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Presto News - 14th March 2011Pergolesi's Stabat Mater |
 Although Italian Baroque composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi died tragically young at the age of just 26, he achieved a lasting reputation through a limited number of exceptional works. His comic opera La serva padrona had a significant influence on the future direction of the genre, while his Stabat Mater became one of the most popular pieces of sacred music in the repertoire and is still regularly performed today. Indeed it is a new recording of the Stabat Mater, released next Monday, which is the inspiration behind this week’s newsletter.  Anna Netrebko and Marianna Pizzolato The recording was made last summer during what was Pergolesi’s anniversary year (he was born in 1710) and features star soloist Anna Netrebko, along with mezzo Marianna Pizzolato, accompanied by the Orchestra dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano. It immediately stands out, as the big operatic voice of Netrebko isn’t what you would normally imagine for this small intimate work. I had my doubts before hearing it but have been completely won over by the beauty of the singing and playing, and the genuine, honest and heart-felt approach to the music. Netrebko and Pizzolato’s voices are perfectly matched. They have similar colours and they blend so well that you cannot always even tell who is singing which line. The text for the Stabat Mater tells of the suffering of the Virgin Mary during the crucifixion of her son. Pappano likens Pergolesi’s setting to two sisters by Mary’s side, sharing in her grief. It is hugely powerful music, and part of Pergolesi’s great skill is his ability to show such sorrow and pathos in faster movements as well as slower ones. This gives the whole work a drama and emotional narrative which is key to its success. Pappano sensibly employed Alessandro Moccio (the leader of Philippe Herreweghe’s Orchestre des Champs-Elysées) to lead the Orchestra, and his advice on matters like bowing, phrasing and general stylistic awareness is clearly evident in the recording. Compared to a performance by Baroque specialists, it still sounds noticeably richer and fuller, and tempos are generally a little slower, but then accompanying these singers that probably isn’t inappropriate. And although both singers and instrumentalists do use vibrato most of the time, they vary it to help colouring and phrasing in a very natural sounding way. Meanwhile Pappano’s love of long Italian vocal lines sounds entirely at home in this music. Coupled with the Stabat Mater are two cantatas (one for Netrebko and one for Pizzolato) and a short Instrumental Sinfonia, and as a mark of how important a release this is Deutsche Grammophon have produced two versions from which to chose – a standard edition and what they call a ‘prestige’ edition. The latter comes in a deluxe hardback book, and contains a bonus DVD including a 35 minute documentary on the recording, as well as more extensive booklet notes and full texts and translations. I’ve given you a short video which is essentially drawn from the documentary and gives you a good introduction to the music and the recording. Enjoy!
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 Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (Standard edition)Anna Netrebko (soprano) & Marianna Pizzolato (contralto), Orchestra dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano |
 Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (Prestige Edition)Anna Netrebko (soprano) & Marianna Pizzolato (contralto), Orchestra dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch: A short video trailer of this disc.New Releases14th March 2011 |
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. |
 Daniel Hope: The Romantic ViolinistA Celebration of Joseph JoachimFriends with Mendelssohn, the Schumanns, Brahms, Dvorák, Liszt, Bruch, and others, Joachim was a revered violinist, conductor, and composer of the Romantic Era. The central piece is Bruch’s Violin Concerto, its violin part completely reworked, at Bruch’s request, by Joachim into the form we know today. Daniel Hope plays the concerto with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Sakari Oramo. |
 Bartok, Strauss & Grieg: Violin SonatasVilde Frang (violin) & Michail Lifits (piano)The youthful, spirited Grieg: Violin Sonata No.1 in F Major, Op. 8 and Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18 are paired with Bartók’s technically challenging, musically complex Sonata for Solo Violin, BB 124, Sz. 117. Frang frequently performs the later, which Bartók composed as an homage to Bach, with the Strauss in concert. Vilde is joined by pianist Michail Lifits for this recording. |
 Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Rhapsody on a Theme of PaganiniYuja Wang (piano), Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Claudio Abbado"She tackles the popular 'Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 2' with an ease that betrays her deep familiarity with the material; but it's the confident way she deals with the challenging "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini"...that most impresses here... It's all hand-led with industrious grace by Wang." The Independent, 11th March 2011 |
 The Romantic TrumpetJonathan Freeman-Attwood (trumpet) & Daniel-Ben Pienaar (piano)Renowned for his outstanding technical and musical ability, as well as his unique re-workings of chamber repertoire, this latest album from Jonathan Freeman-Attwood introduces some fresh and unusual arrangements of well-known Romantic music for the under-explored medium of trumpet and piano duo. |
 Tchaikovsky & ShakespeareSimon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo DudamelGustavo Dudamel, the “energetic ambassador for classical music” (Vanity Fair), conducts symphonic pieces derived from Shakespeare as re-imagined in music by Tchaikovsky. In every case, Dudamel elicits the most appropriate interpretations imaginable from his electrifying Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. He conclusively demonstrates that in addition to being able to generate excitement, he is a sophisticated musical thinker. |
 Guerrero: The Angel’s VoiceEnsemble La SestinaThe Swiss-based ensemble La Sestina – founded in 1999 by Adriano Giardina – specializes in the interpretation of polyphonic music of the Renaissance, both secular and sacred. Along with Victoria and Morales, Francisco Guerrero (1528 – 1599) was one of the great Spanish composers of polyphonic music in the Renaissance, but is unusual in that he also wrote secular music. |
 7 New Dutton ReleasesThe usual host of world premiere recordings amongst this year’s first batch of Dutton Epoch recordings. There is a disc of the complete Music for Viola and Orchestra of Gordon Jacob played by Helen Callus, three rarely heard English Cello Concertos from Raphael Wallfisch, Havergal Brian’s Symphonies 10 and 30, a disc of Delius, one of Doreen Carwithen’s film music, and chamber music from both Richard Arnell and Stephen Dodgson. |
 EMI’s Opera Series continues to expandAnother 12 classic opera recordings are added to EMI growing Opera series. A reminder that unfortunately they don’t have printed librettos, but at these prices it is hard to argue. Of particular note this month are the Reginald Goodall Parsifal, the Victoria de los Angeles Carmen, Sir Charles Mackerras’s Idomeneo and Ian Bostridge and Natalie Dessay in Monteverdi’s Orfeo. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 12th March 2011 |
Disc of the Week |
 Berlioz: Symphonie FantastiqueRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin |
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