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Presto News - 23rd January 2012Beethoven Symphonies from Thielemann and Chailly |
 There has always been a variety of approaches to the performance of Beethoven’s symphonies, depending to an extent on whether the conductor chooses to focus on the Classical tradition that Beethoven inherited, or to position him as an innovative pioneer of the Romantic period (a distinction that goes right back to the time of Mendelssohn and Schumann, with the former preferring performances with brisk tempos and an emphasis on structure, in contrast to the latter’s desire to accentuate the music’s gravity and solemnity).  Christian Thielemann Two recently-released cycles, both with relatively large forces and on modern instruments, neatly highlight this contrasting approach. First of all, a live set from Christian Thielemann and the Vienna Philharmonic. I was immediately impressed with Thielemann’s attention to the markings in the score: he observes every single sforzando, and the difference between forte and fortissimo is scrupulously adhered to. In the accompanying DVD documentary, some of his players mention that he would occasionally do something different in the concert that they hadn’t rehearsed, and this sense of spontaneity definitely comes across. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Thielemann’s approach is a more extreme deployment of rubato than is traditional, especially in the Eroica, the fifth, and the ninth. While it may be too much for some, it is always there for a reason: either to underline a dramatic moment or to highlight an important point in the structure of a movement. Listen, for example, to the three drawn-out cello/bass notes leading into the C major section of the Eroica’s funeral march, which can very often sound far too jaunty after the tragedy of the movement’s opening, but which in Thielemann’s hands maintain nobility and weight without becoming stodgy. I was struck by how much the movement as a whole seems here to foreshadow Siegfried’s funeral march in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (not surprising really, given Wagner’s opinion of himself as the natural successor to Beethoven!). These are live performances, and while the playing is almost always of the standard one expects from such a prestigious orchestra, my only reservation is that just occasionally the ensemble is slightly less immaculate than one might like. For instance, in the initial chords of the first symphony, the string pizzicatos aren’t quite together with the wind until the third bar. This is a very minor gripe, though, and shouldn’t put you off investigating this most interesting set.  Riccardo Chailly One of the thorny issues facing any conductor is the problem of Beethoven’s metronome markings, which are normally thought to be impossibly swift, to the extent that some musicologists have questioned whether his metronome was actually faulty! Occasionally, however, conductors do stick to these markings as closely as possible, and this is certainly the case in another recent set, with Riccardo Chailly conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Hearing Chailly talk about his performances, it’s clear that one of his main concerns was a general insistence on the non-flexibility of the metronome marks, without making the music seem rushed. As he says, “of course it’s fast, but ... you should not feel it’s breathless”. This is particularly true in the last movements of the second, fourth and eighth symphonies, which really are pretty brisk! Whether or not he succeeds in avoiding that breathless feeling is open to debate, but there’s no doubting the lightness and freshness that these speeds bring to the music, as well as virtuoso playing from the orchestra. Something I kept noticing was how he brings out the rhythmic lines of the horns and trumpets, giving his interpretation a real sense of drive, and I delighted in picking up on little details I had not heard before (such as the splendid chirruping of the piccolo in the last movement of the fifth!). This set was released last November (and, unlike the Thielemann set, also includes eight Beethoven overtures interspersed throughout the discs), and Decca will also be releasing the discs individually on the 6th of February. So, I’m not going to come down entirely in favour of one set or the other, as both have much to offer and are worth hearing. I suppose in the end it depends on whether you are a Mendelssohn or a Schumann: do you like your Beethoven fast and energetic, or weighty and in the grand, Germanic tradition? I’ll leave it to you to decide!
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 Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (complete)Annette Dasch (soprano), Mihoku Fujimura (alto), Piotr Beczala (tenor), Georg Zeppenfeld (bass), Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann |
 Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 & OverturesKaterina Beranova (soprano), Lilli Paasikivi (alto), Robert Dean Smith (tenor) & Hanno Müller-Brachmann (bass), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, GewandhausChor, GewandhausKinderchor & MDF Rundfunkchor, Riccardo Chailly
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James Longstaffe - james@prestoclassical.co.uk |
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Watch: A short video trailer (in French, but with lots of music!)New Releases23rd January 2012 |
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. |
 L'Arpeggiata: Los Pajaros Perdidos (Deluxe Edition)Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor), L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar (direction)In a characteristically thrilling fusion of musical styles, L’Arpeggiata, the prizewinning ensemble led by harpist Christina Pluhar, presents a programme of Spanish and Latin American music that ranges from the 17th century to the present day. Guest vocalists include French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who sings the lyrical title tango, ‘Lost Birds’ by Ástor Piazzolla. |
 Albrecht Mayer: Song of the ReedsAlbrecht Mayer (oboe), Markus Becker (piano)Albrecht Mayer – the acclaimed principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – delves into German Romantic music with his oboe and close friends Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Marie-Luise Neunecker (Horn), and Markus Becker (Piano), to create this virtuosic, original, and intimate recording of diverse romantic works for oboe.
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 Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius & Cello ConcertoJian Wang (cello), Sydney Symphony, Vladimir AshkenazyVladimir Ashkenazy directs a stirring performance of two of Elgar’s mightiest works. The Dream of Gerontius is regarded by many as Elgar’s masterpiece. Elgar himself wrote at the end of the manuscript “This is the best of me…” Jian Wang is the soloist in the composer’s final orchestral masterwork, the Cello Concerto. |
 Cavalli: Vespro della beata VergineBarbara Borden, Emily van Evera (sopranos), Rodrigo del Pozo (alto), Gerd Türk, Mark Padmore, Markus Brutscher (tenors) & Harry van der Kamp, Peter Zimpel (basses), Concerto Palatino, Bruce Dickey & Charles ToetThe operas of Francesco Cavalli have earned him a secure place among the masters of the 17th century, yet he has remained almost completely unknown as a composer of sacred music. While the greater part of his time and energy was undoubtedly devoted to the 32 operas which he produced in Venice, Cavalli nonetheless pursued a constant and parallel career in sacred music which spanned 60 years of activity at St. Mark’s.
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 The Complete Delius Songbook Volume 2Mark Stone (baritone) & Stephen Barlow (piano)This is the concluding CD in this Delius series which is the first ever complete recording of Delius’ songs for voice and piano. It includes 20 première recordings. |
 Eduard Franck: String QuintetsEdinger Quintet: Christiane Edinger, Tassilo Kaiser (violins), Rainer Kimstedt, Uwe Martin Haiberg (violas) & Katharina Maechler (cello)The Audite series of chamber music for string instruments by Eduard Franck continues with his two String Quintets Opp. 15 and 51 which were probably written, respectively, around 1845 and 1870. With these two works, which were composed at a time when demand for high-quality works increased considerably, due to the rapid development of bourgeois concert life, Franck proves once again to be one of the most original German-speaking composers of chamber music.
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 Brahms: Sinfonia in BJoseph Swensen (conductor & violinist), Malmö Opera Orchestra‘Sinfonia in B’ is Joseph Swensen’s orchestration of the little-known original version of Brahms’ B major piano trio. In Swensen’s own words: “Completed in 1854, it is the largest and arguably the most important of Brahms’ published early works, yet it remains nearly unknown to most musicians and music-lovers alike … The original Opus 8 is, for me, intriguing for many reasons. Not only is it a work of extraordinary quality and emotional depth, written by a composer just 21 years of age, but it is a quintessential example of Brahms’ ultra-romantic and forward looking early style.” |
 Australian Eloquence7 New re-issuesPlenty of Chamber music this month. With the release of quartets by Borodin, Beethoven and Wolf, and quintets by Schubert and Brahms, we have now on Eloquence all of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet’s recordings for Decca, bar the Shostakovich quartets, which, of course, continue to be available on Decca. The Amadeus Quartet’s only Beethoven recording as part of a projected series of the Quartets for Decca reappears on CD after a very long absence. There’s more Ansermet – his Fauré recordings as well as the last recording he was to make, that of Stravinsky’s Firebird, with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, with rehearsal material for this recording appearing on the second disc of the set. And finally the delayed Liszt orchestral recordings from Solti originally planned for last November. |
Download available from 7th February 2012. BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 21st January 2012 |
Building a Library - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition |
 First ChoiceBerlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado |
Disc of the Week |
 Mozart & M Haydn: Duo SonatasRachel Podger (violin) & Jane Rogers (viola) |
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