Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice

“The two best-known songs open proceedings: "At the Ball", with its reminiscence of unrequited passion to the lilt of a sad waltz, and then "None but the lonely heart". Everyone conceivable from Rosa Ponselle to Frank Sinatra has recorded this, but Stotijn loses nothing in comparison with ghosts from the past. Her voice is a full-blooded mezzo but steady and true, without a hint of that vibrato that can often disturb the line in Slavonic singers... The piano parts are superbly done: in every sense these songs are duets. Tchaikovsky's songs are not nearly well enough known and this superb recital should encourage more interest in them.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“…Christianne Stotijn is that artist in a thousand whose personality shines through everything she does. Her Russian characterisations and folk inflections seem spot-on in the vivid narratives of 'Had I known', 'The Bride's Lament' and 'The Cuckoo'. Here, too, as in their often wonderful Mahler recital together, Julius Drake's focused narratives make us want to hear even more from him... But Stotijn's charisma and her beautifully recorded altoish depth of tone is enough to hold me spellbound.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 *****

“For the most part these are angst-ridden stories of death and lost love. The two best-known songs open proceedings: 'At the Ball', with its reminiscence of unrequited passion to the lilt of a sad waltz, and then 'None but the lonely heart'. Everyone conceivable from Rosa Ponselle to Frank Sinatra has recorded this, but Stotijn loses nothing in comparison with ghosts from the past. Her voice is a full-blooded mezzo but steady and true, without a hint of that vibrato that can often disturb the line in Slavonic singers (Stotijn is from The Netherlands).
The emotional climax of the selection comes with 'The Bride's Lament'. This outpouring of grief can seem over melodramatic but Stotijn and Drake find exactly the right mood. The piano parts are superbly done: in every sense these songs are duets. There are a couple of other light moments – 'Cuckoo', one of 16 children's songs composed in the 1880s, and a 'Gypsy Song' from around the same time.
Tchaikovsky's songs are not nearly well enough known and this superb recital should encourage more interest in them. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“It's been true for many years now that American orchestras have been sounding more middle- European, but the Pittsburgh Symphony could easily be mistaken for a top German orchestra, like Leipzig or Dresden, in this music. Listen to the slow movement of the Fourth Symphony where Marek Janowski really has his players leaning into the harmonic radiance of the writing. All those wondrous transfigurations evolve so naturally and so dreamily that the brawny exuberance of the Scherzo – tough and resilient in Janowski's hands – really does come as an unexpected blast.
Approaches differ greatly with regard to the highly innovative first movement, the whole of which constitutes a development of sorts. So, how soon do the darkening clouds descend? For some they cannot descend soon enough. But here it's as if Janowski is delaying the inevitable right through to the high anxiety of the final pages. He tightens the screw relatively late in the movement. The slow movement then restores some sense of prior well-being and inner calm, as does the still centre of the finale with its tranquil flute and trombone-led chorale variation. The refulgence of the playing is a constant source of pleasure.
The Hungarian Dances come in Brahms and Dvorák's orchestrations, their kinship self-evident.
They are earthy and sinewy with plenty of surge factor in the lower strings and the requisite cheekiness in the phrasing exemplified by those traditionally tantalising hesitations and stomping downbeats.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…the Pittsburgh Symphony - increasingly one of the nation's finest - could easily be mistaken for a top German orchestra, like Leipzig or Dresden, in this music. The refulgence of the playing is a constant source of pleasure and any conductor who is as mindful of Brahm's ingenuity, invention and sheer vision as Janowski demands to be heard. The Hungarian Dances... are earthy and sinewy with plenty of surge factor in the lower strings and the requisite cheekiness in the phrasing exemplified by those traditionally tantalising hesitations and stompling downbeats.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“Diana Damrau's intelligently planned and superbly executed recital… I can’t remember when I last enjoyed a Mozart recital of this kind so much.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2008 *****

“…Jérémie Rhorer draws tangy, rhythmically lively playing from his period band. "Taste", "fire", "flexibility", "sweetness", "grace of execution" - these were the qualities especially prized in singers of Mozart's day. On this showing Damrau, like Lucia Popp before her, has them all.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“…James Ehnes… has been given the run of the extraordinary collection of violins and violas assembled by David Fulton, to wit: one Pietro Guarneri, six Stradivari, two Guarneri "del Gesù" and violas by Bertolotti, Andrea Guarneri and Guadagnini… On the CD, you can enjoy Ehnes playing an enriching recital on all 12 instruments, capped by 12 "comparison tracks" in which the same brief passage from Bruch's Scottish Fantasy (Harold in Italy for the violas) is played on each instrument in turn. The same performances were filmed for the DVD. There are interviews with Ehnes, Fulton and others.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“Heard with one ear, this CD and DVD package presents an attractive collection of violin bon-bons, with three viola pieces thrown in. Heard with two ears, it's a fascinating journey through history, with Ehnes sharing the repertoire among 12 antique and precious instruments from the Fulton Collection, each with their own subtle character. A highlight is the 1737 Guarneri violin, smokily sumptuous in Cyril Scott's Lotus Land. The DVD's roaming camera grows fatiguing; not so Ehnes's musicianship.” The Times, 14th February 2009 ****

“The icing on the cake is provided by the DVD, which shows how Ehnes achieves miracles at close hand, including his unconventional left-hand thumb extension and relatively firm bow-hold. Beautifully photographed, consummately played and beguilingly engineered, this is a must for all music lovers.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 *****

“Notwithstanding the unfamiliar repertoire, the sopranos Dagmar Pecková and Lubica Rybárska deliver superbly idiomatic renditions of the songs with Belohlávek shapes the cantata with persuasive fervour. Although these performances were recorded over 20 years ago, the sound is remarkable for its clarity. A landmark issue for anyone interested in this endlessly fascinating composer.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 ****

“With Martinu's mature and middle-period works staples of the repertoire, one forgets that he did not spring, fully formed, into the compositional world as a neoclassicist. Nipponari is a set of seven songs to Japanese poems for soprano and small orchestra written in 1912 when he was in his early twenties. Delightfully scored, there is nothing in its sound world of the later master who here provides a shimmering accompaniment to the wistful texts. In places there are resonances of Rimsky's Kitezh, too, and British ears may detect stylistic parallels with early Bax, or the Brian of In memoriam. Dagmar Pecková is a radiant soloist.
Magic Nights dates from six years later and uses Chinese texts from the same source as Das Liedvon der Erde to enchanting if less exalted effect.
There is a touch of Debussy in the orchestral sound, which requires a larger ensemble than Nipponari. L'ubica Rybárska yields nothing to Pecková in beauty of tone.
The major item here, however, is the cantata Czech Rhapsody from 1918 (not the violin and orchestra work of 1945), written just a few months before Magic Nights. It is a rare example of politically motivated music in Martinu's canon, imbued with patriotic feelings at impending independence, and was his first nationwide success. The grandiloquence of the opening section and close are beautifully caught by Belohlávek and the Pavel Kühn Cho- rale sings the polyglot text (including Psalm 23) with fervour. The Prague Symphony Orchestra accompanies splendidly throughout and the superb acoustic of the Dvorák Hall is captured superbly. The recordings may be 20 years old but they sound wonderful. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The major item here, however, is the cantata Czech Rhapsody from 1918… The grandiloquence of the opening section and close are beautifully caught by B?lohlávek and the Pavel Kühn Chorale sings the polyglot text (including Psalm 23) with fervour. The Prague Symphony Orchestra accompanies splendidly throughout and the superb acoustic of the Dvo?ák Hall is captured superbly.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“José Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra make a superbly articulated case for [the Sixth Symphony] but can't disguise the fact that the Tchaikovskyan overtones are self-consciously done, as if Glazunov was angling for the supposed succession from the outset.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 12th September 2008 **

“José Serebrier secures an entirely convincing performance in the most opulent sound I've yet heard in his RSNO Glazunov series.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 ****

“Warm and approachable with Serebrier drawing beautifully moulded playing from the Scottish orchestra, with rubato perfectly judged and with the orchestra as fine and resonant as I have ever heard it, it is vividly recorded in rich, unexaggerated sound. The fill-ups, though much less powerful, are well worth hearing... Altogether a splendid issue, adding significantly to Serebrier's excellent Glazunov series...” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“From the formidable list of rival versions of the Sixth, arguably Glazunov's most powerfully dramatic symphony, dating from 1896, this one from José Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is among the very finest.
Warm and approachable with Serebrier drawing beautifully moulded playing from the Scottish orchestra, with rubato perfectly judged and with the orchestra fine and resonant in vividly recorded, rich, unexaggerated sound.
Glazunov's lyrical second subjects were always striking, and the one in the first movement here is no exception. The structure is clearly defined with fine thrust from the performers, and with that theme coming thrillingly back fortissimo at the climax of the movement. The theme and seven variations which make up the second movement go with an easy flow, with the brassy climax of the seventh variation well controlled in its dynamic contrasts. The third movement is a charming allegretto with neo-classical overtones, while the finale is the most powerful movement of all with its Borodin echoes at the start and a most ingenious combination of sonata and double-variation form, all of which Serebrier brings out most persuasively.
The fill-ups, though much less powerful, are well worth hearing, two works that vie with the masterpieces of Debussy and Strauss. La mer of 1889 (antedating Debussy) is a richly evocative seascape with the harp very prominent, hardly equalling Debussy's masterpiece but very attractive, while the Introduction and Dance fromSalomé, more conventional than the rest, were from incidental music that Glazunov wrote for a production of the Oscar Wilde play in 1908.
There is a powerful gesture at the start of the Introduction with Salomé's Dance predictably getting faster and faster and with the horn-writing adding to the exotic orientalism. Altogether a splendid issue.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…nearly all the psalm settings on this disc… must have been written with his church choirs in mind. But it's hard to believe they were sung often or well, since they're written in frankly experimental mode, with difficult pitching and rhythms, and complex harmonies... The virtuosos of the SWR Vocal Ensemble make light of these difficulties, singing firmly and confidently in scarcely accented English.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 ****

“…their earthiness and openness are sensitively exploited by Marcus Creed and the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart. From the majesty of Psalm 90 to the modesty of Pants the Hart, this disc is a joy. Though this music drips with the flavour of Ives’s time, place and purpose, these performances emphasise their timeless brilliance.” Choir & Organ, January/February 2009

“Ives worked with choirs as a young organist; his father's choir tried out versions of some of these pieces but they wouldn't have got very far. Most of these psalms began life in the 1890s but Ives went on revising them into the 1920s.
The most familiar is Psalm 67, God be mercifulunto us, with its superimposed gentle bitonal chords – expertly balanced in this performance.
Psalm 90 sets a pattern followed in some of the others – there's a low C held in the organ pedal throughout, consonant chords or unison passages erupt into clusters and back, and a generally mystical atmosphere prevails. This is emphasised by three sets of bells and a low gong 'as church bells in distance' that characterise the serene final section. There are more prominent bells in the jubilant Psalm 100. Nobody but Ives could have dreamt up textures like these.
Psalm 135 adds trumpet, trombone, timpani and tenor and bass drums. The percussion creates a subdued march effect against the choir singing in five-time, and there's word-painting for the vapours, lightning and winds. Psalm 25 has extended canons between male and female voices, the whole thing underpinned again by long held pedal notes in the organ. Ives's early Victorian style is represented by Psalm 42, with a lovely solo from Julius Pfeiffer.
These 10 psalms are not first recordings but most of them have dropped out of the catalogue, so this is largely unknown Ives. This fine collection is a revelation in performances like these from the outstanding Stuttgart choir.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“These 10 psalms are not first recordings but most of them have dropped out of the catalogue, so this is largely unknown Ives. This fine collection is a revelation in performances like these from the outstanding Stuttgart choir under its British conductor.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“Supremely confident performances under an expert British-born conductor.” The Observer, 21st February 2009

“At first glance this might seem a curious concept, Swedish folksongs as sung - exceptionally so, let me say straightaway - mostly unaccompanied by a modest chorus through some of which jazz improvisations weave a separate counterpoint. … a fine and varied programme, beautifully recorded in a spacious but not over-resonant acoustic. As a programme - and this is definitely a disc to be played through in one sitting - the total effect is greater than the sum of its parts.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“…Martin Yates's clear-headed interpretations fairly crackle with conviction, and the Dutton microphones capture the RSNO's spirited and eloquent contribution to extremely vivid, if occasionally raw effect.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“Dutton's revelatory cycle of Richard Arnell's symphonies reaches a fitting culmination with this highly stimulating anthology. It's launched in arresting fashion by the Sinfonia quasi variazioni of 1941, an economical and inventive canvas of considerable dramatic and emotional scope premiered by Beecham in March of the following year.
By contrast, the First (1943) of Arnell's six numbered symphonies wears an altogether more restrained, urbane and finely chiselled demeanour. This, too, dates from Arnell's prolific New York sojourn, and both Beecham and Bernard Herrmann were early exponents of a work which Arnell initially designated as a 'Chamber Symphony' on the manuscript but which is surely rather more deserving of the epithet 'Classical Symphony'.
Over half a century separates it and the completion of the Sixth Symphony (1992-94). Lasting just under 14 minutes, this is an enigmatic, often uncompromisingly gritty statement, with something of the bare-faced agitation and autobiographical resonance of Malcolm Arnold's symphonic output. Its four parts run without a break and there are key roles for anvil (best heed the warning on the rear sleeve about replay levels!) and piano.
As on previous volumes, Martin Yates's clearheaded interpretations fairly crackle with conviction, and the Dutton microphones capture the RSNO's spirited and eloquent contribution to extremely vivid, if occasionally raw effect.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Realistically captured, with strong, sweeping accounts of the Variations sérieuses as the programme's centrepiece and the Andante and Rondo capriccioso with which Knauer rounds off proceedings, this is a distinguished contribution to the 200th anniversary celebrations.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“One of the main reasons for the success of this disc is that instead of doggedly ploughing his way through a chronologically ordered selection of Songs Without Words, Sebastian Knauer has chosen only those which appeal to him and about which he has something individual to say.
At least, that is the impression one gets from his playing.
For Mendelssohn specialists there are the added bonuses of four world premiere recordings: the Songs in F sharp minor and F major (sans opus numbers) are heard here in the first edition of the 2001 Viennese Urtext; the Song in E flat is a completion by Mendelssohn's biographer Larry Todd (who also contributes the booklet here); Op 102 No 2 in D major is a 'recording of the dedicated original score' (no further information is given).
Realistically captured, with strong, sweeping accounts of the Variations sérieuses as the programme's centrepiece and the Andante andRondo capriccioso with which Knauer rounds off proceedings, this is a distinguished contribution to the 200th anniversary celebrations.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010