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Presto News - 5th March 2012Brahms choral discs from Gardiner and Herreweghe |
 For lovers of Brahms, there are two new discs of his choral music to tell you about this week. First, following on from his recordings of all four of the symphonies, John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in the German Requiem, recorded live at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, in 2008.  Sir John Eliot Gardiner It almost goes without saying that the performance of the Monteverdi Choir under Gardiner’s direction is difficult to improve upon, and for me was certainly the most persuasive aspect of this account. The choral sound is rich and full, and I liked the precision brought to the music by this relatively small-scale choir, something that is fairly tricky to execute with a large choral society. Gardiner doesn’t ignore the orchestra, though; while his period performance sensibilities may not quite be to everyone’s taste (especially if you’re used to a fuller, more Romantic sound), I appreciated the textual clarity he achieves, and it was nice to hear more detail in the harps and inner parts than usual. As for the soloists, Matthew Brook produces a rich baritone sound that suits the music well, and Katharine Fuge acquits herself admirably in the demanding solo soprano part. Something I found particularly fascinating with Gardiner’s previous discs of the symphonies was his ever-imaginative choice of pieces that provided the couplings for the main work. As he says in his accompanying booklet note, his intention was to “set [Brahms’s] symphonies in the context of his own superb and often neglected choral music, and that of the old masters he particularly cherished”. The same is true with this new disc, in which Gardiner prefaces the Requiem with two choral pieces by one of the aforementioned “old masters”, Heinrich Schütz. Both pieces use texts that Brahms also chose for his Requiem, and it is fascinating to hear the difference in compositional style between the two composers.  Philippe Herreweghe If that whets your appetite for Brahms in choral mode, then you’ll be as thrilled as I was to hear Philippe Herreweghe’s new disc with the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, which brings together several of the composer’s shorter choral works, including a couple of comparative rarities. Perhaps the most familiar work on the disc is the Alto Rhapsody, a piece for soloist and male chorus to a text by Goethe, for which Herreweghe is joined by the Swedish mezzo-soprano, Ann Hallenberg. I very much enjoyed this performance; Hallenberg sings with a ravishingly beautiful tone throughout, and the support from the chorus and orchestra is most impressive. I must admit that two of the pieces on this disc were new to me, namely the Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), and the very early Begräbnisgesang (Funeral Song). It was nothing short of a delight to get to know both of these pieces, not only because of the quality of the music itself, but also for the excellent performances on offer. The Schicksalslied has rapidly become one of my favourite pieces of Brahms, with its serene introductory and closing sections (beautifully played here by the string section in particular) framing a stormy middle section that features some very fine and incisive choral singing. The Begräbnisgesang was a treat as well; I loved the sonorities of this piece, scored as it is for wind and brass only, without strings. Bringing the disc to a close is another piece that hasn’t been recorded perhaps as often as it should be, namely the Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), which is similar in its stormy, portentous tone to the Schicksalslied, and is given a suitably full-blooded, fiery performance here. So, all in all, this is an extremely satisfying disc, and there is much to recommend. Even if you’re not familiar with the works already, I hope you’ll give it a try, and with any luck you’ll enjoy discovering these pieces as much as I did!
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 Brahms: Ein deutsches RequiemKatharine Fuge (soprano), Matthew Brook (bass), Monteverdi Choir & Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner
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 Brahms: Works for chorus and orchestraCollegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Philippe Herreweghe |
James Longstaffe - james@prestoclassical.co.uk |
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Download - download options available for this itemNew Releases5th March 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. |
 Handel: Il pastor fido, HWV8aLucy Crowe, Anna Dennis, Katherine Manley (sopranos), Madeleine Shaw (mezzo-soprano), Clint van der Linde (countertenor) & Lisandro Abadie (bass baritone), La Nuova Musica, David BatesFor its harmonia mundi début, the London-based La Nuova Musica, led by David Bates, presents a true rarity: the original 1712 version of Handel’s opera ‘Il pastor fido’ (The Faithful Shepherd) featuring Lucy Crowe, Anna Dennis, Katherine Manley, Madeleine Shaw and Clint van der Linde. |
 A Song of Farewell: Music of Mourning & ConsolationGabrielli Consort, Paul McCreeshContinuing Signum’s new partnership with Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort following the triumphant success of Berlioz’s ‘Grande Messe des Morts’ (SIGCD280), their next release is a recording of the group’s renowned a cappella programme of music for mourning and consolation. This is a beautifully poignant programme of British choral music, including works by composers as diverse as Morley and Dove, Sheppard and Walton and featuring Howells’ sublime ‘Requiem’. |
 Brahms & Ligeti: Horn TriosMarie-Luise Neunecker (horn), Antje Weithaas (violin) & Silke Avenhaus (piano)BIS present two major works for horn, violin and piano, bringing together Johannes Brahms, generally regarded as the great traditionalist of the late 19th century, and György Ligeti, born 90 years after Brahms, and one of the most innovative and progressive figures of his time.
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 Scriabin: Piano WorksOlli Mustonen (piano)This CD features the acclaimed Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen with piano works by Alexander Scriabin, which have become his signature pieces in recital. The virtuoso sets of Etudes and Preludes cover a wide range of late-Romantic expressions, from heroic to religious, ecstatic to melancholic. The Sonata No. 10 is regarded as one of Scriabin’s greatest works. The collection culminates with the pianistic tour-de-force of Vers la flamme, an astonishing piece famously championed by the late Vladimir Horowitz.
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 Dvorak: Cello ConcertoZuill Bailey (cello), Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Jun MärklZuill Bailey made his Telarc debut early in early 2009 with a CD called “Russian Masterpieces for Cello”, a disc which featured music by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Towards the end of last year he joined forces with pianist Simone Dinnerstein in a critically acclaimed recording of Beethoven’s complete works for piano and cello. Since then his recording of J S Bach’s cello suites has been a massive success particularly in the USA where it spent four weeks in a row at No. 1 on the Billboard classical chart, and even made the top 30 in the New Artists chart. |
 Ravel: Daphnis et ChloéLondon Philharmonic Orchestra & John Alldis Choir, Bernard HaitinkMaurice Ravel, a notorious perfectionist, considered his 1912 ballet score Daphnis et Chloé his most important work, describing it as a ‘choreographic symphony’. Based on a pastoral drama by the Greek poet Longus, the story tells of the love between a goatherd and a shepherdess. In this live 1979 recording, Bernard Haitink conjures a sensuous and atmospheric performance from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and John Alldis Choir. |
 Pierre Boulez: Mémoriale & Dérive 1 & 2Fabrice Jünger (solo flute), Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, Daniel KawkaThis new release is dedicated to works by one of the legendary figures in the world of contemporary music, the composer and conductor Pierre Boulez. The disc includes three pieces for small orchestral groups, Memoriale, Derive 1, and the latest version of Derive 2 which is here receiving its world premiere recording. |
 Bach, C P E: Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq. 238, H. 775Gudrun Sidonie Otto, Nele Gramß, Hermann Oswald & Michael Schopper, Salzburger Hofmusik, Wolfgang BrunnerCPE Bach’s Die Israeliten in der Wüste is an oratorio based on the pain and suffering of the Israelites in the desert. He wrote the piece with the intention that it should be performed not only on a solemn occasion, but at any time inside or outside the Church. His style of writing is clearly influenced by the oratorios written by George Frideric Handel, particularly the Messiah and his affinity for the Old Testament.
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 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 3rd March 2012 |
Building a Library - Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, Op. 29 (FS76) 'The Inextinguishable' |
 First Choice(coupled with Symphonies 5 and 6)San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt |
Disc of the Week |
 Vivaldi - Sacred works for soprano & concertosElin Manahan Thomas (soprano); Ashley Solomon (flute); Bojan Cicic (violin); Jennifer Morsches (cello); Florilegium
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