Brief Notes
A collection of 24 further reviews, including Latvian choral classics, characterful American violin sonatas and Bizet’s colourful piano music
Abrahamsen
Six Pieces; 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1); Satie: Trois Gymnopédies (arr. Abrahamsen); Nielsen: Fantasy Pieces
(arr. Abrahamsen)
Ensemble Midtvest
Dacapo 8.226091
A disc of two halves: Abrahamsen’s own String Quartet No. 1 is atmospherically performed, but his arrangements of Satie Gymnopédies and Nielsen Fantasy Pieces don’t quite hit the spot. (RF)
JS Bach Organ works, Vol. 2: Preludes & Fugues, BWV 541 & 547; Organ Concertos, BWV 594 & 596; Chorale Partita, BWV 768 Masaaki Suzuki (organ)
BIS BIS-2241
Spirited playing on a meantone temperament organ – just one or two issues with the speed at which one of the solo reeds speaks. An interesting and unexpected programme, too. (OC) JS Bach Bach Reimagines Bach: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1001; Suite in E major, BWV 1006a; Suite in G minor, BWV 995 William Carter (lute)
Linn CKD 445
Lutenist William Carter shows off his dexterity and subtlety of expression with Bach’s music, suites and sonatas genially arranged for the instrument by Carter and the composer himself. The imaginative booklet notes are engagingly written, too. (OC)
Birchall The Wind in the Willows; Alice in Wonderland
Cellophony; Simon Callow (narrator) Cellophony records CR101
These two wonderfully whimsical ‘musical stories’ for eight cellos and narrator are characterfully performed by Cellophony. Richard Birchall’s exquisitely on-point musical portraits are helped along by delightful narration by actor Simon Callow. (EC) Bizet Grande Valse de Concert; Chasse fantastique; Chants du Rhin; Nocturne in D; Variations chromatiques; L’arlésienne Suite No. 1; Nocturne No. 1
Johann Blanchard (piano)
MDG MDG 904 2018
A rare chance to explore Bizet beyond his operas. There’s a lot to enjoy in this vividly played recital, not least the solo piano arrangement of
L’arlésienne and the youthfully bubbly
Grande Valse de Concert, Op. 1.
(JP)
Cimarosa
Complete piano sonatas, Vol. 2: Nos 45-88
Dario Candela (piano)
Dynamic CDS7790.02
Late-18th-century Domenico Cimarosa’s brief Scarlatti-esque piano sonatas are mostly cheerful fare, inventive and colourful, and are here played with lightness and fluidity. A whole two discs of them is asking quite a lot, however… (OC)
Dvoπák Symphony No. 1 Nuremberg State Phil/marcus Bosch Coviello Classics COV 91718
Dvoπák’s Beethovenian symphony written at just 23, promises great things to come – and the Nuremberg State Phil seems to agree with a committed performance of drama and tenderness. (OC)
Hakim Phèdre; Caprice en Rondeau; Diptyque etc
Soloists; Quatuor de la Chapelle Royale
Signum SIGCD498
This showcase of Hakim’s active, bold harmonic style is at its best in the works for flute and piano. Elsewhere, as in the cantata Phèdre, it can become brash. (EC)
Hertel Harp Concertos etc Silke Aichhorn (harp); Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester/kevin Griffiths
CPO 777 8412
A German contemporary of JC Bach, Johann Wilhelm Hertel was, on the evidence of these breezy, affable concertos, a man at ease with life. A very pleasurable, if unexacting, listen. (JP)
Lentz River of 1,000 Streams Vikki Ray (piano) Cold Blue CB0050 28:23
This hypnotic half-hour contemporary piece was written after a trip to the Yellowstone River in Montana. The music rumbles, flows and sparkles as 11 layers of echoing piano tremolos pile up. (RF)
Mansurian Canti paralleli; Postludia*; Agnus Dei
Soloists; Musica Viva Moscow Chamber Orchestra/rudin; Kazakov* Brilliant Classics 95489
Mansurian’s impressionistic orchestral song-cycle
Canti paralleli is the highlight of this introspective disc, thanks to the beautiful velvety tones of mezzo Mariam Sarkissian. (EC)
Mendelssohn • Penderecki Sextets
Spannungen Festival 2016 soloists Avi-music 8553384
This disc was recorded live in a hydroelectric power plant, of all places. It’s an interesting programme, but booming sound mars the lively playing. (RF)
Moωnik Choral works S:t Jacobs Kammarkör/gary Graden Carus 83.487
Though not hugely distinctive, the Slovenian Moωnik’s tonal, tuneful style does have its beguiling moments. His case is done no harm by S:t Jacobs Kammarkör’s immaculate blend. (JP) FX Mozart Polonaises mélancoliques; plus Chopin
Yaara Tal (piano) Sony 88985446942 FX Mozart was barely four months old when his famous father Wolfgang died. Yaara Tal brings charming lightness to his pretty, if perfunctory polonaises. (EC) Vivaldi The Folk Seasons Kreeta-maria Kentala, Siiri Virkkala (violin); Barocco Boreale Alba ABCD 402 If ‘folk seasons’ suggests diluted crossover, the result is more substantial – this is a joyful and stylish take on Vivaldi’s classic. Bird whistles, psaltery, kantele, regal and vihuela adorn the continuo. (RF) American Sonatas Violin sonatas by Ives, Bolcom and Corigliano
Ching-yi Lin (violin), Lopes (piano) MSR Classics MS 1553 Three sonatas of differing characters – folky Ives, bluesy Bolcom and playful Corigliano – are all well worth exploring. Lin and Lopes are a well-balanced team in all three.
(JP)
American Voices Bernstein, Thompson, Copland, Muhly et al
Saint Thomas Choir of Men & Boys, Fifth Avenue, New York/scott
Resonus RES10187 Muhly’s Bright Mass
with Canons shines in this collection of seven decades of choral music, though more energy and detail would have benefitted the major works. (EC) Boyd meets girl Zenamon, Fauré, Bach, Pärt et al
Rupert Boyd (guitar), Laura Metcalf (cello) Sono Luminis DSL-92217 Despite the groanworthy title, this disc is a splendid collection of original works and arrangements for guitar and cello, all played with wit and abandon. (OC)
Colors Debussy and R Strauss Duo Tal and Groethuysen Sony Classical 88985446952
Familiar orchestral works, heard in twopiano guise. Strauss’s
Till Eulenspiegel is an exuberant riot, but the two Debussy works fail to enchant or excite. (JP) Garden Party Nielsen, Hannibal, Lalo, Christiansen and Grieg
Petri (recorder), Hannibal (guitar) OUR Recordings 6.220619 Adaptations and original pieces for this superb recorder-guitar duo – the disc’s jazzy title suite, evoking the calls of three birds, is especially charming. (OC) Nature and the Soul Da¯rzin¸≥, Melngailis, Za¯l¯ıtis, Graubin¸≥ et al
Latvian Radio Choir/putni¸n≥ Skani LMIC/SKANI054 This Latvian programme whisks us away to landscapes of enchanted forests and never-ending sunsets, thanks to a stunning performance by the Latvian Radio Choir. (EC) Songs Without Words Works by Bach, Dvoπák, Fauré et al
Slava & Leonard Grigoryan (guitars) ABC Classics 481 5101 These two-guitar arrangements written for the Grigoryans by their father are a mixed bag. The Falla fizzes with life but the Bach and Elgar lumbers and slumbers in equal measure. (JP) Warp and Weft Clarke, Patterson, Jacob, Moeran and Rawsthorne
Midori Komachi, Sophie Rosa (violins); Simon Callaghan (piano) EM Records EMR CDO43 An atmospheric disc, with two interesting premieres – Patterson’s
Allusions Trio and Jacob’s Four Bagatelles. Clarke’s rapturous Nocturne also stands out. (RF) 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition Beethoven, Ravel, Di Castri et al Rolston, Castalian & Tesla Quartets BISQC A well-recorded memento of the impressive string quartets that took bronze, silver and gold at last year’s Banff competition. It’s a rewarding listen. (RF) ++++ Reviewers: Oliver Condy (OC), Elinor Cooper (EC), Rebecca Franks (RF), Jeremy Pound (JP)