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Presto News - 8th March 2010Bernard Coutaz and Harmonia Mundi |
 It is with much sadness that I report the death of Bernard Coutaz, the founder of the French record label Harmonia Mundi, who died on February 26th at the age of 87. What he has achieved over the last five decades is truly remarkable, as his company has grown and flourished into one of the finest record labels in the world. Their history is a rich and interesting one, and I’ve put a special page on the website where you can read about it and watch a video clip of Bernard Coutaz made when he received Gramophone's Special Achievement Award last year. This week though I’d like to mention a few key periods and events which make me smile and give you a taste of the enthusiasm and philosophy behind the label.  Citroën 2CV Coutaz launched the label in 1958 following a bet over a bottle of champagne. The first recording was of chants from the Slavonic liturgy at the monastery of Chevetogne in Belgium. It doesn’t sound like a very wise choice if you were starting a record label today, but it is still available and continues to tick through. However, crucially it did well enough at the time to launch the label and before long Coutaz had begun a collection of organ music focussing on historical organs all over Europe. He travelled the continent in a Citroën 2CV that carried all the equipment, a sound engineer and sometimes the organist as well! Some of the organs were in working order, others they repaired with bits of string and tape in order to make the recording. This series expanded to over 50 recordings and they also published magazines to accompany them.  Bernard Coutaz The next major turning point came in 1965 when Coutaz and his colleagues went to hear (and kidnap!) the countertenor Alfred Deller. At the concert Coutaz instantly fell for his wonderful ‘new’ sound and went backstage afterwards to invite him for dinner. Deller thought he was the concert promoter and so accepted, and 80 odd miles and several hours later they arrived back at Coutaz’s house. Coutaz produced some eggs and some goats cheese, (and no doubt a few good bottles), and by 5 o’clock in the morning his enthusiasm had persuaded Deller to make records for Harmonia Mundi. Since then they have never looked back and, while more and more majors are parting company with artists, Harmonia Mundi seems to attract them - offering a safe haven and a climate of genuine artistic creativity to musicians who simply want to get on with what they do best: making great music. In all, hundreds of musicians owe huge thanks to Coutaz, from the countertenors Alfred Deller and Andreas Scholl to the conductors René Jacobs and Philippe Herreweghe, as without him many careers would have taken a very different course, and in some cases may not have happened at all. Assembled around his widow Eva Coutaz (who becomes head of the company) the whole Harmonia Mundi staff will enthusiastically strive to perpetuate its founder's legacy. And looking at the schedule for the coming autumn there are some fantastic recordings in the pipeline, including the Beethoven complete piano concertos with Paul Lewis, the continuation of René Jacobs’ Mozart Opera cycle with The Magic Flute, and a recording of Schumann's Dichterliebe from Mark Padmore and Kristian Bezuidenhout. The end of an era for sure, but thanks to what Coutaz has achieved, a very healthy future beckons.
Philip Langridge, 1939-2010I’m sorry to also have to report the death of the leading British tenor Philip Langridge, who died last Friday from bowel cancer at the age of 70. With his death the musical world has lost one of the finest tenors of his generation. I saw him a number of times at Glyndebourne and Covent Garden, where he portrayed the rare combination of a beautiful voice, wonderful musicianship, superb diction and a compelling dramatic presence on stage. He made a number of recordings and in addition to operas and oratorios he made a number of lieder recordings including a profound contribution to Hyperion’s Schubert Edition. He’ll be sadly missed.
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases8th March 2010 |
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 - Mezzo Soprano Opera AriasMax Emanuel CencicAfter that foray into the early Romantic era - heroic arias written for female mezzo sopranos to perform in male disguise - Cencic returns to core countertenor repertoire with this programme of Handel. When Cencic performed the role of Sesto in Giulio Cesare on stage in Toulouse in 2006, ResMusica described him as a “true phenomenon”. |
 Pergolesi - Dixit DominusRachel Harnisch (soprano), Julia Kleiter (soprano), Rosa Bove (contralto), Lucio Gallo (baritone), Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera & Orchestra Mozart, Claudio AbbadoPergolesi Year 2010 marks the birth 300 years ago of a first rank composer and singular voice. Claudio Abbado’s affinity for Pergolesi is a joy to the ear and balm to the soul. The introductory album of maestro’s Pergolesi Project, the famous Stabat Mater, was rapturously received by the press. |
 Bach, J S: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1Maurizio Pollini (piano)Maurizio Pollini, a living legend of piano, records the benchmark repertoire of the Well-Tempered Clavier for the first time in his storied career. Thus, this album is an event – a summit meeting of masters. Despite having played the Well-Tempered Clavier in concert halls for more than twenty years, Pollini intensively restudied the music before consenting to record it. His humility and dedication result in a transcendent performance that is less an interpretation than a revelation. Hugely popular in its own right, as a Pollini project the Well-Tempered Clavier will excite critics and his fan base alike as a crown jewel of the Bach discography on any label. |
 Chopin: Nocturnes Nos. 1-20Nelson Freire (piano)In celebration of Chopin Year – 2010 being the 200th birthday of the sui generis Polish genius – Nelson Freire, a Chopin interpreter of unique discernment, records the beloved Nocturnes 1-20. |
 Fantasy - A Night at the Opera - Arrangements for Flute and OrchestraEmmanuel Pahud (flute), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-SéguinFollowing recorded forays into the modern, with newly composed concertos by Dalbavie and Pintscher, and into the Baroque, with Bach’s complete flute sonatas, Emmanuel Pahud performs a programme of virtuoso operatic fantasies with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and its exciting young Canadian music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. |
 Howells - St John’s MagnificatThe Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (Director of Music)This recording heralds the beginning of an exclusive recording contract between Chandos and the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge. All performances will be conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, the Choir’s Director of Music since 2007. The disc of choral music by Herbert Howells includes two settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: one setting was written for St John’s, where Howells was Acting Organist during World War II; the other for Gloucester Cathedral in the composer’s native county. It also features two premiere recordings, A Grace for 10 Downing Street and Psalm 142. |
 Bach - MotetsYukari Nonoshita & Aki Matsui (soprano), Damien Guillon (counter-tenor), Satoshi Mizukoshi (tenor) & Dominik Wörner (bass), Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki SuzukiIn view of the fact that several of the works are composed for double choir, the usual 16-member choir from the cantata recordings have been slightly expanded to 18 singers, of which some also appear as soloists. Included on the disc are the six motets BWV 225-231, as well as BWV 118 O Jesu Christ, mein’s Lebens Licht and BWV Anh. 159 Ich lasse dich nicht. |
 Massenet: Manon - DVDCarlos Acosta (Des Grieux), Tamara Rojo (Manon), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Martin Yates, Choreography: Kenneth MacMillanThis new DVD of MacMillan’s hugely-popular ballet ‘Manon’ is the perfect twin to his classic ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (August 2009 release). Once again, the romantic male lead is taken by the charismatic Carlos Acosta, and once again his beautiful partner is Tamara Rojo. Prévost’s famous tale is set to the sensual music of Massenet and the Royal Ballet’s staging is played out against the sumptuous set and costume designs of Nicholas Georgiadis. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 6th March 2010 |
Building a Library - Chopin: Scherzi |
 First Choice (Overall Recommendation)(coupled with 13 Preludes from Op. 28)Sviatoslav Richter |
Disc of the Week |
 Adès - Tevot, Violin Concerto & Couperin DancesBerliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle, Anthony Marwood (violin) Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Thomas Adès |
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