Grøn
er vårens hæk. Elisabeth Meyer-Topsøe
sings Danish Songs Niels
W. GADE (1817-1890) Grøn
er vårens hæk (1852) Snedronningen
(The Snow Queen) (1850) (Green is the hedge
of spring) Martsviolerne (1850) (The March
violets) J.P.E. HARTMANN
(1805-1890) Vintergæk (1896)
(Snowdrop) Violen (1896) (The violet) Stork!
Stork! Langeben (1847) (Stork! Stork! Long-leg!)
Lær mig nattens stjerne (1866) (Teach
me, star of the night) Peter
HEISE Den unge lærkes forårssang
(1866) (Spring song of the young lark) Liden
Karen (Little Karen) Sol deroppe ganger under
lide (ca 1849) (The sun up there is descending)
C.E.F. WEYSE (1774-1842)
Storken sidder på bondens tag (1837)
(The stork is sitting on the farmer¹s roof)
Dybt skoven bruser (1803) (The deep forest
is whispering) Morgenstund har guld i mund
(1837) (Early morning is golden) P.E.
LANGE-MÜLLER Solen springer
ud som rose (1896) (The sun is out like a
rose) Genboens første vise (1880) (The
neighbour¹s first song) Ved solnedgang (1880)
(At sunset) Fini
HENRIQUES Våren er kommen
(1917) (Spring has come) Friedrich
KUHLAU Der vanker en ridder (1828)
(There is a knight) En yndig og frydefuld
sommertid (ca 1850) (Lovely and joyful summertime)
Det haver så nyligen regnet (It has
been raining only just now) Nu løvsalen
skygger (1828) (Now the bower gives shade)
J.A.P. SCHULZ O,
fordum elskte steder! (1782) (Oh places that
I used to love) Genboens første vise
Sig månen langsomt hæver (1790)
(The moon is slowly rising) Rudolf
BAY Fred hviler over land og by
(1827) (Peace has descended on country and
town) 
Elisabeth Meyer-Topsøe (soprano)
Per Salo (piano) Recorded at Focus Recording
Studio, Copenhagen, September 2004
DANACORD DACOCD 625 [56.45] [JW]
Particularly
attractive and simpatico. If you snapped up
the earlier volume then you’ll want to snap
up this. ... see Full
Review
Mirrors of Fire Ross
EDWARDS (b. 1943) Blackwattle
Caprices (1998) [6:27] Graeme KOEHNE
(b. 1956) A Closed World of Fine Feelings [4:55] Richard
CHARLTON (b. 1955) Surface Tension (1999) [4:45] Robert
DAVIDSON Junction Rd [4:36] Martin
WESLEY-SMITH (b. 1945) Kolele Mai (2000) [8:23] Richard
VELLA Mirrors of Fire [4:10] Nigel
WESTLAKE (b. 1958) Hinchinbrook Riffs (2003) [8:08] Antarctica
(1992)a [22:00]
Tim Kain (guitar) Tasmanian Symphony Orchestraa/David Porcelijna
Recorded: ABC Studio 2000, December 2001 and August 2003; and Ball Room,
Government House, Hobart, no date (Antarctica)
TALL POPPIES TP 169 [64:27] [HC]
A
very enjoyable and commendable selection of
accessible 20th century music for
guitar. I recommend it wholeheartedly. ...
see Full Review
Musique
& Art Nouveau Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La
Plus que lente (1910) Rêverie (1890) Clair de Lune (from: Suite Bergamasque
-1890) Erik SATIE
(1866-1925) Gymnopédie No. 1 (1888) Le Piccadilly (1904) Gnossienne
No. 3 (1890) Lili BOULANGER
(1893-1918) D'un vieux jardin (1914) D'un jardin clair (1914) Cortège
(1914) Darius MILHAUD
(1892-1974) Trois Rag-Caprices (1922)
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Pavane
pour une infante défunte (1899) Germaine
TALLEFERRE (1892-1983) Pastorale in Ré (1919) Romance
(1913) Hommage à Debussy (1920) Francis
POULENC (1899-1963) Mouvements
perpétuels (1918)
Jacques IBERT (1890-1962)
From Histoires: No. 2: Le petit âne blanc; A giddy
girl Cristina Ariagno
(piano) Recorded Camponogara, Venice, June 2001
ARTS 47672-2 [60.33][JW]
An
enthusiastic recital of French music from the decades straddling the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries ... see Full
Review
Music
for Quiet Listening Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Preludes,
Op. 32/5, 23/6 Lilacs, Op. 21/5 Daisies, Op. 38/3 Leopold
GODOWSKY (1870-1938) Java Suite: Boro Budur in Moonlight
Hollis KELLOGG (b. 1953) Dance for
a New House David DELUCIA (b. 1958)
Carol Ross' Rapture Germaine TAILLEFERRE
(1892-1983) Three Sonatines Maurice RAVEL
(1875-1938) Adagio from Piano Concerto in G major Franz
LISZT/Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Widmung (Dedication) Franz LISZT
(1811-1886) Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude (from
Harmonies Poétiques et Réligieuses) David DeLucia, piano
Recorded Neighborhood Music School, New Haven, Ct., December 2003 PERSONAL
LABEL 59672 [62:39]
More Music for Quiet Listening Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685-1750) Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata
No. 147 - transcribed by Myra Hess) Prelude in B minor (from Clavier
Buchlein for W. F. Bach - transcribed by Alexander Siloti) David
DELUCIA (b. 1958) Jubilant Jane and Her Adventures Song for
Michelle Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Reverie Ballade 1st Arabesque Hollis KELLOGG
(b. 1953)
Pandiatonic Piece No. 1 Howard HANSON
(1896-1981) Impromptu, Op. 19/1 Poèmes Erotiques, nos. 1/2/4
Melodic Etude Richard RODGERS (1902-1979)
Hello Young Lovers (transcribed by Stephen Hough) The March of the
Siamese Children (transcribed by Stephen Hough) Charles
WILLIAMS (1893-1978) The Dream of Olwen David DeLucia, piano
Recorded Neighborhood Music School, New Haven, Ct., November 2003
PERSONAL LABEL 59692 [67:15] [DS]
Snuggle
up to your partner and let the music work
its magic. The results should be sublime ...
see Full Review
Music for Oboe
and Strings Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Oboe
Quartet in F, K. 370 [17:56] Oboe Quintet
in c minor K. 406 (K. 388) [22:20] Bernhard
Henrik CRUSELL (1775-1838) Divertimento
in C, op. 9 [9:55] Johann
Christian BACH (1735-1782) Oboe
Quartet in B flat, B 60 [10:22]
Max Artved, oboe Elise Båtnes, violin
Tue Lautrup, violin/viola Dimitri Golovanov,
viola Lars Holm Johansen, cello rec. Danish
Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen, 11-14 January
2003. DDD
NAXOS 8.557361 [56:52] [KS]
A
most pleasant and recommendable disc ... a
firm spot in the winner’s column ... see Full
Review
Nettle &
Markham in America Leonard
BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) Scenes from "West
Side Story": Prologue and Jet Song;
Something’s Coming; Maria; I Feel Pretty;
A Boy Like That; I Have A Love; Rumble; Somewhere;
Tonight; America Richard
Rodney BENNETT (b.1936) Four-Piece
Suite: Samba Triste; Country Blues; Ragtime
Waltz; Tempo di Hard Rock Percy
GRAINGER (1882-1961) Fantasy on George
Gershwin’s "Porgy and Bess":
Introduction; My Man’s Gone Now; It Ain’t
Necessarily So; Clara, Don’t You Be Downhearted;
Strawberry Call; Summertime; Oh, I Can’t Sit
Down; Bess, You Is My Woman Now; I Got Plenty
O’ Nuttin’; Oh Lawd, I’m On My Way
David Nettle and Richard Markham (pianos)
rec. 24-26 February 1988, EMI Studio 1, Abbey
Road, London. DDD
NEMA NEMACD100 [66'29] [RNB]
Another
winner! ... see Full
Review
Anne
Sofie von Otter George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Hercules (1745): Where shall I fly? (5:24), Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724): E pur così … Piangerò la sorte
mia (6:23) Claudio
MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Scherzi musicali (1607): O rosetta
che rosetta (1:48), La violetta (3:06), Arianna (1608): Lasciate
mi morire (3:47) Johan
Helmich ROMAN (1694-1758) Then Svenska Messan (1752):
O Herre Gud Gudds Lamb (3:28) Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Trauer-Music
eines kunsterfahrenen Canarienvogels (1737) (15:07) George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Semele
(1744): Where’er you walk (4:03)
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano), Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble
Recorded 28th February-March 2nd 1983 at Sa
Gertrud Church, Stockholm
PROPRIUS PRCD 9008 [46:45][CH]
It
is interesting to find Anne Sofie von Otter sounding more like a contralto
than she does today. An excellent baroque anthology in any case. ...
see Full Review
Romantic
String Trios from Hungary Leo
WEINER (1885-1960) String
Trio, Op. 6 in g (1908) [21.54] Zoltan KODÁLY
(1882-1967) Intermezzo (c.1905) [5.12] Ernst
von DOHNANYI (1877-1960) Serenade Op. 10 (1902) [21.14]
Deutsches Streichtrio: Hans Kalafusz, violin; Jürgen Weber, viola;
Reiner Ginzel, cello Recorded at Kirche der Karlshöhe, Ludwigsburg,
Germany, April 1992 Notes in English, Français, Deutsch.
CPO 999 9502 [48.50] [PSh]
Excellent
performances of very approachable chamber
music that should be much better known. ...
see Full Review
Burkhard
Schliessmann,
piano Leopold GODOWSKY (1870-1938)
Symphonic Metamorphoses on Waltzes and Themes of Johann Strauss
Die Fledermaus [14:05] Alt-Wien [2:54] Wienerisch [3:10] Ein Künstlerleben
[16:34] Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Piano
Transcriptions of Schubert Songs Die Forelle [3:57] Auf dem Wasser zu
Singen [4:50] Ständchen nach Shakespeare [3:15] Leise flehen meine
Lieder [6:31] Aufenthalt [3:55] Erlkönig [4:57] Frederic
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Ballade in g minor, op. 23 [10:08] Ballade
in F major, op. 38 [7:44] Ballade in A flat major, op. 47 [7:23] Ballade
in F minor, op. 52 [11:14] Fantasie in f minor, op. 49 [13:09] Barcarolle
in F-sharp major, op. 60 [8:18] Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat major,
op. 61 [12:52] Reflections on Chopin (Waltz in c-sharp minor,
op. 64 no 2. [3:45]
Burkhard Schliessmann, piano rec. Mendelssohn Saal, Stadthalle am Johannisberg
Wuppertal. No recording date given.
ARTHAUS
DVD 100455 [73:00] BONUS DVD AUDIO (CHOPIN) [70:00] [KS]
Liszt
Schubert transcriptions: Mr. Schliessmann
portrays their poetry. He is fleet of finger
and his handling of inner voices is exquisite.
... see Full Review
Shu-Cheen
Yu (sop) Serenade see
review for details
Shu-Cheen Yu (sop)
Patrick Nolan flute The Queensland Orchestra/Brett Kelly Rec. 3-6 Feb
2004, Studio 420, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Brisbane. DDD
ABC CLASSICS 476 2610
[64.26] [RJF]
Discs
such as this by singers of similar ability can sell well with good promotion
and where the singer has public appeal. It may appeal to fans of Shu-Cheen
Yu’s earlier albums and will certainly extend their musical horizons.
... see Full Review
South American Guitar Classics
Manuel PONCE (b.1882)
Valse
(arr. Segovia) (>1931) [2.56] Preambulo e allegro (1931) [4.19] Gavotte
(<1931) [3.21] Astor
PIAZZOLA (1921 - 1992) La
Muerte del Angel (‘1960s’) [4.09]
Agustin BARRIOS [MANGORÉ] (1885
- 1944) Mazurca
appassionata (<1916) [5.10] Danza Paraguaya (<1916) [2.20] Tremelo
“Una limosna por el amor de Dios” (1944) [3.42] Tango No.2
(<1916) [3.27] Study in A “Las Abejas” (<1916) [1.59]
Valse Op 8 No.3 (arr. Stover) [5.41] Choro de Saudade (arr. Stover)
[5.41] Julia Florida (arr. Stover) (c.1932) [3.38]
Antonio LAURO (1917 - 1986) Vals
Venezolanos No.2 (1963) [1.32] El Negrito (1968) [1.50] El Marabino
(1968) [1.22]
Dilermando REIS (1916 - 1977) Si
ela perguntar [3.01]
Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887 - 1959) Five
Preludes (1940): No.1 [4.18]; No.2 [3.00]; No.3 [6.30]; No.4 [3.14];
No.5 [4.09]
Marcelo
Kayath, guitar Rec. MAMP, Haberdasher’s Aske’s School, London,
UK, 1987-1991 Notes in English.
REGIS
RRC 1149 [75.19][PSh]
For
brilliant effortless guitar virtuosity, this is the finest guitar disc
I’ve ever heard. ... see Full
Review
Nina
Stemme Recital Richard WAGNER (1813 – 1883) Wesendonck
Lieder (1857/8) [20:37] Gösta
NYSTROEM (1890 – 1966) Sånger vid havet (1942/3)
[18:33]
August de BOECK (1865 – 1937) Sept Mélodies (1911/5) [26:33]
Nina Stemme (soprano);
Jozef de Beenhouwer (piano) Recorded: Academiezaal, Sint Truiden, March
2003 (Wagner, Nystroem) and Blauwe Zaal-deSingel, Antwerp, May 2004
(de Boeck)
PHAEDRA
92040 [66:05][HC]
I
enjoyed this release enormously and recommend it wholeheartedly. ...
see Full Review
Vanitas Vanitatum (Vanity
of Vanities) - Rome 1650 Giacomo CARISSIMI
(1605-1674) Vanitas Vanitatum II (attrib): SSATB, 2 violins and
basso continuo 1. Simphonia [11'03"]; 2. Hinc, mortales [6'18"]
Marco MARAZZOLI (c.1605-1662) Ogni
nostro piacer: SSA, 2 violins and basso continuo - Cantata [13'07"]
Domenico MAZZOCCHI (1592-1665) Da
tutti gli horologi si cava moralità: Tenor and continuo (1640) [3'36"]
Luigi ROSSI (1597-1653) Ergi la mente al sole:
SSATB, 2 Violins and continuo- Oratorio 1. Introduttione [4'09"];
2. Io sono il sole [9'52"] Virgilio
MAZZOCCHI (1597-1646) Sospirate bellezze: ATB - Madrigal
(pub.1652) [2'42"]
Stefano LANDI (c.1586-1639) Superbe
colli: Bass and Continuo - Arie (pub.1620) [6'22"] Luigi
ROSSI O si quis daret concentum: SSS, solo violin, harp and organ
- Motet [7'36"] ANONYMOUS
Ciaccona di paradiso, e dell'Inferno: SSATB and Continuo O che bel
star è star in Paradiso [3'51"] (from Canzonette
spirituali, e morali, Milan 1677) Passacalli della vita: SA and Continuo
O, come t'inganni [4'26"] (from Canzonette spirituali, e
morali, Milan 1677)
Tragicomedia/Stephen
Stubbs and Erin Headley Recorded in the Doopsgezinde Kerk, Haarlem,
The Netherlands, 2/1995 (Re-issue from Teldec 4509-98410-2)
WARNER
APEX 2564 61687-2 [74'00"][JP]
All
in all, a delightful disc which I am sure will appeal to anyone
interested in this period of Italian music. ... see Full
Review
Variations
Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990) Orchestral
Variations (1957) [12:46] Luigi DALLAPICCOLA
(1904-1975)
Variazioni per Orchestra (1954) [13:37] Elliott
CARTER (b. 1908) Variations for Orchestra (1955)
[23:41] William SCHUMAN (1910-1992)
arranged from Charles IVES (1874-1954)
Variations on ‘America’ (1963) [6:45]
The Louisville Orchestra/Robert S. Whitney (1904-1986) Recorded:
1954, 1956, 1957 and 1974, Louisville, Kentucky Executive producer:
Matthew Walters Partial funding by National Endowment for the Arts.
world premiere recordings (apart from Ives/Schuman) all mono
FIRST EDITION FECD-0001 [56:50] [RB]
This
fine disc is the first issue in Matt Walters’
revival of the recordings into the modern
market. The unifying thread is the variation
form read through dissonant modernity ...
see Full Review
The
Art of the Vienna Horn Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Horn
Sonata in F, Op. 17 (1800) [14’17]. Franz
Peter SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Auf
dem Strom, D943 (1828) [9’57]. Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-56) Adagio and
Allegro in A flat, Op. 70 (1849) [8’48].
Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-97) Trio in E flat for Piano, Violin
and Horn, Op. 40 (1865) [27’47].
Wolfgang Tomboeck (Vienna horn); Genia Kühlmeier
(soprano); Johannes Tomboeck (violin); Madoka
Inui (piano). Rec. ORF Funkhaus, Vienna, 10-14
November, 10 December 2003. DDD
NAXOS 8.557471 [60’48] [CC]
A
triumph; a real disc to be savoured. And most
emphatically not limited in its appeal to
horn players! ... see Full
Review
Bruno
Walter in New York - Volume II Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Exsultate Jubilate K165 Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Piano Concerto No.2 Op.83 Violin Concerto Op.77 Symphony
No.2 Op.73 Irmgard
Seefried (soprano) Myra Hess (piano) Erica Morini (violin) New York
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter Recorded live 1951 (Symphony
and Piano Concerto) and 1953 (Violin Concerto and Mozart)
TAHRA 545 [63.14 + 77.23] [JW]
An
attractive compilation. The Concerto performance
is deeply attractive and the Symphony shows
his special affinities. Warmly recommended.
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH We
Want The Light With
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Evgeny
Kissin, Zubin Mehta, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas
Zuckerman. the Gürzenich Orchestra of
Cologne, the Cologne Opera Chorus, the Cologne
Cathedral Children's Choir plus three camp
survivors: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Jacques
Stroumsa and Alice Sommer Herz and others.
Directed and written by Christopher Nupen.
All regions DVD 2004 Allegro
Films/ Christopher Nupen Films BBC/OPUS
ARTE OA CN0909 D [330:00] [AO]
The
interviews with musicians who survived the
concentration camps are remarkable. They support
the view that music resonates with something
fundamental in the human soul, and cannot,
ultimately, be hijacked for evil purposes
... see Full
Review
BOOK
REVIEWS
Alberich
and Friends by
Ian Runcie Published by Trafford, 2004. 145
pages; Perfect bound; catalogue #04-0456;
ISBN 1-4120-2628-8 [JL]
Ian
Runcie tells the story of the Ring in short
novel format, focusing on the main characters
in a Jungian interpretation. ... see
Full Review
Louis ANDRIESSEN:
De Staat Robert Adlington 2004
159 pp. CD recording included ASHGATE PUBLISHING
LTD ISBN 0 7546 0925 1
Uncommon
lucidity and perception ... a revelatory series
... an innovative approach which treats its
readers and listeners with respect ... see
Full Review
The Cambridge
Companion to Rossini Edited
by Emanuele Senici Cambridge University Press
2004 softback, 264pp ISBN 0-521-00195-1 Price:
£17:99/$23.99 [IL]
An
intensive, yet readable study revealing many
facets of Rossini’s art. ... see
Full Review
Detailed listing (last two
days)]
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3
C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]
[Part 5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L]
[Part 7 Misc M-Z]
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