to evolve a synthesis of Chinese musical elements with Western techniques of composing
for symphony orchestra and theatre.

The Piano Concerto was inspired by the gifted young pianist and composer, Gregory Singer.
It was composed in 1935 during a six week stay at Hangchow - the famous resort about which the
Chinese say, "above there is heaven, below there are Suchow and Hangchow". The introduction starts
with a grinding orchestral gnash, followed by a declamation by the piano. The first movement then settles
into a bi-thematic exposition. The first theme is perky, the solo piano playing antiphonally against the
orchestra. The second is broad and lyrical. Following the development, the piano embarks on a stupendous
cadenza - wide-ranging in its swings of moods and its technical demands. The second movement is based
on an ancient Chinese melody given out by the solo flute and then taken up by the piano. With an
enchanting orchestral setting, together they produce a serene meditation. The Rondo Finale is a romp,
a fusillade of repeated notes, at first single and then in fifths. This movement also has a cadenza -
alarmingly accompanied by percussion - after which the repeated notes return to drive to a climactic
chord almost as grinding as the very opening one.

"Although the Symphony No.2 had been brewing in my mind for a long time," wrote Avshalomoff,
"I actually began to put it into shape after a stimulating visit from the conductor Thor Johnson" (June 1949).
Before long, the Koussevitzky Foundation was encouraged by Leonard Bernstein to commission the
Symphony, and Johnson led the premi�re in Cincinnati on New Year's Eve of that same year. The score
calls for a large Western orchestra, with a percussion section augmented by a battery of ethnic Chinese
cymbals, gongs, drums and wood-blocks. The motif which unifies the entire Symphony is from an
ancient Chinese melody - a turn on three notes, then a drop of a fourth.



Music by Aaron Avshalomov
Played by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra
With Larissa Shilovskaya (piano)
Conducted by Jacob & David Avshalomov

"As anyone following Marco Polo's enterprising discs of Aaron Avshalomoff's orchestral
music knows, his style combines the colorful nationalism of the Russian school of Rimsky-
Korsakov with the folk music of his adopted country, China. He's at his absolute best in slow
movements, where cool pentatonic melodies float on a bed of quiet strings and mysterious
percussion. Both the Piano Concerto and the Second Symphony contain classical examples
of this lovely sound world. The quicker movements, while more formally conventional,
contain plenty of good tunes adroitly arranged, though the finale of the symphony may
strike some listeners as too much of a good thing despite its outrageously vivid
orchestration. Nevertheless, the Piano Concerto is at least as appealing as, say,
Khachaturian's, and the Symphony has more than enough appealing invention to
sustain its modest half hour length. The composer's son and grandson do yeoman work on
behalf of their more famous progenitor, and David Avshalomov's Elegy is a highly
attractive and sensitive work in its own right. Do investigate this very rewarding and
delightful series of recordings."
Dave Hurwitz, Classics Today


Jacob(!) Avshalomov.



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great share! the whole series is a treasury.

Thanks for the Arnold and Vaughan Williams, etc.
Do you have or have you heard Little Sisters of the Grassland (Pipa Concerto by Tsu Chiang). I have this on vinyl with Ozawa and the Peoples Republic of China Orchestra. Not the best grouping of music on one album but the Chiang is worth it.

I got a few pipa concertos, but not that one.


No.155

Raymond Murray Schafer (born 18 July 1933) is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and
environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology,
and his book "The Tuning of the World" (1977). Born in Sarnia, Ontario, he studied at the Royal Schools of
Music in London, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the University of Toronto. At the latter institution he
was a pupil of Richard Johnston. His music education theories are followed around the world. He started
soundscape studies at Simon Fraser University in the 1960s. He has received six honorary doctorates from
universities in Argentina, Canada and France.

Schafer's music, beginning in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, revealed an ever-widening stylistic and
linguistic boundary along with a tendency in some works towards mysticism and a kind of oriental quietism.
The sources are of a rich and unorthodox diversity, many revealing Schafer's interest in Eastern thought
and religion. Although Schafer prefers to compose works that employ text, he continued to receive
commissions for instrumental compositions. In the 1980s he wrote concertos for flute, harp,
and guitar, three string quartets, and various other chamber and orchestral works. Purely absolute music,
however, is rare in the Schafer canon, as most of his instrumental works - even the string quartets -
contain extra-musical references.



Music Composed by R. Murray Schafer
Played by the CBC Vancouver & Toronto Symphony Orchestras
With Robert Aitken (flute) & Judy Loman (harp)
Conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Sir Andrew Davis & G�nther Herbig

"It is hard to believe that these pieces are not better known; Schafer is a wonderful orchestrator
& knows how to get exciting sonic effects. Give your Stravinsky & Prokofiev a rest & try these
pieces.They are as good as you can get once you enter into their spirit. & superbly performed!
The Darkly Suspended Earth:The Lonely Traveller is very inspiring, equal to any modern Violin
Concerto you could name!"
Amazon Reviewer



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No.156

The public response to Dutton Epoch’s exploration of the orchestral music of Stanley Bate has been
very positive, and there will surely be new enthusiasts for this fourth volume, which features the Second Piano
Concerto and the First Sinfonietta, coupled with another Dutton Epoch discovery, the music of Franz
Reizenstein (best remembered for his evocative score for Hammer's The Mummy) whose Second Piano
Concerto is grippingly played by Victor Sangiorgio. Here Dutton Epoch celebrates the centenary of the birth of
both composers: Bate born in Plymouth, Reizenstein in Nuremberg (and coming to the UK in 1934). Stanley Bate’s
scores date from 1938 and 1940, and his Concerto is characterised by its relentless energy and onward drive.
Bate was a man who readily absorbed what was new, and if we sense the occasional flavour of Hindemith and the
Shostakovich First Piano Concerto (complete with obbligato trumpet in the finale) in the fast music, and the
lyricism of Poulenc in the slow movement, we also quickly recognise the ebullient voice of Bate himself in two
scores that just precede his celebrated Third Symphony.

Franz Reizenstein was one of the many composers and musicians who were forced to leave Germany when the
Nazis came to power. Reizenstein wrote in all forms, with much piano music and chamber music. The Second
Piano Concerto, perhaps briefly his most popular orchestral work, was first performed by the composer at a
BBC broadcast concert from Maida Vale on 7 June 1961. Published in 1962, it was seen as an approachable modern
work, and indeed pianist Victor Sangiorgio brings a romantic sweep to his performance, which is surely
what the composer intended.



Music by Stanley Bate & Franz Reizenstein
Played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
With Victor Sangiorgio (piano)
Conducted by Martin Yates

"Yet another irreplaceable number in Dutton’s endlessly fascinating series of premiere recordings pairs
second piano concertos by two relatively short-lived and underappreciated composers born in the same
year—Stanley Bate (1911–59) and Franz Reizenstein (1911–68).

After focusing on several of Bate’s most important postwar works (the Third and Fourth symphonies
and the great Viola Concerto), Dutton now delves back into his promisingly active youthful 1930s with
first recordings of one of his three piano concertos and the first of his two sinfoniettas. Though neither
work is as complex in drama and design as the products of his maturity, the second concerto of 1940
is a very substantial and collaborative piece that does quite well by both the soloist (Bate introduced
the work himself under Beecham) and its accompanying forces. As usual in Bate’s music, it is full of
arresting ideas treated in unexpectedly inventive ways, reflecting his studies with another talented
composer-pianist, Arthur Benjamin.

Though adhering more or less to classical models, Bate was always able to incorporate what he learned
from two of the century’s greatest teachers (Hindemith and Boulanger) into the essentially British
perspective he had inherited from his early studies with Vaughan Williams. This rich synthesis makes
for a highly attractive Waltonian blend of interacting color and cogency, of the nationalistic and the
cosmopolitan, comparable to those of members of an older generation such as Bliss and Goossens.
The Sinfonietta, written two years earlier and consisting of two pairs of presto/andante movements,
is an absolute romp, moving along at a breakneck pace and resembling many characteristics of a
divertimento. It makes us eager to sample some of the ballet music Bate was turning out during
these formative but productive years.

Also a gifted pianist, Franz Reizenstein was forced to leave his native Germany for the usual
reasons and to emigrate to England as early as 1934. His first teacher had been Hindemith, but
after further studies in England with Vaughan Williams, Constant Lambert, and the celebrated
pianist Solomon, during the following three decades he amassed an impressive collection of
orchestra, chamber, even choral music in many forms while making a living as a teacher and
composer-for-hire, primarily for horror films.

The Second Piano Concerto of 1961 is written in his busily propulsive and forthrightly self-
assured neoclassical style whose Hindemithian origins had absorbed a wide range of idioms,
including a more populist bent. Like the Bate Second, it is quite approachable and
communicative and makes for a fine virtuosic vehicle for both soloist and orchestra. Both
Victor Sangiorgio and Martin Yates are full up to the demands made upon them and
deliver smashing readings."
Fanfare


Reizenstein, Bate (back, with his teacher Vaughan Williams).



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No.157

Lowell Liebermann (*1961) is one of America's most frequently performed and commissioned
composers. Described by the New York Times as "as much of a traditionalist as an innovator," Mr. Liebermann's
music is known for its technical command and audience appeal. Multiple recordings of many of his works
attest to the enthusiasm shared by performers and listeners for his music: the Sonata for Flute and Piano
has been recorded sixteen times to date; the Gargoyles for piano eleven times; and the Concerto for
Flute and Orchestra is available on four different releases. James Galway has commissioned three
works from Mr. Liebermann: the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, the Concerto for Flute, Harp and
Orchestra, and Trio No. 1 for Flute, Cello and Piano. Mr. Galway premiered the Flute Concerto in
1992 with the St. Louis Symphony and the double concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1995. Mr. Galway
recorded both works, along with Mr. Liebermann's Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra, for BMG, with
Mr. Liebermann conducting. [This album].



Music Composed and Conducted by Lowell Liebermann
Played by the London Mozart Players
With James Galway (flute) & Hyun-Sun Na (harp)

"If you stopped paying attention to new classical music after Britten and Shostakovich died,
it's time to tune in again. The famous flutist has put his weight behind one of America's most
gifted "new tonalist" composers, with electrifying results. Liebermann's three concertos are
custom-made for listeners who find 12-tone music ugly and minimalism simple-minded.
The harmonies are savory, the scoring luminous - and, yes, you can hum the tunes."
Time Magazine



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No.158

Alfredo Campoli was born in Rome in 1906, both his parents being professional musicians.
In 1911 the family moved to London, where Campoli was taught by his father, and by the time of
his Wigmore Hall d�but in 1923, he was already secure in 11 major concertos. Although he
subsequently toured with Melba and Clara Butt, Campoli turned his attention to light music,
and during the 1930s became a household name for his many recordings and broadcasts,
especially with his Salon Orchestra. Usually billed only under his surname, he also maintained a
concert career, and played Paganini's Concerto in D (arranged by Kreisler) at a Promenade
Concert in 1937. After the Second World War he returned to the “serious” classics, and soon
established an international reputation. He made his American d�but at Carnegie Hall in 1953
and visited Russia twice in 1956, on the second occasion with the LPO. Campoli's large repertoire,
and included the major Classical and Romantic works as well as works by Moeran, Ireland, Bax
and Walton; in 1955 he gave the first performance of Bliss's Violin Concerto, which was
written for him. His extraordinary beauty of tone and phrasing, often likened to bel canto
singing, was combined with an impeccable technique and an eloquently expressive approach
to interpretation.

Possibly one of the rarest recordings of all time: the Violin Concerto by Douglas Coates
(better known for choral and organ music) was broadcast in 1951, after which the BBC destroyed or
re-used the tape as was their custom. Coates, a writer in romantic style, like Bax, Delius and
Moeran, was so angry with the "modernist" attitudes at the BBC that he tore up the score and parts.
The work was believed completely lost until we came across the off-air recording which Coates
had made, of which only two original copies exist. We are delighted to have "re-discovered"
this music. E.J. Moeran's Violin Concerto dating from a few years later has also
been relatively neglected. This performance again comes from a BBC broadcast. A larger-than-life
figure, keen on tennis and bridge and usually sporting a large cigar, Campoli recorded for Decca
for over 40 years. He died in 1991 at his home in Berkshire, England.


Music by E.J. Moeran & Douglas Coates
Played by the BBC Symphony & BBC Northern Orchestras
With Alfredo Campoli (violin) & Colin Sauer (violin)
Conducted by Sir Adrian Boult & Sir Charles Groves

"It continues to baffle me why performances and recordings of Moeran's gorgeous Violin Concerto
are so thin on the ground. This is only the fourth version of this entrancingly tuneful and touching
creation to have come my way, and while it was exciting to encounter Albert Sammons's 1946
broadcast with Sir Adrian Boult and the BBC SO (Symposium, 5/99), I had no idea the same
distinguished orchestral partnership had performed the work with Alfredo Campoli at the Royal
Festival Hall. Don't let the crumbly sound put you off: the musicmaking is of exemplary commitment,
songful rapture and sizzling passion (a high old time is had in the Bacchic central rondo). Campoli
plays with virtuosity and golden tone, and Boult's typically watchful accompaniment fits him
like a glove. Buried treasure indeed.

Douglas Coates (1898-1974) was a new name to me. Born in Yorkshire and selftaught, his
compositions include a substantial body of choral music, works for organ, piano, military and brass
band, and a handful of orchestral offerings. His approachable (if not terribly distinctive) Violin
Concerto in D dates from 1934 and this 1951 broadcast appears to have been its only performance.
A fine one it is, too, even though it seems conductor Charles Groves was particularly critical
of the work's curious proportions, the 1 5-and-a-halfminute opening movement tending to
dwarf the two remaining movements (neither exceeds five minutes).

It's sad to learn that the composer found the whole experience traumatic. He promptly branded
the concerto 'a failure' and may well have destroyed the manuscript (it has never been located).
The sound here (taken from a set of acetate 78s) is more palatable than in the Moeran, but
in both instances restorer Andrew Rose has worked wonders with what was evidently some
intractable source material. Detailed notes complement what is a brave and instructive coupling."
Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone



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No.159

Luis de Pablo (born 28 January 1930) is a Spanish composer. Pablo was born in Bilbao, but
after losing his father in the Spanish Civil War, he went with his mother and siblings to live in Madrid
from age six. Although he started to compose at the age of 12, his circumstances made it impossible
to consider an artistic career, and so he studied law at the Universidad Complutense. For a short
time after graduating in 1952, he was employed as legal advisor to Iberia Airlines, but soon resigned
this post in order to pursue a career in music. Although he received composition lessons from
Maurice Ohana and Max Deutsch, he was essentially an autodidact in composition.

Danzas Secretas was commissioned by the Basque National Orchestra in celebration
of its 25th anniversary. The premiere was performed with soloist Fred�rique Cambreling (the
composition is dedicated to Giovanna Reitano) under the direction of Arturo Tamayo at the
Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao on 31 March 2008. Formally the composition is a symphony with solo
harp; the opening movement serving as the exposition; the second movement lento; the third
movement a type of scherzo and the closing movement a sort of recapitulation. Composed for
mid-sized orchestra; the texture is rarely dense; leading to wonderful clarity in the play of timbres.
This composition as well as de Pablo’s Frondoso Misterio are the works featured on this; the
eleventh volume in the Basque Music Collection.



Music Composed by Luis de Pablo
Played by the Basque National Orchestra
With Fr�d�rique Cambreling (harp) & Asier Polo (cello)
Conducted by Arturo Tamayo

"As if to confirm the dramatic variety of Basque music here is this disc of two concertos by
Luis de Pablo. A prolific composer he has written three symphonies (though not labelled as
such), five choral symphonic dramas, five operas, lots of chamber music and concertos for
piano (3), violin, guitar, saxophone and flute. He founded the first Spanish centre for electronic
music and has held distinguished academic posts in Spain, Italy, France and Canada. He has
championed new music and has put his shoulder and commitment to the music of
Stuckenschmidt and Webern.

His Danzas Secretas is in four movements and is not designated a concerto. It is performed
here by the harpist who introduced it to the world in Bilbao on 31 March 2008. It is scored
with pellucid transparency - no smear, no haze, everything etched with a fine blade. The
orchestra is used with minimalist craftsmanship as one might expect from an advocate of
Webern. It is a work in which the two protagonists are in thoughtful competition in allowing
the other to suggest ideas and limbs of discovery. After a hovering thoughtful Escondida
comes a slow dissonant sunrise of an Inmovil. The lucid, biting and ruthless Oscura third
movement is followed by the makes dreamy play of the harp's liquid arpeggiation.
Dissonantly impressionistic stuff.

The Cello Concerto Frondoso Misterio has more about it that is mobile and forwardly
projected. The title relates to a metaphor for death. It is a commission by the Madrid
Symphony Orchestra and arose at the instigation of Asier Polo - the soloist here - for the
orchestra's centennial. It is in seven shortish movements. The furious Deciso is succeeded
by a pitter-pat irritable little Lesto and a dreamy chilly Bergian Intermezzo. The Elegia has
the cello playing its most soulful character to the hilt which becomes grim and blacker in
mood in the Ostinato with its dank orchestral piano and brass contributions. The splenetic
Riassunto is followed by a singingly soulful Commiato in which the soloist reaches out
yearningly to the listener.

Let me again put in a plea for a further recording of Guridi’s Sinfonia Pirenaica. I do
hope that this work when issued will be coupled with other Basque symphonies.
Two authoritative and indeed brilliant recordings of recent works by one of Spain's
most gifted exponents of dissonance."
Musicweb



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Damn it, wimpel! I don't have enough space on my SD card for all these masterpieces, XD

No.160 http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/wimpel69/grammy_zps6b3cd3c1.gif

Quincy Porter (1897-1966) was among the more important American composers of his time
and best known for his chamber works, particularly for his nine string quartets. Some of his larger
compositions, in fact, have an almost chamber music quality, like the Ukrainian Suite (1925), for
string orchestra, and Music for Strings (1941). Porter was a musical conservative, his early works
having a highly accessible character, hardly in advance of the expressive language of arch-conservative
Howard Hanson. Porter's later compositions, his Symphony No. 2 for example, had a tougher veneer,
with more dissonance and at times a sense of austerity. Still, his music is always approachable.
Porter had one great hit, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Concerto Concertante (1954), originally
called the Concerto for two pianos and orchestra. It is largely forgotten today, as is most of
Porter's music, but performances and recordings of his works have generated a significant following
since the 1990s.

Porter was a violist himself, so it's hardly surprising that some of the best concertante and
chamber music he wrote was for his own instrument. The 1948 Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
enjoyed only one "modern" recording before this. It is a four-movement piece full of idyllic and dramatic
writing that epitomises Porter’s accessible art. The style is lyrical Americana.



Music Composed by Quincy Porter
Played by the Northwest Sinfonia Seattle
With Eliesha Nelson (viola) & John McLaughlin Williams (piano)
Conducted by John McLaughlin Williams

"‘Why don’t you play my Viola Concerto more often?’ Quincy Porter once asked William Primrose.
Well, replied the canny Scotsman (according to his memoirs), if you don’t run off with an heiress or
jump off a building you’re not likely to get many performances these days. The difficulties for violists
playing concertos were not confined either to Primrose or to Porter. Resident section leaders would
routinely snaffle jobs in certain orchestras—there was at least one leading American orchestra with
which Primrose, the greatest virtuoso of the age on his instrument, never gave a solo engagement
for precisely this reason. In any case it didn’t avail Porter, of whose concerto Primrose was a strong
admirer.

Porter must have known some of this, as he was a violist himself. His Concerto was composed in
1948 in four concise movements. Its opening is lazy, meandering, a recitative interlaced with burbling
winds and noble brass with the viola sticking to its mid-range and espousing lyric verities. It has a
similar ease as the Walton but lacks its Mediterranean languor and sensual appeal. Melancholy is a
component too in an intimate way, but Porter unleashes his down-home self in the finale which is
a barn dance of great dynamism, with witty wind writing above the strutting figures.

As this is an all-viola disc Eliesha Nelson is centre-stage. She plays the Speed Etude—written in the
same year as the concerto - with just the right moto perpetuo decisiveness. The piano’s widely spaced
writing allows the viola the middle ground once again and its figuration is thereby perfectly audible.
The Duo for viola and harp or harpsichord is heard in both versions. It sports a long line, speeds up
for a jazz-rich central panel and ends tenderly. The harp version sounds the more ‘playable’ but
there’s a certain tangy quality about the harpsichord version that I like too.

If you were a Porter fan back in 1950 you’d have surveyed the discography with interest. The composer
had set down his own version of the Solo Suite for Musicraft back in 1939. The Gordon Quartet had
taken a punt on the Third Quartet (composed in 1930) for Columbia whilst a strictly anonymous group
had set down the Sixth for the small Yaddo label, a company that had also issued the Quintet for flute
and strings and some incidental music. You can now find Louis Kaufman and Artur Balsam’s recording
of the Second Violin Sonata on Music & Arts CD638. These early recordings point to the fact that Porter
did enjoy a certain degree of interest on disc. Of late there has been increasing interest on CD, not
least in his chamber music. It would certainly be good to hear that Musicraft disc, which preserves his
own playing. But certainly one would hardly find much fault with Nelson’s playing of this tightly
constructed and taut work. Its baroque cadences are strikingly explicit and it’s most personalised in
the free-wheeling barn dance flavours of the finale, ones that remind us of the Concerto, still nearly
twenty years into the future.

He touches on Blues most obviously in Blues Lontains for Viola and Piano, the earliest work here,
dating from 1928—it’s alternately rugged and keening. But he’s at his most exploratory in the Duo
for violin and viola of 1954, where he uses dissonance creatively and malleably. The see-sawing
violin figures of the central Lento contrast with the viola’s richer freedoms, and both conjoin in an
ebullient and engaging dialogue in the finale. Porter had no problems with finales. He gave them a
stomping good time.

Nelson is a fine guide, judging Porter’s temper and tone with real sensitivity and skill. She has
the multi-faceted John McLaughlin Williams with her—playing piano, violin, harpsichord and
conducting in the Concerto. The only thing he doesn’t do is play the harp. For shame!

Warmly recorded, the engineers have ensured that Porter’s discreet aural promotion of the viola
is securely projected. If you enjoy Robert Russell Bennett, and like the kind of Americana that
Louis Kaufman liked—Piston, Barber et al—then you will find Porter very much to your liking."
Musicweb





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No.161

Salvador Brotons (*1959) was born in Barcelona into a family of musicians. He studied
flute with his father and continued his studies at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music, obtaining
qualifications in flute, composition and orchestral conducting. His professors included, among
others, Antoni Ros-Marb� (conducting), Xavier Montsalvatge (composition) and Manuel Oltra
(instrumentation). Brotons has been the conductor and music director of the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra (WA) since 1991. He has also been the conductor and music director
of the Vall�s Symphony Orchestra (1997–2002) in his native Barcelona and the Balearic
Islands Symphony Orchestra in Palma de Mallorca (1998–2001; 2009–).

The Guitar Concerto, subtitled "Mare Nostrum", is a creature of Iberian shadows and
confiding Gothic whispers, jagged drama, sweet touching deliquescence (II) not far removed
from Rodrigo's Aranjuez and Ponce's Concierto del Sur. There's even the wooden
clatter of castanets in the finale. It was written in Barcelona, the Costa Brava and the Balearics.

A major change of gear comes with the two movement Sonata-Concertino - a work
originally written as a sonata for trombone and piano. The oppressive string writing in the
"Adagio funebre" reeks of Shostakovich with the mood consistently profound; even tragic.
In the pounce and plunge of the Cadenza the music is more brilliant, Waltonian and with
the sort of emotional depth you find in the Oldham composer's Troilus and Cressida.

The Flute Concerto is in four movements: dreamy-poetic, flightily buzzing and
capricious, sombre and funereal rather like the adagio of the Sonata-Concertino and
concluding with sparkling-eyed Waltonian brilliance. Parts of this suggested a debt to
Nino Rota while in others the concertos of Malcolm Arnold come to mind.



Music Composed and Conducted by Salvador Brotons
Played by the Barcelona National Symphony Orchestra of Catalonia
With �lex Garrob� (guitar), Magdalena Mart�nez (flute) & Ricardo Casero (trombone)

"The professional career of �lex Garrobe developes regularly in more than thirty
countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the USA. Among the prestigious
international halls in which he uses to play are the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,
Radio France Auditorium in Paris, Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), Palau de la M�sica
Catalana (Barcelona), Lutowslasky Auditorium (Warsaw) or the XXI Century
Auditorium (Beijing).

Born in Barcelona into a family of musical tradition, �lex Garrob� graduated
with First Class Honours from Alicante Conservatory in 1988. In 1990 he was
awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Scholarship to broaden his
studies at the Musikhochschule in Cologne with Hubert K�ppel. Some of the most
important influences for him were his teachers Jos� Tom�s, William Watters,
Manel Gonz�lez and Josep Pons.

He was the winner of the 1988 National Spanish JJMM Competition and the
1989 Infanta Cristina International Guitar Competition being also prize-winner
at the Andr�s Segovia International Competitions of Almu�ecar (1989) and
Palma de Mallorca (1987)."





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Thanks, wimpel69, for the Stanley Bate. Very nice stuff... scott

time for a thank you post, wimpel, listening to these things has been mind-expanding

No.162

The outstanding English composer and poet, Arnold Bax (1883-1953), was born into a Victorian
upper-middle-class family, of Dutch descent. He grew up in Ivy Back, a mansion on top of Haverstock Hill,
Hampstead. Because of the family affluence, Bax never had to take a paid position, and was free to
pursue most of his interests; a sharp contrast to the life of too many Britons, who suffered abject poverty
in the infamous slums. Bax was taught at home, but received his first formal musical education at age 16
from Cecil Sharp and others at the Hampstead Conservatory. Bax was accepted to the Royal Academy of
Music in 1900 where he remained until 1905. At the Academy, Bax was taught composition by Frederick
Corder, the Piano by Tobias Matthay , and the Clarinet by Egerton.

Arnold Bax had a sensitive and searching soul and drew inspiration from a wide range of sources.
He was a voracious reader of literature, and in this way he happened upon William Butler Yeats's "The Wanderings
of Oisin and Other Poems" in 1902 . Bax proved highly receptive to the soft, melancholy moods of the Irish
Literary Revival, and found in Yeats a powerful muse, from which he derived a life-time of inspiration. He
developed an infatuation with Ireland, and began travelling extensively there. Bax visited the most isolated
and secluded places, eventually discovering the little Donegal village Glencolumbkille, to which he returned
annually for almost 30 years. Here, Bax drew inspiration from the landscape and the sea, and from the
culture and life of the local Irish peasants – many of whom Bax regarded as close friends. Bax's encounter
with the poetry of Yeats and the landscapes of Ireland, resulted in many new works both musical and literary.

The Violin Concerto is a very rarely performed work even among Bax's, and this version remains
its only modern recording (there is a historic recording with Eda Kersey, the violinist who premiered
the piece, on Dutton). Bax's own, mysterious remark that it "sounds rather like Raff" makes little or
no sense, in fact it is typical of the composer's mature output, a powerful late Romantic work that
reflects Bax's obsession with orchestral color. The tone poem A Legend is a late work, in a genre in
which the composer excelled (The Garden of Fand, Tintagel, Northern Ballads). Bax also wrote the
music for his brother Clifford's play Golden Eagle, and again this is its only recording.



Music Composed by Arnold Bax
Played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
With Lydia Mordkovitch (violin)
Conducted by Bryden Thomson

"I consider Bax's music well worth reviving: an interesting mix of late Romantic and Modern,
superb handling of the orchestra, and a uniquely complex counterpoint resulting from his
orchestral sonorities. Bax intended his 1937 violin concerto for Heifetz. Heifetz rejected it, for
some reason. No one ever accused Heifetz of perfect taste, especially in modern music, but,
really, he spat on a masterpiece and what's more, one perfectly suited to his musical point of
view – big, Romantic, heroic. The concerto exhibits unusual architectural features. The first
movement, subtitled "Overture, Ballad, and Scherzo," comes across as a three-movement violin
concerto in miniature, with each section based on the same general idea. The idiom, vigorous
and athletic, shows Bax's participation in British Modernism. As for those used to Bax's music
of the Celtic Twilight, this movement especially will surprise them.

Critics have tended to treat Bax's music after the Sixth Symphony (1934) as inferior. I find
no falling-off myself, although the inspiration differs. The later work, like the violin concerto,
still sings passionately, but more efficiently and with less Sturm und Drang. I look on it as
having fewer but more telling notes. One marks less of the emotional excess than in a score
like the Second Symphony (1926). I have no way of really knowing, but I suspect the
following. Bax's musical inspiration was usually tied to his physical surroundings. He
responded to landscape. Most of the work seen as characteristic evoked his stays in the
west of Ireland. As he grew older, he went to Ireland less and less and finally moved to
Sussex. For me, the slow movement broods less than Bax's usual and instead glows with
a rare serenity. In A-B-A song form, it begins with an ecstatic climbing theme, a cross
between Delius and Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending, and moves to a middle section
which, as Lewis Foreman's liner notes keenly point out, foretells the Forties "Mozartean"
works of Richard Strauss. The sonata-rondo finale treats mainly two ideas – one light
and fleet, and the other a lush waltz, slightly reminiscent of a theme from the Sibelius
violin concerto. This movement brilliantly glitters and entertains, obviously designed
to please the crowd."
Classical Net



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No.163

William Mathias was born in Carmarthenshire in 1934, and from 1970 until his death in 1992 was
Professor and Head of Music at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. The Harp Concerto was
commissioned for the Llandaff Festival in 1970, and is scored for a modest orchestra of single woodwind, horn,
trumpet, tympani, percussion, celeste and strings. The first movement is largely concerned with the
relationship between the opening lyrical ideas (woodwind, strings and solo harp) and a second more
strident group (woodwind, percussion, trumpet and xylophone). Whilst in no sense programmatic, the
music has a certain affinity with the land and seascapes of South West Wales, where it was written,
particularly the central slow movement. The great elegies of early Welsh poetry also contribute to the
atmosphere of this movement, with their combination of heroic rhetoric and elegaic feeling. The music
has considerable textural variety but with the solo harp always the central figure. In contrast, the finale
is entirely joyful and rhythmic, offering abundant opportunities for display to both orchestra and soloist alike.

The Clarinet Concerto was premiered by the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra under David Atherton
in September 1975. The clarinet part in the first movement (Allegro vivo) is pithy and gestural, but always playful.
There are jazz-tinged rhythms in the first movement , and the sparkling nature of the orchestration (the
percussion includes glockenspiel, vibraphone and suspended cymbal for colour)is just wonderful. If the Lento
espressivo is in the final analysis a little less inspired (although colouristically it is very beautiful), the
dancing finale provides all the joie de vivre one could wish.

The Third Piano Concerto was ritten for the composer himself to perform, its influences include
Bart�k (the dancing rhythms of the first and last movements and the evocative Welsh Night-Music of
the Second), Messiaen (orchestral colour), Stravinsky and (clearly at one point in the first movement)
Gershwin.



Music Composed by William Mathias
Played by the New Philharmonia & London Symphony Orchestras
With Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Ossian Ellis (harp) & Peter Katin (piano)
Conducted by David Atherton

"There is no finer work in the medium than William Mathias’ Harp Concerto, a
stunning combination of characterful melody and magical handling of texture.
The finale in particular must be counted as one of the most successful concerto
movements in the 20th-century literature for any instrument, and this performance
featuring the work’s dedicatee Osian Ellis is just about perfect in every way. Why
this piece isn’t a concert staple remains a mystery. The other two works in their
individual ways are also very satisfying and well worth hearing, if perhaps not
quite as remarkable as the Harp Concerto.

Gervase de Peyer gives a fearless account of the Clarinet Concerto, a piece that
vacillates between mellow lyricism and strident outbursts. The thematic materia
here isn’t quite as memorable (to me at least) as that in the Harp and Third
Piano Concertos. This latter lives squarely in the school of Bart�k and Prokofiev,
with a “night music” central movement and a finale that sounds like an amalgam
of Bart�k’s Second, Barber, and Ginastera, albeit with a Welsh musical accent.
Peter Katin is the excellent soloist, David Atherton conducts splendidly, and
the recording is of the very highest quality. Outstanding and essential for
anyone who enjoys really good 20th-century concertos."
Dave Hurwitz, Classics Today





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No.164

Volkmar Andreae (1879–1962) was a Swiss conductor and composer. Andreae was born in Bern.
He received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with Karl Munzinger. From 1897
to 1900, he studied at the Cologne Conservatory and was a student of Fritz Brun, Franz W�llner, Isidor
Seiss and Friedrich Wilhelm Franke. In 1900 he was a soloist tutor at the Munich Hofoper. In 1902 he took
over the leadership of the Mixed Choir of Z�rich (Gemischten Chores Z�rich), where he remained until
1949, also leading the Stadts�ngerverein Winterthur from 1902 to 1914 and the M�nnerchores Z�rich
from 1904 to 1914. From 1906 to 1949 he led the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (Tonhalle-Orchester) and
from 1914 to 1939 the Conservatory of Z�rich. Later he worked as freelance composer in Vienna and
worked internationally as a conductor (especially with the works of Anton Bruckner). He composed
opera, symphony and chamber music, piano, violin, and oboe concerto, piano music, as well as choir
music and songs. He died in Z�rich.

Mention of Andreae’s prowess as a concert pianist should cause us to consider that in 1897 or 1898 he
played Beethoven’s Emperor concerto as a soloist in Cologne (K�ln) with the G�rzenich Orchestra, and it
was in the same city with the same orchestra that he was the soloist in the premiere of his slightly earlier
Piano Concerto in D, on July 7, 1898. This work is in three movements, played virtually attacca. It is
scored for a somewhat similar orchestra to the Konzertst�ck, but without trombones, and is dedicated to
another of his professors at the Cologne Conservatoire, Victor Staub. Although we know the date of that
first performance, we are uncertain as to which version of the first movement was actually played on
that occasion, for the orchestral parts have an additional 209 bars, which are absent from the full score,
which suggest that following the premiere (described as being ‘in one movement’ – although the attacca
indications might have been misleading here) the first movement was revised. In whatever form the
Concerto was first given, it remains a remarkable achievement for the teenaged
Andreae; Brahmsian, certainly, in language and general demeanour, it offers none of the meretricious
elements which tend to disfigure ‘virtuoso’ piano concertos of the period, and impresses us by the sheer
depth of musical interest it menifestly possesses; the ‘running together’ of the three movements is a
particularly notable feature, carried off with considerable assurance and convincing artistry.

The Violin Concerto by Volkmar Andreae is probably the most significant of his concertos and
concertante works. It was written in 1935, the score being completed on August 8th of that year in the
village of Ober�geri, in the canton of Zug, where his countryside house was situated. The work had
been intended from the start as a Concerto for Busch, who had left Germany following the rise of Hitler
and had settled in Switzerland, just over the border with Germany. Busch frequently gave concerts with
Andreae and the Tonhalle Orchestra, and they gave the premiere of the Concerto in Z�rich on January
27th, 1936. Busch repeated the work in February 1937 with the Orchestra dell’Accademia di St Cecilia at
the Teatro Adriano in Rome under Mario Rossi.

The Concerto is scored for a relatively modest orchestra (2,2,2,2-3,2,0,0-timp+1percussion-strings),
and, although essentially in two movements, rather like the Piano Concerto of almost 40 years earlier
it falls into a number of movements played attacca. Andreae exhibits his mature mastery of various
compositional techniques in the work, perhaps most notably the fugato which opens the (nominal)
second movment, but the Concerto is full of the most fascinating juxtapositions of metre, of broad
expressive melodic lines (especially the duet between solo violin and horn in the Adagio) and intriguing
rhythmic pulses (the closing pages). It is a really fine composition whose neglect – like almost all of
Andreae’s music – is wholly inexplicable.



Music Composed by Volkmar Andreae
Played by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
With Fali Pavri (piano) & Christian Altenburger (violin)
Conducted by Marc Andreae

"... All the pieces recieve performances worthy of them. Pianist Fali Pavri ... proves himself to be an
excellent soloit in every way, both technically and interpretively ... conductor Marc Andreae, the
composer’s grandson, leads ideal performances, and the Bournemouth Symphony plays splendily.
The recorded sound is excellent ... this release is enthusiastically recommended."
Fanfare

"Guild’s attention to the music of the Swiss composer and conductor Volkmar Andreae is most
welcome; earlier issues of his chamber and orchestral music are complemented this new issue,
recorded by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer’s grandson,
Marc Andreae. The four works are all concertos or concertante compositions, and are given the
best possible advocacy, though the violin concerto is comfortably the most distinguished and
individual piece on the disc."
Classical CD Choice

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Thanks for the latest goodies,wimpel!

No.165

Julius Engelbert R�ntgen (1855-1932) was a German-Dutch composer. His first piano teacher
was Carl Reinecke, the director of the Gewandhaus orchestra, while his early compositions were
influenced by Reinecke, but also by Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. In 1870,
at the age of 14, Julius R�ntgen visited Franz Liszt in Weimar; after playing piano for him he was
invited to a soiree at Liszt's house. In Leipzig, he and his parents were part of the musical circle
around Heinrich von Herzogenberg, and it was at their house that he first met Brahms. Later
R�ntgen moved to Munich, where he studied piano under Franz Lachner, a friend of Franz Schubert.
In 1877, Julius R�ntgen moved to Holland. He accepted a position as a piano teacher in Amsterdam,
and became the conductor of the zangvereniging Excelsior (Excelsior Choral Society), of the
Amsterdam branch of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Toonkunst (Association for the
Enhancement of Music) and of the Felix Meritis concerts.

Julius R�ntgen was a prolific composer. His vast body of work (around 650 compositions) covers
all classical music genres. His music shows very strong affinity with J. Brahms', but R�ntgen's
admiration for Max Reger can also be heard in it.

One of Hungary's most significant musical figures at the end of the nineteenth century and
beginning of the twentieth, Jen� Hubay (1858-1937) was a celebrated violin virtuoso, thought
to be the heir to Henri Vieuxtemps; he was also a prolific composer, especially for his own instrument.
Trained by the legendary Joseph Joachim, Hubay was a prolific concert soloists but somehow
found time to write no less than 200 compositions for violin.



Music by Julius R�ntgen, Jen� Hubay & Ernest Chausson
Played by the Dvor�k & Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestras
With Ragin Wenk-Wolff (violin)
Conducted by Dennis Burkh & Stanislav Bogunia

"Julius R�ntgen (18551932), friend of Brahms and Grieg and greatly admired by Tovey,
is little known today. This premiere recording reveals a large-scale work in traditional
form. For me, the most attractive and memorable music comes in the finale, with its
colourful rhythms and harmonies. The preceding Lento has a pleasant, dreamy quality;
its elaborately decorated violin lines a la Spohr benefit from the sweet tone of Ragin
WenkWolff's Strad.

In the Chausson, the playing is persuasively expressive, though other violinists have
given the first entry a more inward, mysterious air, and built up more powerfully and
decisively to the climax. Wenk-Wolff's account of the Hubay makes a fascinating
contrast to Hagai Shaham's. She doesn't have the fluency that allows him to toss off
easily the triplet passage with chords in the first movement, and her account of the
Scherzo lacks the Mendelssohnian grace of Shaham's. But her slower speeds in the
outer movements allow her to dig more deeply into the expressive character of
what can seem rather superficial music. The finale's second theme sings with real
passion, rather than just floating above the woodwind figuration. And in the Slovak
orchestra's playing we're keenly aware of the proximity of the Hungarian border."
Gramophone


R�ntgen, Hubay.

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No.166

Perhaps the title choice for this album/series was an unfortunate one: Modern Masters I seems to
suggest a collection of works in an advanced contemporary idiom - but not so. "Conservative Master Composers
of the 20th Centrury" would have been a more appropriate monicker.

Of much interest are the three opening works by superior composers: Mikl�s R�zsa's Tripartita
for Orchestra was his final orchestral work (not counting the concertante Viola Concerto), and it's a
powerful, rhythmically charged piece in a Bart�kian language. Perhaps Werner Andreas Albert's CPO
version is even more explosive and driven, but this premiere recording, by David Amos and the
London Symphony, is certainly thoroughly satisfying. The Folk Suite is a highly characteristic work
by Morton Gould, mixing classical and popular elements into a deftly entertaining Americana suite.
Gian-Carlo Menotti is best-known as one of the US's most successful operatic composers (The Consul,
The Telephone) wrote his lovely Triplo Concerto a Tre (so called because each of its three movements
features groups of three solo instruments each, set against the orchestra) in 1970 - but you would never
have guessed it from the work's neo-Puccini roots. It's a lively, hugely entertaining piece nonetheless.
The album closes with a patriotic Israeli piece, Marc Lavry's symphonic dance Emek.



Music by Mikl�s R�zsa, Morton Gould, Gian Carlo Menotti & Marc Lavry
Played by the London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by David Amos

"Mikl�s R�zsa's's Tripartita for Orchestra dates from 1972, and is composed in a style immediately
recognisable by anyone familiar with his film work. Consisting of an 'Intrada', 'Intermezzo Arioso' and
'Finale', here is 21-minutes of concentrated musical fury, an explosive eruption of colour which offers
little let-up and no real promise of resolution. With pulsating motor rhythms familiar from the great
film noirs / thrillers R�zsa made with producer Mark Hellinger (The Killers, Brute Force, The Naked
City,) the music races from one biting climax to the next, only relaxing the tension in the intermezzo
to paint a darkly haunted landscape with roots in the folk music of the composer's beloved homeland,
Hungary. There is some fine violin playing from Ashley Arbuckle.

The booklet notes would have one believe Morton Gould was born in 1939, but wrote his
Folk Suite the previous year. In-fact the composer was 25 when he composed the piece
- an 'Overture', 'Blues' and a final 'Jig' - created at much the same time Aaron Copland
was 'inventing' the sound of modern Americana, a sound which would influence untold
Westerns. Like Copland's famous ballets Billy the Kid and Rodeo, Gould's suite is written
in a variety of folk-idioms, yet unlike Copland, his work consists entirely of original tunes.
Alongside the music Virgil Thomson was writing for such films as The Plough that Broke
the Plains (1936), Gould's work proves that Copland alone didn't create our aural image
of the West. His central 'Blues' may evoke Gershwin, while the finale is a 'Jig' of
exhilarating proportions. Gould would eventually go on to write for the screen,
composing some of the music for Cinerama Holiday (1955), and much later scoring
Holocaust (1978), one of the first significant American mini-series.

Gian Carlo Menotti can hardly be considered a film composer, though his television opera
Amahl and the Night Visitors, has been produced at least three times, in 1951, 1963
and 1978. Menotti's early life had much in common with that of the great film composer
Nino Rota. Both were Italians born in 1911 and were remarkable prodigies, Rota composing
his oratorio The Childhood of John the Baptist at the age of 11, Menotti having two
operas to his name by the age of 13. Both then studied in Milan and both wrote works
influenced by the music of the Renaissance. Menotti's delightful Triplo Concerto a Tre,
commissioned by Stokowsky in 1970 is one such piece. Offering lyrical solo writing for
woodwinds against string trio and piano, this is music which will give much pleasure to
anyone who enjoyed the two recent collections of Nino Rota's chamber music. That by
the Ensemble Nino Rota and that by the Ex Novo Ensemble In short, Triplo Concerto a
Tre is a lyrical gem."
Gary S. Dalkin


Menotti, Lavry.



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No.167

The Russian-born composer Vernon Duke (Vladimir Dukelsky, 1903-1969) produced a distinguished
body of concert music. His Piano Concerto was written for Arthur Rubinstein, who had requested a 'one-
movement piano concerto, pianistically grateful and not too cerebral', but it was never orchestrated by
the composer and therefore never performed in his lifetime. The American conductor and painist Scott
Dunn completed the work and gave its premi�re at Carnegie Hall on 1999 to great accalim. Duke's Cello
Concerto is a mature, overtly romantic work in which the influences of Prokofiev, Stravinsky and
Shostakovich can be heard. Dating from the same period, his Homage to Boston suite is dedicated
'to the members of the Boston Symphony', and portrays various people and places in Boston familiar
to the composer.



Music Composed by Vernon Duke
Played by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
With Scott Dunn (piano) & Sam Magill (cello)
Conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky

"American composer Vernon Duke was also publicly known by his given name as Vladimir Dukelsky,
particularly in connection with his concert music and poetry. It is more common for posterity to refer
to the composer as "Vernon Duke" whether in writing classical music or popular; the standards he
wrote for musicals, such as "April in Paris" and "Autumn in New York" have such a strong jazz feel
some have even developed the impression that Duke had to be an African-American! Actually, Duke
was Russian-born, and in a purely cultural sense, this student of Gli�re and close friend to Prokofiev
never got very far from his Russian roots in his concert music, though there, too, a trace of the
telltale influence of Tin Pan Alley can be detected. Not very many of Duke's classical works have
been circulated before the release of Naxos American Classics' Vernon Duke: Piano Concerto, which
includes two major pieces and a charming piano suite, Homage to Boston (1945), none of which
have ever appeared on recordings before. The neo-classic Concerto in C minor (1923) has at least
one good reason why not, as for some reason Duke never orchestrated the work and here it is
presented in an orchestration by Scott Dunn, who also performs the solo piano part and is heard
in the suite. He clearly has an affinity for Duke's piano idiom, which seems to fall right into the
middle of Duke's two favorite composers, Gershwin and Prokofiev. The Cello Concerto (1945) was
written for Gregor Piatigorsky and listeners familiar with the kinds of gestures Piatigorsky favored -
- for example, those in Lukas Foss' Capriccio for Cello and Piano -- will find some commonality
with that approach, not to mention a nod to Stravinsky here and there. Cellist Sam Magill once
studied with Piatigorsky's pupil Lawrence Lesser, and he understands Piatigorsky's sweeping,
lurching, leaping, and frequent use of pizzicato; in this recording, Magill almost seems to resurrect
the ghost of the great man himself. Dmitry Yablonsky's handling of the Russian Philharmonic is
somewhat independent minded and brassy in both concerti, but for that matter so are Duke's
scores, in which the ripieno tends not to support the soloists so much as run a kind of interference
against them.

Naxos' recording was made in a studio at KULTURA, formerly belonging to Soviet TV and radio;
it is a very loud space, which works great for the concerti, but is a little distant for the solo piano
music. Nevertheless, these works represent Duke's efforts in classical music at its peak and are
well performed to boot. For anyone interested in the concert side of Vernon Duke, Naxos American
Classics' Vernon Duke: Piano Concerto should prove better than sufficient and for those new to
his concert music -- which would be most listeners -- it may well be revelatory."
All Music



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what the hell....wimpel69 do you have an upload flash?
exorbitant shares, endless thanks.

Thank you for your exhaustive collection of diverse music. I have made some great discoveries. The Richard Harvey Guitar Concerto is wonderful. The Gillis CD's are a real pleasure. The Tveitt Concerto for Hardanger Fiddle is beautiful. I could go on...but I am still working my through. :-)

No.168 (by request)

Imogen Clare Holst CBE (1907-1984) was an English composer, arranger, conductor, teacher
and festival administrator. The only child of the composer Gustav Holst, she is particularly known for
her educational work at Dartington Hall in the 1940s, and for her 20 years as joint artistic director
of the Aldeburgh Festival. She was also a prolific writer on music, producing composer biographies,
much educational material, and several books on the life and works of her father.

In the early 1950s Imogen became Benjamin Britten's musical assistant, moved to Aldeburgh, and
began helping with the organisation of the annual Aldeburgh Festival. In 1956 she became joint
artistic director of the festival, and during the following 20 years helped it to a position of pre-
eminence in British musical life. In 1964 she gave up her work as Britten's assistant, to resume
her own compositional career and to concentrate on the preservation of her father's musical legacy.
Imogen's own music is not widely known and has received little critical attention; much of it is
unpublished and unperformed.



Music Composed by Gustav Holst
Played by the English Chamber Orchestra
With William Bennett (flute), Peter Graham (oboe) & Cecil Aronowitz (viola)
Conducted by Imogen Holst

"Another splendid trawl through the treasurable Lyrita back-catalogue. Here's an uncommonly
wide-ranging and generous selection of Holstian delights, encompassing music as stylistically
diverse as the folk-song bumptiousness of the early Two songs without words (a VW dedication
from 1906) to the "tender austerity" (to use the composer's own phrase) of the Lyric Movement
for viola and chamber orchestra—a most haunting creation from his penultimate year. Elsewhere,
we are offered such rarities as the colourful Golden Goose ballet music and Capriccio (both
expertly reworked by Hoist's daughter, imogen), the gritty Double Concerto of 1929, as well
as the composer's own string orchestra transcription of the tender "Nocturne" from A Moorside
Suite—a marvellous work, scored originally for brass band (I do wish Decc.a would restore their
superb Grimethorpe Colliery Band version to currency). The enchanting Brook Green Suite is
here, too, but the outstanding account of the popular St Paul's Suite which came with it on
that 1967 LP anthology will have to wait a little longer for its silver-disc debut.

Performances throughout possess unfailing insight, and the present remasterings are superb.
An essential companion disc to Lyrita's classic l-lolstiBoult compilation from last year."
Gramophone





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No.169

Anatol Vieru (1926 - 1998) was a music theoretician, influential pedagogue, and a leading
Romanian composer of the 20th century. A pupil of Aram Khachaturian, he composed seven
symphonies, eight string quartets, numerous concertos, and much chamber music. Vieru's music
occupies an unusual middle ground between the age-old and the ultra-new: his initial musical
impulses were born of the Romanian folksong he heard around him as he grew up, though he
soon evolved towards the mainstream of European modernism. Teaching was another thread
that ran through his life: he taught at the Bucharest Conservatoire for 35 years, from 1950.
Guest lecturing took him abroad, too: he spoke at the Sarah Lawrence College, in the Bronx,
and the Juilliard School (1968), in West Berlin (1972-73), in Israel (1982- 83) and in the
high temple of modernism, Darmstadt (1992-93).

Vieru's musical language is colourful and, occasionally, as in the Double Concerto on this album,
fierce and aggressively modern. It is this Concerto for Violin and Cello that impresses with
many striking ideas and compelling passages, never easing the tension throughout its 25 minutes.
And with these two soloists, we can be assured that it got the best reading possible.



Music Composed by Anatol Vieru
Played by the Romanian Radio Symphony Orchestra
With Oleg Kagan (violin) & Natalia Gutman (cello)
And the Romanian Radio Chorus
Conducted by Anatol Vieru & Ludovic Baci

"The Double Concerto was composed in 1979 and premiered in June 1980 by no less than Oleg Kagan and
Natalia Gutman under the composer's baton, and this is the recording of this very performance.

The first movement goes through various sections (difficult to grasp if there is an underlying cogent
architecture or if the piece is just sectional) and even a variety of styles, starting in a doggedly vehement
and angry mood, with rarefied orchestration consisting of timpani ostinato and military/menacing
brass interjections (in the recording violin and cello pack the sonic space) and ending with a dance
movement that seems almost to be drawn from Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale (track 1 at 7:19). One of
Vieru's nice touches is his usually rarefied orchestration, timpani ostinato and other coloring by
percussion, hushed and mysterious violin tremolos, lots of interplay with solo brass. The atmosphere
is dramatic with moments of mysterious lyricism, the language is modern without being avant-garde:
somewhere in between the Penderecki from the 1960s and the Penderecki from the 1980s -
not a bad stylistic middle point where to stand. The slow movement is very and hauntingly
beautiful, with its sparse orchestration and long-breathed, longing melodies for cello and violin
rising to intense lyricism, at times skidding on to a "dirtier" tonal production, in a quasi ghostly
manner (there is only one track for the whole concerto and it is clearly not enough; the 2nd
movement starts at 8:47). At 15:44 comes a bridge passage in which the orchestral proceedings
become more agitated, with ghostly woodwind work and what is either a wind machine and/or
a tape of rolling sea (notes do not explain this), but rapidly the finale develops as a distorted,
romping Bartokian country dance (Shostakovich's famous dance theme in his 8th String Quartet,
also used in his Piano trio, also came to mind) - not the composer's most interesting inspiration
in my opinion, although one that is deeply rooted in the musical culture of the composers from
the Eastern countries, and Vieru keeps it wild enough to avoid the impression of just tritely
following the tradition. The coda recapitulates some of the earlier themes and moods, with
great intensity. I wouldn't count the Double Concerto among the truly major and outstanding
contemporary works in the genre, but it is enjoyable, at times impressive even, and certainly
worth a listen."
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No.170

English composer Matthew Curtis (*1959) was born in Cumbria and read Classics
at Worcester College, Oxford before embarking on a business career in London. He has
recorded four albums of his highly melodic and colourfully orchestrated music, which
is a testament to the ongoing popularity and vitality of "British light music".



Music Composed by Matthew Curtis
Playede by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
With Jennifer Stinton (flute) & Verity Butler (clarinet)
Conducted by Gavin Sutherland

"A musicians' favorite, Curtis proves once again a great tunesmith

Ivan March and Andrew Achenbach reviewed two previous Campion CDs of music by
Matthew Curtis (3/03; 5/05). That this third follows so closely is, we are told, because
of the availability of performers willing to record his flute and clarinet concertos. Of the
other music on the CD, the Five Dances for string orchestra were written specially for
the recording.

Curtis was born in Cumbria in 1959, and the Gramophone summary of the first Campion
CD rightly described him as a composer unafraid to write tunes. This is immediately
apparent here in the frisky opening movement On the Move, as also in the beautifully
lyrical Adagio cantabile of the Flute Concerto, the swinging opening waltz of the Five
Dances, and the Allegro finale of the Clarinet Concerto. I can imagine that Flute Concerto
movement especially gaining popularity separated from the remainder of the work. In
its interplay between flute soloist and solo violin, it also demonstrates Curtis's particular
skills as an orchestrator - remarkable for one apparently self-taught in that respect.

Apart from the final Partita, everything in the collection is scored for reduced orchestral
forces, emphasising the overall impression of music that fits well into the tradition of
Elgar's lighter works. Even if the music's ready accessibility means also that it perhaps
leaves no deep lasting effect, the expertise and affection of Gavin Sutherland and the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia ensure that the CD will not disappoint any who have enjoyed the
first two Curtis volumes."
Andrew Lamb, Gramophone





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No.171

Robert Beaser (*1954) is often classed as a member of the new tonalists, a group whose membership
includes Lowell Liebermann, Daniel Asia, Paul Moravec, and other major America composers born at
mid-twentieth century. Beaser, like his colleagues, embraces more traditional methods of composition,
including tonality and an expressive directness. He possesses a great melodic gift and is unabashed in his
use of it. Moreover, he is versatile in writing in a variety of genres, from opera and orchestral works to
chamber pieces and songs and solo works for piano and guitar.

Beaser earned degrees in political philosophy and literature at Yale College, and then went on to Yale School
of Music for a doctorate in music, studying under Jacob Druckman, Toru Takemitsu, Earle Brown, and other
notables. He studied conducting with William Steinberg and Arthur Weisberg. Beaser's first great
compositional success came with his Mountain Songs (1984), for flute and guitar, which was nominated
for a Grammy in 1986.



Music Composed by Robert Beaser
Played by the American Composers Orchestra
With Pamela Mia Paul (piano) & Jan Opalach (baritone)
Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies

"That Beaser is an eclectic can be taken as read. Lucky for us, his most recent composition—
the Chorale Variations—opens this CD, and rings him in with a fighting chance. It's a terrific
piece, dazzlingly colourful, fearless of gesture and visited by countless identifiable influences.
And the guest-list is surprisingly varied: Copland (opening), Berg (1'47"), Mahler (443"),
Tchaikovsky (739"), Janhcek (1709') and with Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Steve Reich
and John Adams, arriving together (1200)—speculative recognition on my part, of course,
but notable elements in a beautifully fashioned and ingeniously constructed composition.

The Seven Deadly Sins are as many masterly settings of Anthony Hecht's abstruse but
haunting poetry: "The Mercy by which each of us is tried", he writes, and a drum-roll
reflects the 'trial'. Most movements are tailed by what I might term the reverberation of
conscience, where Beaser lets his closing chord die to an implied question. Some vices
occasionally appear to reflect each other— "Wrath" and "Avarice" seem like half-brothers—
while Beaser extends Hecht's "Dies Irae" idea, wrapping it in deep purple. For "Lust", he
has his imaginary protagonist edge off the scene as if fazed either by shame or by calm
acceptance. Bernstein is a probable influence, Adams too; but it's an excellent piece
and would make a fine programme companion for, say, Bernstein's Songfest.

So far, so good: 42 minutes, and all of them eminently worth repeating. However, come
the 34-minute Piano Concerto, which annotator Steven Ledbetter sees as "a genuine
recreation of the grand virtuosic Romantic concerto for our time", and I was beginning
to have doubts. True, there are original touches (such as the Beethovenian references
in the second movement) and Pamela Mia Paul is a highly accomplished soloist, but the
work is too long by half and the virtuoso element (Tchaikovsky, Litolff, Bartok, ci a!)
rings rather shallow. My own view—for what it's worth—is that a 15-20 minute
condensation would work wonders, but then there may well be pianists among you
who are desperate for a modern, bigscale 'virtuoso' concerto—and, if so, then I'd
certainly recommend you give Beaser's a try."
Gramophone





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No.172

In a century when most British composers were the product of a solid middleclass background,
Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988) was a notable exception. Born into a humble family in
Wakefield, Yorkshire. Leighton composed three piano concertos. The first, in D minor, op.11,
was written in the year he graduated from Oxford, is a lively piece, full of youthful vigour.

Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) was born in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1921 and as a child prodigy she
has performed her first composition by the age of eight. At the age of thirty three however, an old
injury to her right hand put paid to her career as a pianist and she decided to focus her energies
on conducting and composition. She was a pioneering women conductor and became one of the
most prolific female British composers whose works challenged the prevailing trends in avant-garde
music such as serialism and twelve-tone music. Her musical philosophy was often at odds with
mainstream thinking, and her early career was affected strongly by the discrimination against
women in the male-dominated ranks of music and particularly in composition.



Music by Kenneth Leighton & Ruth Gipps
Played by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
With Angela Brownridge (piano)
Conducted by Michael Laus

"More gaps in the catalogue valiantly plugged by Cameo Classics. Angela Brownridge has
already proved an assiduous champion of her teacher Kenneth Leighton (1929 88) with
a magnificent three-disc survey of his solo piano output for Delphian. She brings to the
first of Leighton’s three concertos for the instrument (composed in 1951) both heart-warming
conviction and swaggering verve. An accomplished, strongly communicative discovery it
comprises, too, whose youthfully ebullient outer movements are counterbalanced by the
bittersweet tread of its cloud-hung centrepiece.

The remainder of the disc is devoted to Ruth Gipps (1921 99), who enjoyed early success
as both a pianist and composer (she later took up the baton, as well as founding the
London Repertoire Orchestra in 1955). Her Piano Concerto dates from 1948 and leaves
an engaging impression – dashingly romantic, consistently songful and agreeably good-
humoured, with a captivatingly fragrant slow movement to commend it. Suffice to say,
Brownridge is again on sterling form. Both the solo items are also worth getting to know,
particularly the serene and enviably concentrated Theme and Variations. Admirable sound
here, too. This remains a courageous and valuable issue."
Gramophone





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No.173

Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930) had the best musical pedigree that a composer could conceivably have:
the son of Richard Wagner and the grandson of Franz Liszt (through Liszt's daughter Cosima). His ancestry
proved to be a decidedly mixed blessing, however, as the younger Wagner -- despite working in a different
musical era -- was never fully able to step outside of the long shadow cast by his father, even as he
engendered the jealousy of musical rivals. Despite his interest in music and his early training, Siegfried
Wagner chose architecture as a field of study for two years, touring the world as far as India in the course
of his training and exposure to design. Finally, in 1892, he turned back to music, beginning four years of
work at Bayreuth, working under his mother and conductor Hans Richter with the intention that he would
ultimately become Bayreuth's director.

Between his father's direct impact on his life and Siegfried's subsequent study with Engelbert Humperdinck, it
would be extraordinary if the younger Wagner's music were devoid of any resemblance to that of his father.
One can perceive the elder Wagner's influence manifesting in the scoring of lengthy orchestral passages of
Der B�renhauter, as well as parts of the vocal writing, although thematically this and his other stage
works were far removed from his father's work.



Music Composed by Siegfried Wagner
Played by the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
With Ulf Hoelscher (violin) & Andrea Lieberknecht (flute)
And Dietrich Henschel (baritone)
Conducted by Werner Andreas Albert

"This compact disc is a good introduction to Siegfried Wagner. It shows his best
qualities in adundance: his humor, his outstanding orchestration, his thematic
inventiveness, his technical mastery."
Fanfare





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No.174

In an earlier Dutton Epoch recording of York Bowen’s Violin Concerto, one critic compared
Lorraine McAslan’s playing with that of Heifetz, and here in three little-known violin concertos she
again presents performances of such eloquence that one immediately wonders why the pieces have not
been performed. Dutton Epoch’s revelatory Arnell series continues with McAslan’s gripping reading
of Arnell’s substantial Concerto in One Movement, Op.9, music preceding Samuel Barber’s Concerto
by two years but clearly celebrating the same world. Guirne Creith’s lyrical and engaging Violin Concerto
was played by Albert Sammons in the 1930s, but the music has long been lost and its discovery by her family
has given us the opportunity to hear it again. Manchester-born Thomas Pitfield wrote his tuneful
Concerto Lirico when it was not OK to be so heart-on-sleeve. A remarkable group strongly
conducted by Martin Yates.



Music by Guirne Creith, Thomas Pitfield & Richard Arnell
Played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
With Lorraine McAslan (violin)
Conducted by Martin Yates

"Surely no country produced as many composers per capita as did England during the
twentieth century. Indeed, one passes many George Lloyds and Havergal Brians on the
way to Richard Arnell, Guirne Creith, and Thomas Pitfield, the composers highlighted
here. Yet as the enterprising English label Dutton has amply demonstrated, Arnell,
Creith, and Pitfield are perhaps more worthy of attention than the magniloquent Lloyd
or the malevolent Brian. Following premiere recordings of Arnell stirring symphonies,
Dutton here releases a disc including his Violin Concerto along with similar works by
the even less well-known composers Creith and Pitfield. All three works are written in
a romantic style and a conservative harmonic idiom, but all three are convincing
works imbued with the character of their composers. Pitfield's 1958 Concerto Lirico
is modally inflected, while Creith's 1934 Concerto in G minor is lush and sensuous.
Arnell's Violin Concerto in One Movement from 1948 is sweet, original, and possibly
as fine a work in the form as anything by an English composer since Elgar. Soloist
Lorraine McAslan sounds wholly under the skin of the music, and with the committed
support of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the redoubtable Martin Yates,
she turns in persuasive accounts of all three works. Captured in rich, clear digital
sound, these performances deserve to be heard by anyone who likes twentieth
century English music."
Allmusic


Creith, Pitfield.



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Great collection. Thank you very much.

No.175

The Suite de Concert is Sergei Taneyev’s (1865-1915) first work for solo violin and orchestra.
It was given its very successful premi�re on 22 October 1909 in the Great Hall of the Nobility, with Boris
Sibor as soloist. The musicians played from hand-written copies of the work, which had not yet been published.
Sibor, who was Taneyev’s friend, complained about the poverty of Russian large-scale violin repertoire and asked
Taneyev to write something in the genre of a suite or fantasia with the inclusion of dance forms. The suite
genre had flourished in the times of Taneyev’s favourite composers J.S. Bach, Handel, and Mozart, and
Sibor’s request appealed to the composer, who was always drawn to early music. During the composition of
the Suite Taneyev discussed the limitations and possibilities of the violin with Sibor, who played through
the music with the composer and made comments based on his experience and knowledge of the instrument.
Taneyev’s former pupil Dmitri Engel reviewed the work in Russkie vedomosti (Russian News) on 24 October
1909, No. 244. He proudly wrote about ‘our own, Moscow composer’ Sergey Taneyev and his deceptively
simple suite. He marvelled at Taneyev’s status of ‘one of a kind contrapuntal master’, whose composition
was written with so much mastery and contained so many intricacies it required multiple hearings for
deeper understanding.



Music Composed by Sergei Taneyev
Played by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
With Pekko Kuusisto (violin)
Conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy

"Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915) composed his last orchestral work, the Concert Suite for
Violin and Orchestra, in 1909. Though modeled on the Baroque-era suite, it nonetheless
has the feel of a big, Romantic violin concerto, even if it's not particularly distinctive
melodically (especially considering he was a pupil of that great tunesmith Tchaikovsky).
The work begins with a prelude featuring Bach-like violin recitatives, and then moves on
to a charming Gavotte followed by a beautiful and deeply felt interlude titled Fairy Tale.
The main movement is the big theme and variations, notable both for its brilliant invention
and for its many challenging twists and turns for the violin soloist. Pekka Kuusisto is more
than up to the challenge, providing a technically and musically stunning performance of
the entire piece. A spirited Tarantella, its cheery frenzy reminiscent of the finale of of
Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade, makes for a flashy ending.

Taneyev's opera Oresteya was premiered by the Maryinsky Theatre in 1895, but was
soon dropped for reasons that have nothing to do with its musical quality. The lush and
exotic thematic material of the two excerpts presented here make you wish for the
entire opera. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi entr'acte begins in a misty Mussorgskian
atmosphere, but later boasts Wagnerian fanfares. The Oresteya overture is not from
the opera, but rather is a separate composition utilizing some of its material. (Strangely
enough, part of it sounds a lot like the Fate motif from Bizet's Carmen.) Elsewhere,
Taneyev's study with Tchaikovsky is clearly evident in the overall shape of the piece,
as well as its ear-catching orchestration (though thematically the clear influence is
Rimsky-Korsakov). Vladimir Ashkenazy's idiomatic way with Russian music is fully
in evidence here, and he has the highly impressive Helsinki Philharmonic playing with
razor-sharp precision and more than ample power. Ondine's recording is sumptuously
full-bodied, with plenty of impact."
Victor Carr, Classics Today http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/wombat65/p10s10_zps562c8f95.gif





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So you'll probably see no images for a number of days. I switched for this new one.

No.176

This album contains five significant works from avant-garde Polish composer Tadeusz Baird's (1928-1981)
late period. Baird was a leader in the second wave of twentieth-century Polish composers prior to World War II.
After private studies during World War II, which Baird continued at the State Higher School in Warsaw along
with piano instruction and three years of musicology. The last of his "conformist" works in 1956 were Four Love
Sonnets from Shakespeare, and Cassazione per orchestra. That same year, he and Sikorski founded
Warsaw Autumn, a festival of contemporary music that quickly became one of Europe's most daring and enduring.
With it, Baird turned to serialism.

Arguably his best-known composition, the Psychodrama (1972) opens with traumatic stabs and whipcracks,
followed by small anxious interior drones and tremolos that gradually develop into larger complexes of on-rushing
sound. Hesitant tone clusters turn into aggressive, accented brass passages. Although there is no explicit
programme to the work, this vast contrast of dynamic extremes draws a definite emotional picture. The
Oboe Concerto (1973) is a one-movement work divided into 4 sections, parts of which are recapitulated
as interludes: a mysterious drama of isolated fragments and occasional blasts against an extremely sudbued
drone all of which gradually crescendos as the soloist nervously comments, a wild scherzo filled with more stabs
and flighty passages, a lyric Adagio with compelling melodic gestures from the soloist and horns, and an angular,
playful finale still filled with tension that bursts forth from just beneath the surface leading into an ending which
fades into nothingness. The programme of the Scenes for Violoncello, Harp and Orchestra (1978) is perfectly
described by its subtitle, which is "Dialogue, Dispute and Conciliation". The composer's subtle use of string cluster
sustains, percussive highlighting, and, especially, emotional nuance reveal a matured style and a feeling of hope
through communication even when a disputatious mode arises. The Canzona for Orchestra (1979/80) is built
on a simple scale-like motif that generates clusters, quickly running passages, and moments of tender lyricism.
The brilliant instrumental requiem Concerto Lugubre for Viola and Orchestra (1976) opens with a simple
pizzicato on a single pitch and proceeds to draw out powerful emotions of sadness, anger and resignation
eventually fading into a "quasi niente" silence.



Music Composed by Tadeusz Baird
Played by Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz & Philharmonie de Lorraine
With Anne Leek (oboe), Rainer Schmidt (viola), Helga Storck (harp) & Klaus Storck (cello)
Conducted by Peter G�lke & Jacques Houtmann

"Tadeusz Baird (1928-81) was one of the outstanding composers of the Polish school, which includes
Witold Lutoslawski and Krzysztof Penderecki. He charted his own musical course, only partially
embracing the serial method and rejecting the aleatoric techniques championed by Lutoslawski.
Instead, he created a style that was as personal as it was uncompromising. It’s interesting to note
that all of the works on this disc begin in extreme quiet, so much so that at times I wondered if
my CD player had cued up correctly.

Pyschodrama for Orchestra contains some well-constructed flourishes, while Canzona for
Orchestra’s dramatic central section is especially gripping (in an angry sort of way). Baird is
quite fond of the concerto form, and employs the solo instrument as a protagonist against the
swirling chaos and bleak desolation surrounding it. This occasionally has the effect of adding a
welcome humanizing element to Baird’s otherwise rather alienated sound world. Rainer
Schmidt contributes a strongly characterized reading of the viola part in Concerto lugubre.
No less convincing are Anne Leek in the Oboe Concerto and Helga and Klaus Storck in the
Scenes for Cello, Harp, and Orchestra. Both orchestras–the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-
Pfalz, conducted by Peter G�lke (in Pyschodrama and the Oboe Concerto), and the
Philharmonie de Lorraine, under Jacques Houtmann in the remaining works–have been
scrupulously prepared and deliver performances that match the music’s needs."
Classics Today



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No.177

Born in 1947, Paul Patterson entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1964 initially as a trombone
player before turning to composition. A pupil of Richard Stoker, Elisabeth Lutyens and Richard Rodney
Bennett, his career in the British compositional scene burgeoned rapidly. He has retained strong links
with the Royal Academy ever since, first as its Head of Composition and Contemporary Music (1987-97)
and currently as the Manson Professor of Composition. Amidst a large and varied output, his contribution
to the choral repertoire stands out, and his flair in producing works which are both challenging and
accessible for both performers and listeners has resulted in a series of highly regarded large-scale
choral works. Throughout his career, his reputation worldwide has been held aloft by a number of
works which have traveled around the globe. Time Piece (1972), written for the King's Singers,
is one such. Other widely-traveled works include Cracowian Counterpoints (1977), which was
toured worldwide by the London Sinfonietta, his Violin Concerto (1992), with performances in
the U.S.A., France, Turkey and Venezuela, and the phenomenally successful Little Red Riding Hood
(1992), which has blazed a trail of performances since its premiere which shows no sign of abating.



Music Composed by Paul Patterson
Played by the Orchestra Nova
With T�mas Andr�s (violin) & Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola)
And Alice Neary (cello)
Conducted by George Vass

"The Englishman Paul Patterson (b.1947) has always been a difficult composer to get a handle on.
This is in part due to the fact that, up until about 1980, he had blazed a reputation as a flamboyant
avant-gardist but with some measure of subterranean populist tendencies. In fact, at times there
seemed to be an echo of Malcolm Arnold’s defiant obstreperousness but without the easygoing
tunefulness. Somewhat like his teacher Richard Rodney Bennett (who is only 11 years his senior),
around 1980 Patterson abruptly veered away from his youthful self-indulgent �pater le bourgeois
stance toward a more conventionally communicative manner. Perhaps this had something to do
with his becoming a prominent figure at the Royal Academy of Music, but in any case the large
and enormously diversified catalog of works he has compiled over the past three decades contains
a number of outstandingly well-crafted scores, including these three concertos.

Among other examples: an invigoratingly flashy Sinfonia for Strings (once available on a Royal
Philharmonic recording); a smashingly energetic Concerto for Orchestra (once on an EMI vinyl
release); the as-yet-unrecorded Fiesta Sinfonica (all of these combine the best features of his
early and later styles); plus several unusual choral works ( Mass of the Sea, Missa Brevis,
Stabat Mater—the first two also once available on disc), where he brilliantly applies his
bravura instrumental techniques to vocal writing.

With these three concertos, however (written over the course of almost three decades—for violin
in 1992, for cello in 2002, for viola in 2009), we encounter a very chastened and stylistically
transformed Patterson. These works are conceived in a much less subversive context and
function on a much more elevated and traditionally oriented plane. The lyricism that was often
lurking beneath the jackanapes surface of his early incarnations has come to the fore. But to
these ears there is some suspicion that, in the course of becoming more subdued and
“serious,” Patterson has jettisoned a good deal of his appealingly prankish personality and
has become—dare we say it?—just a little bit dull, if only intermittently so. There are
numerous lovely aspects and passages in all three of these concertos, which call for an
accompaniment of strings only, making for a smattering of aural sameness throughout the
program. In this connection, one wishes that Dutton had avoided duplicating the dedicatee
Rudolf Wallfisch’s perfectly adequate Nimbus recording of the Cello Concerto from a few
years back and had instead perhaps substituted the recent Oboe Concerto or an earlier,
studiously provocative Clarinet Concerto; there is also a rather neat Horn Concerto of
recent vintage.

All of the three concertos here have a similar yet unorthodox form: Each opens with an
extended and recitative-like cadenza section whose material gradually evolves into
rather complex structures. Much of the central portions of all three remain rooted in a
deeply ruminative frame of mind, although each work finally erupts in a rondo-like finale,
offering much-needed relief from the prevailingly, even suffocatingly, static reflectiveness
of what has gone before. The considerably longer finale of the Violin Concerto is
enlivened by an otherwise uncharacteristic element of English folk song.

All three soloists offer totally committed readings (Sarah-Jane Bradley premiered the
Viola Concerto), and George Vass elicits comparable contributions from his own
Orchestra Nova. The sonics are up to Dutton’s usual high standards. Anyone already
familiar with Patterson will want to catch up on what he has been up to in recent years,
while newcomers will make a welcome new acquaintance, though they should keep
in mind that he was not always this steady and staid."
Fanfare





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No.178

The flute takes center stage on this CD of orchestral works by five American composers of the twentieth century,
including the world-premiere recording of a 1996 piece by Chicago's Lita Grier, an award-winning composer
who recently began writing music again after a long absence. Born in New York City, Grier studied composition at
Juilliard with Peter Mennin. At age 16, she won first prize in the New York Philharmonic Young Composer's Contest.
Renascence is a sophisticated work combining vibrant syncopation with jazz and folk elements. It's an
adaptation of her earlier Sonata for Flute and Piano, dedicated to former Chicago Symphony and New
York Philharmonic principal flutist Julius Baker. Renascence's final movement was inspired by a passage from
Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Charles Tomlinson Griffes' Poem melds Native American influences with impressionistic sonorities and an
air of mystery. The most "familiar" work on the CD, Poem is a cornerstone of American flute and orchestra repertoire.

This is the first CD version of Virgil Thomson's inventive, enigmatic Flute Concerto. The first
movement is a reflective cadenza for unaccompanied solo flute. In the second movement, the flute rises above
a lush web of conflicting string harmonies. In the finale, pizzicato string rise and fall in counterpoint to the
flute; the celesta and other percussion add color and rhythmic animation. The piece was conceived as a
musical portrait of painter Roger Baker.

Elie Siegmeister's highly charged Flute Concerto, with its sultry blues moods and offbeat themes,
receives its first digital recording - and its first new recording in three decades. The American Institute of
Arts and Letters described Siegmeister's body of work as "highly charged, admirably crafted, and deeply
rooted in the life of the people as well as in his profound emotional experience."



Music by (see above) & Kent Kennan
Played by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra
With Mary Stolper (flute)
Conducted by Paul Freeman

"This thoroughly satisfying disc offers some of the best flute music this country has to offer.
In this repertoire all of these composers have been under-represented on recordings and, with
the exception of the works by Kennan and Griffes, these pieces are virtually unknown by the
majority of flutists. It is wonderful, therefore, that we have such passionate advocates in
Chicago-based Mary Stolper and Paul Freeman (conducting, of all orchestras, the Czech
National Symphony). In every work, Stolper gives a master class in flute playing,
demonstrating at once rock-solid technique, a limpid vibrato, and how to play a real
pianissimo in the more difficult upper registers. These concertos are all immensely difficult
for the flute, rivaling some of the technically challenging staples by Nielsen and Ibert.
Thus the achievement here is all the more startling and confirms my frequent observation
that the overall level of flute playing these days is probably at it highest level ever.

The common thread through these individual works is the creative melodic lines that make
the most of the flute's strengths. You hear this especially in the wistful Andante section of
Grier's Renascence, the opening pages of Griffes' Poem, the Lento of Thomson's Concerto,
and the entirety of Kennan's other-wordly Night Soliloquy. By the same token,
quintessentially American jazz elements and punchy syncopation infiltrate the pieces
(listen to the last movements of the Grier and Siegmeister). Taken as a whole, this hour-
long program is highly coherent and yet each piece is unique enough that tedium
never sets in.

Freeman and his Czech musicians back Stolper with idiomatic, even enthusiastic
accompaniments, making you wonder whether a U.S.-based orchestra (under, say,
a Slatkin or Thomas) could do much better. Adding to the virtues of this disc is
Cedille's engineering, which places the flute naturally within the orchestra, producing
a realistic balance rarely found in concerto recordings. A must."
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No.179

Nathaniel Shilkret (1889-1982) was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive,
and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family. Shilkret was a child prodigy,
touring the country with the New York Boys' Orchestra from the ages of seven to thirteen as their clarinet soloist.
From his late teens to mid-twenties he was a clarinetist in the best New York music organizations, including the
New York Philharmonic Society. He joined the Foreign Department of the Victor Talking Machine Company (later
RCA Victor) around 1915, and soon was made manager of the department. In 1926 he became "director of light
music" for Victor. He made thousands of recordings, possibly more than anyone in recording history. His composition
Concerto for Trombone was premiered in 1945 by Tommy Dorsey, playing with the New York Symphony Orchestra,
under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. The piece was unavailable to the public from the mid-1950s until Scottish
trombonist Bryan Free rescued it from anonymity in the beginning of this century. It was re-premiered at Carnegie
Hall by the New York Pops, under the direction of Skitch Henderson, with Jim Pugh as soloist. Since its revival,
the Concerto for Trombone has been performed about sixty times (with more performances scheduled) in the
United States, Canada and several European countries.

James Edward Pugh (*1950) is a trombonist, composer, and educator. He is noted as the lead trombonist with
Woody Herman's Thundering Herd (1972–1976) and Chick Corea's Return to Forever Band (1977–1978). For 25 years,
he worked as a freelance trombonist in New York City. In recent years, he toured and recorded with the rock group
Steely Dan. Pugh's original music and arrangements has been on National Public Radio, in film scores, on "jingles",
and on record. Pugh wrote the theme music for Performance Today, the daily classical music program on public radio.
Pugh premiered his Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra in May 1992 with the Williamsport Symphony.
It received its New York premier in March 2000 with Joseph Alessi as soloist and Leonard Slatkin conducting the
New York Philharmonic.

Jeff Tyzik (born Jeff Tkazyik, 1951) is an American conductor, arranger, and trumpeter from Rochester,
New York, working primarily with orchestral and jazz styles. While studying trumpet at Eastman, Tyzik met
Rochesterian Chuck Mangione, who was teaching at the school at the time. Tyzik worked with Mangione between
1973 and 1980, both as lead trumpeter in Mangione's band and as co-producer of four albums. His arrangements
of popular and jazz tunes for full orchestra have been widely performed. Publisher G. Schirmer commissioned Tyzik
to arrange some of Duke Ellington's jazz suites for orchestra, including Black, Brown and Beige and The
Nutcracker Suite. The Royal Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Summit Brass have all recorded
music arranged or composed by Tyzik. Tyzik has recently begun branching out into more traditional orchestral
styles, conducting a few RPO concerts outside of the Pops series. At one such concert, he premiered his own
Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, and later premiered his wind ensemble orchestration of the same
piece with the Eastman Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.



Music by (see above)
Played by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
With James Pugh (trombone)
Conducted by Jeff Tyzik

"In X Over Trombone, Jim Pugh presents three wildly diverse but equally important trombone concerti.
It is remarkable to think that for many decades the Concerto for Trombone by Nathaniel Shilkret lay
virtually unknown. Composed in 1942 for Tommy Dorsey, it was premiered by the New York City Symphony
in 1945 with Dorsey as soloist, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. A subsequent performance in the same
year with Hoyt Bohannan as soloist at the Hollywood Bowl was the last time the piece was heard in
public (a 1947 recording with Will Bradley was never released) until Pugh gave a performance in 2003
with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops in Carnegie Hall. The history of those "quiet years"
when the piece lay dormant is a fascinating tale, told by Bryan Free in the International Trombone
Association Journal (Volume 29, Issue 1, Winter/January 2001). The story need not be repeated here,
but suffice to say that Free's considerable effort was responsible, with the blessing of Shilkret's family,
for reconstructing the piece from the live broadcast of Dorsey's performance and a box of orchestral
parts (no score or solo part survived). At long last this important Concerto has come back to us after
nearly 60 years of silence. This new recording of Shikret's Concerto is important for three reasons. First
is the piece itself. It is a 22 minute romp, a "period piece" to be sure, with all of the best (and a few of
the worst) elements of 1940s pseudo-pop-semi-classical music. At times you feel you are transported to
the Land of Oz, with the finest of 1930s and 40s Hollywood soundtrack writing blowing at its back.
The second movement is so evocative that you can practically see (and even smell) the smoke-filled
room in which the trombone aches with memories. And one has to smile when hearing Shilkret's
direct quotation of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," surely no accidental tribute to Dorsey. And
what to make of Shilkret's stunning first movement cadenza, with its lengthy passage of multiphonics
(which Dorsey did not play in his performance)? Genre shattering? You bet.

The rest of the CD is devoted to two newer works. Jeff Tyzik's Concerto for Trombone was written
for and premiered by Mark Kellogg with the Rochester Philharmonic in 2003. It is an appealing post-
modern work in every sense, flirting with many styles (especially Afro-Cuban and Latin influences)
while still maintaining a coherent message and concept. The second movement, "Lament," is Tyzik's
musical expression in response to the 9/11 attacks; Pugh plays it with palpable intensity and beauty.
Friends since their days at Eastman, Tyzik and Pugh clearly have a simpatico relationship that is
evident in the fact that, once again, Pugh plays as if the performance is a true collaboration, not
simply a layer of trombone playing added on top of an accompaniment.

Pugh's own Concerto for Trombone has been around since 1992; when I first heard it I was struck
by its overwhelming "American" feel and flavor. It bustles with energy and optimism. If I mention
the names John Williams, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Christopher Brubeck and Eric Ewazen
in the same sentence when talking about Pugh's compositional style, I do so to pay a high
compliment. The second movement is crushing in its beauty and simplicity. No instrument but the
trombone could communicate its tender message of hope and love. Each listener will imprint his
own story on the Concerto but I found myself reaching a deep emotional moment when it seemed
as if Pugh had read my mind and knew my own journey. And any composer who writes a non-
gratuitous, long-held high f sharp as the final note for the soloist and then has to actually play it
himself is telling you something. Having known Jim's Concerto for many years, it is nice to finally
have a recording of it which is as definitive as one could hope for."
Online Trombone Journal


Tommy Dorsey, rehearsing under Leopold Stokowski.

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No.180 (by request)

Folk music and the very conscious application of aspects of folk music - tunes, gestures, sonorities -- to serious
concert music, was all the rage during the early twentieth century. Hungary had its B�la Bart�k, the US their
Charlie Ives - and Norway had Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981): A composer, pianist, teacher, and folk music collector
who never earned anything like the fame awarded those other "folkish" composers but who has, in the years since
his death in 1981, been investigated by Norse music lovers and scholars with ever-increasing interest. Efforts to
paint a clear and accurate picture of the man's life and work have proven difficult, however: A fire ravaged his
home in 1970, making ash of most of his compositions and folk music collections.

From 1932 to 1935 Tveitt took private lessons from Villa-Lobos and Honegger, he returned to Norway and
supported himself writing criticism in Oslo and teaching privately. In 1941, he was awarded a Norwegian
state pension and in 1942, he took up residence in the Tveitt family farm in Hardanger, devoting himself
mainly to composition and to the collection and transcription of the region's folk music. Tveitt's personal musical
style draws heavily on the folk music with which he was so familiar, as much or more so even than does Bart�k's.
In 1937, he authored a theoretical treatise, Tonalit�tstheorie des parallelen teittonsystems (Theory of parallel
modal systems), seeking to support his own personal conclusion that the modal scale system (the so-called
church modes) employed to various degrees and in various ways throughout the history of Western music
are actually based on ancient Norwegian folk scales.



Music Composed by Geirr Tveitt
Played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
With Turid Kniejski (harp)
Conducted by Per Dreier





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I'm glad more and more works by Tveitt keep showing up (I thought most had disappeared in the fire at the composer's house).
Thanks for this contribution!

this was my first Tveitt CD, still love it ;O)

No.181

William Alwyn's (1905-1985) concerto for harp and string orchestra, Lyra Angelica, comes from 1954.
Literature also provided the initial inspiration – in this case, the Metaphysical poetry of Giles Fletcher. As in the Fifh
Symphony, quotations head each movement, but in the concerto they seem more necessary, mainly because most
of the music itself is so low-key. The passionate mysticism of the Metaphysicals informs the work. This isn't the
dramatic mysticism of Donne, but the inwardness of Herbert and Marvell. In four movements, the music is, in
Vaughan Williams' phrase, "mostly slow." The scoring of solo harp against strings brings up affinities with the
English Pastoralism of thirty and even forty years before. A work like this needs a master rhetorician to hold a
listener's interest, and Alwyn delivers. The music never bogs down. Alwyn knows how to keep things moving.
It is one of the most distinguished and most well-crafted works for harp and orchestra - in music history.
When asked shortly before he died which was his most beautiful composition, Alwyn replied without hesitation
"My Harp Concerto!".



Music Composed by William Alwyn
Played by the London Symphony Orchestra
With Rachel Masters (harp) & Nicholas Daniel (cor anglais)
Conducted by Richard Hickox

"Richard Hickox‘Autumn Legend (1954) is a highly atmospheric tone-poem, very Sibelian in feeling.
So too is the Pastoral Fantasia, yet the piece has its own developing individuality. A fine performance,
with Stephen Tees highly sympathetic to the music’s fluid poetic line. The Tragic Interlude is a powerful
lament for the dead of wars past. But the highlight of the disc is the Lyra Angelica. A radiantly beautiful,
extended piece (just over half an hour in length) inspired by the metaphysical poet Giles Fletcher’s
Christ’s victorie and triumph. The performance here is very moving, and the recording has great
richness of string tone and a delicately balanced harp texture. Rachel Masters’s contribution is
distinguished. This is the record to start with for those beginning to explore the music of this
highly rewarding composer.’"
Penguin Classical Guide


William Alwyn (left), with Sir John Barbirolli.

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No.182

Remembered today as the composer of the once enormously popular cantata Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, the career
and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912, not to be confused with the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge!) are -
more, even, than Elgar's -- emblematic of the Edwardian era in its opulence and its squalor. The son of a Negro doctor from
Sierra Leone and an Englishwoman, he rose above the constrictions of class and race to become one of the most acclaimed
composers of his time. Musically precocious, Coleridge-Taylor's talent was recognized early and supported by a series of
patrons who saw him through composition studies with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford at the Royal College of Music.

His first break came when Elgar suggested Coleridge-Taylor for a commission from the prestigious Three Choirs Festival
to be held at Gloucester in 1898. The performance there of his attractive orchestral Ballade in A minor proved a decisive hit
(you can find that work in my other thread, >here< (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/wimpel69s-could-film-music-classical-corner-work-121898/10.html#post2219369)). After the triumph of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, commissions and
invitations to conduct poured in, though small fees and the composer's carelessness with money kept financial security
an elusive goal. In the final years of Coleridge-Taylor's brief life, the spontaneity of his early music returned with a new
deftness in handling - an impassioned blitheness rife with happy invention. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor died of pneumonia,
exacerbated by chronic overwork.

Educated at Cambridge, Berlin's Hochschule f�r Musik, and the Royal College of Music, Arthur Somervell (1863-1937) took
a teaching position at the RCM in 1894. He was later appointed inspector of music to the Board of Education, a position that was
to occupy much of his time and energy and perhaps detracted from his compositional career. In this capacity he worked to
establish music as a genuine subject in schools of all levels. Somervell never stopped composing, however, and wrote pieces
in almost every genre. He is most remembered for his choral compositions that were more accessible to average voices. His
Passion of Christ, a short oratorio, is an example of this type of writing. His most important work is to be found in
his five song cycles that set the work of Tennyson, Housman, and Browning, of which "Maud," a setting of poems by
Tennyson, is perhaps his masterpiece. Although his music was not adventurous, he was a fine craftsman of powerful works.



Music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor & Arthur Somervell
Played by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
With Anthony Marwood (violin)
Conducted by Martyn Brabbins

"This fifth volume in Hyperion’s Romantic Violin Concerto series – already a distinctive and valuable
adornment to the catalogue – sits well with those that precede it: the works may not be of the front
rank, but the performances are persuasive enough to convince you that they might be, and merit a
place in the regular repertoire. Would that Hyperion’s crusading spirit were reflected by concert programmers.

Coleridge-Taylor’s concerto was the composer’s last major work and dedicated to the American Maud
Powell (she gave its first performance in 1912). It opens with a large-scale sonata movement, thematically
the weakest of the three and relying on rhetorical gestures and workaday ideas. By contrast, the slow
movement is one of the most lyrically beautiful of its kind, heralded by writing that hints at Ravel –
or rather Ravel as distilled by the George Melachrino Strings – and presages the gorgeous slow
movement of the Korngold Concerto. Towards its close, the catchy rondo finale makes reference
to both movements.

Arthur Somervell, best remembered for his setting of Housman’s A Shropshire Lad, wrote his concerto
(like Coleridge Taylor’s, in G major) in 1930 for Adila Fachira, the sister of violinist Jelly d’Aranyi
(both grand-nieces of Joachim). This is its first recording. Though, as Lewis Foreman’s excellent
booklet-notes observe, Somervell was ‘a product of a German musical aesthetic’, the concerto is
unmistakably English. Already, I am hugely fond of it, with its Elgarian-pastoral first movement
(the second subject reminiscent of Borowski’s once-famous violin piece Adoration), its central Adagio
which rivals Coleridge-Taylor’s in its expressive vision, and the heart-warming, open air bucolic
dance of the rondo finale.

If Andrew Marwood, Martyn Brabbins and the Scottish players learnt the works specially for this
recording, then they’ve utterly fooled me. Totally at one with the idiom, Marwood’s unflashy,
sweet-toned playing lends just the right note of enchantment and authenticity to these forgotten
scores. In short, this is Hyperion at its best."
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A most beautiful Violin Concerto by Coleridge-Taylor!
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No.183

In the title work of this album of recorder concertos commissioned by the eminent Danish virtuoso Michala Petri,
Moonchild’s Dream, by Thomas Koppel, the soloist both brings to life in pastel tone-shades the narrative portrait
of Koppel’s music. This is not a concerto in the classical vein of soloist-ensemble cut-and-thrust, but rather more similar
to a continuous Brittenesque soundscape. Performed as a single movement without any breaks to the flow of narrative,
there are no simple sections for the solo instrument – three of them (alto, soprano and sopranino recorder), to be precise.
Ms Petri, for example, makes the complicated phrases of flutter-tonguing much easier than it sounds, or engages in scalar
arpeggios and runs that are rarely heard on this instrument.

Vagn Holmboe’s Concerto for Recorder, String Orchestra, Celeste and Vibraphone is a more atheletic work.
Thoroughly modern and abstract, this is a three-movement work, each part of equal length. The lark-like figures of
the recorder in the last movement are sheer delight – there is even a passage where the soloist vocalizes through the
instrument. An artistic novelty, to be sure, but one that brings out the smiles.

Gary Kuelsha’s Concerto for Recorder continues in the same idiom, also in three parts. The first movement is
full of disquiet and remains unresolved, leading into the second movement which has a four-note motif sounding much
like a minor-key version of Rodgers’s "Some Enchanted Evening" (from South Pacific). Petri renders this thematic
material in the various figurations with a fittingly fretful character, against an empathic canvas of strings. Over
throbbing strings, the finale is a hectic resolution of sopranino with marimba (hitherto uncredited as well).

The Dance Suite for Soprano Recorder and Strings by Asger Lund Christiansen is the only work in
which the soloist is confined to a single instrument, a collection of five miniatures based on Danish folk tunes and
incorporating modern idioms. There are clearly touches of neo-baroque juxtaposed with dissonant harmonies
in this melting-pot of the old and the new. Petri is given the role of the eponymous dancer, with whirling rhythms
and energetic figures throughout the work.

Malcolm Arnold’s Recorder Concerto is the final and shortest work on this album, three movements lasting
a total of ten minutes. Of the five composers in this anthology, Arnold is also the most classically-inclined: there is
a clear differentiation of style from the four preceeding Danish composers. Experienced listeners will immediately
recognize Arnold’s unmistakable ebullient style; newcomers will get more than a hint of what it’s like. In the
musical dialogue – monologue, really, with the soloist chattering and the orchestra only providing the occasional
hemming and hawing – of the Lento, there are touches of musical wit and poetry. The arpeggios of the last
movement positively fizzle with Petri’s virtuosity.



Music by (see above)
Played by the English Chamber Orchestra
With Michala Petri (recorder)
Conducted by Okko Kamu

"Michala Petri commissioned all five of these concertante works, and she firmly plants her flag on new
territory with these recordings. Fellow Dane Vagn Holmboe wrote his concerto for Petri in 1974, when she
was still in her teens, Arnold's concerto was completed in 1988, and the remaining three works were
written in the current decade. Everyone who deplores the state of contemporary classical composition
needs to hear this disc - he or she will be in for a change of heart.

"Heart" is something that this music has in abundance; there's nothing cold or scientific about it. This is
due, in part, to the qualities of Miss Petri's instrument itself: it twitters and chirps like a sparrow that
is hoarding a kernel of sadness within its breast. A sparrow is robust enough to ride the strongest breezes,
yet fragile enough to crush in one human hand, and that paradox is what makes Petri's playing as
attractive as the sparrow's flight. Thomas Koppel's Moonchild's Dream continues that paradox. The
composer imagined a waif-like girl in the slums of Copenhagen being turned, at least for a night, into
a fairy princess through her imagination. The music captures both the harshness of her reality and
the magic and fantasy of her transcendence. A friend of mine supplied a Dickensian image: butterflies
fluttering over and lighting on the bodies of dead soldiers.

The other works on this disc are less rhapsodic but no less enjoyable. The cool colors of the celesta
and the vibraphone take Holmboe's concerto into a similarly nocturnal world, albeit one with more
exotic or even tropical tints. Holmboe is regarded as one of this century's most excellent symphonists -
his Seventh Symphony is a gem - and this sixteen-minute concerto is equally worthwhile. Gary
Kulesha's concerto also traffics in exotica; here, the inspiration was the Japanese shakuhachi flute
and the idiosyncratic performance techniques which it requires. Both Kulesha's and Holmboe's
concertos ask Petri to sing one melody into her instrument as her fingers play another one - quite a
feat, I imagine, and a beautiful effect. Asger Lund Christiansen's Dance Suite is a charming collection
of miniatures - courtly thoughts inhabiting comptemporary bodies - and any concerto by Malcolm
Arnold comes with a guarantee that it will be winsome and witty and not one note longer than
it needs to be. The closing Vivace seems to ask the musical question, "What if Vivaldi had
written an Irish jig?" Diverting stuff.

Petri's performances are definitive, and Okko Kamu, an under-rated conductor, leads the English
Chamber Orchestra in colorfaccompaniments. Sound quality is fine and has the flavor of the
studio rather than that of the concert hall. Don't let bad memories of playing the recorder in
elementary school keep you away from this disc - it's a beauty."
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I'm listening to the Matthew Curtis right now. Very nice. Thanks.

No.184

One of the greatest American symphonists, William Schuman established an orchestral
sound unmistakably his own. A master orchestrator, he could turn a simple tune (When Jesus
Wept from New England Triptych) into a symphonic statement of universal appeal. His
witty and imaginative orchestration of an early organ piece by Charles Ives, Variations on
America, is included in this collection in order to emphasize Schuman’s great gifts for orchestral
color. The ink in the score was not yet dry when Schuman attended my performances of it with
Stokowski’s American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. I had great fun conducting it
then (I programmed it dozens of times at Stokowski’s Teenage Concert series, in the early
sixties), and enjoyed it even more recording it for the first time, with the Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra. The Violin Concerto is a powerful work of great drama and intensity
that makes great demands on the soloist.



Music Composed by William Schuman
Played by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
With Philippe Quint (violin)
Conducted by Jos� Serebrier

"Schuman’s concerto is exceptionally well played by Philippe Quint. Jose Serebrier
leads the Bournemouth Symphony in crisply effective performances.

Jose Serebrier has been active as a conductor for many years, turning out
dozens of recordings. His accomplishments here, aided by the superb playing of
the Bournemouth Symphony, are extraordinary. Not only does his interpretive
conception of the Concerto reveal a masterful grasp of this challenging work,
but he lends to the Triptych and the Variations a rhythmic elasticity and other
nuances of style that add richness and flair to music that is often simply
driven hard and fast. In conclusion, therefore, I assure those who might
be moved to invest in this CD that these performances real surpass the
competition. Perhaps this factor, along with the budget price, will persuade
listeners to make an exception here."
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No.185

Donald Tovey (1875–1940) has long been known as one of the finest writers on music in English –
but he saw himself primarily as a composer. His Cello Concerto – written for his friend Pablo Casals in 1932–33
– may be the longest in history; indeed, as he worked on the score he wrote to a friend that the first movement
would be a ‘record-breaker’ and ‘much the juiciest’ music he had yet produced. The work sits mid-way between
Brahms and Elgar, but has a lyrical and dignified voice that is uniquely Tovey’s. The contrasting tone of the dark,
heroic Elegiac Variations was inspired by the death of Robert Hausmann, cellist of the Joachim Quartet and
a cherished chamber-music partner of Tovey’s. And the charming Air for Strings reveals his delight in a
well-turned Classical theme.



Music Composed by Sir Donald Tovey
Played by the Ulster Orchestra
With Alice Neary (cello)
And Gretel Dowdeswell (piano)
Conducted by George Vass

"Let’s now turn to this fine new recording of the Tovey Cello Concerto. The 25 minute Allegro moderato
first movement features much fond and affectionately rounded writing. In the broadest terms this is redolent
of Brahms in the Third Symphony and the Double Concerto. There are other transient echoes as well.
These include Elgar and in the kindly contours of the solo part the luminous First Cello Concerto of Hans
Pfitzner; I do wish that Rohan de Saram’s 1970s studio broadcast of the Pfitzner could be issued
commercially. This is heart-warming writing with craggily defiant heroics to match at 7:45 and 11:20.
The Andante Maestoso is an anxiety-racked testament which at 4:02 recalls the Brahms Fourth Symphony.
The invocation if not the achievement of peace of mind returns with the Intermezzo third movement the
character of which harks back to the amiable opening of the work. Then comes the allegro giocoso finale.
In its mood this can be seen as a precursor to the Finzi Cello Concerto which across its three movements
has a similar character layout to Tovey’s four; not that the language is related! It is however playful
in a rustic manner as at 5:30. The Ulster horns play it large, as they say, and have many moments of
magnificence. The last few bars make for an inventive and unconventional end with a satisfying mixed
stutter of legato, pizzicato, quiet and loud. All in all this struck me as the sort of work that Furtw�ngler
would have loved if only he had discovered it. The warm recording is cogently balanced with space
to render many subtle, quiet and soloistic passages.

The brief Air for string is arranged by Peter Shore and recalls the opening bars of the concerto. The
stormily Brahmsian rhetoric of the Elegiac Variations is memorable. The work was written in memory
of the cellist Robert Hausmann of the Joachim Quartet. It had been Hausmann who with Joachim had
premiered Brahms Double Concerto. Hausmann played alongside Tovey on many occasions and the
two artists had a glowing and affectionate respect for each other.

Alice Neary makes every note tell in both cello works and each is played as if it urgently mattered –
which it does. She clearly relishes the scattering of pizzicato passages throughout the first
movement and the engineering team is with her."
Musicweb [Recording fo the Month]



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No.186

The erhu is by far the most popular of the traditional Chinese "bowed" string instruments,
and there are lots and lots of arrangements of folk songs and other "ancient" music for this
"Chinese violin" (although it's played like a cello and sounds like an emotionally wounded viola).
Also, many contemporary composers have been contributing larger-scale concertante works
in recent years. Zhou Cheng-Long's "Legend of the Kelaxin Grassland" and
Zhang Xiao-Feng's "Parting of the Newly Weds" (co-composed
by Zhu Xiao-Gu) are two such, more elaborate works. Also featured on this album
are four arrangements of pre-existing material, including two Beijing opera tunes arranged
for solo erhu and Chinese orchestra.



Music by Zhang Xiao-Feng & Zhu Xiao-Gu
Played by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
With Min Hui-Fen (erhu)
Conducted by Xia Fei-Yun

"Min Huifen is a famous Chinese Erhu performing artist. She began learning Erhu from her
father at the age of 8. After graduating from Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1969, Min
Huifen joined China National Art Troupe and later Shanghai Art Troupe as a solo Erhu performer.
She has been with Shanghai Chinese Music Orchestra since 1978. Min Huifen won the First
Prize at the National Erhu Playing Competition in 1963, the Shanghai Literature and Art Award
in 1988 and the first National Gold Record Award in 1989. Min Huifen performs extensively
both in China and abroad. Min Huifen has released 15 albums featuring her Erhu performance.
Min Huifen is known for her exuberant performance. Her performance features a unique blend
of many genres of traditional Chinese music, such as Beijing Opera, Shaoxing Opera, and
Chaozhou music. Min Huifen is also a prolific composer. She has written many hit singles,
like "Yangguan Pass Melody - Three Variations," and Wishes of the People of Honghu Lake."



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Thank you... Hope Cameo records Kenneth Leighton's other concertos as well

No.187

A quartet of works for string orchestra by a trio of composers best known for their film scores. Franz Waxman adds a solo timpani
part to his orchestra of strings for the Sinfonietta. On his trip back across the Atlantic from scoring the biblical epic Quo Vadis?,
Mikl�s R�zsa felt compelled to write music that was much more intimate - out of that grew his String Quartet No.1 - an on the
present disc we can hear an arrangement for of the slow movement for strings, prepared exclusively for this recording. Of course, the
real point-of-interest is his Concerto for String Orchestra, one of R�zsa's most powerful works. Before Bernard Herrmann opted
for a career in Hollywood, he was entangled in a cycle around Aaron Copland of contemporary American composers. During that time he
wrote the Sinfonietta for Strings, parts of which came in handy when he scored Hitchcock's Psycho 25 years later.



Music by Bernard Herrmann, Mikl�s R�zsa & Franz Waxman
Played by the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester
Conducted by Isaiah Jackson

"I'm not sure how much I would like Bernard Herrmann's Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, composed in 1936 and
revised in 1975, were I not such a fan of his film music in general and his Hitchcock scores in particular. But
substantial portions of Herrmann's strings-only music for Hitchcock's 1960 Psycho turn up in his 1936
Sinfonietta for Strings, not only in the “Interlude“ (the fourth of this strange work's five movements), which
was lifted all but wholesale for the “Swamp“ cue in Psycho, but at various points in most of the work's other
movements as well. One can only wonder, then, what sorts of eerie things were going on in the composer's
soul in 1936 while also marveling at how music composed with no apparent dramatic reference could have
merged to such perfection with the affective demands of a movie made twenty-four years later. Relentlessly
non-tonal, with some obvious obeisances to Schoenberg and perhaps, in the Theme and Variations finale, even
to Webern, the Sinfonietta stands quite apart from almost everything else Herrmann ever wrote, film music
and otherwise, and it forms a fascinating facet of the composer's overall vision. Indeed, the musical stasis
that pervades most of the sinfonietta works to this work's advantage, which is not the case with the composer's
opera, Wuthering Heights (see review this issue). Those who are concerned that the version of the sinfonietta
offered here is the 1975 revision need not fret unduly. The first three movements remain virtually identical
to the original, while the fourth has been altered to conform with the cue from Psycho, which is not all that
different. And to the finale, Herrmann added a dozen or so bars, which heighten that movement's dramatic
impact. Personally, I would have preferred the original version as published by the New Music Orchestra
Series. But this is nonetheless a major find.

I have always been a sucker for Mikl�s R�zsa's concert music, and his 1943 Concerto for String Orchestra
remains one of my favorite manifestations of this facet of the composer's “double life.“ Dark and moody,
and written during a period when R�zsa penned many of his film noir film scores, the Concerto for String
Orchestra could certainly be classified as “musique noire.“ But, unlike Herrmann, for instance, R�zsa is
able to expand the more compactly expressed drama of his film scores into the broader fabric of concert
works by incorporating that drama into musically sophisticated, often neo-classical forms and styles.
The concerto is richly contrapuntal, and it features, in the last of its three movements, an exceptionally
well-developed and exciting fugue in which the opening theme from the first movement ultimately
joins contrapuntally with the fugue theme. R�zsa's autobiography lists a revision, dating from 1957,
of the Concerto for String Orchestra. Having not had access to the score, I am not sure which version
is offered here. The Andante for String Orchestra is a reworking, done by Christopher Palmer under
the composer's supervision, of the first movement of his string quartet. A more placid work somewhat
in the vein of the second movement of R�zsa's piano sonata, the Andante lacks the noir intensity
of the concerto.

Franz Waxman's 1955 Sinfonietta for String Orchestra and Timpani opens with a deceptively cheerful
theme that belies the serioso nature of much of this work's writing. Indeed, with its obsessive timpani
beat dominating most of the music, the second movement very much evokes the composer's
celebrated film score for The Bride of Frankenstein. Like R�zsa's, Waxman's concert writing shows
a sophisticated transition from the needs of film music to the demands of the concert hall. Where
R�zsa moves more in the orbit of Hindemith and Bart�k, Waxman traces a parallel line with Dmitri
Shostakovich. While his sinfonietta does not reveal the immediately recognizable style one hears in
the R�zsa work, and while it does not offer the kinds of insights into a major film score that one
finds in the Herrmann sinfonietta, its moods, craftsmanship, and energy prove quite infectious."
Royal S. Brown, Fanfare



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No.52

Violists need not complain that there's not enough music for their instrument: Two large-scale,
substantial concertos are featured on this album, one from the British composer Stanley Bate,
the other by William Henry Bell, who - despite being born in Britain - later emigrated
to South Africa. Both are cast in an attractive late/neo-romantic idiom and are a pleasure to
listen to. Neither has been heard since its premiere.

Stanley Bate (1911-1959), the liner notes tell us, was a pupil of Vaughan Williams'. They needn't
have told us, since from the very first bars of the 1946 Concerto for Viola and Orchestra it
is overwhelmingly obvious whose style Bate is adopting. That's not entirely a bad thing, since the
piece itself is beautifully crafted and every lover of the older British composer (or Walton) should
lap it up. It's a wonderful piece - it just doesn't have RVW's name-tag on it. Bate's career stalled
in the 1950s, which eventually drove him to suicide by the end of the decade.

Thirty years earlier, in 1916, William Henry Bell's Rosa Mystica (Concerto for Viola and Orchestra)
was premiered in Cape Town. It, too, is infused with the spirit of English music, if a bit more
conservative than Bate's piece. Lyrical and tumultuous episodes alternate, and the concerto is really
very entertaining and beautifully orchestrated. Both works receive splendid performances by
Roger Chase and the BBC Concert Orchestra under Stephen Bell (no relation).



Music by Stanley Bate, William Henry Bell & Ralph Vaughan Williams
Played by the BBC Concert Orchestra
With Roger Chase (viola)
Conducted by Stephen Bell

"Dutton has done it again! With this totally unexpected disc, they have unearthed and, one hopes, revived
the visibility of one of the most shamefully neglected 20th-century English composers, Stanley Bate (1911�1958).
And, with his Viola Concerto, written in the closing years of World War II (1944�46), they are representing
him at the peak of his powers. This writer never thought he would live to see the day when Bate�s music
would be making its recording debut. I heard a BBC air-check of Bate�s Third of his four symphonies in a
wonderful reading conducted by Adrian Boult, and its scale and sweep make it equally worthy of revival.
There are also several concertos for piano and violin; it is amazing how much valuable music Bate was able
to produce within his tragically short life.

This wide-spanned, four-movement Concerto, clocking in at just under 40 minutes, comes close to being a
sinfonia concertante, though the soloist is seldom out of the spotlight. Bate received impeccable training,
first with his beloved master Vaughan Williams, followed by stints with Boulanger in Paris and Hindemith in
Berlin; and, as the result of his peripatetic life style (Australia in the 1930s, New York during the war years,
then back to England for his final decade), his essentially very British idiom was stimulated and invigorated
by an international neo-Classicism nurturing a hardy romantic spirit.

Although the principal note struck by this concerto, premiered by Emmauel Vardi with the NBC Symphony,
is one of grieving lyricism, this elegiac content (except for a very brief Scherzo which seems to belong in
another piece) is enclosed in an almost triumphantly epic framework. From the opening measure as the
viola outlines its deeply expressive and modality-flavored motto theme, we sense we are embarking on a
musical journey of great warmth and weight. The solo instrument, with the orchestra�s steady underlying
support and emphasis, practically never ceases to unspool its sad soliloquy. Perhaps the war�s toll played
a part in Bate�s creative impetus. This is a viola concerto that can stand comparison with the great Walton
and Rubbra counterparts.

Sharing this program with the Bate is an impressive viola concerto by another forgotten Englishman of an
earlier generation, William Henry Bell (1873�1946). In 1912, when he seemed to be on the verge of
reaping the rewards of a growing reputation in his own country, Bell made the fateful decision to
accept a post as director of a college of music in South Africa. Like Edgar Bainton and Eric Chisholm,
after this self-removal from the central currents of English music, Bell was quickly eclipsed. But it was
in this far-flung place that he became well known for establishing a native musical tradition as
conductor, composer, and educator.

This concerto, enigmatically subtitled �Rosa mistica,� and thus bearing an indeterminate spiritual
or even autobiographical significance, was one of Bell�s first compositions completed in his new home.
But, contrary to the opinion expressed in the annotation by the estimable Lewis Foreman, I found
the work intelligent and agreeable enough but lacking in any real individuality. A better example of
Bell�s maturity can be heard on an early marco polo CD of his �South African� Symphony of the 1920s
(one of five), where his gifts as an evocative orchestrator are much more prominent. Otherwise,
this concerto is a rather typical product of its time and place�turn-of-the-century, post-Elgarian
British music of a conservative bent, similar to but not as inspired as early John Ireland or Frank Bridge.

Also on this disc is a brief, unpublished, but lovely little Vaughan Williams piece, a Romance of uncertain
date, but probably written in the 1920s or 1930s as an encore for the great violist Lionel Tertis.
Soloist Roger Chase has carefully orchestrated it in a deft and delicate manner.

Chase and Stephen Bell, conducting the thoroughly experienced BBC Concert Orchestra, present all
three works with a sense of impassioned advocacy. But it is the Bate Concerto that makes this an
extraordinary and unmissable release."
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No.188

Vivian Fung was born in Edmonton, Canada, in 1975 and received her doctorate from The Juilliard School.
Fung has developed a unique compositional voice, often merging Western forms with non-Western influences.
She has received commissions from Fulcrum Point New Music Project, the Shanghai Quartet, Seattle Symphony,
Music From China, the San Jos� Chamber Orchestra, and the Suwon Chorale, and her music has been performed
by ensembles throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. She is the recipient of a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship.
She lives in New York City.

Fung’s work is influenced by Asian sources such as Balinese gamelan music. Violin Concerto soloist
Kristin Lee’s shared experience of Bali with the composer resulted in an intensely lyrical and virtuoso work
in which West and East collide to create music of remarkably fresh sophistication. Fung draws on John Cage’s
‘prepared’ piano techniques to create often eerie and otherworldly effects in Glimpses, ideas from which
expand into the Piano Concerto. Subtitled ‘Dreamscapes’, this work explores contrasts ranging from hauntingly
sustained calm to moments of brutal power.



Music Composed by Vivian Fung
Played by the Metropolis Ensemble
With Kristin Lee (violin) & Conor Hanick (piano)
Conducted by Andrew Cyr

"The Violin Concerto is particularly striking. There is an exotic, wispy and ephemeral quality to the writing
in between some propulsive moments that I found quite appealing. It is a very nice piece, existing in a
single movement, and soloist Kristin Lee plays quite well indeed. Fung’s work for prepared piano,
Glimpses, is…another very interesting work…a good one! The Piano Concerto, “Dreamscapes” is…
the strongest work in this collection and completely fascinating. Soloist Conor Hanick in both the
Concerto and Glimpses does a great job!

The Metropolis Ensemble of New York and conductor Andrew Cyr are important up and coming
contributors to the new music scene. I had never heard of Vivian Fung before but I am anxious to
hear more. The fact that she is…a very creative and skilled composer is all I need to recommend
this without hesitation."
The Audiophile Audition





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Welcome back from your vacation, wimpel69! I hope it was as enjoyable as your posts are.

No.189

Dexter Morrill (*1938) was born in North Adams, Massachusetts. At the age of eight he began
trumpet lessons with Peter Fogg and later studied with Irwin Shainman at Williams College. He entered
Colgate University in 1956 and studied composition with William Skelton, and attended the first Lenox
School of Jazz in 1957, having trumpet lessons with Dizzy Gillespie and arranging with William Russo.

In 1960 Morrill began graduate studies at Stanford University and studied composition with Leonard
Ratner and orchestration with Leland Smith. During 1962–4 he was a Ford Foundation Young Composer
Fellow in University City, Missouri, and later taught at St John’s University in New York, which
commissioned his Three Lyric Pieces for Violin, premi�red by Ruggiero Ricci at Lincoln Center
in 1969. Morrill studied composition with Robert Palmer in the late 1960s at Cornell, and wrote his
dissertation on Darius Milhaud’s early polytonal music. He has received several composition grants
from the New York State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also worked
on special jazz projects for Stan Getz and Wynton Marsalis, and is the author of "A Guide to the
Big Band Recordings of Woody Herman", published by the Greenwood Press.



Music Composed by Dexter Morrill
Played by the Northern Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
With Steve Duke (saxophone) & John Mindeman (trombone)
And Mark Ponzo (cornet)
Conducted by Steve Squires & Brian Groner


Dexter Morrill (right) with Stan Getz.

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No.190

Though less well known than his contemporaries Ravel and Debussy, Albert Roussel (1869-1937) is nevertheless
regarded as one of the most important figures in early twentieth century French music. Roussel's music reflects his efforts
to explore new possibilities of expression while remaining faithful to traditional musical ideas; evident in his chamber
music and works for the stage, this tension between traditionalism and experimentation is particularly successful in
his symphonies. During the 1920s, Roussel struggled to balance an increasing structural complexity with emotional
expressiveness in his works. His Second Symphony, completed in 1921, exemplifies this tension; in Roussel's
subsequent works, the listener can also detect elements of neo-Classicism.

In 1922, Roussel settled in Vasterival, in the coast of Normandy. Despite increasingly frail health, he devoted much
of his energy to composing; he completed the Piano Concerto in 1927. His increasing public esteem is
evidenced by a festival entirely devoted to his works in Paris (1927) as well as a commission from the Boston
Symphony Orchestra for that organization's 50th anniversary (Third Symphony, 1930); Roussel traveled to the
United States for the performance.



Music Composed by Albert Roussel
Played by the Orchestre de Paris
With Danielle Laval (piano) & Albert T�tard (cello)
Conducted by Jean-Pierre Jacquillat

"Danielle Laval is a French concert pianist. She has performed the concertos of Saint-Sa�ns,
Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Chopin, also the rarer opus of Grieg and
Rachmaninov. Her repertoire is eclectic and she has made records of film composers
such as Miklos Rozsa, Nino Rota, Andr� Hossein, Bernard Hermann and Michel Legrand..."

"Jean-Pierre Jacquillat (13 July 1935 – 6 August 1986) was a French conductor. Jacquillat
was born in Versailles in 1935. He was named assistant to Charles Munch at the Orchestre
de Paris in 1967. He was chief conductor of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. He made a
number of recordings, with that orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, and others. His career
was cut short when he died in a car accident in 1986, aged 51."



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---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

In the countdown to upload No.200 of this thread, I am going to focus on ten cornerstones
of the concerto repertoire, so called "warhorses". For each work I will be posting what I consider a particulary
interesting or "benchmark" recording - or a couple of recordings that illuminate different approaches
to / aspects of said well-known concerto.

Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

I. Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto (1939)

No.191

The work:
Given the lush, lyrical, Romantic propensities of Samuel Barber's music, it should come as no
surprise that the composer achieved great success in that most Romantic of genres, the solo instrumental
concerto. Indeed, Barber wrote a concerto for each of the "Big Three" concerto instruments: piano, violin,
and cello, producing a trio of works that have earned a secure place in the standard repertoire. With an
extensive timbral palette and the opportunity for virtuosic display at his disposal, Barber made full use
of the concerto's possibilities, from exquisitely colored, tender lyricism to splashy, breathless pyrotechnics.

Excepting a now-lost piano concerto the composer wrote at the age of 20, the Violin Concerto was
Barber's first essay in the genre. The story of its creation -- including meddling and outright rejection by
those involved in the commissioning -- and its delayed premiere was misrepresented for decades after the
publication of Nathan Broder's biography of Barber in 1954. Soap tycoon Samuel Fels offered a substantial
fee to Barber to write a work for the young Russian-born violinist Iso Briselli. What happened after
Barber delivered the first two movements to Briselli was clarified in the early 21st century when letters
from all parties were compared together. After seeing those movements, Briselli hoped for something
a little more substantial for the finale. Barber complied, producing a brief moto perpetuo of under four
minutes' duration, less than half as long as either of the other movements. The violinist felt the movement
simply did not fit with the other two, not that it was too difficult or unplayable as the story had been told.
There were never any hard feelings between the men. Briselli relinquished his rights to premiere the work,
and Fels allowed Barber to keep the portion of the commission he had already been paid. The work was
successfully premiered on February 7, 1941, by Albert Spalding and the Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Ormandy.

Although the concerto's Allegro is marked by a predominantly lyrical, even vernal, quality, the movement
is hardly free of the conflict and high drama typifying the concerto tradition. The flowing, organic
material that opens the movement is contrasted by a short, distinctive iambic rhythmic figure that
recurs in various guises throughout. The characteristically lyrical Andante, which, like so many of
Barber's slow movements, possesses a melancholic, elegiac quality, is tinged with a certain mercurial
moodiness. The final perpetual-motion Presto is a breathless, nonstop whirlwind that races by in a
steady, virtually uninterrupted rhythmic flow illuminated by brilliant flashes of color.

The recordings:
Barber's Violin Concerto has already been featured several times throughout this thread, in recordings
by Andr�s Card�nes (the opening post!), Louis Kaufman and even Gil Shaham. Although these
are all very distinguished performances, I do not consider them benchmarks in this oft-recorded piece.
There were other reasons to post those recordings: The only existing arrangement of Copland's Violin
Sonata into a concerto (Card�nes), the lesser-known concertos of Larsson and Vaughan Williams
(Kaufman) and the tremendous collection of 1930s violin concertos in the Shaham upload. What then
differentiates the earlier Gil Shaham version (with the London Symphony under Andr� Previn)
of 1994 from the 2012 recording uploaded as part of the 1930s concertos collection? In the years between
Shaham's first and second takes on Barber's concerto, his tone has become leaner, more sinewy, his
interpretation less supple and opulent. It is that opulence of tone and the smoothness of the execution
that distinguishes Shaham's 1994 effort. Of all the Barber VC versions this is the most luxuriant, the
most silken, the most Cinemascope-ish, if you will. It has remained my favorite over the years.
It goes without saying that Shaham is equally superb in the Korngold Violin Concerto, which itself
is fast becoming a mainstay of all famous violinists' repertoire.

In sharp contrast, Hilary Hahn delivers a reading that is intimate, almost meditative. It is
not lacking in energy, but its lucid, chamber-like "feingeist" and the equally lean, translucent colors
of the orchestral accompaniment (Hugh Wolff and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra)
radically differ from Shaham/Pervin's version. Both are equally worthy.



Music Composed by
Samuel Barber

Gil Shaham (violin)
The London Symphony Orchestra
Andr� Previn (conductor)

Hilary Hahn (violin)
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Hugh Wolff (conductor)



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Very good performances, but my favorite recording is Isaac Stern with Leonard Bernstein conducting. Sound is a little ancient but my heart says hear this again.

That's the crux. There are just SO MANY versions of the Barber available, there's no "one" best recording. That's why I selected two that are polar opposites among the many, and I will probably continue in that vein (Wait till I get to stuff like Tchaikovsky's VC or Rachmaninov's 2nd/3rd PCs)! :D

that will be very interesting, oh yes.

That's the crux. There are just SO MANY versions of the Barber available, there's no "one" best recording. That's why I selected two that are polar opposites among the many, and I will probably continue in that vein (Wait till I get to stuff like Tchaikovsky's VC or Rachmaninov's 2nd/3rd PCs)! :D

Oh dear, trotting out the old warhorses, when there's so many spry little colts to be found? Just remember, every umpteenth recording of Beethoven's VC is an orchestra that could have just as easily played Garry Schyman's thus far unplayed viola concerto, or any other deserving contemporary piece. There's room for both, of course, but hopefully you won't neglect the relatively unknown composers you've so effectively managed to introduce in this thread.

Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

II. Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.1 (1933)

No.192

The work:
Shostakovich himself was the soloist at the premiere of this concerto, also known as Concerto for Piano,
Trumpet and Strings because of the prominent part for the trumpet. At the premiere, Shostakovich had the
trumpet player sit next to the piano instead of with the rest of the orchestra, which is usually done in modern
performances too. The concerto was premiered in 1933, before Shostakovich's first official government censure.
The concerto is in 4 movements:

I.Allegretto - The piano and orchestra toss out the themes in this movement while the trumpet comments
on them. The mood of the movement changes quickly. This is some of Shostakovich's most sarcastic, witty
and pithy music and it is reminiscent of the spontaneity of the first symphony. The movement ends with
a dialogue with piano and trumpet.

II.Lento - This movement opens with a slow waltz-like melody. The piano enters, and expands the waltz
into a passionate outburst from the piano and orchestra. After the climax fades, the strings re-enter
gently, with the trumpet playing the waltz theme (with none of the sarcasm of the first movement) over
the accompaniment of the orchestra. The piano and orchestra combine for a heart-felt, gentle close
to the movement.

III.Moderato - This movement is less than 2 minutes long, and is generally thought to act as an
introduction to the final movement. It is played with weight and depth of tone by the strings, but
the piano shines through the quasi-seriousness and the music segues into the finale...

IV.Allegro con brio - The tempo increases, the piano chatters away. In this movement the trumpet
becomes more prominent, almost on a par with the piano. The music becomes manic in tempo and
intensity. Shostakovich was fond of quoting motifs from his and other composers music. This
movement makes reference to Haydn, Mahler, a Jewish folk song, and others. The cadenza for solo
piano is derived from Beethoven's Rage Over A Lost Penny for piano solo. The music gets more and
more animated, until the trumpet plays a repeated figure while the piano and orchestra pound out
chords. The entire ensemble joins together to bring the music to a rousing finish.

Shostakovich was in his late 20's when he wrote this concerto. His music was everywhere, his
fame and popularity assured. In this period of relative freedom to do what he pleased, he
composed a concerto that wavers from giddy to serious, music that toys with the listener. After
the fiasco instigated by his opera of 1936 Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Shostakovich's
life would change, along with his music to a certain degree. But all that was to come. For the
moment, Shostakovich wrote a concerto that thumbed its nose at tradition.

The recordings:
Interpretations of this light-hearted, often sarcastic concerto do not differ as wildly as those
of other well-established concertante works, a testament to the composer's control over the
modes of expression and emotions in this piece. The two "modern" recordings uploaded here
are highly regarded and differ only in that Marc-Andr� Hamelin's version is a bit more elegant,
while Ronald Br�utigam's reading offers more in dry wit and sarcasm - which works
particularly well in connection with the other pieces on this "Jazz" album conducted by
Riccardo Chailly. It is highly debatable whether Shostakovich in fact ever wrote any
Jazz music, the term "Suites for Theatre Orchestra" seems much more appropriate for the
salon music items offered here. Like Hamelin, Dmitri Shostakovich couples the Concerto No.1
with its successor, written year's later for his son Maxim. The latter work doesn't have the same
level of sharpness and wit, but it's a delightful, easy-going piece nonetheless. Shostakovich recorded
his version at a time when he no longer commanded the same piano technique that he had done
in his younger years, so there are a few small gaffes in his playing. But he was a professional
pianist, and a composer's own version is always, to some extent, "definitive".




Music Composed by
Dmitri Shostakovich

Ronald Br�utigam (piano)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly (conductor)

Marc-Andr� Hamelin (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton (conductor)

Dmitri Shostakovich (piano)
Orchestre National de l'O.R.T.F.
Andr� Cluytens (conductor)



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First Concerto i prefer the young Kissin on Melodyahttp://o.scdn.co/300/7502edcb1c1f074459a089dbc56dfa9d592d0f6a or Argerich on EMI, my first CD with both concertos was on EMI, Hamelin is a phenomenon, great for both concertos. Composers own recordings i knew only on LP, mono is not my cup of tea...

I got the Alexeev, too, but I always found it a bit "middle of the road". Argerich is a classic, but she's a bitch so I'll never post one of her recordings. ;)

huh, what bad words over a wild lady...;O)

Now I'm genuinely curious. What did Argerich do to earn that reputation? All I know is that she used to smoke in her practice rooms... :shock:

And not to derail the thread... but here's a cool pic of Abbado (RIP) and Argerich from the 60's.

Now I'm genuinely curious. What did Argerich do to earn that reputation?[/SPOILER]

She came to our town, played very badly (Schumann PC), didn't give an encore and demonstrably behaved like she didn't give a shit (she came only because Dennis Russell Davies was our conductor and had the necessary connections). Evidently she thought that neither our orchestra nor the audience deserved a better performance.

Bitch! ;)

I never cared for Argerich's playing anyway! She is a speed freak. I believe there are better female pianists out there who haven't received their dues! Seta Tanyel for one is a criminally underrated pianist. Her Scharwenka Piano Concerto No. 1 is mindblowing!

That's surprising but I guess not too surprising...

Argerich is not everyone' cup of tea but her reputation as a speed freak is overblown. Majority of her recording is played at regular or slightly faster tempi - just not without her quirks. She's an definitely an older breed of individualistic pianists before massive amount of new talents came to the scene. I somewhat agree with her being overrated but so is almost every old guard IMO. Now, there are SO MANY great pianists out there whose techniques and faithfulness to the scores would put Horowitz, Argerich, Rubinstein, etc. to shame. I personally lost count of number of female virtuosi who are just flat out fantastic (Hewitt, Wang, Lettberg, de la Salle, Borbei, etc, etc....). As a piano music enthusiast, it's awesome to see so many good musicians and quality music making!

Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

III. Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto, op.85 (1919)

No.193

The work:
Edward Elgar's Concerto for cello and orchestra in E minor, from the year 1919, is the last major work
the composer penned (a Third Symphony remained in draft form at his death in 1934). While the instrumental
forces remain basically equivalent to those used in the Violin Concerto, Elgar has amplified the tender,
searching intimacy of that earlier work to such a degree that one might call the Cello Concerto not just
introspective but searing and almost ascetic. It is an exceedingly complex but immediately touching work
that makes a fitting epilogue to Elgar's lifetime in music.

The concerto is poured into a four-movement mold, yet still takes only about half an hour to perform -- far
less than any of Elgar's other large instrumental works. This restraint is mirrored by remarkably transparent
orchestration. The work begins with four bars of solo cello recitative that firmly outline the home key of E
minor. The subsequent Moderato entrance of the orchestra offers little immediate support for that key,
really winding down to the tonic only after six bars of restless 9/8 melody built on a single rhythmic cell.
During the 12/8 middle section Elgar makes good use of the contrast between E minor and E major. A
recapitulation of the opening is made, but soon enough the movement has dissolved into a handful of
uncertain pizzicati.

Elgar brings back the opening recitative, much altered (and buoyantly beginning where the first
movement's pizzicati left off), to begin the following Scherzo. After twice pleading with the orchestra
to join its cause, the cello finally rouses the group into an eighth note driven perpetual motion (Allegro
molto). Elgar paints a miniature portrait of his own very characteristic lyric style in the relatively brief
E flat major second theme.

A wonderful melody in B flat major is sung by the soloist throughout the Adagio third movement.
Here Elgar's indebtedness to Schumann, the slow movement of whose own cello concerto also employs
this song without words approach, is clearly evident. The life span of this one melodic strand is a
bare 60 bars, yet it conveys deeper passion than do five times that many bars of the composer's
earlier music. The movement ends on the dominant, paving the way for an attacca opening of
the Finale.

After initially falling in with the B flat major of the Adagio, the Finale makes an eight-bar move
back to its rightful E minor tonal center. The main idea of the movement (marked, like so many
of the composer's favorite thoughts, "nobilmente") is given out first by the soloist in half-recitative
and then, after a rude tutti interruption and a brief pause, by the entire ensemble, Allegro non
troppo. A second theme recalls both the G major tonality and the impish sentiment of the Scherzo
movement. As the Finale draws near its finish, Elgar undertakes an extended and very moving
reminiscence: first on the melody of the Adagio movement and then reaching back to the
recitative that began the entire half-hour journey. Two terse chords re-energize the movement's
fast-twitch muscle fiber, and 16 bars later the curtain comes down.

The recordings:
Obviously, Elgar's own recording with the cellist he composed the concerto for, Beatrice Harrison, must
be mentioned in this context. Harrison's is a magisterial account which comes off remarkably well - even
considering the 1928 sound; there's a believable presence for the cello and some chirpy details from
the orchestra. Of course, there are so many "modern" alternatives that people who want to get to know this
fabulous concerto won't be hard-pressed to seek out the Dutton disc. The English temselves will forever
treasure Jacqueline du Pr�'s introspective, occasionally neurotic reading - partly, no doubt, because
the cellist was crippled by MS early in life - which is something the English will never stop wallowing in.
Remember Kathleen Ferrier? Anyway, it's not a favorite of mine, though of course well done and expertly
accompanied by Sir John Barbirolli. I include it here as it's a perennial favourite, but mostly
because this particular edition is coupled with my very favorite Elgar piece, the song-cycle Sea Pictures,
in what must count as its most famous version with Dame Janet Baker. Of the very many modern
accounts of the Cello Concerto that I own I have chosen my personal favourite, Daniel M�ller-Schott's
Oslo recording under Andr� Previn, coupled with an equally fine Walton Cello Concerto. M�ller-
Schott's reading is marvelously fluent, unforced, lyrical yet dynamic, everything is perfectly judged. I did
consider adding Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey's much-admired version, but decided not to due to
the rather booming sound and second-rate orchestral performance.




Music Composed by
Edward Elgar

Beatrice Harrison (cello)
The New Symphony Orchestra
Edward Elgar (conductor)

Jacqueline du Pr� (cello)
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli (conductor)

Daniel M�ller-Schott (cello)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Andr� Previn (conductor)



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I'm a bit late to the Shostakovich discussion, but I'll belatedly mention one of my favorite recent recordings of the two concertos, a 2012 CPO release featuring young Russian pianist Valentina Igoshina (Amazon link (www.amazon.com/Piano-Concertos-Hamlet-Suite-Op/dp/B007S6R3NQ)). She's outstanding, really, and her lack of fame is because we're living in an overabundant, golden age of pianism.

(Hopefully Ms. Igoshina never disappoints you in concert, wimpel69!)

Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

IV. Igor Stravinsky - Violin Concerto in D (1931)

No.194

The work:
Igor Stravinsky composed the Violin Concerto (1931) at the instigation of his friend Willy Strecker,
head of the music publishing house of Schotts S�hne in Mainz. Strecker and the young Russian-American violinist
Samuel Dushkin approached the composer about the possibility of writing a concerto for Dushkin. Stravinsky,
himself a pianist, hesitated, realizing that although he had featured the violin prominently in works like L'histoire
du soldat (1918), it was an altogether different matter to write an extended solo work for the instrument.

Stravinsky consulted Paul Hindemith, whom he knew to be a superb string player, and asked him if he thought
his lack of knowledge of violin technique would be obvious in the work. Stravinsky later noted: "Not only did
he allay my doubts, but he went further and told me that it would be a very good thing, as it would make me
avoid a routine technique, and would give rise to ideas which would not be suggested by the familiar
movement of the fingers." Additionally, "Willy Strecker allayed my doubts by assuring me that Dushkin
would place himself entirely at my disposal in order to furnish any technical details which I might require.
Under such conditions the plan was very alluring."

Stravinsky then began a close collaboration with Dushkin on the solo part. Dushkin's memoirs reveal
that he was quite an active partner in this endeavor. When asked about working with the young virtuoso,
Stravinsky said: "When I show Sam a new passage, he is deeply moved, very excited -- then a few
days later he asks me to make changes." Of course, the ultimate creative decisions rested with the
composer. For example, when Dushkin argued for the retention of a particularly virtuosic passage,
Stravinsky said: "You remind me of a salesman at the Galeries Lafayette. You say, 'Isn't this brilliant,
isn't this exquisite, look at the beautiful colours, everybody's wearing it.' I say, 'Yes, it is brilliant,
it is beautiful, everyone is wearing it -- I don't want it.'"

Dushkin recalled the genesis of the sonority -- a wide-spanning D - E - A chord -- which begins
each movement of the concerto: "During the winter [1930-1931], I saw Stravinsky in Paris quite
often. One day when we were lunching in a restaurant, Stravinsky took out a piece of paper and
wrote down this chord and asked me if it could be played. I had never seen a chord with such
an enormous stretch, from the E to the top A, and I said 'No'. Stravinsky said sadly 'What a
pity.' After I got home, I tried it, and, to my astonishment, I found that in that register, the
stretch of the 11th was relatively easy to play, and the sound fascinated me. I telephoned
Stravinsky at once to tell him that it could be done. When the concerto was finished, more
than six months later, I understood his disappointment when I first said 'No'. This chord, in
a different dress, begins each of the four movements. Stravinsky himself calls it his
'passport' to that concerto."

Although Stravinsky insisted that his Violin Concerto was not modeled after those of Mozart,
Beethoven, or Brahms, he did acknowledge that "the subtitles of my concerto -- Toccata, Aria,
Capriccio -- may suggest Bach, and so, in a superficial way, might the musical substance. I am
very fond of the Bach Concerto for Two Violins, as the duet of the soloist with a violin from the
orchestra in the last movement of my own concerto may show." The premiere of the concerto
took place on October 23, 1931, in Berlin, with Dushkin as soloist and Stravinsky conducting
the Berlin Rundfunk Orchestra.

The recordings:
Stravinsky's own version of the Violin Concerto was made as part of the composer's series of
recordings for Columbia Records, with the celebrated Isaac Stern as soloist. It is a strong,
characterful, purposeful account, as one would expect from such a gifted violinist. Alas, the orchestral
background isn't nearly as distinguished, but the album couples the Violin Concerto with the less
frequently performed Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments and the Capriccio for Piano
and Orchestra, both played splendidly by Charles Rosen. The two modern recordings
posted here reflect the different personalities of their soloists: Anne-Sofie Mutter's account is more
lyrical, perhaps a shade less playful, warmer, while Viktoria Mullova - nicknamed "ice block" by her
fellow musicians, provides the ultimate in stirring vituosity and steely resolve. Her reading of Bart�k's
famous Violin Concerto No.2 on the same album is predictably superb, too. Mutter couples the
Stravinsky with Chain II, a piece composed for her by Witold Lutoslawski.




Music Composed by
Igor Stravinsky

Issac Stern (violin)
Charles Rosen (piano)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky (conductor)

Anne-Sofie Mutter (violin)
The Philharmonia Orchestra
Paul Sacher (conductor)

Viktoria Mullova (violin)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)



Sources: Sony Classical, Deutsche Grammophon & Phillips CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, mp3(320)

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mp3 version (Mutter) - https://mega.co.nz/#!O4BgUaIT!k1QejKXFCIBnTi9J5hzR7IHZ53kfNIXZjqjron4 cMk4
mp3 version (Mullova) - https://mega.co.nz/#!L8R3CIqA!aP8ZY9yu3_vx8bbuVAR4PeezOd1EttYVEoOB3Eo gvlQ

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Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

V. Alban Berg - Violin Concerto, "To the Memory of an Angel" (1935)

No.195

The work:
When Alban Berg received a commission for a concerto from the violinist Louis Krasner in January 1935,
he was busy working on Lulu and set the commission aside. On April 22 of that year, the beloved daughter of
his friend Alma Mahler, Manon Gropius, died at the age of 18, and Berg ceased work on the opera to compose
his Violin Concerto as a memorial. Working at an unusually fast pace, Berg completed the score by
August 11, though did not live to hear its premiere in April 1936. Some commentators have lamented the
fact that work on the Violin Concerto prevented Berg from completing Lulu, which many view as his most
important work. Yet the Violin Concerto has become Berg's single most popular and regularly programmed
work. Beyond the firmly tonal works of his youth, the Violin Concerto is also Berg's most accessible score
in its compelling combination of both tonal and atonal idioms.

As with many of Berg's pieces, the concerto follows a program governed by a strict formal design. The four
movements are may be grouped into two parts of two movements each, with only a short break between
movements two and three. The first two movements are structured like a Classical sonata-allegro and dance
movement, respectively, and together form a musical portrait of the girl. The second part reverses the
typical pattern of the Classical symphony, placing an Allegro, in this case an intense and elaborate cadenza-
like movement first, followed by an Adagio, a set of variations after the Bach chorale It Is Enough. These
movements represent the catastrophe of death and, ultimately, the sublimity of transfiguration.

Berg's use of tonality in the Violin Concerto is unique. The tone row upon which the work is constructed
begins on a string of thirds that alternately outline minor and major triads, lending a distictive tonal
element to passages that are apparently otherwise atonal. The work's tonal aspect is futher embodied
in Berg's incorporation of a Carinthian folk song in the second movement and the aforementioned use of
Bach's chorale, with Bach's own harmonization, in the third. (The last four notes of Berg's row, in fact,
"coincide" -- certainly by design -- with the first four of Bach's chorale. Throughout, Berg's juxtaposition
of tonal and atonal elements, as well as the alternation of richly lyrical, even Romantic passages with
more formalized, deterministic sections, create a musical analogy for the more general theme of lost youth.

The recordings:
Kyung Wha Chung's blend of sweetness and strength in the concerto is ideal, more vivid in both
reflection and action than e.g. Menuhin. The performance as a whole is shaped and balanced by
Georg Solti as well as the music itself permits. Her Berg is deeply felt, technically first clas
s and excellently recorded. One of the most recent recordings of the Violin Concerto features
the outstanding German violinist Arabella Steinbacher and the WDR Sinfonieorchester K�ln
under Andris Nelsons. Steinbacher's supple and elegant technique guides listeners to focus not
on the challenges of the music in front of her, but the deep musical messages each imparts.
Interpretively, Steinbacher's Berg is intense, dark, and engaging.



Music Composed by
Alban Berg

Kyung Wha Chung (violin)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti (conductor)

Arabella Steinbacher (violin)
WDR Sinfonieorchester
Andris Nelsons (conductor)



Sources: Decca, Orfeo CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, mp3(320)

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Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

VI. Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto, op.47 (1904)

No.196

The work:
The Violin Concerto is not the only work Finland's Jean Sibelius wrote for solo violin with orchestra;
he wrote a variety of excellent, shorter works including Two Serenades (1913) and Six Humoresques (1917).
But the concerto is certainly the most ambitious of all these works. Despite the early enthusiasm of a few violinists -
notably Maud Powell, who was the soloist in the American premiere with the New York Philharmonic in 1906 and
repeated the work several times on a transcontinental tour -- the concerto was slow to catch on with audiences.
Not until Jascha Heifetz took up the work and recorded it in the 1930s did the concerto become what it is today,
one of the most popular of the national Romantic concerto repertory.

Sibelius was himself a fine violinist. He took up studying the instrument at 15 with his hometown's military
bandmaster, and shortly thereafter was taking part in chamber music performances and playing in his school's
orchestra. He felt he had taken up the violin too late in life to become a true virtuoso, but he brought his
intimate knowledge of the instrument to bear on this, his only concerto, which he completed in 1903. The
soloist at the first performance was to be the composer's friend Willy Burmeister. But when scheduling
difficulties intervened, Viktor Novacek was given the honor of premiering the work in Helsinki on
February 8, 1904, with Sibelius himself conducting. After this indifferently received performance,
Sibelius withdrew the work for revision. Ultimately, the work was shortened, including the excision
of one solo cadenza, and featured a brighter orchestral sound. The first performance of the revised
score took place on October 19, 1905 in Berlin, with Richard Strauss conducting and Karl Halir, a
member of Joseph Joachim's quartet, as soloist.

Sibelius had a less than high regard for virtuoso violinists or for many of the works written for them.
In his concerto, he manages to strike an ideal balance between instrumental brilliance and the more
purely musical, structural, and emotional values. At one point he gave a pupil some advice about
writing concertos, saying that one should be aware of the audience's patience (and the stupidity
of many soloists!) and avoid long, purely orchestral passages. He certainly took his own advice,
as the violinist takes up the expressive main theme of the first movement in the fourth bar, and
rarely relinquishes center stage for the remainder of the concerto's half-hour duration.

The opening movement, cast in first-movement sonata form, contrasts passages of restraint and
melancholy with passages of great force and intensity. One unusual feature is the mid-movement
cadenza for the soloist, which shares some qualities with like passages in the great virtuoso
concertos of the nineteenth century, but is more substantial and more fully integrated into the
overall form of the piece. Wind duets start the slow second movement, after which the soloist
takes up the lush, almost Tchaikovskian main melody. Later in the movement the violinist is
called on to play a fiendish two-part counterpoint. This is but one of the numerous technical
hurdles the soloist must conquer in this work; many more arise in the brilliant, dance-like third
movement, with its insistent rhythm and the folk-like cast of its melodies. The excitement and
momentum carry through to the very end of the work.

The recordings:
Jascha Heifetz, without a doubt the most famous violinist of his day, recorded the Sibelius
concerto several times. The 1959 version under Walter Hendl from the celebrated RCA Living Stereo
series is probably the most popular. Here, Heifetz displays his customary combination of dazzling
virtuosity and sharp attack. He wasn't the most "sensitive" of violinists perhaps, but his pyrotechnics
and power of playing never fail to impress. Along with the Sibelius we also get excellent accounts
of two other Romantic violin concertos, by Alexander Glazunov and Sergei Prokofiev.
Sensitivity is a quality that is certainly present in abundance in our two "modern" versions of the
Sibelius: Leonidas Kavakos delivers a technically brilliant and superbly detailed, finely
shaded account - he was also privileged to be allowed to record the original version of the concerto
that Sibelius withdrew and revised after the premiere. The Sibelius Society only allowed a single
recording of this original, this one! The comparison is fascinating in that the earlier version is
more expansive, more demanding, but also less focused than the final one. Japanese violinist
Akiko Suwanai had a great early career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has since dis-
appeared from the radar. Which is a shame, since she also possesses flawless technique and
interpretive intelligence. Her account of the Sibelius may not be the most expressive emotionally,
but it scores with vivid details, close observation of even minute dynamics, and splended recorded
sound. The attractiveness of her album is also increased by one of the best versions of William Walton's
wonderful Violin Concerto, which the English composer originally wrote for Heifetz.




Music Composed by
Jean Sibelius

Jascha Heifetz (violin)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Walter Hendl (conductor)

Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo V�nsk� (conductor)

Akiko Suwanai (violin)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)



Sources: RCA/BMG, BIS & Phillips CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, mp3(320)

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mp3 version (Kavakos) - https://mega.co.nz/#!jgBHASaQ!PHxHShW_g-arJw_RT1oYdG6iXXpnHowFNb4AKn2KCt4
mp3 version (Suwanai) - https://mega.co.nz/#!i14mURyI!IzSFiBczWl6alEVhJYl3z9lVecXwVO17jO0MpUt YoX8

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great Sibelius selection wimpel69, all recommended by leading critics and by me ;O)

Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

VII. Sergei Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2, op.18 (1900)

No.197

The work:
Sergei Rachmaninov composed this work in 1900, and played the first complete performance on November 9,
1901, with Alexandre Siloti conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Society. He suffered a shattering career crisis in
the 1897 massacre of his First Symphony in St. Petersburg, by its first conductor, Glazunov, who was reportedly
disablingly drunk -- a fiasco the critics en masse, led by C�sar Cui, laid at the composer's feet like an animal
carcass. The audience -- ever mindful that Rachmaninov had been expelled in 1885 from the local temple of musical
instruction -- listened stonily, glad for the failure of a young lion schooled elsewhere (in Moscow, he completed the
Conservatory course in 1891, and graduated a year later with highest possible grades). Because of the failure of
the Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninov began to drink immoderately. Believing himself unfit to compose, he
tried concentrating on parallel courses as a concert soloist and opera conductor, but embroiled himself in a love
affair that ended very badly. By the end of 1899, he was an alcoholic whose hands shook, imperiling his keyboard
career. Between January and April 1900, Sergey Vassilyevich saw Dr. Dahl, a Moscow specialist in "neuropsychotherapy,"
daily, and was urged under hypnosis to compose the new piano concerto that a London impresario was asking for.
Trance therapy roused the composer from his lethargy; indeed, he worked with great facility on an excellent new
concerto -- the Second, in C minor, Op. 18 -- dedicated to Dr. Dahl in gratitude. Never again in the remaining
four decades of his life was Rachmaninov immobilized by depression, despite several convulsive changes of fortune.

The opening, C minor, movement in sonata form was composed last; structurally it is the most conventional.
Ten bars of unaccompanied keyboard chords lead directly to a palpitant principal theme for violins, violas, and
clarinets -- motivic rather than tuneful, despite a melismatic extension for cellos. An episode links this to the
second theme, in E flat, one of Rachmaninov's most celebrated melodies, introduced by the piano. Following
the development and a maestoso alla marcia reprise, there's a brilliant coda -- but no solo cadenza, yet.

In the E major, Adagio sostenuto movement, after four bars of Tchaikovskian string chords, piano arpeggios
introduce a two-part principal theme, played first by the solo flute, then by the solo clarinet. Piano and
orchestra develop both parts before a Tchaikovsky-like theme for bassoons nudges the tempo a bit. Further
development goes even quicker, culminating in a solo cadenza that's been teasingly postponed, after which
the original material returns, soulfully.

The finale is an Allegro scherzando in C major. The strings play a rhythmic figure that builds to a staccato
climax. The piano enters with a flourish, setting up the principal subject -- again, as before in I, motivic
rather than tuneful, but admirably constructed for developing. This is followed by another of Rachmaninov's
signature melodies, lushly undulant, sung by the solo oboe and strings. (In the postwar 1940s, this was
garnished with words and performed unrelentingly by big-band vandals as Full Moon and Empty Arms).
A fugato brings back the principal subject, followed by a Maestoso statement of "The Tune." Accelerating
fistfuls of piano chords set up a crowd-rousing conclusion.

The recordings:
Of the many recordings of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2, the composer's own with
Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra is particularly important, recorded in
April 1929. Rachmaninov's superlative solo work projects an exquisite feeling of spontaneity, and his elastic
phrasing and rhythmic freedom suggest an inspired improvisation, made all the more wondrous by the
superb balance and close interplay with the orchestra, which leans into the music without ever wholly
succumbing. Of course, the sound, even though good for 1929, is constricted and full of surface noise.
One of the classic "analogue stereo" versions is certainly that of American pianist Van Cliburn,
who takes a "monumental" approach to what has become known as Rachmaninov's "elephant concerto",
so named because of the composer's own, huge hands for which he had originally written the piece.
Cliburn easily meets the technical challenges, and his is a dynamic, full-blown and clearly articulated,
straightforward reading. It's coupled with a fine account of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.
In sharp contrast, Sviastolav Richter goes for brooding intensity, his tempi by far the slowest of the
lot. Stanislaw Wislocki's accompaniment with the Warsaw Philharmonic is similarly dark and grave.
Tempi are much fleeter in Zoltan Kocsis's digital recording with the San Francisco Symphony
under Edo de Waart.




Music Composed by
Sergei Rachmaninov

Sergei Rachmaninov (piano)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Leopold Stokowski (conductor)

Van Cliburn (piano)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner (conductor)

Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Stanislaw Wislocki (conductor)

Zoltan Kocsis (piano)
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Edo de Waart (conductor)



Sources: Naxos Historical, RCA/BMG, Deutsche Grammophon & Phillips CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, AAD Mono, mp3(320)

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mp3 version (Cliburn) - https://mega.co.nz/#!fhZQXT6Y!kwTlnWPcMQySuN4GUonv3VtyR6_mlOtnx4Qs0Qr PNao
mp3 version (Richter) - https://mega.co.nz/#!2pJWFZBS!2TBb60aIsGsl9-4bHC4tOFiZZVnfAfJUm8DN20PvEpw
mp3 version (Kocsis) - https://mega.co.nz/#!vooAmYKQ!4RMXvTjvsGsip3faaAEzMG1nfgIO1BITJ53U192 EiMY

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Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

VIII. B�la Bart�k - Piano Concerto No.3, Sz 119 (1945)

No.198

The work:
B�la Bart�k (1881-1945) composed the Piano Concerto No.3 in the United States. It differs radically from his
first two piano concertos in its lack of overt virtuosity, its lack of conspicuous modernism, and its greater adherence to
traditional models and forms. Even the Hungarian melodic and rhythmic elements, while still present, are not as pronounced
as in his earlier concertos. The Third is a warmer and more melodic work with a more popular appeal that does not in
any way compromise its musical integrity. Bart�k wrote the concerto for his wife, Ditta Pasztory. He completed all but
the final 17 bars, which were left in his musical shorthand. His friend Tibor Serly finished the work and it was premiered
on February 8, 1946, by Gy�rgy S�ndor with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Third is in three movements: Allegretto, Andante religioso, and Allegro vivace. The Allegretto is in sonata form
with two subjects: a rhythmic opening theme and a lyrical second melody. These are developed and recapitulated in
a more or less conventional fashion and the movement is rounded off with an elegiac coda of quiet beauty. The
Andante religioso is one of Bart�k's most heartfelt and heartwarming pieces, a three-part movement with the outer
sections being a chorale for piano and orchestra with almost Bachian counterpoint and a central section of gloriously
expansive Bart�kian night music with bird calls and insect noises. The Allegro vivace that follows attaca is a much
more boisterous movement in the form of a rondo with two contrasting episodes and an extended coda. With its
angular themes, its spiky rhythms, its contrapuntal developments, its aggressive orchestration with a large part
for percussion, and its bravura piano writing, the Allegro vivace is by far the most Bart�kian movement of the Third.

The recordings:
Both albums featured here include all three of Bart�k's concertos, enabling you to focus on the many differences
between these works: from the grimly percussive Piano Concerto No.1 to the much more accessible Third.
Both recordings, by G�za Anda and by Stephen Bishop Kovacevich, are considered benchmarks in a crowded
field. Anda's variations of touch and range of sound are still extraordinary, and he is equally at home in the brilliant
and demanding percussive writing in the first two concertos and the hushed lyricism of the third. He is aided and
abetted throughout by the knowing partnership of Ferenc Fricsay, always an admirable Bart�k exponent, and the alert
(West) Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. The sound remains bright and natural after all these years.
Kovacevich was already celebrated as a virtuoso when he made these Bart�k recordings in the late 1960s, but nothing could
have prepared listeners for the sheer force of his playing here. There's nothing in these immensely difficult works
Kovacevich can't toss off with panache, and he tears into them with undisguised gusto. His flair for bravura playing is
offset by equal soulfulness in the central movements. With the BBC Symphony in No.2 and the London Symphony
Orchestra in Nos.1 and 3, the orchestral playing here is consistently first-rate, too.



Music Composed by
B�la Bart�k

G�za Anda (piano)
Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin
Ferenc Fricsay (conductor)

Stephen Bishop Kovacevich (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)



Sources: Deutsche Grammophon & Phillips CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, ADD Stereo/Mono, mp3(320)

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Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

IX. Joaqu�n Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez (1939)

No.199

The work:
The Concierto de Aranjuez was Joaqu�n Rodrigo's first attempt in the concerto genre; it quickly
became, and has subsequently remained, the most popular and recognizable of his works. Written for solo guitar
and orchestra, it reveals the composer's great affinity for those two mediums, as well as his reverence for the
long-standing traditions of Spanish Classical music. It was composed after Rodrigo's return to Madrid from
France (he fled the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War) in 1939, and premiered there to great success in 1940.

Aside from its overt references to Spanish folk music and straightforward lyrical disposition, the Concierto
de Aranjuez is notable for the way in which Rodrigo managed to wed the relatively small voice of the solo guitar
to that of the full orchestra. His writing is extremely idiomatic for both guitar and orchestra, and one leaves a
hearing of the work with the impression that writing for the two together is quite natural; the guitar never seems
overmatched or out of its element. Rodrigo's orchestration is simple, clear, and yet interesting: at times he
creates a dialog between soloist and ensemble, and at others he manages to turn them together into one
giant guitar -- an extremely imaginative and successful effect. Rodrigo also creates distinctive colors by
combining the guitar with other solo instruments, such as the bassoon.

The opening movement (Allegro con Spirito) is primarily constructed from a single rhythmic motive,
introduced at the outset by the solo guitar. This is later combined with a number of more lyrical themes,
all of which are reminiscent of Spanish folk song. The mood turns melancholy in the second movement
(Adagio), as the soloist accompanies a solo English horn with simple chords. The guitar eventually takes
up this theme against an urgent orchestral background. As with the opening movement, the soloist
introduces the main idea of the finale -- a rather swaying and gentle melody; this theme becomes the
basis for a long "conversation" involving many different solo instruments

The recordings:
There are countless recordings of Rodrigo's highly accessible Concierto de Aranjuez, including many
classics (Bream, Romero, etc), so it comes down to personal preference, really. Narciso Yepes delivers
a wonderfully atmospheric, sensitive account in his 1963 recording with the Spanish Radio and Television
Symphony Orchestra under Od�n Alonso. While the recorded sound is perfectly OK, it doesn't
quite reach modern standards of transparency. My "modern" version is the one with Yang Yue-Fei,
recorded in Barcelona under Eiji Oue. She shares many of Yepes's qualities, and adds Stephen Goss's
arrangement of several of Isaac Alb�niz's piano works to form The Alb�niz Concerto. Famed
flamenco guitarist Pablo de Luc�a is in a class of his own with an account in which he often freely
improvises on Rodrigo's guitar part, with the elderly composer sitting next to him during the live recording.
Finally, Rodrigo's own arrangement for harp and orchestra is featured in a wonderful version with
Isabelle Moretti, under the direction of Edmon Colomer, who also conducted de Luc�a's account.




Music Composed by
Joaqu�n Rodrigo

Narciso Yepes (guitar)
Orquesta Sinf�nica R.T.V. Espanola
Od�n Alonso (conductor)

Pablo de Luc�a (guitar)
Orquesta de Cadaques
Edmon Colomer (conductor)

Yang Xue-Fei (guitar)
Orquestra Simf�nica de Barcelona
Eiji Oue (conductor)

Isabelle Moretti (harp)
Real Orquesta Sinf�nica de Sevilla
Edmon Colomer (conductor)



Sources: Deutsche Grammophon, Verve, EMI & Naive CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, mp3(320)

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mp3 version (Yang) - https://mega.co.nz/#!bo4y0I5Y!EFxxItWFRnIR8aCT0CEC7WWrr_JD-NVbayS77DdLjqM
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Milestones of the Concerto Repertoire

X. Pyotr I. Tchaikosvky - Piano Concerto No.1, op.23 (1874)
Violin Concerto, op.35 (1878)

No.200

The works:
Although Pyotr Tchaikovsky was already an accomplished composer (having already produced his
first two symphonies, a string quartet, and two notable tone poems, all of these successful and enduring
works), he still sought the approval of mentors such as Balakirev and Nicolas Rubinstein. On Christmas
Eve 1874 he played the Piano Concerto for Rubinstein (its intended soloist) in an empty classroom. Rubinstein
responded with a torrent of castigation, made famous by Tchaikovsky's own recollection. Tchaikovsky
slunk off in despair. Later Rubinstein called him back and detailed a list of changes that must be made
by a certain date if Rubinstein were to perform it. Tchaikovsky wrote that he responded, "I shall not
change a single note, and I shall publish the concerto as it is now." He continued in his reminiscence,
"And this, indeed, I did." Well, not entirely. Although there are no really substantial changes, he did
subject the concerto to some minor revision before it was printed, as happens with most compositions.
The premiere fell to Hans von B�low, who played it first in Boston, October 15, 1875. The audience
was enraptured and demanded a repeat of the entire final movement. Von B�low took the concerto
back to Europe, where it was quickly added to the repertoire of other leading pianists; even
Rubinstein started playing it in 1878. It has been a giant success, virtually the epitome of the
romantic piano concerto, ever since.

The form of the concerto is lopsided: possessing a notably large scale introduction, the broad
melodies of the first movement run its length out to nearly 25 minutes, more than the length
of the two remaining movements combined. Its arresting opening horn call, with bold orchestral
chords interrupting, leads immediately to one of the most recognizable and beloved of classical
melodies, played by strings with rich harmonic support from the piano solo. Tchaikovsky
initiates a great formal surprise by going straightway into a full-fledged cadenza for the piano
solo, a powerful treatment of the theme. The strings then reassert the melody in its original
form -- and all this is only the introduction to the first movement proper. A lengthy introduction
to be sure (106 measures), but once it ends, that's the last time in the concerto this music
is used in any way. The movement proper is a full-scale sonata-allegro treatment of two
themes, one reputedly a Ukrainian folk theme, the other a gentle romantic theme. There is
great drama and passion in its working out; when it is all over one realizes that there is also
a minimum (for Tchaikovsky) of angst and pathos.

The second movement is tender, beginning with pizzicato chords so quiet as to be almost
whispers. A flute melody of young adolescent tenderness is the main theme of the movement.
There is a central section with a delicate waltz.

The finale opens with a rushing string figure and a powerful drum stroke. The main theme is
an arresting, galloping dance made up of many short phrases. Yet another romantic theme
provides contrast.

Tchaikovsky composed the Violin Concerto in 1878. At Clarens, near Geneva, following both
his mistake of a marriage and his suicide attempt, Tchaikovsky completed both Onegin and the
Fourth Symphony early in 1878. After a round trip to Moscow in February for the symphony's
premiere, he was visited at Clarens by the violinist Yosif Kotek. Tchaikovsky, in fondness for
Kotek, sketched out a violin concerto in just 11 days and had finished scoring it two weeks
later, including a new slow movement in place of one that both Kotek and Tchaikovsky's
younger brother, Modest, considered to be weak.

Pyotr Il'yich dedicated the new concerto to Leopold Auer, the fabled Hungarian �migr� who
would teach two generations of Russian virtuosi. However, just as Nikolai Rubinstein had
vilified the B flat minor Piano Concerto four years earlier, Auer declared this new one
"unplayable" (though he too recanted, and became one of the work's champions). It was,
therefore, a Viennese audience that heard the first performance with Adolf Brodsky and
conductor Hans Richter on December 4, 1881. It was an insufficiently rehearsed and
poorly accompanied performance, about which Eduard Hanslick wrote, "It brings to us
the revolting thought that there may be music that 'stinks in the ear.'" Yet he also wrote
in same review that "the concerto has proportion, is musical, and is not without genius."

In addition to its structural soundness, the concerto fairly teems with melodies, in
such abundance that the orchestra's gorgeous opening tune never returns! Thereafter
the soloist gets first crack at the rest of them, beginning with the "very moderate"
principal theme. The second one is marked molto espressivo, after which the main
theme returns, before the development section that ends in a showy solo cadenza,
followed by the reprise and coda.

The andante Canzonetta ("little song") in 3/4 time with ABA form features a G minor
main theme (additionally marked molto espressivo) and a contrastingly quicker, Chopinesque
second theme in E flat major. Without pause the next movement lifts off like an SST from the
tarmac. It is a Trepak in rondo form, with two extroverted themes of folkloric character,
capped by an extended coda that concludes the piece dervishly. No Russian composer
before or since Tchaikovsky has ended a concerto with greater finesse or panache, not
even Rachmaninov (who learned wherefrom to take his cue early on, with Tchaikovsky's
blessing).





Music Composed by
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky

Van Cliburn (piano)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner (conductor)

Ivo Pogorelich (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Nikolai Tokarev (piano)
National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia
Vladimir Spivakov (conductor)

Jascha Heifetz (violin)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner (conductor)

Zino Francescatti (violin)
New York Philharmonic
Thomas Schippers (conductor)

Joshua Bell (violin)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)



Sources: RCA/BMG, Deutsche Grammophon & Sony CDs (my rips!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD/ADD Stereo, mp3(320)

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mp3 version (Cliburn) - https://mega.co.nz/#!OwoTWSia!ly7-zbJMLMnuNoQQ29dmfTG0I1k3r39cCRfT-ugeMKM
mp3 version (Pogorelich) - https://mega.co.nz/#!35xBFbbD!lZuC7xWPVglMq_cxKPN6aVA8AKdq_7owiQSrkPL Daa0
mp3 version (Tokarev) - https://mega.co.nz/#!X9oTiRDK!YjZuy7_1tDO2jaUrrUDBMPeVXLKX4ndFRV_qYV6 PgzY
mp3 version (Heifetz) - https://mega.co.nz/#!HpI0FQ7C!BGJTxuwiWKUwkXclgz9xYvT5_05swZf6hZ0F9y5 fWLM
mp3 version (Francescatti) - https://mega.co.nz/#!e5p2RD7L!tP-TvHtXBh4fHQtQSq1LNpbtSYYeyegkZZNc5j109xE
mp3 version (Bell) - https://mega.co.nz/#!q05wjCQQ!BPqDNNfql4FU89JG-Vm8qjHSBkK0n2_oQfNL_YKfbkQ

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No.201

Paul Schoenfield’s Klezmer Rondos, written for flutist Carol Wincenc in 1989 on commission from the
National Endowment Consortium Commission Grant, was originally conceived for a small accompanying
ensemble in order to portray some of the typical eastern European klezmer band idioms in the context of a
cultivated concert work in the Western classical mold. The piece was revised and expanded in 1995 for its
New York Philharmonic premiere and became a concerto for flute, tenor, and symphony orchestra. The new
orchestration calls for a contemporary incarnation of an eastern European klezmer band, with some
historically emblematic instruments along with other, atypical ones.

K’li zemer by Robert Starer was commissioned by the celebrated clarinetist and neo-klezmer exponent
Giora Feidman, but premiered in 1988 by Peter Alexander, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, conducted by
Leon Botstein. The term k’li zemer is translated literally from the Hebrew as “instrument of song.” But the
contraction of the two words centuries ago became the Yiddish klezmer although it came to connote wedding
band and street band players rather than classical concert performers. Discussing this concerto, Starer
explained, “While all the thematic ideas in K’li zemer are my own, they do lean toward the melodies of eastern
European Jewish music, with which I have been familiar since my childhood in Vienna and my youth in
Jerusalem; the music played at weddings and similar occasions [among eastern European Jews] by small
groups of musicians, whose favorite instruments were [often] the violin and clarinet.”

Abraham Ellstein's Hassidic Dance is but one of many examples of American Jewry’s general attraction
to the cultural and aesthetic parameters of Hassidism and Hassidic folklore, not necessarily related to
theological considerations or commitments. That there are numerous pieces of precisely the same title by
various American composers is itself evidence of the cultural and aesthetic impact of Hassidism upon the
American Jewish imagination. The principal melody, inflected with perceived eastern European folk style,
gives Jewish credibility to the piece, but its various modern orchestral gestures and moments of classical
development (augmentation, permutation, etc.) raise it to a higher artistic level.



Music by (see above) & Osvaldo Golijov
Played by the Seattle, Berlin Radio & Barcelona Symphony Orchestras
With David Krakauer (clarinet) & Scott Goff (flute)
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

"A disc featuring jazz clarinettist David Krakauer in "Klezmer Concertos and Encores" makes an
explicit link between vocal and instrumental traditions. Klezmer literally means "instrument of song"
and Krakauer's visceral, shrill clarinet*playing elevates already characterful scores by Robert Starer
and Osvaldo Golijov; Klezmer Rounds by Paul Schoenfield for flute, tenor and orchestra is an
effervescent reimagining of Hassidic party music."
Gramophone


Robert Starer, Paul Schoenfield.

Source: Naxos "Milken Archive" CD (my rip!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD Stereo, mp3(320)
File Sizes: 305 MB / 154 MB (FLAC version incl. booklet)

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No.202

American composer and conductor James Yannatos was born in New York City in 1929, attending
the High School of Music and Art and the Manhattan School of Music. Subsequent studies with Nadia Boulanger,
Luigi Dallapiccola, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, and Philip Bezanson in composition, William Steinberg and
Leonard Bernstein in conducting, and Hugo Kortschak and Ivan Galamian on violin took Yannatos to Yale University
(B.M., M.M.), the University of Iowa (Ph.D.), Aspen, Tanglewood, and Paris. As a young violinist, he performed
in various professional ensembles including a piano trio, string quartet, early music groups with Hindemith and
Boulanger, and in the Casals Festival.

In 1964, he was appointed music director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and has led that group on tours
to Europe, Russia, South America, and Asia. He continued to lead the orchestra through 2009. Works in which
he appeared as composer-conductor include his Piano Concerto, premiered with the Florida West Coast
Symphony (William Doppmann, piano), Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra with the Cleveland Chamber
Orchestra, Symphony No.3: Prisms with the American Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Symphony No.2:
Earth, Fire, Air and Water, Symphony No.4: Tiananmen Square, and Symphony No.5: Son et Lumi�re.
His Violin Concerto was premiered by Joseph Lin and the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, celebrating the
40th anniversary of Yannatos at Harvard University. He died of cancer in 2011.



Music Composed and Conducted by James Yannatos
Played by the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra & Collage Ensemble
With Joseph Lin (violin) & Edwin Barker (double bass)

"We've been proud over the past several years to offer the chamber and orchestral music of James
Yannatos on Albany Records, and this newest release offers an excellent sampling of his talents. Born
and educated in New York City, he studied with Philip Bezanson, Nadia Boulanger, Luigi Dallapiccola,
Darius Milhaud and Paul Hindemith. He also studied conducting with William Steinberg and Leonard
Bernstein, and has been music director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra since 1964. The Violin
Concerto was commissioned by the Pierian Foundation in honor of his 40th year at Harvard. The
Symphony, loosely based on a twelve-tone theme, was influenced, as Yannatos says, “by the ragged,
edgy rhythms of jazz filtered through the ears of a classical composer.” The Contrabass Concerto
is described as “a cross between the classical solo concerto, with its typical virtuoso technique,
and the alternating 'ritornello' style of the Baroque solo concerto.” Yannatos' music is exciting
and colorful with a particularly “transparent” sound to the orchestration."



Source: Albany Records CD (my rip!)
Formats: FLAC, DDD Stereo, mp3(320)
File Sizes: 390 MB / 187 MB (FLAC version incl. cover & booklet)

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James Yannatos? Never heard this name or music, very interesting. lets take a ride...

I hope wimpel69 and others will forgive me being late to the Argerich party... but I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only person who doesn't overly enjoy her style. I heard her in concert in London a few years ago (I don't remember if she played the Grieg concerto or the Schumann) and I remember leaving thinking "what on earth was that?" - and not in the sense of being stupefied and overwhelmed with joy; in the sense of confusion and disappointment. As the hall emptied out into the street I overheard almost nothing but almost laughable expressions of praise and adoration - but what little I recall of the performance was rushed and drowning in wrong notes. I enjoy her a little more in recordings (except those where she sounds like she's running late for a lunch date or something,) but I'd be lying if I said she was in my top five, or even top ten. Such is life, I suppose. :)

No.203

The British composer Peter Dickinson was born at Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire in 1934. His sister, Meriel Dickinson,
is the mezzo-soprano with whom he had a long performing partnership. He has also been a long time contributor
to The Gramophone Magazine. His reviews are signed PD. He went to The Leys School, Cambridge, was Organ
Scholar of Queen's College, Cambridge, and then spent three formative years at Juilliard, where he was a pupil of
Bernard Wagenaar and a contemporary of Philip Glass and Peter Schickele. During this period he was a critic on
the Musical Courier and the Musical Times; taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and became
interested in American music of all kinds. He returned to England in 1961 where he held various teaching jobs.
In 1974 he became the first professor of music at Keele University, Staffordshire, where he set up the new department
along with its Center for American Music. Today he is head of music at the Institute of United States Studies,
University of London. He has also written books on the composer Sir Lennox Berkeley, with whom he studied
and the British novelty pianist, composer and educator, Billy Mayerl.

The Piano Concerto grabs you right away with hammered, rising chords - setting up the listener for a late-
Romantic adventure. But nothing of the sort ensues. The Organ Concerto is an earlier but similar work.



Music Composed by Peter Dickinson
Played by the BBC Symphony & City of London Sinfonia
With Howard Shelley (piano) & Jennifer Bate (organ)
And Meriel Dickinson (mezzo-soprano)
Conducted by David Atherton & Nicholas Cleobury

"Two ofthe main preoccupations ofPeter Dickinson's ingenious and entertaining Piano Concerto are the
co-existence of 'popular' and 'serious' musics and the idea of simultaneity, of more than one thing happening
at once. At one point, for example (it can be heard as the work's 'development section'), a rapid toccata for
the soloist and two drummers proceeds quite independently of a slow, quiet, chorale-like blues in the strings.
The confrontation is further dramatized when a second, upright piano is heard playing a rather demure rag.
Neither soloist nor orchestra knows quite what to make of this for a moment or two, but gradually both of
them 'accept' the intrusion and the material proffered by the second pianist, commenting upon it and
reacting to it, but by no means resolving the disparity of styles. A tense, growling cadenza is the result
of this frustration, but in the long final section of the Concerto the conflicts are demonstrated to be more
apparent than real: both toccata and blues are so closely related to the ragtime melody as to be contained
within it. Dickinson's ingenuity lies in the audibility of this demonstration—it is not one of those points
that only the analyst at his desk would spot—and in the fact that his simultaneous strands can so clearly
be heard and distinguished. The sense of perspective, of seeing one music through another (almost
literally at one moment, when a brief 'window' of D major, the home key of the blues, opens in the
midst of another toccata) is very striking, and draws one back for further hearings, for the pleasure
of watching this finely crafted orrery of a concerto go through its intricate but lucid rotations.

The Organ Concerto is a simpler piece, both in its form and its thematic material; what is ingenious
here is the exploitation of a variety of relationships between soloist and orchestra other than the
expected one. The organ never confronts the orchestra with its 'anything you can do I can do better'
persona, while the orchestra itself is often used soloistically. Thus, the organ can duet on equal
terms with a celeste at one moment (over hushed strings that Ives would have termed 'druidical'),
and can act as detached bystander to a battle between two timpanists at another (in a later section
the percussion has its revenge, momentarily snuffing out the organ entirely). Yet the variety of
incident here is again unified by perfectly audible logic: the derivation of all this from no more
than three chords and an appealing (again blues-ish) melody does not have to be taken on trust,
and it gives a satisfying finality to the wistful end of the work (the soloist having returned to
the gradually curdling major chord that set the work going, there is nothing left for its erstwhile
companion the celeste to do but to wander off in search of some other partner).

Both performances are excellent, as the composer gratefully acknowledges in his sleeve-
note; so are both recordings, though I could have done with a slightly closer perspective
on the organ in its concerto."
M.E.O., Gramophone





Source: Albany Records CD (my rip!)
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File Sizes: 305 MB / 179 MB (FLAC version incl. covers & booklet)

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Dickinson is great!
Thanks!