Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte (or Songs Without Words) were a bold step forward in Romantic writing. The title suggests much of the meaning behind the music – that it was possible to give purely instrumental music the emotional depth of a song, even without the added help of words to create imagery. The liner notes point out that the Songs Without Words generally stick to placing the melody in the upper voice, combined with a chordal accompaniment in ABA form. While this is broadly true, what variety Mendelssohn achieves from such a simple set-up! With this disc covering Books 5 to 8 of the set, fortepianist Ronald Brautigam has now recorded the complete Songs Without Words.  These later books contain some of the best-known pieces, including the famous Frühlingslied (Spring Song). There are some delightful links between the composers of the 19th century here – Book 5 is dedicated to Clara Schumann, who had to encore some of the pieces multiple times in her concerts. With this sense of history in mind, Brautigam plays these pieces as they should be heard, and with no sense of artifice. This is honest playing with some of the most natural phrasing I’ve heard…

Baldassare Galuppi is one of those unfortunate composers who were hailed in their lifetimes as being among the finest music-makers…and then promptly forgotten. Galuppi’s writing is in the galant style, essentially the precursor to the Classical era – his melodies might be simple, but they’re never simplistic. This sort of music, so full of elegance and warmth, can sound a tad trite if it’s not played with panache. However, that’s not a concern in this case! Andrea Chezzi brings brilliance to these sonatas when required, but most enjoyably, a definite sense of playfulness. For example, the opening Sonata No 1 in C Major, Op. 1, is given some additional tonal shifts from some well-timed use of the harpsichord’s stops, cheekily jumping from a dark sound to something more nasal in an echoed phrase. On the more reflective side of things, the slower movements are given a lovingly rounded sense of melody. The liner notes point out that this collection of sonatas was never composed as a set but was collated by Galuppi from various works. As a result, some of the sonatas are in three movements, while others are a single movement. While this might sound like a negative, it’s…

★★★★★ The superstar pianist dazzles Brisbane in an unforgettable concert.

Imagine the archaeological thrill of tracking down musical manuscripts and finding works which have been unheard for centuries. In 2011, the Morgan Library in New York acquired a manuscript which alternates sonatas by Soler and Domenico Scarlatti (who influenced Soler’s writing deeply). Of Soler’s works in the collection, 29 were previously unknown and are recorded here for the first time. With a treasure trove of new music before him, harpsichordist Diego Ares can enjoy the interpretive freedom afforded by works without the weight of expectation. While he was composing in Spain in what is ostensibly the late Baroque, to my ears Soler’s style is more similar to that of style galant composers like CPE Bach, with an emphasis on the melodic line and musical twists aplenty. Ares’ playful style perfectly suits this music, which often breaks into a spirited flurry of semiquavers or dashes away with another fresh melody just when it is least expected.  Soler’s improvisatory compositional style is reflected in some clever programming. Ares’ notes discuss Soler’s publication of rules for improvising modulations to remote keys, and indeed Ares uses a similar method to insert a few linking passages in between sonatas. Though brief, these interludes provide just…

★★★★☆ Crisp and refreshing – and the music is pretty good, too.

Generally, when you think of baroque music you think Europe. Handel’s London, perhaps, JS Bach’s Leipzig, or Vivaldi’s Venice. For the composer Domenico Zipoli, his training as a missionary meant that he wound up further afield. Instead of hobnobbing at the courts of Europe, he lived and composed in Argentina at a time when getting to South America meant a difficult and lengthy journey. The music recorded on this disc was published as Sonate d’Intavolatura per Organo e Cimbalo, before Zipoli’s South American adventures began. Though still far from well known, the suites and partitas in the harpsichord half of the set are masterful enough to have impressed fellow composers. Writing centuries later, Vincent d’Indy referred to these works as proving Zipoli “one of the greatest Italian masters in musicality and elegance in composing”, and compared him favourably to Frescobaldi, Pachelbel and Bach. For the most part following the standard baroque dance suite form, Zipoli’s music is brought to life in this recording. Giovanni Nesi’s choice to record these works on the piano serves the music well, bringing a wonderful crispness and clarity to these works. Usually I’d quibble over historical accuracies, but that becomes irrelevant with a performance this…

This recording presents an unusual juxtaposition. On the one hand, we have the ubiquitous Four Seasons, but on the other, two world premiere concertos. The Four Seasons recording is certainly excellent, with effervescent performances from soloist and director Adrian Chandler. Also on the disc are two bassoon concerti (La Notte in B Flat and per Maestro de Morzin in G Minor), in both of which soloist Peter Whelan shines. However, most interesting on this disc is the presence of  a couple of first time recordings. These world premieres (Concerto in D, RV221 and Concerto in G, RV311) are for a strange hybrid instrument a bit like a tromba marina (a one-stringed, box-like instrument designed to imitate the sound of a trumpet). The violin in tromba marina, then, is designed to imitate the tromba marina in turn. Complicating matters, however, is the fact that there are a grand total of none in existence. Chandler details the research involved in recreating the violin in tromba marina, the resulting instrument having only three brass strings and a bridge that has a metal attachment to give a trumpet-like rasp. This bright-toned instrument proves… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe…

A handful of Limelight critics are spoiled for choice picking their favourite recordings.

Alina Ibragimova has previously tackled Bach’s solo violin Sonatas and Partitas with great success, and here she presents an equally superb recording of the Bach violin concerti. JS Bach’s violin concertos are oft-recorded, so new performances have to face down most of the 20th (and 21st) century’s greatest violinists – not an easy task! However, with sensitive accompaniment from ensemble Arcangelo and director Jonathan Cohen, Ibragimova brings a fresh and lively approach to these popular favourites. Only two of the works on this disc are officially labelled as “violin concertos”, the Concerto in A Minor, BWV1041, and the Concerto in E Major, BWV1042. In contrast, the Concerto in A Major, BWV1055, the Concerto in F Minor, BWV1056, and the Concerto in D Minor, BWV1052 all exist as harpsichord concerti, but due to various quirks, scholars have suggested that the pieces once existed in violin concerto format as well. Parts of the keyboard versions contain passages that seem oddly reminiscent of violinistic writing, complete with double-stops and convenient open strings. The theory is that Bach wrote a violin original, transcribed it for harpsichord (or other instruments), and at some point the violin original was lost, leaving only the transcription. Although these works are more…

A much-loved part of the Australian music landscape, Guitar Trek’s newest recording is a wide-ranging set of pieces. With the tagline “gems from classical music and beyond” it’s easy to imagine a rather cynical combination of classical hits, but Guitar Trek have recorded a delightful programme with a solid mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. They’ve given us familiar names but with unfamiliar pieces (Rodrigo’s Four Pieces for Piano), as well as favourites that are always welcome (Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers). One of the problems with the guitar quartet is that four of the same instrument results in a limited texture and range. Guitar Trek’s point of difference, however, is that they, along with Australian luthier Graham Caldersmith, have created a guitar “family” – they use treble, baritone and bass instruments, in addition to the normal guitar. This expansion creates significant new opportunities for performance, of which they take great advantage on this CD. For example, part of the disc is devoted to South American music. One piece, Noite Serena (Serene Night) by Rufino Almeida, known as “Bau”, uses Guitar Trek’s classical bass as a substitute for the original piece’s electric bass. Were a standard guitar quartet (sans classical bass)…

Jacques-François Gallay was a French horn player prominent in the middle of the 19th century, inspiring one reviewer of the time to write that he “cannot conceive of the horn without M. Gallay”. Playing the natural horn takes an already complex and difficult instrument and ratchets up the difficulty several notches. Unlike the more modern, valved instrument, notes are changed by lip tension or by hand-stopping. With a minefield of intonation and projection issues to navigate, Anneke Scott performs this repertoire with astonishing ease.  However, this third volume of Gallay’s music performed by Scott doesn’t quite live up to previous discs. This has nothing to do with the playing and more to do with the music itself. Operatic fantasias are not the most substantial of genres. While they were perfect for the travelling virtuoso to show off back in the day (opera’s big tunes, combined with lots of notes!), by the time it reaches the present the music has to stand on its own. There’s an attempt to get around this issue by having soprano Lucy Crowe perform some of the original arias by Donizetti and Mercadante. While successful, they’re only a small portion of the disc. Hector Berlioz wrote…

While the Bachs make a definite argument for musical talent running in families, CPE Bach’s music is very different from that of his father. In contrast to JS’s concentrated style, CPE’s music is full of sudden and unexpected harmonies, rapid shifts of register, and bursts of virtuosity. His writing is similar to that of the Romantics in its bar-by-bar freedom to allow a piece to develop in any direction. While you can theoretically categorise his manner as that of the style galant (essentially tuneful and straightforward), there’s a biting intelligence behind all of his music that’s absolutely irresistible.  CPE Bach’s writings about music also give clues as to how they were performed, suggesting in his Essay on the True Manner of Playing Keyboard Instruments that it is vital that a musician “play with all one’s soul, and not like a well-trained bird”. Clearly having taken note of the composer’s advice, Bruno Procopio performs the six Württemberg Sonatas with verve. There’s a lot to enjoy in this set, with Procopio’s fleet-fingered touch doing much to highlight Bach’s unique compositional style. Particularly enjoyable are the exquisitely phrased slow movements of each piece – listening on headphones is a real treat. The only…