Mons Capuçon convinces in three new violin concertos françaises.

When the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concerts were first televised, I always enjoyed scanning the audience to see those elderly, distinguished, granite-jawed males, often with sabre-scarred cheeks, and their perma-tanned wives dripping with dubiously acquired bling. Nowadays, they’ve all gone to that great Vahalla in the sky, to be replaced more wholesomely by the likes of Angela Merkel and Dame Julie Andrews. I was interested to read recently that the world’s most predictable (and expensive) concert, with all its schmaltz and leaden, contrived humour, was originally a Nazi propaganda/morale boosting exercise, held on New Year’s Eve! This year’s effort was conducted by the 35-year-old Gustavo Dudamel (aka “The Dude”), the event’s youngest maestro ever. What fascinates me is just how much music the Strauss family composed: one of the pieces by Johann Strauss II this time was opus 436! They seem to have no trouble programming a concert of virtually unknown gems year after year. For me, this year’s hits were Waldteufel’s The Skaters’ Waltz, whose trumpet tune in the opening bars, the otherwise excellent liner notes bizarrely inform us, may have been inspired by the horn calls introducing Bruckner’s Third Symphony. Another gem, alone worth… Continue reading Get…

It’s often been said that the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is one of Australia’s best kept secrets. This nimble outfit tackles a vast range of repertoire with the greatest ease. While Viennese waltzes might not be seen as the height of musical sophistication, they are deceptively challenging, and when performed well can be the perfect antidote to a miserable mood. While this compilation headlines Johann Strauss II, it also features equally charming selections from Josef Strauss, Franz von Suppé and Franz Lehár to round out the collection. The album is peppered with items that feature soprano Lorina Gore, who is in her element throughout. A particular highlight is the Lehár item, Giuditta’s Meine lippen, sie küssen so heiß, where she showcases the lovely colour in the lower depths of voice. The Tasmanian orchestra is in fine form and conductor Marko Letonja demonstrates his versatility throughout, choosing careful tempo relationships that allow these delicate waltzes to truly sing. The wistful and elegant opening to the work Seid umschlungen, Millionen! (Be embraced, Ye Millions!) is the hidden gem at the heart of this album. Johann Strauss II dedicated it to his friend Brahms, and it’s an example of the complex… Continue reading Get…

Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, subtitled Winter Dreams, was composed when he was 26. It’s probably the best of his neglected early symphonies. Its gorgeous first movement conjures up images of young Romanov aristocrats being swept in sleighs through a winter wonderland and anticipates the snow scene in The Nutcracker ballet. Young Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and the Orchestra of St Luke’s capture the magic here. My favourite version has always been the old DG Boston Symphony with a young Michael Tilson Thomas. These forces run them close. They give the second movement a uniquely Russian sense of rhapsodic yearning and exquisite melancholy, with beautifully detailed woodwind solos equally beautifully captured. It’s not the sort of repertoire one expects from Harmonia Mundi but the recording is superb! I don’t think The Tempest is quite out of the same drawer. While the opening depiction of the ocean is brilliant (it reminded me of Rimsky-Korsakov’s later evocation of the ocean in his Tsar Sultan Suite), the work tries to be both a mood picture and a psychological portrait of the main characters – Miranda and Ferdinand and their blossoming love, the grossness of Caliban, (cellos and double basses) and the… Continue reading Get unlimited…

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