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Presto News - 9th March 2009Bach's Brandenburg Concertos |
 Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos have become one of the most famous and best-loved collections of instrumental music ever written and- lets face it - they are truly glorious. However, they haven’t always been so highly regarded... We don’t know exactly when, or why, Bach wrote them. What we do know is that he presented them to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, in the hope of furthering his career. As was typical of the time he prefaced them with a suitably ‘way-over-the-top’ flattering dedication to the Margrave, which I’m giving you only the first sentence of (!) below:  Richard Egarr "As I had the good fortune a few years ago to be heard by Your Royal Highness, at Your Highness's commands, and as I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the little talents which Heaven has given me for Music, and as in taking Leave of Your Royal Highness, Your Highness deigned to honour me with the command to send Your Highness some pieces of my Composition: I have in accordance with Your Highness's most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present Concertos, which I have adapted to several instruments; begging Your Highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection with the rigor of that discriminating and sensitive taste, which everyone knows Him to have for musical works, but rather to take into benign Consideration the profound respect and the most humble obedience which I thus attempt to show Him." However, despite this remarkable effort, it failed. As far as we know the Margrave didn’t even acknowledge them, and they were filed away unplayed and unloved in his library until his death in 1734. In fact it was the nineteenth century before the manuscript was discovered in the archives of Brandenburg and the works finally began to establish the reputation they now enjoy. As you would imagine there is no shortage of very fine recordings. And you have a wide choice in styles as well, ranging from orchestras with very large string sections under conductors like Karajan, through smaller groups sometimes playing baroque instruments, down to chamber music versions with just one player per part. A new recording out this week by Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music uses just one player per part and treats the whole set very much like chamber music, with Egarr directing from the harpsichord. Notably he chooses to use what is generally referred to as ‘French’ Baroque pitch (A = 392Hz). It is the first time that these concertos have been recorded at such a low pitch and it has a remarkable effect on the richness of the sound. As Richard Egarr says himself ‘it sounds like the whole music which the ensemble performs has been given a very large glass of claret’. It also has the added benefit of making some of the very high solo parts (such as the trumpet in the 2nd Concerto) slightly more playable. At this slightly lower pitch, these instruments (which often sound like they're blasting) are able to give a much gentler and more flexible performance and the balance of the ensemble is also better. There is much to enjoy, and if you're still undecided you can explore the recordings in more detail via a special ‘microsite’ courtesy of Harmonia Mundi. There you can listen to numerous excerpts as well as watch a couple of videos, and read about the performers.
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 Bach, J S: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6 BWV1046-1051 (complete)Academy of Ancient Music, ichard Egarr (harpsichord & direction)
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Visit MicrositeNew Releases9th March 2009 |
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. |
 Opium (Mélodies Françaises)Philippe Jaroussky (contertenor) & Jérôme Ducros (piano)Unsurprisingly, it is in the music of the Baroque era – the heyday of the castrato – that French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has captured the attention of music-lovers lovers around the world. Jaroussky enters new territory with this programme of French songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries – well over a hundred years after the end of the Baroque era. Taking its name, Opium, from a song by Saint-Saëns, it evokes the voluptuous, sometimes decadent spirit of the Belle Époque, the era of transition between Romanticism and Modernism. |
 Grieg, Schumann & Saint-Saëns - Piano ConcertosHoward Shelley (piano and conductor), Orchestra of Opera NorthIn this latest recording Howard Shelley turns his attention to three popular works of the piano repertoire: Robert Schumann’s only completed Piano Concerto, Grieg’s single Piano Concerto and Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor. This authorative disc sheds new light on these well-loved works and is the first time all three piano concertos have been made available on one disc. |
 The Sixteen sing Guerrero & JanequinThe Sixteen, Harry ChristophersThis brand new recording by Harry Christophers and The Sixteen is dedicated to the works of Spanish Renaissance composer Francisco Guerrero and includes his exquisite Missa de la Batalla Escoutez. The Mass is a parody on Janequin's famous chanson 'La Guerre' which also features on this disc. La Guerre was so popular in the 16th century that it led to numerous composers, including Janequin himself, writing parody mass settings on it. Missa de la Batalla Escoutez is one of the finest of those settings. |
 Wolf-Ferrari - Orchestral WorksKaren Geoghegan (bassoon), |
 Bach - Cantatas Volume 42Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Robin Blaze (counter-tenor), Gerd Türk (tenor) & Peter Kooij (bass), Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki SuzukiThe present volume in the cantata cycle of the Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki consists of four works all written for performances in January 1726. Among these is the New Year’s cantata Herr Gott, dich loben wir, BWV16 (Lord God, we praise you). |
 Haydn: Acide - Festa Teatrale (opera fragment, Hob.XXVIII:1)Bernard Richter, Acide; Raffaella Milanesi, Galatea; Jennifer O’Loughlin, Glauce; Iván Paley, Polifemo & Nettuno; Adrineh Simonian & Tetide, Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, Manfred HussTo commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, BIS Records and the Haydn Sinfonietta Wien have entered into a collaboration which will result in several releases during 2009. The repertoire will mainly consist of rare works from Haydn’s œuvre, including music written for the stage, concert arias and orchestral works. BIS is proud to release a rarely (if ever) recorded fragment of Haydn’s opera Acide which was composed for the celebrations of the wedding of Count Anton Esterházy and Countess Maria Theresia Erdödy, and performed at the Esterházy residence at Eisenstadt on 11th January 1763. |
 Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major 'Titan'Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bernard HaitinkAn expert interpreter of Mahler's symphonies, CSO Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink leads the triumphant First Symphony. This release coincides with Haitink’s 80th birthday. Happy Birthday Bernard! |
 Puccini: La Bohème - DVDAnna Netrebko (soprano) & Rolando Villazón (tenor), The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bertrand de BillyFollowing its commercial run in cinemas just before Christmas, this film version of Puccini's classic opera La Bohème features two of opera’s biggest superstars, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón, in the roles they have performed to live audiences all over the world. Exclusive DVD bonus features, including in-depth interviews with stars Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón and director Robert Dornhelm, behind-the-scenes of La Bohème, limited edition collectors' booklet and more. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 7th March 2009 |
Building a Library - Britten: Nocturne, Op. 60 for tenor, obbligato instruments and strings |
 First ChoiceJohn Mark Ainsley, Britten Sinfonia, Nicholas Cleobury |
Disc of the Week |
 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 'The year 1905'Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko |
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