Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

During the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Decca recorded a number of albums with some of its key conductors of Overtures. Many of these were singled out by the press for their terrific sound quality (the fabled ‘Decca Sound’) and for their often adventurous programming. Some of them also included entr’actes and intermezzi. Prized as collectors’ items, many of the original LPs exchange hands at high prices. And most of these reissues, in Decca Eloquence’s ‘Romantic Overtures’ series appear in CD, in part or whole, for the first time.

Romantic Overtures – Volume 3 features a conductor who recorded for Decca over a span of 36 years, from the 78 / early LP era (1949) to 1985: Karl Münchinger. Best known for his recordings from the Baroque and Classical eras, made mostly with ‘his’ Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, he also recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic and made just one recording – of Schumann’s Manfred and Gluck’s Alceste Overtures – with L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (in 1954). Appearing on CD for the first time, they round off a 2CD set that includes, also for the first time on CD, Münchinger’s recording of Beethoven Overtures, as well as a remarkable recording ‘Romantic Overtures’ of music by Weber, Schumann, Schubert, Cherubini and Mendelssohn. Also included is Schubert’s Zauberharfe overture which appeared on Münchinger’s famous disc of the incidental music for Rosamunde.

This disc marks the beginning of a new series, dedicated to the engaging, albeit neglected, orchestral works of the German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff. The survey starts with Symphony No. 2 and the orchestral preludes to four plays by Shakespeare: The Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello, all idiomatically performed by the Orchestre de la Suisse romande, conducted by its new Artistic and Music Director, Neeme Järvi.

Well crafted, with brilliant orchestration and strong melodies, the works of Raff were very highly regarded during his lifetime. In fact, he was one of the most widely performed and influential musicians of his day – some even ranked him with Wagner and Brahms. A highly prolific composer of close to 300 works, he wrote extensively in virtually all forms. Soon after his death, however, his reputation began its descent and his music came to languish in relative obscurity; today his works are largely forgotten.

Composed in 1866, Symphony No. 2 opens with an extended lyrical Allegro. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a wonderfully evocative piece of almost religious intensity. The scherzo, marked Allegro vivace, is the first example in his symphonic œuvre of the debt which Raff owed to Mendelssohn in this type of movement, and the finale, beginning Andante maestoso, then taking off Allegro con spirito, makes a grandiose conclusion.

Thirteen years and close to 150 works separate Symphony No. 2 from the orchestral preludes that Raff composed to four of Shakespeare’s plays. Although not programmatic in any real sense, these overtures are still highly effective in evoking the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s noted creations: In The Tempest, Raff conjures music of great dramatic contrast, while in Macbeth he evokes a truly dark and menacing sound world, portraying the three witches with particular effectiveness. The tender love theme of Romeo and Juliet perfectly complements the powerful depiction of jealousy in Othello.

An anthology of Manuel de Falla's masterpieces, in which he invented modern Spanish music and revived songs, rhythms and dances out of an Andalusia both legendary yet still alive. A tribute to some legendary performers, approaching their centenaries, such as Clara Haskil, Igor Markevitch and Ernest Ansermet, who made these pieces immortal or taught their intricacies to artists such as Teresa Berganza… Incunabula !

Recorded 1960-1961

The comic ballet Coppélia is based on two short stories by ETA Hoffmann and along with the ballet Sylvia and opera Lakmé, one of the most famous works by the French composer Léo Delibes.Influenced himself by Berlioz and Wagner, Delibes was greatly admired by Tchaikovsky and his music clearly inspired the ballets by the Russian master.

This recording with the L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the earlier of two made by Richard Bonynge, was the top recommendation when BBC Radio 3 compared different recordings in its programme Building a Library in 2010.

It is coupled with the short ballet Le Carillon by fellow French composer Jules Massenet, whose centenary is celebrated this year.

Before he was killed in a freak accident, aged only 44, Ataúflo Argenta (1913–1958) was the foremost Spanish conductor of his generation and on the verge of a major international career. After studying in Germany, he founded the Madrid Chamber Orchestra in 1946 and in 1947 was appointed chief conductor of the Orquesta Nacional de España which quickly grew into a major ensemble. Argenta also established himself in Paris with the Paris Conservatoire and French National Radio orchestras and made a considerable number of recordings in London for Decca. He was closely associated with Ernest Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra, the former seeing him as a potential successor.

Argenta was not associated with Beethoven, yet this live ICA recording of the ‘Eroica’ with the Orquesta Nacional shows him as an exciting interpreter. This is the first time this recording has been published outside Spain, and it benefits from excellent remastering. Similarly, Smetana’s Bartered Bride Overture with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande recorded live is also issued for the first time outside Spain. Argenta never recorded either of these works commercially in the studio.

The fill-ups consisting of zarzuela orchestral preludes by Chapí and Giménez have never been issued on CD before and reveal Argenta’s unique affinity with these Spanish composers. The Beethoven and Smetana are important additions to Argenta’s discography.

Marek Janowski is well known for bringing fresh interpretations to familiar works and his partnership with this orchestra has worked well for Bruckner’s compositions “His way with Bruckner is brisk, energetic and lithe……” International Record Review

“Janowski’s consistency is ample reason to recommend his version.” Gramophone

”Janowski conducts...with terrific drive, intensity and tonal richness.” Daily Telegraph

This collection brings together rarities and surprises from the Decca/Argo Britten discography, a collection notable as much for the infrequency with which much of this music is performed, as it is for the fact that many of these are world-premiere recordings of Britten’s music. The source material itself is extremely rare and virtually every recording represented here is, in its LP/EP format, a collector’s item, largely from the Argo catalogue. The all-vocal program opens with Voices for Today which Britten wrote to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. His devotion to excellent music for children is represented by a collection of songs, including five from Friday Afternoons and sung by the boy alto John Hahessy. It was Hahessy who was chosen over Norma Procter to sing the alto part in Britten’s Canticle II ‘Abraham and Isaac’. The earlier Procter/Pears/Britten version, recorded in 1957 but not released at the time in favour of the Hahessy recording; it is included on this collection. In later years, it was perhaps inevitable that other British singers would be compared with those who created and inspired Britten’s work, notably Ferrier, particularly after her early death. Pamela Bowden was one of those singers: she studied with Ferrier’s teacher, Roy Henderson, in London, and was hailed as the singer’s successor. She is represented by A Charm of Lullabies and it seemed sensible to include the remainder of the music on her original EP – two songs by Purcell – as bonus tracks for this release. A rare spoken-word appearance is made by author (and speaker) T.H. White, who reads an extract from his book The Sword in the Stone to an accompaniment of Britten’s music.

Two dramas for solo woman.

A young woman talks over the phone to her lover, whom we never hear; tomorrow he is going to marry someone else… Several times the conversation is interrupted as the line is cut, each time with dramatic effect; and behind this everyday banality, we realise that we are witnessing a veritable descent to the depths with this abandoned woman. Three years after La Voix humaine (his "sad and lovely child", as he used to refer to it with Denise Duval, its first performer), Poulenc was to conclude his collaboration with Cocteau by writing the short monologue that completes this CD: he musical style has not changed, but this time, the depths are those of the Mediterranean, in which the old lady of Monte-Carlo, "a dead woman among the dead" has decided to plunge for the last time… This title was released for the first time in 2001.

This is the latest release in the very successful Janowski Bruckner cycle. The previous releases have received rave reviews. Rob Cowan wrote in the Gramophone (Symphony No.7); “This is yet another significant step towards what I am convinced will eventually turn out to be one of the finest recorded Bruckner cycles of the 21st century.”

The career of Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja seems to have no limits, with performances at the world's greatest opera houses and acclaim for the lyrical warmth of his singing from the press and public alike. In Summer 2010 he triumphed in London performances of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra alongside Plácido Domingo, after which The Independent observed that Calleja “almost steals the show”.

Joseph Calleja is an enthusiastic ambassador for Malta, where he still lives - an island with a proud operatic tradition. In addition to his international appearances, Joseph Calleja has established an annual open-air event in Malta's historic capital Valetta, which has become a focus for the musical life of the island.

Joseph Calleja's opera and concert successes are now crowned by a new recording. His third Decca album captures the development of his art and presents him in some of the roles he is currently performing to ecstatic critical responses: “All the ardor and beauty of tone one could wish for...one of the finest lyric tenors before the public today” (Houston Chronicle on recent performances of Puccini's Madama Butterfly)