Rimsky Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee (Der Hummelflug, Le Vol du bourdon) - download (MP3 & FLAC)

This third volume of Rachmaninov’s Victor recordings contains discs he made of his own solo compositions and arrangements from the introduction of electrical recording in 1925 to a year before his death.

The works recorded were those most in demand by the public, each piece subject to Rachmaninov’s perfectionism and the version released always the best of a number of takes (for example, the recording of his famous Prelude in C sharp minor is Take 23).

Whether it be in the 1925 recording of his transcription of Kreisler’s Liebesfreud or the February 1942 recording of the same work (in which he displays a cast iron technique only a year before his death), the sheer virtuosity, utter clarity and supreme musicianship of Rachmaninov’s playing style are undiminished.

The first two releases in this series have been acclaimed for their superb remastering.

Ward Marston, producer and audio restoration engineer

Over four days of sessions in Hollywood during 1946 and 1947, Jascha Heifetz and his regular accompanist Emanuel Bay recorded this evocative series of encores. The repertoire was wide-ranging, and included three Spanish pieces by Sarasate, Nin and Ernesto Halffter, all delectably played, in his only recordings of them. He turned also to his own transcription of Bax’s Mediterranean as well as to staples such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s dazzling Flight of The Bumble-Bee. Throughout, Heifetz’s bowing, pizzicati, double stops, glissandi and inimitable portamenti grace these pieces with incredible freshness.

Mark Obert-Thorn, reissue producer and audio restoration engineer

A calendar filled with orchestral concerts and chamber recitals in many of the world’s most prestigious venues has given the clarinettist Martin Fröst ample opportunity to develop a wide range of encores, for every occasion. Known for the imaginatively themed concert programmes he devises with various musician friends, he has also explored a number of musical genres.

These aspects of his artistry are both demonstrated on this constantly engaging disc, which includes immortal gems such as Rachmaninov’s Vocalise and Kreisler’s Liebeslied as well as pieces rather less usual in a classical context: Charlie Chaplin’s Smile and the klezmer traditional Let’s Be Happy.

Throughout the programme Fröst receives the expert support of the pianist Roland Pöntinen, a chamber music partner of long standing who has also been involved in devising many of the imaginative arrangements, for instance of Vittorio Monti’s Csárdás. Three other musical companions of Fröst’s make cameo appearances, with mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman joining the clarinet in the head-long flight of not one, but two bumble-bees. Torleif Thedéen’s cello sings a heartfelt Ave Maria while Svante Henryson, also a cellist, plays in his own duo piece Off Pist.

“His virtuosity lies in his exceptional dexterity and agility…and in his daring control of the instrument’s dynamic and expressive extremes.” The Times

When listening to these recordings one feels his sense of rhythm and timing and the unforced, natural sound that is Endre Wolf’s hallmark. His timing in the last movement of the Mozart Concerto or the stunning rendering of the Tchaikovsky Concerto are wonderful examples of this. He plays fast and clear but is never in a hurry. His timing is immaculate.

Described by the composer as a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images and designs of oriental character, Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic suite Sheherazade has delighted listeners for generations. The rapturous solo violin plays the part of the slave who narrates the wonderful tales of the Arabian Nights, including the adventures of Sinbad, Prince Kalender and the Festival of Baghdad.

The suite, or ‘musical pictures’, from The Tale of Tsar Saltan depicts episodes from this magical opera, from which the mischievous Flight of the Bumblebee is also drawn.

The Seattle Symphony is one of the world’s most recorded orchestras, with 12 GRAMMY® nominations and two Emmy Awards.

Anthony Goldstone here presents a collection of paraphrases, transcriptions and variations from opera for solo piano.

The medium of opera has been the vehicle for some of the most passionate music, and the most beautiful melodies, ever written. Pianists are no more immune from passion than anyone else, and – despite the piano’s percussive

method of sound production, or it may be because of it – they have been eager to accept, from whatever source, every opportunity to render a wonderful tune. It is no surprise that pianist-composers have plundered the treasures of opera for the benefit of their fellows. All melodies ultimately spring from the voice, and, no matter how ornate the costumes in which ever more adventurous composer-virtuosos have cloaked them, the challenge for the executant is to phrase them in such a way as not to invite detrimental comparison with the “real thing”.

Sometimes composers have distilled an opera into a manageable length for a piano piece; sometimes they have shamelessly cherry-picked. The comment attributed to Rossini regarding Wagner’s operas – that they contain fine moments but awful quarter-hours – is perhaps extreme, but it is self-evident that in any extended theatre piece there will be comparative highlights and longueurs. Moreover, at the piano the often wearisome plots can be ignored.

Anthony Goldstone is recognised as one of Britain’s most respected pianists. Goldstone’s completions and realisations of several works by Schubert and Mozart have been greeted with enthusiasm by musicologists and listeners alike.

This recording offers a fascinating survey of Russian oboe music spanning over 150 years. Though now widely neglected, Johann-Heinrich Luft held an important position as an oboist in 19th century Russia and was the acknowledged founder of the Russian school of oboe-playing. From music by Rimsky-Korsakov, including a dazzling transcription of Flight of the Bumble-Bee, to the more nearly contemporary, all these compositions bring to the fore the lyrical qualities of the instrument and the virtuosity of the performer.