SACDs - Fauré

LSO Live is delighted to renew its relationship with the magnificent Tenebrae choir, whose previous recordings on the label have included Berlioz’ 'L’enfance du Christ' and Handel’s 'Messiah'. As part of the 2011 City of London Festival, Tenebrae joined an ensemble from the LSO at St Paul’s Cathedral for a performance of the Fauré Requiem, preceded by a selection of Bach’s Chorales interspersed with Partitas performed by Gordan Nikolitch, leader of the LSO. The centrepiece of the programme was Helga Thoene’s remarkable arrangement of Bach’s choral themes with solo violin. The performance was restaged in May 2012 in the sublime acoustic of the Church of St Giles Cripplegate and recorded by LSO Live. The Fauré Requiem in D minor exists in three different versions, the John Rutter edition for chamber orchestra being performed here.

Following an Autumn tour of the USA, Tenebrae will perform a selection of Christmas concerts in December, followed by another tour of the USA in Spring 2013. Tenebrae sopranos will also feature in performances of 'Alice in Wonderland' at the Royal Opera House.

On this new disc, Maxim Rysanov and Ashley Wass present works illustrating the striking affinity between the timbre of the viola and the colours in French music.

The disc includes arrangements of music by Ravel, Fauré and Debussy: Alongside two Pavanes, the programme includes perennial favourites such as Après un rêve and Clair de lune.

Rysanov and Wass also perform two contemporary pieces by the Swiss-French composer Richard Dubugnon. Incantatio and Lied, both for viola and piano, are adaptations by the composer of existing works made especially for Maxim Rysanov.

For BIS Rysanov has previously recorded a solo disc with three of Bach’s cello suites and his own arrangement for viola and orchestra of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations.

On her third CD for Channel Classics, the harpist Lavinia Meijer (28) has brought together popular Fantasies and Impromptus by Spohr, Fauré, Pierné, Saint-Saëns, Roussel and Glière. Added to these are world premieres on CD of two completely forgotten harpist composers: Johannes Snoer (1868-1936) and Gabriel Verdalle (1845-1912).

On her first and very successful CD for Channel Classics, 'Divertissements', Lavinia Meijer also recorded only compositions originally written for the harp, with works by Carlos Salzedo, André Caplet and Jacques Ibert. On her highly commended CD 'Visions' she presented twentieth-century repertoire, with works by Byrnes, Isang Yun and Takemitsu, in addition to Britten and Patterson.

Lavinia Meijer graduated cum laude at the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2005. She was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize in 2009.

Prize winning organist Iveta Apkalna performs these works on the Kuhn organ in the Philharmonie Essen. She has established herself as a virtuoso and combines a deep sense of musicality and masterful technique with an unerring instinct for the effect of the music.

As exclusive Chandos artists, the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge here presents its second release. The first CD, of choral music by Howells (CHAN10587), was released to rave reviews in March this year. Choir and Organ wrote: ‘There is musicianship here of a rare and moving kind.’ This new release of popular choral classics should meet with a similar reception while at the same time appealing to a wider audience.

Established in the 1670s, the Choir of St John’s has a distinguished tradition of performing religious music. Its main duty is singing the daily services in the College Chapel during the University Term. During the University vacation the Choir carries out engagements in the UK and overseas, as well as undertaking a busy recording schedule. This particular release was recorded in the College Chapel in full surround-sound. The disc not only sounds spectacular, but recreates to an uncanny degree the experience of listening to the Choir perform in the chapel.

The music itself represents a time span of nearly 500 years of choral music. The earliest piece dates from the first half of the sixteenth century, and the newest was composed as recently as 2007. The styles and genres are varied, but there are clear links between the works throughout. For example, several are based on texts from the psalms, and the works by Pärt, Parsons, and Rachmaninoff offer three radically different interpretations of the Ave Maria. Some of the works also add a solo instrument to the familiar mix of voices and organ. But perhaps most importantly, all the pieces recorded here sit comfortably under the heading of ‘Popular Choral Classics’.

Allegri’s Miserere is counted among the great classics of church music. Part of its mystique stems from its origins; for many years the work was performed only in the Sistine Chapel, and as with other works tied to a single place it became an object for pilgrimage. In this case the pilgrims included Mendelssohn, as well as Mozart who famously noted down the work from memory after leaving the Vatican, thereby risking excommunication by the Catholic Church. This new release also features Stanford’s Jubilate, which was written for Trinity College, Cambridge. Intended as part of the service of Morning Prayer, it has long been one of the most popular canticles in the Anglican repertoire. In keeping with the text, Psalm 100, the tone is festive throughout.