The final years of Herbert von Karajan’s tenure as Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic had descended into chaos; egos clashed and Karajan was moonlighting with indecent regularity in Vienna. Claudio Abbado gradually pieced goodwill back together when he was appointed as successor in 1989, his collegiate approach contrasting noticeably with Karajan’s despotic tendencies. Abbado’s valedictory appearance with the orchestra in May 2013 thus marked the end of an era, an occasion wistfully celebrated in this latest release from Berlin Philharmoniker Recordings. Two works, which Abbado had recorded previously, were on the programme: Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, which turned out to be a characteristically shrewd piece of programming. Abbado’s earlier Midsummer Night’s Dream (also with BPO) might have included more numbers, but the chimerical gleam of those hanging-in-the-air opening woodwind chords gives notice that here is something very special. The fleeting, skipping Scherzo, with its sinuous harmonic sleights-of-hand, is as fantastical as the triadic, muscular brass writing of the Wedding March is rooted in the earth. Deborah York and Stella Doufexis, and the choir, balance well-enunciated weight against suggestive fancy. Abbado’s perspective on Berlioz is far removed from Bernstein’s blood and guts cinematic view –…

Lyric soprano Nicole Car has been tipped by Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini as the next big thing in opera, as confirmed by her recent triumphs at Covent Garden. “She has the genuine, real potential to be the most important Australian opera singer since Joan Sutherland,” he says. Terracini may have a vested interest, but if they haven’t already seen her, Sydney and Melbourne operagoers will get a chance to gauge what all the fuss is about when she stars in two Opera Australia productions this year: first in the title role of Verdi’s Luisa Miller and then as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. They can also get an idea from this, her first solo studio recording, which is excellently produced by the ABC Classics team. The 30 year-old from Essendon, Melbourne, built her reputation with roles like Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in 2014. Then last year she made a triumphant Royal Opera House debut in Onegin and as Micäela in Bizet’s Carmen (arias from both are featured on The Kiss). Car has a versatile voice – she started studying jazz singing before turning to orchestral – and… Continue reading…

Antonio Caldara, born in Venice in 1670, became vice-Kapellmeister at the Viennese Hofkapelle in 1716 remaining until his death in 1736. There he had a fine ensemble of musicians and this recital showcases some of the more unusual instruments he had at his disposal including the salterio – a large hammered dulcimer. Valer Sabadus, one of the five star countertenors on Virgin’s lauded recording of Vinci’s Artaserse, performs a brace of arias from opera and serenati. His bright bell-like tone and effortless fiorature is startling from the get-go and his accompanists play with gusto. Sample track five Ahi! Come quella un tempo città, where a plethora of plucked instruments is a sheer delight with the state-of-the-art recording capturing every nuance from thrumming bass notes to glittering treble. Ditto the following Ah se toccasse a me with a pair of lutes duetting in call and response. Questo è il prato pairs haunting flute and chalumeau – a primitive ancestor of the clarinet with a peculiar rustic sound of its own. Lute aficionados will enjoy this disc as Caldara wrote for the great Francesco Bartolomeo Conti, and Michael Dücker (who leads the ensemble) is a thoughtful player. Cellist Ulrike… Continue reading Get…

In the war against superficiality, guitarist Miloš Karadaglić had two handicaps to overcome: he was too handsome and made things look too easy.

Lacey does far more than just tiptoe through the tulips.

It may have seemed politically naive of Paul Hindemith in 1933 to start planning an opera asserting the moral duty of an artist under a repressive regime, but like many intellectuals of the day, he didn’t take the Nazis seriously and hoped they would soon be out of power. Mathis der Maler would be his undoing and force him into exile in 1938. Hindemith later took themes from the opera and wove them into a large-scale symphony and the harmonic outline of the work brilliantly portrays the internal development of the artist. Christoph Eschenbach’s hyper-romantic way allied with the superb Hamburg orchestra would seem ideal for this reaffirmation of the Germanic symphonic tradition. The opening Concert of Angels promised much with impeccable intonation from blended wind and strings, but as the movement proceeded the conductor’s tendency to underline phrases with modifications of pulse allowed momentum to sag. The Entombment becomes ponderous. The Temptation of St. Anthony is grand and mighty but lacks bite. The Symphony in E Flat was the first major work Hindemith wrote after arriving in America so is an appropriate coupling. With Stokowski, Bernstein or Tortelier it is a breezy romp of a score. Eschenbach trudges, attempting…

Handel’s Partenope is one of those inexplicable rarities. A tuneful, light romance, it has everything that one could want from a Baroque opera – love, intrigue, cross-dressing… Back in Handel’s time, however, the opera claque had it in for the piece. “Senesino put me in a sweat in telling me that Parthenope was likely to be on the stage, for it is the very worst book (excepting one) that I ever read in my whole life,” sniped the rival Academy’s purse-lipped Italian agent Owen Swiny. Poppycock, said Edward J Dent who described it in 1959 as “perhaps the best libretto that Handel had ever set,”likening it to Shakespeare no less. As always, the truth lies somewhere in-between. A tale of love, jealousy and betrayal, the plot revolves around the un-historical titular Queen of what would become Naples and her three suitors. Arsace, Prince of Corinth is the front runner, but when Rosmira, his former betrothed arrives disguised as a knight, it throws the field wide open. Arsace is forced to dissemble rather than admit his falsehood, and Partenope’s affections are diverted towards Armindo, the timid Prince of Rhodes. After Arsace forces Rosmira to reveal her identity… Continue reading Get unlimited…

Pianist, composer and arranger Joe Chindamo and violinist Zoë Black are more than capable of transcending their specialities of jazz and classical.

Since signing to Virgin (now Erato) the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet has recorded some superb accounts of core repertoire including one of the finest Beethoven cycles of recent times. Brahms supposedly wrote some 20 quartets that ended up in the bin before the rigorously self-critical composer felt ready to publish the three extant examples. Each inhabits its own sound world and are tough nuts to crack; the dramatic intensity of the first and the sly playfulness of the third can both easily turn turgid if slathered with heavy-handed Romantic excess, so Artemis proves to be ideal exponents with their modernist sensibility tempered by warmth of expression and miraculous variety of tonal colour and dynamics. The opening movement of the First Quartet is perfectly judged, veering between nervous energy and sweet repose but with an eye always on the architecture so that the ebbing conclusion seems an inevitable consequence rather than a mere petering out. The Romanze is breathtakingly beautiful, drawn with the gentlest brushstrokes of tone; the players’ telepathic ensemble playing at the lowest dynamic level is a wonder to behold. Their variety of vibrato and colour illuminates the Scherzo with half-lights and veiled tone evoking a… Continue reading Get unlimited…

I approached this release with trepidation. The prospect of 11 pieces by 11 composers could easily become maudlin. Besides, what more can possibly be said about Gallipoli? Chris Latham, the director of the project (which had a decade-long gestation period) himself says in the notes “… the history of multi-author works was beyond dire. I didn’t know of one successful example. They were all stylistic mishmashes with no aesthetic cohesion”. This live performance is from one of Istanbul’s most revered mosques in the presence of Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove. Among the contributors are the usual suspects – Sculthorpe, Edwards, Kats-Chernin – with contributions from New Zealand and Turkish composers. Inevitably, the work begins with the plaintive sound of a didgeridoo, equally inevitably played by William Barton. The Australian contributions are in the generic “contemporary Australian” idiom but the attempts to fuse traditional Ottoman and modern Turkish music with Indigenous and western Australian and New Zealand music come off. There isn’t a weak link. The mosque acoustics are sensational but the Istanbul orchestra’s contribution is adequate, nothing more. The Australian choirs acquit themselves better under Jessica Cottis’ committed direction. The cutaway shots to World War I stills are often as…

Opening with the broad Festive March Op. 13, Ondine’s latest release of music by Finnish composer Toivo Kuula presents orchestral works from a composer better known for his vocal writing. Though more solemn than ‘festive’, the expansive March places Kuula in the tradition of Sibelius, with whom he studied composition. Kuula’s orchestral offerings are unfortunately limited: the composer died young, killed in a fight during celebrations for the end of Finland’s Civil War. The first South Ostrobothnian Suite opens with chorale-like brass and winds underscored by motoring pizzicato strings. The cor anglais is the star of this movement, Landscape, Satu Ala’s tone liquid and tenebrous. The second movement, Folk Song, drips with Finnish melancholy while Ostrobothnian Dance is elegant and convivial. The third movement, Devil’s Dance, is bright and cheery and Song of Dusk is full of rich melody, once again featuring the cor anglais. South Ostrobothnian Suite No. 2 is the work of a more mature composer, but is very much a suite of convenience raher than musical unity – Kuula himself often performed the movements separately at concerts he conducted. The final movement, Will-o’-the-Wisp, opens with a treacley… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

History tends to favour the creator, though is not always kind to the muse. Mozart and the Weber Sisters is a refreshing change in that it honours both. Presenting a strong, insightful narrative of love, fervour and disappointment, this release paints fascinating musical portraits not only of an infatuated Mozart, but also of the talented women who inspired him – the sisters Aloysia, Josepha and Constanze Weber. Mozart would eventually marry Constanze, but his first love was the eldest, Aloysia. She and Josepha had illustrious careers as opera singers, with Mozart writing some of his most daring and inspired music for them. The luscious Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!, capitalised on Aloysia’s impeccably soft, stratospheric cantabile, while the fiery Der Hölle Rache was perfect for Josepha, the original Queen of the Night. The vocal prowess of these impressive women is channelled in Sabine Devieilhe, a formidable artistic force who rises to the technical challenges of this wide-ranging programme. There are numerous highlights, but an obvious one is Mozart’s insertion aria to Glück’s Alceste, Popoli di Tessaglia. Devieilhe is magnificent, not least for the infamous top G – one of Aloysia’s unique vocal gifts. Ensemble Pygmalion’s sound is… Continue reading Get unlimited…