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Presto News - 19th November 2007Christmas music worth hearing |
 I'm after the hidden gems this week, and there are a lot of them which took their inspiration from the Christmas story so, if you're looking for something different from carols to play this year this just might be of interest. Firstly the disc which started me thinking along these lines - a new recording just out on Naxos of Vaughan William's Christmas Cantata 'Hodie'. The work is a brilliant mosaic of musical styles set to poetry from the most diverse sources including the Bible, Milton and Thomas Hardy. Written in 1953, it has the same vitality, force and inventiveness as the late symphonies and I find it bizarre that it has been neglected for so long. Written at the opposite end of his career, Saint-Saëns's wrote his Christmas Oratorio in 1858 when he was just 23. Opening with a Prelude subtitled 'In the style of Sebastian Bach' (harkening back to Bach's Christmas Oratorio) it beautifully sets the scene for the Christmas story with its lilting pastoral quality creating images of the shepherds tending their flocks in the fields. Five vocal soloists and chorus then tell the story and celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. For those with kids, narrator Chris Jarvis and the London Philharmonic Orchestra bring to life Howard Blake's lovely score of The Snowman in a disc which came out last year and sold very well. Also one of our best sellers from last year was 'A New Joy' with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Paul Hillier. It will almost certainly be all new to you and presents a unique depiction of the Orthodox Nativity as heard throughout Russia and the Ukraine. And finally for those who think they've heard everything, the Swingle Singers bring their inimitable style to sixteen Christmas favourites in a new disc out this year. Guaranteed to bring a smile to everyones faces their free-flowing, almost scattish jazz interpretations is maybe that missing element that you've been searching for all these years!... or maybe not. Our Christmas page is now up and running where you can browse this year's new releases, current best sellers, or different collections of works.
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 Vaughan Williams: Hodie (A Christmas Cantata)Janice Watson (soprano), Peter Hoare (tenor) & Stephen Gadd (baritone), Guildford Choral Society, St Catherine’s School Choir & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hilary Davan Wetton |
 Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio)Vocalensemble Rastatt & Les Favorites, Holger Speck |
 Howard Blake: The SnowmanChris Jarvis (narrator), London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Parry |
 A New Joy: An Orthodox ChristmasEstonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Paul Hillier |
 The Swingle Singers UnwrappedSwingle Singers |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases19th November 2007 |
The new releases are starting to slow down now so it gives us chance to also mention a few of the important re-issued that have appeared this autumn. 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. |
 Haydn: The CreationGenia Kühmeier, Toby Spence, Dietrich Henschel, Sophie Karthäuser & Markus Werba, Les Arts Florissants, William ChristieAfter The Seasons in 2002, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants return to Haydn with The Creation, the first of his two great oratorios, and the most popular since its historic premiere in Vienna in 1799 which created a stir throughout Europe. |
 Handel: EstherRosemary Joshua, James Bowman, Susan Bickley, Christopher Purves, Rebecca Outram & Andrew Kennedy, London Handel Choir, Laurence CummingsRecorded back in April 2002 this release has been a long time coming. However it is very good to finally have it as it presents a world premiere recording of the 1732 revised version of Handel's great score and with a very distinguished line-up of soloists under Baroque specialist Laurence Cummings it should do well. |
 Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 and Ode To The End Of The WarRussian National Orchestra, Vladimir JurowskiThe newly appointed conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, conducts Prokofiev’s glorious 5th Symphony in a stunning performance played by the Russian National Orchestra. This is coupled with 'The Ode To The End Of The War'. It is scored in a very unique way, for 4 pianos, 8 harps, double basses and a lot of brass ... but no strings. This is currently the only version available on CD. |
 Bax & Elgar - String QuartetsThe Pavão QuartetThe quartet wanted to release these two inexorably linked quartets together, to celebrate Elgar’s anniversary. The second movement of the Elgar was performed at his funeral and was described by his wife as ‘captured sunshine’. Hailing from their studies at the Royal Academy, the Pavão Quartet have been variously described as 'The excellent Pavão Quartet' by The Times, and 'four exceptionally talented musicians' by BBC Music Magazine. |
 Das Alte Werk20 new re-issues in preparation of the historic early music label's forthcoming 50th anniversaryDas Alte Werk was inaugurated in 1958 with the release of 7” discs of Gregorian chant and music by Machaut, and quickly gained a reputation for historically informed, high-quality recordings. There soon followed LPs of harpsichord sonatas by Scarlatti, Concerti grossi by Handel and Partitas for unaccompanied violin by Bach. The signing up of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen and Jaap Schröder ushered in a new era: the rediscovery of the authentic sound of period instruments, scholarly research into original sources and the obvious delight the label’s young artists had in their music-making combined to offer the listener new and fascinating musical experiences. As the field of early music spread wider and wider and new paths were constantly broken, Das Alte Werk rapidly became the touchstone by which other labels were judged, not least for its epoch-making complete recording of Bach’s sacred cantatas. Looking into 2008, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this ground-breaking label by reissuing some of its finest recordings. |
 L'Oiseau Lyre20 new re-issues from Decca's Early Music labelL'Oiseau-Lyre is the specialist early music label from Decca. It has a fine reputation for quality recordings performed by renowned artists from the early music world. Artists include Andrew Parrott, Emma Kirkby, Anthony Rooley and Christophe Rousset. Many of these recordings have been absent from the catalogue for several years. Now they are being re-mastered and re-issued. |
Glenn Gould20 budget priced re-issuesThe Canadian musician Glenn Gould was undoubtedly one of the greatest pianists of all time. To mark the 75th anniversary of his birth, and the 25th anniversary of his death, Sony BMG Masterworks presents this seminal artist’s vinyl recordings as re-mastered CDs, designed to replicate the exact artwork of the original gramophone records in miniaturised form. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 17th November 2007 |
Building a Library - Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor |
 First ChoicePetra Lang (mezzo-soprano), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly |
 Budget ChoiceMartha Lipton, New York Church of the Transfiguration Boys’ Choir, New York Schola Cantorum, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein |
CD of the Week |
 Saint-Saëns - Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Charles Dutoit |
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