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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Bach - Concertos for solo Harpsichord Nos. 2, 3 & 7
Ivor Bolton (harpsichord & director) St James’s Baroque Players “Ivor Bolton is again recorded …close enough to enable him to be heard in realistic balance with the strings. …(his) clean and incisive fingers bring the music to life in these most enjoyable recordings, two discs (refers also to RRC1308) that, having found their way there, should not gather dust on anyone's shelf.” Gramophone | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Bach - The 7 Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings
Ivor Bolton (harpsichord & director) St James’s Baroque Players | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | New 2008 recording
Ten years ago Angela Hewitt recorded a version of The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I which dazzled the critical world and record-buying public. It was followed shortly afterwards by Book II which was similarly received. Now, fresh from her Bach World Tour—in which she performed the complete Well-Tempered Clavier from August 2007 until the end of October 2008 in 58 cities in 21 countries on six continents—Angela has made an entirely new recording of this most iconic of keyboard works. In a revealing and personal programme note, Angela explains her reasons, both artistic and emotional, for this momentous creative decision. She speaks of the ‘new-found freedom’ that she discovered in her later performances, and especially her use of Fazioli pianos, ‘whose luminous, powerful, and also ever so delicate sounds opened new worlds to me and allowed my imagination to take flight’. This is an unmissable new release. “Hewitt…take full advantage of the piano's potential, including its middle (sostenuto) pedal; for that mighty tonic pedal below the final harmonies of Fugue in A minor. Her quiet sustained tone is as silky and restrained as a clavichord; the opening of the first Prelude is breathtaking, creating a sense of embarking on a sustained pilgrimage throughout the whole set.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2009 ***** “Listening to Angela Hewitt's latest thoughts on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier alongside her late-1990s Hyperion cycle (11/98, 7/99), it appears that her interpretations haven't changed so much as evolved, intensified and, most important, internalised. Perhaps one could pigeonhole Hewitt I as characterised by dance, while Hewitt II mainly celebrates song. While both versions hold equal validity and stature, Hewitt's remake ultimately digs deeper, with more personalised poetry.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2009 “As ever with Hewitt, the joie de vivre she finds in this music remains exhilarating. Even if you own her old set, this new one cries out to be heard.” Sunday Times, 3rd May 2009 ***** “What shines through her playing most of all is a sovereign control of touch, texture and dynamic, so that every line is perfectly characterised and distinct. This is by no means the only approach to playing Bach's masterpiece on a piano, as the historic, equally valid recordings by artists as contrasting as Edwin Fischer, Glenn Gould and Sviatoslav Richter demonstrate, but it's a measure of Hewitt's achievement that she invites comparison with pianists as great as those.” The Guardian, 17th April 2009 ***** “Angela Hewitt's Bach has long been a thing of wonder...Her palette of colours is judiciously chosen, her variety of touch and dynamics gauged so that each prelude and fugue has a character of its own and contributes something special to Bach's iridescent kaleidoscope of musical invention.” The Telegraph, 16th April 2009 ***** “Fresh from her Bach World Tour - in which she performed the work in 58 cities in 21 countries on six continents - she has gone back into the studio (actually the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin) and made a new recording of this landmark work for keyboard...The result is a precious document, which draws upon her development as a person and a performer over the past 10 years. Playing of this ease and assurance rarely has such a profound understanding of the material. This is no mechanical journey through the cycle of keys. This is life itself.” The Observer “The 2009 Hewitt — protean, humane, modern but respectful, beautifully recorded — was the version to live with. It would even sound good, I’m sure, on the BBC’s desert island.” The Times, 27th March 2009 ***** “Listening to Angela Hewitt's latest thoughts on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier alongside her late- 1990s Hyperion cycle (reviewed below), it appears that her interpretations haven't changed so much as evolved, intensified and, most important, internalised. This perception is enhanced by a closer sonic image, plus the leaner, more timbrally diverse qualities of Hewitt's Fazioli concert grand that contrast with her earlier recording's mellower, more uniform Steinway. Yet one readily credits Hewitt's pianistic prowess for more acutely differentiated legato and detached articulation this time around, together with a wider range of melodic inflection. This adds considerable textural dimension to fugues whose close counterpoint is extremely difficult to voice and clarify.
Hewitt's uncommonly brisk and elegantly poised G sharp minor Book 2 Fugue has acquired conversational light and shade. Rubati hinted at earlier re-emerge in fuller, more purposeful bloom: compare both readings of the E flat major Book 1 Prelude and the E major Book 2 Fugue, for example. Perhaps one could pigeonhole Hewitt I as characterised by dance, while Hewitt II mainly celebrates song. While both versions hold equal validity and stature, Hewitt's remake ultimately digs deeper, with more personalised poetry. Perhaps she'll revisit the Goldberg Variations next?” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“To hear Mullova play Bach is, simply, one of the greatest things you can experience”, wrote the London Guardian. ONYX now proudly announces Viktoria Mullova’s first COMPLETE recording of the Bach Sonatas & Partitas. For Philips in the early 90s Viktoria recorded the 3 Partitas on a modern violin but has never recorded the Sonatas, and in the meantime her interpretations have been transformed by her studies in Baroque practice and her subsequent performances with masters such as Gardiner, Dantone, Harnoncourt, Antonini and il Giardino Armonico. Mullova’s fifth release on ONYX: previous releases including Bach Sonatas with Dantone (ONYX4020) and Vivaldi Concertos with Giardino Armonico (ONYX4001) 2CDs for the price of 1.5. Deluxe digipak format with booklet containing article by Viktoria herself explaining her long and still-evolving journey working on Bach “In this recording Viktoria Mullova presents virtually flawless playing but, of greater importance, she sustains an impeccably punctuated, modulated and compelling dialogue through Bach's counterpoint with seemingly effortless intimacy and charm.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2009 **** “These are outstanding performances… Mullova brings together several ideal qualities for a Bach player. Firstly, there's a secure sense of style… Then there's her superior, virtuoso's technique, producing beautifully precise tuning and, in the fugal movements finely controlled, varied and euphonious playing of the most densely polyphonic passages. To this we can add her deep musical understanding; by means of subtle emphasis and natural dynamic contrasts, she draws our attention to the beauty of Bach's harmonic progressions and to the balance and grandeur of his designs.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2009 “Mullova's sense of an ongoing musical line is immaculate and totally unselfconscious, the authority of her performances is never in doubt.” The Guardian, 15th May 2009 **** “This set of Bach's six solo Sonatas and Partitas BWV1001-6 represents the first fruits of Mullova's full adoption of period tools of the trade alongside her assimilation of an apposite style of playing. And what remarkable discs they are. This is wonderfully fluent, absorbingly imaginative playing.” The Telegraph, 7th April 2009 ***** “The virtuosity is stunning; the complex fugues in the C major and A minor sonatas are perfectly lucid, and the great D minor chaconne rises to an electrifying mid-point climax.” The Observer, 5th April 2009 “Viktoria Mullova plays a gut-strung Guadagnini (in modern set-up) at low pitch, using a Baroque-style bow, so it's with the period instrument Bach recordings that Mullova can be most usefully compared.
These are outstanding performances, however, whatever category they belong to. Mullova brings together several ideal qualities for a Bach player. Firstly, there's a secure sense of style, apparent equally in the rhythm and character of each of the Partitas' dances, and in the ornamented introductory movements of the first two Sonatas. Then there's her superior, virtuoso's technique, producing beautifully precise tuning and, in the fugal movements, finely controlled, varied and euphonious playing of the most densely polyphonic passages. To this we can add her deep musical understanding; by means of subtle emphasis and natural dynamic contrasts, she draws our attention to the beauty of Bach's harmonic progressions and to the balance and grandeur of his designs. Even on the few occasions where Mullova isn't entirely convincing the poise and sheer quality of the playing remains extremely persuasive.
There have been many fine recent recordings of these works, but this one is definitely not to be missed.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | Onyx - ONYX4040 (CD - 2 discs) Normally: $25.50 Special: $17.85 |
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| |  | Artur Schnabel: Scholar of the Piano
Bach, J S: | Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 5 in D major, BWV850 recorded June 1950 Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, BWV903 recorded June 1948 Italian Concerto, BWV971 recorded November 1938 Toccata in C minor, BWV911 Toccata in D major, BWV912 recorded November 1937 Concerto for Two Keyboards in C major, BMV1061 recorded Octover 1936 with Karl Ulrich Schnabel (piano) London Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult | Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique' Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight' recorded April 1934 Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' recorded February 1933 Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 'Waldstein' recorded April 1934 Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata' Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a 'Les Adieux' recorded April 1933 Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 'Hammerklavier' recorded November 1935 Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 recorded 1932 Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 recorded March 1932 Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110 recorded January 1932 Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 recorded 1932 | Mozart: | Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E flat, K365 recorded October 1936 with Karl Ulrich Schnabel (piano) London Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K467 'Elvira Madigan' recorded January 1937 London Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent Piano Sonata No. 17 in B flat major, K570 Rondo in A minor, K511 recorded June 1948 Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K332 recorded 1946-47 Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K478 recorded January 1934 with Members of the Pro Arte Quartet | Schubert: | Moments Musicaux (6), D780, Op. 94 recorded November 1937 Allegretto in C minor, D915 March D606 Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D960 recorded January 1939 4 Impromptus, D899 4 Impromptus, D935 recorded June 1950 Piano Quintet in A major, D667 'The Trout' recorded November 1935 with Claude Hobday & members of the Pro Arte Quartet |
Artur Schnabel was born on 17 April, 1882 at Lipnik Górny, a suburb of the modern-day Polish town of Bielsko-Biala. At the time of his birth this town would have been known as Bielitz, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Schnabel died in 1951 at Axenstein in Switzerland. He was the youngest of three children and when still a child the family moved to Vienna, where the young Schnabel took up studies with the legendary Theodor Leschetizsky, who also taught Paderewski and Moiseiwitsch. Schnabel remained a pupil of Leschetizsky's for seven years, from 1892 to 1897. Schnabel's début took place in 1890 in Vienna and in 1900 he moved to Berlin, where he lived for 33 years. In 1905 he married the well-known contralto, Therese Behr, and the couple successfully toured the German provinces giving Lieder recitals. The birth of their first son, Karl Ulrich, took place in 1909 and in 1912 a second boy, Stefan, was born. Karl Ulrich was to become a famous teacher and accomplished pianist: he features in two of the recordings in this set. A number of today's famous pianists studied with him, including Leon Fleisher and Peter Serkin. Stefan took up acting as a career and achieved a fair degree of success in both Germany and Hollywood. Schnabel made his first recordings in 1930 of the Beethoven sonatas and concertos and, in 1933, the Schnabel family left Berlin a few months after Hitler took power. They lived in England for a while and in 1939 moved to the USA where, in 1944, Schnabel became an American citizen. Although resident in America, it was in Europe that he was more widely recognised and it was in London, for EMI, that Schnabel made virtually all of his great recordings. This set of 8 CDs presents the incomparable Schnabel in a range of works by composers whose music he particularly admired and made a speciality of: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Fritz Kreisler: The Charming Maverick
Bach, J S: | Gavotte (Rondeau) from Partita No. 3 in E major BWV1006 (arr. Kreisler) recorded February 1938 with Franz Rupp (piano) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: I. Adagio Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068: Air ('Air on a G String') (arr. Wilhelm) recorded February 1903 | Beethoven: | Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 recorded December 1926 Berlin State Opera Orchestra, Leo Blech Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 recorded June 1936 London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Barbirolli Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-10 (Complete) recorded 1935-1936 with Franz Rupp (piano) | Brahms: | Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 recorded November 1927 Berlin State Opera Orchestra, Leo Blech Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 recorded June 1936 London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Barbirolli | Brandl: | The Old Refrain (arr. Kreisler) with Michael Raucheisen (piano) | Bruch: | Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 recorded December 1924 Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Eugene Goossens | Chopin: | Mazurka No. 45 in A minor, Op. 67 No. 4 (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Dvorak: | Humoresque in G flat major, Op. 101 No. 7 (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Falla: | Jota (No. 4 from Siete canciones populares españolas) (arr. Kreisler) with Michael Raucheisen (piano) | Glazunov: | Spanish Serenade, Op. 20 No. 2 (arr. Kreisler) with Michael Raucheisen (piano) | Heuberger: | Midnight Bells (from Der Opernball) (arr. Kreisler) with Michael Raucheisen (piano) | Kreisler: | String Quartet in A minor recorded April 1935 Fritz Kreisler, Thomas Petre (violins), William Primrose (viola), Laurie Kennedy (cello) Caprice Viennois, Op. 2 Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3 recorded September 1936 with Franz Rupp (piano) Schön Rosmarin La Gitana Liebesleid Liebesfreud recorded February 1938 with Franz Rupp (piano) La Précieuse (in the style of Louis Couperin) Chanson Louis XIII and Pavane (In the style of Couperin) recorded February 1930 with Michael Raucheisen (piano) Rondo (after Mozart) Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven recorded February 1938 with Franz Rupp (piano) Scherzo (In The Style Of Dittersdorf) Aubade Provençale recorded November 1911 | Mendelssohn: | Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 recorded December 1926 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 recorded April 1935 London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald Song without Words, Op. 62 No. 1 in G major 'May Breezes' recorded December 1926 with Arpád Sándor (piano) | Mozart: | Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K218 recorded December 1924 Sir Landon Ronald Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K218 recorded February 1937 London Philharmonic Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent | Poldini: | Poupée valsante (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Rimsky Korsakov: | Hymn to the Sun Song of the Hindu Guest (from Sadko) (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Schumann: | Romance in A major, Op. 94 No. 2 (arr. Kreisler) recorded December 1927 with Arpád Sándor (piano) | Scott, C: | Lotus Land, Op. 47 No. 1 (W183) (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Tchaikovsky: | Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet No. 1 in D Op. 11) (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) Souvenir de Hapsal, Op. 2: No. 3. Song without Words in F major recorded February 1903 | trad.: | Londonderry Air (arr. Kreisler) with Franz Rupp (piano) | Weber: | Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 10 No. 1: Larghetto recorded February 1930 with Michael Raucheisen (piano) |
Fritz Kreisler was born in Vienna in 1875. His father was Jewish and his mother a Roman Catholic. He was the youngest pupil ever to enter the Conservatoire in Vienna, where he was taught by Anton Bruckner. He then went to Paris to continue his studies with, among others, Leo Delibes and Jules Massenet. He was 13 years old when he made his American début in New York, during his first tour of that country in 1888/1889. His début with the Berlin Philharmonic took place in 1898 and launched his international career. In 1910 he gave the premiére of Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work that was dedicated to him. After a short period of residence in the US during World War I, he finally settled there at the outbreak of World War II, becoming a US citizen in 1943. In 1941 a traffic accident caused his hearing and eyesight to be somewhat impaired but he continued to perform, giving his final public concert in 1947, although he continued to broadcast for some time after that. He died in New York City in 1962. Aside from being one of the great violin soloists of his time Kreisler was also a composer of some note, ascribing some of his own pastiche compositions to composers of an earlier time. When, in 1935, he revealed that these works were not written by the likes of Pugnani, Vivaldi and Tartini but were, in fact his own, he came in for a degree of critical opprobrium. Whatever the critics might have said it cannot be denied that many of Kreisler's shorter works, some of which are included in this set of 10 CDs, are among the most popular in the classical genre. Here is an opportunity for the collector to become familiar with these works played by the master himself. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Hans Hotter: The Great Bass-Baritone
Bach, J S: | Cantata BWV82 'Ich habe genug' recorded 22-24/3/1950 Philharmonia Orchestra, Anthony Bernard | Brahms: | Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121 recorded 11-12/11/1951 Feldeinsamkeit, Op. 86 No. 2 Mit vierzig Jahren, Op. 94 No. 1 Wie Melodien zieht es mir, Op. 105 No. 1 Sonntag, Op. 47 No. 3 Minnelied Op. 71 No. 5 Wir wandelten, wir zwei zusammen Op. 96/2 Wie bist du, meine Königin Op. 32 No. 9 Komm bald, Op. 97 No. 5 (Groth) Heimkehr, Op. 7 No. 6 Wenn du nur Zuweilen lächelst (No. 2 from Acht Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 57) Sapphische Ode, Op. 94 No. 4 Botschaft, Op. 47 No. 1 Ständchen, Op. 106 No. 1 Heimweh, Op. 63 No. 8 Auf dem Kirchhofe, Op. 105 No. 4 Verrat, Op. 105 No. 5 In Waldeseinsamkeit, Op. 85 No. 6 Sommerabend, Op. 85 No. 1 Mondenschein, Op. 85 No. 2 | Grieg: | Ich liebe Dich, Op. 5 No. 3 | Loewe, C: | Edward, Op. 1 No. 1 (Herder) Der Erlkönig, Op. 1 No. 3 (Goethe) Odins Meeresritt "Meister Oluf, der Schmied auf Helgoland", Op. 118 Die wandelnde Glocke, Op. 20 No..3 Hinkende Jamben, Op. 62 No. 5 | Pfitzner: | Der Gärtner (Eichendorff) | Schubert: | Winterreise D911 recorded 24-29/5/1954 An die Musik D547 Meeres Stille, D216, Op. 3 No. 2 (Goethe) Im Frühling, D882 Am Bach im Fruhling, D361 Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, second version, D583 (Schiller) Geheimes, D719 (Goethe) Sei mir gegrüsst! D741 (Rückert) Im Abendrot, D799 Wandrers Nachtlied I 'Der du von dem Himmel bist', D224 Wandrers Nachtlied II 'Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh', D768 Wohin? (No. 2 from Die schöne Müllerin, D795) | Schumann: | Wer machte dich so krank? Op.35 No.11 (Kerner) Alte Laute, Op. 35, No. 12 Erstes Grün, Op. 35 No. 4 Die beiden Grenadiere, Op. 49 No. 1 Mondnacht (No. 5 from Liederkreis, Op. 39) | Strauss, R: | Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann, Op. 21 No. 4 Ich trage meine Minne, Op. 32 No. 1 | Wolf, H: | Der Tambour (No. 5 from Mörike-Lieder) Ob de Koran von Ewigkeit sei? (No. 34 from Goethe-Lieder) So lang man nüchtern ist (No. 36 from Goethe-Lieder) Schon streckt' ich aus (No. 27 from Italienisches Liederbuch) Ein Ständchen Euch zu bringen kam ich her (No. 22 from Italienisches Liederbuch) Anakreons Grab (No. 29 from Goethe-Lieder) Songs (3) on poems by Michelangelo Buonarroti Cophtisches Lied I (No. 14 from Goethe-Lieder) Cophtisches Lied II (No. 15 from Goethe-Lieder) Grenzen der Menschheit (No. 51 from Goethe-Lieder) Prometheus (No. 49 from Goethe-Lieder) Harfenspieler I (No. 1 from Goethe-Lieder) Harfenspieler II (No. 2 from Goethe-Lieder) Harfenspieler III (No. 3 from Goethe-Lieder) Geselle, woll’n wir uns in Kutten hüllen (No. 14 from Italienisches Liederbuch) Verborgenheit (No. 12 from Mörike-Lieder) Der Musikant (No. 2 from Eichendorff-Lieder) Fussreise (No. 10 from Mörike-Lieder) Nimmersatte Liebe (No. 9 from Mörike-Lieder) |
plus excerpts of operas by Orff, R Strauss & Wagner
Hans Hotter was one of the major artists signed to EMI by the legendary record producer Walter Legge in Vienna as soon as the Second World War ended and one of his first recordings for the company was the Brahms Requiem under Herbert von Karajan, an extract from which is included in this set. This 6-CD set is devoted mainly to German Lieder and includes an impressive collection of songs recorded when Hotter was in his prime and generally accompanied by Gerald Moore. A number of tracks in this set are appearing in stereo for the first time on CD; their only previous stereo issue was on a local Angel LP in the USA.The two excerpts from Die Meistersinger are incomplete because the recordings were not released at the time they were made (1948) and some of the original 78 rpm masters had not survived by the time the items were issued on LP for the first time in 1982. Recorded 1947-1957. Some works in mono. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Edin Karamazov - The Lute is a Song
‘What I want to do with my lute is to sing’ Edin Karamazov On his extraordinary debut album, the modern master of the lute explores all the colours of this most evocative and versatile of instruments - in music from the Renaissance to the modern day. The many voices of his lutes and guitars are joined by four of today’s most remarkable singers - Renée Fleming, Kaliopi, Andreas Scholl & Sting - in new interpretations of songs from the pop, folk and classical traditions. “…a release that's as unusual and distinctive as Edin Karamazov's own playing. What other lutenist would open his disc with Leo Brouwer's Paisaje cubano con rumba, originally for four guitars but here played on a single, multi-tracked electric guitar, and follow it by accompanying Sting on archlute as the latter sings his own 'Alone with my thoughts this evening"?” Gramophone Magazine, June 2009 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Bach - Preludes, Toccatas and Fugues for organ
Bach, J S: | Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV565 Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C major, BWV564 Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV538 'Dorian' Toccata & Fugue in F major, BWV540 Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV547 Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV544 Fantasia & Fugue in G minor, BWV542 'Great' Prelude & Fugue in G major, BWV541 Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV543 Prelude & Fugue in C minor, BWV546 Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV548 'Wedge' Prelude & Fugue in F minor, BWV534 Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor, BWV582 |
Any collection of recordings by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) must include a good proportion of his compositions for the organ on which he must have been a master-performer and for which he provided a treasure trove of works. With organs requiring large acoustics they are usually to be found in churches, but such is the expense of maintaining them and the buildings in which they are housed that some are falling in to a state of disrepair or are being removed to be replaced by modern electrical or electronic instruments which, for all their good workmanship, completely fail to match the majesty of the original. Recordings, therefore, on a fine Hi-fi system are a fine alternative to travel long distances to sit on often uncomfortable pews in cold churches (however that is not to say that they should completely replace the chance of hearing an original in real life, like other forms of music a live performance has added dimensions, it is just that it is becoming harder to attend such performances). Lionel Rogg, in this first of several planned sets, brings together many of the more extended works which are set as either a Fantasia, Prelude or Toccata followed by a Fugue and include many favourites including the ever popular Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Bach Cantatas Volume 20Cantatas for Septuagesima (Grote Kerk, Naarden) & Cantatas for Sexagesima (Southwell Minster)
Recording locations: Naarden and Southwell, February 2000 As the solemn Lenten period prior to Easter approaches, Soli Deo Gloria releases the next instalment in its award-winning Bach Cantata series with a double album featuring cantatas for the second (Sexagesima) and third (Septuagesima) Sunday before Lent, recorded live in February 2000. The programme opens with Bach’s first Leipzig cycle, BWV 144 Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin. Following the magnificent bold and uncompromising opening, the moral of the cantata is beautifully portrayed in Murre nicht, lieber Christ - an aria set as a minuet for alto over a pulsating string accompaniment to represent the mutterings of dissatisfied Christians. In contrast, the engaging five-movement work for solo soprano, oboe and strings, BWV 84 Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke, has no mention of the disgruntled work-force, but only of being ‘content with my good fortune that dear God bestows on me.’ Gardiner stresses this sentiment by making the choir sing the final chorale Ich leb indes in dir vergnüget (‘I live meanwhile content in thee’) a cappella and quietly. We then head to Southwell Minster for the three Cantatas for Sexagesima. The first two focus upon the Gospel theme of the day, the parable of the sower (Luke 8: 4-15) Superbly exemplified in BWV 18 Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt where Bach adds two extra viola parts to the score. The magically dark-hued sonority four violas bring stresses the overwhelming power of the Word and forms ‘an ideal seed-bed in which God’s word may germinate and prosper.’ “…expressive fervour and eloquent phrasing with which the excellent singers of the Monteverdi Choir infuse their performance. There are also some splendid solo contributions, notably from tenors James Oxley and James Gilchrist and basses Jonathan Brown and Stephen Loges.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 **** “…Gardiner's forces are on splendid form in another exceptional volume.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2009 “There’s nothing routine about this music, and nothing routine about these performances, either.” Sunday Times, 5th April 2009 **** “Fine performances all round, but the palm as ever has to go to Bach himself: the amazing central fresco of BWV 18 is far more dramatic than most operas of the time.” The Observer, 19th July 2009 “Strong interpretations, with fine choral work in this set of cantatas for Trinity. …the pick of the crop - certainly in choral terms - is the sensational and woefully little-known Es wartet, BWV187, whose opening canvas is strikingly extensive.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2009 “The weeks leading up to Lent carry a preparatory message which unifies these latest Pilgrimage cantatas: namely, one of expressing gratitude for spiritual blessings and – as specifically articulated in the wonderful minuet alto aria of the first work, BWV144 – the robust exhortation to 'be happy with your lot and get going'.
Gardiner's rapt performances launch themselves magnificently from the 'standing start' (as he aptly calls it) of the above-mentioned piece, whose opening chorus is stripped of all indul- Vocal JS Bach 80 gence, in both setting and rendering, to the unequivocal aggression of 'Erhalt uns', via the emotional extremes in the chorale cantata, Ichhab in Gottes Herz und Sinn, whose muscular hymn by Paul Gerhardt is worked over by Bach in juxtapositions of extraordinary range.
Then, on a more reflective note, comes the solo soprano cantata Ich bin vernügt, receiving a measured, rhetorically questing reading from Miah Persson. If not instantly radiant, this is terrific Bach-singing and Persson extends her fine contribution with a wonderfully moving 'Meinem Hirten', the last aria in No 92: one of those irresistible vignettes of unswerving discipleship in pastoral mode.
Likewise, there are outstanding contributions from the compellingly focused James Oxley in the 'rage' aria 'Seht, seht!' ('See, see how all things snap, break, fall'), almost Schreier-like in its onomatopoeic designs, Stephan Loges's suitably avaricious and pettifogging representation of those who 'devour the seed' in No 181 and the invigorated Monteverdi Choir extending the conceit, in No 126, in perhaps the most angry piece Bach ever composed. Spoiling for a fight, 'fending off murderous Papists and Turks' – an odd sentiment to be conveying in these ecumenical times – Gardiner's forces are on splendid form in another exceptional volume.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | (also available to download from $21.25) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Gramophone Magazine
Gramophone Awards 2009
