Music to my ears
What the classical world has been listening to this month
Yael Weiss Pianist
One of my first loves as a kid was
JS Bach – he was one of the main reasons I became a musician, and I’ve always loved Edward Aldwell’s recording of his preludes and fugues. When everything feels unsettled, I listen to this and it always makes me feel as though the world makes sense. There’s a beautiful kind of balance in his performances. They sound very human and very passionate.
As we’re now in Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to play and listen to his music, particularly his piano sonatas. There are so many recordings, but one set I find interesting is by Anton Kuerti.
He’s a wonderful writer too and has written the liner notes, which are humorous and full of personal observations. He’s not afraid to be critical, even of Beethoven.
While I was in Vienna, I located the building where Beethoven lived. It’s not far from
Pianist Edward Aldwell’s Bach makes me feel as though the world makes sense
the Burgtheater, which is where his Second Piano Concerto was first performed. While I walked between the two, I listened to Mitsuko Uchida’s recording of this concerto with Simon Rattle. It was a great combination of music and location, but that was a unique occasion. I otherwise never listen
to music with headphones on when I’m on the go – it’s a terrible way to listen. And also…
I’ve just reread Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist, which reminds us to concentrate on our mission in life. There are so many distractions around us, but this gives me peace of mind and a sense of purpose.
Chen Reiss Soprano
I’m singing in Beethoven’s Leonore, the early 1805 version of Fidelio, at the moment in Vienna. I love conductor Herbert Blomstedt’s recording of Leonore, particularly the tempos he takes. He allows the voices room to bloom, and the Dresden Staatskapelle orchestra sounds glorious. It’s a rich, modern sound with a lot of colour and attention to detail. This recording keeps you on the edge of your seat. In the 1805 version you hear where Beethoven has come from, and in 1814 you hear where he’s going to.
If I could take one recording with me to a desert island, it would be Nancy Argenta’s recording of
JS Bach cantatas with Ensemble Sonnerie. Bach is my favourite composer, and Argenta has the perfect voice for it. It’s so pure and beautiful. Her singing is very instrumental, with zero mannerisms, which I love. It has simplicity in the best sense of the word, and it’s both calming and exciting when needed. I feel like it delivers absolute truth to the listener. She’s a role model for me.
I sing a lot of Mozart heroines, and I always refer to Cecilia Bartoli’s album Mozart Portraits when I prepare. When it comes to singing Italian, there’s no singer who is more expressive and fascinating. After years of listening to her recordings, I’m still amazed at her creativity and musical and dramatic choices. Every word comes to life when I listen to her sing. Not to mention the beauty and the warmth of her sound,
which is unique. This is the way Mozart should be sung.
And also…
I went to Los Angeles for concerts with the LA Philharmonic recently, and I had one gorgeous, sunny free day. The Huntington Library isn’t usually on the tourist agenda, but it’s really worth a visit. It’s massive. You’d need a week to see everything, inside and out. Highlights for me included the immaculately manicured Japanese garden, a Chinese garden and a hillside crammed with desert flora. Inside, there are treasures too, such as a Gutenberg Bible and Gainsborough’s Blue Boy painting. Chen Reiss’s recording ‘Immortal Beloved – Beethoven arias’ is out on Onyx Classics on 20 March Jack Liebeck Violinist
I get intrigued about what other people have done with a piece after I’ve played it. So, I’ve been obsessed with Schoenberg’s Violin Concerto since I recorded it. A gentleman in America contacted me to say he’s got the biggest recording database of the concerto, including live performances going right back to the 1940s. He sent me a Christian Ferras recording from the 1950s, and another of a violinist I didn’t know. It’s been really interesting.
I do a lot of teaching as well as playing and I hear a lot of classical music, so quite often I like to listen to something totally different. My wife used to work in rock music, so she’s been giving me a bit of an education! I’ve always been into Radiohead and things like that, but I’ve recently started listening to Black Sabbath in the car, which is quite fun. You can take inspiration from all sorts of music.
I don’t tend to sit down and listen to music, but by curating festivals I get to listen to a lot of amazing stuff. Next year, I’ll be taking over the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, so I’m currently listening to loads of interesting repertoire.
I’m discovering oboe quartets by people like Bridge and Britten, and the Wolf-ferrari Chamber Symphony, which is awesome. We’ve got the accordionist James Crabb at my Oxford festival, so
I’ve educated myself in accordion chamber music!
And also…
I am a film fan and I’ve been going to lots of movies lately. I saw The Lighthouse at the cinema, which was incredible.
It’s weird but wonderful, absolutely twisted but brilliant. Jack Liebeck’s album of Brahms and Schoenberg concertos is out on 20 March on Orchid Classics