With some recordings, there is a risk of fatigue – a collection of works by the same composer, or for the same instrumentation, too similar in taste and sound. This is not the case with the latest release from the effervescent Fantasticus XL. This is not a vanilla performance by any means as this singular ensemble attacks a selection of baroque concerti with contagious energy. Johann Gottlieb Graun’s Viola da Gamba Concerto in C opens, and it sets an impressive benchmark. Soloist Robert Smith’s performance possesses the flexibility of a complex Pinot – in a matter of moments, his rich, layered tone will give way to an athletic tenor in the highest register. It’s an exposing piece, and Smith pushes and pulls the tempo to frequently unexpected delight. Jean-Marie Leclair’s Violin Concerto in G Minor is next, and Baroque violinist Rie Kimura maintains the sweetest of monologues while the ensemble brings the rumble to the sound, creating shade, by leaning in to moments of harmonic uncertainty. A Harpsichord Concerto in F by WF Bach completes the set. As a vehicle for Guillermo Brachetta’s virtuosity, it ticks all the right boxes as he flies through the quicksilver technical passages (especially in…

Reuben Blundell is an Australian-born conductor, whose mother played French horn in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. As a violinist, Blundell gained a place in the New World Symphony in Florida (under Tilson Thomas). He is now Music Director of several ensembles in New York and Philadelphia. One of these is the Gowns Arts Ensemble, a string orchestra, comprising ten musicians on this recording. The programme consists of a dozen short pieces for strings by American or American-based composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was a time when Americans wrote in the European style, even if indigenous themes were used, as in the Omaha Indian Love Song and Chippewa Lullaby from Four North American Legends by Carl Busch (1914). It is interesting to hear music by Horatio Parker, who was the composition teacher of Charles Ives – arguably the first true American original – as well as Roger Sessions and Quincy Porter. Parker’s Scherzo for Strings is a brisk minor-key waltz, reminiscent of the work of one of his own teachers, Dvorˇák. Other composers include Arthur Foote (Air and Gavotte), Frederick Converse (Serenade), and Paul Miersch, a German cellist who played in both the… Continue reading Get…

Is there anything new that yet another recording of The Four Seasons can say? Probably not, and it’s certainly not said here. Nevertheless, this is a very fine (if traditional) recording by Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes. The Four Seasons formed part of a set of violin concertos composed for the occupants of a girls orphanage in Venice. Published in 1725, it is endlessly dazzling, virtuosic and irresistible, a toe-tapping set of pop songs. This recording makes no claims to historically informed performance or period arrangements (although mention must be made of Ehnes’ 1715 ex-Marsick Stradivarius); rather, The Four Seasons gets the full orchestral treatment, an ocean of shimmering violins working to magical effect, their upper-register interplay with Ehnes in Spring particularly transcendent. Two other violin showstoppers are featured here: Fritz Kreisler’s arrangement of Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata, and Jean-Marie Leclair’s understated (in this company) Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 9 No 3, Tambourin. Both are performed with American pianist Andrew Armstrong, renowned for his dazzling technique and expression; on this evidence also an astute and sensitive chamber player (he and Ehnes have recorded two critically acclaimed Bartók collections). The recording is rich, resonant and present,… Continue reading Get…

Jennifer Higdon is one of the most performed composers in the US, and Cold Mountain is the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s first operatic sojourn. The composition got off to a rocky start when the original commission from San Francisco Opera failed to eventuate. Happily, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia and Minnesota Opera rescued the commission of this brilliant new work, with the premiere staged last year in 2015 in Santa Fe. After sell-out performances, the work has since won the 2016 International Opera Award for best world premiere. The libretto by Gene Scheer is adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Charles Frazier, which tells the story of Civil War deserter W.P. Inman and his journey to find his beloved Ada, a once well-off but now desperate woman who learns to fend for herself with the help of Ruby, a mountain woman. The setting for the story had a special significance for Higdon, who grew up on a farm in East Tennessee, only 60 miles from the real Cold Mountain in North Carolina. Musically, Higdon’s score is fresh and cast in her own personal brand of Neo-Romanticism, while drawing on numerous hallmarks of classical and folk Americana. Throughout the…

It’s nightfall when I hit play on the Streeton Trio’s latest release, which features two minor piano trios from Mendelssohn. His first in D Minor, Op. 49 is a fitting opener for the rainy Hobart evening. Though hinting at brighter spirits, the dominant feeling is intense. The Trio’s members are inspiringly considerate of each other through radical dynamic ranges, making room for each part with what seems exaggerated courtesy. The following Andante con Molto Tranquillo offers a necessary respite; though gentle, it doesn’t fully release us from the tension. The Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace is highly repetitive in rhythm, but exploding with expression. Even through speedier passages, the ensemble boasts a unified voice – at once revealing conviction and grace. An arrangement of Gondellied, WoO 10 from the trio’s pianist Benjamin Kopp comes next. It’s excessively romantic, depicting the canals of Venice as Mendelssohn may have remembered them. Its expansion from 2/4 to 12/8 may be the cause of such dreaminess – an adventurous decision from Kopp. His arrangement of Spring Song, Op. 62/6 is comically quaint, while the Song Without Words in E Flat, Op. 30/1 uses lyrical lines to showcase cellist Umberto Clerici and violinist… Continue reading Get…

Except for his Debussyesque Escales (Ports of Call), I’ve long regarded Jacques Ibert (known as “Jackie Bear” in Britain) as a sort of fellow traveller (along with Jean Françaix), with Les Six. He’s more talented than five of them, but without Poulenc’s genius for laconic glitter and Parisian chic. This well-filled CD (over 80 minutes – why can’t everyone be that generous?) gives a more rounded survey of Ibert’s oeuvre. The Divertissement (1930), which cemented Ibert’s reputation as a musical farceur, was adapted from a play called The Italian Straw Hat and is perhaps more sardonic than the usual Satieesque Keystone Cops-style slapstick romp, and none the worse for that. Escales (inspired by Ibert’s experiences during naval service in the First World War) is well played and, here, I must single out the lovely, sinuous oboe playing in the Tunis-Nefta movement – so different from the pinched, vinegary sound we used to hear from this orchestra in the Ansermet days. The reading is somewhat ‘northern’ and matter of fact rather than radiating Mediterranean languor, as in Charles Munch’s or Stokowski’s legendary readings. The main discovery here is the… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

Schumann’s Piano Concerto is a Romantic warhorse (albeit a very charming one) but Dvořák’s is largely unknown, despite being championed by Firkušný and Richter (accompanied by Kleiber) who restored the original version. Will advocacy by a pianist of Hough’s eminence convince people it’s a neglected masterpiece? Don’t expect any sublime ascents into the sunlit uplands or exhilarating ‘travelling tune’ allegros in the symphonies. Much of the Concerto falls between two stools: Hough has written about the “fiendish difficulty” of the solo part, although you’d never think so from his blend of heroic power, insight and finesse. There’s little overt bravura or man versus piano writing. The slow movement has moments of blissful repose but it’s only in the Finale that we recognise Dvořák’s hallmark earthy energy. It’s not first-rate Dvořák, but it’s interesting and worth the price of the CD. The Schumann is an almost complete contrast: highly pianistic writing and a lyrical meshing between soloist and orchestra. There are many felicities in Hough’s reading, from the first movement’s ruminative passages (where I greatly prefer Hough to the more youthful impetuosity of the recently released Lisiecki) to the… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

Erland von Koch (1910-2009) had a long and distinguished career embracing various ‘styles’. This sample of his ‘serious orchestral style’ certainly whets the appetite. The two symphonies, receiving world premiere recordings, date from 1948 and 1952 and are superbly crafted without an ounce of flab. The style might be described as Hindemith-lite with a touch of Bartók, but the melodic invention is fresh and memorable. Koch’s formal structure and thematic development is organic and lucid with a satisfying inevitability yet never predictable; a divertingly novel path to a foregone conclusion. The orchestration is clear and transparent but with just enough weight to satisfy the senses and never resorts to gimmickry. The melodic lines are coloured by subtle instrumental doublings and mixtures (marvellous wind writing) and the arguments are cogent, logical and always moving forward with striding confidence. Movements avoid outstaying their welcome such is his concentration and economy of means. Impulsi, a thrilling orchestral showpiece with nervous triplet repetitions would make a marvellous concert opener while the Nordic Capriccio is an amiable, folk-tinged romp. The performances are impeccable with a sense of commitment and relish.  Sound is as… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

And now for something completely different? By general agreement, Rattle’s 2003 cycle of Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic was inconsistent and hastily packaged, the conscious Haydnesque jollities of the First and Second symphonies – clearly Rattle had been listening to John Eliot Gardiner and Frans Brüggen – rubbing awkwardly against visions of the Third, Fifth and Ninth swept along by broad sweeps of Romanticism, like Rattle had also swallowed huge chunks of Wilhelm Furtwängler. Rattle is on record as saying that Furtwängler’s 1942 recording of the Choral Symphony epitomises everything genuinely great about the Berlin Philharmonic, its string sound in particular. And here’s the great paradox of this fresh Beethoven cycle, recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 2015 – a decade on from his first attempt, Rattle has managed to make the yin and yang of HIP and a Romantic underbelly coexist and these Berlin Philharmonic readings sound less obviously indebted to its own heritage. “You can try to make [Beethoven] agree with himself when often he’s fighting with himself,” Rattle says in the bonus documentary included as part of the package. “But I have… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a…

Releasing a disc with two monuments of the Romantic cello repertoire is a major statement for a young performer. And in a somewhat crowded marketplace, those recordings need to be of the highest possible calibre. Miranda’s readings of both concertos are bold and voluptuous, demonstrating a fine sense of musicianship. Unfortunately the Venezuelan-American cellist’s solid performance is not always enough to galvanise this recording. Miranda plays with a strong sense of expressivity, so there are plenty of enjoyable moments. The Schumann in particular is quite delightful. The outer movements feature stunning passages of technical bravura, which Miranda manages well with a good sense of bite from the bow. The same is true of the final movement of the Dvorák. Other areas are less enjoyable. The cello is recorded quite closely, and there’s no real ambience in the orchestral sound, so the overall effect lacks atmosphere and depth. The second movement of the Schumann should sound like a cello aria surrounded by an orchestral halo, but the sound lacks that character. The first movement of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto should really pack a punch, but the final climax comes off flat, mostly due to the orchestra’s intonation. With some… Continue reading Get…

I have to admit that I’ve got a soft spot for the bassoon. It’s not the most sensual of instruments, but it’s more than capable of stirring the listener’s emotions, or astonishing with flights of virtuosity. Although the cover of the disc oddly doesn’t mention her name at all, this is essentially a chamber recital from bassoonist Donna Agrell. Focusing on works written for 19th-century bassoonist Frans Preumayr, this recording includes chamber music from Swedish composers who don’t pop up all that often – Éduoard Du Puy, and Franz Berwald.   Last year I reviewed a live performance in which the players expressed concerns about the quality of Berwald’s music. Although it’s far from flabbergasting anyone, I would argue that one doesn’t need to hear masterworks all the time. No one cooks with Wagyu beef every day – sometimes all the heart desires is a trip to the local Bunnings’ sausage sizzle. Berwald’s music isn’t going to replace Haydn or Mozart, but it’s fun while it lasts. The two Berwald pieces on this disc (the Septet in B Flat and the Quartet in E Flat) are not without charm, but it’s in the Quintet in A Minor by Du Puy…

Elizabeth Joy Roe is an emerging artist snapped up by Decca. She has recorded the Britten and Barber Piano Concertos, but the repertoire on this, her second solo album, is even rarer. The Irish composer John Field (1782-1837) studied with Clementi, later traversing Europe as a concert pianist. Contemporary accounts mention Field’s lyrical, singing tone and poetic style. He is credited with inventing the nocturne: a short study expressing Romantic notions of the night. Impressed by Field’s Nocturnes, Chopin composed his own iconic set. Field’s Nocturnes fall into the pattern of a lyrical, thematic line, usually supported by flowing arpeggios or repeated patterns in the left hand. His early pieces recall Mozart’s slow movements (No 1 in E Flat), but later ones contain dramatic contrasts (No 10, Nocturne Pastorale). The thematic line is often treated to pianistic decoration, as in No 6, Cradle Song – possibly the precursor to Chopin’s Berceuse – and Liszt in his ‘consolation’ mood is anticipated in No 5 in B Flat. Field’s Nocturnes are not restricted to a particular time signature: most are in 3/4, but only one (No 8 in E Flat) sounds like a true waltz. No 16 in… Continue reading Get unlimited…