Bartók: Romanian Dances

This new album by Sergei Nakariakov, recorded in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Dahlem, south-west Berlin, in August 2010 by the same team that made most of his Teldec recordings, is dedicated to his late mentor, the great Russian trumpeter, Timofei Dokshizer.

Spectacular virtuoso trumpet works are featured alongside smoother works on the flugel horn.

This series of recordings brings together great works from the repertory played by renowned performers. From Bach to Debussy, Vivaldi to Rachmaninoff, as well as more specific areas such as the Medieval mysticism of the Songs of Ecstasy by Hildegard von Bingen (12th century) and the heady rhythms of the waltzes and polkas from the New Year’s Concert, each work is paired with an exceptional artist who left a lasting musical mark on the interpretation of each masterpiece.

Glenn Gould unveils the astonishing cantabile emerging out of the stolid contrapuntal lines of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, in a personal and enthusiastic interpretation, Arthur Rubinstein, peerless in the elegant and unadorned fluidity of Chopin’s Waltzes, renews interpretation of Chopin’s music without sentimentality and mannerism that were previously Chopin’s bedfellows. Charles Munch shows his passion for 20th-century French music through his readings imbued with classical transparency and Pierre Boulez brings a painstakingly refined interpretation of Ravel’s unfalteringly rigorous works to the fore.

The German symphonic repertory features prominently in this record collection, as in all classical collections, represented by several of the most important works in this area. Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh Symphonies conducted by the energetic Leonard Bernstein. Schubert is also included with his Ninth Symphony “the Great,” conducted with lyricism and sensitivity by Günter Wand, as is Brahms whose First and Third Symphonies are enlivened by Bruno Walter’s very human touch. George Szell breathes life into three of the most significant Mozart symphonies (nos. 35, 39 and 40), bringing out marvellous internal balance with precise phrasing

Among the other benchmark recordings may be cited the eminently dramatic version of the Mozart Requiem by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the tragic and restrained power of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion by Gustav Leonhardt, the dynamic thrust of Carmina Burana under Seiji Ozawa or, in a different register, the flamboyant virtuosity of Horowitz in Rachmaninoff, the violin lyricism of Isaac Stern, the fiery temperament of Laurent Korcia or the integrity of Yo-Yo Ma in the Suites for cello by Bach. All these recordings enable the listener to enter on sure footing into the highly personal world of each of the composers, guided by musicians of great integrity and unparalleled artistry.