From Vienna to Salzburg via the USA
This month’s round-up celebrates anniversaries and a great conductor
There’s 30 years of music contained in Alban Berg Quartett – The Complete Recordings (Warner Classics 9029538517), released to mark the
50th anniversary of the founding of this great Viennese ensemble. Comprised of 62 CDS and eight DVDS, it’s a remarkable collection; but then so was the quartet, which disbanded in 2008 while still enjoying huge popularity. Its perfectionism, versatility and passion for 20thcentury music is evident, with masterful Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart sitting alongside works by Schnittke, Berio, Rihm and, of course, Berg.
Similiarly eclectic is Itzhak Perlman – The Complete RCA & Columbia Album Collection (Sony Classical 19439752272), released to celebrate the legendary violinist’s 75th birthday. The recordings span 47 years, beginning with Perlman’s debut that never was – his 1965 RCA sessions didn’t see the light of day until 2004. From there we’re treated to turns with the New York Philharmonic, key chamber partners Yo-yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax, plus a programme that sees classic sonatas and concertos, two film scores, a collection of liturgical Jewish tunes and a pair of Cinema Serenade albums conducted by John Williams.
It was with RCA that Charles Munch made celebrated recordings with the Boston Symphony, but his studio time for other labels pre- and post-boston is marked with The Legacy of Charles Munch (Eloquence 484 0219). This 16-disc set ranges from his 1938 L’oiseau-lyre recordings to his very last sessions for Philips and DG in 1966/67, plus everything he did in between for Decca. Many of the recordings are remastered and on CD for the first time.
The 100 Anniversary Edition – Salzburg Festival (C Major DVD: 755608; Blu-ray: 755704) focuses on just ten opera productions from 2008-19. That said, this is very much the cream of the festival’s opera programme and, being more recent, the audio/ visual quality will be top-notch. There’s works by Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Janácek and two each from Verdi and Richard Strauss. Soloists include Cecilia Bartoli, Marina Rebeke and Christoph Prégardien and conductors include Ivor Bolton, Valery Gergiev, Esa-pekka Salonen and the late Mariss Jansons.
Comprised of 62 CDS and eight DVDS, it’s a remarkable collection