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Musical Renegades Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) The Lark Ascending (1914-20) Astor PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) Allegro from Aconcagua (1979) James Crabb (classical accordion) Tamara Anna Cislowska (piano) Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Paavali’s Song from Kuolema (1903) Teddy Tahu Rhodes (baritone) Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) The Mountain Thrall Op. 32 (1877) Teddy Tahu Rhodes (baritone) Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Overture from The creatures of Prometheus Op. 43 (1800-01) Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Adagio-Allegro from Symphony No. 104 in D (1795) Elena KATS-CHERNIN (b 1957) Torque (2002) James Crabb (classical accordion) Tamara Anna Cislowska (piano) György LIGETI (b 1923) Praeludium; Vivacissimo luminoso from the Violin Concerto (1990-93) Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) String Quintet in C major D956 (1828) Richard Tognetti and Helena Rathbone (violins) Caroline Henbest (viola) Emma-Jane Murphy and Melissa Barnard (cellos) Australian Chamber Orchestra/Richard Tognetti (violin and artistic director)/Roland Peelman (conductor) in the Vaughan Williams and Ligeti with other musicians noted as above Recorded Sydney February, March and July 2002 ABC CLASSICS 476 102-6 [2 CDs: 67.48 and 55.23]

Renegades? Really? No, forget the implausible title and see this instead as a double CD set that encapsulates some of the qualities of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and its collaborative artists across a broad spectrum of music. Recorded over four evenings in Sydney in 2002 – at the City Recital Hall and at the Opera House – the concerts were filmed and are now available on DVD. Adventurous and diverse the disc is rather more conspectus than cogent programme – it includes isolated movements from concertos and symphonies – so a broad brush is called for and not the microscope. The disc gets off to a rather sticky start with an over-sophisticated performance of The Lark Ascending – no match for the rapt simplicity of Isolde Menges, Jean Pougnet or Hugh Bean – but they do well by the surge and nostalgia of Piazzolla. The Overture from The Creatures of Prometheus sounds a mite underpowered but the Haydn pleases. Baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes is accomplished in Sibelius and Grieg but the highlight of the first disc is Elena Kats-Chernin’s Torque. Performed hot off the compositional press and inspired by thoughts automotive, hence the title, this is a galvanizing brew, part Piazzolla, part John Adams. It soars, drives and relaxes – grist to the ACO’s mill. The second CD is given over to a performance of the Schubert Quintet given by a contingent of the orchestra led by their artistic director Richard Tognetti. Only a few coughs give away the liveness of the performance – that and the intense concentration of breathing and musical direction. Jonathan Woolf   Gerard Hoffnung CDs Advertising on Musicweb Donate and get a free CD New Releases   Musicweb sells the following labels Acte Préalable Arcodiva British Music Soc. CDAccord Hallé Hortus Lyrita Nimbus Northern Flowers Redcliffe Sheva Talent Toccata Classics Follow us on Twitter Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter

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