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Presto News - 3rd May 2010Leonard Bernstein's Omnibus Broadcasts |
 Leonard Bernstein was one of the twentieth century’s greatest musicians: a conductor, composer, author, pianist and teacher - in fact there was very little he couldn’t do. This week I’d like to tell you a bit about the last of those – his teaching – as the Archive of American Television has just released a 4 DVD set of his historic Omnibus US television broadcasts from the 1950s, and I’ve spent several enjoyable evenings this last week watching them.  Bernstein on set Hosted by a very young looking Alistair Cooke, Omnibus featured a wide range of programmes about science, the arts, and the humanities, and Leonard Bernstein was a favourite guest presenting the programmes on music. Between 1954 and 1958 Bernstein made seven episodes on subjects ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Conducting and Jazz. They were some of the first television programmes ever made about serious music, and from the very first episode were hugely popular. Bernstein was both passionate and eloquent, and tackled his topics in imaginative and appealing ways. These Omnibus broadcasts helped make Bernstein a household name and were the forerunner to his famous Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, which ran for a remarkable 53 broadcasts during a fifteen year period. The Omnibus programmes were not aimed at young people, and one area where I think they really excel is in Bernstein’s presentation. They are intelligent and musically stimulating for a classical music enthusiast who already knows a lot about music, but still perfectly approachable and understandable by a novice. The episode on Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is particularly interesting as Bernstein seeks to explain how Beethoven crafted the symphony; playing us numerous rejected sketches and using an orchestra to show what the symphony might have sounded like had Beethoven retained them. The conducting episode is equally illuminating with Bernstein successfully conveying the skills and talents required to make a great conductor, and how subtle changes in gesture and nuance can achieve different responses from the orchestral musicians. Bernstein was one of music’s best ambassadors and this long overdue set provides the opportunity for everyone to enjoy his excellence as a musical communicator. At the same time you can gain a fascinating insight into the subjects covered which, although over fifty years old, are generally just as relevant now. I’ve given you a sample from his broadcast on Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to give you an idea. Enjoy!
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 Leonard Bernstein' Omnibus - The Historic Television Broadcastsincludes all seven broadcasts: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (1954), The World of Jazz (1955), The Art of Conducting (1955), American Musical Comedy (1956), Introduction to Modern Music (1957), The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1957), What Makes Opera Grand? (1958) |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch a short video trailerNew Releases3rd May 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. |
 Schubert Live - Volume 3Imogen Cooper (piano)The highly respected and acclaimed pianist Imogen Cooper is enjoying something of a renaissance with her ongoing series of Schubert’s solo piano works on Avie. International accolades for the recordings abound, from NPR to the BBC, Gramophone to the New York Times. Imogen continues her exploration of the composer’s late piano music with Volume 3, recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 2009. |
 Haydn - Concertos for Harpsichord & ViolinOttavio Dantone (conductor & harpsichord), Accademia BizantinaMilan’s acclaimed period performance specialists Accademia Bizantina conclude the Haydn anniversary celebrations with an invigorating rethinking of his concertos for harpsichord and violin. The disc contains a concerto each for violin and harpsichord, as well as one for both instruments. Multi-talented Ottavio Dantone conducts the ensemble and is harpsichord soloist. The group’s leader Stefano Montanari plays the solo part in the Violin Concerto. |
 Czech Piano TriosThe Florestan TrioThe three works on this CD cover the complete span of what is usually thought of as the Czech school of composition. Smetana, regarded as the founding father, first showed the way to bring traditional dance and song into the mainstream of European composition, forging a national style. Eben, who died in 2007, was one of the most distinguished composers who carried this line to the present day. But, as these three contrasting pieces demonstrate, Czech composers were subject to very different kinds of influence at different times. Smetana’s Piano Trio, an early work, shows more influence from the mainstream giants of the time - particularly Schumann and Liszt - than it does from any ‘folk’ elements. By the time Martinu wrote his first Piano Trio, he was immersed in the exciting cosmopolitan culture of twentieth-century Paris. And Petr Eben took the neoclassicism of Martinu and his contemporaries, and developed his own individual approach to it. |
Schubert: Death and the MaidenQuatuor MosaïquesA stunning performance of Schubert’s famous ‘Death and the Maiden’ String Quartet played on period instruments by one of the leading string quartets of our time, the Quatuor Mosaïques. The ‘String Quartet No.14 in D Minor’, otherwise known as The Death and the Maiden, is considered one of the pillars of the chamber music repertoire. It’s a work that shows Schubert struggling in a world in which he has lost his bearings, but also yearning for heaven. It is his testament to death. This release also features one of Schubert’s earlier quartets, the deeply foreboding D173 in G minor. |
 Albinoni - Homage to a Spanish GrandeeCollegium Musicum 90, Simon StandageIn this latest recording of works by Albinoni, Simon Standage directs Collegium Musicum 90 showcasing the rarely performed and recorded Op. 10 Concertos. As late as 1961, academics were unaware of Albinoni’s last set of concertos. All this changed when two small private collections were found to contain the print. Since then, the existence of Op.10 has been known to scholars, but awareness of it and curiosity about it has not really penetrated. Most of the Op.10 concertos have not been published in a modern edition, and the set has been recorded only twice before. |
 Froberger: Harpsichord SuitesChristophe Rousset (harpsichord)For his third harpsichord recital in the ‘Cité de la Musique’ series, the remarkable French harpsichordist Christophe Rousset plays six of Froberger’s most authoritative suites on a legendary instrument considered a ‘national treasure’ by the French state. Christopher Rousset’s interpretation of Froberger’s suites is all the more impressive and praiseworthy given Froberger’s insistence on having all his manuscripts destroyed after his death, claiming that no one else would be capable of playing his compositions. Froberger was highly sought-after, admired, and regarded as a model to be followed by his European contemporaries. |
 Dvorák - Violin ConcertoRichard Tognetti (violin), Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Christian LindbergDvorák began to compose his Violin Concerto in 1879 and dedicated it to the great violinist Joseph Joachim. While waiting to finalise the concerto, Dvorák composed Legends, a cycle of ten pieces for two pianos, which he shortly afterwards orchestrated. Performing these two works are the acclaimed Australian violinist Richard Tognetti, as soloist in the concerto, and the Nordic Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Christian Lindberg. |
 Stravinsky: Petrushka, Pulcinella & Symphonies of Wind InstrumentsNetherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaap van ZwedenThe Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has in recent years formed a strong musical relationship with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and the result of this is an ongoing series of recordings for Octavia of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies. On this new hybrid SACD they perform three works by Igor Stravinsky, the ballet suites from “Petrushka” and “Pulcinella”, and the “Symphonies of Wind Instruments”. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 1st May 2010 |
Building a Library - Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra |
 First ChoiceAs part of a 3 CD set of Lutoslawski's worksPolish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Witold Lutoszlawski |
 First Choicesame as the EMI one, but a bit cheaper!Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Witold Lutoszlawski |
 First ChoiceAs part of a 2 CD set of Lutoslawski's worksPolish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Witold Lutoszlawski |
Disc of the Week |
 The Romantic Piano Concerto 50 – TchaikovskyStephen Hough (piano), Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä |
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