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Presto News - 27th April 2009Rachmaninov Preludes |
 Rachmaninov is probably one of those composers that you either love or hate. His music is so emotionally charged and speaks so directly to the listener that I suspect some people find this rather daunting and either fear it or dismiss it as being too shallow and self-indulgent. The fact that his music is frequently used in films to portray a moment of tenderness or melancholy obviously doesn’t help this image - the most famous example being his Second Piano Concerto used in the film Brief Encounter, but there are plenty of others.  Steven Osborne Personally, I have a lot of time for his music. I don’t see why being emotionally direct is necessarily a bad thing and only regret that he was so busy during his lifetime as a concert pianist that his output (particularly after he had moved to America in 1918) was really quite limited. A new recording of his 24 most famous preludes is released today on Hyperion played by Scottish pianist Steven Osborne. It has to be one of Osborne's finest recordings to date and also one of the great recordings of these works ever made, and there have been plenty. It is a huge credit to Hyperion that they were willing to record them at all when they already have another truly outstanding cycle from Howard Shelley in their catalogue. Rachmaninov’s preludes show how cleverly the composer could turn a tiny melodic or rhythmic fragment into a quite substantial and complex miniature (substantial compared to the preludes of say Chopin). And although admittedly you can probably find stereotypical Rachmaninov moments of longing and inwardness in most of them, they still contain a wide variety of moods and styles, probably more so than in any of his other works. The other thing to say about them is that they are technically very demanding. As mentioned above, during his lifetime Rachmaninov was primarily a concert pianist (with famously large hands). This means that although in some ways you could argue that they are interpretation-wise relatively straight-forward, this is easily made up for by the sheer difficulty and number of notes that is required to perform them. Stephen Osborne is well up to the task, and like any truly great pianist makes them sound easy. He also plays with real authority and combines his trademark musical intelligence with both fire and tenderness. It already has a 5-star rating from the BBC Music Magazine and will be an Editors Choice in the next issue of Gramophone. Very highly recommended and I’ve put a few samples for you to listen to below.
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 Rachmaninov - 24 PreludesSteven Osborne (piano)
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
listen: Rachmaninov - Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5New Releases27th April 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. |
 Handel - Chandos Anthems Nos. 7, 9 & 11Trinity College Choir Cambridge & Academy of Ancient Music, Stephen LaytonIn a year of Handel celebration and many new recordings, this is a welcome addition to the discography. Stephen Layton, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, and a stellar group of soloists - in fact, the best in solo Handel singing that this country has to offer - present a disc of three of the Chandos anthems which is sure to achieve the same critical and public acclaim as the recent Dettingen Te Deum from Trinity. |
 Bridge - Piano Quintet, String Quartet & IdyllsGoldner String QuartetFrank Bridge is one of those composers who has been generally dismissed for his ‘Englishness’ and is probably remembered best today as the teacher of Benjamin Britten. But this disc of chamber music will radically change this appraisal. It particularly reveals Bridge’s strong French influence, the dance-like quality of his writing darkened with a brooding inspiration, and the music’s dramatic and emotional heart. Three important and very different works are collected here: the elegant early Idylls, the ambitious Piano Quintet and the extraordinary String Quartet No 4, Bridge’s last chamber work, written during a period of near-fatal illness, yet displaying a progressive, forward-looking musical language that shows the great range of this undervalued composer. |
 Prokofiev - On Guard for Peace & The Queen of SpadesIrina Tchistjakova (mezzo-soprano) & Niall Docherty (boy alto), Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus & Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme JärviNeeme Järvi is universally applauded for his Prokofiev recordings. Here he conducts the first recording of Symphonic Fragments from The Queen of Spades, as arranged and elaborated by Michael Berkeley, coupled with the seldom performed oratorio On Guard for Peace. |
 Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'Judith Howarth (soprano), Jennifer Larmore (mezzo-soprano) & Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Bergen Philharmonic Choir, KorVest (Bergen Vocal Ensemble), The Danish National Vocal Ensemble DR & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew LittonCompleted in 1840, Mendelssohn's ‘Lobgesang’ Symphony is actually his fourth in order of composition, preceded by both the Italian (No.4) and the Reformation Symphony (No.5). It was composed to mark the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press. Instead of dealing with the subject of printing or Gutenberg’s life, however, Mendelssohn chose to focus on the consequences of Gutenberg’s achievement, presenting it as the victory of light over darkness. |
 French Bassoon WorksKaren Geoghegan (bassoon) & Philip Fisher (piano)For the popular young bassoonist Karen Geoghegan this is her third recording with Chandos and aptly demonstrates the capabilities of the bassoon in this unique collection of French music, ably accompanied by Philip Fisher. |
 Padre Pio - PrayerThe Sixteen, Harry ChristophersHarry Christophers and The Sixteen release world premier recording of three new works by leading British composers. The last year has seen The Sixteen form a fascinating partnership with the UK based Genesis Foundation. In 2008 the Foundation commissioned three new works from James MacMillan, Roxanna Panufnik and Will Todd all based on the prayer of Capuchin priest, Padre Pio: Stay With Me, Lord. The result was the creation of three very different, but equally powerful works which were premiered in a performance by The Sixteen at Westminster Cathedral in June 2008 to great reception. |
 Ireland - Piano TriosGould Piano TrioNaxos’s acclaimed recordings of the music of John Ireland continue with this disc of the three piano trios and music for violin and piano. The tuneful Phantasie Trio of 1908 was one of the first of his works to bring him to public notice. The Second Piano Trio (1917) reflected Ireland’s intensely emotional response to World War 1, while his Third Piano Trio (1938) returned for its inspiration and musical material to his earlier Clarinet Trio of 1912-13, withdrawn shortly after its composition, to which Ireland added a new slow movement of great lyrical beauty. |
 Mendelssohn, Mozart and Schubert String QuartetsElias String QuartetDescribed as “quite exceptional” (Gramophone) and a group that is “poetic, charismatic and virtuosic” (Sunday Telegraph), the Elias String Quartet is considered one of the most fresh and exciting quartets of their generation. As their career continues to grow with extraordinary momentum, Wigmore Hall Live is proud to release this live recital recording that captures the young quartet’s fervent passion and infectious enthusiasm for the music of Mendelssohn, Mozart and Schubert. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 25th April 2009 |
Building a Library - Klavierstücke (6), Op. 118 |
 First Choice(coupled with Klavierstucke Opp. 116 and 119)Stefan Vladar |
Disc of the Week |
 Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G majorBudapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer |
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