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Presto News - 8th October 2007Julia Fischer and the Gramophone Awards |
 I went down to Dorchester Hotel for the Gramophone Awards this week. It was my first time at the annual ceremony that is regarded as the Oscars of the classical music world (I’ve never felt able to justify the £2000 a table fee before, but I was invited this year so was more than happy to oblige!). It was a very enjoyable day, particularly because it gave me a rare opportunity to meet up with some of the record label bosses and managers I spend most of my working week talking to on the phone or trading emails with.  Julia Fischer Presented on the day were the 15 category winners, an overall record of the year and various artist and special awards. You can see all the winners on our awards page, but to briefly summarise I suppose the two biggest winners were Nelson Friere for his disc of Brahms Piano Concertos which was named Record of the Year, and Julia Fischer who was named Artist of the Year. I was particularly pleased to see the latter as I remember being very disappointed not to see any of her discs in the Concerto category when the short-lists were announced a few months ago. I’m not going to bore you now with a Julia Fischer biography (hugely impressive though it is) - if you want that you can read it on the website - but I will tell you why I think she is so great and why I was so pleased to see her win this award. It goes almost without saying that to be one of the very top few violinists in the world you have to have a phenomenal technique, a fabulous sound and a huge range of tonal and dynamic extremes. She has all these in abundance, playing the quietist pianissimos with remarkable delicacy, while spinning off virtuoso passages that sparkle with a real sense of fantasy. Where I think she is unique is in her ability to differentiate emotion from sentimentality. It may sound an obvious thing but, particularly in romantic music, I find far too many top musicians get these two things confused. She plays with a directness (born out of deep musical understanding) which builds up far more emotion and feeling than that achieved by performers who linger at ends of phrases or do exaggerated swells on dissonances. If you don’t have any of her discs in your collection I’d probably start with either the Tchaikovsky or the Brahms, and as we’ve got most of her catalogue down at £10.99 at the moment it is an ideal time to stock up. You can browse all her catalogue here.
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases8th October 2007 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Mendelssohn: Violin ConcertoDaniel Hope (violin), Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Thomas HengelbrockDaniel Hope claims to have had a fascination with the Mendelssohn Concerto since a 6-year old boy. Now he has finally recorded it, but not in the version that usually is played in the concert hall. For his DG debut Hope has chosen the “Urtext” version that he discovered through the Mendelssohn expert Larry Todd. The first version that Mendelssohn wrote was considerably revised according to the wishes of the violinist Ferdinand David for whom the concerto originally was composed. Now Hope has unearthed the first version from 1844 that still has all the elements that make this piece a hit but at the same time is much more passionate and vivid according to Daniel Hope. |
 Respighi: The Roman TrilogyOrchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio PappanoThis is fantastic music, and for both excitement and quality of playing this recording scores very highly. Having established himself as one of the leading operatic conductors of his generation, Antonio Pappano is fast doing the same in the orchestral field. |
 I heard a Voice - The Music of the Golden AgeChoir of King’s College, Cambridge & Fretwork, Stephen CleoburyThis disc features a stunning selection of anthems from the Tudor Times, featuring some of the period’s most prestigious composers. It includes a 'This is the Record of John' by Orlando Gibbons which must have been one of the most popular anthems of this era judging by the number of manuscripts that contain it. |
 John Garth: Six Cello ConcertosRichard Tunnicliffe, Avison EnsembleJohn Garth was born not far from Durham in 1721 and was a pupil of Charles Avison, the Newcastle organist and composer. Garth was himself a gifted organist and composer. He was also highly involved with the Durham music scene. The works recorded here were published in 1760 and dedicated to Edward, Duke of York, an accomplished cellist. They were composed at a time of great change in British music - away from the baroque concerti grossi of Corelli and Geminiani towards the three movement ‘da camera’ approach developed by composers such as J. C. Bach. These Garth concertos contain influences of both styles and are utterly delightful listening. |
 Handel: MessiahLondon Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin DavisSir Colin Davis's final performances as Principal Conductor of the LSO in December 2006 prior to taking up the position of President of the orchestra featured Handel's Messiah. Sir Colin's previous recording of Messiah, made in 1966, was for many years the most popular of the work. On this new version, featuring an edition of the score prepared by Sir Colin himself, he is joined by a magnificent group of singers as well as the sensational Tenebrae Choir who also featured on his recent recording of Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ. |
 DysonNebuchadnezzarMark Padmore (tenor) & Neal Davies (bass-baritone), BBC Symphony Chorus & BBC Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hickox |
 The Elfin Knight: Ballads & DancesJoel Frederiksen (bass), Ensemble PhoenixTelling stories in song is the vocation of Joel Frederiksen, a deep bass with an exceptional timbre. Accompanying himself on the lute or accompanied by his own ensemble based in Munich, this extraordinary musician invites us to discover popular ballads belonging to both English and American traditions. His scrupulous research brings back to vivid life a forgotten world, redolent of the age of chivalry. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 6th October 2007 |
Building a Library - Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 |
 First ChoiceVienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber |
 Historic ChoicePhilharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer |
CD of the Week |
 Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Volume 3Paul Lewis (piano) |
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