New Releases

For many years, Barbara Hendricks has been communicating her love of the lied in concerts and on disc. After Schumann, Schubert, Beethoven, Spanish songs and those of Poulenc, it is the turn of Brahms to find sublimation in this disc from the Swedish soprano, magnificently accompanied on the piano by her partner Roland Pöntinen and recorded between 2002-7.

Brahms composed more than 200 lieder throughout his career, though for the most part between 1851 and 1888. In the choice of texts he was generally guided by the climate or message of a poem, more than by its formal perfection; it was no doubt for this reason that he set very little Goethe to music, whose poems, he said, “are all so accomplished that music cannot be added to them”. His favourite theme was, naturally enough, love, in all its forms, whether evoking joy, optimism or nostalgia, loss, resignation, memory… One finds in these lieder authentic, personal experiences of Johannes Brahms. Caught between romanticism and classicism, he offered in his lieder music that is individual and consummate.

Paulussaal Freiburg, November 29, 1954

Mustermesse Basel, December 16, 1954

Studio Recordings Baden-Baden, July 16, 17 / December 20, 1954

First Prussian, then Kenton

1954. Germany, a nation under Allied occupation and still bearing the scars of its Nazi past, tunes its radios to witness the “Miracle of Bern” and world cup victory just nine years after being at war. At the same time in Baden-Baden a perfectionist bandleader with horn-rimmed spectacles and a baton was recording Tuxedo Junction and You Go To My Head. Kurt Edelhagen, dubbed “Prussian” for his legendary rehearsal discipline and severity with players, harbored a single-minded desire to match the great Stan Kenton. Südwestfunk had already been broadcasting jazz for six years by the time Joachim-Ernst Berendt, an editor with horn-rimmed spectacles and a mission, began organizing a concert series of his own in March 1954: “Jazztime Baden-Baden”.

Then came the encounter between the Grande Dame of stride piano Mary Lou Williams, “Colonel” Edelhagen and his rhythm group. In November the orchestra headed to Switzerland to perform the “Miracle of Basel”: with the big band and Allstars unfettered, the orchestra at last achieved that Kenton feel. Discipline and free thought combined, a rhythm section in full swing mode. Tuxedo Junction featured a Mulliganesque Helmut Reinhardt; clear and sweet, Franz von Klenck’s solo in You Go To My Head. Yes, indeed: Lester Leaps In. And Basel succumbed to a fräuleinwunder: only the previous year Edelhagen had turned Caterina Valente into a household name – and here she was now being showered with admiration like Pennies From Heaven.

One encore – a showpiece that ended up as a suite: Alpha Jazz by Roland Kovac. Roll on 1955!

Elegant Seduction

The youngest of four brothers, New Yorker Gerald Joseph “Gerry” Mulligan spent his teenage years in different parts of the United States, learning in succession to play piano, clarinet, alto, tenor and finally baritone sax. Together with Gil Evans and Miles Davis, the 20-year-old conceived the revolutionary nonet music for Birth of the Cool. The gangly sandy-haired musician with the big Conn baritone made his recording debut in 1951, before moving to Los Angeles as arranger for the Stan Kenton Big Band … Mulligan presented his handpicked sextet at the Liederhalle, where the opening number For An Unfinished Woman showed that his approach, far from being tinged with nostalgia, remained highly contemporary. Two of his most frequently played melodies, Line for Lyons and My Funny Valentine, will be instantly recognisable – perhaps best known to Mulligan fans from his “piano-less” quartet with Chet Baker, for which “Valentine” became something of a signature tune.

Despite outward changes – including in the music – the Stuttgart concert shows that the ever self-critical jazzman never let his identity slip. It was evident in his choice of players: rising stars such as vibraphonist Dave Samuels or guitarist Mike Santiago proved they could harmonise with experienced greats such as bassist George Duvivier as if they had been doing it all their lives. Like Ellington, Gerry Mulligan always preferred his jazz “in a state of becoming”.

This SACD presents main works of the repertoire for flute and piano from the 20th century. Regarding the history of the flute, this period is of particular interest since the flute underwent a remarkable revival as a solo instrument during this time.

The sonatas by Henri Dutilleux and Francis Poulenc represent the impulse for this development, which originated in France. In his series of sonatas for every melodic instrument, accompanied by piano, Paul Hindemith began with the flute. Frank Martin, the mediator between the German and French traditions, created a colourfully eloquent variant of the sonata form with his 'Ballad'. The sonata written by the American composer Robert Muczynski became the most famous example of his classicist, brilliant style.

Anne-Cathérine Heinzmann is one of the most renowned German flautists of her generation. She regularly performs as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in Germany and across the globe. She is co-principal flute of the Opern- und Museumsorchester Frankfurt am Main; in addition, since October 2009 she has been Professor of Music at the Hochschule für Musik in Nuremberg.

In the 1830s, Schott publishers commissioned Johann Nepomuk Hummel to make arrangements of Mozart’s orchestral works for piano, flute, violin and cello to help facilitate performances in a domestic setting.

Fumiko Shiraga’s performances were originally released on single discs between 2003 and 2006, to critical acclaim, including a Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ and a ‘CD des Doppelmonats’ in Piano News: ‘This is how Mozart must sound, exactly like this…’.

Volume 4 of Bridge’s Fred Lerdahl Series offers music composed over a span of four decades.

This release includes a stunning performance by Grammy-winning ensemble, eighth blackbird.

This retrospective disk presents music composed by the late Elliott Carter over a period of more than 70 years.